Feb 5 (FT) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake set out a broad economic vision centred on governance, human capital, and equitable growth, arguing that Sri Lanka’s political independence remains incomplete without economic freedom. Addressing the 78th National Independence Day celebrations, Prez said the country was still engaged in a struggle to complete our independence, adding that more..

Feb 5 (NW) A large rally was held in Kilinochchi today to declare SL’s Independence Day as a Black Day for the Tamil people, highlighting longstanding grievances in the North and East. The march, which began at the Kandaswamy Temple premises in Kilinochchi, proceeded to the Depot Junction before concluding with a Black Day declaration by a collective of civil society organisations. Protesters called attention to what they described as continued oppression in the Tamil homeland of N&E more..

Feb 5 (EN) SL’s central bank could have intervened to bring down short term rates that were moving up, but rates fell before the agency intervened, CB Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe said. Sri Lanka’s interbank rates moved up above 7.75% overnight policy rate (OPR) as private credit picked up last year until cyclone Ditwah, and also govt relief payments in December. Rates started to move down in January with the central bank also buying more dollars and injecting more liquidity. more..

Feb 5 (DM) As SL celebrated its 78th Independence Day today under the theme Building Sri Lanka, world leaders from across the globe extended their warm wishes, reaffirming bilateral ties and pledging continued support for the island nation’s economic recovery and development. Messages, addressed to Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake and the people of SL, highlighted themes of resilience, regional stability & more..

Feb 5 (CT) A high-level progress review meeting on the renovation of the Pettah Bus Terminal was held on Tuesday (3) at the Ministry of Defence, chaired by Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Air Vice Marshal (Retd) Sampath Thuyacontha. The meeting focused on the renovation project being executed by the SL Air Force (SLAF), which aims to enhance passenger facilities, improve operational efficiency, and establish a safer, cleaner, and more commuter-friendly environment more..

Feb 5 (DM) UNP is preparing for a new generation leadership that would embrace smart politics, party leader former Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe said. Speaking during the launch of the SMART UNP digital drive at Sirikotha, Wickremesinghe said the party and the nation as a whole should be handed over to the Zen Beta generation youth in the future. “I am more than 70 years old. There are people here who are more than 70, some are more than 60 and others who are around 50. more..

Feb 5 (AD) More than 3,000 govt schools across the island have fewer than 10 teachers. According to data from the Dept of Census and Statistics for the year 2025, there are 10,047 schools island-wide. Out of these schools, 3,065 have fewer than 10 teachers. It is also stated that one of these schools is a national school. In 1,645 govt schools across the country, the number of students is fewer than 50. Among the govt schools with fewer than 50 students, there is one national school and 1,644 provincial schools, more..

Feb 5 (EN) Sri Lanka should increase its trade with India with an aim to reduce risks in the ongoing geopolitical battle, a former ADB research expert said. Sri Lanka and India have a long history of attempting to upgrade their 1998 Free Trade Agreement (FTA) into a broader comprehensive deal. While technical negotiations were completed for two major frameworks, CEPA and ETCA, neither was signed due to intense political opposition and domestic pressure within SL. more..

Feb 5 (NW) Marking the commencement of the veneration of the Sacred Devnimori Relics of Lord Buddha, the first floral offering was made this afternoon (4) by Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake. This event follows discussions held between Prez Dissanayake and Indian PM Narendra Modi during the latter’s visit to SL. As a result of these discussions and through the personal intervention of PM Modi with full patronage more..

Feb 5 (FT) The National Sales Average (NSA) of tea declined in January 2026 on both a month-on-month (M-o-M) and year-on-year (YoY) basis, according to Forbes & Walker Research. The NSA for the month stood at Rs. 1,164.54 ($ 3.76), down Rs. 37.04 and $ 0.13 from December 2025, when the average was Rs. 1,201.58 ($ 3.89). Compared with January 2025, when the NSA averaged Rs. 1,185.43 ($ 4), the January 2026 figure represents a decline of Rs. 20.89 and $ 0.24. more..

Feb 5 (TM) Health Ministry is set to launch telemedicine services by March 2026 with a grant received from the USAID fund a few years earlier. Ministry Secretary, Dr. Anil Jasinghe said that TV screens were imported to Sri Lanka for the provision of telemedicine services on a grant given about three to four years ago. Explaining, he said, “The screens were obtained at the time without developing a platform to operationalise telemedicine.” Dr. Jasinghe further noted that more..

Feb 5 (Island) A home series against England was meant to be the ideal dress rehearsal, a chance for Sri Lanka to oil the wheels and gather momentum ahead of the World Cup starting later this week. Instead, the campaign has gone awfully wrong. Plenty of promise, precious little substance. Bar the lone victory in the opening ODI, the hosts have spent the white-ball leg chasing shadows, the ODI series defeat a bitter pill and the T20I whitewash a full-blown reality check. more..

Feb 5 (CI) Where in other formats, Sri Lanka have had brief shining moments in the past few years, their T20I returns have been consistently modest. Since the start of 2022, there has not been a single calendar year in which Sri Lanka have won more T20Is than they have lost. This, despite some of their oppositions through this period not being especially highly-ranked. Sri Lanka arrive at this World Cup in now customary disarray. A captain has been switched. Or more accurately, more..

Feb 5 (TM) Environment Ministry stated that if the use of substandard coal has caused any environmental impact, the relevant authorities would take necessary action, noting that concerns have however been raised particularly about its sulphur composition. Deputy Minister Anton Jayakody said the most significant concern relates to the sulphur composition of the coal in question. “If an environmental impact arises from this, more..

Feb 5 (FT) Cabinet has approved the award of tenders for the installation of independent battery storage systems at 16 electrical substations across SL, a major step towards maximising the utilisation of solar energy in the national electricity grid. Approval follows the submission of a General Board Memorandum by Power Minister EKumara Jayakody, highlighting the need for battery storage to address one of the key challenges in integrating renewable energy into the power system. more..

Feb 5 (DM) Sabina Yousaf, who represented Sri Lanka at the 41st Mrs World pageant in the United States, returned to the country yesterday following an impressive performance at the international competition, where she secured the Second Runner-Up title and won the Mrs Photogenic mini-title while also placing among the Top 20 contestants. The international pageant was held in Las Vegas, USA, from January 22 to January 29, with contestants from 60 countries taking part. more..

Feb 5 (FT) After setting tax collection records in 2025 without administrative reforms, the Finance Ministry this week announced the formal establishment of the Tax Policy Analysis Unit (TPAU) under the Department of Fiscal Policy, marking a significant institutional step towards embedding tax policy formulation within the Govt’s fiscal framework. Ministry said the operational launch of the Unit was accompanied by a first capacity-building more..

Feb 5 (FT) Agriculture-rich diversified conglomerate CIC Holdings has recorded a consolidated revenue of Rs. 70.28 billion for the nine months to end-Dec 2025, reflecting an increase of 8.69% year-on-year (YoY). Group’s gross profit increased by 10.11% to Rs. 18.42 billion, with the gross profit margin for the period under review improving to approximately 26%, supported by disciplined pricing and product mix optimisation. Profit After Tax (PAT) increased to Rs. 5.97 billion from Rs. 5.7 billion more..

Feb 5 (FT) Hemas Holdings has reported cumulative earnings of Rs. 5.9 billion, up 7.5% year-on-year (YoY), for the nine months to end-Dec 2025 supported by revenue growth of 9.4% to Rs. 95.8 billion and a significant reduction in net finance costs. Operating profit was broadly stable at Rs. 9.8 billion, with margin pressures in select Consumer Brands categories offset by robust performance in Healthcare and Mobility, both of which delivered double-digit growth in revenue and earnings. more..

Feb 5 (FT) National Chamber of Exporters (NCE) has pledged full support for Export Development Board’s (EDB) plans for the year ahead at its first council meeting for 2026. The meeting brought together export sector representatives for a focused discussion on priorities, sector concerns including labour shortages, market access, and post-disaster challenges & collaboration with EDB. SL’s export sector continued its positive growth momentum in 2025, recording a notable growth of 5.6% more..

Feb 5 (FT) Sri Lanka presented a clear message of confidence, reform, and long-term opportunity at the exclusive Port City Colombo Investor Forum held on 27 Jan at the Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore. Jointly organised by the High Commission of SL in Singapore and Port City Colombo, the forum positioned Port City Colombo as the centrepiece of SL’s next phase of economic transformation. The forum brought together close to 100 senior invitees from across real estate, financial services, more..

Feb 5 (ST) Counsel representing all 24 accused in the Trial-at-Bar into the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks have decided to withdraw from cases due to difficulties they face in view of the expeditious nature of trial proceedings. On Jan 22, four lawyers – Attorneys K.S. Ratnavale, Ghazali Hussain, Rushdhie Habeeb and Niranjan Siriwardena, who collectively represent 24 indicted suspects – filed a motion informing the Bench that they would more..

Feb 5 (DM) Renting a house or an apartment in Colombo is now becoming next to impossible due to exorbitant rental fees. Around 10-15 years ago, the real estate value for annexes and rooms in areas such as Nugegoda, Maharagama, Kohuwala and surrounding areas remained below Rs. 50,000. Today, a room that is described as most suitable for working couples or students would cost around Rs. 30,000 indicating the shift in prices. But in most instances, such accommodation doesn’t even more..

Feb 5 (DM) US Prez Donald Trump has said multiple times that he wants Canada to be the 51st. State of the United States, and not an independent country as it has been all along. Trump’s aim is to bring the entire Western Hemisphere under US control, ostensibly to face a perceived threat from Russia and China or even a European power. In pursuit of his objective, Trump is exploiting separatist sentiments in the Canadian provinces of Alberta, sentiments rooted in a feeling of being more..

Feb 5 (Island) The argy-bargy is done, and the battle’s lost and won, one might say with apologies to the Bard. A prolonged tug of war between Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake and the Constitutional Council (CC) has come to an end. The newly reconstituted CC has unanimously approved Prez’s nominee for the post of Auditor General (AG). The National Audit Office (NAO), which remained headless for months, now has a new head—Samudrika Jayaratne, who has served as more..

Feb 5 (TM) When the NPP Govt swept into office, it did so on a singular, compelling promise: system change. It pledged to dismantle corruption, end nepotism, and restore credibility to institutions hollowed out by decades of political interference. For a country battered by economic collapse and moral exhaustion, that promise was not merely attractive, it was essential. 16 months into governance, the delayed appointment of an Auditor General has become a defining moment for that pledge. more..

Feb 5 (SO) Water holds a unique place in our lives. Not only for fulfilling the daily needs such as drinking, washing, food production, energy generation, and transportation, but also taking pride of place in SL’s health, hygiene, and spiritual values.Water is not an unlimited resource. Even though 70% percent of the planet earth is covered in water, only three percent is freshwater. Two-thirds of the freshwater is unavailable for more..

Feb 5 (ST) On that fine and sunny February morn 78 years ago, Britain, still morosely sulking over the loss of India that crowned her vast empire on which the sun never set but always rose at dawn, performed one little chore, one small duty that remained to be done before leaving for old England. It involved the formal ritual of ceremoniously handing over, on a silver platter, the royal gift of independence granted by His Majesty the King of England to the people of Ceylon and more..

Feb 5 (CT) Few infrastructure projects in SL better illustrate the country’s uneasy relationship with long-term planning, foreign financing and political continuity than the Central Expressway. The first section of the E04, stretching from Kadawatha to Mirigama, is once again inching forward. Yet, it is doing so under a cloud of uncertainty that raises uncomfortable questions about governance, credibility and the real cost of delay. On the surface, there is reason for cautious optimism. more..

Feb 5 (TM) Sri Lanka’s economic stabilisation under the IMF-supported EFF has delivered tangible macroeconomic improvements, including sharply lower inflation, stronger revenue performance, and a recovery in output from crisis lows. However, remarks made last week by senior IMF officials suggest that while the stabilisation phase is largely on track, the country’s medium-term growth trajectory remains uncertain and more..

Feb 5 (GV) In regional politics yesterday’s adversaries often become today’s strategic partners. History repeatedly shows that geopolitical interests can override past hostilities. This reality now raises a deeply unsettling question for the Tamil people of Sri Lanka. If former adversaries of India can become its trusted partners does that also mean that long standing friends of the Tamil people risk becoming inconvenient voices when strategic interests demand silence? more..

Feb 5 (SO) When Cyclone Ditwah hit Sri Lanka, the military did most of the heavy lifting. They carried out search-and-rescue operations, moved supplies, and restored access. The military was the first to respond whenever the Govt wanted to do something fast, technical, and coordinated. For critics, this is proof that Sri Lanka is sliding deeper into militarisation- the so-called militarisation of Sri Lankan society. However, this is the result not so much of the military creeping into civilian functions more..