Feb 17 (EN) Cabine has approved a 30-year lease of a Kerawalapitiya land to Powertech Products, part of DHT Cement, for a 272.20 million rupee lump sum payment and an annual nominal rent of 83,500 rupees, minister Vijitha Herath said. Land, measuring 3 acres, 1 rood, and 0.95 perches, will be used to set up a manufacturing plant for fiber cement corrugated roofing sheets, flat sheets, and related accessories for both domestic and export markets with an investment of US$ 7 million, more..

Feb 17 (DM) A huge boulder which had rolled down a hill had crushed two workers who were blasting rocks in a quarry about 300ft below at Mapitiya in Bandarawela on Saturday (14). Their bodies were recovered by the police with the help of the army. The deceased R.M. Ajantha (45), of Bandarawela was father of five children and, Ganesh Lingeswaran (25) from Mapitiya in Liyangahawela in Bandarawela. Several equipment and a lorry at the quarry had been extensively damaged more..

Feb 17 (TM) Central Environmental Authority (CEA) said they have not established a direct link between the recent landslides in Ambuluwawa and the cable car project undertaken by Amber Adventures, although a final decision on resuming construction has yet to be made. CEA Director General Kapila Rajapaksha said that work on the project was temporarily halted following complaints from local residents alleging environmental more..

Feb 17 (AD) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake has left the island for India to attend the AI Impact Summit 2026 in Delhi. Prez Dissanayake and the SL delegation departed from the BIA at 2:05 p.m. on a SriLankan Airlines flight bound for Delhi, India. Prez is scheduled to take part in the summit on an invitation extended by Indian PM Narendra Modi. The summit, held under the patronage of PM Modi aims to promote the responsible use of artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity. more..

Feb 17 (AD) Parliamentary Pensions (Repeal) Bill has been passed in Parliament without amendments. Bill seeking to abolish pensions for MPs was presented to Parliament on Jan 7 by the Minister of Justice Dr. Harshana Nanayakkara. The Bill was subsequently challenged in the Supreme Court on its constitutionality. However, following the consideration of the Bill, Supreme Court determined that no provision in the Pensions (Repeal) Bill is inconsistent with the Constitution, more..

Feb 17 (AD) Managing Director of the IMF, Kristalina Georgieva commenced her official engagements in SL with field visits to areas affected by Cyclone Ditwah, inspecting damage and interacting with impacted communities as part of efforts to support recovery and long-term resilience. As part of her tour, IMF Chief Georgieva today visited Mawathura village in the Udapalatha DS Division, one of the most sensitive zones more..

Feb 17 (NW) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake met IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and her delegation at the Presidential Secretariat for discussions during their three-day visit to SL. During the meeting, Prez expressed appreciation for the IMF’s contribution toward stabilizing SL’s economy, noting that improved stability had enabled the country to respond effectively to the impact of Cyclone Ditwah. He said the govt had ensured that neither political considerations nor more..

Feb 17 (AD) Kaduwela Magistrate’s Court has granted permission to police to detain and question the two brothers arrested in connection with the Akuregoda double murder, until tomorrow. The suspects were taken into custody in Kottawa by officers of the Western Province South Crimes Range for allegedly aiding and abetting the killing of the lawyer and his wife in Akuregoda. The two brothers were arrested in connection with the shooting and killing of a lawyer and his wife more..

Feb 17 (BBC) Ireland and Australia have both been eliminated from the T20 World Cup as rain prevented play in the Group B game between the Irish and Zimbabwe at Pallekele Stadium. Zimbabwe's shock victory over Australia left them needing just a point on Tuesday to advance to the Super 8s with the match being a must-win for Ireland to retain any hope of advancing. Australia, who suffered an eight-wicket defeat by SL on Monday, were also banking on a win for Ireland to more..

Feb 17 (EN) Sri Lanka’s Cabinet has approved the formal substitution of Fine Aggregate for river sand in construction; a move aimed at circumventing environmental regulations and managing supply shortages, minister Vijitha Herath said. This will allow industry stakeholders to use standardized alternatives in place of river sand. The substitute typically consists of Manufactured Sand (M-Sand), Crushed Rock Fines, Offshore Sand, and other industrial minerals. more..

Feb 17 (DM) The recent cold-blooded murder of Attorney-at-Law Buddhika Mallawaarachchi and his wife in Akuregoda, Thalangama, has sparked widespread outrage and pushed public security to the centre of political debate once again. Following the senseless daytime shooting, the Bar Association of SL (BASL) staged a protest march and launched an island-wide boycott of court proceedings on Monday, more..

Feb 17 (Island) Today (17), Sri Lanka officially expressed its Intent to Enter into Global Charter on Children’s Care Reform at the United Nations Compound, Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 07. The event was attended by the David Lammy, MP, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice and Deputy PM of the United Kingdom. On behalf of Sri Lanka, the official Expression of Intent was made by the Minister of Women and Child Affairs, Saroja Savithri Paulraj. more..

Feb 17 (CT) An appreciation and award ceremony recognising individuals and institutions for their dedicated service in the campaign against drug abuse was held last Monday at the Auditorium of the Akkaraipattu Jumma Grand Mosque. Event was organised by the Akkaraipattu Range View Organisation under the chairmanship of its President, S.M. Thalha. Among the distinguished participants were Digamadulla District Member of Parliament M.S. Abdul Basith and more..

Feb 17 (NF) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake has described the visit of the UK’s Deputy PM, David Lammy, as timely and significant, noting that it helps reinforce international confidence in Sri Lanka’s post-crisis recovery. He made these remarks during a meeting with Lammy, who also serves as the UK’s Secretary of State for Justice, and an accompanying delegation this morning at the Presidential Secretariat. more..

Feb 17 (NW) An Acting Registrar of Births and Deaths Registrar attached to the Alayadivembu Divisional Secretariat has been arrested on allegations of soliciting and accepting a bribe of Rs. 500. The arrest was made by officers of the CIABOC following a complaint lodged by a businessman residing in Maradamunai. According to the complaint, the businessman had visited the Divisional Secretariat to register his daughter’s birth certificate. more..

Feb 17 (AD) Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has not yet granted final approval for the proposed Light Rail Transit (LRT) project in Colombo, Minister Vijitha Herath stated. Minister said JICA has informed the govt that any future decision will be taken only after the successful implementation and evaluation of other projects currently underway. He noted that construction of multimodal transport hubs is presently in progress and that, while discussions on implementing more..

Feb 17 (CT) A motor car suspected to have been used to transport firearms for the fatal shooting of an attorney and his wife at a supermarket car park in Thalangama, Akuregoda, has been taken into custody by a special Police team. Meanwhile, two brothers have been arrested in Kottawa for allegedly aiding and abetting the muder. The suspects, aged 20 and 24 have been arrested by the officers attached to the Western Province South Crimes Range. more..

Feb 17 (CT) Commissioner General of Essential Services Prabath Chandrakeerthi has been appointed as the Chief of Staff to the President, and the letter of appointment was handed over by Dr Nandika Kumanayake, Secretary to the Prez, yesterday at the Presidential Secretariat. A Special Grade Officer of the SL Administrative Service (SLAS), Chandrakeerthi has 26 years of experience in the public service. He joined SLAS on 15 Feb 2000, was promoted to Grade I in 2010 more..

Feb 17 (Island) Convenor of the Samagi Joint Trade Union Alliance affiliated with the SJB, Ananda Palitha, said that the CEB was seeking to raise electricity tariffs by 13.56% percent although it had earned a profit of more than Rs 22,000 mn. CEB recently submitted its proposal to the Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL) for an electricity tariff revision for the second quarter of this year – period effective from Apr 1 to June 30. more..

Feb 17 (NW) A high-level Japanese delegation paid a courtesy call on President Anura Kumara Dissanayake this morning at the Presidential Secretariat. Discussions centred on strengthening economic cooperation and advancing plans for a Sri Lanka–Japan export-industrial corridor. The meeting followed the President’s official visit to Japan last September, during which a Memorandum of Cooperation on the proposed export-industrial corridor between SL and Japan was signed. more..

Feb 17 (DM) Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala said today that Akuregoda, where the murder of Attorney-at-Law Buddhika Mallawaarachchi and his wife took place recenlty, is not a high security zone as claimed. Responding to a question by Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, the Minister told Parliament that this area has not been declared a high security zone. The Opposition Leader said he was surprised over the Minister's claim that the area is not a high security zone more..

Feb 17 (CI) If you are on Sri Lanka time, you are half-an-hour late to pretty much everything. No matter how big the match is, no matter how much they want to be there on time, the island's cricket crowds are no exception. When this game against Australia started, the grass banks in Pallekele were far from full. The seats in the stand at the southern end were also still filling. Drone-shot footage of the queues outside the stadium more..

Feb 17 (EN) SriLankan Cargo, the air freight arm of the state-owned carrier, has secured certification from the Center of Excellence for Independent Validators (CEIV) for Live Animals Logistics from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). SriLankan is 12th Airline in the world to obtain the certificate and the first in South Asia. The certification serves as a powerful pledge to carry live animals on board with a global standard process for the air transport of them. more..

Feb 17 (Island) Leading geopolitical analyst and author Asanga Abeyagoonasekera participated in a featured discussion at the 2026 Virtual Conference, hosted by the Harvard Project for Asian and International Relations (HPAIR) at Harvard University, engaging a global audience of emerging student leaders on geopolitics, foreign affairs, institutional resilience, and leadership in an increasingly volatile world. During the interactive session, Abeyagoonasekera explored more..

Feb 17 (FT) Over the years, SL has transformed to a developing country surpassing the underdeveloped status. Previous govts, particularly year to 2019, have contributed in many ways with their effective policies and development programs leading to economic growth, overcoming the losses hitherto resulted by riots and destruction. To my knowledge, the smooth running of the economy was hard and difficult because of riots and industrial actions by radical and extremist groups which more..

Feb 17 (FT) With the Managing Director of the IMF, Dr. Kristalina Georgieva, scheduled to visit SL this week, the IMF program will inevitably come under close public scrutiny. Her leadership was pivotal in supporting SL’s path toward stabilisation after its historic bankruptcy, and the IMF’s endorsement provided the country with a vital fresh start. The nation remains grateful for her guidance during the height of the man-made crisis. After the trauma of economic collapse, more..

Feb 17 (TM) National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA) will begin today to review the two studies it conducted on the use of tractor-mounted winches for Ma-del (beach seine) fishing, in order to assess the recent impact following the ban, NARA Deputy Director General (DDG) - Research and Development, Dr. K.H.M.L. Amaralal said. He said Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake had more..

Feb 17 (TM) Two of SL’s three main Buddhist Sects said that they will not participate at an official level in the upcoming Sangha conference organised by the All Ceylon Buddhist Congress, citing the absence of formal invitations. Siam Sect Asgiri Chapter Supreme Sangha Council Secretary, Dr. Medagama Dhammananda Thera said that the Sect had not received an invitation to the conference. “We cannot decide on participation without a formal invitation. However, individual monks may attend," more..

Feb 17 (AD) The debate on the second reading of the Parliamentary Pensions (Repeal) Bill is scheduled to be held today. The debate will take place from 11.30 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. The second parliamentary week of February is scheduled to convene from today until 20 Feb 2026. Parliament is set to meet at 9.30 a.m. today under the chairmanship of Speaker of the Parliament Jagath Wickramaratne, with time allocated for parliamentary business and questions until 11.30 a.m., more..

Feb 17 (Island) Public optimism has risen sharply, with govt approval remaining strong and economic confidence reaching a four-year high, according to the latest Mood of the Nation poll conducted by Verité Research. Survey found that the Govt’s approval rating stood at 65% in early Feb 2026. With a margin of error of ±3 percentage points, the figure remains statistically stable compared to the 62% recorded a year earlier. more..

Feb 17 (DN) Mahiyanganaya Ceramic Corporation land will be developed as an industrial and commercial city. This decision was reached following a special inspection visit made by the Minister Sunil Handunnetti to the factory premises recently to initiate the development of the 96-acre land belonging to the Ceylon Ceramic Corporation in the Mahiyanganaya area as an industrial and commercial city and actively contribute to the economy of the area. more..

Feb 17 (DM) CEB yesterday awarded contracts to Vidullanka PLC and WindForce PLC to develop standalone battery energy storage system (BESS) projects, marking a significant step in Sri Lanka’s first-ever grid-scale BESS initiative. More than 35 power companies had applied for the first-time tender issued in Oct 2025. Vidullanka confirmed in a disclosure to the Colombo Stock Exchange that it received a Letter of Award on Feb 16, for a 10MW/40MWh BESS facility in Vavunathivu. more..