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..

Feb 11 (DN) Work on developing two canal bank roads linking Chandrika Kumaratunga Mawatha and the Arangala Bridge in Malabe commenced yesterday (10), aiming to improve traffic safety and reduce congestion in the Kaduwela area. The project focuses on developing and carpeting canal-side roads along the Athurugiriya–Malabe corridor, creating improved access routes for motorists and easing pressure on existing main roads frequently affected by heavy traffic. more..

Feb 11 (DM) A total of 900 child cancer patients have been reported across the country within a one-year period. Consultant Community Physician Dr. Suraj Perera, said an agreement has been signed with the Minister of Health to provide all essential medicines required for the treatment of child cancer patients over the next three years. He said that early detection of cancer plays a crucial role in enabling timely medical intervention and significantly improving treatment outcomes. more..

Feb 11 (DM) In response to a significant increase in complaints regarding lost and stolen mobile devices, the SL Police has issued a comprehensive set of directives to the public. Highlighting the sensitive nature of personal data, including private photographs, digital identities, and messages, ASP F.U. Wootler said that failing to secure a lost device could lead to owners being victimised repeatedly if their information falls more..

Feb 11 (NW) PM Harini Amarasuriya met with a delegation from the European External Action Service (EEAS) on Feb 10 at the PM’s Office. Welcoming the delegation, PM underscored the importance of further strengthening the long-standing partnership between SL and the European Union, noting the EU’s role as a key development and economic partner. She expressed appreciation for the European Union’s timely assistance to SL following the recent cyclone, highlighting more..

Feb 11 (CT) If the Govt believes it can suppress the Opposition, silence the Maha Sangha, undermine the culture of the country, and shape its policies to suit the diaspora in order to win an election, it is mistaken, said SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa. Rajapaksa said the SLPP is fully prepared to face any election at any time and challenged the Government to allow the public to decide through the ballot. He said delaying elections only reflects the Govt’s fear of public opinion. more..

Feb 11 (DM) Tickets for the much-anticipated India–Pakistan encounter at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 which is scheduled to be played on Sunday (15), are being traded at prices as high as Rs. 100,000. The spike comes amid heightened fan interest across South Asia, with the fixture widely regarded as the tournament’s biggest draw. Limited availability and intense demand have fuelled a secondary market pushing prices more..

Feb 11 (DM) Vedda Chief Uruwarigelage Vannila Aththo has raised serious concerns over what he describes as the exploitation of his community and their age-old traditions for commercial gain, alleging that certain groups are misusing indigenous culture under the guise of promoting tourism. He told the media yesterday in Dambana that organized groups of touts are misusing the culture of his clan as a showpiece. Elaborating on this fraud and the dubious activities of the touts he said more..

Feb 11 (DM) Dambulla National Farmers’ Organization yesterday alleged that the govt is planning to transfer the management of the country’s economic centres to a company comprising members affiliated with the JVP. Speaking to media, National Farmer Organization President Anuradha Thennakoon has warned that it will launch a massive islandwide protest against the government’s reported decision to hand over the management of economic centres to a private company. more..

Feb 11 (DM) Govt is investigating into the allegations of hidden wealth in Uganda, Dubai and in some other places, Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said. He said this while responding to a question at the Cabinet press briefing whether the govt is investigating into allegations of fraud and corruption made by the NPP during the election period including money hidden in Uganda and allegations of Batalanda. “Do not always focus on Uganda. The govt has launched investigations into wealth more..

Feb 11 (DM) Authorities have officially ceased search and rescue operations for persons reported missing following Cyclone Ditwah even as 173 individuals remain unaccounted for, Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said. DMC Director Pradeep Kodippili stated that rescue efforts were halted as more than two months have passed since the cyclone struck, making further search operations unnecessary under current protocols. However, he stressed that those missing due to Cyclone more..

Feb 11 (NW) MP Jeevan Thondaman, General Secretary of the CWC, has sharply criticized the govt’s handling of the recent agreement to increase daily wages for estate workers, accusing officials of a lack of transparency and failing to provide legal protections for workers. Thondaman stressed that there was no opposition to the wage hike itself, but raised serious concerns about the manner in which it is being implemented. more..

Feb 11 (NW) Sri Lanka Tourism says its latest assessment shows that nearly one-third of tourism‑generated value in the accommodation, travel agents/tour operators, and wellness sectors does not remain in the domestic economy, due to external, internal, and invisible leakages. Building on these findings, SL Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), in collaboration with UN Tourism, convened the country’s first national, multi‑stakeholder validation workshop on more..

Feb 11 (Island) Permanent employee of Human Rights Commission of SL (HRCSL) Ayanthini Shiromini yesterday protested outside its main office at No 14, R.A. de Mel Mawatha, formerly Duplication road, in a bid to draw the attention of the Presidential Secretariat to her plight. At the protest site, Shiromini said that she had been relentlessly targeted since 2018 and the situation took a turn for worse in 2023 over her protest against the appointment of a particular member to an internal interview more..

Feb 11 (EN) A prospective bidder for Canwill Holdings, a state company that owns Colombo’s half-build Hyatt building, has inquired on about the possibility of getting a casino license, according to questions asked at a pre-bid meeting. Finance Ministry has called expressions of interest to pre-quality bidders for the high rise which is bordering the Indian Ocean. Investor bidders had asked whether a casino license would be issued or more..

Feb 11 (Island) Police are investigating the circumstances under which its men, manning a checkpoint, opened fire on a vehicle, killing a 17-year-old boy in Jaffna, in the early hours of yesterday. Police said that they opened fire at a van that ignored orders to stop at the checkpoint. The dead youth was identified as Albino Arul Bias, a resident of Vaddukoddai. Bias was identified as the driver of the vehicle. Sources said that the incident happened at a checkpoint more..

Feb 11 (CI) On most days Sri Lanka would enter Thursday's clash in Kandy against Oman as heavy favourites. They've beaten Oman in all their three meetings in internationals - twice in T20Is, once in ODIs - and are generally formidable in home conditions. But the psychological and tactical knock-on effects of Wanindu Hasaranga being ruled out of the tournament provide an intriguing backdrop. The star legspinner is a renowned bully of Associates and those lower down the T20 rungs, more..

Feb 11 (DN) In a joint effort by the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Transport and Highways, SL Railways has begun installing advanced thermal camera systems on trains at the Dematagoda Railway Yard to prevent collisions with elephants, particularly during night operations. The project, overseen by a special committee led by Minister of Environment Dr. Dhammika Patabendi, Minister of Transport and Highways Bimal Rathnayake, and Deputy Minister of more..

Feb 11 (AD) Four Buddhist monks, including Ven. Balangoda Kassapa Thero, and six other individuals, have been granted bail by the Trincomalee High Court. On Feb 9, Trincomalee Magistrate ordered that the ten suspects, including Venerable Balangoda Kassapa Thero be further remanded until today in relation to the incident. They were arrested in connection with the incident of placing a Buddha statue at the Trinco Bodhiraja Viharaya on Nov 16, 2025 in violation of coastal conservation laws. more..

Feb 11 (FT) A high-level discussion on implementing the Cabinet decision to connect critical State institutions to the National Cyber Security Operations Centre (NCSOC) was yesterday, marking a significant step in strengthening SL’s national cyber security framework. The session held at the Old Parliament Building in Colombo, was jointly organised by SL CERT and the Digital Economy Ministry and more..

Feb 11 (NW) Former Presidential Secretary Saman Ekanayake was ordered to be further remanded until Feb 18 after appearing before the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court today. He was initially ordered to be remanded on Jan 8 in a case alleging misuse of state funds by former Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe. Ekanayake has been named as the second suspect in the case, which alleges that former Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe misused approximately Rs. 16.9 million in public funds to attend his wife more..

Feb 11 (AD) Agricultural and Agrarian Insurance Board has stated that necessary measures have been taken to provide compensation to farmers whose crops were damaged due to the irregular construction of the salinity barrier across the Nilwala River. The board stated that a provision of Rs. 1,200 million has been allocated for this purpose in the 2026 national budget. Reports further indicate that farmers have been raising complaints since 2019, claiming that their cultivated lands become more..