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..

Feb 17 (EN) Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) recently hosted a forum to encourage tech companies to use the capital market as a source of funding. The Seed to Scale – Unlock Value & Potential forum had over 60 tech sector firms engage with industry leaders and experts to discuss capital raising pathways for emerging tech leaders through a listing of debt and equity on the CSE. Ashvanth Vijayaram, Senior Vice President – Head of Equity Capital Markets more..

Feb 17 (TM) Police ruled out providing special security for lawyers appearing on behalf of organised crime suspects, as public concern continued to mount following last week’s fatal shooting of an attorney-at-law and his wife in Akuregoda. ASP F.U. Wootler said no special security arrangements would be made for lawyers defending organised crime suspects beyond the standard protection afforded to all citizens. "Other than the security that is provided by Police more..

Feb 17 (TM) Legal proceedings across the country faced significant disruption yesterday as thousands of lawyers withdrew from their professional duties. Strike was a collective response to the murder of an attorney and his wife in Akuregoda. The mass boycott resulted in the postponement of approximately 1,000 cases nationwide, affecting every level of the judiciary from the SC down to Magistrate’s Courts. more..

Feb 17 (NW) Microfinance and Credit Regulatory Authority Bill was approved by the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) at a meeting held in Parliament on Feb. 10. The meeting was chaired by MP Dr. Harsha de Silva, with the participation of Deputy Ministers Chathuranga Abeysinghe, Dr. Kaushalya Ariyaratne and Nishantha Jayaweera, and MPs Rauff Hakeem and Nimal Palihena. Bill seeks to establish the Sri Lanka Microfinance and Credit Regulatory Authority to regulate more..

Feb 17 (DN) A high-level diplomatic delegation led by Mohsin Naqvi, Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Interior and Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), currently visiting SL for the 2026 T20 World Cup, held a successful discussion with SL’s Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Sunil Kumara Gamage yesterday. During the discussion, the Pakistani Minister emphasized that the Govt of Pakistan and the PCB extend their special gratitude to Minister Sunil Kumara Gamage for more..

Feb 17 (FT) The manufacturing and services sectors have kicked off 2026 with expansions, but at a slower rate compared to the seasonal peak in Dec 2025, as per the Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI). Its compiler, Central Bank said the PMI for Manufacturing (PMI – Manufacturing) recorded an index value of 56.1 in January, indicating month-on-month (MoM) expansion in manufacturing activities at a slower rate. All sub-indices contributed positively to this improvement. more..

Feb 17 (EN) Top officials from Sri Lanka and Pakistan discussed over importance of working collaboratively against international drug networks. The aim of the meeting was to strengthening regional cooperation to prevent the entry of narcotics into the country. The discussion was between Minister of Public Security Ananda Wijepala and a Pakistani delegation including the Minister for Interior and Narcotics Control, Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi, Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and more..

Feb 17 (FT) Govt has issued fresh regulations defining eligibility criteria and tax concessions for projects seeking classification as Strategic Development Projects (SDPs) under the SDP Act, No. 14 of 2008. The regulations, published in Gazette Extraordinary No. 2474/66 dated 8 Feb 2026, were promulgated by Prez and Finance, Planning & Economic Development Minister Anura Kumara Dissanayake under powers vested more..

Feb 17 (CT) A sparkling half-century by Ama Kanchana powered SL to a commanding 106-run victory over Malaysia in their second outing of the Women’s Asia Cup Rising Stars tournament worked off in Bangkok yesterday. Opting to bat first, SL A Women posted an imposing 172 for 6 in their allotted 20 overs, riding on a brilliant 52 off just 29 deliveries from Kanchana. Her innings, studded with six fours and two sixes, came at a blistering strike rate of 179.31 and provided the late impetus more..

Feb 17 (ST) Supreme Court (SC) has determined that the fundamental rights of a retired Supreme Court Justice had been violated by the move to recover his commuted pension. Accordingly, the court has ruled that all steps, decisions, including Cabinet decisions and Parliamentary Resolutions, to recover commuted pension from retired judges of superior courts are void and of no force or avail in law. In a 2:1 decision, a 3-judge bench of the SC gave the ruling after considering more..

Feb 17 (FT) Sri Lanka registered nearly 40,000 tourist arrivals over the weekend as fans flocked to Colombo for the most-anticipated India-Pakistan T20 WC encounter, with 15 private jets touching down to accommodate high-net-worth profiles. Arrivals reached 11,201 on Friday, peaked at 12,565 on Saturday, and eased slightly to 11,113 on Sunday following the marquee fixture at the R. Premadasa Stadium. more..

Feb 17 (CI) Sri Lanka fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana left the field four balls into his first over, after collapsing to the ground clutching his left calf, and did not return to the field during SL's bowling innings against Australia. Having briefly received treatment from the SL physiotherapist immediately after sustaining the injury, Pathirana hobbled off the field with assistance from support staff. He then spent the majority of the innings being treated in the dressing room. more..

Feb 17 (CI) Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis had planned to keep Sri Lanka in the hunt until the dew arrived in Pallekele. In the end, the dew didn't make it, but SL did, racing to the target of 182 in 18 overs, to vault themselves into the Super Eights with one group match still to play. Nissanka was instrunmental to SL's victory, hitting the T20 World Cup's first century, smoking 100 not out off 52 balls. He and Mendis, who hit 51 off 38 balls, had put on a rapid 97-run stand for the 2nd wicket together. more..

Feb 17 (CI) 2: Pathum Nissanka became the second batter to score a hundred for SL at the Men's T20 World Cup after Mahela Jayawardene, who scored 100 against Zimbabwe in 2010. He is also the first batter to score a hundred against Australia at in the tournament, bettering Umar Akmal's 94 in 2014. Nissanka is also the first batter to score a hundred in the Men's T20 World Cup since Glenn Phillips' 104 against SL in the 2022 edition. Only three batters, including Nissanka, have scored a hundred more..

Feb 17 (Island) Problems and solutions in plural societies like SL’s which have deep rooted ethnic, religious and linguistic cleavages require a consciously inclusive approach. A major challenge for any govt in SL is to correctly identify the problems faced by different groups with strong identities and find solutions to them. Durability of democratic systems in divided societies depends less on electoral victories than on institutionalised inclusion, consultation & negotiated compromise. more..

Feb 17 (CI) SL survived an early onslaught to qualify for the 2026 T20 World Cup Super Eights, leaving Australia right at the exit door and hoping for a miracle. The returning captain Mitchell Marsh and the returning-to-runs Travis Head were brutal in taking Australia to 104 in the first 50 legal deliveries, but some spectacular fielding and spin bowling helped SL take 10 for 77 off the last 70 balls. In front of a partying full house in Pallekele, more..

Feb 17 (FT) With Omega Line entering its 28th year in Sri Lanka, the company operates as part of Oniverse Group (formerly the Calzedonia Group), a global fashion business with an integrated model spanning design, retail, and manufacturing across multiple international brands. The Group says SL remains a key pillar of its manufacturing network, supported by the country’s long-established capability in intimate apparel, especially technically demanding products such as bras that more..

Feb 17 (Island) JVP-NPP govt is on cloud nine over the results of an opinion poll. Verité Research Mood of the Nation poll indicates that the govt’s approval rating rose to 65% in early Feb 2026, compared to 62% recorded a year earlier. The disapproval rating remained low and unchanged from Feb 2025. Interestingly, the results of the aforesaid poll have been published close on the heels of the Opposition’s claim that according to a recent survey commissioned by the govt, more..

Feb 17 (TM) The cold-blooded murder of a lawyer and his wife in the parking area of a supermarket, at a busy junction in a well-frequented Colombo suburb, is not merely another entry in the Police log. Rather, it forces the country to confront an unsettling question. Are citizens truly safe in the spaces they inhabit every day? What makes this killing especially chilling is not only its brutality but its audacity. Gunmen reportedly armed with T-56 rifles carried out the attack in full public view, more..

Feb 17 (CT) In a Gallup-style Mood of the Nation poll, Verite Research has identified that approval ratings of the govt have remained stable in a statistical sense since last year, while disapproval ratings continue to be low and unchanged when comparing results from previous polling. Furthermore, for the first time in several years, those who expressed their confidence in the nation’s economic conditions in a positive light have increased by a significant margin. more..

Feb 17 (TM) Two suspects were arrested at the BIA, the island’s main entry point, last week for allegedly attempting to smuggle 436 Anthurium plants into Sri Lanka from Thailand. Officials from the Customs Narcotics Control Unit and the Biodiversity, Cultural, and National Heritage Protection Division discovered the plants concealed inside their luggage, in a case authorities say highlights a broader trend of illegal imports of more..

Feb 17 (ST) When Prez Trump made his audacious outburst of 21st-century imperialism one night in Venezuela’s capital, some leaders near and far quickly wrote finis to their illustrious careers. The contributions of some to their nations were hardly illustrious, but who was to know unless the nations’ auditor-general and assorted diggers into their family vaults went to work on what was felt? But one week later, when the obstreperous leader of the world power detected other parts of the globe more..

Feb 17 (SO) While temple bells and rhythmic chants of Om Namah Shivaya will fill the air, beneath the surface of this religious fervour lies a sophisticated astronomical and physiological phenomenon. Maha Shivaratri—the Great Night of Shiva—is arguably the most scientifically significant festival in the Vedic calendar. It marks a moment when the planetary alignment offers a literal boost to the human body. Maha Shivaratri is not a fixed date on the Gregorian calendar because more..

Feb 17 (SO) As SL moves from economic stabilisation towards recovery, its international relationships are entering a new phase. For the UK, the emphasis is no longer primarily on aid, but on deeper collaboration in education, skills development, climate financing and trade. British High Commissioner Andrew Patrick said recent economic improvements, including the sharp fall in inflation and a stable political more..

Feb 17 (DM) Nearly four years after the violence that scarred Sri Lanka on 9 May 2022, Gampaha High Court has delivered one of the most consequential verdicts arising from the Aragalaya period. Twelve individuals have been sentenced to death by hanging for the murder of former SLPP MP Amarakeerthi Athukorala and his police bodyguard in Nittambuwa. The judgement marks a dramatic legal response to a day that spiralled from political provocation into nationwide anarchy. more..

Feb 17 (DM) Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) on Sunday had decided not to appear before courts island-wide on Monday in protest over the fatal shooting of attorney-at-law Buddhika Mallawarachchi and his wife W.A. Nisansala in Akuregoda. Their decision to keep away from courts seems to be aimed at pressing the govt to take decisive action in eradication of crimes, especially those related to gun violence. Although one might question why the lawyers did not take any such drastic action more..