Feb 3 (CT) The first section of the Central Expressway (E04), from Kadawatha to Mirigama, was progressing steadily with funds facilitated by the RDA, although uncertainty persisted over Chinese loan financing, Ceylon Today learned. The delay was allegedly attributed to SL’s failure to finalise and submit a revised loan facility request to Chinese lenders. Project, which resumed in Sept 2015 following the restoration of more..

Feb 3 (AD) PM Harini Amarasuriya stated that none of the modules introduced for Grade 6 under the new education reforms have been withdrawn. She noted that the govt plans to implement these reforms starting next year. “Only the modules for the first term of Grade 6 have been printed. None of them have been rejected or removed. We propose to implement the Grade 6 reforms in 2027. These modules will be utilized when implementation begins. No decision has been taken at this time more..

Feb 3 (DM) Hajj operators have alleged that nearly Rs. 110 million, collected additionally from operators for Mina tent facilities during the 2025 Hajj pilgrimage, has yet to be refunded, more than a year after the funds became due for repayment. According to the operators, 3,500 Sri Lankan pilgrims participated in the 2025 Hajj. An additional charge of 362 Saudi Riyals per pilgrim was collected from operators specifically to provide enhanced facilities at the Mina tents. more..

Feb 3 (NW) Minister of Justice and National Integration, Harshana Nanayakkara, told Parliament today that the proposed Bills to repeal the Rent Act and to introduce the Protection of Occupants law will not cause harm to individuals or businesses engaged in renting out houses. Addressing concerns raised over the proposed legislation, Minister said both Bills were prepared by a panel of experts and followed due legal and more..

Feb 3 (EN) Sri Lanka has set up a Tax Policy Analysis Unit (TPAU) under the Department of Fiscal Policy in its Ministry of Finance, in keeping with the IMF recommendations. The core functions of TPAU include revenue analysis; economic and distributional analysis of tax policies; evaluation of tax expenditures; engagement with key stakeholders; and analysis and support on international taxation and regional and international tax cooperation, ministry said in a statement. more..

Feb 3 (CT) Services at 164 hospital wards and units across the country have been disrupted due to the trade union action launched yesterday, Govt Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) said. According to the GMOA, the disruption has occurred after specialist doctors decided to provide specialist services only at the hospitals to which they are officially attached, and to withdraw from covering duties at hospitals without resident specialists. As a result, peripheral hospitals have been the most affected. more..

Feb 3 (NW) Former Justice Minister Ali Sabry PC has warned that the proposed Protection of Occupants Bill, 2025, though well-intentioned, could have serious legal and economic consequences if enacted in its current form. In a detailed statement, Sabry said that while preventing harassment and unlawful eviction is a legitimate public objective, draft law risks undermining SL’s rental market more..

Feb 3 (NW) Marking a generational shift in Tamil politics, the ITAK has appointed 35-year-old Batticaloa MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam as its new parliamentary group leader, replacing veteran Jaffna legislator Sivagnanam Shritharan following internal disagreements over party principles and accountability. The decision follows Shritharan’s refusal to step down from the Constitutional Council despite opposition within ITAK over his backing of senior military officers, more..

Feb 3 (AD) Cabinet has granted approval for a proposal to sign a MoU between Sri Lanka and Finland with the objective of establishing a Political Consultation Mechanism to further strengthen bilateral relations. Official diplomatic relations between SL and Finland were established in 1954, and the 72nd anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries will be commemorated this year. Over the years, the relationship between both countries, which is strengthened by more..

Feb 3 (AD) Court of Appeal today issued a writ order annulling the decision of the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court to issue summons directing former Prez Maithripala Sirisena to appear before the court in relation to a private complaint filed regarding criminal negligence for failing to prevent the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks. A 5-judge bench of the Court of Appeal delivered this order while delivering the decision on a writ petition filed by former Prez Maithripala Sirisena, more..

Feb 3 (DM) The govt is holding discussions on allowing vehicle imports for high-ranking govt officials who have received vehicle permits on their retirement, Deputy Minister Nishantha Jayaweera said today. He told Parliament that 1,900 permits have been issued so far under the scheme introduced for granting motor vehicle permits to high-ranking govt officials on a concessional basis upon their retirement. Responding to a question raised by MP Dayasiri Jayasekara, Dy Minister said more..

Feb 3 (AD) A group of School Development Officers, who were engaged in a fast-unto-death protest near the Presidential Secretariat, ended their protest campaign following the meeting with Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Protest campaign was temporarily called off after nine days following satisfactory discussions with the Prez. Protest, which initially began as a Satyagraha on Jan 26, was escalated to a fast-unto-death more..

Feb 3 (AD) Attorney-at-Law Rajeev Amarasuriya has been re-elected, uncontested, for a further term as President of the Bar Association of SL (BASL) for 2026/2027. He will formally be inducted at the 52nd BASL Convocation scheduled for 28 March 2026, according to the BASL. Former BASL Treasurer Nalin De Silva was also elected uncontested as the new Secretary of the BASL for 2026/2027 and will take over from incumbent Secretary Chathura Galhena, who completes his two-year term, more..

Feb 3 (CT) US Embassy in SL announced that it had temporarily scaled back regular updates on its official Facebook page following a lapse in appropriations in the US, which resulted in a partial shutdown of the federal govt. Embassy said it would continue to share only urgent safety and security information until full operations were restored. All routine updates would remain suspended during this period. The embassy clarified that, despite the funding lapse, scheduled passport & visa more..

Feb 3 (AD) Constitutional Council (CC) today unanimously approved the appointment of Senior Deputy Auditor General Samudika Jayaratne to the position of Auditor General of SL. CC convened at 12 noon today at the Parliament Complex chaired by the Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne. It was reported that the Council considered the names recommended by the Prez for the position of AG during the meeting. more..

Feb 3 (AD) SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa has left the CID a short while ago after recording a statement for over four hours. MP arrived at the CID today following a summons to provide a statement regarding his alleged connections with underworld kingpin Kehelbaddara Padme. It is reported that Namal Rajapaksa had previously been summoned to appear before the CID; however, as he was abroad at the time, he requested a rescheduled date, resulting in issuance of today’s summons. more..

Feb 3 (AD) Former First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa has left the FCID a short while ago after recording a statement for over four hours. She was summoned to provide a statement regarding alleged financial irregularities in the Siriliya funds. She had previously been summoned on 27 Jan 2026 to appear before the FCID to record a statement. Accordingly, through her attorney, she had informed the police that she is unable to attend on that day and requested a two-week extension. more..

Feb 3 (FT) Constitution of SL and Executive Presidential system was adopted on 7 Sept 1978 and the Code of Criminal Procedure Code Act (CCrPC) was enacted on 2 July 1979. The CCPrC was a measure to deal with the broad issues of the criminal justice system which postulates broad powers to the Office of the Attorney General. Supreme Law of the Country is the Constitution. The provisions of the CCrP have not been challenged in Supreme Court by the civil society or by BASL. more..

Feb 3 (FT) SL is presently without a substantive Auditor General following the retirement of the previous office holder in Apr 2025, and this article examines the institutional implications of that circumstance purely from a professional, constitutional, and comparative public-governance perspective, and not otherwise, with reference to established international audit standards and practice. Office of the Auditor General occupies a central position in constitutional architecture. more..

Feb 3 (DM) Passengers arriving at BIA were left inconvenienced and delayed as SL’s newly installed automated border control (ABC) e-gates failed to scan passports efficiently, raising questions about the readiness of the high-tech system funded with US$ 8.4 million by the Japanese govt. Immigration and Emigration Dept confirmed that the inconvenience stemmed from missing passenger information in API system, more..

Feb 3 (DM) SL’s internet users stood at 13.9 million last year, an increase of 1.5 million since 2024. It, indicates that 40.3% of the population in Sri Lanka still do not use the internet in their day-to-day life. The report titled Digital SL 2026 says that 9.37 million people in Sri Lanka did not use the internet at the end of 2025. The report further said that among the population aged 18 and above, social media users stood at 9 million by the end of last year, which is 52.5% of the total population (18 & above) more..

Feb 3 (DN) Minister Bimal Ratnayake stated that teacher recruitment must be conducted strictly through competitive examinations as provided for in the Constitution, and that this procedure cannot be altered to suit the preferences of the President or Ministers. The Minister further emphasised that the Sri Lanka Teacher Service Constitution clearly defines the recruitment mechanism, noting that the examination-based system has been officially gazetted and is legally binding. more..

Feb 3 (FT) SL’s tourism industry has begun 2026 on a strong footing, recording its highest-ever January arrivals, welcoming over 277,000 visitors and surpassing the previous high of 252,761 registered last year. The country welcomed 277,327 tourists in January, marking a 10% year-on-year (YoY) increase compared to the same period last year. The improvement was underpinned by a notable rise in average daily arrivals, more..

Feb 3 (FT) PM Harini Amarasuriya yesterday declared that the Govt is working closely with international partners to position SL as a credible country for sustainable, inclusive development, investments, and tourism in the South Asia region. She made this assertion speaking as the Chief Guest at the inauguration of the South Asia Regional Conference of the World Federation of Consuls (FICAC) 2026 in Colombo. 3-day conference is hosted by the Association of Consuls in SL more..

Feb 3 (AD) The Constitutional Council is scheduled to meet today at 12.00 noon at the Parliament Complex, under the patronage of its Chairman, Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne. It is reported that the Council will consider the names recommended by the President for the position of Auditor General during the meeting. Accordingly, a decision on the appointment of a new Auditor General is expected to be made today. The position of Auditor General has remained vacant since 08 April 2025, more..

Feb 3 (DM) Lanka Sugar Company has dismissed recent social media reports regarding its Nugegoda retail outlet, calling the claims false and misleading. In an official statement, the company said the temporary closure of the store was due solely to the illness of a sales employee on Saturday (31). The outlet remained closed on Sunday (1), in observance of Poya Day, in line with normal procedure. Company emphasized that misleading interpretations of these routine closures more..

Feb 3 (NW) CID on Monday questioned former ministers Prasanna Ranatunga and Chamal Rajapaksa regarding their alleged connections to notorious underworld figure Kehelbaddara Padme. The inquiry follows the high-profile arrest of Padme in Indonesia last August and his subsequent repatriation to SL. Police sources indicate that investigators are looking into potential links between political figures and the suspect’s organized crime network, which includes allegations of more..

Feb 3 (TM) The Electricity Consumers’ Association (ECA) has demanded the relevant authorities immediately assess the damage caused by the use of substandard coal and act in line with the existing agreement. The ECA General Secretary Sanjeewa Dhammika said that comments made by the Chairperson of the Lanka Coal Company at a recent media briefing, including his claim that coal ash is a blessing, more..

Feb 3 (AD) Strong objections are being raised against an attack carried out by Indian Coast Guard officers on a group of SL fishermen based on false allegations, Minister of Fisheries Ramalingam Chandrasekar stated. Minister noted that the Indian High Commission in Colombo has also been informed about the attack. Incident occurred on Jan 29, when 12 fishermen aboard two fishing vessels that had set out from the Wellamankaraya Fishery Harbour in Wennappuwa more..

Feb 3 (NW) India will hold a public exposition of the sacred Devnimori Relics of Lord Buddha at Gangaramaya Temple from Feb 4 to 11, marking a major religious and cultural event for SrL Buddhists. The holy relics will arrive in Colombo with full state honours as part of India’s ongoing cultural and spiritual outreach under the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav initiative. The exposition follows a vision articulated by Indian PM Narendra Modi during his visit to Sri Lanka in April 2025, more..

Feb 3 (Island) SL batting coach Vikram Rathour has hailed middle-order batter Pavan Rathnayake as one of the finest players of spin in the modern game, saying the youngster’s nimble footwork and velvet touch were a breath of fresh air for a side long troubled by the turning ball. Drafted in for the second T20I after SL’s familiar struggles against spin, Rathnayake looked anything but overawed by England’s seasoned tweakers, skipping down the track with sure feet and working the ball more..

Feb 3 (FT) Govt has initiated steps to formally protect, reassess and potentially develop a large vein quartz (Dhamani Thiruvana) deposit in Monaragala District, following a field visit by Minister Sunil Handunnetthi. Minister visited Kotikambokka vein quartz deposit on Sunday to observe the site and assess its potential contribution to the national economy. The deposit, which is currently not being mined, spans around 700 metres and has been identified through preliminary scientific more..