Jun 22 (Island) Sri Lanka’s semi-final hopes in the Women’s T20 World Cup went up in smoke on Sunday as they suffered a disappointing eight-wicket defeat to West Indies in Bristol. Expectations had soared following their stunning upset win over defending champions New Zealand earlier in the week, but it was back to square one as the batting once again let the side down. Asked to bat first on a green-tinged surface, Sri Lanka were bundled out inside 20 overs for a meagre 98. more..

Jun 22 (EN) The Commander of US Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) is in Sri Lanka and will meet with senior SL govt and defense leaders, including leadership from the Ministry of Defense and the Sri Lanka Air Force, the US embassy in Colombo said. “Discussions will focus on expanded cooperation across air and maritime domain awareness, cybersecurity, disaster response, and regional security.” General Kevin Schneider oversees all US Air Force personnel and assets. more..

Jun 22 (FT) India has signalled its readiness to fast-track an upgrade of the 26-year-old India-SL Free Trade Agreement (ISFTA) in a move that could significantly expand SL’s export, investment, and services opportunities at a time when the island is seeking new growth drivers amid its economic recovery. The neighbouring economic powerhouse has conveyed its openness to accelerating discussions on an enhanced agreement and more..

Jun 22 (NW) SL suffered a dramatic batting collapse as the West Indies Select XI secured a 15-run victory in their four-day warm-up match in the Caribbean. Resuming the final day in a strong position while chasing a target of 124, SL were bowled out for just 108, falling 15 runs short of victory. The visitors had entered the day needing fewer than 100 runs with nine wickets in hand after taking a 76-run first-innings lead. However, SL batting lineup failed to capitalise on more..

Jun 22 (FT) LOLC Divi Saviya has earned international recognition at the International CSR Excellence Awards 2026 for Community Commitment, organised by The CSR Society, a subsidiary of The Green Organisation UK. The recognition highlights its sustained commitment to uplifting communities across SL during the nation’s most challenging periods. The initiative was honoured among global Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) leaders for its more..

Jun 22 (ST) The govt has taken prompt action to prevent the outflow of dollars via forged companies registered in the country in the wake of a massive US $85 million foreign exchange fraud. Investigations revealed an organised network of 105 local companies that frequently changed names, operated for about six months, and used fraudulent Telegraphic Transfers (TT) for phantom imports before dissolving. more..

Jun 22 (SO) The number of human skeletal remains identified at the Chemmani mass grave in Jaffna has risen to 394, making it the largest mass grave uncovered in Sri Lanka intensifying calls for accountability over alleged wartime disappearances. Excavations entered their 29th day this week, with archaeologists identifying seven additional skeletons on Friday. According to officials overseeing the court-directed excavation, 370 skeletons have so far been fully exhumed, while investigations continue more..

Jun 22 (DM) Port of Colombo recorded significant growth in container transhipment volumes in April 2026, building upon its record-breaking performance in the previous year. Transhipment volumes for the month surged by 22.6% to 607,240 TEUs compared to 495,456 TEUs handled in April 2025. Cumulatively, transhipment throughput for the first four months of 2026 expanded by 14.2% to 2,321,704 TEUs. This ongoing boom follows a historic 2025, during which the port reached more..

Jun 22 (FT) Treasury and IRD officials have defended the Govt’s proposal to lower the VAT registration threshold, arguing that SL’s longstanding failure to broaden the tax base has contributed to fiscal imbalances and entrenched economic distortions. Appearing before the CoPF, officials said the proposed reduction of the annual VAT registration threshold from Rs. 60 million to Rs. 36 million is expected to bring around 10,000 additional businesses into the tax net. more..

Jun 22 (FT) Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe expressed confidence that SL’s ambitious target of increasing exports to $ 36 billion under National Export Development Plan (NEDP) is achievable, but only if the country urgently delivers long-delayed reforms, attracts strategic foreign investment and tackles high energy costs that are eroding competitiveness. Speaking at a panel discussion during the launch of the NEDP, he argued that the biggest challenge facing SL was more..

Jun 22 (CI) In what may have potentially been his last innings as an uncapped player, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi smashed the fastest List A half-century, off 11 balls, in an innings that eventually ended as an audacious 29-ball 94. That helped India A beat SL A by 66 runs in the tri-series final in Dambulla on Sunday. Sooryavanshi came into the final on the back of four starts that yielded 117 runs. But the focal point of his tour more..

Jun 22 (DM) As a retired SSP with decades of experience in intelligence, counter-terrorism, and strategic security coordination, I have repeatedly seen how short-sighted decisions undermine long-term national resilience. The adage penny wise, pound foolish perfectly encapsulates Sri Lanka’s vulnerabilities exposed during the 2022 economic collapse. Austerity measures, delayed reforms, and isolationist tendencies conserved minor resources in the moment but more..

Jun 22 (ST) If one quarter of the political and media indulgence lavished on the degrading detention and treatment of ex-spy chief Suresh Sallay under Sri Lanka’s ferociously misused Prevention of Terrorism Act had been reserved for the thousands of so called anti-State detainees who suffered and died under the PTA since its enactment in 1979, perhaps this nation would have had a happier destiny than what it currently suffers. This week, Mr Sallay’s wife said that the CID had, for the first time, more..

Jun 22 (Island) An ecosystem is defined as a geographic area where biotic (living) organisms—plants, animals, microorganisms interact with each other and with the abiotic (non-living) components like air, water, sunlight, and soil, creating a self-sustaining unit of life. A pond with its attendant diversity is the ecosystem that supports pondlife, from frogs to fish or dragonflies, while an ocean is an ecosystem that supports fish to whales. So, it will be seen that ecosystems and their components more..

Jun 22 (Island) JVP-NPP govt, like all its predecessors, has got obfuscation down to a fine art. It muddies the water whenever issues concerning fuel prices are raised in Parliament or elsewhere. Its leaders give evasive answers to questions about fuel cost calculations in a way that makes one wonder if they stretch the truth and pluck figures out of the air to support their arguments. Curiously, their claims go unchallenged. The Opposition is apparently at sea; it lacks focus. more..

Jun 22 (TM) Every year, the script plays out with a tragic, predictable rhythm. The monsoon rains arrive, and within weeks, the headlines are dominated by the same grim statistics of dengue cases. As of mid-2026, SL has already surpassed a staggering 43,000 recorded dengue cases, with health authorities scrambling to manage over 600 new infections daily. While Sri Lanka’s clinical management of the disease is world-class – more..

Jun 22 (SO) The arrest of the former Director of the SIS Major General (Retd.) Tuan Suresh Salley has again brought forth one the most painful questions left by the Easter Sunday attacks. That is, did SL merely fail to stop a terrorist attack, or did elements within the State enable, guide or manipulate the attackers in ways that led to the deaths of 269 people? That question cannot be answered by Satyagrahas or fasts unto death. It cannot be settled by television debates, party speeches or more..

Jun 22 (DM) It’s six months since Ditwah hit. It will be another six or seven months before it will be possible to take the train to Kandy, according to the govt. How long will it take for the Uva Railway from Peradeniya to Badulla to be fully operational again? The express train from Badulla to Colombo took 11 hours to complete its journey of 292 km before Ditwah. That is an average speed of 26.5 kmph. By road, the distance is 331 km and the time taken would be less than 6 hours, using southern more..

Jun 22 (SO) Govt has introduced financial discipline and managed the economy responsibly. Ultimately, it is the people who will decide whether we failed or whether we succeeded in rebuilding the country, Minister Vijitha Herath said. Q: The Opposition continues to say on social media that the Govt has failed and that the economy is collapsing. What is your response to these allegations? A: The Opposition has been more..

Jun 22 (DM) Yesterday (21) was dedicated to the fathers in our country. Father’s Day in our country, is relatively a modern-day observance. None of the major religions in our country designate a specific calendar date exclusively for fathers. Rather, they promote a universal approach -- teaching that every day is an opportunity to honour, respect, and show gratitude to both mothers and fathers. Father’s Day unfortunately was popularised in our country as part of a commercial trend more..

Jun 22 (CT) The post-World War II economic and monetary order structured on the edifice of Keynesianism but driven by conspicuous consumption led by Veblen’s leisure class and Marcuse’s one-dimensional man has produced world’s first trillionaire while an estimated 847 million or 8% of world population are left to live in abject poverty. In this contrasting scenario is the world going to celebrate and glorify the success of one man for his trillion-dollar AI investment or more..

Jun 21 (ST) When the NPP govt came into office just over 18 months ago, the initial assumption was that the new administration’s foreign policy would pivot more towards China given the longstanding ties that the NPP’s main party, the JVP, had with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). While SL-China ties have remained strong under the NPP, it is with India that the administration of Prez Anura Dissanayake has built a stronger rapport. more..

Jun 21 (ST) SL’s figures tell a horrific tale of the havoc being wreaked by dengue, spread by a tiny mosquito – whereas the number of cases in 2024 and 2025 are seen snaking along at a low level, those for 2026 are up, high on a steep hill and climbing. Usually, dengue rises in July, but now it is still June, and the hospitals, both state and private, are flooded with dengue patients. “Rarely will dengue patients need to be rushed into the ICU if they have come into hospital early. more..

Jun 21 (ST) FCID is preparing a report to ascertain whether the staggering Rs. 13 billion linked to the NDB Bank fraud was transferred abroad, contributing to a severe depletion of foreign exchange reserves. Minister Ananda Wijepala said that he had recently indicated in Parliament that the investigations, which began after the recovery of Rs. 30 million in a three-wheeler in Peliyagoda, have uncovered a broader network of scams, potentially extending back before 2023 including NDB. more..

Jun 21 (SO) The CPC would reduce retail prices of fuel when global fuel prices fall closer to the levels that prevailed before the escalation of US–Iran tensions in the Middle East, CPC Managing Director Dr. Mayura Neththikumarage said. He was responding to our inquiry yesterday why falling global crude oil prices had not been passed yet on to local consumers, following reports of easing tensions between the United States and Iran, more..

Jun 21 (ST) There will be no immediate reduction in fuel prices in the local market despite world oil prices falling to a three-month low after the United States and Iran signed a MOU for a 60-day period to end hostilities, Energy Minister Anura Karunatillake said. He said new price adjustments in the world market will only impact countries such as Sri Lanka around August when new purchases are made. The quota system (QR) for the issuing of fuel will remain for now, he said. more..

Jun 21 (Island) It is a crucial week for SL cricket. The men’s team has been in the doldrums for more than a decade. Since winning the T20 World Cup in 2014, SL have struggled to make an impact on the global stage. Reaching the semi-finals of an ICC event has proved elusive, while there have been occasions when the team was forced to play qualifying rounds alongside Associate nations. Last year, they even failed to qualify for the Champions Trophy, underlining how far standards had slipped. more..

Jun 21 (NW) Opposition MP Harsha de Silva has warned that the government’s proposed duty on coconut oil imports could undermine Sri Lanka’s coconut export industry, reduce foreign exchange earnings and negatively impact farmers and workers. In a post on ‘X’, de Silva said Sri Lanka’s coconut export sector has significant potential to generate foreign exchange, but industry stakeholders have raised concerns over the impact of the proposed tax measure. more..

Jun 21 (AD) MP and Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) leader Rauff Hakeem has asserted that the sovereignty of Katchatheevu is a settled matter under international law and bilateral agreements, saying raising the issue to resolve the ongoing fishermen conflict is not a “prudent approach”. “Prioritising the Katchatheevu issue as an immediate fix the moment a conflict arises is not a wise strategy,” Hakeem, who is on a goodwill visit to Tamil Nadu, said on Friday. more..

Jun 21 (TM) Ministry of Energy has confirmed the rejection of the fifth emergency coal shipment from the Taranjot contract after it failed its load port evaluation. Despite this setback, the ministry is confident that it has secured its minimum required coal stockpile to sustain national power generation through the current season, eliminating the need for any emergency power purchases before September. more..

Jun 21 (AD) The body of a 23-year-old married woman has been discovered in her bedroom in the Warapitiya area in Kundasale, Kandy. The body was reportedly discovered at around 2 a.m. today (20) in a bedroom of her husband’s residence. Relatives of the deceased woman have alleged that she was assaulted and killed by her husband and his family members. However, her husband has stated that he returned home early this morning after attending a musical show, found her hanging by the neck. more..

Jun 21 (AD) An IMF delegation led by IMF Mission Chief for SL, Evan Papageorgiou, is scheduled to visit SL from June 24 to 30 for a staff-level mission aimed at reviewing the country’s ongoing economic reform programme. IMF team will hold discussions with govt authorities and a wide range of stakeholders to assess recent economic developments and evaluate the progress of SL’s reform program. IMF Mission Chief stated that the delegation looks forward to constructive more..