Oct 23 (DM) The Ministry of Energy has explained that restarting the Norochcholai coal power plant after a shutdown can take several days because its boilers, turbines and other critical equipment must be carefully inspected and gradually brought back to operating conditions. The ministry's explanation comes amid public concern over the time required to restore electricity generation following shutdowns at the Lakvijaya Power Plant in Norochcholai. more..

Oct 23 (TM) The Court of Appeal (CA) yesterday (22) dismissed several petitions filed by a group of Buddhist monks seeking permission to intervene in a writ petition submitted by the former Director of the State Intelligence Service, retired Major General Suresh Sallay. The writ petition filed by Sallay challenges his arrest and detention under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act. The intervention petitions were submitted by several Buddhist monks, including more..

Oct 23 (DM) A tense situation erupted today at the Viharamahadevi Park premises in Colombo, where a group of Buddhist monks has been staging a Satyagraha campaign demanding a presidential pardon for the General Secretary of the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), Venerable Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero. The unrest was triggered when officers from the Cinnamon Gardens Police arrived at the protest site to announce a court order obtained from the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court. more..

Oct 23 (TM) Following the interim report on the Chemmani mass grave in Jaffna by chief archaeologist Prof Raj Somadeva, the Democratic Tamil National Alliance (DTNA) and Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) have called for a credible and independent investigation into the same, expressing concern that speculation surrounding an interim archaeological report could undermine efforts to establish the truth about the human remains recovered from the site. more..

Oct 23 (DM) SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa today questioned what action would be taken against IGP Priyantha Weerasooriya, arguing that the law should be applied equally in cases involving the police chief and Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera. Rajapaksa said the public was waiting to see what consequences the IGP would face over allegations that he had disregarded a court order and provided false information to court in a case involving the prosecution of innocent people. more..

Oct 23 (FT) Industrial Asphalts (Ceylon)’s Board has rejected its external auditor’s disclaimer of opinion on the company’s financial statements for the year ended 31 March, 2026. The disclaimer led to the company’s securities being transferred to the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) Watch List with effect from 20 Oct, 2026, the company said yesterday. This is the company’s second Watch List transfer in under two months. It was first placed on the Watch List on 7 Sept, 2026 for failing more..

Oct 23 (DM) The public has been urged to exercise extreme caution when undertaking planned excursions to the central hill country and other rain-affected areas amid heavy rainfall and landslide warnings issued for several districts. Director (Awareness) of the Disaster Management Centre Pradeep Kodippili said people planning to travel to these areas should remain vigilant and check the prevailing weather and road conditions before setting out. “We are receiving frequent inquiries from more..

Oct 23 (FT) NDF MP Ravi Karunanayake yesterday urged the Govt to secure a successor to SL’s IMF program, arguing that IMF backing remains crucial despite being unpalatable, as the current arrangement nears its end in March 2027. Raising questions in Parliament, Karunanayake asked whether, beyond completing the existing IMF program, a successor arrangement had been requested or discussed, and what financing, conditionalities, social protection and debt sustainability steps were being considered. more..

Oct 23 (FT) IMF projects Sri Lanka will raise $ 3 billion through International Sovereign Bond issues by 2028, but the Govt will decide whether to tap global markets, Finance and Planning Deputy Minister Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando told Parliament yesterday. IMF’s combined fifth and sixth review staff report under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) makes no projection for a sovereign bond issue in 2026, but assumes $ 1.5 billion each in 2027 and 2028, and none in 2029. more..

Oct 23 (Island) Director of the Forecasting Division of the Dept of Meteorology, Meril Mendis yesterday said that the low-pressure area currently located near SL had moved towards the northwest and was gradually moving westwards, causing rain in several parts of the country. Mendis said so addressing a special media briefing on the prevailing weather conditions held at the Dept of Govt Information yesterday. The official said an Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) was more..

Oct 23 (NW) Deputy Minister Arun Hemachandra focused on securing SL’s continued access to the European Union’s GSP+ trade preferences during high-level bilateral talks with Romanian MPs in Bucharest. Meeting at the Romanian Parliament, Hemachandra held discussions with Marius-Constantin Budăi, President of the Romania–SL Parliamentary Friendship Group and former Minister of Labour; Cristina -Mădălina Prună, Member of Parliament and Vice-Chairperson of the Committee on more..

Oct 23 (Island) The archaeologist leading the excavation of the alleged Chemmani mass grave has told a Jaffna court that the site more closely resembles formal burial practices than a clandestine grave. This has been revealed in an interim report submitted to Jaffna Magistrate Court on 19 Oct. The report, Forensic Archaeological Excavation in Chemmani, Jaffna (2025/2026): A summary report on findings, has been written by Raj Somadeva, a professor at the Postgraduate Institute of more..

Oct 23 (Island) ASP F.U. Wootler said that the police legal division would most probably consult the Attorney General’s Department regarding the Gampaha Magistrate Bandula Gunarathna’s directive in respect of IGP Priyantha Weerasooriya. ASP Wootler said so responding to The Island query yesterday regarding the previous day’s court proceedings in the Gampaha Magistrate court. Gampaha Magistrate on Wednesday (21) directed the court registrar to forward case files in respect of the IGP to more..

Oct 23 (TM) Govt sought indefinite time to respond to a series of questions raised by Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa in Parliament yesterday on the implementation of the 2026 Budget, with Premadasa questioning how the President, in his capacity as Finance Minister, would deliver the 2027 Budget speech without figures on Ministry-wise expenditure, project progress and foreign investment. Premadasa sought details on the progress of the 2026 Budget proposals, more..

Oct 23 (NW) Ministry of Buddhasasana has informed the Kotte Sri Kalyani Samagri Dharma Maha Sangha Sabha that General Secretary of the BBS Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera, will not be produced before court today (23) as the court has indicated that his presence is not required. This clarification comes amidst prior reports suggesting that the monk would be brought to court tomorrow in his robe following revised prison guidelines. Professor Ven. Kotapitiye Rahula Thera, Anunayake of more..

Oct 23 (NW) Former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara and former England captain Nasser Hussain have praised Sri Lanka’s extraordinary record-breaking ODI run chase against England in Rawalpindi, describing it as a special moment for Sri Lankan cricket while stressing that significant improvements are still needed. Sri Lanka chased down England’s massive total of 429, reaching 430/8 with one ball remaining to complete the second-highest successful run chase in men’s ODI history. more..

Oct 23 (TM) The SL Govt has yet to say how it is shielding state systems from two critical flaws in PHP, the programming language behind roughly seven in 10 of the world’s websites, even as Govts from Tokyo to Washington demanded urgent fixes and told organisations to pull unpatched sites offline. The flaws, tracked as CVE-2026-109618 and CVE-2026-109619 and rated 9.2 out of 10 in severity, allow attackers to seize a web server remotely without a password. more..

Oct 23 (DN) SL’s para athletes continued their medal-winning run at the 5th Asian Para Games in Nagoya, Japan, yesterday, with Palitha Bandara winning silver in the men’s F42 shot put, Maduranga Subasinghe taking bronze in the men’s T47 400m and swimmer Naveed Rasheen claiming bronze in the S9 100m butterfly. Bandara produced his best throw of 14.02 metres in his fifth attempt to finish second in the shot put final. With these three medals, SL’s tally at the Games rose to 3 silver and 3 bronze medals. more..

Oct 23 (FT) India’s cinema giant, PVR Inox is stepping up its expansion plans in SL, with Jaffna emerging as its likely next location and a high single-digit number of cinema properties targeted over the next three to five years, as it seeks to tap demand beyond Colombo. The company, which has operated in Sri Lanka for six years, is exploring opportunities in the South, Greater Colombo, Kandy and other regions, with expansion expected to combine direct investments with asset-light and more..

Oct 23 (FT) Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF) welcomed the Public Utilities Commission of SL's (PUCSL) call for a simple, transparent and cost-based wheeling tariff, describing it as a practical step towards more competitive energy for SL’s industries. PUCSL Director General and CEO Damitha Kumarasinghe said the tariff should be easy to understand, affordable enough to encourage investment, and fair to transmission and distribution companies, covering their costs with a reasonable return. more..

Oct 23 (FT) Cabinet has approved submitting new regulations to Parliament requiring imported passenger car tyres and three-wheeler pneumatic tyres to meet Sri Lanka Standards (SLS), in a move aimed at protecting local manufacturers and consumers. “The Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Ministry recommended introducing import testing methods under SLS for the two categories of tyres, citing the need to ensure a fair competitive environment for local manufacturers and more..

Oct 23 (CI) Dormant WhatsApp groups are suddenly flashing awake. People who hadn't tuned into a SL cricket match in months - maybe years - are overflowing with belief. In the morning, offices and schools will genuinely buzz with chatter about the national team. There are even reports that local Oktoberfest festivities paused, music and all, just to watch the final overs of a quite preposterous chase. This was not normal. Nor was it abnormal - for that would suggest a precedent exists. more..

Oct 23 (Island) A modern electricity pricing framework should recognise that the distinction between a home and a workplace is becoming increasingly blurred. Sri Lanka could examine whether verified home-based digital businesses might qualify for an appropriate electricity tariff arrangement. Such an arrangement could involve optional separate metering, transparent eligibility requirements or another auditable mechanism for identifying genuine productive consumption. more..

Oct 23 (Island) SL police continue to draw criticism for the vicarious exercise of the mandate of the govt in power or acting as though they could exercise authority derived from the ruling party’s electoral victory. They often overstep their limits at the behest of the govt of the day, and instances abound where they even fall foul of the law. Gampaha Magistrate has sought to have contempt of court proceedings instituted against IGP Priyantha Weerasooriya for his failure to comply with a court order. more..

Oct 23 (FT) The death of Kavantissa on 16 Oct was a profound loss for SL. One of the country’s most magnificent wild tuskers, he was estimated to be around 45 years old when he died, following several weeks of veterinary treatment for a reported gunshot injury. His death has prompted widespread grief, raised questions about the medical care he received and renewed calls for better protection of SL’s remaining wild tuskers. It has also exposed a disagreement about what conservation should mean in practice. more..

Oct 23 (FT) In Aug 2018, SL’s Court of Appeal sentenced Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero, the controversial general secretary of the Bodu Bala Sena, to six years’ imprisonment for contempt of court. Nine months later, former Prez Maithripala Sirisena exercised his constitutional authority to pardon him, bringing his imprisonment to an end. For more than seven years, Gnanasara remained free under the apparent legal protection of that presidential decision. Then, on 10 Sept 2026, the Supreme Court declared the pardon unlawful, and in October, more..

Oct 23 (DN) Former MP Ashok Abeysinghe, a seasoned political figure from the Kurunegala District, has come under the political spotlight following his resignation from several positions within the SJB. Having served in Parliament for 15 years and held various political responsibilities, Abeysinghe was also among those instrumental in building the SJB. His departure from party positions has raised questions about internal party dynamics, more..

Oct 23 (GV) The findings from the Chemmani excavations have renewed a painful question for families in the North: who are the people buried there, how did they die and why were they buried in this place? The report by Professor Raj Somadeva and archaeologist Anusha Wanninayake is an important contribution to the investigation but it does not settle those questions. Its evidence must be read carefully without turning a possible explanation into a proven fact or treating uncertainty as proof that more..

Oct 23 (CT) The comic opera Colombo’s Green Heart Vihara Mahadevi Park is a stark pointer to the bizarre and dangerous cultural crossroads at which we have arrived. Ven. Kotapola Rahula Thero, a senior prelate of the Kotte Sangha Sabha, was an early participant. He initially described this saffron shindig as a righteous Satyagraha for the protection of the robe. As I write this missive, it has degenerated into a sacrilegious theater—a Saffron Circus orchestrated by more..

Oct 23 (SO) Eleven children aged between eight and 14 were among 9,105 children and young people arrested in connection with drug-related offences across SL during the past year, according to figures disclosed by SL Police. Figures expose a disturbing dimension of the country’s drug problem: children who have not even reached their teenage years are now appearing in police statistics connected to narcotics. 9,105 arrests involved children and young people aged between eight and 21. more..

Oct 23 (DM) The Supreme Court on Tuesday started considering 22 petitions challenging the Protection of the State from Terrorism Bill, which was recently tabled in Parliament. This is one of three repressive bills published in the gazette by the govt within a week, starting from Sept 30. The three bills are: The Protection of the State from Terrorism Bill (PSTB), the Prevention of Foreign Terrorist Fighters Bill and the Prevention of Organised Crime Bill. more..

Oct 23 (DM) Sri Lankans experienced a nostalgic feeling on October 17 following the islandwide blackout. But this time it hadn’t been a monkey that caused the chaos. The blackout lasted for over three hours impacting water treatment plants, mobile connectivity, and other essential services. The suspected cause according to Energy Minister Anura Karunathilaka is a failure at the Upper Kotmale hydropower station combined with grid instability. This reportedly forced all three units at more..