Oct 9 (AD) Sri Lanka's govt says that it has no immediate plans to help 19 Iranian ships that have been anchored in the international waters near the island nation facing food, water and fuel shortages. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Thushara Rodrigo said Sri Lanka will put its national interest first before considering any help, and the companies that supply ships are aware of possible secondary sanctions from the US. more..

Oct 9 (NW) A motion of no confidence has been prepared against Speaker of Parliament Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne, outlining 50 allegations, including misuse of public funds and state property, interference with bribery investigations, conflicts of interest, abuse of authority and alleged bias against opposition lawmakers. The 12-page motion also raises concerns over the Speaker’s official residences, use of parliamentary vehicles and fuel, expenditure on personal staff and more..

Oct 9 (DM) Board of Investment (BOI) of SL plans to open land reservations for investors at the proposed Paranthan Export Processing Zone by the end of Nov 2026, while infrastructure development at both Paranthan and Kankesanthurai (KKS) is scheduled to begin in early Jan 2027. The plans were discussed during a visit to the Northern Province by BOI Chairman Duminda Hulangamuwa and Director General Dr Sulakshana Jayawardena to assess investment opportunities and accelerate more..

Oct 9 (NW) Vehicle usage at the Makumbura Park and Ride facility increased by 54.97% in the third quarter of 2026 compared with the first quarter, Deputy Minister Prasanna Gunasena said in a social media post. The total number of vehicles using the facility rose from 34,284 in the first quarter to 53,129 in the third quarter, according to figures shared by the deputy minister. The daily average also increased from 380 vehicles in the first quarter to 590 in the third quarter. more..

Oct 9 (NW) SL javelin star Rumesh Tharanga has donated his javelins, which were recently damaged during air travel, to the Foundation of Goodness (FOG) to be preserved and displayed as sporting memorabilia at its Sports Gallery in Seenigama. Tharanga, who has reached the world No. 1 ranking in men’s javelin and won gold at the 2026 Asian Games, made the donation during a visit to the foundation’s flagship venue, where he also accepted an appointment as a Goodness Ambassador. more..

Oct 9 (DM) For many Sri Lankans, purchasing an essential medicine is a dream. This is because of the exponential increase in prices of essential medicines over the years. As a result, many patients are unable to take the recommended dosages prescribed by doctors. It is in this backdrop that the NMRA is currently reviewing around 6000 registered medicines to impose Maximum Retail Prices (MRP). more..

Oct 9 (NW) Dialog Axiata has donated modern surgical and medical equipment worth Rs. 87 million to Chilaw District General Hospital to help restore and strengthen health care services affected by Cyclone Ditwah. The equipment was handed over at the hospital on Oct 7, as part of Dialog’s Rs. 420 million contribution to the govt’s Rebuilding SL national programme. The donation includes surgical equipment for two operating theatres damaged by flooding, a modern endoscopy system, more..

Oct 9 (DN) At a recent seminar HelpAge SL (HASL) requested donors to make their contributions to strengthen the ongoing Free Cataract Surgeries conducted by HelpAge Eye Hospital at Wellawatta, for less- privileged elderly citizens over 55 years. HelpAge Eye Hospital said the Free Cataract Surgery programme commenced in 2002, and to date, over 55,000 Surgeries have been performed to less privileged elderly citizens. Head of HelpAge Eye Hospital, Mahanama Wijesinghe said more..

Oct 9 (NF) Police stated that strict action will be taken against those who intentionally damage Metro buses. DIG in charge of Traffic and Road Safety stated that police have observed this happening in a conspiratorial manner. DIG W.P.J. Senadheera stated that Police have observed that the recent series of acts of sabotage and damage targeting Metro buses is the result of an organized conspiracy, and strict legal action will be more..

Oct 9 (NF) Dept of Prisons states that Shiranthi Rajapaksa, who was remanded in custody, has been transferred to a ward for general female inmates at the Welikada Prison. Prisons Spokesman Senaka Pallethanne stated that she was transferred to a general ward this morning after being referred to the National Eye Hospital. He mentioned that until this morning, Shiranthi Rajapaksa had been housed in a ward designated for female patients. Doctors at the Eye Hospital examined her this morning, more..

Oct 9 (NW) A private bus involved in a collision with a Metro bus in Athurugiriya on Oct 8 has been temporarily banned from operation after a vehicle inspection found that it had not been properly maintained. The accident occurred near the Route 170 bus stand in Athurugiriya when a private bus operating on the Athurugiriya-Pettah route was reversing onto the main road from the bus stand. The private bus collided with a Metro bus operating on the Millennium City-Pettah route. more..

Oct 9 (DM) Govt is taking steps to declare the Diyagama forest area in Homagama, Colombo District, a forest reserve to protect its biodiversity and ecological importance, Deputy Environment Minister Anton Jayakody said in Parliament. He said the area, which was once abandoned land, had naturally regenerated over the past two decades into an ecologically sensitive habitat with rainforest characteristics. He said several wildlife species displaced by rapid urbanisation across more..

Oct 9 (NW) Former Chairman of the National Agency for Public Private Partnership (NAPPP), Thilan Wijesinghe, has categorically denied allegations linking him to alleged violations of anti-corruption legislation concerning the awarding of State development contracts. In a statement issued on Oct 9, Wijesinghe responded to remarks made by Minister Bimal Rathnayake in Parliament on Oct 8, during which his name was included in a list relating to alleged corruption. more..

Oct 9 (TM) Govt’s handling of the Chemmani mass grave excavation has come under renewed scrutiny, with ITAK MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam questioning the delay in obtaining int'l expertise for DNA testing. However, Minister Vijitha Herath said the excavation remains ongoing and the Govt would consider DNA testing once the process is completed. Rasamanickam said families and communities affected by mass graves more..

Oct 9 (PMD) A discussion to review the progress of the Clean Sri Lanka Clean Colombo programme was held at the Presidential Secretariat this morning (09), under the chairmanship of Dr Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the President. Several initiatives are being implemented under the programme, including the rehabilitation and improvement of the sewerage network and drainage canals, environmental beautification, and the streamlining of waste management. more..

Oct 9 (EN) SL Customs exceeded its September target by 32.1%, while the revenue in the first nine months of 2026 jumped around 22% compared to the same period last year. Customs’ September revenue target was set at 195.6 billion rupees. However, the revenue-collecting body collected 258.3 billion rupees that month, exceeding the target by nearly a third, according to official data. It also exceeded the cumulative target for the first nine months by 29.2%, achieving Rs. 2,117 bil. more..

Oct 9 (NW) The Judicial Service Commission has decided to dismiss Thilina Gamage, former Colombo Chief Magistrate and former Moratuwa District Judge, after finding him guilty of all charges levelled against him in a disciplinary inquiry. Gamage had been suspended from duties pending the outcome of the inquiry. The disciplinary proceedings relate to allegations of misconduct involving the possession of more..

Oct 9 (NW) CERT has warned the public about fraudulent social media advertisements offering admission to foreign universities, following complaints from parents and students who have lost hundreds of thousands of rupees. The scammers reportedly pose as representatives of leading foreign universities, promising admission, student visas, work permits and even eventual citizenship in exchange for registration fees and initial tuition payments. Victims are often persuaded more..

Oct 9 (NW) The Frontline Socialist Party has called on the Sri Lankan govt to initiate discussions with South Asian countries on providing humanitarian assistance to vessels affected by the conflict involving Iran. In a statement issued on Oct. 9, the party said around 15 to 25 oil tankers linked to Iran were reportedly stranded just beyond Sri Lanka’s maritime zone, unable to continue their journeys amid tensions involving the United States and Iran. The party said reports indicated that more..

Oct 9 (TM) A software incompatibility affecting a newly installed CT simulator at the National Cancer Institute in Maharagama has disrupted cancer treatment, with nearly 1,500 patients waiting for essential CT simulation before they can begin radiation treatment, Govt Radiological Technologists Association (GRTA) said. GRTA President Chanaka Dharmawickrama yesterday said the new CT simulator, more..

Oct 9 (AD) Former UN human rights chief and International Court of Justice judge Navanethem Navi Pillay has won the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for her contributions to international law, the Nobel jury announced on Friday in Oslo, Norway. She has won for her efforts to promote peace and international law, Jørgen Watne Frydnes says. Navi Pillay has significantly enlarged the scope and impact of international law, Jørgen Watne Frydnes says. As he announces this year's winner, more..

Oct 9 (NW) SL scientist Themiya Nanayakkara has been part of an international team of researchers that discovered the oldest fast radio burst ever recorded, originating from a galaxy approximately 10 billion years ago. The groundbreaking discovery, published in the scientific journal Science, could help astronomers better understand the evolution of the universe and the vast network of matter known as the cosmic web. The research team, led by Uni of Sydney astrophysicist Dr. Manisha Caleb, more..

Oct 9 (FT) SL politics has never lacked extravagant promises. Political folklore still remembers Sirimavo Bandaranaike’s 1970 campaign pledge to restore the second measure of the rice ration and the famous claim associated with that election that the rice would be found even if it had to be brought from the moon. Whether remembered today as rhetorical excess or an artefact of another political era, the story survived because it captured something more enduring about democratic politics: more..

Oct 9 (FT) Rabies remains one of the world’s deadliest yet most preventable diseases. As a zoonotic disease transmitted mainly through infected animals, preventing human deaths ultimately depends on controlling the disease at its source. While SL has made remarkable progress in reducing rabies over the years, achieving the goal of a rabies-free nation will require a renewed commitment to the One Health approach and greater recognition of the leadership role veterinarians can play in more..

Oct 9 (DN) PM Harini Amarasuriya announced in Parliament that salaries of govt employees will be increased through the 2027 budget. She stated that while appropriate measures are being taken to resolve the salary anomalies of teachers through the Public Service Commission, government employees’ salaries would also be raised via the 2027 budget. She made these remarks yesterday during more..

Oct 9 (NW) Central Crime Investigation Bureau has issued freezing orders on properties valued at more than Rs. 100 million, suspected to have been purchased using proceeds from drug trafficking. Investigations revealed that a suspect from Boralesgamuwa, who was arrested in connection with drug trafficking involving narcotics brought into SL from UAE, had allegedly used illegally obtained funds to purchase properties under the names of his son, father & close associate. more..

Oct 9 (NW) Two elderly sisters, aged 86 and 81, have been found brutally murdered at their residence in the Pitiduwa area of Habaraduwa, according to police. The victims have been identified as two unmarried sisters who were retired schoolteachers. According to Habaraduwa Police, the two women had been living alone in a house situated on a large plot of land in the Pitiduwa area. Their bodies were discovered at two separate locations behind their residence. more..

Oct 9 (FT) Scrutiny of National Development Bank’s (NDB) Board and external auditors intensified as CoPF questioned why no Board member or senior official or auditor had been held responsible for the Rs. 13.6 billion fraud at the bank. Audit regulator’s findings on the auditors are due within two weeks. CoPF Chair Dr. Harsha de Silva said the forensic review by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India LLP did not include more..

Oct 9 (TM) Representatives of Northern Province fishermen’s associations, Annalingam Annarasa and Nagarasa Varnakulasinham, have raised concerns over the activities of foreign fishing vessels in SL waters and the potential impact of sea cucumber farming projects linked to Chinese companies on Northern fishermen and marine ecosystems. Addressing the longstanding India-SL fisheries dispute in Jaffna yesterday, they welcomed recent observations by the Indian Central Govt more..

Oct 9 (TM) Environment Minister Dr Dammika Patabendi yesterday admitted that 17 of the 65 mangrove reserves identified in the Puttalam District are currently under threat due to various activities. He said that while 43 of the 65 mangrove forests in the District had already been declared protected reserves, 17 are facing threats from various activities. “A number of measures are being taken to protect mangrove ecosystems. The main measure is to declare these forests as protected areas,” more..

Oct 9 (Island) British High Commission in Colombo side-stepped The Island query regarding the recent displaying of LTTE flags in London by UK Tamils of SL origin protesting against the removal of Thileepan’s statue from Nallur temple premises on 27 of Sept. Responding to our request for a clarification in respect of displaying flags belonging to an organisation proscribed in the UK, BHC spokesperson said: “The LTTE remains a proscribed organisation in the United Kingdom.” more..

Oct 9 (Island) A USD 57.4 million investment package is set to reshape the economics of electricity for small and medium-sized businesses, while creating a stronger platform for private investment in rooftop solar and other distributed renewable-energy projects. The financing package—comprising a USD 35 million concessional loan from the ADB, a EUR 15.4 mil grant from the EU, equivalent to USD 16.94 million, and a USD 5.5 million grant from the Japan Fund more..