Oct 16 (AD) The Kopai Police Station has been temporarily removed from its current location, police sources confirmed. The station had been operating from eight houses belonging to private civilians. The Jaffna District Court, has ordered that seven of these houses be returned to their rightful owners. The fiscal officer has returned the relevant properties to their owners today (15). The Jaffna Police Station will continue to accept complaints from residents in the affected area. more..

Oct 16 (NW) Watawala Tea has removed its recently released short film titled Him, Her and Them following public criticism that it promoted LGBTQI themes. In a statement, the company said the film was intended to portray the everyday emotions of family life and the balance between strength and sensitivity, but acknowledged that it has been interpreted in ways we never intended. The brand said it regretted any discomfort or concern caused to consumers and announced that more..

Oct 16 (FT) The annual cost of cybercrime to SL could range between $ 450 million and $ 1 billion, Asian Development Bank (ADB) Digital Sector Office Director Antonio Zaballos said yesterday, calling for stronger cybersecurity measures and a shift in national awareness as the country expands its digital economy. Speaking at the ADB’s Serendipity Knowledge Program (SKOP) on Digital Transformation: Cybersecurity and more..

Oct 16 (FT) Uniting around the goal of promoting healthy ageing, Health Ministers of member states of the World Health Organisation (WHO) South East Asia Region adopted the Colombo Declaration on Tuesday. The Colombo Declaration on Healthy ageing through strengthened primary health care was endorsed by the 78th Session of the WHO Regional Committee held in SL. It is aimed at the health and wellbeing of the ageing population of the region, and this approach and focus will be more..

Oct 16 (FT) Govt is preparing to introduce four new bills as part of its broad labour law reform agenda aimed at modernising SL’s employment framework and aligning it with evolving economic and social realities, the Parliament Secretariat said yesterday. Ministerial Consultative Committee on Labour Affairs this week hear submissions from the Labour Ministry on the proposed reforms focus on simplifying and consolidating existing laws while strengthening worker protection and employer flexibility. more..

Oct 16 (NW) Applications have been called to recruit 25 qualified doctors to the Sri Lanka Police Medical Services Division. According to the Police Media Division, vacancies exist for Consultant Surgeons, Physicians, Radiologists, Clinical Nutritionists, Anaesthesiologists, Medical Officers, and Dentists. The detailed notification has been published in the Government Gazette No. 2456 dated Sept 26, 2025, and the closing date for applications is Oct 27, 2025. Specialist doctors will be appointed as more..

Oct 16 (EN) State-owned National Paper Company Ltd (NPCL) has turned the losses into operational profit and has started to repay most of its dues from 2020 though the biggest overdue is for the electricity bills, its chairman Upali Rathnayake said. “We are now making an operational profit and have started to repay most loans the company borrowed after 2020,” he said. “We borrowed 140 million rupees to resume the operation in 2020. Now we have started to repay 5 million past arrears of this as well.” more..

Oct 16 (TM) The exact contents of the 51 packages found floating adrift on the seas off the Southern coast, which were recovered by the Navy and brought to the Tangalle Fisheries Harbour on Tuesday evening (14), have been revealed by the Navy yesterday. Accordingly, the packages contain a total of 670 kg and 676 g of crystal methamphetamine (Ice), 156 kg and 542 g of heroin and 12 kg and 36 g of hashish, more..

Oct 16 (FT) The country’s manufacturing and services sectors in September have expanded, as per the Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), its compiler the Central Bank of SL (CBSL) said. The Manufacturing PMI registered an index value of 55.4 in September, indicating an expansion in manufacturing activities at a faster rate compared to 55.2 in August 2025. The CBSL said this expansion has remained above the neutral threshold during the month from all sub-indices. more..

Oct 16 (Island) Korea Int'l Cooperation Agency (KOICA), in collaboration with the Alumni Association of KOICA Fellows in SL (AKOFE), successfully conducted a Knowledge Dissemination Programme for School Media Society Teachers on 9th Oct at the Main Auditorium of the Department of Govt Information. The event was attended by retired Director of Media from NIE, Bandula P Dayarathna, Media Expert Kamal Welegoda, President of AKOFE, Roshan Serasinghe, more..

Oct 16 (Island) Maris Stella College Negombo and Lyceum Int'l Wattala retained the boys’ and girls’ overall titles respectively as the All Island Schools Games Athletics Championship concluded at Diyagama on Tuesday. ‎While Ayomal Akalanka of Ambagamuwa MMV and Jithma Wijetunga of Lyceum Int'l bagged the best athlete titles respectively in the boys’ and girls’ categories, there were many outstanding performances as 38 new meet records were more..

Oct 16 (ST) SL’s next generation of golfers is ready to tee off at the 3rd Asian Youth Games in Manama, Bahrain, from October 20 to 31, with four promising youngsters hoping to put the island on the Asian map. The national squad will feature Reshan Algama, Kaya Daluwatte, Jevahn Sathasivam, and Adithya Weerasinghe — four names that have already made an impact on the junior circuit. The team will be guided by veteran coach Mithun Perera, one of SL’s most decorated professional more..

Oct 16 (FT) Asian Development Bank (ADB) urged SL to treat cybersecurity and data protection as central pillars of its digital transformation agenda, warning that national competitiveness and public trust in digital services will depend on how well the country safeguards its information infrastructure. ADB Director General Cleo Kawawaki said cybersecurity is not only a policy or institutional concern but a shared responsibility that must extend across govt, business, and individuals. more..

Oct 16 (FT) Home Lands Group successfully concluded the Home Lands EXPO 2025 – Property Investment Forum & Exhibition, the first-ever property investment expo organised by a single developer in SL, held on Saturday (11), at Hilton Colombo. The one-day event drew over 1,500 attendees, including aspiring homeowners and investors seeking high-return property opportunities. The expo showcased Home Lands’ exclusive portfolio of properties from city apartments to more..

Oct 16 (FT) Virtusa Corporation has announced the expansion of its SL Delivery Centre with over 200 new career opportunities across high-growth technology domains. The initiative marks a renewed phase of investment in the country as Virtusa accelerates its journey toward becoming a $ 5 billion enterprise by 2030. The expansion follows the strategic vision outlined by Virtusa CEO Nitesh Banga, who has committed to positioning the company as world’s leading domain-driven more..

Oct 16 (ST) New legislation will be drafted to coincide with the national policy on elderly people of SL, a segment that is increasing. Minister Dr Upali Pannilage said that amendments had been proposed to the Protection of the Rights of Elderly Persons Act No. 9 of 2000, but the Legal Draftsman has suggested a new act. He said the National Council for Elders had also recommended a new law, as the existing legislation did not cover more..

Oct 16 (Island) My ongoing fieldwork on agrarian politics in Sri Lanka is teaching me many things that are not directly related to, but heavily condition what happens in agriculture. I’m learning how the dynamics of everyday domestic life impact agrarian decisions: whether or not the credit taken for agriculture purposes is always actually spent on it; how intimate relationships impact farming activities (who is entering into or refusing labour exchange relations with whom, for instance); more..

Oct 16 (Island) The Police Narcotics Bureau, the Navy, and the Coast Guard have conducted several successful drug busts at sea during recent months. There have also been several chance detections of drug hauls, the latest fortuitous discovery being the one reported yesterday. Fifty-one packages, found floating in the southern seas and brought ashore by the Navy, contained 839 kg of narcotics—670 kg of crystal methamphetamine or ICE, 156 heroin, and 12 kg of hashish. more..

Oct 16 (TM) Sri Lanka continues to grapple with a housing crisis that has only deepened in the face of rapid urbanisation, population growth, and poor policies. Despite decades of promises and policy frameworks, the dream of shelter for all remains elusive for many, particularly low- and middle-income families. Other communities who are significantly affected are those in the North and Eastern provinces, and the Malaiyagam community in the hills of Sri Lanka. more..

Oct 16 (TM) Sri Lanka has been aware of its aging population for some time, yet little has been done to prepare the island for the coming changes. We stand at pivotal crossroads as our population ages at an unprecedented rate. With projections indicating that by 2050, one in four Sri Lankans will be over the age of 60, SL faces both daunting challenges and unique opportunities to redefine the role of elders in society. It must also prepare for the impact such a demographic will have on society more..

Oct 16 (TM) Amid increasing population numbers and urbanisation, SL continues to grapple with a deepening housing crisis compounded by an outdated policy framework, leaving low- and middle-income families unable to afford housing. The total number of census units reported at the Listing Stage of the Census of Population and Housing (CPH) 2024 was 8,377,895. This figure has more than doubled over more..

Oct 16 (CT) Sri Lanka is standing at a demographic crossroads. As highlighted by Minister Nalinda Jayatissa, within the next decade, one-fourth of our country’s population will be aged over 60. By 2041, projections show that 24.8% of Sri Lankans will fall into this age group – a figure notably higher than the average across South-East Asia. On one hand, this is a sign of progress. It reflects decades of success in tackling childhood diseases, improving maternal care, and increasing life expectancy. more..

Oct 16 (CT) When Singapore refused to extradite former CB Governor Arjuna Mahendran in early 2025, the headlines called it a diplomatic failure. But that’s the wrong diagnosis. What we witnessed was not Singapore’s rejection, it was SL’s legal unpreparedness laid bare. For ten years, successive governments have promised to bring Mahendran back to face justice over the 2015 Central Bank bond scandal. Each administration has blamed foreign reluctance or political interference. more..

Oct 16 (CT) PM Harini Amarasuriya informed Parliament of the setting up of the National Women’s Commission (NWC), newest addition to SL’s independent commissions. However, women activists and interested parties expressed their concerns over the functioning of the commission and the true intentions of the Govt. This was due to the absence of dedicated office space, an executive director, and any budget to proceed. more..

Oct 16 (DM) Sustainability is increasingly becoming non-negotiable in international trade and supply chains. Companies and countries are integrating sustainable practices into their policies and mandates. For smaller developing countries like Sri Lanka, the shift poses both a challenge and an opportunity. The primary challenge is higher compliance costs, which can restrict market access, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Yet this very challenge can be transformed into an opportunity. more..

Oct 16 (DM) When the New Vithanakande Tea Factory recently broke the Guinness World Record for their premium Ceylon Black Tea sold at the highest price of 125,000 Yen or USD 835 per kg at a Japanese tea auction, it didn’t come in as a surprise for many. Ceylon Tea has earned global recognition for its distinct flavours and rich aroma and is a beverage celebrated the world over. But whether plantation workers who handpick tea leaves in SL’s tea estates receive the same recognition has remained a question for over 200 years. more..

Oct 15 (DM) An eyewitness to the recent altercation between Attorney-at-Law Gunaratne Wanninayake and a Police Constable at the Mount Lavinia Court premises has alleged that he is now being harassed by the Police for speaking out. The eyewitness said he had seen the Police officer punch the passenger inside a car, after which the driver exited the vehicle and confronted the officer. The witness claimed that since revealing details of the incident, police officers have repeatedly visited his home, more..

Oct 15 (CT) Court of Appeal, yesterday, ordered that a group of writ petitions filed by vehicle importers be taken up again on 16 October to further examine the possibility of reaching a settlement. The petitions were filed seeking an order directing SL Customs to release vehicles currently being held, which were imported from countries other than the country of manufacture, after opening LCs. The order was issued when around 15 such petitions were taken up before the Court of Appeal Bench more..

Oct 15 (Island) CEB’s newly introduced feed-in tariff of Rs. 45.80 per kWh for rooftop and ground-mounted solar systems with battery storage — applicable to electricity exported to the grid between 6 pm and 10 pm — appears financially attractive at first glance. However, practical financing barriers may prevent most households from benefiting, according to an energy expert. Under current conditions, a 5 kW rooftop solar-plus more..

Oct 15 (AD) The UNP says it is of the view that all political parties must be brought together on to one platform to protect the democratic multi-party system in SL. The UNP noted that in protecting the multi-party system, it is important to protect the integrity and policies of different political parties. Therefore, the UNP urged all opposition parties to support the effort. UNP also has stated that the party is committed to working together to bridge the gap between the UNP and the SJB more..

Oct 15 (AD) The Govt of Sri Lanka has announced that, effective today (15), all foreign nationals eligible for a free tourist visa must obtain an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) prior to their arrival in the country. This requirement applies to visitors entering Sri Lanka for short-stay purposes, including tourism and business. ETAs can be obtained online through the official website: eta.gov.lk. Key details regarding ETA fees are as follows: As per the reciprocal/bilateral arrangements, more..