Oct 28 (DN) SL bodybuilder Madhavan Rajkumar, professionally known as R.K. Rajakumaran, has achieved a significant milestone by winning the prestigious IFBB Pro Card at the LYFT Oman Pro 2026, bringing pride to SL. Hailing from Labukale in the Nuwara Eliya District, Rajakumaran began his bodybuilding journey at the age of 16. Despite facing numerous defeats, hardships and humiliating experiences, he remained committed to his ambition. His latest success is the result of nearly a more..

Oct 28 (NW) Navy Lt Commander Piyumi Kathriarachchi has earned a master’s degree with honors from US Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) in California, achieving an outstanding GPA of 3.98 out of 4.0. US Ambassador to SL Eric Meyer presented her degree at a ceremony held at the American Center Colombo on Oct 26, recognising her academic achievements and contribution to military education. Kathriarachchi completed the Defense Logistics Management programme more..

Oct 28 (FT) The Wildlife and Nature Protection Society (WNPS), Sri Lanka’s oldest and leading conservation organisation, had initiated legal action in the Court of Appeal to halt the State-issuance of firearms to civilians, which is driving an unprecedented surge in the slaughter of the country’s wild elephants. The writ application seeks urgent judicial intervention to stop the escalating killing of elephants both within more..

Oct 28 (ST) Attorney General has notified the Colombo Fraud Bureau (CFB) that for the time being, no suspects can be named in the case involving the fraudulent lease of a building in Dehiwala belonging to the trade union National Workers’ Congress (NWC). CFB informed Mount Lavinia Magistrate’s Court on Friday that the AG had notified them that the persons whose names were uncovered during the investigation involving the forged land deed cannot be named as more..

Oct 28 (ST) Two lawyers appearing on behalf of former State Minister Premalal Jayasekara, alias Chokka Malli, who has left the country while having a notice to appear in courts, have been ordered by the Supreme Court to show cause as to why action should not be taken against them. The court, while reprimanding lawyers Asanka Sandaruwan and Vajira Ranasinghe, issued a warrant for the arrest of the former state minister. The Supreme Court also ordered that more..

Oct 28 (ST) Authorities in SL have failed to successfully prosecute a single transnational cyber scam case, police have said, despite more than a thousand arrests so far this year of suspected members of Asian fraud syndicates who have surged into the South Asian country. Admission comes as experts warn the island nation is becoming a destination of choice for thousands of scam workers fleeing Southeast Asian more..

Oct 28 (ST) Former CB Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal is to give evidence before the Colombo High Court Trial-at-Bar tomorrow (26) in the case where he is accused of causing a Rs 1.8 billion loss to the govt by investing in Greek bonds. This follows an order by the 3-judge High Court Trial-at-Bar to the defence to submit testimony in the case. This is the third time that Cabraal has been charged with Greek bonds issue. His evidence tomorrow will be led by Dilan Rathnayake, PC, appearing as counsel more..

Oct 28 (FT) Sri Lanka’s apparel exports returned to growth in September 2026, an encouraging sign for the sector. Although the nine-month total is still behind last year, Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF) sees the latest result as a positive step. Apparel exports for the month came to $ 416.99 million, up 3.47% from $ 403.01 million in Sept 2025. The United States and European Union, the sector’s two largest markets, led the gain. Exports to the US grew 7.17% to $ 172.03 million, and more..

Oct 28 (DM) Sri Lanka has won praise from the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) technology chief for building the digital foundations to leapfrog into the artificial intelligence (AI) era, with a call to match the technological ambition with investment in people, sound judgment and accountability. “I think you are closer to this future than you think,” visiting IMF Chief Information Officer Shirin Hamid told the Central Bank of Sri Lanka’s (CBSL) 76th anniversary oration. more..

Oct 28 (FT) Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG) yesterday held the inaugural meeting of SL’s Third Mutual Evaluation on Anti-Money Laundering, Countering the Financing of Terrorism and Countering Proliferation Financing (AML/CFT/CPF), with PM Harini Amarasuriya stressing that the credibility of the country’s financial system would be judged on how its safeguards work in practice. A mutual evaluation is a peer review of how effectively a country prevents its more..

Oct 28 (FT) Deputy Minister Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando yesterday said the Govt’s capital market policies would be far more visible in the 2027 Budget, conceding that steps taken over the past two years had not been widely seen, leading some to conclude it had done little for the market. “You will see that visibility in a bigger way in this (2027) Budget,” Dr. Fernando told the Institutional Investor Forum, more..

Oct 28 (Island) Sri Lanka’s disaster management crisis is not simply a matter of limited funding, technology or human resources. It is a long-standing failure in policymaking, policy implementation and institutional accountability. This criticism is not directed at any single govt. It concerns weaknesses that have continued under different administrations for decades. SL has laws, institutions, experts and disaster management plans. Yet every major disaster raises the same question. more..

Oct 28 (DM) In every tea shop, in every office, and on every street during the last election, one sentence was heard again and again: 76 years of national curse. It was shouted in anger, and it was not without reason. Corruption, incompetence, lawbreaking, and callous disregard for human dignity had brought public trust to its lowest point. But in that anger, are we throwing away the good with the bad? Because society, deep down, is not asking for revolution alone. more..

Oct 28 (GV) SL’s military defeat of the LTTE in 2009 ended the armed insurgency but it did not provide a political settlement. The experience of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) offers an instructive, if imperfect, comparison. Both the KRI and Tamil Eelam emerged from prolonged conflict and developed institutions to govern territory. Their trajectories, however, were fundamentally different. KRI gradually acquired constitutional recognition and an administrative existence that could more..

Oct 28 (ST) It looks as if all the chickens the JVP hatched are coming home in a brood to roost sooner than expected. On each front – be it on the economic front or the medical, the educational, or the religious front – the nation lies besieged by a plethora of fire-snorting dragons that it finds itself unable to slay. And to make the unfolding siege far worse are five satanic verses, written in a satanic metre, set to a satanic rhythm, and sung in a compelling satanic style, invoking more..

Oct 28 (SO) As the global energy crisis continues to put pressure on fuel prices and supply chains, Sri Lanka faces the challenge of protecting consumers while strengthening its energy security. Minister of Ports, Civil Aviation and Energy Anura Karunathilaka discusses how the Govt is navigating these challenges, from managing fuel prices and expanding storage capacity to modernising the Sapugaskanda refinery and more..

Oct 28 (Island) Last week, a survey from New Zealand caught my attention. Nearly 190,000 people took part in an online poll run by the country’s national broadcaster. One question was simple: should wealthier people pay more tax? 62% said yes. 70% of the lowest earners agreed, which is no surprise. But even among those earning more than 100,000 New Zealand dollars a year, a small majority, 53%, agreed that people like them should pay more. more..

Oct 28 (DM) Both the ruling NPP and the Opposition parties -- especially the SJB, SLPP and the UNP -- are in a dilemma over the Protection of the State from Terrorism Bill (PSTB) that is presented in parliament. The NPP’s predicament is that it was a party that fought tooth and nail against the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) from the beginning of that law, arguing that the offences cited under it can be handled with existing laws, such as the Penal Code. more..

Oct 28 (SO) The proposed Protection of the State from Terrorism Bill (PSTA) has come under mounting criticism, with activists, academics, trade unionists and lawyers warning that it could undermine fundamental rights while granting the State sweeping powers in the name of national security. Critics argue that replacing the PTA will do little to address concerns over the misuse of extraordinary counter-terrorism powers if more..

Oct 28 (Island) Sri Lanka takes disaster management for granted, paying it the attention it deserves only when the fear of disasters looms. Cyclone Arnab is intensifying over the Bay of Bengal and moving towards India’s eastern coast, causing heavy rainfall here. Irrigation Department has warned of floods in several parts of the country, and the National Building Research Organisation has issued warnings of landslides, covering eight districts, and red-level evacuation warnings more..

Oct 28 (CT) Since gaining independence, SL has struggled with persistent political stagnation, characterized by entrenched leadership, dynastic influence, and the concentration of political power within a relatively narrow circle of families and party elites. Political dynasties associated with the Bandaranaikes, Premadasas, Rajapaksas, and Wickremesinghes have played prominent roles in successive govts, often reinforcing a political culture in which retaining power takes more..

Oct 27 (NW) Cabinet has approved special compensation payments of up to Rs. 5 million for prison officers who were killed or injured during the clashes at Negombo Prison on July 5 and 6, 2026. Rs. 5 million will be paid for each officer who lost their life, while officers who sustained permanent disabilities will also receive Rs. 5 million each. Officers who suffered partial disabilities resulting in a 100% loss of earning capacity will receive Rs. 4 million, while those who sustained more..

Oct 27 (NW) A debate on the revised no-confidence motion against Speaker of Parliament Jagath Wickramaratne, to be submitted by the Opposition, has been scheduled for Nov 3. The debate was included in the parliamentary business scheduled for the first week of November. Parliament is scheduled to meet from Nov 3 to 6, with the agenda finalised at a meeting of the Committee on Parliamentary Business held on October 23, chaired by Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne. more..

Oct 27 (NW) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has introduced stricter fitness and disciplinary measures for national players, including random alcohol and drug testing and closer monitoring of their diets, SLC Transformation Committee member Sidath Wettimuny has revealed. He said the board was implementing several new initiatives to improve players’ fitness, discipline and overall professionalism. more..

Oct 27 (EN) Cabinet has approved the long-term leasing of 15 state plantation properties to selected local investors, minister Nalinda Jayatissa said. The assets are owned by the SL State Plantations Corporation, Janatha Estates Development Board and Elkaduwa Plantations Company. Govt had earlier called for expressions of interest from investors for 1,514 hectares of land, 10 tourist bungalows and scenic locations, and 15 inactive factories managed by 3 plantation entities. more..

Oct 27 (NW) Newly elected Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has expressed hope of strengthening bilateral trade and technical cooperation between Brazil and SL, responding to a congratulatory message from President Anura Kumara Dissanayake following his election victory. In a post on ‘X’, Lula recalled his meeting with Prez Dissanayake in India in February this year and welcomed the opportunity to deepen relations between the two countries. more..

Oct 27 (Island) Customs in Jaffna has declined to release copies of Thoarai, a Tamil novel by the writer Piratheep Kunaradnam, aka Yatharthan, pending approval from Ministry of Defence and Dept of Govt Information, in the latest case of Tamil books being held by the state. Kunaradnam went to the customs division, at the Jaffna Post Office, last Thursday, to collect 32 copies of the novel, published by Kalachuvadu more..

Oct 27 (NW) Matara Magistrate’s Court has issued an open warrant for the arrest of former Minister Basil Rajapaksa in connection with an ongoing investigation into the purchase of a property at Brown’s Hill in Matara. The order was issued following a report submitted to the court by the FCID regarding the case. The investigation concerns the acquisition of an approximately one-and-a-half-acre property located along Eliyakanda Road in Brown’s Hill, Matara, which is allegedly linked to more..

Oct 27 (DM) Anuradhapura Additional Magistrate Dasuni Hapuarachchi yesterday ordered the Range Forest Officer of the Ritigala Wildlife Office to file charges in court against the chief custodian priest of the main terrace of the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi in A'pura over the possession of protected wildlife and animal products. Wildlife Conservation Dept said the case relates to an incident in which the suspect was allegedly found in possession of sambar deer meat, pangolin meat, more..

Oct 27 (NW) Indictments have been filed against MP Namal Rajapaksa and three others before the Permanent High Court Trial-at-Bar in Colombo over allegations of money laundering and accepting a Rs. 100 million bribe in connection with the Airbus transaction. Deputy Solicitor General Janaka Bandara informed Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama of the development when the case was taken up today. Deputy Solicitor General informed the Court that the indictments more..

Oct 27 (NW) SL govt is set to enter into a US$ 100 million loan agreement with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to support economic recovery and reforms, following the completion of formal loan negotiations. Cabinet has approved a proposal submitted by Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake to proceed with the loan agreements. Financing will consist of US$ 50 million in policy-based lending and US$ 50 million in investment financing, provided through ADB’s Ordinary Capital Resources. more..