Oct 1 (NW) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake emphasized that a strong public service capable of taking risks, enduring hardship, and maintaining accountability is essential for the country to overcome its current challenges, speaking at the Vishishta Seva Vibhushana medal presentation ceremony today (30). He commended the medal recipients for their exceptional contribution over more than two decades, particularly during complex periods of armed conflict & natural disasters. more..

Oct 1 (NW) SLC Transformation Committee Chairman Eran Wickramaratne has said changes are expected in the organisation’s senior management, with staff to be assessed under stricter performance targets as part of a proposed governance overhaul. Wickramaratne said the new structure would introduce clearer accountability and key performance indicators (KPIs) for employees and senior management. “Changes will happen because you need the changes,” he said, more..

Oct 1 (NW) The Govt Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) has urged the govt to introduce further tax relief for doctors and other professionals, warning that the country continues to lose skilled workers due to what it described as an excessive tax burden. In a statement, GMOA said more than 2,500 specialist doctors and other medical officers have left SL since 2021/2022, citing taxation as one of the main factors contributing to migration. more..

Oct 1 (ST) SLC’s Transformation Committee is set to complete the accreditation process for player managers, in a move aimed at ensuring that their role remains focused on the commercial and professional interests of players rather than extending into cricketing and selection matters. The move comes at a time when the rapid growth of T20 franchise leagues globally has made player representation increasingly important. With lucrative opportunities available across the world, more..

Oct 1 (ST) National Implementation Plan (NIP) for the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) 2026-2028 was launched under the leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, with support from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) as Secretariat and Coordinator to the UN Network on Migration in SL – reinforcing national efforts to advance coordinated, evidence-based, and people-centred migration governance. more..

Oct 1 (ST) SL has taken its solar-energy transition onto a new surface — water. 5 MW Diyajanani Floating Solar Power Plant, built on the Ibbankatuwa Tank in Dambulla, was connected to the national grid on Sept 18. Spread across about 10.5 acres, the plant is expected to generate around 9 GWh of renewable electricity annually, enough to meet the needs of about 7,500 households. It is also projected to save around 2.5 million litres of more..

Oct 1 (PMD) A meeting between Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake and key stakeholders in the construction industry was held this afternoon (30). Prez reviewed the current status and future trends of the construction industry and sought the views and proposals of stakeholders on measures that could be taken to strengthen the sector and ensure its sustainable growth. Prez was briefed on several key challenges and issues currently faced by the construction industry. more..

Oct 1 (TM) Football Federation of SL (FFSL) President Jaswar Umar is of the view that if domestic Football Academies are to reach the professional level, then they will need to scour for sponsors on their own. He said due largely to the money-minded agendas of a few past heads of the FFSL, numerous prominent football clubs in the local circuit have become defunct currently, and warned that the same predicament could befall Football Academies as well, if prompt remedial more..

Oct 1 (DN) The second day of the AI Exhibition, held as part of Sri Lanka AI Week 2026, officially commenced today at Monarch Imperial, with the presence of PM Harini Amarasuriya, marking another significant milestone in the week-long initiative pioneered by the Ministry of Digital Economy and SLT-MOBITEL. The occasion was also graced by Deputy Minister Eranga Weeraratne, Secretary to the Ministry of Digital Economy Waruna Sri Dhanapala, Chinese Amb. Wei Huaxiang, more..

Oct 1 (FT) Cabinet has approved the signing of a supplementary agreement with Brazil to pave the way for implementing a technical cooperation project aimed at developing SL’s dairy industry, Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said. He said the initiative builds on a basic Technical Cooperation Agreement signed between SL & Brazil on 16 Sept 2008. Under the agreement, a high-level delegation of Brazilian experts visited SL in 2023 to conduct a comprehensive assessment of technical more..

Oct 1 (Island) Dinal Phillips, PC has defended a key provision in the proposed new constitution for SLC that allows one of the appointed members, rather than an elected representative, to serve as Chairman of the Board. There have been concerns that a former cricketer will not be able to be appointed as Chairman of SLC if the new constitution comes to effect, but Philips said that country needed to move on with times. more..

Oct 1 (Island) Ibrahim Mohamad Naufer, aka Naufer Maulavi, 48, sentenced to 220 years of rigorous imprisonment by the High Court trial-at-Bar on 22 Sept. for his role in the 2019 Easter Sunday carnage, was taken into custody a few days after the incident. It was considered the principal case as there are other cases concluded and in progress. At the time the police apprehended him, following a tip off received from the staff of a small hotel in Dambulla, where he was taking refuge, more..

Oct 1 (GV) I have had two abortions. Both took place after the birth of my son during a period when my first marriage had ended and I was in another relationship. I was 29 or 30 years old. I was already a single mother and the primary financial support for a household of seven people. I did not want the abortions. My partner at the time came from a family and cultural context in which having a child outside marriage could have carried serious consequences for him. more..

Oct 1 (DN) Govt’s move to expand the country’s forest cover is a well thought out move. In this respect, credit should go to our one time British conquerors, who, nevertheless, took all measures to preserve the country’s beauty, which included protecting and preserving our forest cover. Unfortunately, the locals gave scant regard to the importance of protecting the forests but went about on a destruction spree, which has now been checked with the enactment of new laws more..

Oct 1 (Island) Media reports about a Police Headquarters decision to transfer Senior Deputy IGP Ranmal Kodithuwakku, who oversees the Central Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB), and several other senior police officers involved in uncovering a massive drug haul recently have raised many an eyebrow. The Police Department is reported to have sought the National Police Commission’s approval for their transfers, citing organisational/service requirements. more..

Oct 1 (TM) On 18 Sept, Ministry of Agriculture, farmers, representatives of the Mahaweli Authority including its Water Management Secretariat, and other officials met for the pre-seasonal meeting for the 2026/27 Maha season. The meeting, known as kanna resweema, is an official and traditional planning session held before each cultivation season. It brings together farming communities, agrarian service officials, irrigation engineers more..

Oct 1 (ST) Pray, who has made a mess of this world? Cast your eyes at a globe and into history right up to the modern times and you can pick gunny bags full of the guilty, some of our own grand masters not excluded. There I was seated in a comfortable chair presented by British National Health Service, contemplating the navel and wondering when El Nino will strike its devastating blows as scientist have predicted, before Trump does, now that he is busy paying pooja to more..

Oct 1 (SO) Case of Sivarasa Anojan has drawn considerable political attention, with the Govt stepping up diplomatic efforts to secure a pardon, deportation to SL or a reduction of the death sentence imposed on the young Sri Lankan in Saudi. Prez has instructed Foreign Ministry officials and security authorities to pursue every possible avenue, including a formal diplomatic appeal to Saudi King. He has also reportedly stressed the difficult circumstances faced by Anojan’s parents. more..

Oct 1 (SO) Cinema has always been fascinated by legends. Sometimes it is the legend of a king, sometimes a political leader, sometimes a sports hero, and sometimes, as in the case of Eda Rae, a vocalist whose voice has lived on long after his death. Directed by Aruna Jayawardena, Eda Rae takes on the life and musical journey of Milton Mallawarachchi. He was one of the most recognisable voices in SL popular music. more..

Oct 1 (TM) Walk into the BMICH this week and you will hear something no algorithm has managed to reproduce: the sound of a crowd turning pages. Schoolchildren clutch bags heavy with purchases, parents follow closely behind them, and elderly readers stand in the aisles, lost in a paragraph. 27th Colombo Int'l Book Fair, which runs until 4 Oct, opened to large crowds, including students, both young and old among them. In an age when a machine can summarise a novel in seconds, more..

Oct 1 (CT) Despite all criticisms levelled chiefly against the inexperience and dearth of talent within the AKD led NPP govt, which was swept to power with an overwhelming mandate and without any bloodshed, that govt with its unflinching commitment to pragmatic policies and clean governance has performed remarkably well not simply to arrest the economy’s descent towards stagnation and financial bankruptcy but by putting it on a stronger footing towards achieving higher growth in the future. more..

Sep 30 (AD) PM Harini Amarasuriya stated that the upcoming 2027 Budget will place priority on waste management, waste reduction and recycling, emphasizing that what should be left for future generations is not contaminated soil or seas filled with plastic, but a clean and green environment where they can breathe freely and live healthy lives. PM made these remarks while delivering the keynote address at Int'l Conference on Plastic, Innovation & Environmental Sustainability, more..

Sep 30 (DM) Deputy Minister Eranga Gunasekera said the govt is committed to upholding the rule of law and ensuring that allegations of political crimes are investigated through the country’s legal system. He said the government is working to strengthen the independence of SL’s legal and investigative institutions, including the police and the judiciary. Gunasekera said individuals found responsible for political crimes, murders or actions that contributed to the country’s economic collapse more..

Sep 30 (NW) A bill published in a Gazette supplement proposes that the next SLC chairperson be selected from among seven Independent Directors, with the board choosing the chairperson by majority vote. The proposed SLC Act does not make the chairperson’s post a separate elected position. A candidate must first qualify as an Independent Director, be nominated by the Nomination Committee and appointed to more..

Sep 30 (EN) Central Bank left its Overnight Policy Rate (OPR) at the current level of 8.75% citing higher inflation was due to the pass-through of the energy shock across multiple sectors of the economy following the Middle Eastern escalation. Headline inflation hit 8% in August. “Headline inflation is projected to remain in high single digits through Q1-2027, before easing towards the 5% target,” CB said. “Core inflation also increased as a result of spillovers from higher energy prices. more..

Sep 30 (EN) Cabinet has approved an estimated 180 million rupee project to prepare baseline maps for assessing and regulating the country’s groundwater resources. The initiative will be carried out over a three-year period starting in 2027. It will focus on 5 districts across the island: Kurunegala, A'pura, Gampaha, Jaffna & Hambantota. The initiative is needed to address growing threats to underground water supplies, including source contamination, rising water demand, and more..

Sep 30 (Island) Senior Vice President of ITAK C.V.K. Sivagnanam has rejected TNPF’s allegation that the removal of the bronze Thileepan statue, from the Nallur memorial, was carried out at his instigation, or at his party’s request. “An outrageous allegation has been levelled that I and the ITAK were opposed to the placing of the statue, that we abetted the actions of the police, and that the police acted on the basis of more..

Sep 30 (NW) Second Reading of the Appropriation Bill for 2027, marking the presentation of the govt’s Budget proposals, will take place in Parliament on Nov 12. Budget Speech will be delivered by the President in his capacity as the Minister in charge of Finance, while the entire Budget process is scheduled to continue until Dec 14. Timetable was approved by the Committee on Parliamentary Business at a meeting held on Sept 25 under the chairmanship of Speaker Wickramaratne. more..

Sep 30 (Island) In a significant move to deepen academic research and strategic cooperation between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, a MoU was signed today between Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) and South Asia Sustainability and Security Research Institute (SASSRI), Pakistan HC said in a press release. The virtual signing ceremony took place on Monday (28) in the presence of Dr. Nayyar Naseer, HI (M), High Commissioner of Pakistan to Sri Lanka. more..

Sep 30 (TM) Public Security Ministry is holding discussions with China regarding the introduction of a new uniform for the Police, with suggestions being made to include body cameras as part of the new uniform. According to the Ministry, a smaller number of body cameras will be introduced initially, with plans to purchase a larger number after assessing the success of the initiative. Minister Ananda Wijepala said that discussions are being held with China regarding five uniforms. more..

Sep 30 (NW) Inland Revenue Department (IRD) has reminded taxpayers that today is the deadline for making the final income tax payment for the 2025/2026 year of assessment. The dept said all taxpayers paying income tax on behalf of companies, individuals and partnerships must use payment period code 25260 when making the payment. Taxpayers can make payments online or at any branch of the Bank of Ceylon. IRD warned that interest and penalties will be imposed on more..