Jun 3 (EN) SL will plant 10 lakhs of saplings to substitute for falling trees, state minister Janaka Wakkumbura said. “On June 5 [world environment day], we plan to implement a program to plant 10 lakhs of plants around the country,” he said. This announcement follows State Minister Pramitha Bandara Tennakoon’s announcement the same day that 300 trees in Colombo are considered high risk. “Now Environment Day is coming up, and anyone can go plant a tree by the road. more..

Jun 3 (FT) SL rupee appreciated by 7.3% against the $ during the year up to 31 May, according to the Central Bank. “Some depreciation pressure was observed in May 2024 despite the overall appreciation of the Rupee so far in 2024,” CBSL added. It said reflecting cross-currency movements, SL rupee appreciated against other major currencies, such as euro, pound sterling, Chinese yuan, Japanese yen, Indian rupee, and Australian dollar during the year up to 31 May. more..

Jun 3 (Island) CEO of the Kelani Valley Plantations Anura Weerakoon has been admitted to the ICU of the Nuwara Eliya hospital following a protest staged by a group of workers led by Water Supply and Estate Development Minister Jeevan Thondaman on Saturday opposite the Nuwara Eliya Police station. Protest was led by Thondaman following a complaint lodged by the plantation company that Minister Thondaman had more..

Jun 3 (FT) SLTDA Chairman Priantha Fernando said the directive by the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA) has been referred to legal experts to check and express opinion if Section 37(2) of the NATA Act No. 27 of 2006 does not apply to hotels and tourist restaurants. “As per our understanding, Section 37 of the NATA Act applies to manufacturers, importers and distributors. Section 37 (3) also creates an exception for the restriction in subsection (2) for trade discounts. more..

Jun 3 (Island) Lawyers’ Collective issued a media statement, condemning UNP General Secretary Range Bandara’s recent proposal that elections be put off for two more years. Full text: The Lawyers Collective condemns the statement of UNP General Secretary Range Bandara, made on 30th May 2024, suggesting at a formal press conference at the head office of the UNP, that by a public referendum the term of this Prez and this Parliament be extended for two more years in order to more..

Jun 3 (EN) UNP General Secretary Palitha Range Bandara has defended his call for postponing prez election by two years, claiming that his proposal was not undemocratic nor unconstitutional. Bandara also claimed that neither opposition leader Sajith Premadasa nor NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake have spoken against his proposal. “I have made no statement that’s undemocratic. more..

Jun 3 (CT) The annual pepper yield in Sri Lanka is about 23,000 MT. But the Dept of Export Agriculture has confirmed that last year’s pepper harvest exceeded 30,000 MT. Dept of Export Agriculture has indicated that the highest yield of pepper cultivation in Sri Lanka after 2019 has been recorded in the year 2023 due to the introduction of new technology for pepper cultivation, the provision of subsidies as well as the prolonged rainy weather after last year’s dry weather, more..

Jun 3 (AD) Ministry of Education has announced that schools in several districts in the Western, Southern and Sabaragamuwa provinces will remain closed on Tuesday (4) due to the prevailing disaster situation. Accordingly, the schools in the following districts and one education zone will be closed tomorrow; Sabaragamuwa Province: Ratnapura District – All schools; Kegalle District - All schools. Southern Province: Galle District – All schools; Matara District - All schools. more..

Jun 3 (DN) Chinafort Gem & Jewellery Traders Association (CGJTA), Beruwela the largest membership body for the industry with over 2,200 members, expresses its gratitude to Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe and the Govt for positively engaging with the industry to resolve critical issues. Following the proposals of CGJTA to the Prez Senior Adviser on Economic Affairs, Dr. R.H.S. Samaratunga, it was emphasized that the solutions proposed to streamline the importation of more..

Jun 3 (FT) Top economist and senior banker, Dr. Kenneth De Zilwa has completed his three year term as Chairman of LankaPay and has been succeeded by another veteran banker Lakshman Silva. De Zilwa assumed duty as the 5th Chairman of LankaPay on 01 June 2021 after having been appointed by CB Governor for a tenure of 3 years. Under Zilwa’s leadership, LankaPay successfully introduced numerous innovations to the national payments infrastructure advancing more..

Jun 3 (EN) Torrential monsoon rains have killed 15 people and left thousands homeless; authorities warn that water levels were still rising in four major rivers. Water levels in the Kalu and Nilwala rivers, and the Attanagalu Oya were in major flood level, while the Gin and Kelani rivers were in minor flood level, Dept of Irrigation said in a public warning. Met Dept has said heavy rain, strong winds and rough seas conditions will continue more..

Jun 3 (Island) High Commissioner of SL to UK, Rohitha Bogollagama, presented his Letter of Credence to King Charles III, at a ceremonial event held at Buckingham Palace. Event marked a significant diplomatic occasion, featuring High Commissioner Bogollagama and his spouse, Deepthi Bogollagama, arriving in traditional horse carriages escorted by the Royal Mews. Bogollagama conveyed warm greetings from Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe to the King, extending more..

Jun 3 (ICC) ICC have announced a record-breaking prize fund of $11.25 million for Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, with the winners set to receive at least $2.45 million. Men's T20 World Cup 2024 winners will receive the highest amount in the tournament's history. This ninth edition will see 20 teams competing over 28 days across nine venues in West Indies and USA, making it the largest event of its kind. Runners-up will earn at least $1.28 million, while the losing semi-finalists will more..

Jun 3 (TM) Following the roundtable discussions held between the Govt and international institutions such as World Bank (WB), Power and Energy Ministry is seeking international community support to avoid uncertainties related to the competitive process and the renewable energy (RE) sector. Last week, the Power and Energy Ministry organised a high-level roundtable discussion with the WB on advancing more..

Jun 3 (DM) DMC have reported multiple disasters across various regions, with heavy rains over the past few days causing widespread flooding and inundating numerous roads throughout the country. Accordingly, traffic on the Badulla-Spring Valley road came to a standstill due to the fall of trees obstructing the road. The Badulla Disaster Management Unit has taken steps to clear the obstructions. In Galle seveal roads in Neluwa, Thawalama, Udugama and Mapalagama more..

Jun 3 (DM) University Grants Commission (UGC) has begun issuing the university admissions students' handbook for the students who are eligible for university entrance. UGC Chairman Sampath Amaratunga said. Accordingly, 269,613 candidates sat for the GCE (A/L) exams, and 173,444 students have fulfilled the basic eligibility requirements for university entrance for 2024. 2023 (2024) GCE A/L exam was held on Jan 4, 2024, and the results were issued on May 31, 2024. more..

Jun 4 (DM) Uni students in the country have been severely inconvenienced due to administrative functions at state universities continuing to be crippled as a result of the month-long strike by university non-academic staff over their salary anomaly issue and several other demands. Lectures at the state universities have been forced to be conducted online and many uni examinations, int'l conferences and uni convocations have also been indefinitely postponed. more..

Jun 4 (TM) Each year, Sri Lanka faces predictable cycles of drought and heavy rains, which disrupt day to day life and damage crops which many depended on, and also cause numerous deaths and injuries. As of last evening, around 16 persons have been killed due to lightning, flooding, and landslides. 21,350 families have been affected due to the adverse weather. Just a few months ago, the ongoing heat wave, and the drought in some parts of the island was the talking point. more..

Jun 4 (CT) Health Ministry in its Mission statement states it would contribute to the social and economic development of Sri Lanka by achieving the highest attainable health status through promotive, preventive, curative and rehabilitative services of high quality made available and accessible to people of this island. In 2023 the number of State-run hospitals and specialist units in the country increased by 400. more..

Jun 4 (CT) In any unfavourable circumstances, it is easy for us to blame others without critically examining the issue. Similarly, politicians are often blamed for the short-term oriented, popular policy interventions of govts, which are considered unhealthy for the long-term of the economy. However, we need to see this issue from multiple perspectives for a better understanding. At present, Sri Lanka is practising representative democracy to appoint rulers for the country. more..

Jun 4 (DM) The experience of sitting for an exam is competitive for a child. Having dedicated countless hours to studying, they approach the question paper provided by Dept of Examinations with a multitude of hopes. Habouring for examinations and the attempts taken to clear hurdles like the Scholarship Exam, GCE O/L Exam and GCE A/L Exam are crucial in a child’s life. In this country, Dept of Examinations has failed to properly monitor even these preliminary exams, critics point out. more..

Jun 4 (TM) Post-conflict, the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) is in a period of transition and aims to evolve into a leaner, more lethal, and technologically-advanced force by 2030, Lt General Vikum Liyanage, the 24th Commander of the SLA, said. He discussed the future of the SLA and the restructuring process which is ongoing, stressing that the Army must maintain its combat effectiveness & improve its capabilities while right-sizing to troop levels more..

Jun 4 (ST) General Secretary of the UNP, Ranga Bandara has received egg on his face in abundance for trying awfully hard to make history repeat itself by suggesting this year’s prez elections should be postponed for two years in the same manner the UNP deferred parliamentary elections in 1982. In a televised broadcast under the party’s Smart campaign, Ranga showed just how smart he was when he said on Tuesday: “This is not the time for a Parliamentary or Presidential election. more..

Jun 4 (FT) What does genocide mean to Justin Trudeau, PM of Canada? His special statement issued on 18 May last introduced as Statement by the PM on Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day begins with the sentence, 15 years ago, the quarter-century-long armed conflict in Sri Lanka came to an end. So, he knows it. Yes, it came to an end 15 years ago with the LTTE proscribed in 33 countries as a terrorist organisation including in Canada, was completely annihilated. more..

Jun 4 (ST) Both the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka (NOC) and Ministry of Sports are at crossroads with regard to the arrest of NOC Media Manager Gobinath Sivarajah, also known as Sigo, who was apprehended by the Colombo Fraud Bureau at the BIA on Monday. He was arrested while on his way to Prague, Czech Republic to attend an official matter or a training course conducted by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), but no records show of such an event. more..

Jun 4 (Island) UNP Secretary Range Bandara’s statement at a media briefing that the terms of the current Prez and current Parliament should be extended by two years to save the Nation has drawn the ire of the people at large, with even the UNP’s ally (for the moment?), SLPP distancing itself from the proposal. The essence of the people’s response is that the present Parliament has lost its legitimacy, and Prez Wickremesinghe has been elected not by the People directly but more..

Jun 4 (CI) Sri Lanka's players were in a hurry to complete the media commitments after their first match of this T20 World Cup. That's because immediately after the match, they had to rush to their hotel in Brooklyn, an hour-and-a-half away, pack, check out, and then make their 6pm flight to Dallas where they will be playing what is now a must-win match against Bangladesh. This after they had to wait for seven hours at the Miami airport more..

Jun 4 (FT) A delegation representing 14 leading private sector companies together with Employers’ Federation of Ceylon (EFC) engaged in a high-level visit to explore strategic investment, trade, and growth opportunities in key sectors in the Northern Province. Organised by Int'l Labour Org (ILO) in partnership with EFC, among the key objectives of the visit were to showcase the investment potential of northern province, foster dialogue, and collaboration among key stakeholders, more..

Jun 4 (FT) All Union Alliance of the Board of Investment (BOI) expressed its strong displeasure with the points mentioned in the online webinar on the proposed Economic Transformation Act, by Mangala Yapa on 31 May and firmly rejects those statements. In a statement the All Union Alliance of BOI said the following. 1. We disdainfully reject the highly inaccurate claim made by Mangala Yapa that the Unions of the BOI have expressed agreement with the contents of this Act. more..

Jun 4 (DN) North Western Province and Southern Province emerged women’s and men’ s champions at the Beach Volleyball C'ship of the 48th National Sports Festival held at Browns Beach Negombo on Sunday. Southern Province beat North Western at the men’s final with 2-1. The first set North Western won by 21-17 but Southern fought back strongly to win second and third sets 21-17,15-11 to clinch the title. Earlier in the men’s semi finals Southern beat North Central 2-0 while more..

Jun 4 (FT) Lanka Exhibition and Conference Services (LECS) is proud to announce the return of SL’s most focused construction, interior products, lighting, power and energy exhibition - Construction Power and Energy Expo 2024. Scheduled to take place from 5-7 July at the BMICH. Construction Power and Energy Expo is SL’s premier exhibition in the construction, interior products, power, and energy-related sectors. With its eighth successive year, expo provides a comprehensive more..

Jun 4 (FT) SL Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) Chairman Priantha Fernando highlighted the potential benefits of a proposed visa-free travel policy, targeting citizens from 67 countries. He said the initiative aims to stimulate tourism and promote SL as a preferred travel destination, aligning with the country’s goal of achieving 5 million tourist arrivals by 2030. “Waiving visa fees could significantly enhance SL’s appeal to international tourists, more..

Jun 4 (FT) Court of Appeal refused to issue an injunction order in response to a petition filed by 21 Regional Plantation Companies (RPCs) yesterday. The petition sought to suspend the implementation of the gazette issued by Ministry of Labour and Foreign Employment, which mandates an increase in the salary of estate workers to Rs. 1,700. A bench chaired by Justice Sobitha Rajakaruna of the Court of Appeal considered the petition filed by 21 RPCs against respondents Labour Minister more..

Jun 4 (FT) Sinopec Lanka Energy Ltd., yesterday inaugurated its first renovated filling station at a grand re-opening ceremony in Trans Lanka Filling Station, Nawagamuwa, witnessing a major milestone on the company’s first anniversary since entering into SL. After seven months of smooth operation of all 150 stations, this new completion highlights Sinopec’s long-term commitment in revitalising the country’s energy sector. With continuous investments in renovation projects, more..

Jun 4 (CI) South Africa opened their T20 World Cup campaign in authoritative fashion by bowling SL out for their lowest total in the format and chasing 78 runs inside 17 overs to secure two points. At the first official T20I match to be played at the newly-created stadium at Eisenhower Park, we learnt more about the conditions than either of the two sides. The surface is tricky to bat on, there's inconsistent bounce, not much turn and more..