Oct 16 (TM) Justice for the Robe, National Pledge Offering and Freedom March, organised under the leadership of the Buddhist clergy calling for the release of Ven. Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thera, reached the vicinity of the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo yesterday, where representatives of the clergy met the Presidential Secretary to discuss the matter. Presidential Secretary Dr Nandika Sanath more..

Oct 16 (TM) When extreme weather destroys crops, damages infrastructure and disrupts supply chains, the consequences travel far beyond the farm. They reach food prices, family nutrition, rural incomes and public finances. Cyclone Ditwah exposed this vulnerability with painful clarity. With El Niño expected to bring further climatic pressures, Sri Lanka faces a critical choice: continue paying heavily after disasters, or invest in protecting livelihoods and production before hazard more..

Oct 16 (DM) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism has sought public assistance to identify a deceased woman believed to be a SL national who reportedly lived in Lebanon for more than 42 years. According to a public notice issued by the Ministry, the woman was reportedly known by the name Rani Sri Lanki. The Ministry has urged anyone with information that could help establish her identity or trace her family members and known contacts to come forward. more..

Oct 16 (FT) IMF yesterday urged SL to stay focused on completing the ongoing EFF program, which has two reviews still to run. The comments come amid persistent debate over Sri Lanka’s IMF engagement beyond March 2027, when the EFF program ends. Fund said Sri Lanka’s fiscal performance had outshone that of its peers, and left the decision on any follow-on arrangement to the Govt. “Let me step back for a second more..

Oct 16 (TG) A Batticaloa civil society group has accused Sri Lankan police at Kokkuvil station of complicity in the illicit liquor trade in Thiraimadu, after a separate police unit carried out raids in the area that the local station had failed to make. Anthony Sil Rajkumar, media spokesperson for the Batticaloa Organisation Against Corruption, Fraud and Drugs, told a press conference in Palaimeenmadu on Sunday that the sale of illicit liquor, known locally as kasippu, had continued in Thiraimadu for more..

Oct 16 (NW) Protesters demanding the release of Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera have moved to the opposite side of the road outside the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo following a request by police. The protesters, including Buddhist monks who marched from Kandy to Colombo, have vacated the area directly outside the Presidential Secretariat and are now occupying the pavement on the opposite side of Galle Road. The road has been reopened to traffic, while protest continues more..

Oct 16 (TM) India’s Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has busted a transnational smuggling network that allegedly imported 7,311 metric tonnes of Pakistan-origin rock salt through Sri Lanka using forged trade documents to conceal its origin. Four people have been arrested in connection with the operation, which uncovered 295 containers of industrial and Himalayan rock salt valued at approximately Rs 104.5 million in SL currency, according to a statement issued by more..

Oct 16 (NW) Illegal Assets Investigation Division of the SL Police has issued freezing orders on cash and property worth approximately Rs. 85 million, suspected to have been acquired through drug trafficking. The assets include a two-story house valued at more than Rs. 70 million in Jaffna, and Rs. 15 million in cash. The investigation stems from the arrest of five suspects by STF officers in Jaffna on Aug 31, 2023, after they were found in possession of Rs. 15 million in cash. more..

Oct 16 (NW) Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has condemned the police action against Buddhist monks protesting outside the Presidential Secretariat, urging Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake to personally intervene and address their demands. In a statement, Premadasa said the monks, who had marched from Kandy to Colombo, were engaged in a peaceful protest near the Presidential Secretariat. He said he had received reports that police had dismantled a temporary structure erected to more..

Oct 16 (DN) SL Women’s U-19 team, led by Chamudi Praboda, will take on Bangladesh in the Tri-Nation Women’s Under-19 T20 final today (16) at Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad, Pakistan, aiming to cap an impressive campaign with the title. Sri Lanka head into the final in excellent form, having won five of their six league matches to finish at the top of the points table. Bangladesh recorded three victories against Pakistan but lost all three of their league encounters with Sri Lanka, more..

Oct 16 (TM) The COPF was told the Govt had spent Rs 9.7 billion to establish the Colombo Port City (CPC) project, and COPF Chairperson Dr Harsha de Silva stressed that it was the taxpayers who had borne a significant cost and the State needed to receive a return on its investment. CPC Economic Commission said the Govt had spent Rs 9.7 billion on the project. CPCEC Chairperson Harsha Amarasekera said that more..

Oct 16 (Island) The Under 18 boys’ shot put meet record will be under severe threat today, when the most talked-about thrower of the last All Island Schools Games Athletics Championships takes to the field on the opening day at Diyagama. Mayon Rajasinghe, now competing for his third school in four years, has shown steady progress this season and appears to be peaking at the right time to attempt another record-breaking performance on the junior circuit. more..

Oct 16 (FT) Indian life sciences group Zydus Lifesciences Ltd., and Sri Lanka’s Sunshine Holdings PLC are partnering to invest over $ 20 million in a pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Horana, in a move aimed at expanding local medicine production and reducing reliance on imports. The proposed joint venture, Zydus Sunshine Lifesciences Ltd, signed an agreement with the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka (BOI) to establish the facility within the BOI zone in Horana. more..

Oct 16 (Island) SJB has accused the NPP govt of trying to create an environment conducive for the re-appointment of Kumara Jayakody who resigned on 17 April 2026 over a coal scam perpetrated in 2025. Colombo District MP S.M. Marikkar alleged that Jayakody’s successor Anura Karunathilaka was spearheading the efforts at the behest of Prez Dissanayake. Marikkar said that NPP was busy propagating a lie that the losses more..

Oct 16 (ST) Welimada area potato growers are complaining of low prices for their produce and high costs of inputs. They claim that they spend about Rs 220 to produce a kilogram of potato, but the market price is only around Rs 180. During the season they had paid between Rs 35,000 and Rs 38,000 for a kilo of seed potatoes. Most growers are in the Welimada, Boralanda, Vidurapola, Bogahakumbara, Uva Paranagama & Bandarawela areas. A grower from Boralanda, R.M. Gunapala, said more..

Oct 16 (FT) The Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal by a Buddhist monk convicted of sexually abusing a novice monk. The court upheld his conviction and sentences of 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment for grave sexual abuse. Court of Appeal Justices Amal Ranaraja and Dr. Sumudu Premachandra held that the trial judge was entitled to rely on the child victim’s evidence, having found it credible and trustworthy. The bench said the victim had given a detailed and consistent account. more..

Oct 16 (TM) The Hambantota International Port (HIP) has reached a major milestone in its container operations, surpassing one million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) in cumulative container throughput since commissioning new quay cranes in 2025, according to HIPG Pvt Ltd. The port handled 428,036 TEUs in 2025 and 574,196 TEUs year-to-date in 2026, pushing its combined total to 1,002,232 TEUs. more..

Oct 16 (DN) Marking seven decades of diplomatic relations next year, govt officials, private sector leaders, and investment authorities from Egypt and SL gathered in Colombo for a high-level roundtable discussion on bilateral investment. The event, hosted on Oct 14, was organized to explore new avenues for economic cooperation and partnership between the two nations. The Egyptian delegation was led by Walid Anwar, Deputy CEO of the General Authority for Investment & Free Zones (GAFI) more..

Oct 16 (Island) Speaking at the SL Economic and Investment Summit 2026, T. Krishnakumar, CEO of Reliance Consumer Products, emphasised that local enterprises can unlock substantial economic benefits by strategically aligning with India’s booming consumer base. Addressing business leaders and policymakers, Krishnakumar highlighted that geographical proximity and rich cultural ties provide a natural foundation for deeper commercial collaboration. more..

Oct 16 (FT) SL’s manufacturing and services sectors in September have expanded, as per the Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), its compiler Central Bank of SL said. Manufacturing PMI registered an index value of 53 in September, remaining unchanged compared to the previous month, indicating that manufacturing activities continued to expand at a similar pace during the month. CBSL said the expansion in New Orders and Production was largely attributed to positive developments more..

Oct 16 (FT) Driven by its commitment to introduce the latest global technologies and continuously elevate the customer experience, Commercial Bank of Ceylon has announced the introduction of Soundbox, an innovative audio-enabled digital payment acceptance device tailored for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Powered by Mastercard and implemented in partnership with Payable Ltd, the Soundbox solution is designed to bring small and micro merchants, more..

Oct 16 (NF) Ministry of Health has reported an increase in influenza cases across SL over the past several weeks, prompting health authorities to urge the public to remain vigilant and take preventive measures to limit the spread of the disease. Chief Epidemiologist Dr. Palitha Karunapema of Epidemiology Unit said influenza is a viral respiratory illness that typically causes symptoms such as fever, cough, cold, sore throat & body aches. more..

Oct 16 (Island) Glad tidings come occasionally amidst doom and gloom. Sri Lankans are elated that the Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia has set aside the death sentence imposed on Anojan Sivarasa. He was initially sentenced to five years’ imprisonment and fined three million Saudi riyals over a Facebook comment deemed insulting to the Prophet Muhammad. The death sentence was subsequently imposed on appeal, forcing Sri Lanka to redouble its efforts to save him. more..

Oct 16 (GV) There is a quiet way for making a government to fail. It involves no scandal or dramatic collapse. Files simply move slowly, projects wait, money lapses and nobody is clearly to blame. This is the failure of weak leadership. In the provinces it has become common. There have been several experiences. Bureaucracy is not the enemy. Public servants keep the state running. Most work hard and follow rules. Many are skilled. However, a bureaucracy without direction serves itself. more..

Oct 16 (DN) Deputy Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs Gamagedara Dissanayake discusses the Ministry’s work over the past two years to promote religious and cultural affairs, strengthen social stability and preserve interfaith harmony in SL. He outlines the establishment of the Buddhasasana Sabha, bringing together the Sangha across all three major Nikayas and their sub-sects, the introduction of quality standards for eightfold monastic offering more..

Oct 16 (Island) We welcome your recent expression of regret and apology in Parliament concerning Black July. Such acknowledgment of historical wrongdoing is a constructive step towards reconciliation and democratic accountability. However, an honest reckoning with history cannot begin and end with Black July. The violence of July 1983 was part of a much wider sequence of political developments, ethnic discrimination, state repression, erosion of democratic institutions. more..

Oct 16 (DN) Indian SC's recent observations on fishermen crossing into SL waters offer a timely opportunity to address one of the most persistent irritants in India–SL relations. New Delhi and Colombo should take the reminder of the highest judicial body for essential follow-up action to ensure successful cooperation between neighbouring countries, rather than a recurring reminder of a dispute neither side has adequately resolved. more..

Oct 16 (DM) Sri Lanka is currently in the process of integrating green transition concepts into its already existing infrastructure. Green transition is a shift away from fossil fuels towards renewable energy, low carbon systems and sustainable economic practices to achieve net zero emissions by mid-century. The goal of the green transition is to reduce and maintain cumulative impacts of human activity within the Earth’s geological limits. Already there are several ambitious goals such as more..

Oct 16 (DM) When Navanethem Pillay, who served as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014, won this year’s Nobel Peace Prize on last Friday we saw mixed reactions from Sri Lankans. Many including Tamil leaders and anti-war campaigners welcomed it, while many in the southern parts of the island deplored it. Among the UN High Commissioners for Human Rights, Navanethem Pillay, commonly known as Navi Pillay, can be described as the most familiar figure more..

Oct 16 (TM) As SL prepares for the 2027 Budget, the public is looking for more than just immediate relief, with concerns spanning from high living costs and taxes to employment, education, healthcare, and infrastructure. Many people expect the budget to ease household burdens while increasing economic opportunities. At the same time, citizens are looking for long-term solutions that will improve incomes and support those who more..

Oct 16 (ST) This week the IMF announced that it reached staff-level agreement with Sri Lanka on the seventh review under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF). The four-year EFF arrangement that SL entered with the IMF in March 2023, is now nearing its conclusion by March 2027. While the approval of the staff-level agreement by the Executive Board is still pending, the approval is subject to two conditions: Firstly, Budget 2027 should be in line with IMF programme parameters. more..

Oct 16 (TM) Equality before the law is one of the plainest principles of a democracy. A monk, a minister and a market trader answer to the same courts, and no sentence can be softened because of the status of the person serving it. Supreme Court’s decision to annul the presidential pardon granted to Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera was an exercise of judicial authority, and whatever one thinks of the person, it deserves respect. He was convicted of contempt of court, and more..