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 (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 (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 (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 (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 (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 (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 (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 (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 (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 (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) 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) 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 (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) 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 (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 (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 (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 (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 (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 (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) 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 (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 (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 (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 (CT) In recent weeks, news from across our region has begun to raise concern once more. India is seeing a steady rise in Covid-19 cases. Some states have reported clusters and are considering reinstating safety measures. This is not a situation we can afford to ignore. Here in Sri Lanka, reports are slowly emerging of people testing positive again. Though numbers are still low, the pattern is familiar — and worrying. As we learned painfully over the last four years, more..

June 2 (SO) The mighty have truly fallen. May 29, 2025, will be remembered as a landmark day in SL’s political and judicial history, as the Colombo High Court following a six-year trial handed down lengthy prison sentences to former powerful Ministers Mahindananda Aluthgamage and Nalin Fernando on corruption charges. Aluthgamage, former Minister of Sports and Fernando, the former Chairman of Sathosa more..

June 2 (DM) Sri Lanka is on the brink of a new technological era as the world races towards adopting fifth-generation (5G) mobile network technology. Promising a choice of faster internet speeds, minimal latency, and the capacity to connect a multitude of devices simultaneously, 5G holds the potential to transform the nation’s economy, communication infrastructure & daily life. However, like many developing countries, SL faces unique challenges in implementing this technology. more..

June 2 (DM) Sri Lanka, an island nation graced by over 1,600 kilometres of coastline, is home to thousands of families whose lives are deeply intertwined with the sea. These coastal communities, scattered from Jaffna to Galle and Batticaloa to Puttalam, have relied on fisheries, marine-based agriculture, and tourism for generations. However, over the years, they have faced mounting challenges, including overfishing, declining marine biodiversity, natural disasters, and more..

June 1 (TM) With the deadline for submitting name lists of elected local authority members having passed on 30 May, the Election Commission is moving swiftly to finalise the process. Election Commission (EC) Chairman R.M.A.L. Rathnayake confirmed that while the exact number of political parties and independent groups that had submitted their lists remained unclear, all received lists had already been sent for gazette publication. more..

June 1 (EN) SL has imported US$ 107 million of personal vehicles in April 2025 after an import ban was lifted from the people, two months earlier, official data shows. Investment goods imports, which are linked to credit, was US$ 344 million in April, up US$ 115 million from a year earlier. Investment goods included US$ 26.9 million of commercial vehicles. SL’s investment goods imports grew close to US$ 400 million in Dec 2024 after warning of money printing was made, when large volumes of more..

June 1 (ST) Former Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage and former Sathosa Chairman Nalin Fernando, sentenced this week to jail for 20 and 25 years, respectively, have been assigned duties in the printing section at the Welikada prison, sources said. Both of them are being held together away from the main section of the prison’s chapel section, where prisoners serving life sentences and those convicted of murder and rape are held. The prison’s printing section prints its own documentation. more..