Feb 11 (CI) Australia's four-day victory in Galle gave them an extra 24 hours before flicking into one-day mode as they enter a brief period of preparation for the Champions Trophy 2025. Originally there was just going to be a single ODI in Colombo but a second was squeezed in which will basically be the team's warm-ups before heading to Pakistan. Injuries to Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Marsh along with the surprise retirement of Marcus Stoinis means there is a bit of a more..

Feb 11 (DM) The position of the Attorney General or the Attorney General's Department will not be abolished with the establishment of the proposed Independent Prosecutor’s Office, govt said. Minister Nalinda Jayatissa told the weekly briefing to annnounce Cabinet decisions that the Independent Prosecutor’s Office will function with more capacity than the AG's office. Responding to a question raised by a journalist, Minister said the new Body will deliver justice to the people more efficiently. more..

Feb 11 (TM) SL banks’ prime lending rate fell below 8% in certain banks after almost three years with stabilisation in the financial sector. According to weekly indicators, the average weighted prime lending rate (AWPLR) increased by 3 bps to 8.59% last Friday (7) compared to the previous week. Banks’ prime lending rates ranged from 7.92-10% last week. This decrease follows a reduction in treasury bill yields. more..

Feb 11 (EN) Cabinet have approved a proposal to sign agreements on investment promotion and security with UAE during the current 3-day official visit of Prez Anura Kumara Disanayake, the govt said. Both countries have agreed to “sign an agreement on mutual investment promotion and security to compile a legal mechanism for the regulation of direct foreign investment through ensuring a conducive institutional environment for the investors and their investments,” more..

Feb 11 (NW) As per the request by the PM, a special Parliamentary Sitting has been convened on Friday (14), in accordance with the provisions of Standing Order 16 of Parliament. The call on the said special Parliamentary Sitting has been announced through the Extraordinary Gazette Notification No. 2423/04, issued by the Speaker on 10th Feb 2025. Accordingly, Parliament will convene at 9:30 a.m. on that day, and the Speaker hereby informs all MPs to attend. more..

Feb 11 (AD) The CEB announced that no power cuts will be imposed tomorrow (12). However, the CEB confirmed today that no power cuts will take place tomorrow as it is possible to meet the Poya Day lower demand with the available generation capacity. CEB decided to implement island-wide power cuts on Monday and Tuesday, as a result of an issue which arose at the Norochcholai Coal Power Plant, where the automatic more..

Feb 11 (AD) Minister Vijitha Herath has met with Ambassador Indra Mani Pandey, Secretary General of BIMSTEC, at the Parliament Complex to discuss advancing cooperation in Science, Technology, and Innovation. The discussions have focused on Health, and Human Resource Development, which are also sub-sectors led by SL within the BIMSTEC framework. Furthermore, Ambassador Pandey also briefed Minister Herath on the upcoming BIMSTEC Summit, scheduled for 2nd to 4th Apr 2025 more..

Feb 11 (NW) The Cabinet has granted approval to recruit 7,456 employees for ten state institutions. Minister Nalinda Jayathissa said the decision was made following requests made to the committee appointed to review the state service recruitment process. “When we took over the government, there were a number of issues regarding state service recruitments,” Minister Jayathissa said, adding that the proposal to reveiw the process had been tabled by PM Harini Amarasuriya. more..

Feb 11 (FT) The slogan of Islamic Bank carries a connotational interpretation that its functions are based on the principles of banking as stipulated by Islam. This interpretation is true, in my opinion. But it does not mean that an Islamic bank caters only to the needs of Muslims. It is meant for the entire population. A non-Muslim need not study Sharia to establish a banking relationship with an Islamic bank. The products and services are tailor made to suit every customer and more..

Feb 11 (FT) In an interesting development, the Sri Lanka Foreign Service Association (SLFSA) has issued a media release advocating for the depoliticisation of the diplomatic service and the recognition of professionalism and meritocracy. The objective here is not to endorse political appointments as rewards, but to encourage the SLFS to reflect and enhance its value. This will help demonstrate that diplomacy is a field that demands professionalism and competence. more..

Feb 11 (TM) The SJB opined that the power outage has shown the Govt’s incompetence in managing the electricity supply and urged Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody to resign from the position. The opposition party also sought action from Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake to replace the subject minister. This, as nearly 24 hours passed since the 7-hour-long islandwide power outage occurred, with authorities yet to give more..

Feb 11 (DM) The SLPP has called for the appointment of a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) to investigate both registered and unregistered NGOs operating in the country, following concerns about their funding and transparency. SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa made the call in a statement on social media, alleging that some NGOs have been functioning without proper registration while receiving undisclosed foreign funding. Namal will write to the Speaker more..

Feb 11 (NW) Prez Anura Kumara Disanayake, along with his delegation, arrived at Dubai International Airport this afternoon (10) to participate in the World Governments Summit (WGS) 2025, which is scheduled to take place from Feb 11 to 13 in Dubai, UAE. Upon arrival, the delegation, including the Prez, was warmly welcomed by Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade, and other state officials. Also present at the reception were Embassy of SL to the UAE more..

Feb 11 (DM) Short power cuts are expected to be imposed in several districts of the island at least till Friday (14), till the Norochcholai Power plant is repaired and connected back to the main grid. Sources said that efforts were ongoing to repair the coal power plant as soon as possible, but it was likely that the power cuts would remain throughout the week. The CEB has already issued one-hour and 30-minute power cuts in more..

Feb 11 (DM) If a countrywide power outage occurred and took longer to restore, the primary cause of both recent and past islandwide blackouts would be the failure of the country's three coal power plants, energy expert, advisor and former member of the Renewable Energy Ministry, Asoka Abeygunawardana said. While refuting claims by the CEB engineers, he said that rooftop solar power users cannot be blamed, as they contribute energy to the main grid. The islandwide blackout more..

Feb 11 (CT) The country’s vehicle assembly and spare parts manufacturing industry has made significant progress over the past four years, increasing export income by USD 450 million, according to Deputy Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development, Chaturanga Abeysinghe. In a post on his Facebook account yesterday (10), Abeysinghe noted that 17 vehicle assembly industries have expanded in the past four years, generating 20,000 direct/indirect jobs. more..

Feb 11 (FT) As a new initiative aiming to reach out to potential SL startup SMEs in the UK, a promotional event titled SL Business Promotion Dialogue was organised on 31 January by the High Commission of SL in London, jointly with NLC Consultants – UK. Delivering the opening remarks, Minister of the High Commission, Somasena Mahadiulwewa elaborated on the goals to be achieved through a series of events which are to develop businesses of Sri Lankan entrepreneurs in the UK, more..

Feb 11 (FT) IMF Executive Director Dr. Krishnamoorthy Subramanian yesterday called on PM Dr. Harini Amarasuriya at the PM’s Office in Colombo. The meeting focused on key economic matters, including tax policy, the effective management of tax revenue, and measures to enhance public sector efficiency. The PM also outlined the Govt’s future development agenda, highlighting policy proposals to ensure economic stability and foster sustainable growth, more..

Feb 11 (TM) Despite various parties questioning the objectives of USAID-funded and NGO-implemented projects in SL, which have come to a halt with the new US administration’s decision to halt USAID funding, the National NGO Secretariat has not taken any decision to probe USAID-funded projects, sources said. Sources familiar with the matter noted that monitoring such projects is also a process that encounters more..

Feb 11 (FT) Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe, along with members of the Food Policy and Security Committee, convened for the second time yesterday. During the discussion, the critical need for a robust data system to support policy decisions on ensuring food security was strongly emphasised. The primary objective of the Committee is to implement measures ensuring a safe, healthy, and sustainable food system for all citizens, in line with the Govt’s food security policy. more..

Feb 11 (TM) Ministry of Urban Development and Housing has directed the National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) to establish a mechanism for collecting outstanding payments for water bills as soon as possible. This is in the wake of recent reports indicating that consumers have failed to pay arrears amounting to nearly Rs. 14.5 billion to the NWSDB. In light of this situation, Deputy Minister T.B. Sarath said that the ministry has instructed the NWSDB to develop a suitable mechanism more..

Feb 11 (Island) SL’s electricity sector is undergoing a seismic transformation with the proposed amendments in the Electricity Act No. 36 of 2024. With the primary aim of restructuring the CEB, these reforms promise to reshape SL's energy landscape. But experts, including Prof. Asanka Rodrigo from Dept of Electrical Engineering at Uni of Moratuwa, caution that while the reforms hold potential, they could also lead to unintended consequences if not executed with clarity and precision. more..

Feb 11 (DN) Army athlete Rasara Wijesuriya came to the spot light when she set up a new SL record in the Women’s 10,000 m at the first National selection trials held at Diyagama Stadium on Sunday. An undergraduate in Sports Science at the Uni of Kelaniya, Rasara set a new National Record in the Women’s 10,000m, clocking 33:39.60 seconds erasing the previous record of 33:55.04 set by Hiruni Wijeyaratne in 2017 in USA. Meanwhile the day one on Saturday Olympian Javelin Thrower more..

Feb 11 (EN) SL has appointed a high-level task force on Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) and Preparations for the island nation’s Third Mutual Evaluation which is to begin in the near future by the Asia Pacific Group (APG), the Central Bank said. The AML/CFT task force includes Retired SC Judge Buwaneka Aluwihare (Chairman), Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara, Deputy Economic Dev more..

Feb 11 (Island) This has got to be one of the most spineless Test series SL have played in their storied history stretching over four and a half decades. The Warne-Murali Trophy wasn’t just handed over – it was gift-wrapped, express-delivered, and presented with a bow to the Aussies. If you thought a lack of fight was only in politics, think again. Chamara Sampath is putting up more resistance in Parliament while Ravi Karunanayake showed more imagination in securing a National List seat for himself. more..

Feb 11 (DN) "The way we are playing the spinners at the moment, is great,” Australia skipper Steve Smith said after being adjudged Player of the Series at Galle. “We had a really good training camp in Dubai for a week before coming here, where guys were just able to work on their methods added skipper Smith who finished a memorable series at Galle to reach 10,000 test runs. “All of our batters bat differently. Usman Khawaja , Akex Carey and Josh Inglis use the sweep shot a lot. more..

Feb 11 (DN) SL ODI squad once again will be led by Charith Asalanka while the presence of white ball specialists Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Avishka Fernando and all rounder Janith Liyanage will strengthen the side. Dunith Wellalage the spin all rounder is also in the squad along with Kusal Mendis, Pathum Nissanka and Kamindu Mendis who played in the test series. Jeffrey Vandersay the leg spinner also more..

Feb 11 (TM) Small-Scale Enterprise Owners’ Association/the Small- and Medium-scale Business Owners Association is demanding compensation for the losses incurred due to the islandwide power outage on 9 February. The Association's National Organiser, Niluksha Kumara, stated that the CEB needs to assess the losses caused by the outage and compensate the affected businesses. He emphasised that the CEB has repeatedly failed to address such issues in recent history. more..

Feb 11 (DN) Sustained fiscal discipline, governance improvements and investments in digital infrastructure are vital to ensuring SL’s economic recovery transitions into sustainable growth. This was opined by Senior Economist Sanjaya Ariyawansa during the presentation of the 10th Annual Outlook Report 2025 launched by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce at the Economic Review and Outlook 2025 seminar last week. Chairman of The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, more..

Feb 11 (FT) Tourism Malaysia yesterday announced the launch of its Sales Mission to Colombo, aimed at rejuvenating its presence and strengthening ties with the SL tourism market. This strategic initiative follows a remarkable rise in tourism statistics, with 58,015 Sri Lankans visiting Malaysia in 2024. This is a substantial increase of 122% compared to pre-pandemic numbers in 2019, when only 26,058 Sri Lankans travelled to Malaysia. Mission highlights Malaysia’s potential as a key destination more..

Feb 11 (CT) The rugby community mourns the loss of 52-year-old Aruna Krishantha Rankothge, a respected personality and a former leading referee in SL rugby, who passed away on 10 Feb 2025. A proud alumnus of St. Sylvester’s College in Kandy, Aruna began his rugby career by representing his school from 1989 to 1991. He played as a flanker and centre for Kandy Sports Club and Kandy Youth Cricket Club. His journey into refereeing began in 1996 when he accepted the challenge of more..