Jun 3 (DM) PM Harini Amarasuriya said approval has been granted to recruit 23,000 teachers in line with a court ruling on teacher appointments, with the recruitment process expected to be completed by the end of this year. She said the appointments would help significantly reduce teacher vacancies across the country by 2027. PM made the announcement while addressing principals of national schools in the Western Province at an Awareness and Capacity Development more..

Jun 3 (NW) Management Studies & Commerce Students’ Union (MCSU) of the Uni of Jaffna has strongly condemned the vandalism of a Vesak lantern during a celebration organized at the Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce. Union said those directly responsible must be identified and subjected to disciplinary action. Vesak event was organized by Sinhala students with the approval and support of Students’ Union, while Tamil students also actively cooperated to ensure its success. more..

Jun 3 (NF) It starts with something very ordinary. A govt, like any family, needs money. There are roads to build, salaries to pay, hospitals to run. But when there isn’t enough money in hand, the govt borrows. One of the main ways it does this is through something called treasury bonds. A treasury bond is simply a promise. Govt says: Give me money today, and I’ll give it back later with extra. That extra is called interest. more..

Jun 3 (NW) Ministry of Health has issued an extraordinary gazette to recruit 3,000 student nurses, marking the first phase of a plan to add 13,600 personnel to the nursing service between 2025 and 2029. The recruitment is open to students who passed the GCE A/L exam in the science or mathematics streams in 2021, 2022, 2023 or 2024. Eligible applicants can submit applications through official website of Ministry of Health & Mass Media, www.health.gov.lk, from May 29 to June 30. more..

Jun 3 (NW) The CID informed the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court today that Treasury officials had processed a US$2.5 million debt repayment based on an invoice received via email, without verifying the original agreement or seeking further clarification. The revelation was made during proceedings into the controversial transfer of US$2.5 million belonging to the Central Bank of SL to a suspected hacker-controlled account while making a debt repayment through the Treasury. more..

Jun 3 (DM) As the cost of everyday essentials continue to rise, Sri Lankans now need at least Rs. 17,117 a month per person to meet their basic needs, according to the latest official figures. According to the latest figures released by DCS, national official poverty line increased to Rs. 17,117 per person per month in April 2026, up from Rs. 16,690 recorded in March. The poverty line represents the minimum monthly expenditure more..

Jun 3 (AD) At least three persons are reported missing while more than 50 others have been hospitalised after a fire broke out at an elders’ home in the Anguruwatota area in Horana. It is reported that 55 persons have been injured and admitted to Galpatha and Horana hospitals with injuries and health complications. Three fire trucks and several fire fighters are attempting to control the spread of the fire while search and rescue operations are underway to locate the three persons more..

Jun 3 (FT) Yasas Hewage on Monday assumed duties as Chairman of the Industrial Development Board (IDB) taking leadership of one of Sri Lanka’s longest-standing enterprise development institutions with a proud legacy spanning 60 years. Hewage brings nearly two decades of experience spanning banking and finance, business strategy, sales and marketing, entrepreneurship development, and sports tourism. Prior to this appointment, he served as Private Secretary to the Industry and more..

Jun 3 (AD) A senior delegation from Executive Board of the UNICEF, led by its President Rein Tammsaar, met Minister of Justice Harshana Nanayakkara at the Ministry of Justice for discussions on child-focused legal reforms. The talks focused on a range of issues including legal reforms related to children, procedures for obtaining testimony from child witnesses via video technology, provisions under child and juvenile justice laws, and measures to expedite court cases involving children. more..

Jun 3 (NF) Sri Lanka has successfully advanced diplomatic efforts to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), world’s largest free trade agreement, according to Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath. The announcement came following his official visits to Australia and NZ, where both nations expressed full support for SL’s membership bid. Speaking after concluding his tour and visiting the SL High Commission in Canberra, Minister highlighted that the discussions more..

Jun 3 (EN) There is a popular phrase used by doctors when a patient is recovering from a major illness: The patient is stable, but not out of danger. This is exactly where the SL economy stands today. In a major announcement out of Washington and Colombo, IMF completed its combined 5th and 6th Reviews under SL’s economic rescue program, known formally as the EFF. This technical milestone has immediate, more..

Jun 3 (AD) An individual has allegedly snatched a bag containing approximately Rs. 30.5 million in cash and fled while the cash was being prepared for loading into an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) at a state bank branch in Horana, according to Sri Lanka Police. Police stated that at around 2:55 p.m. today, as a bank employee was carrying two bags of cash through the back door of the bank, an individual approached, forcibly snatched a bag of money, and fled the area. more..

Jun 3 (TM) Minister Nalinda Jayatissa, pledged the Government would introduce age-based sex education in the curriculum reforms that the Govt hopes to introduce by next year (2027). Responding to questions during the weekly Cabinet media briefing yesterday, Dr Jayatissa noted however that each approach will be tailored accordingly while imparting digital education and other subject matter, adding that measures would also be taken to provide age-related sex education to children. more..

Jun 3 (DN) The five franchises finalised their squads for the sixth edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) following the completion of player draft held Monday in Colombo. However two key SL players opener Pathum Nissanka and paceman Matheesha Pathirana have been ruled out of the LPL which will be held from July 17 to August 8. Both Nissanka and Pathirana are set to undergo surgery during the LPL window, making them more..

Jun 3 (DM) The Bar Association of SL (BASL) has expressed grave concern over reports that the Govt is considering a constitutional amendment to increase the retirement age of judges of the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. In a letter addressed to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the BASL said the retirement ages of 63 years for Appeal Court judges and 65 years for Supreme Court judges, in place since the 1978 Constitution, should not be changed arbitrarily. more..

Jun 3 (DM) Retired Major General Suresh Salley, who is currently being detained and questioned by the CID under the provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Act, is suffering from depression, anxiety and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), his counsel informed Colombo Fort Magistrate Pasan Amarasena today. President’s Counsel Shavindra Fernando stated before Colombo Fort Magistrate Pasan Amarasena that these conditions had been confirmed through medical reports. more..

Jun 3 (DM) Sri Lanka and Japan have reached a policy-level agreement to create technical employment opportunities in Japan for Sri Lankan fisheries graduates while strengthening cooperation to modernize Sri Lanka’s fisheries sector. The agreement was announced by Minister of Fisheries Ramalingam Chandrasekar following discussions with Japan’s State Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, NEMOTO Yukinori, at the Ministry of Fisheries in Tokyo. more..

Jun 3 (DM) Court of Appeal today issued notice on the Attorney General in connection with a revision application filed by Yoshitha Rajapaksa in the money laundering case commonly known as the Manik Malla case, which is pending before the Colombo High Court. Yoshitha Rajapaksa filed the revision application challenging an order of the Colombo High Court that overruled a preliminary objection raised by him. Meanwhile, AG’s Dept gave an undertaking before the Court of Appeal . more..

Jun 3 (Island) Leader of the TPA, Mano Ganeshan said that India shouldn’t intervene here regarding the long-delayed Provincial Council polls. The former Yahapalana Minister of National Co-existence, Dialogue and Official Languages (2015-2018), Ganeshan, who represents SJB in the Parliament, stressed that New Delhi’s intervention wouldn’t do any good for them or for us. Lawmaker Ganeshan said so when asked more..

Jun 3 (EN) Sri Lanka’s total govt external debt reached US$ 37,468 million at the end of the first quarter of 2026, marking a nominal decrease of US$ 195 million from the previous quarter. According to the March 2026 Statistical Debt Bulletin released by the Public Debt Management Office, the island nation’s central govt debt component within total gross public debt stood at US$ 98,965 million. The report highlighted that multilateral debt continues to dominate SL’s foreign debt architecture, more..

Jun 3 (DM) The Supreme Court’s landmark ruling on Monday, which set aside a High Court-at-Bar order discharging several accused, including Perpetual Treasuries Ltd. and former CB Governor Arjuna Mahendran, from charges relating to the controversial CB Treasury bond issuance case, has reignited public interest in one of the country’s most high-profile financial case. The Supreme Court’s determination that a company can be prosecuted under Offences Against Public Property Act more..

Jun 3 (DM) SL is expected to experience significantly hotter-than-normal weather conditions during July and August this year as the developing El Niño phenomenon begins to influence the global climate, the Dept of Meteorology warned. Acting Director General Ajith Wijemannage said SL is currently experiencing the Southwest Monsoon season, but the impacts of El Niño are expected to become more pronounced more..

Jun 3 (NW) Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court today ordered an overseas travel ban on former Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa and two army officers in connection with ongoing investigations into the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks. Colombo Fort Magistrate Pasan Amarasena also ordered the Court Registrar to immediately forward the order to the Controller of Immigration and Emigration. The orders were issued when the case involving retired Major General Suresh Sallay, former Director of more..

Jun 3 (NW) Sri Lanka is among 60 economies targeted by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), which has proposed additional tariffs after determining that these countries have failed to impose and effectively enforce prohibitions on the importation of goods produced with forced labour. Under the proposed measures, Sri Lanka would face a 12.5% additional duty on its exports to the US, as it has neither imposed nor effectively enforced a prohibition more..

Jun 3 (FT) The child was nine and came from a broken family. When his mother developed a health complication, he was sent to his maternal aunt’s house to continue schooling. A monk from a nearby temple suggested he become ordained. The family agreed. Given their poverty, it must have seemed like a kind of a solution. Child was handed over to the temple to be trained for ordination. According to the Appeal Court judgement, within the course of about four days he was sexually abused more..

Jun 3 (FT) Tax is one of the few things that connects almost every citizen to the Govt. Every road we drive on, every public hospital, every school, every streetlight, and every emergency service is linked in some way to tax revenue. But when people hear the word tax, reactions are very different. Some people accept it as a responsibility. Some feel confused. Some become angry. Others simply ignore the system completely. This is because taxpayers are not all the same. more..

Jun 3 (NF) SL has launched what is being described as one of the most ambitious rural development initiatives in its history, with plans to implement at least one development project in each of the country’s more than 14,000 villages this year under the Praja Shakthi programme. Although originally introduced as 1,000 Villages, 1,000 Projects, authorities made it clear at the launch that the initiative will expand into a far larger more..

Jun 3 (TM) Opposition SJB MP Mujibur Rahman is to lodge a complaint with the CID regarding the reported disappearance of 42 paintings from the National Art Gallery. He said that he intends to submit a complaint to the CID next week. "In response to the related question that I raised in Parliament, the subject Minister told me that there is an investigation going on. However, I wish to lodge a complaint with the CID. I will be submitting it to the CID during the course of next week." more..

Jun 3 (TM) Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court has decided to summon President’s Counsel Rienzie Arsecularatne and attorney-at-law Udara Muhandiramge to testify in the death inquiry of the former CEO of the SriLankan Airlines, Kapila Chandrasena. Colombo Fort Chief Magistrate Pasan Amarasekara yesterday issued summons directing the two lawyers to appear before the Court as witnesses. CCD informed the Court that steps are being taken, through Justice Ministry, more..

Jun 3 (TM) Of the four Prime Ministers (PMs) who served between November 2019 and 13 May of this year, Mahinda Rajapaksa incurred the highest expenditure on foreign travel, spending Rs 42.3 m on only three overseas visits, whereas Dinesh Gunawardena recorded the lowest foreign travel expenditure, spending just Rs 3.43 m, despite undertaking four foreign visits. more..

Jun 3 (NW) Police have recovered several firearms, including a locally manufactured Mini Uzi-type automatic weapon, concealed at a public cemetery in Colombo, following investigations linked to an alleged organised crime figure recently deported from Dubai. The weapons were discovered based on information obtained during the interrogation of Mahawatte Chamara, who is currently being detained and questioned by officers of the Central Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB). more..

Jun 3 (NW) COPF Chairman MP Harsha de Silva says he rejected a report sent to him privately regarding the alleged fraudulent transfer of US$2.5 million belonging to the Ministry of Finance, insisting that it be formally submitted to Parliament for review by the committee. Addressing the matter at a COPF meeting, de Silva said the committee had previously requested a report from the Finance Ministry Secretary on the transaction, along with all relevant documentation. more..