Feb 10 (AD) The CEB is expected to decide today (10) whether power cuts will be required to be imposed as the Norochcholai coal power plant remains disconnected from the national grid. A special discussion regarding the situation is scheduled to take place today, as authorities assess the electricity supply following the island-wide power outage that occurred yesterday (9) at approximately 11.15 a.m. The disruption was linked to an incident at the Panadura grid substation.
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The Hotels Association hails Clean Sri Lanka program
Feb 10 (FT) The Hotels Association of SL (THASL), a key stakeholder in the tourism sector, yesterday said it supports Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s Clean Sri Lanka initiative. “This program introduces much-needed changes across the environmental, social, and governance dimensions. THASL believes this is a significant step in the right direction. With hotels located throughout the country, the hospitality industry is wholeheartedly backing this Govt initiative,” THASL Prez M. Shanthikumar said.
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High chromium lime not yet used in processing water, utility says
Feb 10 (EN) A shipment of hydrated lime, meant for use in water purification, but which did not meet specifications, has not been used for any purification process, chairman of SL’s water utility has said. Water Board clarified that the shipment which was not in accordance with the specifications was not included in the Water Board stock and was stored separately. “This container was not in accordance with the specifications and
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Speaker to announce SC’s decision on LG Elections Bill on Friday
Feb 10 (AD) The Acting Secretary-General of Parliament, Chaminda Kularatne stated that the Committee on Parliamentary Business has decided to convene a special Sitting of Parliament, on Friday (14), at 9.30 a.m. This session is intended for the Speaker to inform Parliament of the Supreme Court’s determination on the petitions filed against the Local Authorities Elections (Special Provisions) Bill. This was decided at the Committee on Parliamentary Business held today (10),
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Video: 'Do not put blame of blackout on monkey to cover up Govt’s inefficiency'
Feb 10 (DM) The Small Industrialists' Association urged the government to provide compensation for damages incurred by the sector due to the recent islandwide power outage. They also criticised the authorities, saying that the blame for the issue should not be shifted onto a monkey to cover up their inefficiency. All Ceylon Small and Medium Enterprises Association (ACSMEA) Convenor Niruksha Kumara said their businesses had suffered significant losses due to the sudden blackout.
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Island-wide power cuts for today and tomorrow
Feb 10 (AD) CEB has announced that island-wide power cuts will be implemented on Monday (10) and Tuesday (11). The one-and-a-half-hour power outage will occur between 3.30 pm and 9.30 pm, affecting the entire island, the CEB said. The power supply disruptions will take place for one-and-a-half-hour each today and tomorrow during the said time period with areas divided into zones, to manage the power supply system.
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SL top trade partner threatens reciprocal tariffs on all countries that tax US products
Feb 10 (EN) US Prez Donald Trump has promised reciprocal tariffs on all countries that tax US products, after announcing tariffs on steel and aluminum imports to his own country. “Very simply it’s if they charge us, we charge them,” Trump said. Not all trading partners would be affected if he’s satisfied with the current arrangements with them, Trump said without naming anyone “It won’t affect everybody, because there are some where we have similar tariffs, but the ones that
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Govt to provide permanent housing for landslide-affected families still in relief...
Feb 10 (AD) Minister of Plantation and Community Infrastructure Samantha Vidyarathna says that measures will be implemented to provide immediate housing for families still living in relief camps following the landslides caused during the recent past. The Minister stated that the construction of the houses will begin in the first week of March. He emphasized this during a discussion held today at the Ministry of Plantation with Ministry Secretaries and tri-forces officers.
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සාක්ෂි වහන්න ලසන්තගේ ඝාතකයෝ...
Time to bring back medical expense deductions: Call for economic & social...
Feb 10 (FT) As the saying goes, A nation’s wealth lies in the health of its people. It’s time for Sri Lanka to prioritise this wealth, ensuring that every citizen benefits from a healthier, more secure future. Reinstating this policy is a step forward in building a resilient economy powered by strong, healthy human resources. “In recent tax periods, individual taxpayers in Sri Lanka were allowed to deduct medical expenses, local education expenses, housing loan interest,
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Dr. Lalithadheera’s treatise: Human capital is an economic miracle
Feb 10 (FT) Dr. K.A. Lalithadheera, economist, writer, columnist, and educationist, made history last week by launching three books, one in English and the other two in Sinhala, authored by him. The book in English, titled The economic miracle of human capital, contains 10 articles which he had already published in newspapers. Of the two books in Sinhala, one is on the research methodology which is a must for those who plan to conduct scientific research.
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Islandwide power failure: CEB to launch Special Investigation
Feb 10 (TM) The unplanned power outage experienced across the island yesterday was a result of an emergency situation that broke out at the Panadura Grid Sub Station, according to the Energy Ministry. State-owned utility supplier, CEB is no stranger to un-announced and unexplained power outages, last evening issued a press release stating that a special investigation will be launched into the incident.
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Sri Lanka’s Monkey Blackout makes international headlines
Feb 10 (NW) Sri Lanka made international headlines today (9) after an unexpected culprit—a monkey—allegedly caused a nationwide blackout, plunging the entire country into darkness. The island-wide power failure occurred around 11:30 AM (0600 GMT) when the primate intruded into an electrical grid sub-station, disrupting the system. Energy Minister confirmed that the incident, which was initially thought to be a technical failure, was in fact caused by the monkey.
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Mt. Lavinia Police Constable reported missing with T-56 firearm
Feb 10 (AD) A Constable attached to the Mount Lavinia Police Station is reported missing, along with his T-56 firearm, Police Media Spokesman said. Constable in question has reportedly departed to Dubai, he said, adding that further investigations are ongoing. Police also state that the Constable had in his possession a T-56 firearm and 30 rounds of ammunition with him when he left for duty at a checkpoint last night (8). However, since the Constable had not reported for duty,
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Diplomatic service: Govt justifies nominations
Feb 10 (TM) Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Arun Hemachandra justified the nomination of many non-career diplomats stating that it was a practice used by many countries. The comments from the deputy minister come in the wake of media reports alleging that a number of those who have been nominated by the Govt to take up posts in SL missions overseas are not career diplomats, a practice which the JVP led NPP had criticised
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Sri Lanka cascading power failure fanned by big rooftop solar share: CEBEU
Feb 10 (EN) SL’s cascading power failure in February came from the inability of the grid to recover from shocks due to a large volume of rooftop solar power, CEB Engineers’ Union said. It is suspected that a breakdown in the 33kV Bus bar in Panadura led to a breakdown which then triggered a cascading failure, due to the grid made unstable by rooftop solar, Union said. “The relatively high solar share compared to a low demand on Sunday has been identified as the main reason for this.
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Short-sighted actions by previous govts led to nationwide power outage: Energy Minister
Feb 10 (AD) Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody states that no prior plans were implemented in the past to maintain the stability of the national power grid. He said that the unplanned and short-sighted actions of previous govts led to today’s power outage. Commenting further, he added, “This morning, an imbalance caused by an emergency situation at the Panadura grid substation resulted in a nationwide power outage. Preliminary investigations indicate that the short-sighted
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පත්තරේ විස්තරේ
Salman Khan recalls narrowly escaping death while flying from Sri Lanka to India
Feb 10 (ET) Bollywood megastar Salman Khan recently ventured into the podcast space, making his debut on his nephew Arhaan Khan’s YouTube channel, Dumb Biryani. During their discussion, Dabangg star recounted a harrowing experience that could have turned fatal. This nerve-wracking incident took place while he was traveling overseas alongside actress Sonakshi Sinha and his younger brother, Sohail Khan. Reflecting on that unforgettable moment, Salman narrated how
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2025 kicks off with 17.5% surge in workers’ remittances
Feb 10 (DM) Remittances from Sri Lankans working abroad have continued to be strong providing much needed heft for the country’s strengthening external sector and thereby the broader economy. In Jan 2025, Sri Lankans working abroad had sent back US$ 573.0 million via official channels, up sharply from the US$ 487.6 million recorded in the same month last year. This translated into a 17.5% growth between the two periods. This compares with the US$ 613.8 million the country received
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Wimal calls for probe into US funding and regime change projects
Feb 10 (Island) The NFF leader Wimal Weerawansa renewed his call for a thorough investigation into US intervention in the 2022 so-called Aragalaya project that forced Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa out of office. He said the JVP-led JNPP couldn’t side-step the issue against the backdrop of new US administration’s decision to dismantle the USAID over squandering of US taxpayers’ money on overseas projects.
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Central Bank mops up Rs900bn in deflationary operations in 2024
Feb 10 (EN) Central Bank has mopped up 900 billion rupees of liquidity in 2024, operating broadly deflationary policy, building foreign reserves and providing below 2% inflation for people to re-build their lives, official data shows. The central bank has generated 857.8 billion rupees through outright purchases of dollars, creating non-borrowed rupee reserves for banks, according to market operations report for the full year 2024. It had also created 25.4 billion rupees through forex swaps
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X-Press Pearl case: SC orders update on probe into US$ 250 m bribe
Feb 10 (SO) Supreme Court has directed the CID to provide an update on the investigation into allegations that a US$ 250 million bribe was paid to a local official by the insurers of MV X-Press Pearl to disrupt the ongoing probe. These allegations were made by former Justice Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe in April 2023, following multiple tips he received about the bribery attempt to interfere with the litigation and compensation processes surrounding the X-Press Pearl disaster.
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ලසන්ත ඝාතන නඩුවේ සැකකරුවන්...
SLT-Mobitel and SL Railways partner to digitalise pension warrant process
Feb 10 (FT) Ensuring access to digital solutions for everyone, SLT-Mobitel, together with SL Railways and the Dept of Pensions, enabled pensioners to enjoy a seamless railway transport experience by integrating the pension warrant process into SLT-Mobitel’s state-of-the-art mTicketing platform. Launching the digitalisation of the pension warrant took place recently at the Colombo Divisional Secretariat, with senior representatives from State institutions, SL Railways, Dept of Pensions,
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Govt in bid to bring down Sampur power plant tariff
Feb 10 (ST) Energy Ministry will seek Cabinet approval next week for a new negotiated tariff of US cents 5.97 payable by the CEB for each kilowatt hour of energy sold to the national grid by the 135 MW Sampur solar power plant proposed to be built by India’s NTPC Ltd. Negotiations had started at around US cents 7 per kWh, said Udayanga Hemapala, Secretary to the Ministry of Energy. But it has now been lowered to US cents 5.97. As a joint venture between NTPC and CEB,
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Economic future hinges on skilled workforce, entrepreneurial growth: Deputy Minister
Feb 10 (FT) Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe stated that the Govt is shifting its focus towards encouraging entrepreneurship and enhancing workforce skills to drive economic growth. Speaking at the recently concluded Sri Lanka Economic Summit 2025, he outlined a strategic vision aimed at bridging skill gaps, enabling rural entrepreneurs and
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Justice Kodagoda pushes for Chief Integrity Officers to tackle corporate corruption
Feb 10 (DM) Supreme Court Justice Yasantha Kodagoda, President’s Council (PC), has called on Sri Lanka’s corporates to appoint a Chief Integrity Officer within their organisations to foster a culture of integrity and zero tolerance for bribery and corruption. Pointing out that corruption has become an integral part of SL’s official business and social culture, he asserted that the private sector has a key role to play in building a business environment free from corruption.
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Dhananjaya wants a rethink about SL playing on spinning pitches at home
Feb 10 (CI) Usually it's the visiting team from South Africa, England, Australia and New Zealand to the subcontinent that bemoans conditions and promises to do some soul searching at the end of the series. But Australia have completed their most dominant series victory over Sri Lanka on the island, and the tables have turned, the regular order has been upended, and the boot is on the other foot. From this wreckage of a series for SL has emerged a particularly surprising question:
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President calls on exporters to seize new opportunities to lead economy
Feb 10 (FT) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Friday urged exporters to seize new opportunities and drive economic recovery, stating the need for strategic engagement in global markets. Addressing the 26th Presidential Export Awards at the BMICH, he reaffirmed the Govt’s commitment to supporting exporters as they rebuild the economic future. Presidential Export Awards, initiated in 1981 by the EDB,
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FitsAir expands Dhaka operations with two additional weekly flights
Feb 10 (FT) FitsAir, Sri Lanka’s leading low-cost airline, has announced the expansion of its Colombo-Dhaka service with the addition of two new weekly flights. Previously operating three times a week, the enhanced schedule will now offer five weekly flights, providing passengers with greater travel flexibility and convenience. The additional flights will operate from 15 February to 29 March, with departures on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
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MAS crowned Exporter of the Year at 26th Annual Presidential Export Awards
Feb 10 (FT) Global apparel-tech conglomerate MAS Holdings has once again secured multiple top awards, including the coveted Exporter of the Year, at the 26th Presidential Export Awards for 2023/24. The prestigious ceremony, held under the patronage of Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake, took place on Friday at the BMICH. MAS distinguished itself among the honourees by claiming both overall and sectoral awards that reinforced the company’s contributions to SL’s export economy.
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ආණ්ඩුවට වඳුරු අනතුරු!
SLFEB warns against E-08 visa job racket
Feb 10 (SO) Some foreign job agents in SL are reportedly scamming job seekers by charging them for the now banned E-08 Visa category, which was previously used for employment opportunities in South Korea. These fraudulent agents have promised hopeful workers that they can secure jobs abroad under the E-08 visa, despite the fact that the category has been rendered ineffective in SL. In response to the growing concerns, SLFEB has issued a stern warning to job seekers
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National Chamber of Commerce holds AGM
Feb 10 (FT) The National Chamber of Commerce of SL last week successfully concluded its 66th Annual General Meeting (AGM), a landmark event that brought together diplomatic missions, Govt and non-Govt officials, industry leaders, members, and key stakeholders. The AGM served as a platform to reflect on the Chamber’s achievements in 2024 and unveil its strategic vision for 2025, with a strong focus on uplifting the MSME sector and enhancing global business engagement.
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