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..

Feb 3 (ST) Presidential Secretariat this week agreed before the Right to Information Commission to release information regarding the allocation of state-owned vehicles to its staff. The information required to be released includes the name and designation of officials using them as well as the make, model and vehicle numbers. Secretariat had previously refused to release the information which was sought in July last year through more..

Feb 3 (DM) Finance Ministry has confirmed it will honour its agreement with the Indian company supplying the security stickers for the liquor bottles until Jan 2027, despite the repeated concerns raised by the COPA regarding the widespread circulation of counterfeit stickers. While the COPA had flagged violations in the agreement and noted that the sticker management process was failing to effectively curb the tax leaks, finance officials have advised against terminating the contract more..

Feb 3 (NW) Health and Mass Media Minister and Chief Govt Whip in Parliament, Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, has issued a letter of demand seeking Rs. 1 billion in damages from former Western Provincial Council member Ajanta Niroshan Padukka over what he describes as false and defamatory statements. The letter of demand has been sent through Attorney-at-Law Sampath Yalevaththa and relates to remarks made by Niroshan Padukka during a media briefing held on or around Feb 1, 2026. more..

Feb 3 (TM) The decision taken by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to forgo the testy fixture against bitter rivals India at the R. Premadasa Int'l Cricket Stadium in Colombo on 15 Feb in the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, could deprive Sri Lankans of witnessing a marquee clash on home soil. Pakistani Govt on a post on its official X account on Sunday (1) stated that it had granted approval to the Pakistan team to head to Sri Lanka for more..

Feb 3 (DN) A two-day national workshop aimed at formulating a National Action Plan for SL’s cooperative movement commenced Friday (30) at the National Cooperative Development Institute in Polgolla, bringing together senior cooperative officials from across the country. The workshop, organized by the Department of Cooperative Development, was attended by Provincial Cooperative Development Commissioners, along with Deputy and Assistant Commissioners more..

Feb 3 (FT) Pathfinder Foundation (PF) convened its Seventh Diplomatic Dialogue, themed Unlocking SL’s Mineral Sector – Opportunities for Sustainable Investment and Strategic Partnerships, bringing together Colombo-based diplomats, govt officials, academics, think tank representatives, and business leaders. The dialogue forms part of PF’s ongoing effort to position SL as a credible participant in global critical mineral supply chains by linking the country’s mineral endowment to policy reform, more..

Feb 3 (Island) There has been no let-up in pro-govt propagandists’ social media attacks on Attorney General (AG) Parinda Ranasinghe. AG’s Dept Legal Officers’ Association has raised concerns over unfounded and baseless personal attacks on AG Ranasinghe and some other officers of his department. A resolution unanimously adopted by the association at a special general meeting on 29 Jan 2026, states that the attacks appear to be part of a coordinated effort to pressure AG & more..

Feb 3 (DN) England won the T-20 series with one game to spare but SL team want to end the series ona a high note today at the same venue Pallekele which is more important before the forthcoming T-20 World Cup which will commence on Feb 7. SL set a challenging target of 190 in the second game on Sunday but rain interrupted. England were 57 for 2 wickets off 7.2 overs and lost 75 minutes as game resumed at 10.40 pm with a revised DLS target of 168 off 17 overs which meant more..

Feb 3 (FT) Govt has set a minimum net worth or financial capability threshold of $ 50 million for interested parties seeking to participate in the divestiture of Canwill Holdings Ltd, according to clarifications issued by the Finance, Planning and Economic Development Ministry. The requirement is set out in the minutes of the Pre-Expression of Interest (Pre-EOI) meeting held on 21 Jan, released as a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) more..

Feb 3 (Island) Hype around educational reforms has abated slightly, but the scandal of the reforms persists. And in saying scandal, I don’t mean the error of judgement surrounding a misprinted link of an online dating site in a Grade 6 English language text book. While that fiasco took on a nasty, undeserved attack on Minister of Education and PM Harini Amarasuriya, fundamental concerns with the reforms have surfaced since then and need urgent discussion & mechanism for further analysis more..

Feb 3 (FT) SL–UK Chamber of Commerce in London (SLUKCC), in collaboration with the SL High Commission in London (SLHC), hosted a panel discussion on the theme Building Stronger Trade Bridges between SL and UK. The focus of the discussion was on enhancing bilateral trade and economic ties between SL and UK. In his opening remarks, SLUKCC President Eranga Pathirage emphasised the Chamber’s pivotal role in connecting businesses, institutions, more..

Feb 3 (EAR) As Sri Lanka grapples with uncertainty over the long-delayed provincial council elections, a fresh argument has surfaced in the political arena. General Secretary of ITAK, M.A. Sumanthiran, has raised suspicions that the JVP may be considering a path that aligns the country with China’s governing model. His remarks, delivered during a recent interview with a private television channel in Jaffna, have intensified discussion about the future direction of SL’s political landscape. more..

Feb 3 (TM) The revelation that children in SL are engaging in illegal labour while wearing school uniforms should unsettle every conscience. It is not merely a tactic to avoid detection. It is a quiet indictment of a system that has allowed economic desperation to erode the most basic promise we make to children: that school is a place of learning, not a disguise for survival. According to Ministry of Labour, children under the age of 18 are being sent to work instead of school, some even more..

Feb 3 (SO) On the morning of Jan 24, 2006, Subramaniyam Sugirdharajan was waiting for the bus near the Governor’s Secretariat in Trincomalee. It was around 6 a.m. Two men on a motorcycle fired at him from close range. Sugirdharajan died on the spot. The attackers escaped, despite the area being under heavy military and police presence. Sugirdharajan, widely known as SSR, was 35 years old. more..

Feb 3 (CT) PM Dr Harini Amarasuriya urged the importance of ensuring that all children should be given equal access to education and that govt strategic plans should not deprive students of educational opportunities due to economic hardship. However, this is easier said than done. It is often acknowledged that good policies often become deprioritised because they are most often bad for politics. This is true for economic reforms, as we have seen in the past. more..

Feb 3 (GV) Sri Lanka has suffered five decades of violent conflict, a tsunami, Covid-19 and an economic crisis, resulting in severe mental health consequences. According to consultant psychiatrist Dr. Madhushani Dias, about 30% of adults are suffering from mental health issues. Up to 40% of adolescents are grappling with problems like anxiety and depression, often worsened by economic stress and high stigma. Among students aged 13 to 17, more than one in five reported loneliness more..

Feb 3 (CT) Milk production in flood-affected areas of the Eastern Province—particularly in Trincomalee District—has dropped significantly due to heavy rainfall associated with Cyclone Ditwah. Decline is mainly attributed to a severe shortage of animal feed following the destruction of extensive grazing lands. In addition, a large number of dairy cattle, especially buffaloes, were washed away or died as a result of the floods. more..

Feb 3 (DM) Sri Lanka stands at a critical juncture in its educational history. NPP Govt has embarked on what it calls a transformational reform of the country’s education system, scheduled for implementation starting in 2026 with Grades 1 and 6. The vision is ambitious: shift from the traditional exam-oriented system to a student-centered, practical learning model emphasising holistic development, digital literacy, and vocational training. The budgetary allocation to education more..

Feb 3 (DM) The appointment of a new Auditor General has now been over politicised and caught in an egocentric conflict between the ruling NPP and the Opposition parties. The NPP’s tendency towards rejecting or ignoring any suggestion by the Opposition and the desire on the part of the Opposition parties to see that any name recommended by Prez Anura Kumara for the post of Auditor General being rejected by the Constitutional Council (CC) is very clear. more..