June 27 (AD) A 24-year-old youth has been reported missing while swimming in the sea off the artificial beach at Colombo Port City, said police. The incident occurred last morning (26), when a group of university students from the University of Colombo and the University of Moratuwa were engaged in research activities and observing the seabed. During the activities, one of the students, a resident of Asgiriya in Gampaha, went missing, according to police. more..

June 27 (DM) Airbus has spotlighted Meriesha Fonseka, a talented SL engineer, as part of their single-aisle wing design team at the company’s Wichita Engineering Facility in the US. According to a post on Airbus’ official Facebook page, around 15% of the engineering staff at the Wichita facility are women a group of professionals who contribute diverse experiences and perspectives to Team Airbus. Among them is Meriesha Fonseka, who has made history in her family as more..

June 27 (DM) SL Customs defended its recent decision to halt the clearance of vehicles imported under cross-border Letters of Credit (LCs), citing the measure as a crucial step to combat significant tax evasion through fraudulent under-valuation. Responding to a Daily Mirror story which highlighted the plight of importers with hundreds of vehicles stranded at the port, Customs officials clarified that the move enforces existing more..

June 27 (CT) Consultant Community Physician at the Health Promotion Bureau (HPB), Dr. Dinusha Perera, revealed that one in five SL women of reproductive age lives with domestic violence. “Women make up 51% of SL’s population, so this statistic reflects a significant number of individuals affected,” Dr. Perera said. She emphasised that domestic violence is a public health issue, noting that globally, at least one in three individuals has experienced such violence. more..

June 27 (DM) Supreme Court today issued an interim order suspending the operation of the Gazette notification issued in respect of 5,941 acres of lands in the Northern Province. The govt had issued a Gazette notification bearing No. 2430 on 28 March 2025 that stated that lands in the districts of Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mannar & Mullaitivu will be claimed as State land if the owners of such lands do not claim them before 28 June 2025. Former MP M.A. Sumanthiran filed this FR application more..

June 27 (DM) Former SriLankan Airlines Chairman Nishantha Wickramasinghe has been arrested by the CIABOC in connection with an ongoing investigation into aircraft procurement during his tenure. He was arrested on charges of causing a financial loss of USD 4,512 to the government by altering the destination of flight UL319, which was scheduled to operate from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to BIA on Jan 22, 2014. more..

June 27 (AD) An estimated 500,000 students and 150,000 teachers across SL are set to benefit from a new $50 million additional financing package approved by the World Bank yesterday through its ongoing General Education Modernization Project. The additional funding will help keep vital education reforms on track, improve teaching quality, upgrade school facilities, and enhance student well-being, with a strong focus on underserved schools, including those in plantation communities more..

June 27 (FT) Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga – who celebrates her 80th birthday on 29 June 2025 – made history in Nov 1994 when she was elected as SL’s first female Executive President. Kumaratunga known popularly as Chandrika and CBK, won the 1994 election with 62% of the votes polled. Subsequently she was re-elected President in Dec 1999 with 51% of the votes. Chandrika Kumaratunga has served for 11 years as SL’s president from 1994 Nov to 2005 Nov. more..

June 27 (FT) In spite of many ardent attempts to highlight the fallacy of the arguments of the CEB and the many unanswered questions of the true status of the finances of the CEB, particularly over the past two years, the consumer tariff has been hiked once more by 15%. No lesser expert than Dr. Lakshman Watawala, the head of the National Accounting Standards body outlined the unacceptability of the submissions made by the CEB claiming for an increase of consumer tariff of 18.3%. more..

June 27 (EN) Employees Provident Fund, a retirement fund for private sector and some state enterprise workers has paid 10% in interest and dividend to members in 2024, a report shows. The same nominal return was paid in 2023. But the 10% in 2024 indicates a higher return than normal, with the central bank missing its 5% target to increase the cost of living in 2024 and maintaining monetary stability with the inflation index falling by 1.7% compared to a 4% increase in 2023. more..

June 27 (CT) The Attorney General, yesterday, filed indictments before the Colombo High Court Permanent Trial-at-Bar against former Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella and 11 others over the controversial procurement of substandard immunoglobulin vials, allegedly purchased in violation of procurement standards and using State funds. The case is being heard before a special Trial-at-Bar comprising HC Judges more..

June 27 (PMD) UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has expressed his complete support for the direction SL is pursuing under the leadership of Prez Anura Kumara Disanayake to strengthen national unity, promote reconciliation and safeguard Human Rights. He made this statement during a meeting with Prez Disanayake at the Presidential Secretariat this afternoon (26), as part of his visit to SL. High Commissioner commended the current political and social transformation more..

June 27 (DM) Sri Lanka’s barter trade with Iran (tea for oil) to settle dues for a previous transaction is likely to be hit by tension in the Middle-East at the moment, a Minister said. Sri Lanka started bartering tea to Iran in 2023 in lieu of $250 million owed for oil. The barter was agreed in 2021 for oil imported in 2012, but the exchange was delayed after Sri Lanka's unprecedented dollar shortage last year plunged the economy into its worst financial crisis in more than seven decades. more..

June 27 (EN) Despite SL govt’s assertion of local mechanism to address the past human rights abuses, the visiting UN Human Rights high commissioner Volker Türk insisted that the international mechanism is vital for confidence building of the victims. The UN has passed resolution to look into Sri Lanka’s past human rights abuses including alleged war crimes through an independent international probe. more..

June 27 (DM) Attorney General yesterday informed the Court of Appeal that Jaffna District MP Dr. Ramanathan Archchuna continues to hold office as a public officer, raising serious threat to the principle of separation of powers. Additional Solicitor General Sumathi Dharmawardhana PC, appearing on behalf of the State parties, made this revelation when the writ petition challenging Dr. Archchuna’s eligibility to serve as a MP was taken up for support before the Court of Appeal. more..

June 27 (ICC) Zimbabwe will host Sri Lanka for two ODIs and three T20Is, all to be played at the Harare Sports Club. The white-ball series will kick off with the two ODIs scheduled for 29 and 31 August, followed by the T20I leg in early September. The tour holds added significance for Zimbabwe, with the T20Is serving as crucial preparation ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Africa Regional Final, which Zimbabwe will host from 19 September to 4 October. The regional final will determine more..

June 27 (NW) US Embassy in Colombo has cautioned that foreign nationals who travel to the US on tourist visas with the intent of giving birth to obtain citizenship for their child may be denied future visas. The Embassy stated that such travelers often rely on US govt medical assistance, passing costs onto American taxpayers. US consular officers will deny tourist visas if they believe the primary travel purpose is childbirth for citizenship benefits, which is not permitted under visa regulations. more..

June 27 (PMD) Prez Anura Kumara Disanayake met with former President of the Republic of South Africa, Mr. Thabo Mbeki, this afternoon (26) at the Presidential Secretariat. Mr. Mbeki, who is on his first visit to Sri Lanka, expressed his appreciation for the opportunity to visit the country, stating that he has long followed Sri Lanka’s efforts toward national unity and reconciliation with keen interest. He noted that he was pleased to visit Sri Lanka at this significant moment. more..

June 27 (Island) The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) has added several uniquely SL words to its June 2025 update, OED.com has said.Among the new entries is asweddumise, meaning to prepare land for paddy cultivation—a word with roots in Sinhala, long used in SL agriculture and land reform discourse. First documented in 1857, it was re-evaluated and finally added after decades of lobbying by local academics. more..

June 27 (TM) Ministry of Labour stated that any business, including garment factories, facing issues such as financial difficulties, is welcome to directly discuss their concerns with the Ministry so that necessary interventions can be made through the relevant institutions. Speaking about the recent closure of the Next Manufacturing Limited garment factory in the Katunayake FTZ, Deputy Minister Mahinda Jayasinghe said that Govt had not been approached by the company beforehand. more..

June 27 (AD) The SLMC has decided to nominate Abdul Wazeeth to fill the vacancy created in Parliament following the resignation of Mohamed Sali Naleem in March. The decision is expected to be conveyed to Parliament shortly, according to SLMC sources. SLMC National List MP Mohamed Sali Naleem resigned from his position on March 14, in order to contest the 2025 Local Govt Election for the Eravur Urban Council. Naleem was sworn in as a member of the Tenth Parliament more..

June 27 (DN) Forty-eight students from Polgolla Devapala Vidyalaya in Kurunegala were admitted to the Kurunegala Teaching Hospital after falling ill from consuming what is suspected to be a toffee (candy) purchased from a nearby shop. The affected students are reportedly from Grades 6, 7 and 8 of the school. The incident occurred during the school’s lunch break yesterday, when the students ate the candy bought from a store located in front of the school premises. more..

June 27 (FT) The Women Technopreneurs Forum of SLASSCOM made headlines once again with the thrilling conclusion of two landmark initiatives — Hack Like a Girl 2.0 and Fast Forward 4.0, both of which are redefining Sri Lanka’s innovation landscape by empowering the next generation of female tech founders. At the grand finale of Fast Forward 4.0, five remarkable startups emerged as winners: Meribel, Ivena (Littoral), Ceylon Speechi, Electriquote, and Innosync. more..

June 27 (Island) In a major top-level reshuffle, 32 senior police officers—including nine Deputy Inspectors General (DIGs)—have been transferred with immediate effect, following approval from the National Police Commission. The reassignments, described as part of an administrative overhaul, affect 16 Senior Superintendents of Police (SSPs), two Superintendents of Police (SPs), and more..

June 27 (FT) Cinnamon Life has officially redefined the culinary landscape of Sri Lanka, clinching an extraordinary 56 medals at the prestigious Chefs Guild of Lanka Culinary Art Competition 2025, the highest medal tally in the country’s history. The resounding win includes a remarkable 23 Gold, 17 Silver, and 16 Bronze medals, firmly establishing Cinnamon Life as the new gold standard in hospitality. In an unprecedented feat, the Cinnamon Life team was also awarded more..

June 27 (FT) The Cabinet of Ministers approved implementing two key projects under the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) for the 2025-2027 grant cycles. “The upcoming grant cycle aligns with the objectives of the National Strategic Plan for Tuberculosis Control and the 2023–2027 National Strategic Plan for eradicating HIV/AIDS,” Health Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said. Global Fund has agreed to allocate $ 2.97 million for the Tuberculosis component more..

June 27 (FT) Despite global uncertainties, SL’s export sector continues to show strong recovery and resilience, with total exports in the first five months of 2025 reaching over $ 6.93 billion, registering a 7.14% growth compared to the same period last year. The latest figures, released by the SL Export Development Board (EDB), underscore a steady upward trajectory in both merchandise and services exports, more..

June 27 (CI) SL are only two wickets down but are 43 runs ahead at the SSC. Another 150-ish runs will help them dominate the match, says Kusal Mendis. He is yet to bat, and in fact three further wickets likely have to fall before he is required to. But having kept wickets for 79.3 overs, and having played plenty of his cricket at the SSC, Mendis has some idea of how the pitch is behaving. The plan, he said, is to go big in the second innings, and put as little pressure on their batting in the second dig more..

June 27 (ST) The President of the National Olympic Committee of SL (NOC), Suresh Subramaniam, emphasised the importance of adopting and maintaining a comprehensive, ethical and transparent administrative structure, whilst vouching for his newly appointed team that replaced six vacated positions. Subramaniam also revealed that the NOC, which was placed under a temporary fund seizure by the Int'l Olympic Committee (IOC) & Olympic Confederation of Asia (OCA), more..

June 27 (Island) Sri Lanka’s highest ranked track and field athlete Rumesh Tharanga will have a bussy schedule ahead as he has been entered for three international events including the Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025 during the next two months. Tharanga, who is currenly ranked 20th in the world in the men’s javelin throw will compete in the Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025, on July 5, at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru. The event was originally scheduled for May 24. more..

June 27 (ST) After three races of the ongoing Euroformula Open Championship 2025, SL racing sensation Yevan Ranasinghe David leads the Drivers’ Championship standing with 163 points, a clear 18-point lead from South Korea and Team Motopark teammate Michael Shin, who sits at second with 145 points. After the season opener at the Algarve International Circuit in Portimão, Portugal, Yevan continued his heroics at the Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium and more..