Jun 12 (FT) A dispute between the Treasury and the Central Bank of SL (CBSL) over accountability for the $ 2.5 million cyber theft involving public funds has come under scrutiny at the CoPF, with Chairman Dr. Harsha de Silva warning that weak systems, outdated technology, and unclear lines of responsibility had created a situation where institutions are now shifting blame onto one another. Committee recently examined a report more..

Jun 12 (DN) Justice and National Integration Minister Harshana Nanayakkara, told Parliament that no official Cabinet approval has been taken to extend the retirement age of judges in the judicial system, including the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. Minister said this in response to several questions raised by Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa. Eventhough, various professional groups have requested higher retirement ages due to increased life expectancy and brain drain, more..

Jun 12 (DN) The UDA has planned to transform Kandy into a branded city to elevate its global standing, attract foreign investment, boost tourism, and showcase its unique heritage and culture. The authorities aim to leverage Kandy’s history, heritage, culture, natural beauty and the historic Esala Perahera festival. UDA Project Management Director Uthpala Uyanwatta stated that this programme is being implemented by collaborating with various Govt and religious institutions, as well as more..

Jun 12 (TM) A sustained Police crackdown has left organised criminal networks facing a growing shortage of illegal firearms, forcing some gangs to turn to locally manufactured weapons, according to DIG Chandana Kodituwakku. Head of Police Crime Division said authorities seized 10,804 machine guns and assault-type weapons between 2021 and 2024, while organised crime-related killings have dropped sharply, more..

Jun 12 (DN) A discussion on expediting the implementation of the Galle City Development Project, being carried out under the Major Urban Development Programme, was held at the Presidential Secretariat with the participation of Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Wednesday. The President reviewed the progress of initiatives being implemented to develop Galle, a World Heritage city, as a leading cultural and tourist destination. Discussions also focused on challenges more..

Jun 12 (Island) Losses incurred by several SLTB depots are largely attributable to their location in rural areas and the limited number of bus services operated daily, Deputy Minister Prasanna Gunasena told Parliament. Responding to a question, Deputy Minister said the Govt had already initiated measures to address the issue through a more systematic operational framework. He noted that the deteriorating condition of the SLTB fleet had resulted in frequent repairs and maintenance, more..

Jun 12 (DM) As Sri Lanka pursues an ambitious target of 2.5-3 million arrivals this year, Jetwing Hotels Chairman Hiran Cooray expressed cautious optimism for the upcoming winter season while warning of a highly challenging summer. Navigating global macroeconomic headwinds, Cooray in latest annual report of Jetwing Symphony noted that while the winter season holds promise provided geopolitical and aviation conditions stabilize, the immediate summer months look bleak. more..

Jun 12 (FT) The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the appointment of Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya as Chairman of the Strategy and Restructuring Committee of SriLankan Airlines. Dr. Wijayasuriya, a prominent corporate leader with extensive experience in telecommunications and digital transformation, will head the Committee tasked with guiding the national carrier’s strategic direction and restructuring efforts. The appointment comes as the Govt continues initiatives aimed at improving more..

Jun 12 (ST) Under the Environment Ministry’s ambitious Vanaspathi programme aimed at preserving the country’s forest cover, more than 81 forests were to be declared as reserves, but since the project’s launch in June last year, only 29 have been gazetted. The shortfall has created challenges in enforcing legal provisions for forest conservation and tackling forest crimes. About 63,000 hectares have been gazetted as more..

Jun 12 (DN) Wicketkeeper-batter Anjala Bandara delivered a remarkable batting performance with centuries in both innings as SL Emerging claimed the honours in the drawn first 4-day match against West Indies Emerging at the Mahinda Rajapaksa Int'l Cricket Stadium yesterday. It was a memorable match for the talented batter, who scored 163 in the first innings before following it up with an unbeaten 189 in the second. When play ended early due to rain yesterday, SL Emerging were 401 for 8. more..

Jun 12 (DN) SL’s Jaeden Sathasivam produced the best performance among the island’s young golfers as he finished sixth after two rounds of the Mandiri Ciputra Golfpreneur Junior World Championship 2026 in Jakarta, Indonesia yesterday. Competing in the Boys Development-C Division, Jaeden returned rounds of 83 and 83 for a two-round total of 166, finishing 22-over-par and holding sixth place in a strong international field featuring players from Japan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore, more..

Jun 12 (Island) Yoshitha Rajapaksa, who served as a Lieutenant in the SL Navy, has now been summoned to the CIABOC next Tuesday (16) for questioning over his participation in a Royal Navy training programme in the UK outside established procedures. Commission is expected to record statements in relation to several complaints received regarding his recruitment and subsequent service in the Navy after he enlisted on Dec 14, 2006. Investigation focuses on allegations more..

Jun 12 (FT) Marking a new milestone in Sri Lanka’s economic journey, the official launch ceremony of the National Export Development Plan (NEDP) 2026–2030 the country’s strategic export roadmap for the next five years is scheduled to be held in Colombo on 16 June. Developed in alignment with the Govt’s national vision of A Prosperous Nation – A Beautiful Life, the Plan’s primary objective is to achieve an export revenue target of $ 36 billion by the year 2030. more..

Jun 12 (FT) UN yesterday formally concluded its emergency humanitarian response to Cyclone Ditwah, saying int'l partners had delivered critical assistance to 575,000 of SL’s most vulnerable people while warning that the country’s recovery and reconstruction challenge is only beginning, with estimated needs reaching $ 3.4 billion. Conclusion of the Humanitarian Priorities Plan marks the end of the emergency phase more..

Jun 12 (ST) The capital market regulator is examining brokerage percentages of stockbrokers, after discussions with the industry. Stockbrokers recently raised several concerns with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regarding both the rationale and implementation of the new brokerage fee structure applicable to transactions exceeding Rs. 1 billion. The original intent behind this initiative was to facilitate large govt and State-Owned Enterprise (SOE) transactions more..

Jun 12 (TM) Road accidents have increased by around 115 during the first six months of the year compared to the corresponding period last year (2025), whereas the number of fatalities has risen by about 119, DIG in charge of Traffic Control and Road Safety, W P G Senadheera said. He said that SL continues to record an average of eight fatal road accidents a day, although it had reached between 10 and 15 on several recent days. He said that of the eight fatal accidents reported on Wednesday more..

Jun 12 (TM) The wife and legal representative of the former SIS Director, Major General (Rtd) Suresh Sallay, have requested permission from the CID to visit him daily while he remains under treatment at the National Hospital of SL (NHSL) in Colombo. Requests were made through separate letters addressed to the CID Director, following a Court ruling that declined to grant such access. Sallay, who is being held under more..

Jun 12 (Island) SL Communist Party has urged the NPP govt to initiate a credible review of the PTA and related practices that enable arbitrary detention and torture. CPSL General Secretary Dr. G. Weerasinghe issued the following statement regarding the arrest of retired Maj. Gen. Suresh Sallay: The CPSL expresses its deep concern over the continued detention of former Intelligence Chief Major General (retd) Suresh Sallay, who was arrested on 25 Feb and has now been held more..

Jun 12 (FT) Plantations Minister Samantha Vidyarathna has called for advance planning to mitigate the potential effects of El Niño weather conditions on plantation industry and communities, while safeguarding national production targets. The Minister made the remarks during a special discussion held at the Plantations and Community Infrastructure Ministry on Wednesday to assess the possible impacts of the El Niño phenomenon and identify preparedness measures. more..

Jun 12 (FT) For the first time in the 76-year history of the Young Presidents’ Organisation (YPO), a Sri Lankan has been elected to its Global Board, with business leader Nazri Nizar securing a position on the governing body of one of the world’s most influential leadership organisations. The appointment was confirmed at the YPO AGM held on 21 May. Nizar will serve as a YPO Director from 2026 to 2029, and will concurrently serve as Chair of the YPO Global Forum Committee. more..

Jun 12 (DN) SL’s young women’s tennis team will begin their campaign at the 2026 Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Asia/Oceania Group II in Kuala Lumpur on June 15, aiming to secure promotion to the higher Group I competition next year. A total of 10 nations will compete in the prestigious team event at the National Tennis Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Participating countries are Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong China, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, Pacific Oceania, Philippines, Singapore, SL more..

Jun 12 (SO) On a school morning somewhere in the world, a child should be packing a bag, tying shoelaces, or rushing through breakfast before the bell rings. Instead, millions of children are already at work—on farms, in mines, in factories, on streets, or hidden inside homes and informal workplaces. For them, childhood is not defined by classrooms and playgrounds but by labour, survival, and endurance. more..

Jun 12 (Island) During a recent television appearance, opposition MP and COPF Chair Dr. Harsha de Silva dramatically brandished the latest IMF Letter of Intent (LoI, 13 May 2026), pointing to the signatures of Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Central Bank Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe as proof of a secret alignment with austerity and cost-reflective utility pricing. However, for serious students of SL macroeconomics, this revelation contained no new information. more..

Jun 12 (TM) The latest data from the Department of Census and Statistics contains a sobering reality that every citizen must confront. Sri Lanka’s National Official Poverty Line has climbed to Rs 17,117 per person each month. For an average family of four, simply surviving now requires a baseline expenditure of nearly Rs 68,500 every month. In high-cost urban zones like Colombo and Gampaha, that individual threshold spikes even further. While these numbers may look like dry macroeconomic indicators more..

Jun 12 (DN) The reported shortage of teachers and lecturers to cater to the demands of the country’s higher education sector is a worrying prospect that could adversely affect the future of the younger generation and in the long run lead to youth unrest, the consequences of which the country has witnessed on at least two occasions. Unlike in many other fields teachers generally do not go on strike to obtain their legitimate demands. Teachers are also not known to boycott work as is the case more..

Jun 12 (Island) Govt politicians are giving a running commentary of the investigations into the Easter Sunday terror attacks. They usually do so in Parliament and at media briefings to generate headlines and distract attention from burning issues. Minister Ananda Wijepala has told Parliament that investigators have gathered sufficient evidence to establish the involvement of former SIS Director Major General (Retd) Suresh Sallay, in a conspiracy linked to the 2019 carnage. more..

Jun 12 (DM) Amidst concern, protest and strong opposition against alleged move to increase retirement age of the judges of Superior Courts, the govt yesterday announced that it has not yet obtained official Cabinet approval for such a move. Minister Harshana Nanayakkara has stated that no official decision has yet been taken regarding the issue. However he has observed that not only judges but professionals from other sectors more..

Jun 12 (CT) In recent decades, one of the most significant developments in SL has been the rise of political journalism. There may be many reasons for this. One key reason is the severe repression, brutality, and suffering inflicted on ordinary people during certain political developments over several decades. It took time for a reaction to emerge, but eventually, mature general media channels and a more mature form of journalism developed, along with enhanced communication capacities. more..

Jun 12 (CT) On 5 June 2026, the world’s largest International Day for the Environment was celebrated. SL launched a nationwide environmental week with a focus on conservation and cleanliness. Sri Lanka possesses a rich but, highly vulnerable tropical ecosystem. However, where does Sri Lanka stand in terms of climate action? According to Global Carbon Project data for 2023, China, US, India and Russia’s share of the global carbon dioxide emission is 30.7%, 13.6%, 7.7%, & 4.5% respectively, more..

Jun 12 (TM) In the landscape of SL’s education sector, a disturbing shadow system operates almost entirely outside the reach of Govt oversight. While the Ministry of Education maintains strict mandates for Govt and private schools, it currently possesses no regulatory body or legal provision to monitor or register the thousands of private tuition classes across the island. With such a backdrop, there is growing concern that more..

Jun 12 (DM) The Easter Sunday terror attacks of 2019 remain one of the most devastating tragedies in SL’s recent history. It claimed the lives not only of Sri Lankans, but also of foreign nationals. Therefore, countries such as the United States also have a responsibility to determine the real culprits. US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conducted an investigation and identified Zahran Hashim as the mastermind. The FBI reports, along with inputs from other foreign agencies that assisted more..

Jun 12 (TM) The decision by private bus operators to withdraw up to half of their fleet unless a fuel concession or subsidy is provided has created understandable anxiety among millions of Sri Lankans who rely on public transport every day. It is a development that should concern not only transport authorities but also policymakers at the highest levels of Govt. Public transport is not a luxury in SL. It is the lifeline that connects workers to their jobs, children to their schools, more..