Jun 14 (TM) The deadline for accepting Expressions of Interest (EOIs) to develop and operate the Mattala Rajapaksa Int'l Airport (MRIA) has been extended by one month to 9 July, after authorities failed to receive any formal proposals despite more than 30 interested parties participating in a pre-proposal meeting. Deputy Minister Janitha Kodithuwakku said that the deadline, initially set for 8 June, had been extended to give interested investors more time to submit their proposals. more..

Jun 14 (DM) A group of former MPs has written to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake urging the government to uphold the rule of law amid growing controversy over the treatment of former SIS Director General Major General (Retired) Suresh Saleh, who is currently in police custody. The letter, titled Let’s Uphold the Rule of Law, was sent in response to an ongoing public debate regarding what the signatories describe as the harsh treatment of the former intelligence chief following his arrest. more..

Jun 14 (TM) Govt has no plans to remove the Special Commodity Levy (SCL) as proposed by the previous regime due to the need to keep food prices in the market in check, according to the Department of Trade and Investment Policies. Dept’s Director General I.J. Abeyratne noted that a decision had been made under the previous regime to remove the application of the SCL. However, that decision was revoked by the incumbent Govt. She further stated: “Right now there is no decision to remove the SCL, more..

Jun 14 (EN) Parliamentary Committee on Public Finance (CoPF) grilled top Central Bank officials, including Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe, over severe regulatory blind spots and oversight failures that allowed a catastrophic Rs. 13.2 billion internal fraud to go undetected at National Development Bank (NDB). The high-stakes hearing exposed vulnerabilities in the island’s banking infrastructure, drawing critical attention from international lenders, including the IMF. more..

Jun 14 (EN) Chairman of Beijing’s state-owned construction firm China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) met Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Saturday and expressed confidence on investing in the Indian Ocean island nation. Bai Yinzhan and a delegation from CHEC met the Prez at the Presidential Secretariat. “During the meeting, Mr Bai Yinzhan stated that Prez Dissanayake’s direct and visionary leadership had greatly enhanced the company’s confidence in investing in Sri Lanka,” more..

Jun 14 (ST) SLC has enlisted the services of former ICC Head of Legal David Becker to assist in drafting the governing body’s proposed new constitution, a key step in its ongoing governance reforms. Becker, a distinguished South African sports lawyer, is expected to arrive in SL tomorrow to begin consultations on the constitutional framework. During his tenure with the ICC from 2007 to 2012, Becker oversaw the organisation’s legal affairs, governance structures, commercial agreements more..

Jun 14 (ST) An unbeaten century from opener Avishka Fernando and a match-winning third-wicket stand with Sadeera Samarawickrama powered SL ‘A’ to a commanding 8-wicket win over Afghanistan ‘A’ in the Tri-Series encounter at Dambulla on Saturday. Chasing a revised target of 231 in 41 overs, Sri Lanka ‘A’ stormed to 231-2 in just 28.1 overs, with Fernando producing a masterclass in strokeplay to finish unbeaten on 108 from 79 balls. His innings, studded with 14 fours and three sixes, more..

Jun 14 (ST) Specialist power-hitting coach Julian Wood and biomechanics expert Rene Ferdinands have been shown the door less than a year after being brought into the system amid much fanfare, as the newly-installed Transformation Committee continues its sweeping overhaul of the country’s cricket structure. Both coaches are expected to leave SLC at the end of this month despite initially being given three months’ notice. Wood, recruited last year to address SL’s chronic struggles in power-hitting, more..

Jun 14 (ST) UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) will return to SL from June 15 to 24, seven years after its last visit, to assess whether the authorities have followed through on reforms and strengthened protections for people in detention or other places where they may be deprived of their liberty, UN Human Rights Office announced. SL acceded to the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT) in 2017. more..

Jun 14 (Island) Before Sarath Fonseka was arrested, he had to be rebranded as a traitor. Until he had his fallout with the Rajapaksas, Gen Fonseka was a pre-eminent member of that most protected of protected species – the War Hero. In mid-2009, Gotabaya Rajapaksa took a verbal pickaxe to several journalists for being critical of Gen Fonseka. “You are attacking (Lieutenant General) Sarath Fonseka who has committed his life for the past 18 years to waging a war… This is no laughing matter. more..

Jun 14 (Island) Minister Ananda Wijepala has informed Parliament of some root causes of the country’s foreign exchange woes. He told the House the other day that a mega fraud involving the transfer of millions of dollars overseas under the guise of payments for non-existent imports, had been uncovered by the police and the Customs. However, the racket of phantom imports is a common mechanism that facilitates capital flight and illicit financial outflows. It is not of recent origin. more..

Jun 14 (ST) Dear Wimal, Udaya, Namal, and Delete, I thought I must write to all of you because you have been busy staging the Sallay ballet in front of the Fort railway station this week. It didn’t attract a cast of thousands and the show ended too soon, after just a few days. Still, it generated what many would have thought was way too much publicity. To begin with, I am a bit confused about all the demands you were making. You wanted Sallay, a suspect in a case related to the Easter attacks, more..

Jun 14 (ST) Published this week, the National Mineral Policy of Sri Lanka 2026 reserves the award of mining and exploration rights competitively to investors who prove they will provide the highest economic, technological and sustainable value to the country. The policy states that the activities and proposals of prospective investors—whether private or State-owned—will be carefully evaluated to ensure their operations generate the maximum possible benefits. more..

Jun 14 (CT) The Govt’s Thursday pledge to bring in a Bill to replace the existing Prevention of Terrorism Act comes as a possible release of the pressure that is building around it, with the past week’s allegations of violations being carried out under its provisions under the NPP Govt. Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara on Thursday told Parliament that the abolishment, which he has been a committed legislator to since taking office, will come into effect in two months. more..

Jun 14 (CT) Sri Lanka, with its current financial status, dependent heavily on foreign assistance, needs to take extreme care in how it handles international concerns. The vigilance that the superpowers place on countries such as SL when they distribute aid is an inconvenience that the country has little control over. Throughout independence, successive governments have had to depend extensively on these provisions coming in many different guises, for their survival as it trudged through more..

Jun 14 (TM) As the SL Rupee continued to depreciate against the US Dollar as of last Friday, public concern about the state of the economy is once again beginning to intensify. The timing could hardly be more consequential as Sri Lanka is expected to resume servicing portions of its restructured external debt obligations from next year and every depreciation of the rupee increases the local currency cost of meeting those commitments. For ordinary citizens, a weaker currency eventually translates into more..

Jun 14 (TM) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) and his JVP-led NPP Govt continue to face a series of political, legal, and economic challenges. While the administration has thus far managed to withstand pressure from both political opponents and interest groups, several developments over the past week have once again placed the Govt under intense public and political scrutiny. The detention of former Director of the SIS Major General Suresh Sallay has emerged as more..

Jun 14 (CT) Participating at the All Party Conference that then Prez Jayewardene convened in January 1984 in the aftermath of the watershed violence of 1983, Dr. Colvin R de Silva characteristically perorated that the structure of the SL state is incongruent with the country’s ethnopolitical reality. He said it more as a Historian than as a Lawyer or as the architect of the 1972 Constitution. This gap between state structure and ethnopolitical reality was somewhat bridged by the 13th Amendment more..

Jun 14 (SO) After more than 100 days of intense aerial and Naval combat operations, the US and Iran are reported to be ready to sign a peace deal today in the Swiss city of Geneva. Pakistan, the key mediator, is confident that a deal can be sealed – its PM Shehbaz Sharif said the final text of a deal has been reached. It echoed a statement by Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who said a deal has never been closer. This, if it finally materialises, will mark the end of a conflict more..

Jun 13 (DM) Nearly one in four SL workers are exposed to generative artificial intelligence (AI), with professional and office-based occupations facing the greatest risk of disruption, prompting the govt to place AI at the centre of its economic transformation strategy. Addressing the 114th Session of the International Labour Conference in Geneva this week, Minister said research conducted by the IPS more..

Jun 13 (NW) SL has reduced its daily vehicle import expenditure to US$3.9 million following measures introduced to manage import demand amid ongoing economic pressures, Minister Anil Jayantha said. Vehicle imports had averaged US$5.27 million per day under normal conditions in 2025. He noted that import spending had at one stage increased to US$6.8 million per day due to heightened public demand and uncertainty surrounding the country’s economic outlook. more..

Jun 13 (EN) UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) will visit Sri Lanka from June 15 to 24, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The 4-member delegation will meet ministers; senior officials of ministries, govt departments and institutions; the Human Rights Commission of SL; and civil society members. The visit will be carried out in accordance with their mandate, the ministry said. “Govt of SL will engage with the Subcommittee in an open, constructive, and transparent manner, more..

Jun 13 (NW) SL Rugby says operational and administrative issues during the final stages of squad preparations led to the cancellation of its Asia Rugby Emirates Men’s Championship 2026 match against South Korea, which has now been recorded as a 20-0 defeat. Asia Rugby announced that the fixture, scheduled to be played at the Namdong Asiad Rugby Stadium in Incheon on Saturday (13), would not go ahead after more..

Jun 13 (NW) 24-year-old Tamil hip hop artist Sangeethsan Ganeskumar, popularly known as Hiphop Sangee, who was recently arrested under Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) has been granted bail. The Tamil rapper and singer was arrested and remanded under the PTA over allegations that social media content he shared promoted or glorified the LTTE. Critics argued that he was being targeted for artistic and political expression and called for his immediate release. more..

Jun 13 (DM) Parliament is to take up the debate on the Online Safety (Repeal) Bill on June 23 as per the decision made by the party leaders, the office of the Leader of the House said. The debate is to take place from 11 am to 5 pm on the stipulated date. Online Safety Act No. 9 was approved in Parliament in Feb 2024. This legislation was opposed by many, including civil organizations and some media institutions. House is expected to take up the debate on the National Environment (Amd) Bill more..

Jun 13 (NW) Joint Opposition has requested an immediate disciplinary inquiry against the Director General of the CIABOC, Ranga Dissanayake, alleging that the Commission has adopted a lenient approach towards corruption complaints involving influential figures linked to the current government. The request was made in a letter addressed to CIABOC Chairman W.M.N.P. Iddawela and signed by several Joint Opposition leaders, including G.L. Peiris. The Opposition alleged that more..

Jun 13 (AD) Ministry of Education has informed students scheduled to sit for the 2026 GCE A/L Examination that schools will remain open until August 7, 2026, allowing students to utilize the remaining classroom sessions for revision and final preparation. According to the 2026 school calendar, the first phase of the third school term for Sinhala and Tamil medium schools will be held from July 27 to Aug 7, accounting for a total of nine school days ahead of the examination. more..

Jun 13 (BBC) El Niño - the natural Pacific weather pattern that pushes up global temperatures - has officially begun, US scientists say. US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has declared that El Niño conditions are now under way in the tropical Pacific, with sea surface temperatures having risen sharply in recent months. Many forecasts suggest this could end up as a so-called super El Niño, and more..

Jun 13 (Island) Australian Border Force and SL Coast Guard have launched Disi Rela 2026, marking the third consecutive year of the joint maritime security initiative aimed at strengthening maritime surveillance, operational capability, and public awareness across SL’s coastal regions. This year, Disi Rela 2026 expands its community engagement and public awareness activities to SL’s Eastern Province, following successful activations conducted in the Western and Southern Provinces more..

Jun 13 (Island) The Indo-Lanka Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ILCCI), affiliated to The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, hosted an interactive session on SL’s Investment Future: Policy, Opportunity & Growth at Jetwing Colombo Seven. The session was attended by Dr. Satyanjal Pandey as Chief Guest, while Aritha Wickramasinghe delivered the keynote address in his capacity as Chief of Staff to the Office of Prez Envoy on Foreign Investment, Hanif Yusoof. more..

Jun 13 (AD) A SriLankan Airlines flight bound for Sydney, Australia, was forced to return to Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) shortly after takeoff early today (12) after the aircraft was reportedly struck by lightning, according to an airport duty officer. SriLankan Airlines flight UL-606 departed Katunayake Airport for Sydney at approximately 1:00 a.m. The aircraft, a wide-body Airbus A330, was carrying 217 passengers and 16 crew members at the time of the incident. more..

Jun 13 (DM) District Court of Mount Lavinia has been moved to issue an enjoining order against a defendant, accused of unlawfully subletting a disputed property in Dehiwala and carrying out unauthorised activities on the premises. Appearing for the plaintiff, Attorney-at-Law Roshanara Fernando informed Court that her client had been in occupation of approximately 13.5 perches of land in Dehiwala for a considerable period. She submitted that only 1.1 perches of the property had more..