Oct 4 (CT) Minister of Energy Kumara Jayakody has announced the boards of directors for four of the six successor companies of the CEB, but the appointments have already triggered controversy. Analysts argued that several directors do not meet the 15-year minimum expertise requirement in procurement, finance, or power system operations mandated by Electricity (Amd) Act, No. 14 of 2025. more..

Oct 4 (FT) President Anura Kumara Disanayake yesterday called on the Maha Sangha to play a greater role in guiding the society through a period of deep moral and social crisis, stressing that the Govt is committed to restoring values and dismantling what he described as a parallel dark regime of crime, drugs and illicit power. He made these remarks at the historic Magul Maduwa in Kandy, during the presentation of the Śrī Sannas Pathra (Scroll of Appointment) to more..

Oct 4 (CT) The All Ceylon Probation Officers’ Association has expressed concern that the number of children being institutionalised has increased to an unbearable level for the institutions following the amendment to the Children and Young Persons Ordinance. The increase is largely attributed to the former age limit of considering a person a child being raised from 16 to 18 years, according to A.H.M. Jayasinghe, Media Spokesperson for the All Ceylon Probation Officers’ Association. more..

Oct 4 (DN) Govt aims to stimulate the tourism industry by enhancing domestic air services, offering support and facilities to companies willing to start new operations to regional airports in SL in compliance with all safety regulations,” Minister Bimal Rathnayake said. Minister said this while participating in the launch of flight services between Katunayake and Colombo yesterday using Beira Lake as a water aerodrome. more..

Oct 4 (DM) COPF which said that EXIM Bank of China had increased the interest rate from the initially agreed 2.5% to 3.5% for the loan extended to finance the Kadawatha -Mirigama stretch of Central Express Way, requested the govt to re-negotiate it. Expressing his views on the development, COPF Chairman, MP Harsha de Silva, questioned the officials as to why they had agreed to an interest rate range increase up to 3.5%, despite the initially proposed fixed rate being 2.5%. more..

Oct 4 (DM) The mother of alleged notorious organised criminal Mandinu Padmasiri, alias Kehelbaddara Padme has filed a writ petition before the Court of Appeal seeking an order by way of Habeas Corpus and Writ Jurisdiction declaring that the detention order issued against her son is unlawful. In her petition, the petitioner has further sought interim relief to prevent the authorities from transferring the detainee to any location outside the CID until the final determination of the case. more..

Oct 4 (ST) Public health officers are grappling with archaic laws, shortages of staff and lack of laboratories as they continue to check food outlets and restaurants that break the law. The Sunday Times observed that canteens, eateries, restaurants and even kiosks were charging high prices for food, yet the hygienic conditions of food storage as well as the ingredients used to prepare meals are of poor quality. Improper storage of food items, use of expired ingredients, more..

Oct 4 (DM) Refuting allegations by former MP Wimal Weerawansa, the NPP said that the NPP has no political connection with recently arrested Puwakdandawe Sana as claimed by Weerawansa. Deputy Minister Ruwan Senarath told the media that Weerawansa claimed the President had meals at the so called person's house when the President visited the South recently. He said the President or any NPP leader had not visited that persons house or had meals as claimed by Weerawansa and more..

Oct 4 (NF) SL's comprehensive economic reform program is showing remarkable progress, signaling a strong post-crisis rebound and improved fiscal health, according to the IMF. The momentum continues as the IMF team is currently conducting the fifth review of SL's EFF arrangement, a critical step for the country's ongoing stabilization efforts. Since the IMF Executive Board completed the fourth review on July 1, 2025, more..

Oct 4 (NW) Police introduced several new telephone hotlines for the public to directly provide information on narcotics activities across the island. The move enables people to report details on heroin, crystal methamphetamine (ice), cocaine, cannabis, and other illicit substances through dedicated contact numbers. Police said that starting today, information can be conveyed to the phones of Senior Deputy Inspectors General (SDIGs) in charge of police ranges, as well as more..

Oct 4 (DN) SL womens team led by Chamari Athapaththu should bounce back in their second world cup game against defending champions Australia which will be played today at the R. Premadasa cricket stadium , commencing at 3pm. SL team couldn’t get a good start in their opening India game at Guwahati but with the home advantage Chamari and the team plan to make a good challenge against strong Australia team led by wicket keeper and opener Alyssa Healy. more..

Oct 4 (FT) Colombo stock market extended its rally into 14th session and closed the week yesterday with ASPI crossing the 22,000-point barrier for the first time and turnover hitting more than Rs. 9 billion. ASPI had gained 495.9 points during the week, up 2.24% and the S&P SL20 gained 75.94 points, up 0.12%. Foreigners were net sellers during the week with a net outflow of Rs. 389.65 million compared a net inflow of Rs. 236.6 million the previous week. Yesterday, ASPI closed up 0.65%, more..

Oct 4 (CI) India first, Australia second. No, that wasn't an early prediction for the finals, just simply Sri Lanka's first two matches at this World Cup. It should only get easier from here but for a Sri Lankan outfit that, despite having played 31 ODIs between the 2022 World Cup and this one, has been crying out for consistent, high-level competition, this upcoming game will lay the most accurate marker yet on their upward trajectory over the past couple of years. more..

Oct 4 (FT) Tourism Minister Vijitha Herath on Thursday clarified that the Govt has no plans to promote LGBTQ tourism as part of its strategy, stressing that SL’s focus is on building a quality over quantity tourism industry rooted in the country’s culture, heritage, and hospitality. Speaking at the Int'l Tourism Leaders’ Summit (ITLS) held at BMICH under the patronage of the Prez, he said the sector’s recent growth proves the country more..

Oct 4 (DM) ZeroPlastic Movement is calling on the govt to impose a minimum price of at least Rs.10 on all plastic shopping bags, warning that a new gazette set to take effect on November 1, 2025 may fail to reduce plastic pollution, due to a significant loophole. The recently issued gazette extraordinary mandates that the retailers can no longer distribute plastic shopping bags for free. From November 1, any bag provided at the point of sale must be itemised with a price on the customer’s bill. more..

Oct 4 (ST) The continuous ringing of the dong at the Na-Uyana forest monastery on the Dummiya mountain range, alarmed the villages. Villagers started rushing towards the monastery, knowing that something was amiss. “My house is located close by, and usually the dong is rung at the time of the almsgiving, but it was unusual to hear that sound around 9.30 p.m.,” said Asanaka Ganarathana, a resident. “When we reached the monastery, we saw several monks running frantically, looking for more..

Oct 4 (ST) SL’s marine conservation organisation, Oceanswell, led by Dr. Asha de Vos, recently joined hands with Natural History Museum in Colombo to host a one-of-a-kind programme dedicated to exploring the country’s oceans. The event invited schoolchildren, families, and curious visitors to experience the depths of the marine world without leaving the city, offering a rare glimpse into both the beauty and vulnerability of SL’s seas. more..

Oct 4 (Island) BASL expressed confidence that the existing system of issuing passes would continue unchanged, emphasising their role in day-to-day legal practice and security arrangements. It noted that the passes allow Attorneys-at-Law to be identified when entering courts, tribunals and other institutions linked to the administration of justice, and are also used by law enforcement as verification that a vehicle belongs to a lawyer. Association highlighted that it has issued these annual more..

Oct 4 (FT) Human rights advocate Ambika Satkunanathan has cautioned that when economic growth and financial tools do not automatically solve gender inequality, it could reproduce existing disparities. “When we speak of solutions – economic growth, wealth creation and technology are touted as solutions to gender inequality, but they will not automatically provide solutions unless we address the existing inequalities which will be reproduced in different ways,” she said. more..

Oct 4 (FT) The Rotary Club of Colombo East, in collaboration with Boutiques in SL, successfully hosted the SME Conclave Boutique Hotel Development Workshop at the 80 Club in Colombo recently. This unique initiative brought together boutique hotel owners, service providers, and tourism SME suppliers and producers to explore new strategies, tools, and opportunities to strengthen SL’s boutique tourism sector. The workshop offered comprehensive insights more..

Oct 4 (FT) Hayleys Travels, a fully owned subsidiary of the Advantis Group, the transportation and logistics arm of Hayleys, was honoured with the prestigious Gold Award for Leading Travel Agency - Outbound at the 9th South Asian Travel Awards (SATA) 2025, held recently at the Cinnamon Grand Colombo. The South Asian Travel Awards, recognised as the region’s premier platform celebrating excellence in tourism and hospitality, brought together industry leaders, more..

Oct 4 (FT) SL’s economic recovery will continue to be anchored on fiscal discipline, with the Govt preparing a set of governance, legislative and digital reforms to strengthen stability and sustain growth into 2026, Treasury Secretary Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma said. Addressing the Annual Conference on Public Sector Reforms for Economic Revival organised by CA SL and the Association of Public Finance Accountants, more..

Oct 4 (FT) It has been a year since a new govt voted in by the people of SL brought the issue of types of political leadership into the forefront of reflective civics. In the dark years preceding this unprecedented regime change, Aragalaya (people’s struggle) critically engaged with a strongman administration that promised much but delivered little. It also ended in ignominy despite the hype and hoopla of its apologists. The issues that led up to our island-nation defaulting more..

Oct 4 (Island) Political propaganda is a double-edged sword. It is something to be handled very carefully. But successive govts and their propagandists have used propaganda to demonise their political opponents—in some cases with the help of the police as well. There have been numerous instances where leading Opposition figures were framed and made to languish in remand prisons for months on end under previous govts. The arrest & detention of Vijaya Kumaratunga more..

Oct 4 (FT) Nepal is in flames; murder, arson, rape, looting; the once idyllic Himalayan country is now the picture of every human atrocity. Nature has blessed that land, man had failed it: corruption and incompetence doomed the realm. A story with an eerily familiar ring to us Sri Lankans, simmering frustrations of a people with nowhere to turn but violence. Men cannot live forever at fever heat. With our experiences with the way of the world we can safely assume that sooner or later more..

Oct 4 (CT) Only a few weeks back, former Prez Mahinda Rajapaksa’s dramatic exit from his official residence in Vijayarama Mawatha to the familial Carlton House in native Tangalle, Hambantota District in deep South, made for optics that his still sagging SLPP could do with. Though no one made any comparison in public, it recalled memories of his quiet exit from Temple Trees to the very same Tangalle address in early hours of 9 Jan 2015, when complete results from N&E had come in. more..

Oct 4 (CT) Manoj, the entire world is gay. This statement, repeated across my travels—from bustling urban centres in the South to remote villages in the North, including in SL—captures a paradox. While sexual diversity is pervasive globally, SL society remains constrained by colonial legacies, hegemonic elites, and feudal political structures that suppress open discourse on sexuality. Our understanding of human behaviour and more..

Oct 4 (TM) For many Sri Lankans, democracy feels like a promise that fades the moment politicians take office. Taxpayers are often forced to watch public hospitals struggle, schools deteriorate, and roads crumble, while questions about where all the money goes is left unanswered. There is a call to improve Sri Lanka’s existing legislation on holding policymakers and officials accountable. New laws now require public officials to declare their assets, but for ordinary Sri Lankans, the pressing more..

Oct 4 (CT) SL, a nation already grappling with the heavy legacies of conflict and economic strain, now faces an even more complex challenge: how to survive and adapt to the mounting pressures of climate change without tearing open old wounds or deepening new divisions. A groundbreaking UN study, launched this week, puts into sharp focus the way climate risks are colliding with gender and security concerns. Its findings are sobering, but they also hold a crucial opportunity, more..

Oct 4 (CT) In the span of two days, SL’s two most senior political leaders—Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake in Tokyo and PM Harini Amarasuriya in Colombo—delivered messages that, though addressing very different issues, revealed the contours of a new political vocabulary in the making. Both spoke of renewal, discipline, reconciliation, and responsibility; both acknowledged the shadows of the past even as they sought to chart a fresh course. more..

Oct 4 (DM) Cricket was popularised in our country as in most other parts of Britain’s colonial empire by the English. While the British were not looked on kindly by local populations because of their boorish behaviour, cricket was and is, still revered as a sport in most of Britain’s former colonies. Initially, English and Australian teams dominated the cricketing world. However, like all things material, the game of cricket is evolving. Today, English and Australian teams no longer dominate the world cricket. more..

Oct 4 (DM) It is not clear whether it is due to a mix up of priorities or ideological obsession of certain ministers, or genuine intentions, that the govt has created controversies on the so-called LGBTQ tourism and the action against corporal punishment of children, at this stage. Already the govt has presented a Bill seeking to amend the Penal Code of SL to prohibit corporal punishment for children in all spheres, including homes, schools, and other care settings, and the Bill has been debated more..