June 19 (Island) SJB has expelled two of its local govt members and suspended six others for defying party directives and backing the NPP in the contests to elect heads of hung local Councils. SJB General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara confirmed that Kolonnawa Municipal Councillor Susil Kumara Costa & Kandeketiya PS Councillor Navarathna Wijepala had been expelled with immediate effect. The SJB has suspended the membership of six councillors from Dambulla PS. more..

June 19 (DN) SL’s hopes of an unbeaten run at the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Asia/Oceania Group III Tennis Tournament were dashed yesterday when they suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat to Myanmar at the SL Tennis Association’s clay courts in Colombo. After a clean 3-0 sweep against Qatar on the opening day, the home team faced a strong Myanmar challenge in their second group clash. In the first singles match, Myanmar’s top player Nilar Win dominated from start to finish, more..

June 19 (FT) Former Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, his wife Kusum Epa, and their daughter Chandula Rambukwella, were remanded yesterday after failing to meet bail conditions set by the Colombo Magistrate’s Court. Trio was arrested by the CIABOC on charges of money laundering in connection with an ongoing investigation into alleged illegal asset accumulation amounting to Rs. 97.35 million. more..

June 19 (Island) Hosts India will get their 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup campaign underway in Bengaluru against SL on Sept 30. Per the unveiled full schedule, Colombo – a neutral venue picked to host Pakistan’s league games – has been allotted 11 round-robin games, including four of SL’s. All matches are slated to be day-night affairs with a 3 PM IST start. SL will have the opportunity to host Australia (Oct 4), NZ (Oct 14), South Africa (Oct 17) & B'desh (Oct 20) besides Pakistan (Oct 24) more..

June 19 (DN) Young Maheli Navithma of St. John’s Girls’ School, Panadura, continued her sensational form by setting her second meet record in the Girls’ Under-12 50m Breaststroke heats on Day 2 of the 50th MILO SL Schools Swimming Championship at the Sugathadasa Swimming Pool yesterday. Navithma clocked an impressive 40.97 seconds, breaking the long-standing record of 41.34 seconds set by Lashini Apsara Rajasinghe of SOU back in 2010. In a thrilling final later in the day, more..

June 19 (ST) Sri Lanka, with 167 ship wrecks submerged across its seas, is an ideal location for a niche tourism segment – marine tourism. This view emerged at a weekend conference in Colombo organised by the newly-formed Indian Ocean Divers Association (IODA) where SL’s potential as a sustainable tourism product was highlighted. So far dive tourism, focusing on visiting ship wrecks, and underwater tourism hasn’t more..

June 19 (FT) The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, together with the Chamber’s Sri Lanka-Bangladesh Business Council (SLBBC), at the invitation of the SL High Commission in Bangladesh, hosted a high-level Business Dialogue with a visiting delegation from the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce & Industry (DCCI), Bangladesh, on 17 June 2025 at the Hilton Colombo Residences. The forum was attended by Minister Sunil Handunneththi, as the Chief Guest, and over 100 SL business representatives. more..

June 19 (Island) DFCC Bank has entered a partnership with The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, to formally integrate Ceylon Chamber-led macroeconomic and sectoral intelligence into its service model. This strategic collaboration is set to enhance both internal expertise and client-facing value, reinforcing DFCC Bank’s position as the most insight-driven and customer-aligned bank in the country. By harnessing the Ceylon Chamber’s deep research capabilities, DFCC Bank will gain more..

June 19 (FT) Science and Technology Minister Chrishantha Abeysena recently emphasised the need for SL to shift its focus from short-term financial gains through imports to supporting and protecting local manufacturers. He made these remarks during a recent meeting held at the Science and Technology Ministry, convened to facilitate an open exchange of views between traditional brass manufacturers and Govt officials. Event marked the 2nd phase of a collective initiative aimed at more..

June 19 (GV) The rising trend of sensationalized media coverage involving children is becoming increasingly alarming. Each day, new incidents highlight how deeply unethical media practices, particularly those that disclose the identities of child victims, are harming the very individuals they claim to represent. These practices not only infringe upon the dignity and privacy of affected children and their families but they also inflict lasting psychological damage. more..

June 19 (DN) Young Maheli Navithma of St. John’s Girls’ School, Panadura, continued her sensational form by setting her second meet record in the Girls’ Under-12 50m Breaststroke heats on Day 2 of the 50th MILO SL Schools Swimming Championship at the Sugathadasa Swimming Pool yesterday. SL and Bangladesh slow burn it in Gallemore..

June 19 (FT) SL’s tea production in May totalled 25.37 million kilos, showing an increase of 3% or 0.72 million kilos from a year ago. All elevations showed an increase in comparison with the corresponding month of 2024. Low Grown crop rose by 0.18% to 14.32 million kilos, High Grown by 3.4% to 5.8 million kilos, and Medium Grown by 10.5% to 4.98 million kilos. Jan-May 2025 cumulative production totalled 113.96 million kilos, recording an increase of 9.16 million kilos more..

June 19 (Island) United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk is scheduled to visit Colombo later this month. The House on June 5 announced the visit, two days after the UN Resident Coordinator in SL, Marc-André Franche, informed Speaker, Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne, of the impending visit. A press release issued by the Parliament, dated June 5, mistakenly identified Volker Türk as the High Commissioner of the International Commission on Human Rights. more..

June 19 (Island) The govt and the Opposition behaved yesterday––for once. They agreed to have a parliamentary debate on the Middle East conflict and its impact on Sri Lanka yesterday evening itself. If only they had reached consensus on that matter the previous day itself instead of clashing. All Opposition MPs, save a few, staged a walkout, on Tuesday, berating the Speaker. Opposition and NPP should learn to act with restraint and address crucial issues in a conciliatory manner. more..

June 19 (ST) I was woken up on Thursday morning by a call from Human Resource pundit HR Perera, popularly known as HR, who interestingly wanted to discuss conflict of interest. It seems we were on the same page, as I too had decided the previous day to discuss this issue in this Sunday’s column. Why? Our attention was drawn to a report in India’s Hindu newspaper last week and reproduced here by local newspapers, where it was stated that India’s Chief Justice and his colleagues more..

June 19 (TM) Govt is considering introducing a regulatory framework for the private education sector in a move that signals a major shift in national education policy. This development comes amid increasing pressure to stem the outflow of students and finances to foreign institutions, improve the quality of local private education offerings, and address deep-rooted structural flaws in the country’s public education system. more..

June 19 (FT) Sri Lanka is ageing—rapidly and irreversibly. According to demographic projections, by 2045, nearly one in four Sri Lankans will be aged 60 or above. At the same time, our younger population is steadily shrinking due to declining fertility and increasing out-migration. This demographic shift is placing growing pressure on families, communities, and the State. Compounding this challenge is the reality that informal caregiving—whether for young children, elderly parents, more..

June 19 (CT) On 17 June, Ceylon Today featured two distinct but deeply connected stories, each exposing the profound suffering of Sri Lankans who rely on our public hospitals. One detailed the arrest of a prominent consultant neurosurgeon for corruption; the other, a dire warning about life-threatening medicine shortages. Together, these stories unveil a deepening crisis, hollowing out our public health system and leaving our most vulnerable citizens in peril. more..

June 19 (DM) Days after the crash of an Air India flight, former SriLankan Airlines pilot captain Sri Segaram speaks to Daily Mirror on the possible causes that might lead to an air crash. Captain Sri Segaram has 45 years of experience with over 30,000 flying hours. Q: As an experienced pilot, what do you think could have caused the Air India flight crash? A: Whatever I’m saying is based on my experience in aviation—that’s number one. more..

June 19 (TM) Sri Lanka’s political landscape has changed colour to being one of red, and although there were some setbacks during the Local Govt Elections, the tally board today shows that the NPP now has control of the Executive, Legislature and most of the local govt institutions. The change in colour at Colombo Municipality Council (CMC), a hotly contested seat of power, is telling of the overwhelming swing in favour of the political landscape. more..

June 19 (SO) If there is an informal economy in this country, who runs it? Every country has an informal economy, and SL’s is particularly large. Around 5.5 million of the 8.2 million employees in the country function in the informal economy. This statistic should boggle the mind. That’s a whopping 67% of the workforce, according to recent statistics. This is around two-thirds of all the people who work, who are not protected by labour laws, and do not function within the legal framework that more..

June 18 (CT) Colombo Chief Magistrate Thanuja Lakmali, yesterday (17), ordered the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) to submit a report, including instructions from the Attorney General, on whether legal action should be taken in connection with a container of tramadol pills that has been held by Customs for nearly five years. Investigating officers informed the Court that the container was detained by Customs in 2018 following information that it contained unlawful drugs. more..

June 18 (EN) Sri Lanka is going ahead with a tender to build a liquefied natural gas terminal which was scuttled by a previous administration, Power and Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody said. “The current govt has decided to go ahead with a tender called by the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation and CEB,” Minister told parliament. “Accordingly, to sign the project with the successful bidder, the cabinet appointed negotiation committee and project committee has been re-established. more..

June 18 (CI) It was just as the freshest cycle of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 was approaching its fourth hour that the freshest Test cricketer on the planet pivoted at the top of his mark, and did something a little bit special. In his first 95 deliveries in Test cricket, Tharindu Rathnayake had been a right-arm offspinner. But like a magician who plunges himself into the hat and pulls out a different version of his own self, more..

June 18 (DM) Oscar and Emmy Award-winning British actor Jeremy Irons arrived in Sri Lanka last night (17) to star in Cage Bird, an internationally-backed film directed by veteran Sri Lankan filmmaker Chandran Rutnam. A spokesperson for the SL Tourism Promotion Bureau confirmed that this marks the first visit by a Hollywood A-list actor of Irons’ calibre for a film production in over 12 years. Irons, globally known for his performances in The Lion King, Reversal of Fortune, and more..

June 18 (DM) Two suspects were arrested by the Negombo Divisional Criminal Investigation Bureau for demanding a ransom of Rs. 10 million and extorting Rs. 2 million from the victim. Investigations were launched following a complaint from a resident of Badalgama, who reported receiving death threats targeting him and his child if the ransom was not paid. Acting on a tip-off, officers from the Negombo Divisional Criminal Investigation Bureau conducted a raid in Seeduwa yesterday and more..

June 18 (DM) Alcohol and Drug Information Centre (ADIC) has conducted its annual trend survey for 2024 to monitor and map the evolving patterns of tobacco use across SL, aiming to support evidence-based policymaking and awareness initiatives. 21.6% of individuals aged 15 and above were identified as current smokers defined as those who had smoked within the past 30 days at the time the survey was administered. more..

June 18 (AD) Former Minister of Health Keheliya Rambukwella, his wife Kusum Priyadarshini Epa, and their daughter Chandula Rambukwella who were granted bail by the Colombo Magistrate’s Court, have been remanded due to their failure to fulfil the bail conditions. Trio was produced before the court today, following their arrest by officers of the CIABOC in connection with an investigation conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. more..

June 18 (AD) Efforts will be taken to transform Colombo into one of the most developed cities in the world, newly appointed Mayor Vraie Cally Balthazaar said after assuming duties in the new post this morning. Vraie Balthazaar of NPP took oaths as the 26th Mayor of the CMC, today. She was elected the new Colombo Mayor following a secret ballot on Monday. During the secret ballot, Councilor Balthazaar received 61 votes while Riza Zarook of the SJB obtained 54 votes. more..

June 18 (AM) Attorney Sanjaya Weerawickrama told the special parliament inquiry committee that the period between the issuance of an arrest warrant for his client, suspended IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon and his eventual arrest was spent in the company of President’s Counsel Romesh de Silva and others, including himself. Weerawickrama made this statement while giving evidence before the committee more..

June 18 (NW) Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) says the Sri Aviation Unit Bria, operating under the United Nations mandate in the Central African Republic, successfully executed a critical Casualty Evacuation mission last week (14 June) amidst a highly hostile environment. Issuing a statement, the SLAF said that the operation involved an Mi-17 helicopter (UNO 326P) tasked with the urgent onsite casualty pickup of three UN personnel from Zemio who were severely wounded in combat. more..

June 18 (AM) SL’s trusted household brand SOORYA ignited the Youth Top 40 Awards 2025, presented by New Generation SL. The award was won by Uni of Kelaniya alumna Anudi Gunasekera — the current Miss Sri Lanka for Miss World — at a ceremony held last night at Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo. Anudi Gunasekera is a past pupil of A'pura Central College and holds a BA (Hons) degree in International Relations and Affairs. Anudi is a model, beauty queen and social activist. more..