Oct 19 (ST) Govt promises to provide space for plantation owners to carry out oil palm cultivation is facing an election hurdle. Plantation industry sources state that at the time when the govt agreed to increasing the wages of plantation workers there had been an understanding that the Regional Plantation Companies (RPCs) will be given the space to carry out their oil palm cultivation. This was the basis of the two parties, more..

Oct 19 (FT) SL must earn free trade agreements (FTAs) through deep domestic reforms rather than expect them to follow from negotiation alone, Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe said. Govt is now moving to dismantle import levies left untouched for two decades and is seeking entry into Asia’s largest trade bloc. “We only talk about FTAs, but FTAs don’t come automatically. You have to earn them, and to earn them, you have to carry out a significant level of reforms in your country,” more..

Oct 19 (Island) USA–SL Chamber of Commerce is exploring an innovative promotional initiative to showcase SL’s tourism, cultural heritage, and commercial opportunities in the heart of New York City during the upcoming Christmas and holiday season. The proposed campaign aims to bring SL’s unique identity to one of the world’s most internationally recognized cities through a mobile digital billboard featuring high-quality photographs and videos highlighting the island’s more..

Oct 19 (FT) Central Bank of SL (CBSL) has ruled out a lower inflation target for now. It concluded that a goal below 5% would force a prolonged period of tight monetary policy on an economy still recovering from crisis and exposed to repeated external shocks. CBSL Senior Deputy Governor Dr. Chandranath Amarasekara set out the reasoning behind the new Monetary Policy Framework Agreement in the most detail yet. He said the CBSL had examined whether a target of 2%, 3%, or 4% would suit more..

Oct 19 (FT) China Merchants Port Holdings Company Ltd, Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA), and Access Engineering have agreed to abandon the South Asia Commercial and Logistics Hub (SACLH) project in Port of Colombo. Under the settlement, the three partners will get back about $ 29.8 million of the $ 37.1 million they had invested. The Hong Kong-listed port operator said last week that the parties had signed a settlement agreement. The agreement ends Shareholders Agreement, more..

Oct 19 (CI) Pakistan withstood a middle-order counterattack from Pavan Rathnayake and Janith Liyanage to see off SL by 37 runs. In the first match of a tri-series that also includes England, the pair appeared to have put SL on course with a 119-run fifth wicket partnership, with the visitors well in front and requiring just 55 from the last seven overs. Liyanage's wicket, however, saw the bottom fall out of the side, more..

Oct 19 (Island) Buddhist monks’ Satyagraha at Viharamahadevi Park, seeking the release of Ven. Galaboda Atte Gnanasara Thera from prison, took a dramatic turn on Saturday evening with a confrontation between protesters and the police. Ven. Balangoda Kassapa Thera, one of the monks leading the protest, was rushed to the Colombo National Hospital. Subsequently, he had himself moved to a private hospital, claiming that he feared for his life. He has been in govt’s crosshairs more..

Oct 19 (Island) Sri Lanka’s official crude divorce rate is among the lowest in the world, sitting at roughly 0.15 divorces per 1,000 people per year, which translates to about nine legally finalised divorces, daily, nationwide. However, legal scholars and sociologists emphasise that this figure does not reflect a lack of marital distress or separation. Instead, the low official number is primarily a result of the country’s stringent legal framework, complex judicial procedures, and more..

Oct 19 (DM) Katchatheevu is a small, uninhabited island of about 285 acres (1.15 square km) in the Palk Strait, between Rameswaram on India’s coast and Delft (Neduntheevu) in SL. It lies within SL’s sovereign jurisdiction and is administered as part of the Northern Province. It has no permanent residents, yet every year thousands of Catholic pilgrims from both countries cross to the island for the annual feast of St. Anthony’s Church, a multi-day festival held usually in March, more..

Oct 19 (SO) Diplomacy is fundamentally working with people, bringing people together to deal with difficult issues. This quote by John Roos, a former US Ambassador to Japan sums up what diplomacy is all about. Last week, we saw how diplomacy can solve even complex issues that arise between countries and regions. The decision by the Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court to set aside the death sentence imposed on SL national Anojan Sivarasa is a moment of profound relief more..

Oct 19 (ST) The rains beat down heavily as the Nidahase Paada Yaathrawa (March for Freedom), demanding an unconditional presidential pardon for convicted BBS General Secretary Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera, wound its way to Colombo on Thursday afternoon. The march had begun last Saturday with an Adishtana Pooja at the Mahamaluwa of the Dalada Maligawa. The marchers then made their way more..

Oct 19 (FT) The cascading collapse of SL’s national electricity grid on Saturday (17), was more than a technical failure. For several hours the island was without grid power after instability in the transmission network around midday. The National System Operator began restoration using available hydro resources, with partial supplies returning to several districts by afternoon and fuller recovery targeted for the evening. Rooftop solar owners were asked to disconnect, and more..

Oct 19 (CT) The optics were as breathtaking as they were damning. On a Saturday, an opulent parade of luxury, chauffeured chariots rolled directly into the Kotte headquarters of the Kotte Sri Kalyani Samagri Dharma Maha Sangha Sabha of the Siam Nikaya. Out stepped saffron-clad potentates, oozing obesity and some limping with diabetic neuropathy, the telltale evidence of indolence masquerading as piety. These Japanese, Korean & German SUVs—capsules of wealth representing more..

Oct 19 (ST) The ruling party seems keen to keep its supporters among the SL expatriate community happy. Toward this end, several senior NPP members including ministers have been travelling overseas, mainly to countries in Europe to meet with groups supporting them. While some of these meetings are held on the sidelines of official tours, some are arranged exclusively for propaganda work. The latest visit was undertaken to Finland more..

Oct 19 (ST) Awasarai, Mahanayake hamuduruwaney, I thought I must write to you, just a few weeks after writing to Gnanasara hamuduruwo. This time, there appears to be great consternation not only about that hamuduruwo’s prison sentence but even more about him being asked to dress in layman’s clothes when he made another appearance in court. I understand you wrote to prison officials voicing your concern that a monk has been disrobed. You said this can be done only by more..

Oct 19 (ST) With the annual Budget for next year negotiating the bend, all sectors have almost begun getting ready with their demands and wish lists to be submitted to the Prez in his capacity as Finance Minister. How much remains of the number of unfulfilled budget proposals from last year remains in question, and similarly, reasons attributed for it. There appears to be a clear performance gap between monies voted to ministers and nothing to show for much of it at the end of the year. more..

Oct 18 (TM) Four consecutive tender cancellations have held up the full commissioning of the Colombo Port’s East Container Terminal (ECT), with the Government now making a fifth attempt to procure 15 straddle carriers even as it explores handing over operations of the State-owned facility to a private operator. With 82–85% of civil construction completed, the terminal faces a further wait of 10–12 months for the equipment to arrive after the contract is awarded, more..

Oct 18 (Island) Rubies and other precious stones from Sri Lanka are among the extraordinary treasures discovered more than a century ago in London’s famous Cheapside Hoard, which is set to go on permanent display next month at the London Museum’s new Goldsmiths’ Gallery. The hoard, comprising nearly 500 jewels and precious objects, was accidentally discovered in 1912 when a workman’s pickaxe broke through the floor of a cellar at 30–32 Cheapside, near St Paul’s Cathedral, said a news report published more..

Oct 18 (NW) Minister Bimal Rathnayake has met Norway’s Transport Minister Kamzy Gunaratnam, a SL-born politician, for discussions on road safety, sustainable transport and national reconciliation. In a social media post, Gunaratnam said she was pleased to welcome Rathnayake and his delegation to Norway’s Ministry of Transport. The discussions focused on the transition to greener transport, preventing social dumping in the transport sector and improving road safety. more..

Oct 18 (SO) Power was restored in most parts of the island by 6 p.m. yesterday following a seven-hour islandwide blackout. Although the cause of the outage was not immediately known, Minister Anura Karunathilaka said the Govt intended to appoint a high-powered committee of experts to investigate the incident. The inquiry would establish the precise cause of the blackout, identify any operational or technical shortcomings, more..

Oct 18 (NW) SL Police have denied allegations that officers assaulted Ven. Balangoda Kassapa Thero during a protest at Viharamahadevi Park in Colombo on Saturday, stating that the monk slipped and fell on a concrete step during a confrontation. In an official statement responding to a video circulating on social media alleging that police assaulted the monk while pirith chanting was underway, police said the claims were false. According to a report submitted by Cinnamon Gardens Police, more..

Oct 18 (EN) Sri Lanka's official remittances from expatriate workers rose 5.6% to US$ 734.4 million in Sept 2026, while they reached US$6,865.4 million in the first nine months of the year with an 18.1% growth. Analysts predict SL will see record high remittances this year, surpassing the historically high annual worker remittance of US$8,076.2 million hit last year. The remittances hit a seven-month low in June following the rupee’s depreciation after escalation in the Middle East, more..

Oct 18 (NW) Director General of Wildlife Conservation Ranjan Marasinghe has defended the department’s efforts to protect iconic tusker Kavantissa, who died after receiving treatment for a gunshot injury, saying the elephant was over 45 years old and approaching the latter stages of his natural lifespan. Responding to questions about the department’s failure to prevent attacks on the animal, Marasinghe said wild elephants generally live for around 50 to 60 years. more..

Oct 18 (NW) Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has called for an independent and transparent investigation into the death of iconic tusker Kavantissa, involving both local and international experts. Speaking during a visit to Siyambalangamuwa on Saturday to pay his final respects to the tusker, Premadasa said a comprehensive examination was essential to establish the circumstances surrounding the elephant’s death. more..

Oct 18 (NW) The death of Kavantissa, one of SL’s most iconic wild tuskers, has raised fresh questions over who was responsible for the gunshot injury he suffered and whether sufficient action was taken to identify those involved. Environmentalists are demanding an independent investigation into the elephant’s death, while wildlife authorities prepare to conduct a post-mortem examination to establish the exact cause. more..

Oct 18 (EN) SL’s power grid was experiencing a total system failure due to a system instability that occurred this (17) morning, the state utility provider said, and asked rooftop solar owners to disconnect. National System Operator (NSO), a successor company of the CEB, said it is currently working on restoring the system. “NSO requests the rooftop solar PV system owners to disconnect their systems until further instructions from NSO, in order to support the restoration efforts.” more..

Oct 18 (DN) SL’s Under-19 women’s team, led by Chamudi Praboda, beat Bangladesh by four runs to win the Tri-Nation T20 tournament at Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad yesterday. The victory was SL’s fifth consecutive win in the tournament and their fourth successive victory over Bangladesh in the series. Opener Sanjana Kavindi once again led the batting effort with a superb 64 off 44 balls, including seven fours and two sixes, as SL posted the tournament’s highest total of 158 for six in 20 overs. more..

Oct 18 (Island) Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Recommendations set out a comprehensive and consistent framework of measures which countries should implement in order to combat money laundering and terrorist financing, as well as the financing of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Countries have diverse legal, administrative and operational frameworks and different financial systems, and so cannot all take identical measures to counter these threats. more..

Oct 18 (Island) The debate on the no-confidence motion against Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne, submitted by the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), has been postponed indefinitely pending the Attorney General’s opinion on certain technical issues in the motion. Govt representatives raised the matter at a meeting of the Committee on Parliamentary Business, pointing out that several provisions of the motion required clarification and that the AG’s advice should be obtained. more..

Oct 18 (TM) Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ) Co-Founder Dr. Ravindranath Dabare on Thursday called for the establishment of an international tribunal to hold transnational corporations accountable for environmental damage, citing the X-Press Pearl maritime disaster as an example of the limitations of domestic legal remedies. Addressing a session of the Friends of the Earth Int'l process more..

Oct 18 (CI) Mumbai Indians and their IPL head coach Mahela Jayawardene have parted ways ahead of the 2027 auction. Jayawardene was the MI head coach for the last two seasons, in his second stint with the franchise in that position. He had previously served in that role from 2017 to 2022. "Mumbai Indians has been a very special part of my journey for over a decade now," Jayawardene said in an MI statement. "The players, coaching team, the incredible support of the #OneFamily and more..

Oct 18 (IE) Chaminda Vaas, the former Sri Lanka fast bowler, was on Saturday announced as the fast bowling coach for Indian Premier League (IPL) side Delhi Capitals. Vaas joins a rather star-studded coaching staff, which includes Yuvraj Singh as assistant coach and is headed by former India captain Sourav Ganguly. “World Cup winner and Sri Lanka’s best ever. Welcome to Tiger Territory, coach,” the franchise posted on its official X handle. One of Sri Lanka’s greatest ever bowlers, more..