Sep 30 (NW) The foundation stone for 51 new housing units was laid at the Alagolla Estate in the Badulla District on Sept 29, by the Assistant High Commissioner of India in Kandy, Saranya V. S., alongside SL’s Plantation and Community Infrastructure Minister Samantha Vidyaratna and Deputy Minister Pradeep Sundaralingam. The housing units are being constructed under Stage 2 of IHP Phase IV, which was launched in Oct 2025 by Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake. more..

Sep 30 (TM) SL plans to establish an international Gem Hub in Colombo next year as part of efforts to develop the country’s gem and jewellery industry into a higher-income economic sector, with the Govt looking to ease import and export restrictions affecting the industry, Minister Sunil Handunnetti said at the Ceylon Gemlogue 2026. Speaking at the event, Handunnetti said: “For more than 2,000 years, world has known this island through extraordinary brilliance of its gemstones. more..

Sep 30 (ST) Demography statistics published recently has projected a significant fall in SL’s youth population count, tugging at the very heart of the country’s economy. The report on population and housing in Feb 2026 by the DSC said that there has been a 4.5% decline in the youth (upto 14 years of age) population. Out of a total population of 21.7 million, the 60 years and older category has risen to 18% this year, more..

Sep 30 (ST) An interim stay order imposed on the Archaeology Dept on the conservation of an ancient Dagoba around the hot water wells in Kanniya, Trincomalee has been vacated by the Trincomalee HC Judge N.M.M. Abdullah. Taking into consideration submissions made on behalf of the Attorney General the stay order was vacated. The stay order was previously issued after taking into consideration a petition filed by an owner of the nearby Kovil, Ramani Ganesh who claimed more..

Sep 30 (FT) Frontier Research expects the rupee to begin a fresh appreciation cycle closer to the end of the year, with inflation turning negative by mid-2027 and rates easing further. Frontier Research Head of Macroeconomic Advisory Chayu Damsinghe told a recent investor forum organised by the firm that the rupee could strengthen to around Rs. 325 per dollar by the end of 2026 and Rs. 315 by end-2027, and further if Brent crude falls to $ 85 a barrel by October or November. more..

Sep 30 (FT) National Development Bank (NDB) said it had engaged a foreign agency specialising in tracing stolen money and digital assets to recover funds lost in the fraud uncovered at the bank earlier this year, as the final forensic report put the loss at Rs. 13.64 billion. The figure is Rs. 60 million more than that identified in the auditor’s interim report in June. Bank said it had received the final report from Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India, more..

Sep 30 (FT) Cabinet has approved Gazetting amendments to the 109-year-old Trust Ordinance and submitting them to Parliament, in a move to make the ownership of trusts more transparent and bring the law in line with global anti-money laundering standards, Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said yesterday. He said the Attorney General had cleared the Trust (Amendment) Bill drafted by the Legal Draftsman. Cabinet approved a resolution by the Minister of Justice to publish more..

Sep 30 (FT) Classic Travel, a longstanding leader in SL’s corporate travel sector and the outbound travel arm of the Expolanka Leisure Cluster, has further strengthened its industry standing by securing one of the industry’s most prestigious accolades at the World Travel Awards 2026. With over three decades of experience serving the evolving travel needs of businesses across the country, Classic Travel was named SL’s Leading Travel Company 2026, following a rigorous evaluation process more..

Sep 30 (DM) SL faces a multi-pronged economic threat from any further escalation of the Middle East conflict, ADB said, as it warned that the fallout could simultaneously hit the import costs, exports, remittances, tourism, foreign reserves and the govt’s fiscal position. In its ADB Outlook Sept 2026, the ADB said the risks to SL’s economic outlook remain tilted to the downside, with the Middle East conflict posing a particularly broad threat to an economy still rebuilding its external buffers. more..

Sep 30 (FT) Court of Appeal has recently quashed the appointment of the Deputy Tea Commissioner of the SL Tea Board (SLTB), on the basis that the interview panel has exercised their discretion in an arbitrary and/or irrational and/or unreasonable manner in allocating marks. This was when the Petition filed by the SLTB Assistant Tea Commissioner B.M.K. Madushanka, challenging the appointment of the Deputy Tea Commissioner, was taken up before Justice Mayadunne Corea more..

Sep 30 (FT) SL’s economy is going through its most fundamental structural change in seven to eight decades, Frontier Research said, warning that the shift will reward capital-intensive, margin-driven businesses and could leave labour-intensive, volume-based players facing an existential squeeze. “SL economy is fundamentally different from anything we have seen for the last 70 to 80 years,” Frontier Research Head of more..

Sep 30 (ST) Amid protests by the opposition both within and outside the House, Parliament on Friday (25) overwhelmingly passed the Twenty Second Amendment (22A), as the NPP govt showed its strength with all 158 MPs being present to secure its passage into law. The Supreme Court had earlier determined that the Bill, which primarily aims to raise the retirement age of superior court judges, did not require approval at a people’s referendum. Therefore, two-thirds special parliamentary more..

Sep 30 (Island) I have always noticed the little paper tags that are inside the packaging of some products that say quality assured or quality control. I often wonder who might have checked the product and stamped that tag, but I also forget the tag soon enough. Decades later, when I entered academia, I was taken aback by the emphasis placed on quality assurance in our universities. It is not something that could be forgotten and done away with; entire uni system is obsessed with quality assurance. more..

Sep 30 (GV) Some political remarks vanish with the news cycle. Others refuse to disappear because they reveal a question larger than the speaker may have intended. Deputy Minister Dr. Prasanna Gunasena’s recent distinction between governing power and state power belongs to the second category. It deserves attention not because a single speech proves an authoritarian design but because the words touch a fault line running through SL’s constitutional history: where should more..

Sep 30 (TM) The families arrived at Sri Bodhirukkharama Viharaya in Ketawala carrying bags packed for an emergency: a cup, a plate, medical records, important documents, and bank passbooks. At the entrance, State officials were ready to register each household as it came in. Inside the premises, separate spaces had been set aside for women and men, as they had been when the temple served as a Suraksha Centre during Cyclone Ditwah. Once everyone had settled more..

Sep 30 (TM) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s indication that the Govt is considering removing certain taxes through the upcoming budget has brought renewed attention to the question of how much fiscal space SL has for further tax relief. While such measures could ease some of the tax burden on households, they also come at a time when the Govt is seeking to maintain revenue collection and meet fiscal and debt obligations under its more..

Sep 30 (Island) Underworld death squads are in overdrive, eliminating their rivals. On Sunday, a gunman armed with an assault rifle opened fire on a trishaw, killing its driver and a woman in Baddegama. Another woman, injured in the attack, died in hospital. A video of the attack shows the assassin, who arrives in a car, using controlled, individual shots rather than a burst. Such killings carried out by professional hitmen remind us of Hollywood blockbusters depicting street more..

Sep 30 (TM) Sri Lankans have learnt, at some cost, that a war fought thousands of miles away can empty a household purse on our shores. The Cabinet is to consider a Rs 41 billion fuel subsidy meant to shield consumers over the next three months from the latest surge in global petroleum prices. The instinct behind it is understandable. Whether it is sustainable is a harder question, and the public deserves an honest answer to it. The numbers explain the anxiety. more..

Sep 30 (SO) MP and Attorney-at-Law Lakmali Hemachandra defended the Govt’s 22nd Amendment to the Constitution as a broader judicial reform aimed at strengthening the capacity of the justice system, retaining judicial experience and addressing delays, rejecting criticism that the measure was designed to benefit a particular judge. Speaking on the legislation during the parliamentary debate on Thursday, Hemachandra said more..

Sep 30 (DM) We have always known this truth: Corruption was not just rampant; it was endemic and looked ineradicable. The sarcastic saying aimed at Lankans – in SL, it’s not what you know but whom you know that matters – was directly related to this corruption. But getting rid of this destructive corruption element was not seen as a top political priority. Some people talked of Singapore, how Lee Kuan Yew eliminated it using draconian methods. Oh, but that’s Singapore, they said. more..

Sep 30 (DM) Sri Lanka has launched a diplomatic cum legal battle to save the life of one of its migrant workers who has been sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia over blasphemy against Islam. Sivarasa Anojan, a 26-year-old Sri Lankan migrant worker from Kalmunai, faces a death sentence by a Saudi appellate court after prosecutors successfully appealed to have his initial cybercrime sentence upgraded under strict Sharia law. Anojan was working as a quantity surveyor in Saudi more..

Sep 29 (DM) President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has instructed officials to work towards establishing a single national digital system covering public services, while reviewing the ongoing digitalisation of local authorities and Divisional Secretariats. Prez gave the directive during a progress review meeting on the Govt’s digital transformation programme held at the Presidential Secretariat today. The meeting focused on the digitalisation of local authorities and Divisional Secretariats, more..

Sep 29 (NW) Minister Nalinda Jayatissa says a statue of former LTTE member Rasaiah Parthipan, also known as Thileepan, was removed from the Thileepan Memorial Square in Nallur, Jaffna, after facts were reported to the relevant area court. Minister said that the Police had reported facts to the court and that a case is being deliberated with regard to the statute. Minister Jayatissa further revealed that commemorative events marking Thileepan’s death anniversary more..

Sep 29 (NW) A new fleet of 122 Metro buses was officially launched today to operate along seven routes in the Western Province, as part of a government initiative aimed at reducing traffic congestion in Colombo and improving the quality of public transport. The buses were launched at the Thalangama Metro Bus Depot under the patronage of Prez and will operate on designated routes and schedules centred around Colombo. more..

Sep 29 (NW) Lieutenant General Joel Vowell, Deputy Commanding General of US Army Pacific (USARPAC), arrived in Sri Lanka today for a three-day official visit aimed at strengthening military cooperation between the US and SL. Lt. Gen. Vowell is the highest-ranking US Army officer to visit SL, marking a milestone in growing Army-to-Army cooperation between the two countries. His visit will continue until October 1 and will include meetings with senior SL military officials. more..

Sep 29 (AD) Former Minister Udaya Gammanpila was acquitted and released by the Colombo High Court today in the case in which he was accused of misappropriating Rs. 21 million through the use of a forged power of attorney to sell company shares. Colombo High Court ordered the acquittal and release of former Minister, who was accused of committing criminal breach of trust involving Rs. 21 million through the misuse of company shares belonging to an Australian businessman. more..

Sep 29 (DM) Cabinet has approved the appointment of a committee to facilitate the restoration of SL cultural artefacts currently in foreign possession, particularly those removed from the country during the colonial period. The committee, titled Committee for the Restoration of SL Cultural Heritage in Foreign Possessions, will be chaired by the Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Buddha Sasana, Religious & Cultural Affairs. more..

Sep 29 (AD) The govt is taking all possible measures to secure the release and save the life of Sivarasa Anojan, a Sri Lankan national who has been sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia, Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said today. He said the govt is seeking the assistance of the former President of the Maldives to make an appeal to the King of Saudi Arabia. He said arrangements are also being made to submit a letter to the Saudi King containing a request from the Prez and signatures of MPs more..

Sep 29 (NW) A special programme has been held to brief media industry stakeholders on SL’s television broadcasting digitalization project, with the first digital television experience expected to be introduced to viewers in the country by Dec 2028. The programme, attended by owners and heads of media institutions and other stakeholders, was held in Colombo on Monday under the patronage of Minister Nalinda Jayatissa. The programme focused on the progress of the Digitalization of more..

Sep 29 (NW) A former Commissioner (Investigations) of the Department of Land Title Settlement has been arrested by the Bribery Commission over allegations involving a government-owned property in Borella valued at more than Rs. 1.58 billion. CIABOC said Nishantha Wickramasinghe was arrested by its investigating officers at around 9.45 am today (29). According to the Bribery Commission, the suspect is accused of misusing his official authority while serving as more..

Sep 29 (NW) Cabinet has approved the appointment of two committees to oversee the conservation, rehabilitation and management of Gregory Lake in Nuwara Eliya, amid concerns over the deterioration of its water quality and surrounding environment. Accordingly, a Monitoring and Management Committee, chaired by Deputy Minister of Environment, will be appointed to oversee efforts to improve and sustainably maintain the lake and its catchment area. more..