Jun 7 (ST) It was only a month ago that Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake set off a firestorm of criticism when he called on supporters during a May Day speech to be prepared to celebrate a judicial verdict due later that month. The ill-advised comments, which some interpreted as a direct interference in the judiciary, drew widespread condemnation from opposition parties and sections of civil society. Just weeks later, more..

Jun 7 (ST) JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva has expressed regret to the Special Presidential Commission appointed to probe coal procurements over comments he made during a May Day rally that referenced the commission. In response to a summons issued by the commission, Mr Silva appeared before it along with his lawyers and submitted a sworn affidavit expressing his regret over the comments he had made during his speech. The commission had decided to summon more..

Jun 7 (TM) US Navy has boarded a stateless and sanctioned oil tanker, the MT Davina, in int'l waters off the southern coast of SL on Friday morning, according to reports from the US Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). A senior Govt official confirmed that the US had boarded the vessel outside SL waters in the south of SL. It is learnt that the MT Davina (IMO 9259367), which had been operating under the name Lenore at the time of boarding, is a stateless crude oil tanker more..

Jun 7 (TM) Following the initial panic buying of imported vehicles in the aftermath of the introduction of the surcharge, vehicle importers have observed a sharp decrease in LCs being opened to fund imports, given the approximate 25% price increase across the board. VIASL Secretary Arosha Rodrigo stated that recent developments in the market, including the imposition of a 50% surcharge on the Customs Import Duty (CID) on more..

Jun 7 (NW) Former MP Udaya Gammanpila alleged that former SIS Director and retired Major General Suresh Sallay has commenced a hunger strike while in police custody, claiming he is being subjected to inhumane treatment. Gammanpila said the briefing was convened at the request of Sallay’s wife and son to convey what they described as an important message to the public. According to Gammanpila, Sallay’s son visited him on Saturday morning and found him in a distressed condition. more..

Jun 7 (NW) SL Police have rejected allegations made by former MP Udaya Gammanpila regarding the treatment of former SIS Director and retired Major General Suresh Sallay while in custody. Earlier on Saturday, Gammanpila told a media briefing that Sallay’s family had informed him the former intelligence chief was being subjected to inhumane treatment while being held under detention orders by the CID. Gammanpila alleged that Sallay had been served a small portion of more..

Jun 7 (Island) Lankan businesses are facing increasing pressure to strengthen climate governance, compliance, and risk management frameworks as climate-related disclosure requirements, investor expectations, and regulatory standards continue to evolve. Against this backdrop, Genesis – Dilmah Centre for a Sustainable Future will host a specialised post-summit technical workshop titled Climate Action: A Strategic Executive Workshop on Climate Resilience and more..

Jun 7 (CT) The USD five billion garment industry, together with the govt, the US Embassy and Sri Lanka’s mission in Washington’s DC, is working together to get the proposed additional 12.5% punitive import tariffs on SL goods imports to the USA on alleged force labour, out, industry sources who didn’t want to be named told Ceylon Finance Today. SL’s appeal in this connection is expected to be ready this week. The U.S. trade representative office (USTRO) in Washington, DC, more..

Jun 7 (ST) SL, which has been having ongoing discussions with the US over worrisome, rising import tariffs, is heading for a tough round of negotiations with the US next week after a proposed new 12.5% tariff increase on exports was announced earlier this week. The US is SL’s biggest buyer of garments. US said a public hearing will be held in this regard on July 7. Ahead of this public hearing, SL is next week sending a high-level more..

Jun 7 (CT) Dept of Agrarian Development distributed 48,000 MT of fertiliser in the first phase to Agrarian Service centres located across the country, obtained from the State Fertiliser Company and the private sector with the mediation of the National Fertiliser Secretariat, among paddy farmers for the ongoing Yala Season paddy cultivation. Dammika Ranatunga, Commissioner General of Agrarian Development, stated that such measures had been taken by the Govt to ensure the uninterrupted more..

Jun 7 (Island) SL javelin national record holder, Rumesh Tharanga, produced a performance for the ages at the Rome Diamond League on Thursday, elevating himself from a promising international contender to one of the world’s elite field athletes. Competing against Olympic champions, world champions and several members of the exclusive 90-metre club, Tharanga unleashed a staggering throw of 92.62 metres to win the men’s javelin competition at the prestigious Golden Gala more..

Jun 7 (TM) Sri Lanka’s temporary 50% surcharge on Customs Import Duty (CID) on new personal vehicles has raised fresh questions about the country’s import management, foreign exchange pressures, and broader economic direction, as vehicle imports continue to surge despite mounting pressure on external reserves and the rupee. In 2025, SL’s vehicle import expenditure reached its third-highest level in history, contributing to a total import expenditure of $ 2.04 billion. more..

Jun 7 (SO) Australian, NZ and Indonesian envoys in SL last week pledged their full support for Sri Lanka’s efforts to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement. At an event organised by the Pathfinder Foundation on the theme SL, RCEP and the Emerging Global Trading Order, High Commissioner of Australia, Matthew Duckworth, Ambassador of Indonesia, Dewi Gustina Tobing and High Commissioner of NZ, David Pine said SL’s accession to RCEP would provide more..

Jun 7 (TM) Sri Lanka is set to embark on a sweeping overhaul of its petroleum infrastructure, with State energy institutions collectively committing Rs. 48 billion towards modernising critical pipeline and storage systems across the island. CPC Managing Director Dr. Mayura Neththikumarage revealed that Sri Lanka was to carry out a comprehensive upgrade of its energy infrastructure, with the CPC slated to more..

Jun 7 (Island) Sri Lanka’s rising tennis stars continued their impressive run at the ITF Junior J30 Circuit Week 2 tournament being played at the SSC courts, with Dinara de Silva and Yuhansa Peiris advancing to the girls’ semi-finals, while Aahil Kaleel secured a place in the boys’ last four. Top local contender Dinara de Silva produced another commanding performance in the girls’ quarter-finals, defeating India’s Sarthra Entoori in straight sets 6-1, 6-4. more..

Jun 7 (CT) Skipper Chamari Athapaththu fell just short of what could have been a magnificent century, but her blistering 94 ensured SL cruised to a comfortable victory over Pakistan in their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup warm-up match at Derby today. Pakistan, batting first, posted 168 for 8, with Chethana Vimukthi starring for SL’s bowling attack by claiming 4 for 31. In reply, Athapaththu and Vishmi Gunarathne forged a commanding 159-run opening stand that all but sealed the game. more..

Jun 7 (ST) The newly appointed SLC interim administration, led by Eran Wickremaratne, came into office promising a fresh start with a cleanup act. They moved swiftly. Work has already begun on drafting a new constitution which they promised would be completed within six months. A forensic audit is being conducted to identify the real issues in the finances. The urgency to restore order after years of chaos is understandable. more..

Jun 7 (Island) The committee headed by Eran Wickramaratne, which has taken charge of cricket governance, has certainly taken several steps in the right direction. When discipline, accountability, honesty and transparency become the cornerstones of administration, those values inevitably filter through the entire system. Do not be surprised if better governance eventually translates into improved performances by the national team as well. The selection process in particular has more..

Jun 7 (TM) SL Women’s Cricket Team Captain Chamari Athapaththu put things into perspective and stated that winning a World Cup (WC) was not as easy as purchasing an item from a boutique, but insisted that her side would do their utmost to bring home the silverware. She made this down-to-earth comment addressing the media during a team photo session before heading off to England in the early hours of Wednesday to contest the 12-team-strong ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in England more..

Jun 7 (CI) West Indies won the toss and put SL into bat, but that was the extent of the action from the second ODI at Sabina Park, as persistent rain put an end to proceedings before they had even begun. The washout means WI hopes of winning the series are wiped out, but they can still draw level in the final game on Monday. Perhaps more importantly, a win there will give the hosts a much needed rankings boost, with qualification for next year's World Cup hinging on their final position come March more..

Jun 7 (SO) Tour of Bivon Cycling Challenge, organised by the Alliance Sports Club and sponsored by Bivon Plastic Feat will be held on June 13 in Minuwangoda. The race will be conducted by the Gampaha District Cycling Association in collaboration with the Minuwangoda Nalanda Central College and Minuwangoda President’s College Senior Alumni Association with Lake House as the media partner. The race will be conducted in accordance with int'l standards and more..

Jun 7 (ST) Nepal’s Auditor General has stated that a plot of land bought by Govt of Nepal in Colombo nearly 36 years ago for the construction of a Nepali embassy has reportedly been sold twice to private individuals. The problem was flagged in the 63rd annual report of the Auditor General of Nepal. It showed serious irregularities in the ownership and protection of the property. Nepal bought about 1.5 acres of land in Colombo in 1989, more..

Jun 7 (Island) The recent meeting held at the Presidential Secretariat under the patronage of the Secretary to the Prez, Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, to review the functioning of Internal Affairs Units and the implementation of the National Anti-Corruption Action Plan 2025–2029 is a welcome development. Particularly encouraging is the decision to focus attention on three of the country’s most important revenue-generating and revenue-collecting institutions: SL Customs, IRD, and more..

Jun 7 (Island) US has acted decisively to rein in a runaway Executive, as it were. The House of Representatives has passed a resolution curbing Prez Donald Trump’s powers to attack Iran without congressional authorisation. Four Republicans joined Democrats to ensure the passage of the landmark bill in a vote of 215 to 208. However, the actual enforcement of this legislative measure will have to clear several hurdles, with the White House remaining determined to undermine it. more..

Jun 7 (ST) My dear Tilvin sahodaraya, I thought I should write to you when I heard you speak about provincial council elections. You said that the state coffers had been emptied after providing relief to those affected by Cyclone Ditwah. This, as well as legal obstacles would prevent the polls being held this year, is what you had said. As you can imagine, many people are quite upset about this. There are some who are annoyed because they expected these polls to be held as soon as possible. more..

Jun 7 (ST) A whole year after it was advertised and notwithstanding months of evaluation, the Cabinet has cancelled a high-value tender for the personalisation—that is, biometric and biodata entry into the physical books—of the proposed e-passports, with no new date for when a tender will be called. Will SL ever graduate to e-passports (as much of the world has now done) when procurement is bungled so spectacularly? The Public Security Ministry had been poised to award the tender more..

Jun 7 (CT) The country’s struggles through a global economic downturn resulting from the Middle Eastern crisis, which regained momentum once more last week with serious attacks experienced at Kuwait Int'l Airport, and the Govt’s challenges from both the political front and increasing concerns among the people, were proving considerable. As the rupee depreciated further against the US dollar over the week, the lot of the country seemed to be more..

Jun 7 (CT) The Govt’s increasingly unenviable positioning with regard to the geopolitical concerns, given the country’s location, especially at a time when a global crisis ensues, was clearly visible as Colombo played critical host to several maritime operatives over this week. These included the Indian Naval Ship INS Airavat, a Landing Ship Tank on an Operational Turnaround, three Pakistan Navy units, the frigates PNS Taimur and PNS Aslat, along with the submarine PNS/M Hangor, more..

Jun 7 (CT) The JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva’s recent remarks at a news conference in Jaffna where he ruled out the possibility of holding provincial council elections this year has been widely reported and widely criticized. About the same time there was another media event in Jaffna that went largely unnoticed and unreported outside Jaffna. What was said at the second media event may carry far more political implications than Tilvin Silva’s election timing talk. more..

Jun 7 (TM) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) and the JVP-led NPP administration continue to navigate the complexities of governance, political messaging, and public expectations. Recent developments have highlighted both the Govt’s achievements and the challenges that accompany its transition from opposition politics to State power. On the positive side, a recent Verité Research study found that AKD admin more..

Jun 7 (TM) Whichever way the Govt’s spin doctors may attempt to portray it, the reality confronting Sri Lanka is becoming increasingly difficult to disguise. The economy is nowhere near where it was expected to be at this stage of the recovery process and in relation to the targets mandated under the IMF programme, also enshrined in domestic law through the Economic Transformation Act of 2024. The warning signs are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. The IMF’s most recent review more..

Jun 7 (SO) Indirect talks between the US and Iran are progressing well, according to reports. With Israel agreeing, somewhat reluctantly (after a tense phone call from Washington), to cease or pause military action in Lebanon – a key demand from the Iranian side – the US and Iran should finally be able to work out a deal. There is still no indication of the terms or conditions, but the Iran War is deeply unpopular everywhere, not least because of the energy crisis that it precipitated with Iran’s more..