Oct 22 (DN) The Embassy of Nepal in Colombo held the Durga pooja to pay homage to Goddess Durga, symbolising triumph of good over evil. The religious ceremony which was held at the embassy premises was organised as part of the Dashain Festival. Nepal’s most significant and widely celebrated festival, Dashain commemorates the victory of Goddess Durga over evil and is marked by prayers, religious rituals, offerings, and family gatherings. The festival continues for 15 days. more..

Oct 22 (Island) SLPP will launch its Gamin Gamata (Village to Village) rallies, starting next week, the party’s National Organiser and MP Namal Rajapaksa announced. He made the announcement while addressing the media following a discussion held at the Parliament complex with the party’s National Convener D.V. Chanaka and MP Chanaka Madugoda. MP Rajapaksa said that strong public resentment is mounting against the current govt, accusing it of attempting to rule the country through suppression. more..

Oct 22 (Island) A 3-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena and comprising Justices Achala Wengappuli and Gihan Kulatunga, yesterday issued an open warrant for the arrest of former State Minister Premalal Jayasekara, who failed to appear in court. Two other defendants, who appeared before the court, were ordered to be remanded. The case involves a shooting incident at Kahawatta during the 2015 presidential election campaign. One person, who backed common candidate more..

Oct 22 (TG) CID has searched the Jaffna headquarters of the EPDP, the state-backed paramilitary accused of abductions, killings and disappearances of Tamils, and the party’s camp in Kayts. The search of the headquarters on Stanley Road, in the former Sridhar theatre, was carried out on Monday under a warrant issued by the Jaffna Magistrate’s Court on information gathered by the CID. Officers searched the building for several hours and recorded statements in the presence of the EPDP leader, more..

Oct 22 (FT) National Development Bank (NDB) said it posted a Profit After Tax (PAT) of Rs. 2.9 billion during the third quarter. Releasing its financial results for the nine months ended 30 Sept, the bank said it delivered a strong performance during the period, underpinned by the resilience of its core banking franchise, disciplined execution of its strategic priorities, and the strength of its business model, despite the challenges arising from the fraud incident identified in April 2026. more..

Oct 22 (Island) Supreme Court yesterday began hearing objections to the proposed new constitution for Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), with former cricket administrators leading the resistance to reforms that threaten to loosen their grip on the game. Chief among their grievances is the proposed removal of voting rights enjoyed by District Cricket Associations at SLC’s AGM. The reformists, however, received a significant shot in the arm when more..

Oct 22 (NW) SriLankan Airlines is exploring opportunities to expand its network to Perth, China and Africa, with CEO Vipula Gunatilleka Mishra saying the national carrier must take the lead in developing new routes to support SL’s tourism industry. Mishra said there was strong potential for flights to Perth following a recent tourism roadshow conducted in collaboration with the Tourism Ministry. “We see there is a strong demand in Perth. We do see that China needs to restart anyhow. more..

Oct 22 (NW) Colombo Mayor Vraie Cally Balthazaar says repairs to a major drainage pipeline on Dudley Senanayake Mawatha in Borella have been completed in less than 24 hours, allowing the road to reopen to traffic. Mayor said the disruption on Tuesday was caused by a failure in a pressurised drainage main that is more than 50 years old. She said the CMC’s Drainage Division responded promptly and worked to restore the pipeline despite the age of the infrastructure and the complexity of the repairs. more..

Oct 22 (FT) Banks added Rs. 550 billion in Personal Loans and Advances in the first eight months of 2026, the most of any main sector. Credit to Industry grew by Rs. 347 billion and to Construction by Rs. 131 billion, and growth in both slowed sharply in May to August compared with a year earlier. Figures come from the CB’s Monthly Survey of loans and advances by licensed commercial banks to key sectors. Personal Loans and Advances rose by Rs. 49 billion in Aug, more..

Oct 22 (Island) British Examination Centre (BEC), an independent examination and assessment administration body established under CEG Education Holdings, was officially launched at Cinnamon Lakeside, Colombo recently. The establishment of the centre marks a significant milestone in expanding access to internationally recognized qualifications, teacher development, and examination administration across SL. A key highlight of the launch was BEC’s official appointment as more..

Oct 22 (CI) It is barely a month since these teams duked it out to bring down the curtain on the English season. On Thursday, Sri Lanka and England reunite in Rawalpindi in this novel tri-series. After starting their respective schedules with defeats to Pakistan - who effectively now have one foot in next Saturday's final - they have the honour of closing out the Rawalpindi leg of this exhibition. With plenty of manouvering of positions to be done, jeopardy is minimal. more..

Oct 22 (TM) SL can expect to see a further sovereign ratings upgrade to B+ in 2027, under a bull case scenario – which would require a permanent ceasefire in the Middle East conflict and SL sustaining GDP growth above 5% for the next 2-3 years, First Capital Vice President – Research Ranjan Ranatunga said, speaking on a webinar recently. “This will take place in an event where we will possibly see a permanent ceasefire coming in. We will [need] see GDP growth of SL to be above 5% more..

Oct 22 (DM) Nearly half of the Rs.57 billion in insurance claims lodged after Cyclone Ditwah remained unsettled seven months after the storm, with non-motor policyholders accounting for almost the entire backlog, as per data compiled by Insurance Regulatory Commission of SL (IRCSL) and published by the Central Bank. Claims arising from the cyclone, which struck in Nov 2025 and was described in March by IRCSL Chairman Ajith De Mel as the largest insurance claim event in the country’s history, more..

Oct 22 (ST) While countries clamour to adopt AI, a development that promises a utopian era of abundance and prosperity, experts warn of a turbulent time in human history, waiting to happen. They said adopting AI can result in job losses, creating social upheaval in developing countries and hitting the working class the hardest. This will result in the world’s economy being held by a few, the corporate bosses and those with high intelligentsia, in command of AI, more..

Oct 22 (Island) Power cuts have returned, much to the resentment of the public. They however did not come as a surprise. Given the generation shortfall at Lakvijaya power plant due to the use of low-quality coal, power cuts were expected much earlier, but the govt stepped up diesel power generation to avert them. Having groped in the dark and resorted to obfuscation, following Saturday’s nationwide power outage, which lasted for nearly six hours, govt now says the power supply will return to normal soon. more..

Oct 22 (Island) Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur in West Bengal State has set an uplifting example. It has taken technology to the streets by developing a solar-powered food vending cart complete with digital payment facilities, allowing street vendors to move from one location to another easily without having to occupy public spaces permanently, according to a news item published in this newspaper today. Mounted on a three-wheeler, the vending machine was unveiled recently at the institute. more..

Oct 22 (ST) So the conversations have begun over another programme with the IMF with Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake joining this discussion in comments he made on Monday, speaking at the annual economic summit of the CCC. In our Kussi Amma Sera column on Sept 20, we alluded to this possibility after comments by Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa and CCC Chairman Krishan Balendra who went on record saying there is a need to go for another programme after the current IMF arrangement ends in March 2027. more..

Oct 22 (CT) Colombo Port City was conceived as the glittering symbol of SL’s economic future. A new financial metropolis rising from the Indian Ocean, attracting international capital, multinational corporations, luxury developments and thousands of employment opportunities. It was to become SL’s answer to Singapore and Dubai. Twelve years after its inauguration, however, an uncomfortable question demands an answer: has Colombo Port City become a functioning international business center, more..

Oct 22 (SO) The death of Kavanthissa, one of SL’s celebrated wild tuskers, after weeks of treatment for a suspected gunshot injury has opened a wider investigation into not only who shot the animal, but whether SL possessed the equipment, veterinary infrastructure and monitoring capacity needed to save him. DWC insists that its veterinarians administered the correct treatment and rejects allegations that excessive antibiotics contributed to the elephant’s deterioration. more..

Oct 22 (TM) The latest island wide power breakdown was a weary confirmation of a pattern that has run for years. Each time, explanations arrive quickly, and each time the public is left with more questions than answers. One comment keeps returning: substandard coal. Many engineers and commentators argue that the repeated failures at our coal-fired plants cannot be separated from the quality of the fuel fed into them. Poor coal, they say, damages boilers, lowers efficiency and forces unplanned outages. more..

Oct 22 (TM) For almost half a century, Prevention of Terrorism Act has hung over this country like a monsoon cloud. Successive Govts promised to repeal it, yet none ever found the courage to do so. It is therefore no small matter that the present administration, which campaigned on a pledge to abolish oppressive laws including the PTA, has finally placed a replacement before Parliament. However, the Protection of the State from Terrorism Bill, gazetted on 22 Sept, now stands before the SC, more..

Oct 22 (TM) SL’s petroleum sector is heading towards a fresh confrontation between the Govt and private fuel suppliers, with mounting losses, restrictions on fuel distribution, and disagreements over pricing rights threatening to undermine the very objectives of the country’s petroleum market liberalisation. While private operators have reportedly demanded diesel price increases exceeding Rs. 100 per litre, Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake has rejected passing more..

Oct 22 (DM) SL has yet to recover from its long economic downturn. The central challenges facing the country are avenues to increase employment and livelihoods, and ensure income streams to meet the rising cost of living. Therefore, there is the need to increase sustainable production, and fair distribution of the returns on such production to the working people. Furthermore, given the drastic rise in wealth inequality in the country, there is also the need for redistribution of wealth. more..

Oct 22 (DM) Sri Lanka calls itself a land of elephants. They feature in our history, religion, tourism campaigns and national celebrations. Yet behind this proud image is a shameful reality: elephants are dying year after year, often because of human actions, while the country struggles to protect them. Respect must be measured by whether they are safe. The figures should alarm every citizen. Department of Wildlife Conservation data reported by the Daily Mirror shows that 397 elephants died in 2025. more..

Oct 21 (DM) Police have discovered 2,078 undelivered letters hidden under the bed of a postman in Haldummulla, where they had allegedly been kept for more than six years. The discovery was made during a police raid on the suspect’s residence in Harankahawa, Soragune, on October 20, following information that he was allegedly involved in the illegal sale of liquor. 42-year-old suspect is attached to the Soragune Sub-Post Office. A police team searched his residence more..

Oct 21 (NW) Dept of Meteorology has warned of increased rainfall across Sri Lanka after a low-level atmospheric disturbance near the island developed into a low-pressure area. According to the weather forecast issued at 4 p.m. on Wednesday (21), the system is expected to bring enhanced rainfall to the island and surrounding deep and shallow sea areas on October 21 and 22. Heavy rainfall exceeding 100 mm is likely in some areas of the Western, Sabaragamuwa & North-western provinces. more..

Oct 21 (NW) SL’s 100 leading listed companies have recorded a combined revenue increase of approximately 20% during the 2025/26 financial year. Media Services, the publisher of LMD, revealed the top 20 companies in the forthcoming 33rd edition of the LMD 100 rankings, with Hayleys, John Keells Holdings (JKH) and LOLC Holdings securing the top three positions. Hayleys retained the top position for the third consecutive year, reporting more..

Oct 21 (NW) Gampaha Magistrate Bandula Gunaratne has referred a case file to the President of the Court of Appeal to initiate contempt of court proceedings against IGP Priyantha Weerasooriya over his failure to comply with a court order. Magistrate ruled that the IGP had disregarded the court’s instructions and accused the police of attempting to mislead the judiciary. The dispute arose from two drug-related cases filed against the same individual by officers of Gampaha more..

Oct 21 (NW) The govt is paying close attention to the salary concerns of engineers employed in the public sector, including issues relating to inadequate remuneration and facilities, Minister K.D. Lal Kantha stated. Minister made the remarks while addressing the Annual General Conference of the Public Service Engineers’ Association, held in Colombo yesterday. Minister Lal Kantha said the govt recognised the contribution of engineers to national development and remained committed to safeguarding more..

Oct 21 (DM) Bar Association of SL (BASL) has called on the govt to withdraw the proposed Protection of the State from Terrorism Bill and the Prevention of Organised Crimes Bill in their present forms, warning that the legislation could undermine fundamental rights and weaken judicial oversight over arrests and detentions. In a statement, BASL President Rajeev Amarasuriya and Secretary Nalin De Silva said the two bills, more..

Oct 21 (EN) SL’s nation-wide inflation index, as measured by National Consumer Price Index (NCPI) on a year-on-year basis, was 8.1% in Sept 2026, steady from a month ago, data from the state statistics office showed. It stood at its highest since June 2023. NCPI, an alternative to the widely watched Colombo Consumer Price Index, rose 0.1%, in Sept 2026, registering 224.2 compared to 223.9 in Aug 2026. The year-on-year inflation of the food group increased to 6.9% more..

Oct 21 (NW) Minister Bimal Rathnayake has held discussions with ministers from Sweden, Finland and Norway to explore opportunities for strengthening cooperation in SL’s transport, highways and urban development sectors. According to the SL Embassy in Stockholm, Minister met Swedish Minister of Infrastructure and Housing Andreas Carlson, Finnish Minister of Transport and Communications Lulu Rane and Norwegian Minister of Transport Kamzy Gunaratnam during more..