June 2 (DM) After the fall of the Gotabaya Rajapaksa regime, the single UNP representative in parliament–Ranil Wickremesinghe- was elected by a majority of members in the House of Representatives as President of this country. The country itself was in turmoil with rampant shortages of the most necessary goods and services. Worse, Lanka was bankrupt with an outstanding foreign debt running into billions of dollars. Using his political acumen and help from our neighbour India, more..

June 2 (TM) Ministry of Labour has recently sounded the alarm over a staggering Rs. 35 billion in unpaid EPF contributions by 22,450 companies, some of which include prominent State institutions. The revelations, announced by Deputy Minister Mahinda Jayasinghe, have spurred a flurry of questions from the public and stakeholders about accountability, enforcement, and the path forward. Jayasinghe noted: more..

June 2 (TM) Last weekend, the Shangri-La Dialogue, organised by the renowned Int'l Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) commenced in Singapore with a few noticeable absentees. The event, one of the most important high-level forums for the exchange of views by international security policymakers, attended by heads of States, ministers of defence or foreign affairs, national security advisors, military top-brass, experts & academia. SL had been a regular attendee to such forums, more..

June 2 (Island) There is no dearth of bad news these days, with headlines usually dominated by bloody conflicts and deepening crises the world over. Amidst widespread doom and gloom, global media attention has shifted to warnings about the possibility of Covid-19 raising its head again. Most countries and the World Health Organization are closely monitoring the spread of some Omicron subvariants of SARS-CoV-2. Two of these subvariants have been found in Sri Lanka. more..

June 2 (ST) A measure of unholy joy is exhibited by Sri Lankans following a dissolute duo of Rajapaksa Ministers being handed down long term rigorous imprisonment sentences by the Colombo High Court for causing a gigantic loss of more than 53 million rupees to the State in a politically motivated purchase of carrom and draught boards for distribu-tion to sports clubs in the runup to the 2015 Prez Elections. There is wild public exultation about the two corrupt former Ministers, more..

June 2 (Island) I am a former Assistant Director Of The Intelligence Services Division during the period L. D. C. Herath was the Director Of Intelligence from 1970.I together with many senior Officers received Intelligence training with the Special Branch Intelligence College in Malaysia, thereafter was trained in VVIP Security and was in a team with Sirimavo Bandaranaike along with the late V.T. Dickman, S.K. Chndrasekera from the Police and a team from the Army composed of more..

June 2 (TM) How many committees does it take to fix a broken airline? SL is now in its 17th year of trying to answer that question and still hasn’t found a convincing answer. With every change of govt comes a new approach, a fresh set of promises, and, like clockwork, another committee tasked with restructuring SriLankan Airlines. The one constant? The airline’s mounting losses and deepening dependence on taxpayer funds. more..

June 2 (FT) The trade deficit in April had nearly doubled as against March due to higher imports and slower growth in exports. In April, the trade deficit was $ 717 million, as against $ 396 million in March, reflecting an over 80% Month-on-Month (MoM) increase. The 2025 April figure was also higher in comparison to $ 558 million posted a year ago. Exports in April grew by 10.4% year-on-year (YoY) to $ 968 million, whereas in March it was a record $ 1.24 billion, up 8% YoY. more..

June 2 (EN) China’s Commerce Minister Wang Wentao who co-chaired a joint committee on Economic and Trade Co-operation in SL expressed hopes that a free trade agreement between the two countries would be concluded. “It is hoped that the two sides continue to work toward the conclusion of a comprehensive free trade agreement in one package, in line with the principles of equality, mutual benefit,” Minister Wang told a forum in Colombo where around 100 Chinese more..

June 2 (DN) SL Navy and Visakha Vidyalaya powered their way to victory by clinching the top honours in the Men’s and Women’s Open Championships at the China–SL Friendship Cup Dragon Boat Championship 2025, held on Saturday at the Diyawanna Rowing Centre in Battaramulla. Organised to celebrate the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival, the event drew over 400 enthusiastic participants. The regatta was organised by the Embassy of China in SL, in collaboration more..

June 2 (FT) UK Trade Envoy to SL Lord John Hannett of Everton last week visited MAS Holdings’ Silueta facility in Biyagama. The visit, facilitated by the British High Commission, aimed to offer the UK delegation a deeper understanding of SL’s apparel industry and MAS’ contribution to it. During the visit, Lord Hannett and representatives from the UK’s Department for Business and Trade were briefed on the importance of Sri Lanka’s apparel sector to the country’s export economy, more..

June 2 (ST) The Health Ministry will appoint a committee to facilitate direct procurement of medicines from foreign govts. The move, which is opposed by the pharmaceutical industry, was approved by the Cabinet. The ministry plans to obtain direct assistance from such govts until present issues within the medicine supply chain are resolved and disruptions are minimised, a Health Ministry statement said on Friday. more..

June 2 (FT) Aitken Spence, a leading conglomerate with a diverse regional presence, has recorded a strong EBITDA of Rs. 25.4 billion, reflecting resilient growth for the 12 months ended 31 March 2025 (FY25). The EBITDA represents the earnings of the Group before interest cost, tax, depreciation, and amortisation and includes the share of profits from equity-accounted investees. The Group also recorded an impressive operational performance for FY25, with profit from operations, more..

June 2 (FT) PickMe, Sri Lanka’s homegrown technology platform facilitating ride-hailing and delivery, has reported a standout year of performance, recording a Profit After Tax (PAT) of Rs. 1.17 billion for the financial year ending 31 March 2025. This 72% year-on-year increase marks the company ending its first full financial year since listing on the Colombo Stock Exchange, with the strongest quarter to date. The company’s success isn’t just measured in numbers. more..

June 2 (FT) The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce Vice Chairman Krishan Balendra last Friday reaffirmed the private sector’s readiness to pursue tangible investment and trade partnerships with their Chinese counterparts. Welcoming an over 100-member Chinese business delegation representing 77 companies to the SL-China Trade and Investment Forum 2025 held at Shangri-La Colombo, he highlighted the critical role of the more..

June 2 (FT) Port City Colombo last Friday commemorated the formal handover of office space to key anchor tenants with a special ceremony. The event was graced by the presence of China Communications Construction Group (CCCC) Deputy General Manager Chen Zhong, Colombo Port City Economic Commission (CPCEC) Chairman Harsha Amarasekera, China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) Chairman Bai Yinzhan, Finance, Economic Stabilisation and National Policies more..

June 2 (DM) The govt has announced plans to swiftly revise existing legal policies following the detention of a UNHCR-certified returning refugee from India, who was held by Immigration officials at Palaly Airport and later remanded by the Mallakam Magistrate’s Court until June 5th. The incident sparked criticism, with former MP M. A. Sumanthiran questioning whether the move was intended to intimidate over 10,000 others who have registered to return. In a tweet, he highlighted more..

June 2 (AD) Ministry of Environment has decided to designate the area where the endangered Pethia bandula, commonly known as the Bandula Barb, a species of cyprinid endemic to SL, lives as a conservation zone. June 2 marks the fourth day of National Environment Week and also coincides with World Environment Day. The day has been designated as Biodiversity Conservation Day, during which various conservation activities will be carried out across the country, Ministry said. more..

June 2 (DN) The Medical Research Institute (MRI) of Sri Lanka has confirmed the detection of two emerging Omicron subvariants LF.7 and XFG within the country. These subvariants, which have recently been identified in several parts of Asia, were discovered through genetic sequencing of samples collected from hospitals across the island. Health Ministry’s virologist Dr. Jude Jayamaha and the MRI stated that the identification was made as part of routine surveillance. more..

June 2 (CT) Govt of SL officially launches National Tax Week today, aiming to raise public awareness about taxation and encourage broader participation in the country’s tax system. Campaign also seeks to widen the national tax base and improve voluntary compliance. Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake is scheduled to preside over the official inauguration of the programme today at the Prez Secretariat, where key stakeholders more..

June 2 (DM) SL’s external sector showed steady footing in April 2025, holding its ground amid mounting import pressure, as the country posted a current account surplus for the fourth consecutive month, thanks to strong inflows from tourism and worker remittances. The uptick in services exports and secondary income kept the current account in positive territory despite a widening merchandise trade gap. Imports jumped 17.5% year-on-year, largely driven by a notable US$134 million in more..

June 2 (DM) Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) assured that tress in the Colombo city are no longer a great threat to city dwellers and others as it is unlikely that these will cause a major disaster as the CMC has been removing and trimming trees in the city since early last year. Municipal Engineer Manoj Ranasinghe said that heavy winds which was experienced during Thursday night would have created a major disaster if the CMC did not take action to trim and remove vulnerable tress more..

June 2 (FT) The DMC yesterday reported that a total of 9,975 individuals from 2,641 families have been affected by the adverse weather conditions currently gripping the island. The inclement weather follows the activation of the Southwest Monsoon, which began to roughen up on the evening of last Thursday, leading to widespread rainfall and strong winds across multiple parts of the country. A total of 14 districts in eight provinces have been impacted due to the severe weather. more..

June 2 (Island) The govt would soon make it mandatory for pedestrians to use underpasses, Deputy Minister of Transport and Highways, Prasanna Gunasena, announced. He said that although underpasses remained underused in most areas due to poor maintenance and unauthorised occupation by vendors and beggars. “These underpasses are unclean and occupied by unauthorised vendors and beggars. That’s why the public avoids using them,” he said. more..

June 2 (DN) The Meteorology Department announced that the prevailing heavy rains in the Southwestern regions of Sri Lanka are expected to gradually subside from today. However, occasional strong winds of 30 to 40 km/h are forecast today (2) in the western slopes of the central hills, as well as in the Northern, North-Central, North-Western, Hambantota, and Trincomalee Districts. more..

June 2 (CT) Russian Ambassador to SL, Levan S. Jagaryan, has called on Sri Lanka to demonstrate genuine interest and take tangible steps if it wishes to join the BRICS alliance, noting that mere expressions of intent are not sufficient. Ambassador reflected on the ongoing conversations around Sri Lanka’s potential engagement with BRICS—a bloc comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and other new members. Responding to a journalist’s question on the subject, more..

June 2 (TM) Issuing an Extraordinary Gazette notification, SL has extended the ban imposed on the LTTE, Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO), and several other groups and individuals listed under Regulation 4(7) of the UN Regulations No. 1 of 2012. The particular Gazette notification, dated 28 May, has been issued by the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Sampath Thuyacontha, as the Competent Authority appointed for the purpose of the UN Regulations No. 1 of 2012. more..

June 2 (DN) Commissioner General of Elections Saman Sri Ratnayake announced that 161 Local Govt Councils, including Municipal Councils, Urban Councils and Pradeshiya Sabhas where a single political party or Independent group secured more than 50% of the vote, can officially commence operations today. Ratnayake stated that the Gazette notification containing the names of members elected to all 339 Local Govt institutions has more..

June 2 (FT) SL film maker and visual artist, Malaka Dewapriya’s movie, reported to have been completed some seven plus years ago, The Undecided, was screened for a selected audience in Colombo last week. It had been sponsored by the Colombo University’s Alumni Association of which university, Dewapriya has been an alumnus himself. According to the story that unfolds before the viewers, all the characters have been those failing to decide for themselves. more..

June 2 (FT) SL imports nearly 500,000 containers annually, with volumes rising at an average of 10% year-on-year. Despite this heavy traffic and critical dependence on maritime trade, the country’s customs risk management system remains cripplingly outdated, driving unnecessary port delays, skyrocketing costs, and paralysing economic activity. Customs is not just broken — it’s actively working against trade efficiency and national interest. more..

June 2 (AD) The govt has completed all necessary procedures to launch Starlink services in SL, says Deputy Minister of Digital Economy Eranga Weeraratne. According to Deputy Minister, once the expected information dashboard is received from Starlink, the service could be launched without any operational delays. He made this statement while attending a bilateral meeting organized by the SL High Commission in Singapore, held alongside the 2025 Tech Summit Asia in Singapore. more..

June 2 (NW) SriLankan Airlines’ new Airbus A330-200 is set to touch down in Sri Lanka on Wednesday, 4 June 2025, but not before treating plane spotters to a low fly-past over Colombo and Katunayake. The aircraft, arriving on its delivery flight from Paris, will fly at an altitude of 1,500 feet along the Colombo shoreline, visible from the southern end of Port City to Moratuwa, before returning to land at BIA. An additional fly-past over BIA will take place just before landing. more..

June 2 (CT) The monthly food bill of an average Colombo household has increased dramatically by Rs 2,208.59 in May 2025, marking a 308.98% year-on-year rise. This brings the total food cost to Rs 2,923.39, highlighting the growing burden on families due to rising prices of essential goods. The sharp increase is mainly driven by the soaring costs of common food items such as coconuts, vegetables, sea fish, coconut oil, salt, rice, more..

June 2 (EN) Sri Lanka is planning to initiate the first public private partnership for water supply with a target of reducing water losses of the National Water Supply and Drainage Board, for which technical assistance will be provided by the ADB. “High levels of non-revenue water remain a serious challenge to water utilities across Asia and the Pacific,” ADB Country Director for SL Takafumi Kadono said. “This project represents a pioneering step for SL in using PPPs to strengthen the efficiency, resilience, more..

June 2 (Island) The Environment Ministry, under the leadership of Minister Dr. Dhammika Patabendi, announced a series of special events to mark World Biodiversity Conservation Day today, June 2. This annual commemoration is a global reminder of the urgent need to protect the planet’s biodiversity. Speaking ahead of the events, Dr. Patabendi emphasised the significance of biodiversity in sustaining life and the need for community involvement in conservation efforts. more..