Oct 25 (ST) Wildlife & Nature Protection Society (WNPS) has urged the Govt to immediately halt all construction and preparatory activities related to the proposed Jaffna Int'l Cricket Stadium and Sports Complex on Mandaitivu Island in view of the environmental impact. WNPS said that the island is an environmentally sensitive and ecologically significant area comprising salt marshes, mudflats, salt marsh-mangrove ecotones, seagrasses and extensive natural mangrove habitats. more..

Oct 25 (FT) All Muslim MPs, representing both the Govt and Opposition, have called on Religious Affairs Minister Hiniduma Sunil Senevi to secure the immediate release of a consignment of Tamil-translated copies of the Holy Qur’an detained by SL Customs. The MPs said the detention violates the fundamental rights of Sri Lankan Muslims. The appeal was made through a joint letter signed by all Muslim MPs, including Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs Muneer Mulaffer. more..

Oct 25 (DM) Govt has yet to firm up any plan for restructuring SriLankan Airlines, but remains open to possible partnerships with the private sector to increase profitability, an official said. SriLankan Airlines reported a Rs. 2.73 billion loss for the year ending March 31, 2025, compared with a profit of Rs. 7.9 billion the previous year, according to its annual report, a reversal representing a decline of about 134.6% compared with more..

Oct 25 (DM) Tourism sector needs to focus more on the Pekoe Trail and its value for niche tourism, The Pekoe Trail Organisation Founder Miguel Cunat said at a recent forum discussion on attaining the Geographical Indication (GI) certification for Ceylon Tea. SL also needs to understand niche tourism, so we can attract more tourists through biking, hiking, surfing and other soft adventure activities, he added. “Niche tourism is high value and low impact. It calls for people staying in remote locations more..

Oct 25 (DM) Two police officers who had been assigned to provide security for Ven. Kobawaka Dhamminda Thera, the Chief Incumbent of the Kataragama Kirivehera Rajamaha Viharaya and Chief Prelate of the Ruhunu Magampattuwa, have been withdrawn from their duties and reassigned to the upper and lower terraces of the temple premises, sources said. Two STF officers who were also part of the Chief Incumbent’s security team have been recalled to the Kavantissapura camp. more..

Oct 25 (CI) SL's match with Pakistan in Colombo was called off at 8:06pm local time, with only 26 deliveries possible in the game. Play was called off prior to the scheduled cut-off, with the umpires deciding the outfield was too waterlogged for a timely restart. The result means Sri Lanka will finish above Pakistan and Bangladesh with five points, regardless of results in the final set of games. For Pakistan, they end the tournament winless with three of their seven matches washed out. more..

Oct 25 (FT) The Colombo stock market gave in to profit-taking pressure yesterday to close the week in red, after holding its ground in the previous two sessions. The ASPI closed 0.17% down, losing 38.43 points to 22,812.52 and the active S&P SL20 index closed down 0.04%, losing 2.56 points to 6,266.31. Turnover was more than Rs. 6.2 billion with over 226.7 million shares traded in the day. Foreigners were net buyers yesterday with a net inflow of Rs. 25.8 million. more..

Oct 25 (TM) Director of the country’s flagship T20 Tournament-Lanka Premier League (LPL) Samantha Dodanwela, called for the original window of July-Aug to be kept untampered with for the annual competition, in the aftermath of the cancellation of this year’s edition on Wednesday. He made this comment while insisting that they need to take the cue from the IPL, as SLC officially announced that the popular event will not go more..

Oct 25 (DM) MP Chamara Sampath in a privilege issue raised serious concerns over the conduct of MP S. Shritharan, as a member of the Constitutional Council. The MP said Shritharan, as a member of the Constitutional Council has failed to disclose bribery allegations pending against him, a grave omission that raises questions about his integrity and fitness to serve on the Constitutional Council — a body mandated to ensure transparency, independence and ethical governance. more..

Oct 25 (EN) SL Central Bank expects net interest margin of commercial banks to fall from the current 4% with economic recovery and increasing competition among banks, its Governor, Nandalal Weerasinghe said. Despite declining monetary policy rates, commercial banks have reported exorbitant profit in the first half of this year compared to the same period in 2024. Banking sector reported a profit after tax (PAT) of 187.5 bil rupees in the Jan-June period this year compared to 111.8 bil more..

Oct 25 (ST) Initial tests have revealed that last week’s SL Govt Cloud crash was caused by a storage system failure, which knocked out connected systems and disrupted several online services. System failure that occurred last week disrupted multiple e-govt services, affecting the Registrar General Dept’s vital records system, Dept of Motor Traffic’s e-Revenue Licence system, clearance system of Dept of Police, more..

Oct 25 (FT) In response to recent recall of BYD Tang vehicles and Yuan Pro, John Keells CG Auto Ltd said that neither of the models have been sold in the SL market. Full text of the statement: BYD recently announced a recall involving approximately 115,000 BYD Tang vehicles and Yuan Pro as part of the company’s ongoing commitment to ensuring the highest standards of safety and product quality. As a responsible manufacturer, BYD proactively initiates recalls whenever necessary more..

Oct 25 (FT) British High Commissioner to SL Andrew Patrick yesterday said SL’s new National Climate Finance Strategy 2025–2030 will help the country access international climate funding and attract investors to climate-related opportunities. He said the strategy was a critical step for the SL Govt to meet due diligence requirements and plan for the medium-term economic impacts of climate change. “There are some very obvious and very serious ones for SL in terms of your agricultural sector more..

Oct 25 (FT) Arpico has recently hosted Arpico Mattress Achievers Night 2025, an award ceremony celebrating a year of collaboration and outstanding shared achievements with local entrepreneurs, businesses, and company staff members. Occupying a special place on Arpico’s event calendar for the Foam Sector, the event appreciates and rewards collaborators for accumulating impressive sales. Held at Cinnamon Life at City of Dreams, the awards ceremony recognised efforts of 150 dealers, more..

Oct 25 (FT) Sampath Bank has reaffirmed its unwavering support for SL’s export community by renewing its partnership with the National Chamber of Exporters (NCE) for 2025. The agreement, signed recently at the Sampath Bank Head Office, marks another chapter in the Bank’s long-standing collaboration with the NCE, further strengthening its role as a trusted financial partner to exporters across the country. Through this renewed partnership, Sampath Bank will continue to promote more..

Oct 25 (FT) Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF) yesterday said total apparel exports for the period January to Sept 2025 stood at $ 3.8 billion, up 6.83% from a year ago while exports recorded a modest year-on-year growth in Sept 2025, supported by stronger performance in the EU and other markets, despite declines in shipments to the US and UK. Whilst the numbers are down from last month, JAAF noted that more..

Oct 25 (DM) Training is a vital component of Human Resource Development (HRD). In the context of HRD, Human Resources means a collective of personnel in organisations, either in the public or private sector. Human Resources differs from other resources the employer uses partly, because individuals (employees) are endowed with varying levels of abilities, which include aptitude, skills, attitudes & knowledge, with personality traits, gender, role perception, differences in more..

Oct 25 (Island) Why should ceremonies ever be held with the participation of politicians and public officials to mark the opening of projects carried out with state funds? Why should precious state funds be wasted on such events? These are some of the questions the JVP/NPP rightly asked about wasteful practices that the members of the previous governments indulged in while it was in the Opposition. The JVP/NPP leaders vowed that if voted into power they would never hold such events and more..

Oct 25 (ST) Each day, as dawn breaks over the country’s busy towns and cities, millions of commuters take to the roads—in buses, trains, three-wheelers, motorbikes, and private cars—to earn a living, attend school, or simply go about their daily routines. Yet, behind this everyday bustle lies a grim reality: our roads have become one of the country’s most dangerous spaces. According to data released by the National Trauma Secretariat ahead of the National Trauma Conference 2025, more..

Oct 25 (FT) As a Police officer who has served this nation for over four decades — beginning my career as a Sub-Inspector and rising through the ranks to Senior Superintendent of Police — I write these reflections not merely as an observer, but as one who has lived the law from within the uniform. I come from a proud line of policemen: a third-generation officer and the son of a constable who rose to the rank of Chief Inspector. Over the years, I have served as OIC of police stations more..

Oct 25 (CT) Provision of the Thriposha food supplement to pregnant mothers and young children has been caught up in repeated controversy over the years. Programme, initiated as a Govt measure to fight malnutrition, was designed to provide a free, nutrition-enriched food supplement known as Thriposha to vulnerable groups. It primarily targetted pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, and children under 5 years of age. more..

Oct 25 (Island) Exactly one year ago on 13 Oct 2024, I wrote an essay titled The Geneva Circus in the govt’s own Sunday Observer suggesting that the govt should be ready to handle the regular and unreasonable resolution titled, Promoting Reconciliation, Accountability and Human Rights in SL at the UNHRC. However, going by what transpired at the recent 60th session of the UNHRC in Sept 2025 in relation to that resolution, the govt has fallen miserably short more..

Oct 25 (DM) For years, Sri Lanka’s geographical location has been spoken about and even envied by many nations. In fact, foreigners have always praised our natural resources, our lush greenery, our ideal location in the Indian Ocean and our warmth and friendship. For these foreign governments, Sri Lanka has been an ideal country for investments, leisure, tourism, business and even retirement. For them, it’s an ideal place to stay and enjoy their money. more..

Oct 25 (CT) After a period of uneasy quiet, it appears that the underworld in the South has once again stirred to life. The shocking shooting that claimed a life in Weligama, has thrown the entire Southern Province into turmoil. The victim was none other than Lasantha Wickramasekara, the Chairman of the Weligama Pradeshiya Sabha. His assassination has caused widespread outrage across the country, not least because more..

Oct 25 (DM) NPP govt’s approach towards the UNHRC resolutions on SL is somewhat different from that of the previous govts. Govts under Rajapaksas, Mahinda Rajapaksa and Gotabaya Rajapaksa, rejected the resolutions brought during their tenure and unsuccessfully sought to defeat them by garnering support from Muslim and African countries, apart from Russia & China. Sometimes they became a laughingstock in this endeavour, as happened in 2021 when then Foreign more..

Oct 25 (DM) A sizable chunk of voters will not cast their vote this year in the election of the Diyawadana Nilame, as the Vihara and Devalagam Act under which the election is conducted has no provisions allowing women to use their vote. Repeated requests to amend the Act have fallen on deaf ears, with the result that 75 women Divisional Secretaries out of the 175 will not exercise their vote this year. This is in spite of the fact that their work extends to land issues that belong to more..

Oct 24 (NW) The Sri Lanka Police has issued a clarification on news reports circulating claiming that Police protection for the Chief Incumbent of the Kiri Vehera Temple in Kataragama, Venerable Kobawaka Damminda Thero, has been withdrawn. Issuing a statement, the Police said a report has been submitted by the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of the Matara and Hambantota divisions, clarifying the news item circulating via electronic, print, and social media. more..

Oct 24 (DM) SL’s monsoon rains have brought floods, landslides, and rising dengue risk across the island. While transport and crops face disruption, the downpours also refill reservoirs, revive farmlands, and cool the air. The season, though harsh, reminds Sri Lankans of endurance — and the balance between nature’s challenge and its gift. The rains have come again, steady and unforgiving. From the villages along the Deduru Oya, now on flood alert, to the misty hills where NBRO has warned more..

Oct 24 (Island) Teacher unions have urged the public to look beyond PM and Education Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya’s assurances that no schools will be closed under the govt’s new education reforms. They have warned that the govt policy could still lead to closures by another name. CTSU General Secretary Joseph Stalin said that the govt was effectively shutting down small schools by merging them and transferring teachers to more..

Oct 24 (DM) Homagama High Court Judge Navarathna Marasinghe today sentenced a man to death after he was found guilty of killing another man using a metal rod used for plucking coconuts, following a dispute over the alleged theft of two coconuts. The verdict was delivered after a lengthy trial into the indictment filed by AG over the incident, which had taken place on Oct 30, 2001, in Niyadagala–Weliya area, where the victim was fatally assaulted with a metal coconut plucker. more..

Oct 24 (AD) Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment, and Tourism, in close coordination with the Sri Lanka Mission in Egypt and the Eritrean authorities, has successfully facilitated the repatriation of six SL seafarers who were previously detained in Eritrea. The Ambassador of SL in Cairo, concurrently accredited to Eritrea, was in Asmara, the Capital of Eritrea to attend to the relevant procedures personally and arrange their departure from Eritrea, Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. more..