Jun 11 (DM) SL’s state university system is facing a critical shortage of academic staff that could compromise the quality of higher education and professional training, Prof. Prageeth Weerathunga, President of the FUTA has warned. He said the state uni system requires 12,000 - 13,000 permanent lecturers to effectively cater to its student population. However, as of the end of the year 2025, there were approximately 6,800 more..

Jun 11 (KT) Sri Lanka’s tea exports to the UAE continued to grow in 2025, reaching 18.32 million kilograms compared to 17.73 million kilograms in 2024, registering an increase of 3.3 per cent, a senior official said. Dr Arusha Cooray, Sri Lanka’s ambassador to UAE, expects tea exports from Sri Lanka to both the UAE and the GCC region will continue to grow in the coming years on the back of strong demand for Sri Lankan tea and its reputation for quality and authenticity. more..

NWJun 11 (DM) The deadline for submitting Expressions of Interest (EOIs) for the Project of Investments to Utilize Resources of Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) has been extended until July 9, 2026, offering prospective investors additional time to participate in one of SL’s key aviation development initiatives. The Ports and Civil Aviation Ministry, on behalf of Airport & Aviation Services (SL) (Pvt) Limited (AASL), is seeking proposals from local and int'l companies, more..

Jun 11 (DM) Ceylon Teachers' Union (CTU) General Secretary Joseph Stalin has alleged that the present government, despite coming to power promising systemic change, is no different from previous administrations when it comes to the education sector. Stalin said it was unfortunate that senior government officials were being deployed to lay foundation stones for school toilet construction projects, questioning the govt's priorities. He further claimed that the Education Ministry had more..

un 11 (DM) Fort Magistrate Pasan Amarasena yesterday appointed a five-member specialist medical board comprising specialist Judicial Medical Officers and specialist psychiatrists to examine whether former SIS Director Suresh Sallay had been subjected to torture while in the custody of the CID. Accordingly, Magistrate ordered that the suspect, Suresh Sallay, be examined before the next court date, July 1, and further directed that the medical examination be conducted at more..

Jun 11 (DM) The Court of Appeal has acquitted a man who had been sentenced to death for a double murder committed over 30 years ago, ruling that serious doubts existed regarding the reliability of the identification evidence relied upon by the prosecution. A two-judge bench comprising Justice P. Kumararatnam and Justice Pradeep Hettiarachchi delivered the judgement pursuant to an appeal filed by the accused. more..

Jun 11 (EN) Japanese ambassador to Sri Lanka Akio Isomata and UNDP SL’s Azusa Kubota Tachiiri have signed an agreement, in which Japan provides 1.33 million dollars to support cyclone-affected communities in the country recover. “UNDP Sri Lanka signed the agreement with Embassy of Japan in Sri Lanka to commence a project which will turn disaster into opportunity, vulnerability into resilience, and partnership into lasting hope for communities across Sri Lanka,” Tachiiri said. more..

Jun 11 (Island) UCPF Leader and Nuwara Eliya District MP, V. Radhakrishnan, has stated that India consistently makes friendly requests to the SL govt to expedite the holding of the long-overdue Provincial Council (PC) elections. He emphasised that India continues to stress that the prolonged inactivity of the Provincial Council system is detrimental to the survival of democracy in SL. MP Radhakrishnan noted that whenever SL political leaders— including the President, PM, more..

Jun 11 (CT) SL’s javelin sensation Rumesh Tharanga has stunned the athletics world, rising to third place in the global javelin throw rankings after his monster throw of 92.62m at the Rome Diamond League. With that performance, Tharanga has now amassed 1,324 ranking points, placing him just behind Germany’s Julian Weber and Grenada’s Anderson Peters. Notably, he is the youngest athlete in the world’s top 20, underscoring his more..

Jun 11 (DM) SL-born international entertainer Alston Koch has expressed gratitude to former Minister Faiszer Musthapha for the support extended to him during his efforts to promote Sri Lanka on the global stage. In a video clip, Koch is heard telling Musthapha, “You’re the Minister who helped me,” recalling the encouragement and backing he received while using his international music career to showcase Sri Lanka to wider audiences. Koch, often referred to as Asia’s King of Pop, more..

Jun 11 (NF) Udaya Gammanpila today told the Colombo High Court that a complaint had been filed against him by former Minister Champika Ranawaka due to political differences between them. He made this statement while giving evidence in the case filed against him over allegations of misappropriating company shares worth Rs. 20 million belonging to Australian businessman Brian Shaddick by preparing a fraudulent power of attorney. Case was taken up today before Colombo HC Judge more..

Jun 11 (NW) Leader of the House Bimal Rathnayake today told Parliament that the Treasury could provide financial assistance for a student of Bandarawela Dharmasoka Vidyalaya who suffered severe facial burns in a laboratory accident, if details of the child were submitted. He said he had spoken to the Treasury Secretary and that the govt was prepared to intervene to support treatment. Assurance came in response to Opposition MP Chamara Sampath Dassanayake, who raised the issue more..

Jun 11 (FT) SL’s coastal venue Smoke & Bitters has been named winner of the Michter’s Art of Hospitality Award in the run-up to Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2026. Voted for by more than 300 members of The Asia’s 50 Best Bars Academy, this award recognises an establishment that has delivered exceptional hospitality over the past 18 months, setting a new benchmark for guest experience across the region. Located on Pehembiya Beach in Dikwella, Smoke & Bitters has risen steadily since opening more..

Jun 11 (NW) The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) today marked a major milestone in its fighter fleet modernization programme with the successful first test flight of its upgraded Kfir C12 aircraft, known within the service as the Lion Cub. Conducted at SLAF Base Katunayake, the sortie followed extensive ground validation and system integration, transitioning the aircraft from ground testing to airborne evaluation under more..

Jun 11 (DM) Colombo HC Judge Manjula Thilakaratne dismissed an appeal filed by Shashi Weerawansa challenging the two year prison sentence and fine imposed on her for possessing an irregularly obtained passport. Delivering the judgment, the judge affirmed the conviction and sentence previously imposed by the Colombo Magistrate’s Court, holding that there were no grounds to interfere with the lower court’s decision. Shashi Weerawansa had been convicted by more..

Jun 11 (NW) Three Sri Lankan nationals are among seven suspects arrested in Kuwait during separate drug‑related operations, according to a report by Arab Times Kuwait. The arrests were carried out by the General Department for Drug Enforcement Authority as part of ongoing security operations targeting narcotics trafficking networks. The suspects include a Kuwaiti citizen, an Indian national, and two Bedouns (stateless individuals), in addition to the three Sri Lankans. more..

Jun 11 (Island) TPA leader Mano Ganesan has accused the NPP govt of hypocrisy over the arrest of Tamil rapper Sangeethsan Ganeskumar under the PTA. MP Ganesan pointed out how NPP politicians themselves circulated songs glorifying the LTTE during 2024 and 2025 Sangeethsan, known professionally as Hiphop Sangee, was arrested on 2 June after SL authorities alleged that videos uploaded to social media, more..

Jun 11 (AD) Wife and legal representative of the former Director of the SIS, Major General (Rtd) Suresh Sallay have requested permission from the CID to visit him daily while he remains under treatment at the Colombo National Hospital. The requests were made through separate letters addressed to Director of the CID, following a court ruling that declined to grant such access. Suresh Sally, who is being held under a detention order in connection with investigations into more..

Jun 11 (NW) Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has requested a clarification from the Govt regarding the proposal to raise the retirement age of judges in the higher courts, including the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal, warning that the issue carries national importance and directly affects judicial independence and public trust. Premadasa said the Govt must present any official requirement assessments, policy reports or data‑based studies that justify such a move. more..

Jun 11 (FT) SL is recovering, but let’s not start throwing confetti yet. Yes, growth is returning. Tourism is improving. Business confidence is better. Investment is slowly waking up from its crisis-induced coma. But many Sri Lankan companies are still trying to solve new business problems with old management habits, fear-based cultures, and departments that behave like tiny kingdoms with email accounts. The economy matters... But the deeper problem is cultural… specifically more..

Jun 11 (FT) Corruption and abuse of the public’s Employment Provident Fund (EPF) under the custody of the Central Bank of SL (CBSL) represents one of the largest financial integrity failures in the country’s history, one that continues to this day with zero regulatory obstacles. Public outrage and recommendations from the Prez Commission of Inquiry led to a comprehensive forensic audit published in 2019, which exposed systemic corruption, irregular trading, pump & dump more..

Jun 11 (Island) A total of 267,138 children dropped out of the school system between 2018 and 2024, PM and Minister of Education Dr. Harini Amarasuriya informed Parliament yesterday. Responding to a question raised by SJB MP Hesha Withanage, the PM said that the govt did not possess definitive data on school dropouts from 2010 to the early part of 2017. She explained that the figures for the period from 2018 to 2024 more..

Jun 11 (NW) A new SL-based cargo airline, WEAIR, has officially commenced operations with financial and strategic backing from Luxembourg-based investment firm IOTC, marking a significant addition to the country’s air freight and logistics sector. The airline was formally launched at an event held at the Kingsbury Hotel in Colombo on June 6, under the patronage of Minister Vijitha Herath. Speaking at the event, Herath said the launch of WEAIR reflects growing int'l confidence in SL’s economic more..

Jun 11 (AD) Sri Lanka has been ranked 67th in this year’s Global Peace Index conducted by the Institute for Economics and Peace. Sri Lanka with an overall score of 1.91 is only behind Bhutan in the South Asian region. Bhutan is ranked 16th most peaceful nation in the world. According to the report, South Asia recorded the worst deterioration in peacefulness on the 2026 GPI, with the average overall score deteriorating by 2.3%. The region is ranked seventh of the eight GPI regions. more..

Jun 11 (FT) Investigations into the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks will not be halted due to protests, demonstrations or Satyagraha campaigns, Minister of Public Security Ananda Wijepala told Parliament yesterday, while alleging that investigators had gathered sufficient evidence to establish the involvement of former State Intelligence Service (SIS) Director, retired Major General Suresh Sallay, in a conspiracy linked to the attacks. more..

Jun 11 (FT) Ceylon Motor Traders’ Association (CMTA), affiliated with The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, yesterday issued an urgent appeal to the Govt to abolish the 15% depreciation currently granted on used vehicle imports, warning that the concession is causing massive revenue leakages at a time when the country can least afford them. The Association estimates that the existing depreciation mechanism resulted in approximately Rs. 40 billion in lost Govt revenue in 2025 alone. more..

Jun 11 (TM) Director of the National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS), Dr Lakshman Edirisinghe said that Sri Lanka continues to meet its total national blood requirement through voluntary blood donations, with nearly 467,000 units collected last year (2025), helping to save the lives of more than one million patients. The country requires around 1,400 to 1,500 units of blood and 700 to 750 units of platelets every day, which are carefully managed by forecasting on a weekly basis more..

Jun 11 (NW) Department for Registration of Persons has warned the public against fraudulent individuals misusing the department’s name to obtain personal information and carry out financial scams under the guise of registering citizens for digital identity cards. In a public notice, the dept said it had received reports of individuals contacting members of the public through telephone numbers resembling its official hotline and claiming to conduct registrations for digital identity cards more..

Jun 11 (FT) SL rupee strengthened sharply against the US dollar yesterday after the CB tightened regulations governing the conversion of export proceeds, reducing the mandatory conversion period from 90 days to 30 days. USD/LKR spot rate closed at Rs. 332.25/333.00 yesterday, appreciating significantly from Tuesday’s close of Rs. 337.00/337.75. The currency had come under pressure in recent sessions, with the spot rate closing at Rs. 335.75/336.25 on Monday more..

Jun 11 (TM) Dengue mosquito larvae were found in 50 premises out of 189 Govt institutions inspected during the first day of the three-day national dengue prevention and control programme, NDCU said. Out of a total of 31,196 premises inspected on the first day of the programme on Monday (8), a total of 2,097 premises with dengue mosquito larvae were identified. Of these, a total of 8,121 premises were identified as potential dengue mosquito more..

Jun 11 (FT) Sri Lanka is better positioned to absorb the economic impact of a potential El Niño climate event than in previous years, owing to stronger fiscal and external sector buffers built up since the economic crisis, according to Frontier Research. The research firm said the global economy is facing growing uncertainty amid the lingering effects of trade disruptions and the recent oil price shock linked to tensions in the Middle East, while the prospect of a strong El Niño event presents more..

Jun 11 (ST) Attorney General Parinda Ranasinghe has agreed to file charges against Buddhist monks arrested over various crimes under the names listed on their birth certificates, provided the respective sect (nikaya) of such monks take steps to disrobe them. Agreement between the AG and senior members of the Buddhist clergy had been struck when the clergy met with the AG recently to discuss the situation that has arisen owing to monks arrested as suspects in various crimes being put more..