Feb 14 (EN) Sri Lanka and UAE signed an agreement on Reciprocal Promotion and Protection of Investments to strengthen economic and investment relations between the two countries. The agreement was signed during Prez Anura Kumara Disanayake’s three-day official visit to the UAE to attend the World Governments Summit 2025. The agreement was signed by UAE’s Minister of State for Financial Affairs Bin Hadi Al Hussaini and SL’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Vijitha Herath. more..

Feb 14 (ST) A Chinese passenger who allegedly stole branded wristwatches and other valuables from the luggage of another passenger on a SriLankan Airlines flight from Dubai to Colombo this week escaped legal action, as the victim did not wish to pursue his complaint. Upon finding several items had gone missing from his hand luggage stowed in the overhead compartment, the victim began to look for them and found them in the possession of a Chinese passenger. more..

Feb 14 (TM) Electricity Consumers’ Association (ECA) lodged a formal complaint with the CID calling for an investigation into the nationwide power outage that occurred on 9 February. Association President Sanjeewa Dhammika alleged that the officials responsible at the CEB have violated the Constitution by neglecting their duties. According to the information received by the ECA, he noted that there should have more..

Feb 14 (DN) Sri Lanka cricket team will look to carry their momentum into the second and final ODI against Australia today at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium, commencing at 10 am. After producing superb fighting performance to beat Australia by 49 runs in the first game last Wednesday SL is looking to make a clean sweep while Australia will aim to bounce back in this final game after disappointing collapse in the last game. Australia rested their key players more..

Feb 14 (DN) Bellevue Beach Club, Port City, Colombo is expanding and has plans to create a special area to accommodate Yachts to the venue. SL born now resident in France and Managing Director of Bellevue Beach Club, Chandima Kahandawela said that he has already worked with Sail Lanka to create a special sea and beach path where mini Yachts could sail into the club premises and anchor, where passengers could embark and disembark from Bellevue Beach Club. more..

Feb 14 (ST) Naysayers and officials with old ideas have thwarted plans to develop SL Railways to earn revenue by specialising in tourism. The railways, which has a rich history of 160 years, provided services including sleeping berths from the colonial times, on long distance trains. In colonial times, there were first and second and class sleeping berths. The VIP or the first class birth had attached bathrooms per cabin, while more..

Feb 14 (FT) Commends fierce lobbying by environmental groups and civil society groups and handful of public officials at CEA, PUCSL who refused to cave into political pressure by former Govt. Biodiversity scientist Dr. Rohan Pethiyagoda, who for the last year fought tirelessly against the proposal award to Adani Green Energy SL, said the exit move by the firm represents a victory for financial accountability and environmental protection. “Govt’s decision to renegotiate more..

Feb 14 (FT) Agriculture-rich diversified conglomerate CIC Holdings has recorded a consolidated revenue of Rs. 64.66 billion for the 9 months ending 31 Dec 2024 (9MFY25), an increase of 7.49% YoY compared to the corresponding period of last year. Group’s gross profit has increased by 5.81% to 16.73 billion with gross profit margin for the period in review stood at 25.87%, a decrease of 41 basis points against the same period last year. Profit after tax contracted to Rs. 5.70 b from Rs. 9.67 b more..

Feb 14 (Island) Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne is scheduled to announce the Supreme Court (SC) determination on the Local Authorities Elections (Special Provisions) Bill in Parliament, today. He was expected to do so last week, but he stated that he had not received any communication from the apex court, by that time, regarding its determination in question. The Opposition created quite a stir, making various allegations, but the Speaker stood his ground. more..

Feb 14 (Island) The handful of tourists who enjoy loud noise come from countries where laws on noise pollution are very strict. In their home countries, can they make noise that affects others even during the daytime? In Re Noise Pollution, Chief Justice Lahoti referred to laws on noise pollution in several other jurisdictions. In the United Kingdom, the Noise Abatement Act provides that loudspeakers should not be operated between 9 p.m. and 8 a.m. for any purpose and at any other time for more..

Feb 14 (FT) Asian Development Bank (ADB) reinforced its commitment to Sri Lanka’s economic recovery, outlining an ambitious $ 900 million investment pipeline for 2025. Outlining ADB’s 2024 portfolio performance in Sri Lanka and plans for 2025, Country Director Takafumi Kadono highlighted the bank’s alignment with the country’s development agenda and the broader IMF-backed reform framework. more..

Feb 14 (DM) Valentine’s fever has gripped Colombo with more than just romantic gestures, with spending patterns reflecting a newfound optimism. As consumer confidence continues to rise post-crisis, florists, hotels, and restaurants are seeing an increase in demand for Valentine’s offering and sales are expected to exceed last year’s highs. A walk through Colombo’s Dean Street showed a busy consumer market regaining its footing. more..

Feb 14 (DM) Despite repeated complaints by local state authorities and residents at Mirihana in Kotte, UDA and its officials are turning a blind eye to the severe environmental devastation of UDA land due to the dumping of garbage and house waste. Until recent times, the land belonging to UDA had been a lush green paddy field with varieties of birds and other animals frequenting the place, but not anymore due to the allowing of human encroachment and dumping of garbage. more..

Feb 14 (TM) The concerns expressed by the Govt with regard to the Attorney General’s (AG) Dept’s duties concerning the legal proceedings into the assassination of former newspaper editor and lawyer Lasantha Wickrematunge have sparked debates on social media platforms, the general society, and in the political arena. While some encourage the Govt’s interest in intervening in the matter, claiming that such is necessary at times to ensure the upholding of the rule of law, more..

Feb 14 (ST) In the Netherlands, PM Mark Rutte rides a bicycle to work. In fact, the Dutch love cycling so much that in 2018 the country had more bicycles than people: 23 million to 17 million citizens. Of course the love for cycling is encouraged by an environment replete with beautiful parks, aesthetic buildings, green spaces and designated bicycle lanes. Maybe the current rulers – who have decreed that ministers would have a reduced number of vehicles, should provide bicycles for travel more..

Feb 14 (CT) Whether constructing residential buildings or commercial establishments, it is crucial to seek consultancy and guidance from the NBRO when selecting a site prior to commencing work, stated Dammika Kahahengoda, Director of the Structural Engineering Research and Project Management Division at NBRO. She emphasised, “If proper protocols are followed during construction, many issues that arise after more..

Feb 14 (TM) The Prof. Senaka Bibile’s medicinal drug policy is the answer to the present severe shortage of medicines in Govt hospitals. As a result, most patients have to purchase their medicines from private pharmacies. The price of these medicines has soared to such an extent that the poor are unable to afford them. This is particularly the case for those with chronic conditions such as diabetes where they need to take medicines daily. This leads to a flaring up of these severe illnesses, more..

Feb 14 (DM) There were past governments which tried to introduce tabs to be used in school education. Some schools benefited through this method, but not all. Still most schools in the island use books in paper form and even maintain libraries. It is in this context that we must analyse the importance of buying books or even gifting them. What’s enlightening is that there is an International Book Giving Day and its falls today (14). Int'l Book Giving Day has been celebrated across more..

Feb 14 (TM) Sri Lanka continues to experience a decline in school enrolment, raising concerns about student dropout rates in the aftermath of the economic crisis. According to the latest data from the Ministry of Education’s Annual School Census, Govt school enrolment has steadily decreased, from 4,063,685 in 2020 to 3,882,688 in 2023. While the country witnessed a sharp drop in student numbers at the height of the crisis, more..

Feb 14 (CT) Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) and the NPP were not voted into power to desecrate the sacred soil of justice. Their primary duty and responsibility was, is and will be upholding the rule of law without any discrimination towards any sect, men, women and children. Theirs is an onerous assignment and an unforgiving mission. Should they choose, willy nilly, to deviate from that path, the rage and wrath of the people would be unstoppable and it should be so. more..

Feb 14 (CT) Cancer might not be the most notorious non-communicable disease (NCD) in the world in terms of fatalities but it surely is the most–feared one. Following closely behind cardiovascular diseases, cancer is responsible for the second most deaths worldwide due to NCDs and it is a disease dreaded by many. An oncologist confirming your fears is one of the worst news one can receive but even worse is hearing a child or an adolescent being diagnosed with cancer. more..

Feb 13 (AD) The CID has informed the Colombo Magistrate’s Court today that it has taken steps to seek the Attorney General’s advice regarding legal action against a group of suspects, including SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa, over the charges of money laundering. The case, pertaining to the allegations that Rajapaksa committed an offence under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act by investing in NR Consultancy (Pvt) Ltd. an amount of Rs. 15 mil, allegedly earned through illegal means more..

Feb 13 (DM) Since its independence, Sri Lanka has been a recipient of bilateral and multilateral grants, which have supported a range of initiatives such as knowledge transfers, health and education improvements, infrastructure development and vital humanitarian assistance. However, detailed information on these grants has not been widely accessible. To fill this gap, Verité Research has developed an interactive report visualizing data on all formal grants received by more..

Feb 13 (EN) A fringe SL group protested in front of the US Embassy in capital Colombo and urged US President Donald Trump to investigate if the USAID funding was used to oust former leader Gotabaya Rajapaksa through mass protests. Coalition Against Partition of SL, a little known fringe group with dozens of people who claimed to be patriots also urged Trump to take action against current US Amb. for promoting LGBTQ more..

Feb 13 (CI) 195 not out vs South Africa, third ODI, Potchefstroom. It could not have been scripted better. Athapaththu made history with a career-best score in a record chase. No team in women's ODI cricket had ever successfully chased a score above 300 before, and SL had never even scored 300 in an ODI innings. Ten days before the match, Athapaththu had hinted at international retirement with a series of cryptic social-media posts, but those thoughts were shelved as she set about dismantling more..

Feb 13 (CI) 6 for 33 vs India, second ODI, Colombo. SL hadn't won a bilateral ODI series against India since August 1997. They came into this one having lost each of their last six ODIs against India. They came in on the back of losing two unloseable games in a 3-0 T20I defeat. This SL side had finished ninth out of ten teams at the 2023 World Cup, and had missed out on qualifying for the 2025 Champions Trophy. In the soil of Khettarama, however, lay a possible route to redemption. Spin. more..

Feb 13 (Island) Chairman of the Public Representations Committee on Constitutional Reforms (PRCCR) Lal Wijenayake said that former Speaker Karu Jayasuriya, in his current capacity as the Chairman of the National Movement for Social Justice (NMSJ), intended to initiate a dialogue with the NPP govt to explore the possibility of advancing the constitutional proposals unveiled during the Yahapalana administration. more..

Feb 13 (DM) The 11th contingent of the SL Army Medical Corps (SLAMC) has embarked on its mission to serve at the Level-2 SRIMED Hospital under the UN Peacekeeping Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) on Thursday (13). Commanded by Lt Colonel R.M.D.B Rajapaksha of the SLAMC, with Lt Colonel K.D.P.D.E.A Wijesinghe as the Second-in-Command, the contingent comprises 64 military personnel, including 16 Army Officers, 2 Naval Officers, and 46 Other Ranks. more..

Feb 13 (MoD) In a swift and heroic operation, SL Coast Guard (SLCG) lifesavers successfully rescued 11 individuals who were dragged away by powerful rip currents at Panadura Beach on 12 February at approximately 1710 hrs. However, one person remains missing, and observations are ongoing. The incident occurred when 12 individuals, aged between 12 to 20 years, were caught in a strong rip current and pulled 150 to 200 meters away from the shore. Recognizing the imminent danger, more..

Feb 13 (NW) A discussion took place yesterday between the Swiss Ambassador to SL, Dr. Siri Walt, and Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa at the Opposition Leader’s Office in Colombo. During the meeting, Premadasa requested the Swiss govt’s maximum possible assistance for renewable energy generation projects in SL. He praised Switzerland’s 2023 legislation for transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy, describing it as a historic step in addressing climate change. more..

Feb 13 (NW) The inaugural event of the Face to Face: Meet the Minister program, organized by the Ministry of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development, aimed at meeting regional industrialists and entrepreneurs beyond Colombo, addressing the issues they face, and strengthening the production economy, was held at the Hambantota District Secretariat on Wednesday (12). The Face to Face: Meet the Minister program has been launched based on a concept more..

Feb 13 (DM) Sri Lanka’s vehicle tax structure has come under renewed scrutiny, with tax experts warning that the imposition of the value added tax (VAT) on top of an already VAT-inclusive excise duty has resulted in a tax on tax scenario, making the system unfair and unnecessarily burdensome. Tax professionals this week highlighted that the composite excise tax structure, introduced in 2014, more..