Jun 8 (EN) The Sri Lanka Economic and Investment Summit will provide a platform for dialogue on the country’s economic future with a focus on a range of pressing national priorities, the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce said. “The 2026 Summit will focus on a range of pressing national priorities, including economic growth, competitiveness, investment, trade, productivity, fiscal and structural reforms, sustainability, and the changing global economic environment.” more..

Jun 8 (DM) The mother of former SIS Director, Major General (Retd) Suresh Sallay broke down in tears today as she addressed the ongoing Satyagraha opposite the Fort Railway Station, condemning what she described as the treatment meted out to her son and urging authorities to act with compassion. Speaking to supporters, she said the public's affection towards her son reflected the service he had rendered to the country and questioned the suffering being inflicted on him and his family. more..

Jun 8 (DM) More than 70,000 premises were inspected on the first day of the three-day special national dengue mosquito control programme launched by the Health Ministry. The programme began today in 72 Medical Officer of Health (MOH) divisions across 14 districts and will continue until June 10. Speaking during a progress review, Acting Director of the National Dengue Control Unit, Dr. Kapila Kannangara, said the first day of more..

Jun 8 (NW) Sri Lanka’s tourism has marked a historic achievement, with the SLTDA reporting 145,745 international visitors in May 2026, the highest number ever recorded for the month. According to the latest data from the SLTDA, this reflects a 9.6% increase compared to May 2025, which saw 132,919 arrivals. India remained the top source market, contributing 60,342 arrivals, followed by UK (9,248), China (9,156), Germany (6,734), and Australia (6,414). more..

Jun 8 (DM) Laboratory tests carried out by the health authorities have revealed that the spread of Meningitis in the Deniyaya area recently was due to the use of polluted water. It has been revealed that the people in the affected area depend on natural water resources including fountains and the community water supplies to meet their requirements of drinking water. Laboratory tests have established that these water resources are polluted with human waste and more..

Jun 8 (DM) The govt has cleared three major elephant corridors that had been blocked for years as part of a national programme aimed at finding practical and sustainable solutions to the long-standing human-elephant conflict. The announcement was made at a press conference held today. The event was attended by Environment Minister Dr. Dammika Patabendi, Deputy Minister Anton Jayakody, Additional Secretary of more..

Jun 8 (DM) Jean Aunty, an Aragalaya activist, was chased away from the satyagraha held near the Fort Railway Station in Colombo against the detention of former SIS Director, Major General (Retired) Suresh Sallay. During the demonstration, a brief commotion erupted when Jean Aunty arrived at the location. She was subsequently asked to leave by a group of protesters, who reportedly made remarks referring to her previous presence at demonstrations held at Galle Face. more..

Jun 8 (FT) Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha visited the ongoing hybrid renewable energy project in Delft Island on 3 June. This project is currently implemented in the three islands of Delft, Analaitivu, and Nainativu off Jaffna. The project is being implemented under grant assistance of $ 11 million from the Govt of India and reaffirms India’s commitment to bilateral cooperation in the energy sector, as well as the human-centric nature of India’s development partnership initiatives in SL. more..

Jun 8 (TM) Association of Divisional Secretaries' (DSs) and Assistant DSs has rejected allegations that the relevant Divisional Secretariat failed to act over issues at the Anguruwatota care home where 13 people died in a fire. Association President R. Senthil said the Millaniya DS had informed the relevant authorities on several occasions about the long-standing problems at the facility. A letter sent on 6 Feb had alerted the Secretariat for Persons with Disabilities, Dept of Social Services, more..

Jun 8 (SO) As grieving families sought answers over the deaths of 13 residents in the Mawpiya Sevana Senehase Kedella fire in Batagoda, Anguruwathota, Minister Upali Pannilage yesterday appealed to Sri Lankans to care for their elderly parents and vulnerable relatives within the family home rather than elsewhere. He said, “Such care has been a cherished role of the country’s cultural heritage for generations.” more..

Jun 8 (TM) A delegation from Sri Lanka visited Washington, D.C., to participate in a forum focused on Indian Ocean ports and supply chains, facilitated by the United States Embassy in Sri Lanka and the U.S. Department of State. The forum brought together representatives from Indo-Pacific countries, including SL, India, Bangladesh, and the Maldives, alongside members of the U.S. private sector to discuss emerging opportunities and challenges in regional maritime trade. more..

Jun 8 (AD) Private bus operations have entered a severe crisis due to rising fuel prices, according to the Chairman of LPBOA, Gemunu Wijeratne. He stated that bus owners are currently facing significant financial losses, prompting them to consider reducing the number of trips to minimize costs. If the govt does not provide relief to ease the burden on bus operators, he warned that the upcoming annual bus fare revision, scheduled for next month, could result in an increase of more..

Jun 8 (NW) Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has announced the launch of a new civil society initiative to resist what he described as an emerging authoritarian regime that undermines democracy and fundamental rights in SL. Speaking at a meeting with civil society representatives at his office, Premadasa said the movement would serve as a long‑term safeguard for democratic structures, ensuring checks and balances are maintained. He accused the govt of strengthening executive more..

Jun 8 (Island) A sharp decline in coal-fired electricity generation in April 2026, compared to the corresponding month last year, may have cost SL more than Rs. 4.5 billion, as the country was compelled to rely on significantly more expensive diesel-powered generation to make up the shortfall. The coal-based electricity generation, in Apr 2026, was 27 GWh lower than in April 2025, a development that has sparked concern more..

Jun 8 (CI) With no play possible in the second ODI, both teams go into the third game well-rested. Perhaps this is a chance for the IPL returnees in particular to have caught their breath. The rain, though, may not have cleared in Kingston completely. According to the forecast, showers are likely in the afternoon and also possible in the evening, though there may be dry spells in between. There is a chance this will be a stop-start match in which DLS calculations come into play. more..

Jun 8 (Island) Police Headquarters hasn’t responded to a RTI query regarding sending a team of police officers to the UK to investigate Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe visit in September, 2023. Sources said that the RTI request was made on 8 January, this year, by journalist Thilini Ranasinghe. The above request was forwarded to the Senior DIG of Criminal Investigation and Financial Crimes Investigation Unit on Jan 9, but the CID has not provided the above information to date. more..

Jun 8 (Island) The 2025 audit of Samurdhi Bank couldn’t be carried out due to its failure to complete the auditing process for 2023 and 2024. This transpired when Auditor General Samudika Jayaratne appeared before the CoPF on the progress of the National Audit Office’s Annual Programme for 2026. Parliament said that the procurement process required to outsource the audits to external parties had not yet been finalised. While initial estimates indicated that more..

Jun 8 (NW) Vehicle number plate printing in SL officially resumed today after being suspended for more than a year. The process was formally relaunched on Monday at the Dept of Motor Traffic’s Vehicle Inspection and Training Centre in Werahera under the patronage of Deputy Minister Prasanna Gunasena. Printing activities had been halted after the contract of the private company that had been responsible for producing vehicle number plates for the past 22 years expired in April last year. more..

Jun 8 (TM) With the forecast pointing towards El Niño conditions later this year, State authorities in charge of water, agriculture, and irrigation are assessing potential impacts and implementing strategies to manage resources, anticipating reduced rainfall leading to drought conditions. NWSDB Chairman Chandana Bandara stated that the board had already conducted discussions on necessary measures and begun more..

Jun 8 (NW) The Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus has instructed relevant authorities to ensure that all ongoing investigations into the Anuradhapura child abuse case are conducted strictly in line with court orders, while also calling for forensic and medical reports to be obtained without delay. Caucus further directed the National Child Protection Authority to monitor proceedings in A'pura, Attanagalla, and Dambulla courts, and urged measures to minimize repeated trauma more..

Jun 8 (CT) Sri Lanka must urgently deepen trade reforms and strengthen its regional and global economic integration if it is to remain competitive in an increasingly fragmented global trading system, Secretary to the Ministry of Trade, Commerce, Food Security & Cooperative Development K.A. Vimalenthirarajah said on Friday (5). Addressing a Pathfinder Foundation roundtable titled Sri Lanka, RCEP and the Emerging Global Trading Order, he warned that the global economy is more..

Jun 8 (TM) Despite receiving more than Rs. 6 billion in donations for Cyclone Ditwah recovery efforts, no disbursements have been made from the Govt’s Rebuilding Sri Lanka initiative to date, officials from the National Audit Office (NAO) informed the COPF last week. The officials further revealed that no statutory fund existed under the name Rebuilding Sri Lanka, raising questions over the legal status, transparency, and oversight more..

Jun 8 (FT) Institute of Certified Management Accountants of SL, known as CMA SL, has taken another step forward in promoting cost accounting practices in the country by introducing a comprehensive set of standards to be adopted not only by cost accountants, but also by SL private and public institutions. CMA SL is a professional body incorporated in 2009 by an Act of Parliament. Since its inception, it has been providing professional qualifications to Sri Lankans wishing to more..

Jun 8 (NW) Uni of Vavuniya and Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) have signed a MoU aimed at strengthening academic cooperation between the two institutions. The agreement was signed recently at IIT Madras in Chennai, in the presence of SL’s Deputy High Commissioner in Chennai, Dr. Ganesanathan Geathiswaran. Uni of Vavuniya delegation was led by Vice-Chancellor Prof. A. Atputharajah and included senior academic and administrative officials more..

Jun 8 (FT) Uncertainty is no longer an occasional disruption in governance; it has become the defining condition within which govts must operate. Economic volatility, technological disruption, environmental change, and evolving social expectations are increasingly interconnected. These forces interact in complex and often unpredictable ways, creating challenges that cannot be effectively managed through traditional approaches. In such an environment, governance systems designed more..

Jun 8 (Island) Trincomalee District TNA MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam has submitted a motion to Parliament calling for the immediate repeal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), arguing that the controversial law has enabled arbitrary detention, torture and the targeting of minority communities for more than four decades. In his motion, now published in the Addendum to the Order Book of Parliament, the MP urged the Govt to repeal the Prevention of Terrorism Act, No. 48 of 1979, more..

Jun 8 (FT) IMF has revised down SL’s economic outlook and approved temporary adjustments to its reform program in response to the economic fallout from the ME conflict and Cyclone Ditwah, while maintaining the program’s long-term fiscal and debt sustainability objectives. IMF Executive Board last week completed the combined Fifth and Sixth Reviews under SL’s EFF, enabling an immediate disbursement of SDR 508 million, more..

Jun 8 (NW) Former State Intelligence Service Director, Major General (Retd.) Suresh Sallay, has been admitted to the Colombo National Hospital for emergency medical treatment. Hospital sources said he was transferred to the hospital’s emergency treatment unit shortly after admission after his condition reportedly required urgent attention. Sallay has been held in remand custody of the CID in connection with investigations related to the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks in SL. more..

Jun 8 (AD) Police say ongoing investigations into the reported theft of Rs. 35 million from a state-owned bank in Horana have increasingly pointed towards an alleged internal financial fraud rather than an external robbery. Assistant Manager of the bank, who is currently being questioned under detention orders, was taken to the bank premises for further inquiries. During the exercise, he is reported to have provided a detailed statement on the alleged manner in which funds were misappropriated. more..

Jun 8 (AD) The wife of former Head of the SIS Major General (Rtd) Suresh Sallay has stated that her husband served the country for 38 years, dedicating his life, and that the time has now come for the public to show gratitude for that service. She made these remarks when she visited the CID today (7) to meet Suresh Sallay, who has reportedly begun a fast unto death in protest. She further said that although she had asked more..

Jun 8 (TM) Central Bank of SL (CBSL) sold $ 223.3 million in the domestic foreign exchange market during the month of May. After purchasing $12 million during the same period, the net amount of dollars sold by the Central Bank for the month totalled $ 211.3 million. This marks the largest monthly dollar sale conducted by the CBSL since 2024. The amount sold in May 2026 alone exceeded the total dollar sales for the entire year of 2025 ($ 205.3 mil) and the total for 2024 ($ 183 mil). more..

Jun 8 (ST) SL is currently in the process of preparing to reapply for EU’s GSP+ before March 2027. The reforms are being made to comply with the 27 international conventions related to human rights, labour, and the environment. Over 80% of SL’s exported products to the EU receive tariff concessions under GSP+. The EU market accounts for approximately € 3.7 billion in SL exports, yielding a substantial trade surplus. Because the current framework expires on Dec 31, 2027, more..