Oct 11 (ST) It was a situation Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayke would rather not have been in, but last week he and those in his govt were in for a rude awakening, facing a backlash from senior members of the Buddhist clergy as well as many others over the handling of the case involving controversial monk Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera. The uproar was not due to the imprisonment of Gnanasara Thera, more..

Oct 11 (NW) Minister Anura Karunathilaka says the govt will not increase fuel prices to meet the demands of private fuel suppliers at the expense of consumers. Minister said private fuel companies have the option of determining their own selling prices based on their costs, in accordance with the agreements governing their operations. He stressed that the govt was not prepared to burden consumers by increasing fuel prices simply to accommodate the requirements of private companies. more..

Oct 11 (DM) Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, O. L. Ameer Ajwad, visited Anojan Sivarasa at Dammam Central Prison on October 8 to inquire about his well-being and current situation. During the visit, the Ambassador held an extensive discussion with Sivarasa, listened to his needs and concerns, and assured him that the Embassy would provide all possible consular and legal assistance under the guidance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism. more..

Oct 11 (ST) CPC plans to open 75 new fuel stations shortly as a dispute with private fuel companies over price hikes has disrupted services in several areas of the country, senior govt officials said. CPC Chairman D.J. Rajakaruna said that authorisation had been granted to open the new fuel stations, particularly in areas where there were no CPC-run sheds, and this number would be increased further if the need arose. more..

Oct 11 (NW) The special committee appointed to review and update regulations and standing orders under SL's Prisons Ordinance has held its first meeting at the Presidential Secretariat. Committee was appointed following discussions between President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and members of the Maha Sangha representing the three Nikayas on Oct 8. The meeting was held on Friday afternoon, with officials from the ministries of Buddhasasana, Justice & Public Admin, more..

Oct 11 (AD) The first day of the foot march, which began in Kandy this morning (10) in protest against the removal of Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero's monastic robes and calling for his release, concluded in Kadugannawa this evening. The Buddhist monks are scheduled to continue the six-day march on foot from Kandy to Colombo. Earlier today, a special blessing ceremony and a Sathya Kriya (Act of Truth) titled Justice for the Robe were held at the Sri Dalada Maligawa in Kandy, more..

Oct 11 (SO) TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran has welcomed investigations into corruption allegations against members of the Rajapaksa family. “Allegations have been levelled against members of the Rajapaksa family, investigations are being conducted, and arrests are being made. The allegations are serious. Since this concerns corruption, proper investigations must be conducted. We welcome these investigations,” Sumanthiran said. He said corruption allegations had more..

Oct 11 (TM) Govt has no information indicating that SL crew members are aboard Iranian vessels currently stationed off SL’s coast, according to Deputy Minister Janitha Ruwan Kodithuwakku. He said: “At the moment, we do not have any information indicating that there are any.” The Merchant Shipping Secretariat also noted that it had received no reports of SL crew members serving aboard the vessels. However, attempts to reach the Director General of secretariat proved futile. more..

Oct 11 (SO) Govt is set to present its third consecutive full Budget to Parliament for the Second Reading on Nov 12 with Rs. 856.853 billion, the highest amount of funds being allocated to the Ministry of Finance, Planning & Economic Development. According to the Appropriation Bill for 2027, Govt has proposed expenditure of nearly Rs. 5 trillion for the 2027 Financial Year. Of the total allocation, Rs.3,240.24 billion is earmarked more..

Oct 11 (Island) Senior business leaders, economists and international development experts, alongside the PM of SL, will headline the SL Economic & Investment Summit 2026, organised by The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce on 12 and 13 Oct at the Shangri-La Colombo. The Summit will open with a keynote address by T. Krishnakumar, Chief Executive Officer, Reliance Consumer Products Ltd, who brings more than four decades of experience in the consumer brands and FMCG sectors. more..

Oct 11 (ST) A cashier working at a state bank in Kaduwela was sentenced to 35 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to depositing over Rs 130.5 million into his personal account. Homagama HC Judge Krishanthi Amaratunga sentenced the cashier, Avishka Wandabona, for criminal misappropriation. Court ordered that the Rs 130.5 million fraudulently taken from the bank be returned to the bank as a fine, and ordered an additional four year prison sentence, if the convict failed to pay the fine. more..

Oct 11 (NW) The SL Army has recognized 12 schools that have contributed the highest number of currently serving officers and soldiers, as part of its 77th anniversary celebrations held at the Panagoda Army Cantonment on Oct 10. According to the Army, the recognition ceremony was organized for the first time in the history of Sri Lank’s armed forces, with schools receiving awards across four categories based on the number of their former students currently serving in the Army. more..

Oct 11 (TM) Despite having sent its biggest ever sporting contingent (238 in total) to the 20th Asian Games in Japan (Aichi-Nagoya 2026) which concluded last Sunday, SL could only occupy the 28th spot in the medal table. This time around, SL were forced to settle for a solitary Gold medal courtesy of Rumesh Tharanga (men’s javelin throw), Silver in the women’s T20I team event, and Bronze in the men’s T20I. It was also the first time since 2014 that SL was able to clinch a medal more..

Oct 11 (TM) A central fraud monitoring system is planned to be established by Sept 2027, which will require individual banks to establish supplementary controls of their own, Central Bank of SL (CBSL) and LankaPay officials told the COPF last week. The measures aim to prevent future incidents such as major financial anomalies, collusive balance concealment, and widespread cyber scams. Policy framework was outlined more..

Oct 11 (NW) Sanath Jayasuriya has joined calls for clemency for SL national Sivarasa Anojan, making a public appeal to Saudi Arabia to consider granting him a pardon on humanitarian grounds. In a social media post, Jayasuriya highlighted the unity among Sri Lankans, regardless of religion or ethnicity, in supporting the humanitarian appeal. “As Sri Lankans, we stand together, regardless of our religion or ethnicity. We humbly appeal to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to kindly consider more..

Oct 11 (DM) Vehicle Emission Testing Programme has established a special unit, named the Emission Eye Unit, to identify vehicles emitting excessive smoke on public roads and take legal action against their owners. Operating under the DMT, the unit monitors vehicles on the move and photographs those emitting excessive visible smoke to initiate enforcement action. The initiative aims to strengthen roadside enforcement, following the integration of the Vehicle Emission Testing Trust Fund more..

Oct 11 (TM) Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) investigating the release of 323 shipping containers from the Port of Colombo without mandatory physical inspections has concluded its inquiry and is finalising its report, which is expected to be presented to Parliament within the next few weeks. Committee member said that investigative phase had concluded, although a date for presenting report to Parliament had yet to be confirmed. more..

Oct 11 (Island) It is not often that a Test captain is replaced midway through a World Test Championship cycle. Fact that Dhananjaya de Silva has made way just days before the squad for the tour of Pakistan is announced is a clear indication that the cricket establishment was far from impressed with his leadership. He may now struggle to retain his place as a specialist batter, particularly if the selectors decide to relieve newly appointed Test captain Kusal M. of wicketkeeping gloves. more..

Oct 11 (CI) During the first T20I against SL on Friday, Pakistan demonstrated that 2026 is not quite like 2019. Back then, they had stumbled in pursuit of three SL totals in succession - two of them lower than the 182 they gunned down with relative ease two days back, while the third was exactly 182. With that series perhaps fresher in Sri Lanka's mind than it needed to be, Kusal Mendis' side opted, against conventional wisdom, to bat first after winning the toss in Rawalpindi this time, more..

Oct 11 (DM) The number of daily train services operating on the Northern Railway Line has dropped from 18 to eight following Cyclone Ditwah, causing inconvenience to commuters, SL Railway Station Masters’ Association said. Association Secretary Kasun Chamara Jayasekara said the reduction had significantly limited travel options for passengers, particularly on Wednesdays, when only a limited number of services, including the Intercity Express and Night Mail trains, were available. more..

Oct 11 (ST) My dear Shiranthi madam, It is with mixed emotions that I am writing to you. On the one hand, I am not certain that this will reach you, considering where you are. On the other hand, even if it did, I am not sure that you will be able to read this, because we have been told that you have a serious problem with your vision. It was only within the last few weeks that I wrote to both Namal baby and Mahinda maama, the former when he was suddenly put behind bars and the latter when more..

Oct 11 (DM) The increasing presence of wildlife, including peacocks, monkeys and deer, in urban areas is largely linked to habitat loss, disruptions to natural food chains and the decline of predator populations, according to Hasini Sarathchandra, an official of the Dept of Wildlife Conservation (DWC). Sarathchandra said expanding human settlements, industrialisation and development had reduced natural habitats of more..

Oct 11 (NW) The Institute of Post Harvest Technology Management has announced plans to construct 10 modern fruit-ripening chambers within this year and make them available to large-scale fruit producers, as part of efforts to promote safer fruit-ripening practices in Sri Lanka. According to the Ministry of Trade, Commerce, the initiative aims to encourage the use of modern, scientifically recognised fruit-ripening methods without relying on harmful chemical substances. more..

Oct 11 (ST) The country was informed this week that the total estimated loss to Electricity Generation Lanka (EGL) Pvt. Ltd and the National System Operator (NSO) from the disastrous coal tender for the 2025/26 season was Rs 15.765bn. It was said that Lanka Coal Company (LCC) Pvt. Ltd had recovered Rs 16.989bn from the supplier through performance bonds and penalties. The implication seemed to be that since the money claimed or withheld exceeded the losses arising from more..

Oct 11 (Island) Something curious happens whenever someone proposes keeping cigarettes away from children. The cigarette suddenly acquires defenders. They seldom defend the product. Instead, they defend the country. Its legal system, its economy, its institutions, all of which the proposal will supposedly put at risk. The method, we are told, is too risky, too simple, too likely to backfire, and the wise course is to do something else, later, more slowly. There have been several media more..

Oct 11 (Island) The past few weeks have seen several high-profile arrests, much to the delight of critics of former rulers whose govts were widely associated with abuse of power, the suppression of democracy, political interference in key state institutions and corruption. The arrest and remand of former First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa have triggered what may be described as a social media feeding frenzy, with govt propagandists having a field day. more..

Oct 11 (SO) Long-running dispute over Katchatheevu has returned to the spotlight after India’s Supreme Court called for greater awareness among TN fishermen about crossing into SL waters, with one judge praising SL’s civic sense and suggesting that cleaner surroundings could help explain why fish move towards its waters. During a hearing on Oct 6, a bench comprising Justices Sanjay Kumar and Sanjeev Sachdeva more..

Oct 11 (TM) Thileepan (Rasaiah Parthipan), who believed in armed struggle and was ready to lay down his life at any moment, is commemorated specifically because he sacrificed his life through a non-violent hunger strike. That stands as an irony in his political life. Thileepan, who served as the Jaffna regional political head of the LTTE, began his hunger strike in front of the Nallur Kandaswamy Temple on 15 Sept 1987, about a month and a half after the signing of the Indo-Lanka Accord, more..

Oct 11 (SO) Every girl has the right to grow up safely, receive an education and determine the course of her own life. Yet, for many girls, childhood is shaped not only by their hopes and abilities but also by the expectations, prejudices and inequalities imposed upon them by society. On the Int'l Day of the Girl Child, observed today (11), SL must look beyond expressions of solidarity and ask a more uncomfortable question: are we doing enough to protect the rights of our girls? more..

Oct 11 (TM) SL faces an increasingly complex legal, humanitarian, and diplomatic dilemma over Iranian vessels stranded off its southern coast, with questions emerging over whether the Govt’s refusal to provide essential supplies could conflict with int'l maritime obligations, even as authorities maintain that assisting US-sanctioned vessels could expose SL to economic, diplomatic consequences. more..

Oct 11 (SO) Last week, AG told Courts that the evidence contained in the Batalanda Commission Report alone was insufficient to file indictments and recommended fresh investigations into the alleged murders. It has been 28 years since the Batalanda Commission, appointed to investigate the establishment and maintenance of unlawful detention centres and torture chambers at the Batalanda Housing Scheme in the Biyagama electorate during the 1987–1989 period, more..

Oct 11 (TM) For decades, Sri Lanka’s public health system has been widely regarded as one of the best in the region for a nation of our economic standing. However, poor governance, economic hardship, the Covid-19 pandemic, and bureaucratic lethargy have left the public health system battered and bruised. The ongoing depletion of baseline medications, ranging from critical anaesthetics to essential cardiac medications and oncology treatments, has laid bare a grim reality: more..