Oct 15 (NF) A Chinese national identified as Shen Richard, who was arrested in Sri Lanka, has been identified as a suspect linked to child abuse, rape and cybercrime offences, according to investigators. Authorities said the Chinese govt had issued warrants against the suspect on two occasions, with the first warrant dating back to 2017. Investigations conducted so far have revealed that the suspect arrived in SL in 2024 and had been employed at an office located in Nugegoda. more..

Oct 15 (TM) Education Ministry said that there was no need for an island-wide preparedness programme for schools to deal with the effects of El Niño at this stage, as the expected impact was likely to be concentrated in three Districts, with measures being planned for schools in those areas. Ministry Secretary Nalaka Kaluwewa said the information available to the Ministry indicated that El Niño would not affect the entire country in the same way, and that preparations would focus on more..

Oct 15 (ST) Professional organisations are calling for changes to the existing tax system ahead of Budget 2027, proposing revisions to income tax rates and measures to ease the burden on salaried professionals. One such organisation, Govt Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA), has proposed changes to the existing income tax structure, including amendments to Advance Personal Income Tax system, in its proposals for Budget 2027. more..

Oct 15 (FT) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake has outlined a February 2027 deadline for presenting key legislation covering State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs), public-private partnerships (PPPs), labour reforms and Customs modernisation to Parliament, as the Govt seeks to address structural barriers to investment and fiscal sustainability. Dissanayake said work on the proposed laws was at different stages of completion, with the SOE legislation expected to reach Cabinet within two weeks. more..

Oct 15 (FT) Colombo High Court Judge Buddhika C. Ragala has enlarged on bail Jiffry Mohamed accused in a money laundering case having considered the submissions made on behalf of the accused and the submissions of the Counsel for the State. The accused was released on cash bail on 8 October in a sum of Rs 25,000 with two sureties in a sum of Rs. 1 million each. Counsel for the accused Priyantha Nawana PC appearing with Shafi Hussain, Dinali Siva instructed by Asanka Perera more..

Oct 15 (Island) SL were once pioneers in limited overs cricket, setting the bar so high that the rest of the world was left scrambling to catch up. And mind you, this was not confined to the 50 over format, where SL tore up the coaching manuals, embraced an unconventional brand of cricket and took the world by storm. Even in T20 cricket, despite not possessing an abundance of power hitters, SL punched well above their weight. Clever improvisation, fearless innovation and more..

Oct 15 (TM) Human Rights Commission of SL (HRCSL) has called on the Govt and key State institutions to address a range of human rights concerns in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, including enforced disappearances, mass graves, military occupation of land, religious freedom and alleged intimidation of activists and communities. In a report on the human rights situation in the two provinces, Commission has made recommendations to more..

Oct 15 (DN) SL Women’s Under-19 team, led by Chamudi Praboda, continued their winning run with a comfortable eight-wicket victory over Bangladesh in their T20 Int'l Tournament fixture at Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad yesterday. It was Sri Lanka’s fifth consecutive victory after their opening defeat to Pakistan, and both teams had already secured places in tomorrow’s final (16) at the same venue. The latest encounter offered Sri Lanka a useful opportunity to fine-tune their preparations, more..

Oct 15 (FT) Dilmah yesterday confirmed a double recognition ahead of SIAL Paris 2026 (17–21 Oct 2026, Paris Nord Villepinte). Three Dilmah innovations have been named to the SIAL Innovation Paris 2026 Selection, and Dilmah has separately been confirmed as one of just five global finalists in the Large Companies category of SIAL For Change, a new 2026 competition recognising sustainability and social responsibility across the agri-food industry. The three innovations named to more..

Oct 15 (FT) Financial conglomerate JXG (Janashakthi Group) has been ranked 44th in LMD’s Most Respected Entities in SL 2026, marking the Group’s first appearance in the prestigious listing. The recognition places JXG among SL’s most respected companies and marks an important milestone in the Group’s master-brand journey. As the holding company, JXG was also recognised across key attributes including Aspirational Workplace, Business Expansion, more..

Oct 15 (FT) US Ambassador Eric Meyer yesterday identified policy and regulatory unpredictability as the single greatest deterrent to foreign investment in SL, urging the country to strengthen transparency, intellectual property (IP) protection and fair competition to unlock greater bilateral business opportunities. Addressing 10th AGM of the SL–USA Business Council (SLUSABC) Meyer said sudden policy shifts, project reversals made it difficult more..

Oct 15 (Island) Shamindra Ferdinando, in The Island, 23 Sept, in an article entitled Thileepan’s fast unto death: An authentic narrative that many missed has provided an excellent review of the recent political event associated with the attempt to commemorate Thileepan and install a bronze bust of the LTTE militant. Here I argue that Thileepan was sacrificed by Prabhakaran in 1987 to the war God Murugan. While Shamindra Ferdinando has succinctly analysed the political backdrop more..

Oct 15 (ST) It is not just the case of Venerable Galabodaaththe Gnanasara Thera returning to jail after a presidential pardon granted to him by Prez Maithripala Sirisena seven years ago was held by the Supreme Court as invalid last month that has deeply disturbed the Buddhist Sasanaya’s composure. What has stirred a hornet’s nest inside the Buddhist Sassuna’s kutiya and provoked the collective ire of its incumbent monks is the arbitrary decision taken by the Prison Commissioner more..

Oct 15 (TM) When we say that we own something, most of us hardly ever stop to think about what the ownership of something that we mention means to someone. A person may own a piece of land, house, shares in a company, or a quantity of gold. A business may own a trademark, while a musician may hold rights to receive royalties from a song. These are different forms of ownership, they all share something fundamental that is a recognised relationship between a person or an org more..

Oct 15 (CT) The prevailing situation in our country calls for serious reflection and a responsible response from organised movements, particularly trade unions, professional associations and independent civil society organisations. The direction in which our laws are evolving, the exercise of governmental powers and the implications of administrative directives deserve close public scrutiny whenever they may affect democratic freedoms, social justice and the rights of more..

Oct 15 (TM) As the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) marks its 77th anniversary on Saturday, its continuing journey of modernisation reflects an organisation adapting to a rapidly changing world while preserving the values and traditions that have shaped its service to the nation. For more than seven decades, SLA has stood as a key institution in the country’s national security framework. Yet the role of a modern Army extends well beyond more..

Oct 15 (SO) We live in an era of rapid technological advancement. Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics, and quantum computing are turning the world upside down. Technological tools created by humans are now capable of making decisions faster than humans. However, no matter how fast the world moves forward with the technological revolution, no solution has come from it for the greatest challenge faced by humanity: mental restlessness. Therefore, human society is still engaged in a restless more..

Oct 15 (TM) Today, there is so much confusion: What is Constitutionalism and a Constitution? Why do we need a Constitution? We must recognise that, it has been the civil society, including professionals, who have always articulated a voice on issues of public concern. So, the Bar Association too has expressed views on public concerns. They and many other leading lawyers have always led from the front. And, in that regard, in the case of the legal profession, inevitably there are areas of more..

Oct 15 (SO) SL cinema has taken a significant step towards the world’s most prestigious film awards with Lalith Rathnayake’s Riverstone being selected as the country’s official entry in the Int'l Feature Film category of the 99th Academy (Oscar) Awards, to be held in March 2027. The selection marks the establishment of a formal, Academy-approved national selection process. A specially constituted panel of SL film more..

Oct 15 (Island) Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly cranking up pressure on US Prez Donald Trump to resume military strikes on Iran ahead of the upcoming elections in Israel and the US. Trump recently declared that there would be no military operations against Iran until the conclusion of the US midterm elections in November, but speculation is rife that Netanyahu may be able to persuade him to change his mind. Netanyahu appears to view the Iran conflict through the Clausewitzian lens. more..

Oct 15 (GV) Every province in SL has a governor. Most citizens know the title yet only a few know what the office entails. Fewer still ask whether it works. The question matters more today than at any time since 1987. For years now, the governor has not been a ceremonial figure. Essentially, the governor is the provincial govt. The office came from the 13th Amendment. That amendment followed the Indo-Lanka Accord of 1987. Its purpose was devolution: power shared with the regions, and more..

Oct 14 (NW) Former Prez Mahinda Rajapaksa remains hospitalized and is continuing to receive medical treatment, according to SLPP member Sanjeewa Edirimanna. Commenting on the former Prez’s health condition, Edirimanna said that only medical professionals and relevant experts are authorised to disclose details regarding a person’s medical condition. He stated that Rajapaksa is currently receiving treatment at a hospital but declined to provide further details, citing more..

Oct 14 (DM) Sri Lanka and the European Union have discussed proposals to establish a green energy hub at Trincomalee Port, with the need for a feasibility study highlighted during talks on renewable energy and port development. The discussions were held between a European Union delegation led by Peteris Ustubs, Director for the Asia-Pacific region, and Minister Anura Karunathilaka at the Ministry premises. EU delegation commended the Govt’s initiatives more..

Oct 14 (NW) Prison authorities have denied allegations by former Minister Udaya Gammanpila that Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera was forcibly made to wear the prison uniform while in custody at Welikada Prison. Addressing a press conference in Colombo on Oct 12, Udaya Gammanpila alleged that Gnanasara Thera had been forcibly made to wear a prison uniform despite objections from the monk & prison officers. more..

Oct 14 (NW) A delegation of 20 Sri Lankan education administrators is currently in India to participate in a capacity development programme aimed at strengthening educational planning, management and administration. According to the SL High Commission in New Delhi, delegation includes Provincial and Zonal Directors of Education representing the Central, Western, Uva, Sabaragamuwa, Northern, North Western & Southern Provinces. more..

Oct 14 (NW) SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa has called on Prez and Finance Minister Anura Kumara Dissanayake to introduce a second-chance business loan scheme in the 2027 Budget to help entrepreneurs who have fully repaid their debts regain access to credit. In a letter to the President, Rajapaksa said individuals who had experienced repayment difficulties in the past but subsequently settled their loans in full continued to face significant obstacles in obtaining fresh credit due to more..

Oct 14 (NW) Sri Lanka continues to record an increase in HIV infections, with health experts warning that sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including syphilis, hepatitis B and hepatitis C, are becoming major public health concerns. Consultant Venereologist Dr. Nimali Jayasuriya, President of the SL College of Sexual Health and HIV Medicine, said HIV cases have been increasing since 2023, with the upward trend more..

Oct 14 (NW) Minister K.D. Lal Kantha has revealed that two double cabs assigned to him by his ministry broke down during official travel, forcing him to use a private vehicle belonging to a close friend to carry out his duties. Addressing a public event, Minister said he had been using two double cabs obtained from his ministry, but recently experienced mechanical problems with both vehicles. He explained that one of the vehicles broke down midway through a journey, prompting him more..

Oct 14 (TM) Batticaloa District ITAK MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam has filed an application before the Court of Appeal (CA) seeking to reopen proceedings over the longstanding Mayilathamadu–Mathavanai grazing land dispute, alleging that State authorities have failed to honour assurances given to the Court to remove illegal encroachers and protect traditional grazing lands. The original proceedings began during former Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s administration and concluded during more..

Oct 14 (DM) An employment promotion programme aimed at introducing overseas job opportunities and guiding youth seeking foreign employment was held at Kanagarathnam Maha Vidyalayam in Jaffna on Oct 10. The Northern Province programme was organised by the SL Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) as part of its island-wide initiative to provide prospective migrant workers with information on overseas employment opportunities. The event was presided over by Minister Ramalingam more..

Oct 14 (Island) Major General Asitha Pushpakumara has assumed duties as the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the SL Army’s 56 Infantry Division, headquartered at Kokeliya, Vavuniya. An alumnus of Thurstan College, Major General Pushpakumara has served in the SL Army for more than three decades, contributing to military operations during the country’s three-decade-long conflict. He is a recipient of several military decorations, including the Rana Wickrama more..