Oct 22 (NW) Global oil prices surged to their highest levels since May on Thursday (22), as escalating tensions in the Middle East and renewed attacks on Saudi Arabia raised fears of further disruptions to international oil supplies. Brent crude, the international oil benchmark, rose 3.08% to USD 112.17 per barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude climbed to USD 99.83 per barrel, according to Reuters. The sharp increase followed a series of attacks by Yemen’s more..

Oct 22 (DM) Director General of Department of Wildlife Conservation, Ranjan Marasinghe, also commented on the matter: “If you look at the videos on Facebook and YouTube, it appears that elephants are dying every day. However, according to the data less than 100 elephants have died compared to previous years. Less than 16 people have died. A group of people claiming to be environmentalists are using old and more..

Oct 22 (DM) National Movement for Consumer Rights Protection (NMCRP) has alleged that certain Finance Ministry officials are attempting to remove restrictions on palm oil imports by misleading the Prez and the Cabinet. NMCRP President Ranjith Withanage urged the Prez to intervene and prevent the move, stressing the need to protect consumer health and ensure food safety. Withanage said restrictions on palm oil imports were imposed in 2021 following a decision by an expert more..

Oct 22 (NW) Minister Bimal Rathnayake has rejected a claim made by opposition MP Harsha de Silva that Duminda Hulangamuwa, the current economic adviser to Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake, had previously served as an economic adviser to former Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe. Responding to remarks made by de Silva in Parliament on Wednesday (21), Rathnayake said the claim was completely false and called on the opposition MP to correct his statement. more..

Oct 22 (Island) Chairman of the CoPF Harsha de Silva, MP, said that the people would have to bear the loss of USD 2.5 mn fraudulently transferred from the Treasury to various parties outside the country. SJB MP said so when The Island asked him how the govt intended to recover the loss suffered at the onset of the NPP administration. He said that it seemed that the entire amount would have to be borne by the people, in addition to their more..

Oct 22 (AD) A total of 14 major reservoirs and 11 medium-sized reservoirs across Sri Lanka have reached spill level due to the prevailing heavy rainfall, according to the Department of Irrigation. Irrigation Dept said spill gates of five major reservoirs had been opened to release excess water. Accordingly, two spill gates of the Deduru Oya Reservoir, have been opened by five feet each, four gates by four feet each, and another two gates by three feet each. more..

Oct 22 (NW) Approximately 6.97 acres of land previously used by security forces in Keppapilavu, Mullaitivu District, have been released for public use, SL Army announced. The land was officially handed over on Wednesday by officers of the SL Army’s 59th Division to the Divisional Secretary of Maritimepattu. The handover took place in the presence of Mullaitivu District Secretary and Govt Agent A. Umamaheswaran. The Army stated that the initiative is in line with the Govt’s policy of gradually more..

Oct 22 (DM) Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Tourism clarified that the visit of Indian religious leader Mahamandaleshwar Swami Kailashanand Giri Ji to SL, which has recently been reported on social media, took place on Feb 23, 2026, and was not a recent visit. Ministry said the SL Tourism Promotion Bureau invited the religious leader and his delegation to SL. During their visit, the delegation toured several religious & historical sites across the country, including prominent Shiva temples. more..

Oct 22 (AD) Daily power cuts will not be enforced from today, following the restoration of the Norochcholai Lakvijaya Power Station Unit 02 to its full generating capacity of 270 megawatts (MW), National System Operator (NSO) has announced. Accordingly, the NSO said it no longer requires electricity demand management measures. NSO confirmed that the unit returned to its full load capacity at 1:31 p.m., allowing the suspension of demand management measures more..

Oct 22 (FT) Sri Lanka has expanded tertiary education without a clear strategy. Growth has concentrated at first-degree level, while the technicians, associate professionals and postgraduates that a productivity-led economy needs remain in short supply, the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) said. IPS Research Director Dr. Nisha Arunatilake presented the findings at a roundtable on Tuesday, on the IPS flagship report, more..

Oct 22 (FT) SL Export Development Board (EDB), in collaboration with the SL High Commission in the UK, held a promotional program in London on 21–22 Oct to promote the upcoming SL Expo 2027 and attract a strong delegation of UK-based businesses to the event. The program is scheduled to comprise a Business and Investment Forum, followed by a networking session with British buyers, investors, representatives of trade chambers and relevant business and trade promotion organisations more..

Oct 22 (NW) Sri Lanka CERT has issued a critical cybersecurity alert urging public and private sector organizations and website developers to address security vulnerabilities affecting systems built using PHP. In a statement dated Oct 21, CERT warned that the vulnerabilities could expose affected systems to unauthorized access, data theft and disruption of operations. PHP is widely used to develop websites and web applications. CERT urged organizations to identify all systems using more..

Oct 22 (TM) Fishermen’s Associations in Jaffna have threatened to launch large-scale protests in collaboration with fishing communities and representatives from the South, accusing the Govt of failing to address their longstanding grievances and protect the country’s marine resources. The warning was issued at a media briefing held in Jaffna yesterday by the Federation of Fishermen’s Associations and more..

Oct 22 (DM) Foreign specialist doctors are performing free, complex heart surgeries on 15 SL children at the National Hospital in Karapitiya, Galle, under a programme organised by the Take Heart Mercy Mission. The surgeries, which are difficult to perform in SL due to their complexity, are being carried out at the hospital’s Cardiothoracic Surgery Unit in collaboration with local medical professionals. Deputy Minister Hansaka Wijemuni visited the hospital today more..

Oct 22 (AD) Dept of Motor Traffic (DMT) has warned that motorcycles with an engine capacity of 48cc must be registered before being used on public roads, despite claims by some sellers that registration is not required. Director General of DMT said that riders using unregistered motorcycles on public roads could face fines if apprehended by police. Warning comes amid observations that some motorcycle sellers are informing customers that 48cc motorcycles are exempt from more..

Oct 22 (FT) Most people associate me with tourism or my interest in wildlife. But before hotels and elephants took over much of my working life, I studied and trained as an electrical power engineer. With several people asking me why we are having power cuts again, I thought I would dust off that old engineering hat and attempt a simple explanation. I will leave the detailed diagnosis to those who operate the system today. But the basic principles have not changed. more..

Oct 22 (FT) Sri Lanka’s economic reform program, supported by the IMF, is bringing significant changes to the country’s tax policy, revenue administration, statutory compliance and digital infrastructure. While these reforms aim to strengthen public revenue, improve transparency and support economic stability, they also require businesses to reconsider how they organise, manage and protect their operations. Changes in direct taxation and indirect taxation, amendments to tax laws, more..

Oct 22 (TM) The Lakvijaya coal Power Plant in Norochcholai is expected to resume electricity generation today, potentially eliminating the need for scheduled power cuts across the country, the National System Operator (NSO) has stated. A nationwide power outage occurred on 17 October following an imbalance in the national electricity system. Subsequently, the suspension of operations at the Plant more..

Oct 22 (TM) None of the liquor licences issued in 2024, which the current Govt alleged had been granted as political bribes during former Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe’s tenure, has been revoked to date, Deputy Minister Nishantha Jayaweera admitted in Parliament. This is despite Section 28A(1) of the Excise Ordinance empowering the subject Minister to direct the licence-granting authority to grant, renew or cancel licences without assigning reasons, with the authority required to comply. more..

Oct 22 (DM) Opposition MP Chamara Sampath Dassanayake alleged that the criteria for a tender to print stickers affixed to liquor bottles had been changed to favour an official attached to the Presidential Secretariat. “This is a serious issue, as the tender for these stickers is worth millions of rupees,” he said. MP claimed that one of the tender criteria appeared to favour companies facing investigations by CIABOC, alleging that changes had been made to serve vested interests. more..

Oct 22 (TM) The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday (20) commenced hearing 25 petitions challenging the Government’s proposed Protection of the State from Terrorism Bill, with petitioners raising concerns over judicial independence, Executive powers and potential violations of Fundamental Rights (FR). The petitions were taken up before a three-Judge bench comprising Chief Justice (CJ) Preethi Padman Surasena and more..

Oct 22 (DM) Incumbent Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake seeks advice from Duminda Hulangamuwa who was also the economic advisor of Former Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, MP Harsha de Silva said. "Ranil Wickremesinghe's economic osthar was Duminda Hulangamuwa and he is also the economic osthar of Prez Dissanayake" Harsha De Silva told Parliament today. He said the irony with regard to this situation is that those in the govt criticize the economic policies of more..

Oct 22 (Island) Navy Headquarters said that support operations provided for Onboard Security Team (OBST), in line with foreign private maritime security companies, since October last year, generated approximately USD 3.32 million in foreign exchange earnings. The declaration was made in the wake of Deputy Minister of Defence, Aruna Jayasekara, accompanied by Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Damian Fernando, visiting the Pettigalawatta Armoury Complex, in Galle, more..

Oct 22 (TM) Dairy farmers in the Mayilathamadu–Mathavanai pasturelands of Batticaloa urged the Govt to immediately enforce court orders concerning alleged illegal settlements and protect their lives and livelihoods, following reports that cattle were shot at and farmers were threatened. The appeal comes as the Court of Appeal (CA) resumed proceedings in a case filed by Batticaloa District MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam over alleged illegal settlements on the traditional grazing lands. more..

Oct 22 (DN) The Embassy of Nepal in Colombo held the Durga pooja to pay homage to Goddess Durga, symbolising triumph of good over evil. The religious ceremony which was held at the embassy premises was organised as part of the Dashain Festival. Nepal’s most significant and widely celebrated festival, Dashain commemorates the victory of Goddess Durga over evil and is marked by prayers, religious rituals, offerings, and family gatherings. The festival continues for 15 days. more..

Oct 22 (TM) Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara revealed that 1,454 convicted prisoners are unable to secure their release due to unpaid court-imposed fines, adding that Govt and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), as well as public and private institutions, can pay the fines to facilitate their release. He said a programme was already in place under which various organisations and institutions paid fines on behalf of more..

Oct 22 (Island) SLPP will launch its Gamin Gamata (Village to Village) rallies, starting next week, the party’s National Organiser and MP Namal Rajapaksa announced. He made the announcement while addressing the media following a discussion held at the Parliament complex with the party’s National Convener D.V. Chanaka and MP Chanaka Madugoda. MP Rajapaksa said that strong public resentment is mounting against the current govt, accusing it of attempting to rule the country more..

Oct 22 (Island) A 3-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena and comprising Justices Achala Wengappuli and Gihan Kulatunga, yesterday issued an open warrant for the arrest of former State Minister Premalal Jayasekara, who failed to appear in court. Two other defendants, who appeared before the court, were ordered to be remanded. The case involves a shooting incident at Kahawatta during the 2015 presidential election campaign. more..

Oct 22 (TG) CID has searched the Jaffna headquarters of the EPDP, the state-backed paramilitary accused of abductions, killings and disappearances of Tamils, and the party’s camp in Kayts. The search of the headquarters on Stanley Road, in the former Sridhar theatre, was carried out on Monday under a warrant issued by the Jaffna Magistrate’s Court on information gathered by the CID. Officers searched the building for several hours and recorded statements in the presence more..

Oct 22 (Island) British Examination Centre (BEC), an independent examination and assessment administration body established under CEG Education Holdings, was officially launched at Cinnamon Lakeside, Colombo recently. The establishment of the centre marks a significant milestone in expanding access to internationally recognized qualifications, teacher development, and examination administration across SL. A key highlight of the launch was BEC’s more..

Oct 22 (Island) Supreme Court yesterday began hearing objections to the proposed new constitution for Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), with former cricket administrators leading the resistance to reforms that threaten to loosen their grip on the game. Chief among their grievances is the proposed removal of voting rights enjoyed by District Cricket Associations at SLC’s AGM. Reformists, however, received a significant shot in the arm more..

Oct 22 (NW) SriLankan Airlines is exploring opportunities to expand its network to Perth, China and Africa, with CEO Vipula Gunatilleka Mishra saying the national carrier must take the lead in developing new routes to support SL’s tourism industry. Mishra said there was strong potential for flights to Perth following a recent tourism roadshow conducted in collaboration with the Tourism Ministry. “We see there is a strong demand in Perth. We do see that China needs to restart anyhow. more..