Jun 10 (DM) State of Emergency declared after the Ditwah cyclone hit the nation in November last year was extended for another month amidst heavy criticism by the Opposition. The resolution was passed by a majority of 128 votes with 135 members voting for it while 7 voted against. Some 82 members were absent during the time of voting. The Opposition was of the opinion that the emergency is being extended monthly as a means of securing power. They said emergency laws have left more..

Jun 10 (EN) Sri Lanka is likely to raise prices of medicinal drugs between 6% and 7% on June 30, Health Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said amid rising import and production costs. The island nation can revise the prices when there is more than 5% change in the exchange rate and the last price change, which was a 16% drop, was in 2023. “The price revision will be considered on June 30. There could be a 6-7% price hike, but more..

Jun 10 (TN) Pakistan women's national cricket team will tour SL for a six-match white-ball series in Hambantota later next month, with all fixtures scheduled to be played at the Mahinda Rajapaksa Int'l Cricket Stadium. The tour will begin with a three-match ODI series on July 23, 25 and 28. The matches will count towards the ICC Women's Championship 2025-29. Pakistan currently sit second in the c'ship standings with eight points from six matches after securing four victories. more..

Jun 10 (NW) The Peradeniya Royal Botanical Gardens has received 10 new electric vehicles aimed at enhancing the visitor experience and further promoting tourism at one of SL’s most popular attractions. The vehicles were handed over recently under the patronage of Deputy Minister of Environment Anton Jayakody as part of an initiative funded entirely through government allocations. Officials said the project addresses a long-standing transportation requirement within the gardens more..

Jun 10 (TM) A Presidential Secretariat-appointed review committee, which found that planning, land acquisition and contract management failures had contributed to major cost overruns and delays in the Mahaweli Water Security Investment Programme (MWSIP), has recommended that accountability be established among all parties involved before any further increase in the cost of a key canal more..

Jun 10 (AD) Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court has ordered that former Navy Commander Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne be named as the third suspect in a case involving the alleged abduction of 11 youths in Colombo and its suburbs in 2008. The case is linked to allegations against former Lieutenant Commander Prasad Hettiarachchi, a primary suspect in the abduction incident, for whom it is claimed that assistance was allegedly provided. The decision was made after considering more..

Jun 10 (DM) Claiming that some Opposition MPs are attempting to mislead the people claiming that there is no fund called Rebuilding Sri Lanka Fund, Leader of the House and Minister Bimal Ratnayake said today that the Rebuilding SL Fund is just a name given to the account of the Deputy Secretary to the Treasury (DST) and that funds received to the account is credited to the govt's consolidated fund. Minister told Parliament that steps are being taken to enact the Act in Parlaiment to estabilish more..

Jun 10 (FT) SL Business Council UAE (SLBC UAE) will host an exclusive networking, presentation and dinner forum on 11 June at The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort and Marina, bringing together business leaders, investors, policymakers and professionals committed to strengthening economic ties between the UAE and Sri Lanka. The theme of the event, “Strengthening Relationships • Enabling Opportunities,” reflects the Council’s mandate to foster bilateral trade, more..

Jun 10 (NF) Former Managing Director of the SL Tourism Promotion Bureau, Rumy Jauffer, has been remanded until the 17th of this month by the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court today in connection with a high-profile case involving the alleged misuse of public funds. The order was issued in relation to allegations that in 2014, a sum of Rs. 7.8 million belonging to the Tourism Promotion Bureau had been used for campaign activities linked to the Uva Provincial Council election. more..

Jun 10 (EN) The newly issued Gazette Extraordinary by the SL’s Central Bank introduces a sweeping regulatory adjustment to foreign exchange management. By repealing the previous framework, CB has effectively compressed the timeline mandated for both direct and indirect exporters to convert their residual foreign currency earnings into SL rupees from 90 days earlier to 30 days. Exporters are now required to execute more..

Jun 10 (NW) Japan has provided six refrigerated trucks to SL’s fisheries sector under a grant assistance project aimed at reducing post-harvest losses and improving the transportation of fish and other marine products across the country. The vehicles were officially handed over today by Japanese Ambassador to SL Akio Isomata to the Chairman of Ceylon Fisheries Corporation (CFC), Mohammad Nasar, in the presence of Minister Ramalingam Chandrasekar and more..

Jun 10 (AD) PM Harini Amarasuriya stated that the Govt will introduce energy storage systems to maximise the utilisation of renewable energy. PM made these remarks in Parliament, while responding to a question raised by MP Asitha Egoda Vithana. She noted that SL has set a target of generating 70% of its national electricity from renewable energy sources by 2030, and that the necessary plans have already been formulated and are being implemented to achieve this objective. more..

Jun 10 (AD) Satyagraha staged against the detention of former head of the SIS, Major General (Rtd) Suresh Sallay, opposite the Colombo Fort Railway Station has been temporarily called off. The decision has been taken based on a court ruling issued by the Colombo Fort Magistrate, a short while ago. Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court issued an order to appoint a five-member special medical board comprising psychiatric experts to more..

Jun 10 (DM) Former Chief Minister of the Southern Province and former MP Shan Wijayalal de Silva has been remanded until June 12 by the Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court. De Silva was arrested on Tuesday (10) by the CIABOC after appearing before the Commission to provide a statement. The allegations relate to the procurement of chairs for voluntary associations in the province using an MP allocation of Rs. 16.5 million in 2019. Investigators claim that a manufacturing company more..

Jun 10 (EN) SL Customs exceeded its May target by 16%, while revenue in the first five months jumped around 44% compared to the same period last year, official data showed. Customs’ May revenue target was set at 187.8 billion rupees. However, the revenue-collecting body collected 217.9 billion rupees in the month, exceeding the target by 16%, official data showed. It also exceeded the cumulative target in the first five months by 44% to achieve 1,143.7 billion rupees. more..

Jun 10 (FT) After one and a half years in office, Govt has little excuse for underperformance. It enjoys an overwhelming parliamentary mandate, having secured an absolute majority and nearly a four-fifths majority in Parliament. It controls all the levers of executive power. Prez campaigned on a promise of transformative change. He appealed to the electorate to grant him a decisive mandate so that his reform agenda could be implemented without obstruction from what he described as more..

Jun 10 (FT) SL’s decision to phase out oil palm cultivation has been shaped by perception rather than policy. At the centre of the debate lies a powerful claim: that oil palm poses a significant threat to biodiversity and the environment. Scientific evidence however, suggests the contrary. The current footprint of oil palm in SL is relatively small - around 11,000 hectares and has largely been established through the conversion of rubber lands rather than forests. This distinction is critical. more..

Jun 10 (DN) A large-scale racket involving 105 local companies that have banded to remit billions of dollars abroad in the guise of importing various goods has been uncovered, Minister Ananda Wijepala told Parliament yesterday. More than US$ 85 million has been illegally transferred out of Sri Lanka by a group of racketeers who abused the Telegraphic Transfer (TT) system under the guise of importing goods. more..

Jun 10 (NW) Minister Bimal Rathnayake says decades of corruption within the Department of Motor Traffic (DMT) played a major role in creating the country’s driving licence issuance crisis, while insisting the backlog is now being cleared. Addressing Parliament on Tuesday (09), Rathnayake said the DMT had long been plagued by fraud, irregularities and entrenched corrupt networks that had undermined public services and damaged the institution’s reputation. more..

Jun 10 (FT) Govt yesterday assured that former SIS chief Suresh Sallay has not been subjected to any improper treatment while in detention, insisting that all actions taken against him have been carried out in accordance with the law. Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said Sallay had not been treated inappropriately as alleged by various groups. “Sallay was arrested on 25 Feb in connection with investigations into the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks and was subsequently detained under more..

Jun 10 (DM) While delivering the judgment, the High Court Judge underscored the far-reaching consequences of corruption in State institutions, observing that such misconduct not only damages the country's economy but has also contributed to its economic downfall. The judge further noted that corruption within public institutions weakens public trust and confidence in those entrusted with serving the people. more..

Jun 10 (NW) The Govt will not allow any activities that promote the LTTE, Minister Ananda Wijepala told Parliament yesterday. However, the Minister said space has been provided for people to commemorate relatives who died during the conflict. Wijepala said an arrest had been made in connection with uploading to Facebook a song that was originally performed by the LTTE in Kilinochchi. He further stated that the IGP held discussions with the AG yesterday afternoon regarding more..

Jun 10 (TM) The findings made by the COPA and the Auditor General's Dept regarding corruption and fraud within the Dept of Motor Traffic (DMT) are to be forwarded to the AG's Department and CIABOC, said Transport Minister Bimal Rathnayake. He said that COPA and AG's Dept had already looked into serious corruption and fraud within the Department and made observations. “We have brought a motion to Parliament to refer these matters to the AG and the CIABOC." more..

Jun 10 (NW) Nine more skeletal remains, including eight believed to be children, were discovered today during the 20th day of Phase Three excavations at the Chemmani Siddhupatthi mass grave in Jaffna. The latest findings bring the total number of skeletal remains identified at the site to 327, of which 311 have been excavated so far. Chemmani site is considered the second-largest mass grave discovered in SL. In addition to skeletal remains, investigators have recovered items more..

Jun 10 (ST) SL’s tourism industry has been severely hit due to a diesel shortage in the country and hotels are compelled to purchase super diesel spending one-and-a-half times the cost of normal diesel. Former Hotels Association President M. Shanthikumar said that the industry is faced with the incidence of increasing cost of production as the shortage of diesel in the country has compelled the tourism industry to purchase only Super Diesel. CPC has insisted that the hotel industry needs to more..

Jun 10 (TM) SL’s gross official reserves target of $ 8.6 billion agreed under the IMF's EFF programme cannot be reached this year, as it is unrealistic in the current economic circumstances and the current reserve position is built with domestic swaps, CoPF Chairperson Dr Harsha de Silva said. “This is not realistic. We cannot expect the next six months to get any better than the last six months. Within those reserves maintained now, more..

Jun 10 (CI) Expectations are high as tournament hosts. Throw in the fact that England have underperformed at global events in recent times given the talent, depth and resources at their disposal, and the pressure is on. A 193-day drought of fixtures between the 50-over World Cup and the start of their recent series against NZ and India culminated in 2-1 victories over both. That was without injured captain Nat Sciver-Brunt throughout and opening batter Danni Wyatt-Hodge, more..

Jun 10 (CI) India A began their tour of Sri Lanka with a nervy eight-run win against the hosts in Dambulla. A series that has been given the added edge by the presence of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi opened under hot weather on a two-paced surface. The stroke-making on the pitch was anything but easy. Here's a look back at the match which India A eventually snatched from the jaws of defeat. There had been a frenzy around him ever since he arrived in Sri Lanka three days ago. more..

Jun 10 (FT) Sri Lanka has reaffirmed its commitment to advancing decent work, labour rights and social justice, while seeking greater support from the International Labour Organization (ILO) for ongoing labour sector reforms. Labour Minister Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando met ILO Director-General Gilbert F. Houngbo on 8 June on the sidelines of the 114th Session of the International Labour Conference in Geneva, Switzerland. During the meeting, Dr. Fernando briefed more..

Jun 10 (FT) Home Lands says it has pre-sold 50% of the units in its upcoming Central Park Boulevard Port City Colombo development ahead of the project’s official launch this week, signalling strong investor interest in one of the largest private real estate investments announced in SL in recent years. The company said more than half of the project’s over 640 residential units have already been sold before the public launch scheduled from 12 to 14 June, implying sales of more than 320 units more..

Jun 10 (TM) Police yesterday clarified the authority to transfer any investigation to or from the CID rests solely with the IGP, amid ongoing public scrutiny over the handling of the probe into the Easter Sunday terror attacks. Office of the Police Media Spokesperson stated the investigation concerning the arrest and detention of former State Intelligence Service Director, Major General (Rtd) Suresh Sallay, is currently being conducted by the CID. more..

Jun 10 (FT) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake has congratulated Narendra Modi on becoming the longest-serving elected PM in the history of the Republic of India. In a congratulatory message, Dissanayake described the milestone as a reflection of the trust and confidence repeatedly placed in his leadership by the people of the world’s largest democracy. “This milestone is a testament not only to your years in office, but also to the trust and confidence that the people of the world’s more..