Oct 24 (AM) Former MP Namal Rajapaksa spent over two hours today at the CID, where he provided a statement regarding an ongoing investigation into a financial transaction. According to the police, Rajapaksa was summoned following a complaint filed by a Malaysian businessman, alleging irregularities in a financial transaction that occurred between 2010 and 2015. Speaking to the media after leaving the CID, Rajapaksa said he was unaware of identity of the person who lodged more..

Oct 24 (DM) SJB Chairman Imitiaz Bakir Markar questioned the policy contrast of Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Referring to a newspaper report which quoted Dissanayake as having said in the past that absolute power corrupts, Markar said, in the contrary to what was said at that time when in the Opposition, Dissanayake now seeks an absolute majority for his party in Parliament. Bakir Markar said Dissanayake even highlighted at that time, as quoted in the newspaper report, how leaders like more..

Oct 24 (DM) Wildlife officers are to launch an investigation into a new video showing a foreigner slaughtering, roasting and consuming a peacock inside Maduru-Oya National Park. The recent video, posted by a foreign YouTuber under the name Go With Ali, was uploaded on Oct 19, and came to light through social media. The footage has garnered over 63,000 views, sparking public outrage and prompting more..

Oct 24 (FT) Havelock City Mall, Colombo’s premier destination for shopping, dining, and entertainment, celebrated its first year anniversary with a series of successful events and promotions. The celebrations began on Saturday 19 October, and will continue until 24 October, featuring a weekend packed with exciting activities, exclusive promotions, and the launch of new initiatives that delighted visitors. Since its opening, Havelock City Mall had quickly established itself as more..

Oct 24 (SLN) Commander of the Navy, Priyantha Perera inaugurated a newly established museum at the Volunteer Naval Headquarters today. The foundation of SL's naval force was laid with the enactment of the Naval Volunteer Force Ordinance No. 01 of 1937. After the establishment of the Regular Naval Force as the Royal Ceylon Navy on 9 Dec 1950, the Royal Ceylon Volunteer Naval Force was established on 9 Jan 1952. Over the years, this volunteer force underwent gradual evolution, more..

Oct 24 (DM) SL Computer Emergency Readiness Team (SLCERT) has informed the public not to panic over a video message circulating on social media, which falsely claims that mobile phones will explode immediately if answered. SLCERT Senior Information Security Engineer Charuka Damunupola said that they have received several calls regarding this matter. The video instructs viewers to listen carefully and share the message with friends. It claims: "If you receive a call from numbers more..

Oct 24 (FT) Former MP P. Ariyanethran, who ran as the Common Tamil Candidate in the September Prez election, has denied media reports that he received a summons from the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) of the SL Police. Ariyanethran clarified that he had not been contacted via telephone or any other means to appear before the TID for questioning, refuting claims made in recent media reports. His denial follows a report published on Tuesday, which alleged that Ariyanethran, more..

Oct 24 (EN) Since the US Embassy in Colombo issued a travel warning on Wednesday, many countries including UK, Israel, Australia & Russia have also asked their nationals to be more cautious in travelling to SL. SL Police said it has already tightened security in Arugam Bay, a popular tourist destination for surfing in the island nation’s eastern coast. Here are some questions (Q) and answers (A) on the warning and more..

Oct 24 (DM) PHU leader Udaya Gammanpila yesterday requested the information officer - Prez Secretariat in writing to provide him with records of evidence given by Public Security Ministry Secretary Ravi Seneviratne before the committee headed by A.N.J. De Alwis in probing the Easter Sunday attack. He said he learnt reliably that Mr. Seneviratne admitted before the committee that he made a mistake by keeping the letter regarding the intelligence warning on the attack for 12 days. more..

Oct 24 (NW) Is this some kind of cruel joke being played on SL and its vital tourism industry, crucial to economic recovery, by a group of foreign embassies? In early October, SL authorities raised an alert on a potential threat in Arugam Bay, a remote village on the east coast popular with Israeli surfers, far from the usual tourist circuits. Such security alerts are commonplace globally. Following the alert, security measures were increased, two arrests were made; no incidents were more..

Oct 24 (DM) Former Minister Kanchana Wijesekara asked why the govt did not take action to beef up security for foreign tourists in advance if it had received information on a possible threat on Oct 7, according to the statement made by Acting Chief of Police. In a post on X, he said the information on a possible attack was received by the GOSL on October 7 and was discussed at multiple Security Council meetings, investigated more..

Oct 24 (DA) Commander SL Air Force Air Marshal RAUP Rajapaksa called on Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Sahir Shamshad Mirza at Joint Staff Headquarters in Rawalpindi today, the military’s media wing said in a press statement. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), both reiterated their commitment to enhancing bilateral security and defense collaboration. During the meeting, Gen Sahir Shamshad said Pakistan values its enduring more..

Oct 24 (AD) Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), in collaboration with Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE), conducted an Investor Forum in Matale on 23rd Oct at The Grand Mountain Hotel, Matale. The forum is part of an ongoing effort to raise awareness on investor protection and emphasize the importance of educating the public about the investment opportunities in the stock market. Attracting over 130 participants, the event provided valuable insights to both more..

Oct 25 (DM) There is more to the Israeli presence in SL than meets the eye. Also, there is more to Wednesday’s security alert than what the authorities and embassies claimed. Given the questions on the 2019 Easter Sunday massacres and successive govts’ hesitancy in answering them honestly, the present security alert about an imminent attack on tourist sites may smack of a conspiracy. It has eerie similarities to the warnings that preceded the Easter Sunday blasts targeting more..

Oct 25 (DM) Sri Lanka has long been a country where ambitious individuals have toppled existing regimes and created new ones. This has been done repeatedly and entirely for personal gains. This is a greedy practice that must be buried. The caretaker regime operating under the country’s new President Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) runs the risk of being toppled; even though it seems that there is no immediate risk of such a move taking place in the foreseeable future. more..

Oct 25 (DM) Tuk tuk drivers in popular tourist areas to surf boys and city boys step in as unofficial tour guides offering foreigners a taste of authentic Sri Lanka. However, there are also instances where foreign tour leaders continually renew their visas to offer illegal guiding services to tourists arriving from their home countries; eating into the opportunities available for local guides. Can such practices be allowed in a country more..

Oct 25 (GV) As SL gears up for the parliamentary election on Nov 14, the topics for debate are depressingly familiar – bringing criminal politicians to justice, ascertaining the responsibility for the Easter Sunday attacks, the best path to economic recovery and how to combat corruption. Yet little is said about the perilous state of the country’s environment, which is facing daily onslaughts on forests, wildlife and ecosystems. In a recent presentation, renowned environmentalist Prof. Sarath Kotagama more..

Oct 25 (CT) Given solid and unarguable 5 reasons, Govt should not spend Rs. 110 million to look after former presidents of 8 Individuals or nearly Rs. 14 million per individual. It is not productive at all. Those presidents are more or less responsible for the very poor shape of the country in many ways, after 76 years today. The current well written, directed and acted film by three (3) individuals in the opposition about the Easter Sunday bomb attack in 2019 is a good example. more..

Oct 25 (TM) Educational Publications Dept plays a critical role in SL’s free education policy by ensuring that all govt and semi-govt school students have access to essential textbooks and learning materials. Established in 1965 and reorganised under the Ministry of Education in 1966, the Dept has long been responsible for producing and distributing textbooks to schools. However, a recently conducted audit more..

Oct 25 (TM) Nearly a month has passed since a new Govt took over the helm in SL, with much promise of change and progress. Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake is trying to sail the ship without much change before the upcoming General Election where the NPP feel confident they can get the numbers to form a govt. As such, at present Dissanayake’s focus seems to be inward looking and with satisfying the masses desire to punish corruption and the political culture which many have come to detest. more..

Oct 25 (ST) As kids many, many decades ago, one remembers that 17th-century tale of Little Red Riding Hood and the wolf. It sure did bring up some laughter, not to mention occasional concern. This old tale came to mind when I read of that foray of former MP Udaya Gammanpila, whose recent remarks and challenges thrown at NPP’s cabinet spokesman Vijitha Herath about the missing (or not-so-missing) official reports of the Easter Sunday terrorist bombings more than five years ago. more..

Oct 25 (Island) Rice is fast becoming unaffordable to the ordinary people. Fuel queues may be a thing of the past, but the day may not be far off when people have to queue up to buy rice owing to the severe shortage thereof. Nadu rice has been in short supply for weeks, and overall rice prices have gone through the roof. The government has done precious little to solve the problem. Coconuts are also in short supply and their prices have gone into the stratosphere. Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake more..

Oct 25 (Island) The urgent need for a comprehensive examination of daunting political-economic-security-social challenges cannot be overestimated. Bankrupt SL is at a crossroads as the Jathika Jana Balawegaya (JJB) seeks to consolidate its position with a convincing victory at the parliamentary election scheduled to be conducted in three weeks. Although its triumph is apparently a foregone conclusion, JVP-led JJB, however, faces formidable domestic & external challenges. more..

Oct 25 (ST) Education Ministry, which recently obtained Cabinet permission to buy 1,000 smartboards from China’s Huawei Technologies at nearly Rs. 1mn per unit without tender, put forward a separate proposal in May this year to buy 422 smartboards for pirivena classrooms at Rs. 300,000 per unit, according to documents obtained by the Sunday Times. The documents do not explain the price discrepancies between the two projects. more..

Oct 25 (FT) South Asia, with countries like SL and India with millennia-old craft heritages, is celebrated as a region heavy with cultural richness. However, the economic potential of these crafts and their associated creative cultures remain largely untapped. Their potential as a resource in contemporary design, and their ability to imbue stories, cultural significance and emotional value into products is yet to be fully and strategically utilised. The time has come to change that narrative. more..

Oct 25 (DN) Reshan Algama, who made a stunning comeback to claim victory by four strokes at the PRIMA Sunrise Bread Hambantota Regional Junior Golf Championship, propelled him to the top of SL’s amateur golf rankings. The 16-year-old climbed an impressive 75 places in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) to become SL’s highest-ranked golfer, now positioned at 535th in the world. Reshan Algama has had an outstanding year in junior golf, displaying his talent in multiple tournaments. more..

Oct 25 (DN) We played according to our strength and got series win with one game to spare said SL key leg spinner Wanindu Hasaranga after the second West Indies ODI at Pallekele. We realized their weakness and always made plans and it was well executed so far in this series .We saw opponent West Indies going for big shots but our spinners did well to control them and notched up back to back wins in this series. We wanted to give less runs to with dot balls .We saw their 119 runs 9th wt more..

Oct 25 (Island) SL’s national cricket team is on a roll, hitting its stride since the new management and selection panel took the reins in January. The team has chalked up victories in 11 out of 14 series across formats in 2024, with their home record being particularly stellar—bagging nine wins out of ten series. After pulling off a remarkable come-from-behind victory over the third-ranked West Indies at Dambulla in T20s, SL sealed an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match ODI series more..

Oct 25 (DM) The SL Tourism Alliance yesterday sent a strong message to foreign embassies regarding travel advisories citing possible terrorist attacks, which could lead to serious setbacks for the local tourism sector. As the U.S. advisory is amplified by the UK and subsequent int'l media coverage, the Alliance expressed deep concerns about the potential impact on the industry. “Is this some kind of cruel joke being played on Sri Lanka and more..

Oct 25 (DN) 2026 Commonwealth Games, set to be held in Glasgow, will mark a significant shift in the structure of the event, with a reduced number of sports. From 20 sports at Birmingham 2022, Glasgow 2026 will host just 10, with prominent omissions such as wrestling, cricket, badminton, table tennis, and hockey. This downsized format presents both challenges and opportunities for competing nations. For SL, a country with a rich history in the Commonwealth Games, more..

Oct 25 (DN) Nepal overwhelmed Sri Lanka with a 6-0 victory in their final Group ‘B’ match of the SAFF Women’s Football Championship at Dashrath Rangasala Stadium last night. This defeat eliminated SL from the tournament while Nepal secured their spot in the semi-finals. The match started with Nepal dominating from the very beginning. Winger Sabita Rana scored twice, netting goals in the 8th and 12th minutes. Just a minute later, Rekha Poudel added another goal in the 13th minute, more..

Oct 25 (TM) In light of the security-related concerns raised with regard to Israeli nationals currently living in Sri Lanka, several politicians expressed their opinions about Israeli nationals living and conducting business activities in SL. Former MP Dullas Alahapperuma opined that the Govt should investigate whether the concerns surrounding the Arugam Bay area were part of what he referred to as an international conspiracy. more..

Oct 25 (FT) People’s Bank announced that it has successfully concluded the issuance of its BASEL III Compliant Tier 2, Unlisted, Rated, Unsecured, Subordinated Redeemable Debentures with non-viability write-down, as required by the Central Bank, raising over Rs. 10 billion last month. The funds raised will enhance the bank’s Tier 2 Capital base and further strengthen its Total Capital Adequacy Ratio. The subordinated nature and medium to long-term duration of the debentures, more..

Oct 25 (DM) It has been revealed that the value of 271 gemstones in the Dept's Geology division, which have been securely deposited at the Metropolitan Branch of the Bank of Ceylon since Sept 18, 1964, remains unassessed, the National Audit report in 2023 revealed. After the physical inspection conducted in 1993, one of the gemstones was found to be an artificial stone, and it was deposited in the Geology division. “The value of these remaining 271 gems had not been assessed with the help of more..

Oct 25 (DM) A clear difference in decision was reported between PM Harini Amarasuriya and Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake over the appointment of the new University Grants Commission (UGC) Chairman. According to information from the PM’s office, a decision was made to retain the former UGC Chairman Professor Sampath Amaratunga in his position after discussions with PM Harini Amarasuriya, following the election of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake more..