Oct 26 (ST) For the assassin, it was all too easy. Wednesday, October 22, was the Weligama Pradeshiya Sabha’s public day—the day on which people can freely enter the premises to meet the council’s chairman for official matters. The assassin, a tall man in a white shirt, spectacles and a black facemask, posed as a member of the public waiting to meet Weligama PS Chairman Lasantha Wickramasekara. He waited for his moment. more..

Oct 26 (SO) Adverse weather has already affected 18,376 people of 546 families across 18 districts, according to the Disaster Management Centre (DMC), as the island braces for a possible cyclonic storm forming off its Northeastern coast. A low-pressure area about 850 km Northeast of Batticaloa is expected to intensify into a deep depression by today and further strengthen into a cyclonic storm by tomorrow. Four deaths have been reported so far, while 628 houses have sustained damage. more..

Oct 26 (AD) The Minister of Energy, Kumara Jayakody, has directed the immediate withdrawal of a recent letter concerning the appointment of the Director General of the Power Sector Reforms Secretariat (PSRS). The directive follows a letter dated 15 Oct 2025, which claimed that the Minister had approved the appointment. In a statement, Jayakody clarified that no such approval had been granted, emphasizing that any contrary claim constitutes a serious misrepresentation. more..

Oct 26 (TM) In a new report, the National Audit Office (NAO) has exposed staggering financial mismanagement, bureaucratic negligence, and a collapse of internal control at the Ministry of Health that has cost the State over Rs. 1.27 billion. The NAO’s latest audit has revealed that hundreds of medical officers have quit the public service – many for foreign employment or postgraduate study – leaving behind a trail of more..

Oct 26 (ST) A special audit report on the online visa issuance programme, where the work of the Department of Immigration and Emigration was outsourced to a private company last year, did not bring any revenue to the govt, while tourists who qualified under the visa-fee waiver category ended up paying processing fees, thus not benefiting from the free service. The report compiled by the Auditor General’s Department said that during its short period of operations handling more..

Oct 26 (AD) A Gazette notification has been issued stipulating regulations for the release of vehicles held by SL Customs. Gazette Extraordinary has been issued with the signature of Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake as the Minister of Finance, effective from yesterday (24). Although permission was granted for the import of vehicles since February this year, more than a thousand vehicles imported on Cross Border LCs allegedly in violation of Import Export Regulations Gazette of 2013 more..

Oct 26 (AD) Director General of the Disaster Management Center (DMC), Sampath Kotuwegoda, announced that preparations are underway for a tsunami mock exercise covering the entire island on Nov 5. He noted that several minor earthquakes have occurred in the vicinity of Sumatra Trench over the past month. He made these remarks while participating in a discussion on tsunami preparedness with officials from the Tri-Forces, Police, govt agencies & non-NGOs. more..

Oct 26 (CT) Prominent lawyers have warned that SL’s Identification (ID) parade system, a cornerstone of criminal investigations, is at risk of collapse due to severe logistical challenges, insecure infrastructure, and growing threats from social media exposure. Speaking during the 47th session of the BASL's webinar series, the attorneys highlighted systemic weaknesses in how ID parades are conducted, calling for urgent procedural reforms to preserve their credibility and fairness. more..

Oct 26 (TM) GovTech Ltd., the successor to the Information and Communication Technology Agency of SL (ICTA), is expected to become fully operational within 3–6 months, the Ministry of Digital Economy reveals. Ministry of Digital Economy Acting Secretary Waruna Sri Dhanapala revealed that the Govt had formally incorporated GovTech as a legal entity and had already appointed Hans Wijayasuriya as its Chair, along with board of directors. more..

Oct 26 (Island) The reduction in electricity tariffs this quarter is insufficient, and the CEB must immediately distribute Rs. 10,975 million profits it earned over the past three quarters but has yet to return to consumers, the Electricity Consumers’ Association said on Friday (24). Speaking at a press briefing, Association Secretary Sanjeewa Dhammika said the amount should be shared among the country’s 4.7 million electricity consumers, with each one receiving Rs. 2,357. more..

Oct 26 (EN) SL workers leaving for jobs in foreign countries like the Middle East have eased from Feb 2025, amid a recovery in economic activities and wages. In Jan 2025, 25,873 persons officially left for foreign jobs, up from 25,149 in 2024. But in Feb 2025 departures fell to 22,271 from 25,737. In March 2025 departures were 21,552, down from 24,158. In April 2025, departures were 22,011 against 22,220 last year. In May 2025 departures picked up to 27,142 against 28,201 last year. more..

Oct 26 (AD) SL dominated the relays at the 4th South Asian Senior Athletics C'ships 2025 in Ranchi, India winning gold in both the Men’s and Women’s 4x100m relay events. SL Men’s 4x100m relay team blazed to victory, sealing the gold medal with a superb time of 39.99 second. And just moments later, SL Women’s 4x100m relay quartet stormed to victory, also sealing the gold medal with a superb time of 44.70 seconds. Meanwhile, SL’s Kalinga Kumarage claimed the gold medal in more..

Oct 26 (ST) businessman Dhammika Perera has been making waves in the Colombo stock market, actively collecting stakes in diversified, manufacturing, real estate, and finance sectors, while announcing ambitious plans to step into modern trade. Never before has the CSE seen such a blitzkrieg of acquisitions by a high-net-worth investor in a span of six months. Early this month, Harischandra Mills saw a significant investment as Mr. Perera acquired 40% stake for Rs 2.57 b. more..

Oct 26 (ST) SLC has called for nominations to join the National Team Selection Committee, signalling potential changes into the selection panel headed by Upul Tharanga. In a letter dated Oct 23, board secretary Bandula Dissanayake urged SLC members to submit their nominees by Nov 5, emphasising that late submissions would not be considered. The move comes amid growing scrutiny of the current selection panel, more..

Oct 26 (TP) Second-day proceedings of the athletic competition of the 3rd Asian Youth Games concluded by lifting SL’s medal tally with another couple of bronze medals. Throwing athlete Chathura Dhananjaya, who featured in the javelin throw event, and sprinter Shanuka Costa, who competed in the finals of the 400 m race, managed to have those podium finishes. Championship is taking place at Bahrain National Stadium, in Riffa, Bahrain. The first bronze medal of the day for SL came more..

Oct 26 (Island) Dialog Television, SL’s #1 Pay-TV provider, is bringing the globally renowned streaming platform Sony LIV to SL, giving customers access to one of the region’s largest streaming libraries with over 50,000 hours of premium content. This milestone reinforces Dialog’s commitment to enriching digital lifestyles by making world-class entertainment more affordable and accessible, with seamless integration across Dialog ViU+ enabled devices, including ViU Hub, ViU Mini, ViU+ more..

Oct 26 (TM) Govt has announced plans to draft new legislation specifically targeting organised crime, a critical step authorities say is long overdue in the fight against sophisticated criminal networks. IGP Priyantha Weerasooriya recently highlighted the intentions behind this new law, emphasising its timely need amid emerging challenges in criminal activities. “We are bringing in a new law to combat organised crime, more..

Oct 26 (SO) The next Inter-Schools rugby season may be still far away but the authorities and the coaches of the schools have already begun their preparations in what could be another gruelling period for the players and officials. The focus and the cynosure of all eyes, no doubt, will be on the elite U-19 League and the Knock-Out Tournament, which has always seen the cream of SL’s schoolboy ruggerites in action. Contribution of the old boys of these respective schools have added more..

Oct 26 (TM) Former President of the SL Boxing Association (SLBA) Dian Gomes says that the sport’s local governing body has theoretically resigned from the International Boxing Association (IBA) and notes that the decision is to be officially conveyed to the Lausanne-based institution. He made this remark when asked for his response on the risk faced by SL boxers in the event of the SLBA failing to resign from the IBA and linking up with the World Boxing Association (WBA) instead. more..

Oct 26 (Island) Women’s cricket has come of age and the ongoing Women’s World Cup has been nothing short of a blockbuster. This edition has hit the sweet spot with wall-to-wall television coverage, leaving fans glued to their screens. From last ball thrillers to great escapes, from back-to-the-wall hundreds to four wickets in four balls, this tournament had it all. The clash between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in Bombay is a case in point with the game going down to the last ball. more..

Oct 26 (Island) JVP-led NPP govt signals left and turns right. It claims to have a Marxist agenda, but it is following the same neoliberal policies as its predecessors. It was only the other day that Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake declared at a Ratnapura District Development Committee meeting that the govt should not engage in business activities, which had to be left to the private sector. Now, one of the NPP’s erstwhile comrades, Ceylon Teachers Union (CTU) has accused the govt more..

Oct 26 (ST) A tiara stolen during the daring robbery at the Louvre Museum in Paris this week contained 1,083 diamonds and 24 Ceylon sapphires. The sapphire diadem was once worn by Napoleon Bonaparte’s brother Louis Bonaparte’s wife, Queen Hortense, and Queen Marie-Amélie. SL’s blue sapphires, long celebrated in royal crowns, engagement rings & museum showcases, have once again captured global attention after more..

Oct 26 (ST) My dear Lakmali, I thought of writing to you because it appears to be hard to keep you out of the news, even though you are only a backbencher in the maalimaawa camp. You seem to operate on the principle that any publicity is good publicity. This time, however, what you said may even cost you your job. To be honest, when the tide that swept the maalimaawa into power last year brought you to the House by the Diyawanna Oya, many had high expectations from you. more..

Oct 26 (GV) The recent Co-operative Society elections across SL have quietly revealed a political undercurrent that the NPP can no longer ignore. While the party continues to project national confidence, the defeats in a series of key southern districts, including Kelaniya, Beruwala & Homagama, point to a deeper truth: NPP’s grassroots strength is slipping. In at least 9 out of 14 co-operative contests, NPP backed groups suffered defeat at the hands of opposition or independent alliances. more..

Oct 26 (Island) When a Minister has to handle two Ministries with different mandates and different sets of responsibilities, it is by no means an easy task. There are occasions where responsibilities become mutually contradictory. This happened in the case of the two Ministries of Agriculture and Food. The Ministry of Agriculture was a production oriented Ministry with an emotional culture of achieving self-sufficiency in rice in particular, and stopping imports. Food Ministry on the other hand more..

Oct 26 (SO) For decades, Sri Lankans have heard the same promise from every new govt — We will eliminate the underworld and end the drug menace. Presidents, PMs, Ministers of National Security, and Inspectors General of Police have all declared it with fanfare. Yet each time, words dissolved into empty rhetoric, while crime and drug networks flourished, and gun violence became part of daily life. Law enforcement, weakened by corruption and political interference, could do little. more..

Oct 26 (SO) President’s Fund, inaugurated under Act No. 7 of 1978, under its new orientation, could be identified as a confluence which absorbs funds through two streams, as well as a floodgate releasing funds for a multitude of worthy causes which include almost all philanthropic endeavours imaginable. This statement to the effect that it is a floodgate with a philanthropic orientation would stun those who had the impression that more..

Oct 26 (CT) The brazen assassination of Weligama PS Chairman Lasantha Wickramasekara, known to many as Midigama Lasa, inside his office during a public day is more than a local tragedy. It is a chilling reminder of the uneasy coexistence between politics and criminality in SL’s local govt sphere, and of the worrying erosion of public safety. That gunmen could walk into a Local Council office, under the guise of seeking a signature, and execute a public representative at close range exposes more..

Oct 26 (TM) Even though the killing of the Weligama PS Chairman is being portrayed as yet another episode of organised crime in SL’s underworld saga, the attempt to downplay the incident seems disturbingly well organised. The assassination – the 101st contract-style killing this year – reveals more than just a pattern of violence and exposes the moral decay within a State apparatus that has become comfortable with impunity. The murder of a sitting Local Govt Chairman, in his office, more..

Oct 26 (TM) Amidst the many challenges faced by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) in governance, which also include clearing messes created by his Cabinet and deputy ministers, he has charted a somewhat dangerous and perilous path with his ongoing war on narcotic drugs and organised crime. This war will be taken forward in an organised manner following the launch of his Ratama Ekata initiative on Thursday more..

Oct 26 (ST) Last week’s front-page story in this newspaper may have raised some reader eyebrows; the CIABOC, it said, is mulling over a proposal by some of those arraigned, or to be arraigned before it on charges of bribery or corruption, that they simply pay back the pocketed loot and carry on. That provision already exists under many laws. The fact that this proposal has suddenly emerged before the CIABOC only after an earlier news report that a sitting Cabinet Minister more..

Oct 26 (SO) United Nations is 80. It is easy to count its failures and criticise its imperfections. But in a fractured world plagued by war, pandemics, climate shocks and technological disruption, there is no substitute for a universal forum that sets rules, mobilises resources, and keeps quarrelling States talking. UN is imperfect, but it is also indispensable. The UN celebrates its 80th anniversary at one of the most chaotic periods since WW2. There are wars in Ukraine, Sudan, Gaza & Congo. more..