Feb 12 (FT) Treasury Secretary Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma yesterday told International Sovereign Bond (ISB) holders that the Govt would adhere strictly to the 17th IMF program targets and structural reform commitments, during a scheduled investor call focused on macro-linked and governance-linked Bonds issued under the restructuring. He said fiscal consolidation remains anchored to agreed primary surplus targets, more..

Feb 12 (Island) Action was taken on Monday to drain rainwater from the Chemmani mass graves as preparations continued for the next phase of excavation. During the first and second phases of excavation at Chemmani, a total of 240 sets of human skeletal remains were identified. Of these, 239 sets have so far been exhumed under court supervision. Although funds had already been allocated and preliminary arrangements were in place to begin the third phase of excavation, more..

Feb 12 (AD) New data from the UK’s Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) shows a major shift in international student trends. While the number of overseas students studying inside the UK has declined, enrolments in UK education programs delivered abroad are rising strongly. UK hosted 685,565 int'l students in 2024/25, a 6% decline compared to 2023/24. UK Home Office data shows that in the year ending Sept 2025, there were 439,924 sponsored study visa grants, more..

Feb 12 (Island) SL’s small and medium enterprise (SME) sector—responsible for 52% of GDP and employing nearly half the national workforce—has become the next decisive test of the country’s fragile economic recovery. A proposal to establish a Rs. 300 billion Bad Bank to absorb distressed SME loans now places policymakers at a crossroads: act boldly to revive credit and growth, or risk entrenching stagnation in real economy. more..

Feb 12 (ANI) The revered Devnimori Relics of Lord Buddha has return to India after a ceremonial departure from BIA, marking a significant moment in India-SL civilisational ties. The sacred relics were on display at the Gangaramaya Temple in Colombo from Feb 4 to Feb 11, for the first-ever international exposition. The delegation returning the Holy Relics to India was led by Mangubhai C Patel, Governor of Madhya Pradesh, and Chowna Mein, Deputy Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh. more..

Feb 12 (AD) Deputy Minister of Health Dr. Hansaka Wijemuni has proposed the conduct of monthly drug review meetings in every hospital to ensure an uninterrupted supply of medicines. He made these remarks during an inspection visit to the Matara District General Hospital. Deputy Minister emphasized that such review meetings are crucial for identifying potential drug shortages in advance and implementing timely solutions. He noted that the meetings would also help maintain more..

Feb 12 (FT) SL is ready to catalyse the next wave of impact investment by aligning gender inclusion with climate resilience, said Singapore-based Impact Investment Exchange (IIX) Chief Operating Officer Angela Ng. Addressing stakeholders at the first-ever Lanka Impact Investment Summit (LIIS) 2026 in Colombo, she said the two-day discussions signalled a turning point in the country’s sustainable finance journey. “Summit sends a very strong signal that SL is ready to shape its economic future with the right intention,” she said, more..

Feb 12 (TM) SL students of Nalanda University, Rajgir, India, celebrated the 78th Independence Day of SL on 4 February at the university premises. The event was held under the guidance and patronage of the Vice Chancellor of Nalanda University, Dr. Sachin Chaturvedi. The celebration took place in the evening and highlighted SL’s rich cultural heritage. Students presented traditional cultural performances, music, and displays that reflected SL’s history, diversity & national identity. more..

Feb 12 (TM) With the threat of a strike by engineers of the CEB looming, signifying possible blackouts on the horizon, informed sources of the Energy Ministry vouched the country will not be faced with such a situation. Informed Ministry sources waived off possibilities of any strikes within the CEB, noting there was a backlash of some employees against the trade union (TU) leaders. “Over 2,000 people have been given option more..

Feb 12 (DN) Sri Lanka marks the one hundredth anniversary of first-class Cricket today (F12). Sri Lanka played their first ever first-class match on the 12th and 13th of Feb 1926, exactly one hundred years ago. A Bombay XI led by all rounder W.E. Lucas fitted against Dr John Rockwood’s Ceylon XI Ied by wicket keeper batsman Major F.R.R. Brooke in a two day match at the Nondescript Cricket Club ground on 12th and 13th Feb, 1926 which was regarded as first ever first-class match in SL. more..

Feb 12 (Island) Sri Lanka’s World Cup campaign has hit another pothole on a road already full of bumps after champion leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga was ruled out of the tournament with a torn hamstring. The injury, sustained during Sunday’s opener against Ireland, leaves the former champions nursing a second casualty following young quick Eshan Malinga’s shoulder setback earlier this month. Fellow leg-spinner Dushan Hemantha has been drafted in as replacement. more..

Feb 12 (DM) Control Union Sri Lanka has officially opened its new analytical laboratory, marking a significant milestone as the 28th laboratory within the global Control Union network and the first PCR-based food testing laboratory in the country. The facility launch held on February 5 reinforces the company’s century-long commitment to delivering trusted testing, inspection and certification services across international supply chains. The event invited delegates from more..

Feb 12 (CI) Crishan Kalugamage can make a mean pizza. But when he's not busy hand-tossing dough at the pizzeria he works at in Lucca, in the heart of Tuscany, he's giving the ball a rip on an astroturf ground in Rome, fine-tuning his legspin with the same precision. Cricket, for Kalugamage, has never been a casual pursuit. It's been a sustained commitment alongside his day job, fuelled by little more than love for the game and a stubborn belief that it could take him somewhere someday. more..

Feb 12 (ST) Sri Lanka’s inefficient public transport services are well reflected in the state-run bus service, which for decades had accumulated billions in financial losses in the hands of corrupt politicians and their incompetent appointees. And turning around the state bus service along with filling up staff gaps now is a daunting undertaking. According to reports, 55 of the Sri Lanka Transport Board’s (SLTB) depots are running at a loss. more..

Feb 12 (FT) Indian Hotels Company Ltd, (IHCL) has signed an agreement to develop a 220-key Taj-branded hotel in Weligama, expanding its presence in SL’s southern coastal belt. The greenfield project will comprise 220 keys, including 80 luxury apartments. IHCL CEO Puneet Chhatwal said Weligama was emerging as a prominent coastal destination, supported by growth in surfing, wellness, and nature-led tourism. He said the development would reinforce the Taj brand’s more..

Feb 12 (FT) The Cargills Group has reported a strong financial performance for the third quarter of the 2025/26 financial year, demonstrating resilience despite severe weather disruptions experienced across Sri Lanka during the period. Group revenue for the quarter reached Rs. 70.8 billion, reflecting a 14.5% year-on-year (YoY) increase, while Earnings before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortisation (EBITDA) grew 29% to Rs. 7.3 billion. Profit After Tax (PAT) rose 79.3% to Rs. 2.9 bi more..

Feb 12 (CI) As Sri Lanka prepare for their crucial encounter against Oman in Pallekele, senior quick Dushmantha Chameera has made it clear that the team cannot afford to dwell on the absence of star spinner Wanindu Hasaranga. Speaking ahead of the match, Chameera acknowledged the void left by the allrounder's absence but sought to focus on a unified team response. A limping Hasaranga picked up more..

Feb 12 (FT) Stakeholder engagement on proposed tariff reforms under the 2026 Budget has commenced, with the Govt initiating consultations aimed at supporting domestic industries while aligning trade policy with broader economic growth objectives. The initiative is being jointly carried out by the Finance, Planning and Economic Development Ministry, the Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Ministry, the World Bank, and other relevant agencies. more..

Feb 12 (TM) Sri Lanka claimed two medals, a silver and a bronze, at the Asian Rifle/Pistol Championship 2026, being held from 2-14 Feb in New Delhi, India. SL claimed the silver medal in an Individual Event, while the bronze medal came from a Team Event. Umaya Kumarasiri, a senior student of Dharmapala Vidyalaya, Pannipitiya, won the silver medal of the 10m Air Rifle Women Youth event, finishing her event on 247.4 points. She became the only SL shooter among three to reach the Top 8 more..

Feb 12 (FT) Siddhalepa, SL’s most trusted Ayurvedic healthcare brand, has been awarded Superbrands Sri Lanka status, reaffirming its long-standing position as one of the nation’s most respected heritage brands with deep roots in Ayurveda. The recognition celebrates Siddhalepa’s enduring commitment to authenticity, holistic wellbeing, and consistent brand excellence spanning over nine decades. Founded in 1934, Siddhalepa has become synonymous with natural healing in SL, more..

Feb 12 (TM) Sri Lanka’s rise from 121 to 107 on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index is welcome news. After years of economic collapse, political upheaval and institutional distrust, any signal of improvement in governance carries weight. A 14-place climb is not insignificant. It suggests that something has shifted. But what, exactly, has changed, and how deep does that change run? To understand this moment, we must return to 2022. more..

Feb 12 (CI) When Duleep Mendis first arrived in Muscat to help a budding nation find its footing in int'l cricket, he expected his stay to be brief. That was 13 years ago. 2026 tournament in India and SL is Oman's fourth T20 World Cup and Mendis has been around for the whole journey. He had not expected to stay, and find a second home in a desert nation that has grown into a competitive force in Associate cricket. more..

Feb 12 (Island) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake once spoke of a shadow state run by powerful crime syndicates and vowed to dismantle it. The general consensus is that such an unseen, parallel power structure really exists and must be eliminated as a national priority. However, criminals are not alone in running parallel governments. Extremely powerful business cartels also challenge the writ of the state and exploit the public, with impunity. Minister Bimal Rathnayake has evinced more..

Feb 12 (Island) SL’s traditional spice-based farming systems could hold the key to restoring degraded landscapes, strengthening rural livelihoods and tapping into global carbon markets, a leading international ecologist said this week, warning that continued reliance on monoculture agriculture risks irreversible environmental damage. Speaking at the Genesis Thought Leadership Series at the Dilmah Centre for Sustainable Future, Professor Friedhelm Goeltenboth, Honorary Professor of more..

Feb 12 (FT) Salam Ramadan is a flagship cultural and city-branding initiative of the Western Provincial Council, implemented in collaboration with the Colombo Municipal Council and conceived to celebrate the Holy Month of Ramadan while fostering inclusivity, cultural understanding, and economic vibrancy across Colombo and the Western Province. Following a highly successful inaugural edition in 2025, which attracted over 15,000 visitors in three days, more..

Feb 12 (CT) The indefinite postponement of the Swiss facilitated meeting among Tamil political parties has triggered renewed debate about the future of Sri Lanka’s Provincial Council system. What initially appeared to be a diplomatic initiative aimed at fostering Tamil political consensus has instead exposed deeper structural tensions within Tamil politics and revealed the careful political calculations of the NPP govt. This episode must not be viewed in isolation. more..

Feb 12 (CT) After more than three decades of legal confusion, informal trading, and underground contracts, SL’s private bus industry has finally been brought under a clear legal framework. From 6 Feb, passenger service permits can now be legally transferred, sold, or inherited under a new Gazette notification enforced by the Ministry of Transport, Highways & Urban Development. Minister Bimal Rathnayake said that the long-awaited more..

Feb 12 (GV) More than a year in, the NPP govt remains popular. There are several reasons for that. One of them is that the govt has been deft in its handling of the major hot button political issues. These issues are typically more cultural than material, more abstract than immediate, deeply rooted in contested interpretations of history and intimately related to notions of personal identity. We refer in particular to demands for some kind of official reckoning for the violence around more..

Feb 12 (CT) Air pollution in SL has long been framed as a domestic failure — the by-product of traffic congestion, ageing vehicles, industrial emissions and weak enforcement. Yet, a 6-year longitudinal study by the Institute for Ethical Research and Innovation (IERI) urges a wider lens. SL’s worsening air quality, it argues, stems from a dangerous convergence between local emissions and pollution drifting across borders. This is not about shifting blame, but recognising complexity. more..

Feb 12 (CT) In the age of information, SL often feels like a country of secrets. While data exists, it is frequently buried in static PDFs, fragmented across ministries, or shielded by information asymmetry that favours the ruling class over the citizen. Dr. Sanjiva Weerawarana, the founder of WSO2 and a pioneer of the island’s tech landscape, is looking to change that. His latest venture, Lanka Data Foundation (LDF), isn’t a commercial startup; more..

Feb 12 (DM) When climate disasters strike, they don’t affect everyone equally. Marginalised communities typically face worse outcomes, and Cyclone Ditwah is no exception. Especially in a context where normalcy is far from normal, the idea of returning to normalcy or restoring a life of normalcy makes very little sense. The islandwide survey conducted by the Social Scientists’ Association (SSA), between early to mid-January on Cyclone Ditwah shows stark regional more..

Feb 12 (DM) SL has witnessed protests of various kinds. These vary from protests that end following govt’s responses towards people’s demands to mass scale people’s movements such as the aragalaya to pseudo-satyagraha campaigns launched by politicians and actual satyagraha done by people. The right to peaceful assembly is a right guaranteed by the Constitution and therefore, people have a right to take to the streets and protest peacefully if they are at the receiving end of injustice. more..