Oct 7 (FT) World Bank upgraded its outlook for SL, raising its 2026 growth forecast to 4.4% from 3.6% in April, but warned that the recovery remains uneven, with poverty above pre-crisis levels and real wages still about 12% below 2019. Latest in the Bank’s twice-yearly SL Development Update, titled From Recovery to Transformation, projects growth easing to 4.2% in 2027 and 4% in 2028 as the post-crisis rebound fades and growth converges to its long-run trend more..

Oct 7 (Island) The membership-based electoral structure should provide representation without becoming a substitute for executive management. The seven Elected Directors would bring the perspectives of the SLC membership into the Board, while the seven Independent Directors would provide additional professional expertise and independence. The model’s effectiveness will, therefore, depend on whether the Board can integrate these perspectives into coherent strategic decisions while maintaining more..

Oct 7 (Island) Fuel queues have returned, with long lines of vehicles reported at filling stations in many parts of the country. Foreign companies engaged in fuel trade have reportedly curtailed supplies, claiming that they are incurring substantial losses as fuel prices determined by the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) are not sufficient to cover their costs despite a 70-rupee diesel subsidy. The govt appears to be watching helplessly while fuel queues are lengthening. more..

Oct 7 (GV) Tisaranee Gunasekara, in her article in Groundviews, Land Mining Sri Lanka in Vadunnagala, says that Pallegama Hemarathana Thero, who is accused of child rape and no longer the Atamasthanadhipati, gifted a Sri Maha Bodhi sapling to me that I planted it in Vadunnagala archaeological site in the Northern Province, which is being promoted via social media as the next battle field between Sinhala Buddhists and Tamil Hindus. She says that Galgamuve Shanthibodhi Thero, more..

Oct 7 (TM) Some years ago, in a village temple in the Kandyan hills, I asked the incumbent whether anything old from his teacher had been kept. He thought about it, found a key, and opened an almirah in a side room. Inside were brass lamps, a silver betel box, a folded length of cloth that had clearly once been fine, and a small reliquary that I would guess, though only guess, to be 19th century. I asked who had given them. He said his teacher would have known. His teacher had died in the early 1990s. more..

Oct 7 (TM) SL’s Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) sector handles billions of rupees each year, much of it directed towards development, humanitarian assistance, poverty alleviation, education, health, human rights, and other social programmes. The scale alone makes the case for financial accountability difficult to dispute. Official figures published by the National Secretariat for NGOs show a reported NGO fund inflow of approximately Rs. 20.69 billion in 2023, more..

Oct 7 (ST) All the trouble and the untold efforts taken these past two years to build a rich nation and a beautiful life on cloud nine for the people of this country may come to naught if the bleak economic scenario – as painted in a damning US report on SL’s economic prospects for the year ahead – comes to pass. While the US State Dept’s annual report on SL explicitly acknowledges that SL’s economy grew by 5%, exceeding expectations, and credits the NPP govt for maintaining political stability, more..

Oct 7 (CT) Public attention is currently focused on a humanitarian issue involving the provision of essential food ,water and other humanitarian assistance to Iranian naval vessels within SL’s maritime zone. There is a fundamental question that we should ask whenever sanctions, int'l restrictions or political considerations arise in relation to persons in distress at sea: A person who is drowning cannot first be asked about his nationality, political affiliation more..

Oct 7 (SO) SL entered 2025 with a national objective of eliminating child labour, but a senior official of the Dept of Labour has confirmed that the Dept’s report corresponding to 2025 has not yet been prepared. The absence of the 2025 report means that the latest available annual performance data from Dept of Labour currently cover the period up to 2024. These reports record thousands of inspections, investigations into complaints and targeted programmes aimed at preventing more..

Oct 7 (DM) The dynamics of political change across countries are undergoing changes. Political change is no longer brought about only by elections involving conventional political parties and established leaders, but by agitations and street actions by Gen Z. A Gen Z grouping is an inchoate, unorganised, and spontaneously formed group surfacing in response to the emergence of intolerable conditions in the social, economic or political environment. Gen Z have taken to the streets to bring down the mighty, more..

Oct 7 (DM) NPP govt is facing a serious dilemma in keeping some of its pledges to the people given during the last Prez and Parliamentary elections. The reason could be argued both ways -- insincerity as well as circumstantial pressure, based on one’s political affiliation. One important acid test for the govt is to adopt a new constitution replacing the current one, while another is replacing the current PTA with another anti-terrorism Act that could be acceptable to the int'l community. more..

Oct 6 (NW) CPC says fuel prices can be maintained at their current levels until the end of October, while assuring that there is no issue with its fuel stocks. CPC Chairman D.J. Rajakaruna said the corporation was also confident of maintaining the current fuel price and supply situation over the next three months, provided there were no major unforeseen disruptions. He said temporary shortages could occur in some areas due to other fuel companies reducing supplies to their filling stations. more..

Oct 6 (DM) Another case filed against BBS organisation Secretary Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera over allegedly making a statement insulting Islam has been fixed for Oct 23 for further hearing by Colombo High Court Judge Buddhika C. Ragala. At the previous hearing, the court issued a warrant against Ven. Gnanasara Thera as he had failed to appear before the open court in connection with this case. Accordingly, when the case was taken up today, accused, Ven. Gnanasara Thera, more..

Oct 6 (NW) SL’s economy has returned to pre-crisis levels after expanding for 12 consecutive quarters, but household incomes, employment outcomes and poverty levels continue to lag behind the broader economic recovery, World Bank said. In its latest SL Development Update, titled From Recovery to Transformation, World Bank projected the economy to grow by 4.4% in 2026, higher than earlier forecasts, supported by strong more..

Oct 6 (PMD) A special discussion on preparations for SL’s third mutual evaluation on international compliance with Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) standards was held this morning, chaired by the Prez. Discussion focused extensively on preparations for the third mutual evaluation, scheduled to be conducted from 26 Oct to 6 Nov 2026. Progress in implementing the relevant recommendations and action plan at more..

Oct 6 (AFP) Misinformation targeting SL's Muslim community has long circulated on social media, fuelling tensions in the Buddhist-majority nation. In September, users falsely claimed more than 380,000 Muslim babies are born annually while 750,000 mostly Buddhist Sinhalese women supposedly undergo abortions every year. Multiple experts told AFP the figures are inconsistent with the island nation's birth rate and available data on abortions. "Sinhala people, if you don't have at least more..

Oct 6 (Island) The govt is coming under pressure from civil society organisations to formulate a clear mechanism to deal with requests for presidential pardons. Representing civil society organisations, Gamini Viyangoda flayed the NPP govt for the delay in taking action against Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera, after the Supreme Court declared the 2019 presidential pardon granted to him by Prez Maithripala more..

Oct 6 (FT) Govt is set to establish 1,050 official email accounts covering 350 courts across SL as part of measures to accelerate the digitalisation of the country’s judicial system. The accounts will operate under the official courts.gov.lk domain, while the initiative will also introduce voice-to-text technology and video conferencing facilities to support court proceedings and administration. Cabinet has approved the proposal presented by Minister of Justice and National Integration to more..

Oct 6 (FT) Container volumes at the Port of Colombo rose 10.3% year-on-year (YoY) to 5.99 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in the first eight months of 2026, driven by transshipment, although domestic container traffic contracted sharply in August. A TEU is the standard unit for measuring container capacity, equal to one 20-foot shipping container. Total container handling at Colombo grew 4.7% YoY to 776,300 TEUs in August, from 741,124 TEUs a year earlier, more..

Oct 6 (NW) A Rs. 91.21 million feasibility study is to be carried out to identify measures to reduce traffic congestion around Lotus Junction, the Port Access Elevated Highway and the Marine Drive Connector Road in Colombo. Cabinet has approved awarding the consultancy services contract to M/s Master Hellie’s Engineering Consultants (Pvt) Ltd, based on the recommendation of the Cabinet-appointed Consultancy Procurement Committee. The contract comprises a local component of Rs. 52.44m more..

Oct 6 (EN) Sri Lanka has awarded contracts valued at over 4 billion rupees for several road infrastructure improvement projects, minister Nalinda Jayatissa said. Bids were called from contractors, and following evaluation of the bids, the Cabinet approved the proposals to award contracts as follows: Asset Engineering (Pvt) Ltd was awarded a 744.68 million rupee contract to improve the Blackpool-Ambewela-Pattipola-Horton Plains Road (12+500km to 18+000km) (B512). more..

Oct 6 (FT) The banking industry lifted cumulative after-tax profit by 12.9% to Rs. 209 billion in the first half of 2026 from a year earlier, as total assets grew 9.3% to Rs. 26 trillion on the back of a 25% surge in lending. The figures point to a sector shifting its balance sheet from investments to loans. Net loans rose by Rs. 2.8 trillion in the year to June, more than the Rs. 2.2 trillion growth in total assets, while investments fell by Rs. 979 billion. more..

Oct 6 (NW) SLPP has categorically rejected claims that former Colombo Municipal Councillor Mahinda Kahandagama was a member of the party, following his arrest over alleged drug-related offences. Responding to questions from reporters, SLPP General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam said Kahandagama had never held membership in the SLPP, despite having contested an election under an alliance involving the party. Kariyawasam said the SLPP had joined forces with a leftist party more..

Oct 6 (AD) Cabinet has approved the procurement for the printing (Phase I) of textbooks and modules scheduled for free distribution to schoolchildren in 2027. Accordingly, a total of 421 types of textbooks and modules, including modules for Grades 1, 2, and 6, are scheduled to be printed. Bids were invited under the National Competitive Bidding procedure for this purpose, resulting in the submission of 31 bids. Following the evaluation of the bids, approval has been granted, more..

Oct 6 (Island) The 20 nominees for the World Athlete of the Year honours have been announced ahead of the World Athletics Awards taking place in Monaco on 29 Nov. The nominees – selected by an international panel of athletics experts – include 10 for Women’s World Athlete of the Year and 10 for Men’s World Athlete of the Year. In what has been another sensational year for the sport, the nominations reflect some of the standout more..

Oct 6 (NW) A new passenger ferry capable of carrying around 150 people at a time is to be deployed on the Delft–Jaffna sea route under the govt’s Praja Shakthi National Programme. The initiative is aimed at addressing difficulties faced in passenger sea transport in the Jaffna Peninsula, particularly between the mainland and outlying islands such as Delft. Existing facilities are insufficient to safely transport larger numbers of passengers at once, creating challenges more..

Oct 6 (DN) Plans are underway to develop the historic Maduwanwela Walawwa in Kolonna Korale, Sabaragamuwa, as a new tourism zone. Minister Dr. Hiniduma Sunil Senevi inspected the Walawwa yesterday afternoon as part of efforts to promote the site as a major tourism hub in the Sabaragamuwa Province. During the inspection, the Minister instructed relevant officials to expedite development activities, including the improvement of infrastructure surrounding the historic premises. more..

Oct 6 (AM) People’s Bank will fund a 3-year project to reduce elephant–train collisions through early warning systems at high-risk railway locations, with a pilot planned along a 14-km stretch between Habarana and Hataraskotuwa. The project is being implemented in collaboration with the Clean Sri Lanka Programme, Sri Lanka Railways, Dept of Wildlife Conservation and Dept of Forest Conservation. The bank and the three departments signed a MOU on 1 Sept 2026. more..

Oct 6 (Island) SLPP General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam has delivered a scathing critique of the NPP administration during the launch of the party’s Yukthiya Wenuwen Nagitimu (Rise Up for Justice) nationwide seminar series, in Kalutara, accusing the govt of systematically weaponising state institutions to target political rivals. The former lawmaker said that the govt action caused erosion of the sacrosanct rule of law. Speaking at the inaugural event, organised by more..

Oct 6 (NW) New details have emerged in the investigation into the controversial Krrish transaction, with the Bribery Commission telling the Colombo Magistrate’s Court that a Rs. 70 million payment made by Krrish Transworks had not been credited to the bank account of Ceylon Premier Sports. Disclosure was made as the case involving MP Namal Rajapaksa and former Krrish director Janaki Siriwardena was taken up before more..

Oct 6 (Island) Professor G.L. Peiris Trust for Legal Education and Research was established in the presence of a distinguished gathering of senior academics, leaders of the legal profession and civil society during a ceremony held at Senate House, Uni of Colombo this week. The Trust Deed, drawn up by Paul Ratnayeke Associates, was signed by Professor Peiris as settlor, and by Vice Chancellor of the Uni of Colombo, Professor Mahesh Karunatilaka, Dean of the Faculty of Law, more..

Oct 6 (EN) Sri Lanka and Thailand have agreed to enter into a mutual visa exemption agreement for ordinary passport holders, minister Nalinda Jayatissa said. Cabinet has approved a proposal to sign the agreement between SL and Thailand. “Both parties have agreed to enter into an agreement on visa exemption for holders of ordinary passports, with the aim of further strengthening the friendly relations between SL and Thailand and facilitating travel for their citizens,” Jayatissa said. more..