Feb 18 (Island) As the debate on educational reforms rages, I find it useful to pay as much attention to the reactions they have excited as we do to the content of the reforms. Such reactions are a reflection of how education is understood in our society, and this understanding – along with the priorities it gives rise to – must necessarily be taken into account in education policy, including and especially reform. My aim in this piece, however, is to couple this public engagement with critical reflection more..

Feb 18 (ST) 250 years ago, Adam Smith – often called the father of modern economics – wrote the following passage in his famous book, The Wealth of Nations (1776): “As it is the power of exchanging that gives occasion to the division of labour, so the extent of this division must always be limited by the extent of that power, or, in other words, by the extent of the market.” What Smith meant is straightforward: a country’s economic growth depends on the size of its market. more..

Feb 18 (CT) With a history stretching back more than two centuries and a formal written beginning marked by the first Gazette printed in 1802, SL’s Govt Printing Department stands as both custodian of State documentation and witness to the evolution of print technology. From lead-type presses to high-speed digital web machines, the Department operates a unique blend of old and new under one roof, a living archive of the global history of printing. more..

Feb 18 (CT) The decision by the Govt Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) to withdraw Medical Officers of Health from submitting official community health data marks a troubling new chapter in its ongoing dispute with the authorities. Trade union action within the health sector is not new, nor is it illegitimate. Yet, the form this escalation has taken, the suspension of routine public health reporting, strikes at the very nerve centre of disease prevention and community protection. more..

Feb 18 (GV) The aragalaya became one of the most powerful and widespread public uprisings in SL’s modern history. It was a people’s movement that shook the political system, brought down a govt, and led to the formation of a new one. More importantly, it delivered a powerful message not only to Sri Lanka but to the world. What made aragalaya unique was that it was not led by any political party. It was led by ordinary citizens. It began as a response to the severe economic crisis more..

Feb 18 (SO) As Sri Lanka seeks to rebuild its economy and restore investor confidence after years of crisis, governance and transparency have emerged as critical factors in securing international partnerships. Japan, one of SL’s longest-standing development partners, has signalled that sustained anti-corruption efforts will be key to deepening economic engagement and attracting Japanese investment. In this wide-ranging interview Japanese Ambassador Akio Isomata discussed more..

Feb 18 (DM) Life stands still for many people affected by cyclone Ditwah, especially in the outskirts. The disaster cannot be described as a sudden occurrence when looking at existing gaps in disaster communication to begin with. With over 600 lives lost and over a 100 reported missing (as of January 2026), it is clear that the authorities could have averted impacts on people if the weather conditions were closely monitored and early warnings were issued on time. more..

Feb 18 (DM) Law and order, and judicial fairness in SL, were under scrutiny last week over two separate incidents. First, a lawyer and his spouse were gunned down in the car park of a supermarket complex in Akuregoda in a suspected underworld shooting. The assailants, who arrived in a car, fled the scene during rush hour. A charred car believed to have been used by the assailants was later found abandoned in Agaliya, Galle. The deceased, attorney-at-Law Buddhika Mallawarachchi, more..

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..