Jun 3 (CT) State Minister of Investment Promotion Dilum Amunugama revealed that the renewable energy project, led by the Adani Group of India, in Sri Lanka has been delayed, as the CEB is still drafting the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). As per the project conditions, there was a requirement for the Adani Group to fulfill a banking threshold in Sri Lanka, which they have done. However, since the PPA has not been finalised, the project commencement has been delayed. more..

Jun 3 (FT) Providing an update on the activities of the Office of Missing Persons, Minister of Justice Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe yesterday revealed that the OMP has concluded its inquiries into 3,170 complaints received. Wijeyadasa said the OMP’s initial productivity was unsatisfactory, and steps have been taken to improve and streamline the process. “The OMP investigated 184 complaints in 2020, 95 in 2021, 2110 in 2022 and 781 complaints in 2023,” The Minister said. more..

Jun 3 (AD) Meteorology Dept says the southwest monsoon is likely to gradually establish across the island over the next few days. Showers or thundershowers are expected at times in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central and Southern Provinces. Meanwhile, heavy rainfall of about 100 mm is likely at some places in the Sabaragamuwa Province and in Galle, Matara and Kalutara districts. Several spells of showers will occur in the Northwestern province. more..

Jun 3 (SLN) Pakistan Naval Ship (PNS) SHAHJAHAN arrived at the Port of Colombo on a formal visit this morning (2). The visiting ship was welcomed by the SL Navy in compliance with naval traditions. PNS SHAHJAHAN is a 134.1 m long Frigate which is manned by a crew of 169. She is commanded by Captain ADNAN LAGHARI TI. The Commanding Officer of the ship called on Commander Western Naval Area, Rear Admiral Suresh De Silva at the Western Naval more..

Jun 3 (FT) In the wake of mounting allegations of systematic Buddhistisation activities in N&E, Former Governor of the Northern Province and TMTK MP C.V. Wigneswaran, said he will seek support from Hindu religious organisations in India to counter the situation. Wigneswaran said he was already in talks with several Hindu organisations in India on the matter. “We are in talks with Indian Hindu organisations more..

Jun 3 (EN) Detectives probing a death of a maid in Sri Lanka police custody got a court order to get CCTV footage with questions raised on where the unrecorded arrest was made, as lawyers for the widower expressed cover up fears. The case of Rajakumari, a 42-year-old housemaid who died mysteriously after being arrested by the Welikada police on May 12, was brought before court again on June 2, 2023. Detectives from the police Special Investigation Unit is probing the death, more..

Jun 3 (FT) In a critical evaluation of Sri Lanka’s hospitality industry training and innovation, a top official on Wednesday claimed that the tourism sector had not adequately pushed local produce to tourists. Industry veteran and SL Tea Board Chairman Niraj de Mel pulled no punches in criticising the hotel industry’s lack of knowledge about the 157-year-old Ceylon Tea, a beverage known around the world. He emphasised that hotel stewards lack knowledge of local produce, more..

Jun 3 (CT) The proposed programme to establish windows in State hospitals, for the parents who cannot afford to raise new born babies, has been halted due to a section of the Penal Code. According to a senior official at the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA), the Minister of Justice has indicated, during the discussions that several legal obstacles have arisen over the implementation of this process. more..

Jun 4 (TM) Speaking at an event in Nuwara Eliya yesterday, Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe is reported to have stated that the majority of people have lost faith in elections and politics. To have realised this sooner than later is commendable. But then again, it does not take rocket science to comprehend this profound reality – all it will take is a visit to the Dept of Immigration and Emigration, where thousands of young people have been queuing up to obtain passports in order to seek greener pastures more..

Jun 4 (SO) SL leaders rarely take the public into their confidence. Transparency and accountability are two words that are not usually found in their vocabulary. But at least, Sri Lankans have found a leader who excels on both these fronts. Ranil Wickremesinghe, whose Presidency will mark the one year milestone next month, has kept the public abreast of the latest developments every few weeks, ever since he became PM last year. He has continued this practice after becoming Prez. more..

Jun 4 (TM) State-run CEB is no longer incurring losses from the supply of electricity, CEB Chairman Nalinda Illangakoon said. He said that the CEB had already achieved its tariff target of a cost-reflective pricing mechanism and was currently managing its expenses without incurring losses. Commenting on the CEB’s income and expenditure, CEB Chair said: “We expect our annual collection to be around Rs. 723 billion and more..

Jun 4 (CT) One cannot sugar-coat the fact that the cases of HIV have spiked when compared with the past number of years. According to statistics taken from data gathered by the Epidemiologist of the National STD/AIDS Control Programme having undergone the trauma of two years of the coronavirus from 2020 last year, there was somewhat of a turning point for the efforts made by the National STD/AIDs control programme in its battle against the deadly infection. more..

Jun 4 (SO) Distinguished SL diplomat, Ambassador Jayantha Dhanapala, who died in Kandy on May 27 at the age of 85, brought glory to his native land as one of the prime movers of nuclear disarmament when he was UN Under Secretary General for Disarmament Affairs. He also had the larger objective of bridging the yawning gap between the rich and the poor countries or between the Global North and Global South in decision making at the UN. When he became SL’s official candidate more..

Jun 4 (TM) Civil rights activists have raised concerns over the recent arrest of controversial female stand-up comedian Nathasha Edirisooriya, over an alleged defamatory comment made by her related to Buddhism, under the Int'l Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) legislation. They point out that the ICCPR was originally aimed at enabling people to enjoy a wide range of human rights, including those relating to freedom more..

Jun 4 (Island) The publication of Merril. J. Fernando’s autobiography last month is a useful peg to hang a discussion on the Ceylon tea industry – we advisedly call it Ceylon tea rather than Sri Lanka tea – as the former is the name by which this unique product is known globally. Merril Fernando, of course, needs no introduction. He is very well known in this country as the creator of the Dilmah brand he coined from the names of his two sons, Dilhan and Malik, which he took to the world outside more..

Jun 4 (ST) My dear Natasha, I thought of writing to you, as you languish behind bars, because almost the entire country is talking about you, and you are on the front page of every newspaper and on every television and radio channel, not to mention social media. You have even upstaged Raththaran Raheem! To think all this is because of a few sentences you uttered at a comedy show two months ago is mind boggling. From being a performer known in Colombo’s comedy more..

Jun 4 (ST) SL’s int'l relations and its importance keep surfacing more often than not in recent times. Its economy is being supervised by the IMF while big power dynamics in the Indo-Pacific region have brought the country under the radar of foreign listening posts monitoring its every move. Sri Lanka is truly walking on eggshells. This week, the Chinese Vice Foreign Minister was in Colombo; in India, its Foreign Minister announced how it wants to expand its neighbourhood first policy more..

Jun 4 (CT) The 1+225 in the title refers to the Prez and the 225 MPs who rule us. They are all corrupt in some way, at least by abusing their authority if not the finances of the country and their political powers. Due to our ignorance, the majority of the citizenry in SL believe that our supremacy lies in the hands of the Executive President This is absolutely wrong. We are merely another democracy and after independence most rights vested in the people as in other democracies and more..

Jun 4 (ST) Just weeks after a SL-origin baker won the most revered baguette competition in France, another SL-origin Chef Sam Fore became a popular name in culinary circles this week after she was announced as one of the finalists in the James Beard awards, often considered as the so-called Oscars of the food world — the most prestigious culinary honours in the US. Her business, named Tuk Tuk, more..

Jun 4 (Island) There’s not much time left before the Sri Lanka team takes flight to Harare for the World Cup qualifiers, but they are confronted with quite a few problems. The three match ODI series against Afghanistan, arranged by SLC to help players prepare for the qualifiers, didn’t start off well as the team suffered a six-wicket defeat on Friday. The old problems resurfaced as the top order collapsed and usual suspect Lahiru Kumara left the field with a hamstring niggle. more..

Jun 4 (ST) Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga will all return to the playing XI in the second game as SL look to stay afloat in the 3-match ODI series against Afghanistan. The second ODI will be played this morning at Hambantota, the venue for the three-match series. In what was another disappointing day for the SL batters, a top-order collapse saw the Dasun Shanaka-led side get restricted to a below par 268 runs which included 158 dot balls more..

Jun 4 (AD) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has conveyed his heartfelt condolences to the PM and the people of India following the tragic multiple-train collision in Odisha state, which resulted in a significant loss of lives and numerous injuries. In a letter addressed to the PM of India, Prez expressed his profound sadness upon learning about the devastating incident, emphasising that the people of SL stand united in their sympathy and support for India during this difficult time. more..

Jun 4 (SO) UNDP says that due pandemic and several other global issues Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set for 2030 are severely off track. One key component in the path to climate, environmental and social resilience in our society is to accelerate progress on sustainable development, both locally and globally. Currently, only 7.2% of used materials are cycled back into our economies after use. This has a significant burden on the environment and contributes to more..

Jun 4 (TM) CEB has proposed a significant tariff reduction of approximately 28% for over 1.7 million domestic electricity consumers who fall under the consumption block of 0-30 units. It is learnt that the average electricity bill of these low consumption consumers is around Rs. 751 and following the proposed revision on 1 July, the average electricity bill for the consumption block (0-30 units) is expected to reduce to Rs. 543. more..

Jun 4 (ST) Female steeplechase runner Nilani Ratnayake could face a ban of up to four years after testing positive for Ligandrol—a drug banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). She is the second athlete in months to test positive for the above drug. Powerlifter Indika Danansuriya is also facing a four-year ban after testing positive. The disciplinary inquiry was concluded into Danasuriya’s incident and the verdict is expected soon. Ligandrol is used to increase energy, more..

Jun 4 (Island) International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society (SLRCS) collaborated to provide emergency relief assistance to 11,850 vulnerable low-income families impacted by the economic crisis in Sri Lanka. “Low-income families are facing the worst effects of the economic crisis. As part of our humanitarian response, the ICRC partnered with the SLRCS to address some of their urgent needs in these challenging times. During the economic crisis, more..

Jun 4 (PMD) During his address at the 2024 National Law Conference held at Nuwara Eliya, Prez Wickremesinghe acknowledged that although all political parties in the Parliament are united, none of them currently possess a 50% voter base. He emphasized the need for unity among the parties, not solely for the purpose of elections, but to steer the country towards recovery from ongoing economic crisis. more..

Jun 4 (PTI) The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is upset at SL board expressing its desire to host the entire Asia Cup and has declined the latter's offer to play an ODI bilateral series in the island nation. According to sources in the PCB, relations between the PCB and Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) have turned sour after its offer of hosting the entire Asia Cup instead of four games being held in Pakistan as per the Hybrid Model proposed by Najam Sethi. "An example of the increasingly strained relations more..

Jun 4 (AD) It has been reported that the wife and children of self-styled prophet Pastor Jerome Fernando, who was recently in hot water over several controversial statements that were made during a sermon of his, have arrived in SL. Accordingly, Fernando’s wife and two daughters are believed to have arrived, from Singapore, at the BIA at around 10:45 p.m. yesterday (2). Meanwhile, earlier this month, SL Police clarified that Pastor Jerome, who has been in Singapore since more..

Jun 4 (ST) To raise the living standards of poverty-stricken people, the Govt is to allocate an additional Rs 200 billion for social welfare projects in next year’s budget, anticipating two major World Bank loans amounting to US$ 700 million within this year, Treasury officials said. The World Bank funds are to be pumped into welfare projects including providing financial assistance to an estimated three million low-income families for 3 years. The assistance is expected to be disbursed through a voucher more..

Jun 4 (DM) Leading social media influencer Khalid Al Ameri, who is based in the Middle East, yesterday announced his visit to Sri Lanka. The popular Emirati blogger, who creates content with his wife Salama Mohamed, will be in the island nation till June 5 (Monday). Ameri took to his social media handles to share the update but did not elaborate on his plans. “Sri Lanka here we come!! I can’t wait to meet you all and discover this beautiful country inshAllah,” posted Ameri. more..

Jun 4 (TM) Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles called for a report into the incident where TNPF MP Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam’s life had allegedly been threatened by a Police officer at gunpoint. When contacted, Minister Alles downplayed the allegations that MP Ponnambalam had been assaulted and stated that a report into the incident had been requested. Alles also pointed out that the Police had not received more..

Jun 4 (DM) In response to a query about the restart of the Japan-financed Light Rail Transit (LRT) project, Japanese embassy in Colombo said the resumption of loan projects and the launch of a new loan project will depend on the progress of the debt restructuring process. SL Cabinet gave approval this week to proceed with the resumption of the US$ 2.2 billion LRT project to be financed by Japan Int'l Cooperation Agency (JICA). Line is to be constructed linking Malabe with Fort. more..

Jun 4 (AD) Judicial Service Association of SL (JSASL) has expressed its profound discontent with certain names proposed for the imminent appointments due to be made to the High Court. In a letter addressed to Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, the JSA raised concerns over the names of Tikiri Jayathilaka, currently serving as the Deputy Secretary General of the Parliament, and another officer from the AG’s Dept, being amongst the four names proposed for HC appointments. more..

Jun 4 (ST) The Health Ministry has floated a tender for 25 ambulances for the 1990 Suwa Seriya service to be financed through a grant from the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction. The tender is open to suppliers from countries which are members of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the notice says. The bid deadline is June 20 this year. The Japanese grant is being channelled through Sri Lanka’s Health System Enhancement Project and ADB procedures will govern the bidding process. more..