Feb 11 (TM) Govt of SL will hold an investor call today, in line with the disclosure requirements attached to its macro-linked bonds and governance-linked bonds. According to the scheduled agenda, the call will feature a presentation on the Debt Report published on 31 Dec 2025, alongside updates on fiscal, macroeconomic, and governance developments that are relevant to the performance-linked features embedded in the bonds. The briefing is intended to provide investors with visibility on more..

Feb 11 (DM) SL Chamber of Small and Medium Industries (SLCSMI) has unveiled a comprehensive blueprint for a Rs. 300 billion Bad Bank to rescue the nation’s embattled small and medium enterprise (SME) sector. The proposal, which aims to absorb toxic assets and restructure an estimated Rs. 460 billion in non-performing loans (NPLs), calls for a mixed funding model that notably includes a levy on commercial bank profits alongside unutilised balances from the EPF and ETF. more..

Feb 11 (FT) The Govt plans to table three key investment-related bills by March or April to strengthen investor protection, establish a formal public-private partnership framework and reform State-Owned Enterprises, Senior Economic Adviser to the Presidential Duminda Hulangamuwa said, outlining the administration’s approach to generating growth and attracting private capital. Delivering the keynote address at the inaugural Lanka Impact Investment Summit 2026, more..

Feb 11 (Island) If SL’s tourism story were a corporate income statement, the top line would satisfy any minister. Arrivals went up 15.1%, targets met, records broke. But walk down the statement and the story darkens. Revenue barely budges. Per-visitor yield collapses. The money that should accompany all those arrivals has quietly vanished, or, more accurately, never materialised. This is not a recovery. It is a volume trap, more tourists generating less wealth, with policymakers either oblivious more..

Feb 11 (Island) Today’s front-page photo in this newspaper shows former Prez Mahinda Rajapaksa and Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath in conversation at a Chinese New Year reception in Colombo on Monday. This picture speaks volumes. Its significance and irony may not have escaped astute political observers familiar with SL’s political marriages of convenience during the past several decades. JVP made a public show of its antipathy towards the Rajapaksas to win elections in 2024. more..

Feb 11 (TM) Sri Lanka continues to live with one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the world, rooted in sections of the Penal Code enacted in 1883. This colonial-era law criminalises abortion in almost all circumstances, allowing it only when the life of the pregnant woman is at risk. Nearly 150 years later, the country is still governed by legal assumptions formed in a very different world. The cost of this inaction is borne by women and girl children, particularly survivors of rape, more..

Feb 11 (ST) When Donald Trump ordered troops into Venezuela and captured the country’s president and his wife, taking them to New York under custody, the world stood in shock. Not that the world thought such a loudmouth as President Trump was incapable of such callous disregard for international law and civilised conduct. Rather, he was too well known since his first term in the White House for his greed for power and assets—never mind whose it is. That was unquenchable. more..

Feb 11 (TM) The sinking of the MV X-Press Pearl in June 2021 stands as the most severe environmental disaster in the recorded history of SL. Singapore-flagged container vessel caught fire off the western coast while carrying a cargo that included hazardous chemicals and plastic nurdles, triggering extensive marine pollution and long-term ecological damage. While emergency response operations ended years ago, the legal and institutional response to the disaster remains unresolved. more..

Feb 11 (GV) Efforts by several governments to amend labour laws in ways that primarily benefit employers have repeatedly been defeated due to strong opposition from trade unions. The current government has also presented labour law amendments prepared along similar lines but these proposals have again faced resistance from trade unions. As a result a committee has been appointed to review and reconsider the previously drafted amendments, which were widely seen as employer-friendly. more..

Feb 11 (CT) School transport in Sri Lanka has for far too long existed in a grey zone, moving thousands of children every morning and afternoon with little scrutiny, limited accountability, and an almost casual acceptance of risk, and therefore the recent high-level discussion held at the PM’s Office on regulating school student transport services, although welcome, also exposes how overdue this conversation truly is. When authorities speak of regulation today, it is not that more..

Feb 11 (SO) It begins, as so many modern crises do, not in a dark alley or behind closed doors, but behind a screen, glowing quietly in a teenager’s hand during a school interval, in a classroom corner, or late at night under the covers. The recent controversy surrounding a student at a prominent school and their inappropriate use of social media has reignited a fierce debate over the feasibility of restricting Smartphone access for children. This incident has sparked more..

Feb 11 (DM) In a viral video, the owner of a beachside restaurant in Tangalle was seen refusing to serve a group of locals. The man justifies his refusal, claiming that his establishment serves only foreigners. The original poster, a British Sri Lankan, laments that he had not encountered such racism even in the UK. “This guy refuses to serve us because we are brown. We are locals, and he says we don’t serve locals. There is nobody else in this restaurant. I get so much pressure on me, more..

Feb 11 (DM) Cricket is more than just a sport in South Asia. It is part of everyday life. Families gather around the television, friends debate over players and entire cities celebrate victories together. For many people, cricket brings joy and unity. That is why the recent boycott involving India and Pakistan during the ICC T20 tournament in Colombo in 2026 has disappointed fans across the region. Sports should bring people together, not divide them. Cricket, often called a gentleman’s game, more..

Feb 10 (ANI) The recent trade agreement between the US and India serves as a significant catalyst for this growth, creating a ripple effect that benefits neighbouring economies. Hishan Singhawansa, CEO of Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts, told ANI that the expansion of the Indian economy directly correlates with the prosperity of Sri Lanka. "If India grows, SL grows with it, and that's the opportunity we want to kind of take advantage of," he said. He described India as a giant neighbour and more..

Feb 10 (NW) A discussion on regulating school student transport services was held under the patronage of PM Harini Amarasuriya at the PM’s Office today (9). Officials from the National Transport Commission and the Ministry of Education participated in the discussion. The authority for regulating school student transport has been vested with the National Transport Commission, and as the relevant draft of regulations has already been prepared, discussions were held on more..

Feb 10 (EN) SL govt is in the process of changing chairman, board of directors, and top officials in select state institutions, Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said. The move comes weeks after Minister K.D. Lal Kantha’s statement on winning the govt but not the state, in a political rhetoric, reflects the Marxist-Leninist ideological roots of the JVP, key partner of the ruling NPP coalition. Traditionally, state-owned enterprise (SOE) boards were more..

Feb 10 (AD) Govt will implement a special security arrangement for the India–Pakistan T20 World Cup encounter scheduled to be played in Colombo on Feb 15, Minister Nalinda Jayatissa announced. He said SL govt welcomes Pakistan’s reversal of its earlier decision not to play the match against India, following intervention by SL. He added that SL is ready to step in to promote friendship and cooperation among countries in the region through cricket whenever the opportunity arises. more..

Feb 10 (DM) Appreciating the European Union's (EU) GSP trade facility, which has been vital for SL’s economic growth, Minister Vijitha Herath has conveyed SL's interest in re-applying for the GSP trade facility when the current cycle ends. He said that SL conveyed its interest during a meeting with Paola Pampaloni, Acting Managing Director for Asia and Pacific of the European Union, who is in SL to co-chair the 27th Session of the EU–SL Joint Commission External Action Service (EEAS). more..

Feb 10 (NW) Former Prez Chandrika Kumaratunga has voiced strong concern over what she described as the erosion of SL’s professional public service, warning that selective justice and politically driven governance threaten the foundations of the State. Kumaratunga said she had decided to share extracts from an article titled When Justice Becomes Selective, stating that the issues raised in the article deeply affect the country’s system more..

Feb 10 (AD) Sri Lanka Police have issued Interpol red notices to secure the return of 103 suspects currently residing overseas, Police Media Spokesperson, ASP F. U. Wootler has stated. Police Media Spokesperson also confirmed that authorities have managed to bring three wanted individuals back to the country this year. He added that law enforcement agencies have confiscated property worth Rs. 50 million belonging to suspects who allegedly committed crimes and fled abroad. more..

Feb 10 (Island) Over 2,000 Thai cruise passengers arrived at Hambantota International Port (HIP) this week aboard the MV Celebrity Millennium. The call points to the emergence of Thailand as a promising new market for SL’s cruise tourism. The Malta-flagged Celebrity Millennium, operated by Celebrity Cruises, arrived from Phuket on 2 Feb, with 2,171 passengers and 969 crew on board. Measuring 294 metres in length, the vessel is one of the largest cruise ships to call at HIP to date more..

Feb 10 (NW) Cabinet has approved the implementation of the National Mineral Policy 2026, a revised framework aimed at strengthening the sustainable management and development of the country’s mineral resources. Originally formulated in 1999, the policy was updated in 2023 to address emerging challenges and opportunities in the mining sector. Key focus areas in revised version include development of an updated mineral resource database, promotion of value addition more..

Feb 10 (ST) Sri Lanka will seek compensation from its former colonial rulers for loss of life and property as well as the return of artefacts stolen from the country, Minister Vijitha Herath told Parliament. This was to compensate for the losses and damage done to the country during centuries of colonial rule. Mr Herath’s remarks came in response to a question raised by Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, who suggested that the govt join several other post-colonial states in Africa more..

Feb 10 (AFP) When Sri Lankan mechanic Sarath Ananda left his job in Kuwait to make traditional palm sweets, he never imagined the career switch would bring global acclaim. Ananda returned home in 2008 and embraced his family's traditional vocation -- tapping sap from the kithul palm, becoming a fifth‑generation practitioner of a craft now recognised by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. more..

Feb 10 (ST) Salaries for staff assigned to implement special development projects have shot up nearly three times compared to the past under the newly proposed salary scale, according to a circular issued by the General Treasury. Under the special projects category, projects with the estimated total cost of USD five million and an implementation timeframe of one year can be considered to set up a separate Project Management Unit (PMU) with dedicated staff on a full-time basis. more..

Feb 10 (EN) Sri Lanka will introduce new regulations to mandate the re-registration of SIM cards issued before Aug 2, 2019, minister Nalinda Jayatissa said. “The information of some subscribers registered before 2019-08-02 is not in the possession of the telephone operator companies and this has created a situation of problems in some legal investigations,” Jayatissa said. The regulations also need to be amended to include new provisions related to the registration of subscribers more..

Feb 10 (DM) SL could be plunged into darkness as power engineers prepare to strike in protest of the govt’s plan to dismantle the CEB. The Technical Engineers and Superintendents Association has warned that once the gazette establishing six new subsidiary companies is issued, industrial action could bring the nation’s main power grids to a standstill. Its Vice President Nandana Udayakumara said that the association is more..

Feb 10 (AD) Satyagraha campaign launched by a group of fishermen demanding the lifting of the government’s ban on the use of tractor-mounted winches for Madel (seine nets) fishing activities continues for the sixth consecutive day today. This follows the failure of discussions held yesterday between the protesters and the Director General of Public Relations at the Presidential Secretariat, D. Gamage, to reach a viable solution. However, Deputy Minister of Fisheries Rathna Gamage more..

Feb 10 (AD) Parliamentary business relevant to the parliamentary week from Feb 17 to Feb 20, was decided at the meeting of the Committee on Parliamentary Business held on 6 Feb under the Chairmanship of the Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne. Accordingly, Parliament is scheduled to convene from Feb 17 to Feb 20, Secretary General of Parliament, Kushani Rohanadeera said in a statement. On each of these sitting days, time from 9.30 a.m. to 10 a.m. more..

Feb 10 (NW) The Chief Incumbent of the Hunupitiya Gangaramaya Temple, Ven. Dr Kirinde Assaji Nayaka Thera has requested the public to refrain from queuing for the exposition of the sacred Devnimori relics of Lord Buddha at the Hunupitiya Gangaramaya Temple in Colombo, after 10.00 pm today. Addressing the media today, Ven. Kirinde Assaji Nayaka Thera said that there was only a specific number of people who could be allowed per day to view sacred relics brought from India. more..

Feb 10 (DM) Supreme Court has delivered its ruling in a decades-long legal dispute between a mother and her daughter, holding that a donor mother has the right to revoke property gifted to her daughter on the grounds of gross ingratitude. The case originated in the District Court of Gampaha, where the mother filed action against her daughter and the daughter’s minor son seeking to set aside a deed of gift by which she had transferred her property to her daughter, subject to her life interest. more..