Feb 2 (DM) In the wake of recent global market trends where gold prices climbed past the USD 5,500 per ounce mark, the SL domestic gold market is currently sustained largely through auctions of pawned jewellery conducted by banks and financial institutions, as commercial gold imports have virtually halted due to prohibitive import duties, the Daily Mirror learns. This change in the local supply chain comes amid significant fluctuations in the global market. more..

Feb 2 (TM) The rollout of education reforms for Grade One has so far proceeded smoothly, with no issues reported from education zones across the country. Education Ministry Secretary Nalaka Kaluwewa said that it was only a few days since the new reforms were implemented and the Ministry was not informed of any problematic situations. “Education zones have not reported any concerns related to the process. A few typing errors were identified in some materials at the initial stage, more..

Feb 2 (Island) Protesting Development Officers continued their hunger strike near the Presidential Secretariat, Colombo yesterday, for the seventh consecutive day.The protesters, who are members of the Lanka School Development Officers’ Association, are demanding that they be absorbed into the teacher service as they have served as teachers in state-run schools for nearly seven years. Secretary of the Association, Viraj Manaranga, said the protesters were seeking an urgent meeting with the Prez. more..

Feb 2 (FT) The current account reached a $ 1.7 billion surplus in 2025, up 43.8% from a year ago on record workers’ remittances and higher services inflows despite a widening trade deficit. The current account maintained a surplus for the second consecutive month amounting to $ 45.2 million in Dec 2025, although declining from $ 81.7 million in Nov 2025. SL maintained a current account surplus for much of 2025, going into deficit only in September ($ 199.5 million) more..

Feb 2 (FT) A Gazette notification has been issued permitting the employment of women as janitorial and food service attendants during night-time hours, following amendments to the Shop and Office Employees (Regulation of Employment and Remuneration) Act. The regulations were issued by Labour Minister Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando through an amendment to the Act, expanding the categories of work women may undertake during night hours. Under the previous framework, more..

Feb 2 (AM) Traders operating SL’s leading economic centres have formally conveyed their opposition to a Govt decision to remove five major economic centres from their existing administrative structure and place them under a newly established company. The objections were raised during a discussion held yesterday (31) at the Dambulla Economic Centre, chaired by the Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe. During the meeting, traders were informed of the Govt’s plan to establish a new company, more..

Feb 2 (DM) Knuckles’ Riverston tourist zone, a designated World Heritage area, has been reopened to local and foreign tourists under strict restrictions following the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah, the Matale District Secretary, Prasanna Madanayake, said. The decision was taken at the Matale District Coordinating Committee meeting held under the chairmanship of Deputy Minister Gamage Dissanayake. According to the District Secretary, access to Riverston has been restored only for light vehicles more..

Feb 2 (AD) The Association of Medical Specialists (AMS) says that none of its members will engage in the trade union action to be staged by doctors from tomorrow. The association’s spokesperson, Dr. Ashoka Gunaratne, stated that its members will continue to carry out duties as usual tomorrow (02). Govt Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) had announced that it will intensify its trade union action from tomorrow, protesting the govt’s failure to respond positively to its demands. more..

Feb 2 (TM) The Govt Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) has warned that it would intensify its ongoing trade union action from today by withdrawing from providing cover-up services in several hospital units across the country. GMOA Assistant Secretary Dr. Hansamal Weerasuriya said that although doctors are expected to receive a stipulated percentage as payment for cover-up services, those providing such services have not been paid at all. more..

Feb 2 (ST) Attorney General’s Department Legal Officers’ Association has unanimously passed a resolution taking notice and expressing grave concern over the recent vituperative, unfounded, repeated personal attacks on Attorney General Parinda Ranasinghe. The resolution—adopted on Friday by the association under its president, Deputy Solicitor General Madhawa Tennakoon, and secretary, Senior State Counsel Mihiri De Alwis—states the attacks are clearly indicative of coordinated measures to more..

Feb 2 (Island) When a man’s house was flattened by a falling tree, the case was taken before King Kekille. In his wisdom, Kekille ruled that the owner of the tree was not at fault, but the man who planted it. He then went further down the rabbit hole, blaming the seller of the seed, producing a chain of logic so absurd it has lived on in folklore. SL’s national selection panel has now offered a modern-day re-enactment of that farce. Barely a fortnight ago, Dhananjaya de Silva could do no wrong in the eyes of the selectors. more..

Feb 2 (DM) India-based prop-tech company Fracspace announced its strategic entry into the SL market this week with the unveiling of Altaira, a 26-acre ultra-premium hospitality and residential development in Bulathkohupitiya. Project, branded with the tagline Above the Clouds, represents a commitment of over Rs. 5 billion and marks the Hyderabad-headquartered firm’s first large-scale footprint in SL. The development is situated 1,100 metres above sea level more..

Feb 2 (FT) Total assets of the finance company sector rose 44% year-on-year (YoY) to Rs. 2.77 trillion as at end-December 2025, driven by a sharp expansion in lending, according to latest data released by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL). Total loans increased 56% to Rs. 2.22 trillion during the year. On the funding side, sector deposits grew 19.8% to Rs. 1.26 trillion, while borrowings expanded by 178% to Rs. 849 billion. Equity capital rose 13.4% YoY to Rs. 62.8 billion. more..

Feb 2 (FT) John Keells Stock Brokers (JKSB) has tipped that ASPI will reach 28,000 this year. This forecast is contained in JKSB’s Equity Market Outlook 2026 released recently. The ASPI on Friday stood at 23,812 points. Noting that with the current administration quite convincingly sticking to the economic reforms that were necessitated by the current IMF program, JKSB said it is quite confident that 2026 should continue to see SL remain on a growth trajectory more..

Feb 2 (FT) The South Asia Regional Conference of the World Federation of Consuls (FICAC) will kick off today in Colombo, reaffirming SL’s role as a regional hub for diplomacy, trade, and tourism. The conference, which runs until 4 February at Cinnamon Life, brings together honorary consuls, senior diplomats, Govt officials, business leaders, and international stakeholders. Organised under the auspices of the FICAC, the global body supporting consular practice and int'l cooperation, more..

Feb 2 (AD) Another Development Officer who was staging a hunger strike opposite the Presidential Secretariat has been hospitalized. Accordingly, six officers who were part of the hunger strike were admitted to hospital after falling ill. Hunger strike launched by a group of Development Officers opposite the Prez Secretariat— demanding that they be absorbed into the teacher service —continues today (1) for its seventh day. Union of All Ceylon School Development Officers launched more..

Feb 2 (FT) Right to Information Commission (RTIC) has directed the External Affairs Ministry to release a $ 54.8 million loan agreement between Govt of SL and China Development Bank (CDB), ruling that the public interest in disclosure outweighs claims of confidentiality linked to the debt restructuring process. In a decision dated 28 January, the Commission ordered the release of the loan agreement relating to the Katana Water Supply Project, signed on 21 Aug 2017 more..

Feb 2 (FT) The SL Economic Association (SLEA) is set to host its Annual International Conference on 6-7 Feb. This landmark event, themed Tansforming the Services Sector for Economic Revival in SL, comes at a critical juncture as the country moves beyond stabilisation towards a phase of long-term structural transformation. The inauguration of the conference will take place at 4 p.m. on 6 February at BMICH, Colombo. PM Harini Amarasuriya will grace the occasion as the Chief Guest, more..

Feb 2 (FT) HNB PLC recently backed the TiECON Sri Lanka 2026 as its Platinum Sponsor, reinforcing its commitment to supporting Sri Lankan entrepreneurs as they scale beyond local market entry and compete internationally. Through this partnership, HNB backed a summit designed to drive practical, execution-led conversations between founders, investors, mentors, and industry leaders. Hosted at Cinnamon Life, Colombo, TiECON SL 2026 convened the ecosystem under the theme more..

Feb 2 (FT) Visa, a global leader in digital payments, together with National Development Bank PLC (NDB Bank), has launched Card Present Connect (CPC), an in-person digital payment acceptance solution powered by Cybersource, Visa’s open payment platform that supports both online and offline transactions. As one of the leading global payment gateways within Visa Acceptance Solutions for businesses, Cybersource delivers secure payment processing that covers international card schemes. more..

Feb 2 (FT) PMF Finance PLC has reported a significant improvement in its financial performance for the nine months ended 31 December 2025, underscoring the company’s resilience and growth momentum in a challenging economic environment. The company recorded a gross income of Rs. 3.84 billion, reflecting a 24% increase compared to the same period last year. Net interest income surged by nearly 47% to Rs. 2.17 billion, driven by strong loan growth and improved margins. more..

Feb 2 (CI) Tom Banton's clinical half-century and a breathless Harry Brook cameo gave England an unassailable 2-0 lead over Sri Lanka, and left them with a problem of plenty ahead of the start of the T20 World Cup next weekend. England's solid start in an attempt to chase 190 was interrupted for more than an hour by unexpected rain in Pallekele, and they were set a stiff DLS-adjusted equation of 111 more runs off the last 9.4 overs when the weather cleared. more..

Feb 2 (Island) SL’s industrial sector has historically been an engine of growth, employment, and exports. Yet today, many industries face structural challenges, outdated practices, and intense global competition. Immediate and comprehensive policy reforms are, therefore, both urgent and essential—not only to revive growth but also to secure the future prosperity of the country. Industries contribute significantly to GDP and export earnings. They create value-added products, more..

Feb 2 (Island) Ranil Wickremesinghe, following his fortuitous elevation to the presidency in 2022, famously likened the unnervingly daunting task of saving a nosediving economy to Grusha crossing a collapsing rope bridge across an abyss, carrying a baby, in The Caucasian Chalk Circle. Thankfully, he completed that perilous journey, and handed over the baby to his successor Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake. One can only hope that the baby will be safe. As if the task of looking after one baby were not enough, more..

Feb 2 (ST) Randomly picking up founding father of Singapore Lee Kuan Yew’s autobiography From Third World to First in a recent whistle-top work visit to that country was an unspoken nod to a more temperate assessment of decades long questioning of his democratically sacrilegious – and heavily critiqued – opinion that disciplined governance should prevail over the exuberance of democracy. In the wake of the extraordinary collapse of Western-style liberalism on more..

Feb 2 (TM) Sri Lanka’s public health system is once again caught in the crossfire of a familiar confrontation. The Govt Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) has intensified its trade union action, restricting prescriptions, laboratory referrals and specialist services, citing the Govt’s failure to honour commitments made to doctors. Govt, in turn, has condemned the action as unreasonable and harmful, insisting that dialogue remains open and recent concessions have already been granted. more..

Feb 2 (TM) The Govt has launched an extensive build back better strategy following Cyclone Ditwah, underpinned by a financial allocation exceeding Rs. 500 billion for 2026. While the Treasury has secured significant domestic and foreign funding to expedite reconstruction, Govt officials and industry representatives indicate that a severe labour shortage and capacity limitations within the construction sector may hinder the pace of implementation. more..

Feb 2 (DM) Trump is a convenient scapegoat to blame – he has opposed climate change, and borrowed from 19th century gunboat imperialism to fashion the world according to his whims. But what may be overlooked is that he is businessman as much as politician – the new Doge or Caesar whose closest friends are billionaires, not senators. To be fair, Donald Trump did not create this new world order (or disorder). It came out of neoliberal economic policies (a la Milton Friedman) that overwhelmed more..

Feb 2 (CT) For decades, the wages of SL’s plantation workers have stood as a stark reminder of a development model that extracted value while offering little dignity in return. Generations of estate workers, the descendants of workers brought to the island under colonial rule, have remained trapped at the margins of the economy, their demands for fair pay echoing through successive govts with little more than incremental concessions. Against this long and uneven history, more..

Feb 2 (SO) As social media campaigns intensify calls for the removal of the Attorney General, concerns have emerged over alleged political pressure on SL’s prosecutorial and judicial institutions. At the same time, long-standing questions around delays in high-profile cases, conflicts of interest within the AG’s Department and the proposed setting up of an independent prosecutor’s office have returned to the centre of public debate. more..

Feb 2 (DM) Sri Lanka’s free healthcare system has long been one of the country’s greatest strengths. For generations, families from every social background have depended on public hospitals for everything from childbirth to emergency surgery. In times of crisis, whether during natural disasters or disease outbreaks, the commitment of medical professionals has often been praised as heroic. But today, many ordinary citizens are asking a difficult question. What happens when more..

Feb 2 (DM) Sri Lanka is a county where the majority of citizens claim that it’s a blessed nation, thanks to the presence of Gautama Buddha’s teachings. The problem we must address is that the country is not blessed by politicians. This article is based on understanding of the psyche of the present-day law maker from a different perspective. From the era of the peasant working for the landlord, the working class people have come a long way in life. But it’s a matter of concern when more..