Oct 6 (FT) The IMF on Sunday reached a staff-level agreement with Sri Lanka on the Seventh Review of its $ 3 billion EFF, but made Board approval of the next tranche of about $ 345 million contingent on the Govt presenting a 2027 Budget in line with program parameters and on adequate progress with debt restructuring, as it pressed for fuel prices to move with global markets amid a protracted Middle East war. more..

Oct 6 (TM) A train operating from Peradeniya to Colombo Fort yesterday (5) derailed after crashing into fallen earth and rocks between the Gangoda and Kadigamuwa Railway Stations, just three days after services resumed on the repaired section of the Upcountry Railway line. The incident occurred at around 4.35 a.m., when the first office train from Peradeniya to Fort travelled along the line that had been closed for nearly 10 months due to extensive damage caused by Cyclone Ditwah. more..

Oct 6 (NW) A total of 2,345 govt secondary schools across Sri Lanka have been provided with new high-speed fibre internet connections, while plans are underway to extend the facility to all 3,832 primary schools during 2027 and 2028. The programme is jointly implemented by the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of SL (TRCSL) under its Communication to the Village project and the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education. more..

Oct 6 (DN) PM Harini Amarasuriya said the Govt’s goal is to empower everyone to build a dignified home of their own through community participation, for which the Govt will provide the necessary guidance and facilities. Amarasuriya, who was speaking at the World Habitat Day 2026 commemoration held at Temple Trees yesterday said we must all take a moment to reflect on what a home really means. more..

Oct 6 (NW) SL Railway Station Masters’ Association (SLRSMU) has raised serious safety concerns over the resumption of train services on the Up-country railway line, alleging that operations commenced following restoration work without approval from National Building Research Org (NBRO). SLRSMU General Secy Kasun Jayasekara said situation was serious, particularly as warnings have also been issued over possible earthslips and rockfalls at two other locations along the railway line. more..

Oct 6 (FT) Four UN Special Rapporteurs have warned that the proposed Non-Governmental Organisations (Registration and Supervision) Bill 2026, reportedly intended to help SL meet international counter-terrorist financing standards ahead of its mutual evaluation this month, is inconsistent with those very standards set by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), as well as with the right to freedom of association. The evaluation, a peer review of SL’s anti-money laundering more..

Oct 6 (AD) Former First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa has reportedly returned to the island a short while ago. The former First Lady returned to the country onboard a flight from Malaysia. She had reportedly departed for Singapore early morning on September 16 for medical treatment. Rajapaksa had been admitted to a private hospital in Colombo the previous day (15) after reportedly falling ill. She was subsequently taken from the hospital directly to the airport, reports claimed. more..

Oct 6 (TM) Sri Lanka has already installed 3,053 MW of solar power, exceeding the country’s night-time peak electricity demand of around 3,000 MW and making battery storage essential for further expansion of rooftop solar generation, Sustainable Energy Authority (SEA) Chairperson Dr Wijendra Bandara said. He said the country could not continue generating electricity beyond what could be consumed at a given time, as excess generation could create problems for the national grid. more..

Oct 6 (TM) Sri Lanka will need to heed the IMF’s call on avoiding suppressing domestic price signals for fuel, and instead allow the exchange rate to absorb the shock of global fuel price volatility experienced amidst the ongoing Middle East conflict, Uni of Colombo Professor in Economics Priyanga Dunusinghe said. Speaking on the IMF’s statement on the conclusion of the Seventh Review of SL’s reform programme, more..

Oct 6 (AD) Former Colombo Municipal Councillor Mahinda Kahandagama and another person have been arrested by the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) on charges of drug trafficking, Police said. A stock of ‘Ice’ (crystal methamphetamine) was also seized from the suspects. Police said Kahandagama was arrested near a restaurant in the Mirihana area last night (05). Preliminary investigations have revealed that he had been involved in drug trafficking for a period of time. more..

Oct 6 (EN) SL listed real estate firm, Millennium Housing Developers, said it was currently getting legal advice and engaging with state authorities to safeguard a property and protect shareholder interests after an unauthorised entry last week. The developer said its wholly owned subsidiary, Millennium Housing Ltd, is the registered and lawful owner of Land Lot No. 23 depicted in Plan No. 6534 dated 04 Sept 2007, prepared by Prasad Wimalasena, Licensed Surveyor, pursuant to more..

Oct 6 (DN) Opener Sanjana Kavindi struck a superb knock of 48 in 46 balls as Sri Lanka Under 19 Women clinched a thrilling last ball victory over Bangladesh Under 19s in their Tri-Nation T-20 cricket fixture played at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad, Pakistan yesterday. It was a good come back by Sri Lankan under 19s after going down to Pakistan by 5 wickets in their previous game. Skipper Chamudi Proboda and her team played with good fighting spirit to win this game. more..

Oct 6 (TM) Sri Lanka Rugby’s (SLR) Sevens, bubble burst before the global audience and at the 20th Asian Games in Aich-Nagoya, Japan over the past weekend and the seventh-place finish is being viewed as a total failure by rugby analysts here. Srinath Sooriyabandara-led outfit had topped Group C with nine points having seen off the likes of Philippines 22-14, Singapore 33-17 and the UAE 17-5. But, come the Knockouts they were beaten 19-12 by China in the last eight phase of the event, more..

Oct 6 (TM) Govt is preparing to provide Rs 10,000 a month for three months to families with pregnant women and young children who have suffered livelihood losses due to El Niño-induced dry weather conditions, according to the Rural Development, Social Security, and Community Empowerment Ministry. Deputy Minister Wasantha Piyathissa said the Govt had identified pregnant women and families with young children as more..

Oct 6 (FT) 41st General Convocation of the Uni of Jaffna will be held from 6 to 8 Oct, with the ceremonies taking place over three days and nine sessions at the Uni Indoor Stadium. Convocation will be presided over by Uni of Jaffna Chancellor Professor Rajaratnam Kumaravadivel, who will confer degrees, postgraduate degrees, diplomas, certificates, Gold medals, prizes, and scholarships on the graduates. Graduates from 14 faculties will receive their awards at the Convocation. more..

Oct 6 (FT) National Sales Average (NSA) of tea rose in Sept in rupee terms on both a month-on-month (MoM) and year-on-year (YoY) basis, although the dollar-denominated average fell against a year earlier. Low Grown teas drove the increase. High and Medium grown teas improved marginally over August but stayed well below their Sept 2025 levels. The national TSA for Sept 2026 rose to Rs. 1,202.74 ($3.65) per kg from Rs. 1,174.46 ($3.53) in August. This was a MoM increase of Rs. 28.28 more..

Oct 6 (FT) Deputy Minister Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando said the Govt was committed to framing the 2027 Budget within the parameters of the IMF EFF program, the first of the conditions the Fund has set for Board approval of its next tranche of about $ 345 million. Making a special statement after the IMF announced it had reached a staff-level agreement on the 7th Review of the program, Dr. Fernando said the Govt would more..

Oct 6 (FT) HayWind One Ltd, the wind energy arm of Hayleys Fentons Ltd, has marked a major milestone in the development of its 50MW Mannar Wind Farm, with turbine installation now in full swing and the first two 5MW wind turbines fully erected. The milestone sets the pace for the continuous installation of all ten turbines across the utility-scale project. Each complete wind turbine reaches an impressive tip height of approximately 186.5 metres. Structure comprises a 110-metre tower more..

Oct 6 (FT) SL Ports Authority (SLPA) Chairman Dr. Parakrama Dissanayake last week singled out the contribution of the Colombo West International Terminal (CWIT) for Colombo Port’s success so far 2026. Speaking at the ceremony to celebrate CWIT’s achievement of 2 million TEU milestone and launch of its second phase, SLPA Chief said during the first eight months of 2026, port of Colombo witnessed a phenomenal 11.6% double-digit growth and Colombo has emerged as amongst top 20 more..

Oct 6 (FT) A special discussion on SL’s development plans for the 2026 - 2029 period, with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) as a key development partner, was held recently co-chaired by Secretary to the President Dr Nandika Sanath Kumanayake and ADB Country Director for SL Shannon Cowlin. The discussion was held as a preparatory meeting ahead of the program review meeting scheduled to be held on Oct 5-6 to discuss the successful implementation of the ADB’s annual program for 2027. more..

Oct 6 (FT) Institution of Engineers, SL (IESL) held its National Engineering Conference 2026 bringing together the engineering profession, policymakers, Govt institutions, regulators, academia, industry and other stakeholders to discuss four areas of critical importance to SL’s national development. Conference was organised as a national policy dialogue with the objective of moving beyond discussion towards practical, evidence-based & implementable policy recommendations. more..

Oct 6 (FT) SL’s unemployment rate rose to 4% in the second quarter of 2026 from 3.8% a year earlier, as more people entered the labour force than the economy absorbed, even though employment grew and industry hired strongly, official data showed. The rate was also up from 3.7% in the first quarter. It remains below the 4.3% recorded in the third quarter of 2025. The number of unemployed was estimated at 340,240. more..

Oct 6 (Island) The death sentence on Sivarasa Anojan, a Sri Lankan citizen convicted of blasphemy in Saudi Arabia has taken a central place in national consciousness for the past several weeks. It has been in the headline news since it was first reported last month. There have been many initiatives taken locally to get a more lenient sentencing by the Saudi authorities. There is also an undercurrent that is critical of both the culture and religion from which this sentencing emanates. more..

Oct 6 (Island) The US has been doing everything in its power to force Iran into submission, but without success. Its no-holds-barred methods of warfare remind us of some ruthless warriors of yore, who even weaponised hunger to achieve their military goals. Many were the instances where Genghis Khan’s army laid siege to fortified cities and cut off supplies to force its enemies to surrender. During the American Civil War, General Philip Sheridan’s scorched-earth campaign in Virginia’s more..

Oct 6 (TM) The queues that formed at filling stations on Sunday night should worry the Government far more than they should reassure it. Whether the shortage is real or merely feared, the public's reaction shows how little confidence they have of the Govt’s ability to keep its vehicles, factories and power stations running. That lack of confidence has been earned over many years, and it will not be dispelled by a statement that stocks are adequate. The figures speak plainly. more..

Oct 6 (ST) In a conversation a few months ago, veteran human rights lawyer, a colleague of many tumultuous years spiritedly fighting the system and an irreplaceable friend of long years, Mr Basil Fernando who passed away this Wednesday, dwelt on the travails of a country that he had physically left many years ago but never quite managed to emotionally detach himself from. I had often joked with him that he was more in Sri Lanka than others who actually lived in this country. more..

Oct 6 (TM) The presence of Iranian-flagged merchant vessels facing shortages of food, water, fuel, or other essential provisions raises a complex legal challenge at the crossroads of the Law of the Sea, international humanitarian law (IHL), neutrality, maritime safety, and sanctions. For SL, this issue holds profound significance as both a coastal State with sovereign rights over defined maritime zones and a State whose ports more..

Oct 6 (GV) SL is arresting people on an extraordinary scale while hundreds of rehabilitation places remain empty. As prisons overflow, the country faces a fundamental question: can addiction be defeated by punishment alone? There is a striking contradiction at the heart of SL’s escalating battle against drugs. The country’s prisons are overflowing. Rehabilitation centres have empty beds. In 2025, police conducted 164,785 raids, seized 17,647kg of narcotics; more than 3.5mil pills more..

Oct 6 (DM) In a statement, National Peace Council (NPC), an independent and non partisan organisation that works towards a negotiated political solution to the ethnic conflict in SL, has stated that The death sentence imposed on SL citizen Sivarasa Anojan in Saudi Arabia and the removal of the Thileepan statue in Jaffna are very different events that carry the risk of turning into grievances that affect entire communities. NPC calls on the govt as well as political parties, more..

Oct 6 (SO) For a commuter standing beside a busy Colombo road waiting for a bus, the promise of the country’s Metro Bus system is not necessarily about transport policy or fleet numbers. It is about something much more basic: knowing when the bus will arrive, being able to get on without a struggle, finding a comfortable seat, paying easily and reaching the destination without wondering whether the service will turn up. more..

Oct 6 (DM) Economic policies in SL are going to be the subject of much discussion over the next six months. The Govt will present the budget next month. The four-year IMF programme will come to an end in March 2027. In this context, what is the role of laws, and how much space is there within the legal framework to shift the economic trajectory of the country? During the last few years, particularly in 2023 and 2024, a series of laws were passed by the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa govt. more..

Oct 6 (CT) At this very moment, somewhere in Sri Lanka—a plantation line-room, a remote village, an urban slum or a household still recovering from economic collapse—a mother may be holding a newborn child and wondering whether she will be able to feed it adequately tomorrow. That child knows nothing about the IMF. It knows nothing about debt restructuring, primary surpluses, foreign reserves, fiscal consolidation or sovereign creditworthiness. more..