Feb 6 (FT) SL’s primary equity market is expected to enter a more supportive phase for Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) in 2026, with regulatory reforms, improved market performance, and accommodative monetary conditions strengthening the case for listings, according to Asia Securities. The investment house said IPO activity revived during 2024 and 2025 after several subdued years, alongside a recovery in equity prices more..

Feb 6 (Island) As the sun softened over Colombo and the city’s familiar noise began to loosen its grip, the Beddagana Wetland Park prepared for its quieter hour — the hour when wetlands speak in their own language. World Wetlands Day was marked a little early this year, but time felt irrelevant at Beddagana. Nature lovers, students, scientists and seekers gathered not for a ceremony, but for listening. Partnering with Park authorities, Dilmah Conservation opened the wetland as a more..

Feb 6 (DM) As Sri Lanka commemorates 78 years of Independence, the island nation reflects on a journey marked by resilience, progress, and persistent challenges. From the optimism of 1948 to the trials of civil war and economic crises, the story of modern SL is one of both achievement and unfinished business. When the Union Jack was lowered on Feb 4, 1948, SL inherited sovereignty and the responsibility of self-rule. The early years were filled with optimism: a parliamentary more..

Feb 6 (Island) Some Opposition big guns went ballistic yesterday in Parliament, lashing out at the JVP-NPP govt for refusing to provide SJB MP Rohana Bandara with security in view of threats to his life. They have been urging the govt to ensure the protection of MP Bandara, but in vain. It looks as if the eminences grises of the JVP remote-controlled the national legislature. The govt MPs made some facetious remarks about MP Bandara’s demand for security. Their flippancy is deplorable. more..

Feb 6 (ST) Ceylon’s economy at the time was firmly export-driven, built on a market model and dominated by the plantation trio of tea, rubber, and coconut, which together accounted for over 90% of export earnings. Rising world prices for tea and rubber in the early 1950s further boosted the country’s foreign exchange reserves. In his 1952 Budget Speech, Finance Minister J.R. Jayewardene once again emphasised that Ceylon’s foreign exchange position remained secure more..

Feb 6 (CT) Cyclone Ditwah hit the Up-country Tamil community of Indian origin (Malaiyaha Tamils) the hardest. Living on steep mountain slopes in the Central Highlands, thousands of plantation workers were left with no option but to flee to survive as landslides, flash floods, and rivers of mud tore through tea estate settlements. Nearly three months on, many of those who escaped with their lives remain displaced, without land, more..

Feb 6 (DM) The govt boasts of securing US $8 billion in terms of remittances from expatriate workers. It is an achievement for a country starved for foreign exchange revenue, for sure. Yet, there is another perspective regarding this matter. In recent times, Turkish Ambassador Semih Lütfü Turgut, during a roundtable discussion organised by Pathfinder Foundation, cut through this convenient narrative. He said that the continued outflow of skilled workers would result in a shortage of more..

Feb 6 (TM) When the NPP came to power, it did so on a promise of rupture. A rupture from corruption, from hollow institutions, from politics that spoke loudly and delivered little. Women featured prominently in that promise. More representation. Stronger protections. Independent mechanisms that would finally move women’s rights beyond symbolism. Today, that promise is giving way to disillusionment. The fate of the National Commission on Women stands as one of the clearest more..

Feb 6 (TM) For more than 150 years, the train journey to Kandy has been defined by nostalgia and limited speed, often operating as a scenic crawl up a steep 1:45 gradient engineered by the British in the 1860s. Today, with the upcountry line severed by the devastating landslides caused by Cyclone Ditwah, SL stands at a crossroads. Govt’s immediate instinct is to repair what was lost. However, a coalition of leading transport more..

Feb 6 (DM) Show me your friends, and I’ll tell you who you are. So said the wise men of yore. The big names—once held in high esteem as role models—are all, willingly or unwillingly, entangled in the rot surrounding Jeffrey Epstein: child sex trafficker, honeypot schemer, political broker, financier, manipulator, and big-time spy. They are as evil as Epstein. It is shocking to learn that Bill Gates, Elon Musk, and Noam Chomsky, among others, maintained friendships with Epstein, more..

Feb 6 (CT) Having won the competition and become runners-up in a short span of just five years, SL now enters the ICC T20 World Cup not as a favourite, despite considerable home advantage, nor as an underdog, but as a team that has fallen far from its former grandeur. Not so long ago, SL was a team the rest of the cricketing world dreaded encountering in the knockout stages of major tournaments. There was a time when SL was known as an enigmatic team capable of performing miracles on more..

Feb 5 (AD) The inauguration of a programme to construct new houses for families whose houses were destroyed or partially damaged by Cyclone Ditwah in the Kandy District, along with the distribution of compensation and the launch of several development projects, will be held tomorrow in Kandy under the patronage of Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Accordingly, a ceremony to award compensation to individuals engaged in various industries in the Kundasale, more..

Feb 5 (DM) Colombo High Court today announced that the order on the preliminary objections in the case filed by the Attorney General against former ministers Mahindananda Aluthgamage and Nalin Fernando, and retired Army Major General Nanda Mallawaarachchi, has been postponed until March 25. The order was issued in relation to the case filed, alleging that during the 2015 Prez Election period, the two former ministers had imported 14,000 carrom boards and 1,000 checkers boards more..

Feb 5 (NW) Sri Lanka officially completed the island-wide rollout of the GovPAY digital traffic fine payment system on Feb 3, 2026, marking a major milestone in the country’s digital governance efforts. The system now covers all nine provinces, enabling motorists to pay traffic fines electronically from any location and retrieve their licenses without delay. To date, the platform has processed over 86,000 transactions and more..

Feb 5 (DM) Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama ordered that a warrant be issued for the arrest of the former Chief Financial Officer of SLC, Piyal Nandana Dissanayake, against whom charges have been filed over the alleged misappropriation of USD 187,000. The order was made in connection with a case filed by the FCID in 2018. At the previous hearings, court was informed that although the suspect had appeared at every hearing at the initial stage of the case, more..

Feb 5 (DM) The Supreme Court today ordered the UGC to admit the son of the former Defence Attache to Moscow, to the Medical Faculty of a local university after a Fundamental Rights petition was filed challenging his rejection. The Supreme Court made the order that the three year mandatory study requirement for children of Defence Attaches in a foreign country to be eligible for admission to a local university was in violation of the Fundamental Rights of the petitioner. more..

Feb 5 (Island) Police have launched an investigation into a leaked audio recording that went viral on social media on Sunday, allegedly featuring a group call among several SL drug kingpins based overseas. 20-minute audio clip is said to involve Dubai-based drug trafficker Russell Smith, underworld figure Rueben, Gamage Saranga Pradeep alias Welle Saranga, a notorious organised criminal and large-scale narcotics dealer more..

Feb 5 (NW) Sri Lanka is mentioned in 188 search results within the publicly released Jeffrey Epstein document archive, according to a review of the Epstein records library updated in the U.S. Department of Justice website. A search of the database using the term Sri Lanka shows the references appearing across multiple datasets, largely in emails, travel-related communications, contact notes, and side correspondence involving third parties. more..

Feb 5 (DM) A foreign digital creator, known online as Travel with Balnur, has shared her experience of being allegedly scammed of Rs. 15,000 on her first day in SL, highlighting a growing concern over street-level fraud targeting visitors in Colombo. In a video posted on TikTok on Jan 15, Balnur recounted being approached along Galle Road by a man who claimed to be facing personal hardships. Introducing himself as Manoj, a 55-year-old Sri Lankan, he told her that his wife was battling cancer more..

Feb 5 (AD) Electricity tariffs will be reduced by 30% within the next three years, in line with the govt’s promise, Minister of Energy Kumara Jayakody stated in Parliament today. Speaking in Parliament, the Energy Minister stated that the average cost of generating a unit of electricity has already been brought down from Rs. 37 to Rs. 29. He emphasized that a reduction in electricity bills is only possible through lowering the cost of electricity generation. “The electricity bill cannot be slashed more..

Feb 5 (AD) The newly appointed Auditor General of Sri Lanka, Samudika Jayaratne has officially assumed duties as the 42nd Auditor General of Sri Lanka at the National Audit Office today (05). The appointment marks a historic milestone, as she becomes the first woman to hold the post. On Tuesday (03), the Constitutional Council (CC) unanimously approved the appointment of Senior Deputy Auditor General L.S.I. Jayaratne to the position of Auditor General. more..

Feb 5 (Island) Returned cheques, delayed payments and unresolved insurance claims dominated Parliament as NDF MP Ravi Karunanayake asked the govt to make statement on compensation and restoration following Cyclone Ditwah. Raising the matter under Standing Order 27(2), Karunanayake said thousands of citizens, affected by 28 Nov, 2025 cyclone, were still waiting for relief, despite a presidential directive more..

Feb 5 (NW) Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa today questioned the govt’s failure to provide adequate security to MP Rohana Bandara, stating it was his responsibility to raise ongoing concerns when the safety of opposition MPs is neglected. Premadasa noted that despite repeated calls for ensuring the security of opposition members, the govt had failed to respond appropriately. He emphasized that MP Bandara is still not receiving the protection he is entitled to and urged more..

Feb 5 (FT) Human Rights Commission of SL (HRCSL) has expressed deep concern over what it described as emerging threats to freedom of expression in Sri Lanka, particularly the ability of journalists to carry out their professional duties without undue interference. In a statement, the Commission said it was especially disturbed by a growing trend of law enforcement authorities initiating investigations into allegedly defamatory speech, including speech by journalists, more..

Feb 5 (DM) The Protection of Occupants Bill, 2025, gazetted in September last year, was recently tabled in Parliament by Minister Harshana Nanayakkara, aiming to introduce legal safeguards against the arbitrary eviction of occupants from premises. According to its preamble, the primary objective of the proposed legislation is to prevent landlords from ejecting persons in occupation of premises and to provide for more..

Feb 5 (DM) The govt is still in the process of completing the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA), despite the lapse of two months since Cyclone Ditwah struck the country. The assessment is required to determine the replacement cost for the rehabilitation of infrastructure damaged by the disaster. Cyclone Ditwah made landfall on Nov 27, 2025, unleashing rainfall and landslides that caused floods. The country suffered extensive damage to agriculture, irrigation systems, highways, more..

Feb 5 (AD) Indian PM Narendra Modi today said India and Sri Lanka are connected by deep civilisational and spiritual bonds as he thanked President Anura Kumara Dissanayake for inaugurating the exposition of the sacred Devnimori relics of Lord Buddha in Colombo. The first-ever international exposition of the sacred relics, which originate from the Devnimori archaeological site in Gujarat’s Aravalli district, is taking place at the Gangaramaya Temple. more..

Feb 5 (NW) MP Faiszer Musthapha officially handed over two significant Private Member Bills to the Secretary General of Parliament, Kushani Rohanadeera, aiming to modernize aspects of SL’s personal laws that impact the rights and dignity of citizens, especially women and children. Dissolution of Marriages on the Ground of Irretrievable Breakdown Bill seeks to amend the Marriage Registration Ordinance and the Civil Procedure Code by introducing irretrievable breakdown more..

Feb 5 (EN) SL’s Cinnamon Life City of Dreams, with the John Keells Foundation and Nations Trust Bank, is hosting the West-End licensed musical La Bamba! The Song of Veraruz in an effort to promote Colombo as an entertainment hub in South Asia. “If Colombo can add soft value to the city such as events, museums, art galleries…, it can be one of the leading destinations in South Asia,” Dileep Mudadeniya of John Keells Holdings told reporters at an event to announce the production. more..

Feb 5 (DM) Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) recorded its highest-ever passenger movements in 2025, handling 140,614 passengers. The Ministry of Ports and Civil Aviation said this marked the largest number of passenger movements since the airport was inaugurated in 2013. The airport also successfully handled 703 international flights during the year. Officials noted that passenger numbers more..

Feb 5 (AD) A total of 41 clinics are being conducted across Sri Lanka at present under the National STD/AIDS Control Programme, Minister of Health and Mass Media, Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa stated. Minister revealed this in Parliament today in response to a question raised by Parliamentarian S.M. Marikkar. Minister Jayatissa further revealed that 4,771 HIV/AIDS patients, 1,469 Syphilis patients, and 2,891 Herpes patients are currently receiving treatment at these clinics. more..

Feb 5 (NW) President Anura Kumara Dissanayake today met the Sri Lanka cricket team at the NCC ground following their practice session, in a move aimed at boosting player confidence ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Sri Lanka enter the home World Cup under pressure after a series of recent defeats and sustained criticism from fans over their performances. Against this backdrop, Prez visited the squad to personally address the players, offering encouragement and reassurance more..