Feb 10 (ANI) The recent trade agreement between the US and India serves as a significant catalyst for this growth, creating a ripple effect that benefits neighbouring economies. Hishan Singhawansa, CEO of Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts, told ANI that the expansion of the Indian economy directly correlates with the prosperity of Sri Lanka. "If India grows, SL grows with it, and that's the opportunity we want to kind of take advantage of," he said. He described India as a giant neighbour and more..

Feb 10 (NW) A discussion on regulating school student transport services was held under the patronage of PM Harini Amarasuriya at the PM’s Office today (9). Officials from the National Transport Commission and the Ministry of Education participated in the discussion. The authority for regulating school student transport has been vested with the National Transport Commission, and as the relevant draft of regulations has already been prepared, discussions were held on more..

Feb 10 (EN) SL govt is in the process of changing chairman, board of directors, and top officials in select state institutions, Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said. The move comes weeks after Minister K.D. Lal Kantha’s statement on winning the govt but not the state, in a political rhetoric, reflects the Marxist-Leninist ideological roots of the JVP, key partner of the ruling NPP coalition. Traditionally, state-owned enterprise (SOE) boards were more..

Feb 10 (AD) Govt will implement a special security arrangement for the India–Pakistan T20 World Cup encounter scheduled to be played in Colombo on Feb 15, Minister Nalinda Jayatissa announced. He said SL govt welcomes Pakistan’s reversal of its earlier decision not to play the match against India, following intervention by SL. He added that SL is ready to step in to promote friendship and cooperation among countries in the region through cricket whenever the opportunity arises. more..

Feb 10 (DM) Appreciating the European Union's (EU) GSP trade facility, which has been vital for SL’s economic growth, Minister Vijitha Herath has conveyed SL's interest in re-applying for the GSP trade facility when the current cycle ends. He said that SL conveyed its interest during a meeting with Paola Pampaloni, Acting Managing Director for Asia and Pacific of the European Union, who is in SL to co-chair the 27th Session of the EU–SL Joint Commission External Action Service (EEAS). more..

Feb 10 (NW) Former Prez Chandrika Kumaratunga has voiced strong concern over what she described as the erosion of SL’s professional public service, warning that selective justice and politically driven governance threaten the foundations of the State. Kumaratunga said she had decided to share extracts from an article titled When Justice Becomes Selective, stating that the issues raised in the article deeply affect the country’s system more..

Feb 10 (AD) Sri Lanka Police have issued Interpol red notices to secure the return of 103 suspects currently residing overseas, Police Media Spokesperson, ASP F. U. Wootler has stated. Police Media Spokesperson also confirmed that authorities have managed to bring three wanted individuals back to the country this year. He added that law enforcement agencies have confiscated property worth Rs. 50 million belonging to suspects who allegedly committed crimes and fled abroad. more..

Feb 10 (Island) Over 2,000 Thai cruise passengers arrived at Hambantota International Port (HIP) this week aboard the MV Celebrity Millennium. The call points to the emergence of Thailand as a promising new market for SL’s cruise tourism. The Malta-flagged Celebrity Millennium, operated by Celebrity Cruises, arrived from Phuket on 2 Feb, with 2,171 passengers and 969 crew on board. Measuring 294 metres in length, the vessel is one of the largest cruise ships to call at HIP to date more..

Feb 10 (NW) Cabinet has approved the implementation of the National Mineral Policy 2026, a revised framework aimed at strengthening the sustainable management and development of the country’s mineral resources. Originally formulated in 1999, the policy was updated in 2023 to address emerging challenges and opportunities in the mining sector. Key focus areas in revised version include development of an updated mineral resource database, promotion of value addition more..

Feb 10 (ST) Sri Lanka will seek compensation from its former colonial rulers for loss of life and property as well as the return of artefacts stolen from the country, Minister Vijitha Herath told Parliament. This was to compensate for the losses and damage done to the country during centuries of colonial rule. Mr Herath’s remarks came in response to a question raised by Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, who suggested that the govt join several other post-colonial states in Africa more..

Feb 10 (AFP) When Sri Lankan mechanic Sarath Ananda left his job in Kuwait to make traditional palm sweets, he never imagined the career switch would bring global acclaim. Ananda returned home in 2008 and embraced his family's traditional vocation -- tapping sap from the kithul palm, becoming a fifth‑generation practitioner of a craft now recognised by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. more..

Feb 10 (ST) Salaries for staff assigned to implement special development projects have shot up nearly three times compared to the past under the newly proposed salary scale, according to a circular issued by the General Treasury. Under the special projects category, projects with the estimated total cost of USD five million and an implementation timeframe of one year can be considered to set up a separate Project Management Unit (PMU) with dedicated staff on a full-time basis. more..

Feb 10 (EN) Sri Lanka will introduce new regulations to mandate the re-registration of SIM cards issued before Aug 2, 2019, minister Nalinda Jayatissa said. “The information of some subscribers registered before 2019-08-02 is not in the possession of the telephone operator companies and this has created a situation of problems in some legal investigations,” Jayatissa said. The regulations also need to be amended to include new provisions related to the registration of subscribers more..

Feb 10 (DM) SL could be plunged into darkness as power engineers prepare to strike in protest of the govt’s plan to dismantle the CEB. The Technical Engineers and Superintendents Association has warned that once the gazette establishing six new subsidiary companies is issued, industrial action could bring the nation’s main power grids to a standstill. Its Vice President Nandana Udayakumara said that the association is more..

Feb 10 (AD) Satyagraha campaign launched by a group of fishermen demanding the lifting of the government’s ban on the use of tractor-mounted winches for Madel (seine nets) fishing activities continues for the sixth consecutive day today. This follows the failure of discussions held yesterday between the protesters and the Director General of Public Relations at the Presidential Secretariat, D. Gamage, to reach a viable solution. However, Deputy Minister of Fisheries Rathna Gamage more..

Feb 10 (AD) Parliamentary business relevant to the parliamentary week from Feb 17 to Feb 20, was decided at the meeting of the Committee on Parliamentary Business held on 6 Feb under the Chairmanship of the Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne. Accordingly, Parliament is scheduled to convene from Feb 17 to Feb 20, Secretary General of Parliament, Kushani Rohanadeera said in a statement. On each of these sitting days, time from 9.30 a.m. to 10 a.m. more..

Feb 10 (NW) The Chief Incumbent of the Hunupitiya Gangaramaya Temple, Ven. Dr Kirinde Assaji Nayaka Thera has requested the public to refrain from queuing for the exposition of the sacred Devnimori relics of Lord Buddha at the Hunupitiya Gangaramaya Temple in Colombo, after 10.00 pm today. Addressing the media today, Ven. Kirinde Assaji Nayaka Thera said that there was only a specific number of people who could be allowed per day to view sacred relics brought from India. more..

Feb 10 (DM) Supreme Court has delivered its ruling in a decades-long legal dispute between a mother and her daughter, holding that a donor mother has the right to revoke property gifted to her daughter on the grounds of gross ingratitude. The case originated in the District Court of Gampaha, where the mother filed action against her daughter and the daughter’s minor son seeking to set aside a deed of gift by which she had transferred her property to her daughter, subject to her life interest. more..

Feb 10 (AD) Sri Lanka has recorded a notable improvement in its global standing on 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), released today by Transparency International. SL showed a positive trajectory over the past year moving up 14 places in the index, which ranks more than 180 countries and territories on perceived levels of public sector corruption. In the 2024 CPI, the country recorded a score of 32, placing it at 121st more..

Feb 10 (DM) Two female teachers allegedly involved in an inappropriate relationship with the former Head Prefect of Nalanda College, Colombo, have been removed from the school and attached to the Provincial Education Office, informed sources said. However, the two teachers have reportedly not yet reported for duty at the Provincial Education Office. Meanwhile, confirming the development, Education Ministry Secretary Nalaka Kaluwewa stated that he has received the preliminary inquiry report more..

Feb 10 (CT) Badulla District had been identified as one of the areas in Sri Lanka where children were most frequently subjected to abuse by their own parents, Minister Saroja Savitri Paulraj said. Addressing a programme held at the Badulla District Secretariat Auditorium, the Minister revealed that more than 3,000 children living on estates in the district remained without birth certificates, leaving many effectively unregistered in official records. She said, steps had already more..

Feb 10 (CI) Sri Lanka allrounder Wanindu Hasaranga has been ruled out of the 2026 T20 World Cup with a hamstring injury he suffered during their opening game against Ireland in Colombo on Sunday. Although he completed his spell, taking 3 for 25 in four overs to derail Ireland's spirited chase of 164, Hasaranga had an MRI scan on Monday that revealed a serious tear in his left hamstring. Report was seen by a specialist more..

Feb 10 (AD) Chief Prelate of the Kotte Sri Kalayani Samagri Dharma Maha Sangha Sabha of Siyam Maha Nikaya, Most Venerable Dr. Ittapana Dhammalankara Thero has raised concern over the arrest and continuous remand of ten individuals, including Buddhist monks, in relation to the Buddha statue incident in Trincomalee. Accordingly, the Chief Prelate has addressed a letter to Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake. The letter expresses concern over the remanding of ten individuals, more..

Feb 10 (FT) CB Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe’s recent remarks projecting 4–5% growth in 2026 and highlighting improving reserves, lower inflation, and financial stability have been widely welcomed. After the trauma of SL’s economic crisis, any sign of normalcy is understandably reassuring. Yet this optimism needs to be read carefully. What is being presented is largely a story of stabilisation and recovery, framed in familiar IMF language of macroeconomic management. more..

Feb 10 (FT) International actors funding Digital Public Infrastructure in post-conflict societies risk creating surveillance systems whilst pursuing economic inclusion. Drawing on evidence from Sri Lanka, UNDP analysis, and comparative cases, Sanjana Hattotuwa argues that donors must condition DPI support on verifiable rights protections, including trilingual communications, consultations, and legal safeguards, before disbursement, not as governance afterthoughts. In January 2026, more..

Feb 10 (NW) Wildlife officers from Nallathanniya reported that the body of a leopard was found this morning in the upper section of the Kotiyagala Estate in Bogawantalawa, after it was caught in a wire snare set on a tea bush. Officials suspect that the snare had been deliberately placed to trap the leopard, which had been roaming the estate and preying on dogs and cattle kept by estate workers. It is reported that during its struggle to escape, leopard’s neck had become more..

Feb 10 (FT) Govt has moved to pause and reconsider the controversial proposed Protection of Occupants/Tenants legislation, signalling a reset of the drafting process amid legal challenges and concerns raised before the Supreme Court. Attorney General’s Dept informed the Supreme Court yesterday that the Govt has decided to re-examine the draft Protection of Occupants Bill, which was recently presented to Parliament, more..

Feb 10 (NF) A flurry of late‑night diplomacy between SL, Pakistan, and global cricket authorities has cleared the way for the high‑voltage India–Pakistan T20 World Cup match in Colombo to proceed on February 15, ending uncertainty surrounding one of the tournament’s most anticipated fixtures. SL President Anura Kumara Dissanayake announced that the match would go ahead as scheduled, thanking Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif for ensuring the game we all love goes on. more..

Feb 10 (DN) The GMOA will meet in Colombo on Wednesday to take a decision regarding the trade union action taken by its members, Assistant Secretary Dr. Hansamal Weerasuriya said yesterday. He said that the trade union action by the GMOA has been implemented in a way that causes minimal inconvenience to patients. Dr. Weerasuriya lamented that the Govt has not yet taken steps to provide a solution to this problem that has been going on for about two weeks. more..

Feb 10 (TM) In the wake of Opposition criticism over the Speaker of Parliament, Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne, continuing in office amid an inquiry by the CIABOC against him, NPP Govt stated the next course of action would depend on the outcome of the inquiry. SJB MP Ranjith Madduma Bandara said that it is inappropriate for the Speaker to remain in office when an inquiry over corruption-related allegations is underway. more..

Feb 10 (FT) Tourism sector has maintained its growth momentum in early February, with the country welcoming 80,776 visitors in the first eight days of the month, reflecting a 14% year-on-year (YoY) increase. This performance has pushed total year-to-date (YTD) arrivals to 358,103, marking an 11% increase compared to the same period last year. The first week of February accounted for the bulk of arrivals, with 70,355 tourists entering SL, followed by 10,421 arrivals on 8 Feb alone. more..

Feb 10 (TM) Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU) has called for the Govt to suspend Circular 5/2015 to effectively stop schools from collecting money from parents. CTU President Priyantha Fernando said while suspending the said circular, Govt must also provide adequate facilities and financial allocations to ensure that schools do not require student contributions for maintenance. “Well-reputed major schools in Colombo hold events and raise funds, yet, the rural schools have no such facilities. more..