Latest Sri Lanka News and Top Stories

The Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court today (October 13, 2026) ordered prison officials to verify whether former First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa was scheduled to undergo open-heart surgery.

Member of Parliament Namal Rajapaksa and his brother Yoshitha Rajapaksa appeared before courts in Colombo today (October 13, 2026) in connection with separate corruption cases.

Four Jamaican nationals, including two women, were arrested with more than 1 kilogram of cocaine during a police operation in Kollupitiya, Colombo, on October 12, 2026.

Former First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa, who is currently being held on remand at Welikada Prison, has been admitted to the Cardiology Unit of the National Hospital of Sri Lanka in Colombo.

Former Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Colombo Municipal Councillor Mahinda Kahandagama has been remanded in custody until October 26, 2026, by the Nugegoda Magistrate’s Court.

Former State Minister of Primary Industries Chamara Sampath Dasanayake was arrested today (October 12, 2026) over allegations of accepting bribes from gem businessmen and receiving money linked to phosphate exports.

Sri Lanka received US$6,865.4 million in workers’ remittances during the first nine months of 2026, an increase of US$1,053.7 million compared to the same period last year, according to the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.

The Maligakanda Magistrate’s Court today (October 12, 2026) dismissed former First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa’s anticipatory bail application, advising her to file the application before a court with proper jurisdiction.

Former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa was admitted to Nawaloka Private Hospital in Colombo this morning (October 12, 2026) following a sudden cardiac issue, according to sources close to him.

Nawalapitiya Mayor Amal Priyankara, his son and son-in-law have been arrested over an alleged assault following a road accident on Saturday night (October 10, 2026).

Two suspects have been arrested with pistols and ammunition during separate police raids in Weeraketiya and Kosgoda on October 11, 2026, with heroin also recovered during one of the operations.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said today (October 11, 2026) that the era when powerful individuals escaped the law while ordinary people faced legal action has come to an end in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka has retained its Tier 2 status in the United States Department of State’s 2026 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report for the fifth consecutive year, the Ministry of Defence said.

A 24-year-old man has been arrested with more than 18 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine (Ice) and heroin during a police raid in the Mabola area of Wattala.

More than 1,000 students at the University of Ruhuna underwent eye examinations and hearing tests today (October 10, 2026), under the second phase of the President’s Fund programme to provide free spectacles to university students.

Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, O. L. Ameer Ajwad, visited Anojan Sivarasa at Dammam Central Prison on October 8, 2026, and confirmed that he was in good health.