Oct 21 (TM) IMF is not against tax exemptions, but has advocated for rationalising some of the tax exemptions in SL, as exemptions remain as one way of attracting investments, IMF Mission Chief for SL Evan Papageorgiou said. In an interview with the Advocata Institute, he said that SL authorities lowered or eliminated certain VAT exemptions on many goods during the first 2 years of the IMF programme. more..

Oct 21 (FT) Last week was unsettling for me as a marketing and communications professional. The uproar over a beautiful and insightful ad campaign saddened me deeply — so much so that I felt compelled to speak up, amidst a few differences of opinion from my own fraternity. To be clear, I have no connection to the company, the brand, or the creative agency behind the ad. I write as a mother, a wife, a marketer, a strategist, a brand builder, and above all, a Sri Lankan who despises bigotry. more..

Oct 21 (DM) Sri Lanka has made its mark on the global culinary map, earning a spot among the top 10 food destinations in the world in the 2025 Condé Nast Readers’ Choice Awards. Ranked 7th overall, Sri Lanka now stands alongside world-renowned food havens such as Greece, Italy, France, Thailand, and the Maldives. This milestone is more than just a ranking — it’s a moment of recognition for a cuisine that has long thrived on passion, creativity, and tradition. SL food is bold yet balanced, more..

Oct 21 (AD) A group of students of the Faculty of Agriculture at the Uni of Ruhuna, arrested following a clash after a cricket match, has been remanded until Oct 28. The order was issued by the Matara Chief Magistrate. At least six students sustained injuries after a clash broke-out between second-year and third-year students of the Faculty of Agriculture at the Uni of Ruhuna. The altercation is said to have originated from a disagreement over scores during a cricket match more..

Oct 21 (FT) The US dollar is a real currency which is backed by an economy that produces the largest quantum of real goods and services as a single economy. In 2010, that amounted to $ 15 trillion. In 2024, it has nearly doubled to $ 29 trillion marking an annual average growth rate of about 2%. Its share in global GDP has risen from 22% in 2010 to 26% in 2024. In addition, world nations use USD as their main reserve currency amounting to about 58% according to the data for 2024. more..

Oct 21 (CT) The newly established Proceeds of Crime Investigation Division has identified two bank accounts with suspicious transactions exceeding a staggering Rs. 10 billion, the Police announced yesterday. Proceeds of Crime Investigation Division, inaugurated on the same day, has also been empowered to investigate findings from the Auditor General’s reports. Speaking at the opening ceremony, division’s Director-Gen, more..

Oct 21 (DM) The prices of imported vehicles in SL have dropped by up to Rs. 1.5 million, following a reduction in vehicle prices in Japan, Vehicle Importers Association of Lanka (VIAL) President Indika Sampath Merinchige said. Merinchige said that unauthorized vehicle imports had caused a backlog of unregistered vehicles in the local market, affecting sales. According to Central Bank data, USD 705 million was spent on importing personal vehicles between January and August 2025. more..

Oct 21 (DM) Despite the offer of over US $ 62 million grant by India, the govet has not yet firmed up its decision on the development of the Kankesanthurai Port, an official said. Earlier, Indian govt offered US $ 62 million grant for the development of the port as part of connectivity between the country. A ferry service between the port and the southern part of India has already been launched. The grant was offered during the time of the last govt, and renewed during the current govt. more..

Oct 21 (Island) Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) activist Wasantha Mudalige lambasted the NPP govt for having allowed India to expand investments in the strategic Trincomalee District, at the expense of people. Addressing a gathering in Trincomalee, Mudalige explained how the NPP govt had brazenly facilitated high-profile Indian projects, such as the Trincomalee oil tank farm project, launched decades ago, and recent ones. more..

Oct 21 (DM) Ahead of the European Union’s plans to introduce more sustainability-related laws, SL has decided to ramp up measures to promote the organic cultivation of fruits and vegetables targeting the export market, an official said. European Union, as part of its global sustainable development agenda, is preparing to enforce new laws requiring companies and individuals exporting agricultural products to its markets to comply with sustainability standards in the coming years. more..

Oct 21 (AD) A meeting between Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake and academics of the Federation of University Teachers’ Unions (FUTA) was held this morning (20) at the Presidential Secretariat. During the discussion, academics briefed the President on the issues that have arisen in the university system and the challenges that lecturers have had to face due to the delays in university degree programs and the inability to complete them on time due to various reasons in the past, more..

Oct 21 (FT) BOI announced that Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows including foreign commercial loans for investments to BOI-approved enterprises have reached $ 827 million from Jan to Sept 2025, marking a remarkable 138% increase compared to the corresponding value during the period in 2024. This investment inflow came from four sources: Equity capital – $ 133 million, reinvested retained earnings – $ 132 million, intra-company foreign borrowings for investments more..

Oct 21 (ST) Attorney General has appealed the acquittal of three men in the Ali Roshan case over the illegal custody of elephants. In his appeal, the AG argues that the three-judge Trial-at-Bar of the Colombo High Court had erred in failing to give due consideration to the evidence given by expert witnesses from the prosecution on determining the exact age of an elephant or other wild animals. 3-judge Trial-at-Bar sentenced Roshan Fernando, alias Ali Roshan, to 15 years in prison more..

Oct 21 (ST) The month-long mission, carried out under absolute secrecy by the SL Police, ended successfully with the arrest of Red Notice-listed suspect Ishara Sewwandi Weerasingha in Nepal on Oct 14. Aged 26, Sewwandi was the key suspect and mastermind behind the killing of underworld gangster Sanjeewa Samararathne, alias Ganemulla Sanjeewa, inside the Hulftsdorp Magistrate’s Court in Colombo on Feb 19 this year. more..

Oct 21 (CT) The prevailing adverse weather conditions across much of the country have claimed one life, while 123 families, comprising 512 members, in four Divisional Secretariat (DS) divisions across three districts have been affected, DMC officials reported yesterday. According to DMC officers, a safety centre has been established in the Kurunegala District, where ten members from three families have been accommodated. Meanwhile, DMC regional offices, in collaboration with more..

Oct 21 (Island) SL’s fitness movement celebrated a landmark achievement as Yohan Rathnayake secured a podium finish at the HYROX Delhi event, bringing the island nation its first HYROX flag on the international stage. Rathnayake completed the HYROX men’s 35–39 division in an impressive time of 1:21:26, earning third place and signalling Sri Lanka’s arrival in the growing global functional fitness community. ‎‎A fitness entrepreneur-turned-elite athlete, Rathnayake is best known as more..

Oct 21 (DN) SL Army men’s boxing team and SL Air Force women’s outfit delivered power-packed performances to clinch the overall championships at the 95th Clifford Cup Boxing Championship 2025, which concluded after five action-filled days at the Royal MAS Arena in Colombo. The soldiers were unstoppable, winning seven of the 10 men’s weight classes to seal the title with seven gold and three silver medals, showcasing total dominance under head coach Chandana Kumara. more..

Oct 21 (ICC) SL captain Chamari Athapaththu insisted her side must improve if they are to qualify for the semi-finals of the Women’s World Cup 2025, despite victory over Bangladesh. A brilliant final over with the ball from Athapaththu saw Bangladesh lose four wickets in four balls to hand SL a 7-run victory in Navi Mumbai, keeping their hopes of progression alive. However, Athapaththu warned there must be lessons learned, especially with the bat, if SL are to upset the odds and reach the last four. more..

Oct 21 (FT) Govt should focus on adopting proven technologies rather than attempting to build its own digital public infrastructure (DPI) from scratch, LIRNEasia Founder Prof. Rohan Samarajiva said, warning that the country risks repeating avoidable mistakes if it tries to reinvent the wheel. He said SL can learn from India’s experience with the Aadhaar system, which became a global model for DPI despite more..

Oct 21 (FT) In celebration of an enduring legacy and unwavering commitment to excellence, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (CA Sri Lanka) recently honoured five distinguished Chartered Accountants for their outstanding contribution, which has not only shaped Sri Lanka’s financial and economic landscape but also enriched the corporate world, society, and the nation through visionary leadership, ethical stewardship, and a deep sense of civic responsibility. more..

Oct 21 (FT) ICTA Board Member Harsha Purasinghe said that since GovPay’s launch in February 2025, 170 Govt institutions have joined the platform, processing payments exceeding Rs. 400 million. He made these comments at a press conference announcing the introduction of the GovPay online payment system for spot fines on traffic violations to the Southern Province. He said over 400 mobile devices have been distributed to Police stations in the region to facilitate the rollout and more..

Oct 21 (FT) Siemens together with DIMO have successfully completed SL’s largest grid substation at Habarana valued at Rs. 5 billion. This landmark project underscores the strength of the 70-plus-year partnership between DIMO and Siemens, which has been instrumental in developing more than 70% of the country’s grid infrastructure. Serving as the project’s turnkey contractor, Siemens managed the engineering, procurement, more..

Oct 21 (FT) Human Rights Commission of SL (HRCSL) has directed the SL Customs to submit its report on a complaint of the unlawful and illegal detention of a consignment of Holy Quran (Tamil) in violation of Fundamental Rights received by the HRCSL. The complaint filed with HRCSL by an Attorney at Law on behalf of the SL Muslims alleges that the rights guaranteed under Chapter III of the Constitution have been violated by the SL Customs allegedly acting on the more..

Oct 21 (FT) Three startups have secured funding worth $ 160,000 combined at the recently concluded First Capital Startup Nation by Hatch Demo Day. Seven exceptional finalists pitched their ideas before a panel of local and international investors, with three startups emerging at the top, eligible for a combined $ 160,000 in funding: TorchLabs – Dhevin De Silva, Seashore Gardens – Shawn Senerath and Shavendra Rajapakse, and Docupath AI – Sheran Corera. Each founder showcased how more..

Oct 21 (DM) Rains coming down in torrents has destroyed vegetable cultivations in the Badulla District, it was reported yesterday. District Secretary Badulla Panduka Abeywardena said carrot, potato, beans, leaks and cabbage cultivations in areas such as Welikada, Keppetipola and Habaragala in the district have been destroyed due to adverse weather conditions. In addition a number of large trees have been uprooted due to strong winds in the area, several roads have been blocked. more..

Oct 21 (Island) Havelock City Mall, Colombo’s premier lifestyle destination, celebrated its second anniversary over the weekend under the theme Two Years of Smiles, Happiness and Shared Joy — marking two vibrant years of redefining urban living through shopping, dining and entertainment. Speaking at the Havelock City Mall Tenant Partner Excellence Awards 2025 held on Oct 18, Chief Operating Officer of Havelock City Mall, Ghazanfar Ali, said the event was designed to honour more..

Oct 21 (CI) A tournament lacking in genuine tight finishes has now produced two in two days, as Bangladesh and SL played out a low-scoring thriller in Navi Mumbai. But in truth this game should have never got to that stage, as Bangladesh nursed their chase of 203 only to stumble at the last and fall to a 7-run defeat. The result means, B'desh are eliminated from semi-final contention, while SL live to fight another day. more..

Oct 21 (DM) Nicotine is one of the most powerfully addictive substances known to science. Long before modern neuroscience explained how drugs hijack the brain’s reward systems, tobacco users directly experienced addiction’s compulsive nature, the difficulty quitting despite wanting to, physical withdrawal symptoms, and psychological cravings. This made tobacco humanity’s first systematic encounter with understanding chemical addiction. As govts began restricting other drugs more..

Oct 21 (Island) Madagascar has swapped ginger for chillies, as a popular SL saying goes. It suffered under an unpopular govt that came to power with the help of the military, and last Friday the army seized power by manipulating a Gen Z protest to bring down the unpopular regime it backed. Those who took to the streets to engineer a regime change now have a military junta to contend with! Some political analysts have argued that Madagascar has become a victim of what they describe as a coup, more..

Oct 21 (CT) The current administration’s drive to build a more digitalised State administration is a valuable one, recognising the potential leveraging digital solutions have in helping leap the country’s development into a more accelerated pace. However, the recent issues stemming from Lanka Govt Cloud create reason for concern on the country’s ability to build reliable and dependable digital infrastructure to support a digitalised state service. more..

Oct 21 (TM) While the talk of town has been about the day to day life and inquiry into Colombo’s version of Bonnie – Sewwandi; a recently repatriated organised crime suspect, sensationalised by the Ministry of Public Security, and the leaps which the Govt wants to achieve in digitalisation of the public sector and the economy, one can be forgiven for missing out on real issues that impact Sri Lankans at a personal level. The social media platform ‘X’, previously known as Twitter, more..