June 30 (DM) Ministry of Finance has launched a Rs. 6.5 billion concessionary loan scheme for SME paddy millers and cooperative societies to purchase paddy during the 2025 Yala season, from July 1 to November 15. According to the Ministry, the scheme offers loans up to Rs. 50 million at a 7% annual interest rate, repayable within 180 days. It is aimed at entities with a maximum daily milling capacity of 25MT, holding valid business registrations and Paddy Marketing Board licenses. more..

June 30 (Island) The UNDP has pledged support for the campaign of the Women Parliamentarians’ caucus for more opportunities for women in politics. UNDP Resident Representative in Colombo, Azusa Kubota, recently discussed the issues at hand with the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus, pertaining to the action plan for 2024-2027. During this meeting, discussions were held regarding proposed meetings with recognised political parties and party secretaries to enhance women representation more..

June 30 (TM) SL’s banking sector net foreign assets have gained over 2,000% year-on-year (y-o-y) by April, mainly driven by the net foreign assets accumulated by the Central Bank. According to weekly indicators by the CB, net foreign assets in the banking sector stood at Rs. 1019.8 billion ($ 3.4 billion) by end of April as compared to the negative Rs. 52.9 billion ($ 180 million) in April last year, indicating a 2028.1% increase in rupee terms. more..

June 30 (TM) Legendary cyclist and three times winner of the Tour de Lanka A.M. Sumanaweera passed away aged 78. Champion rider Sumanaweera who was well-known as a hill-climbing expert in cycle racing, had made his debut in the 1984 Tour de Lanka representing the CPC. Late Sumanaweera who was affectionately known as Sumane, among his colleagues and fans alike, had won that grueling event on three occasions in 1984, 1985 & 1986 and he had also more..

June 30 (Island) Rear Admiral (retd) Fred Seneviratne, who had been among those ex-senior military officers on the National People’s Front (NPP) platform has been appointed as Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner in Pakistan. Seneviratne assumed duties at the SL High Commission in Islamabad on Thursday (26). The Foreign Ministry said: “High Commissioner– designate was received and welcomed by the staff of the High Commission. In his address to the staff, more..

June 30 (CT) Fisheries Minister Ramalingam Chandrasekar has reaffirmed that the Katchatheevu Island, which legally and diplomatically belongs to SL, will not be handed over to any other party under any circumstances. He made this statement in response to recent remarks by Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, who alleged that Indian fishermen’s rights to fish in SL waters had been violated, referring to more..

June 30 (FT) International Conference on Cohesive Societies (ICCS) held its third edition from 24 to 26 June 2025 in Singapore. This event gathered over 1,000 global thought leaders, policymakers, community practitioners and young leaders from more than 50 countries to exchange ideas and develop solutions for fostering cohesive and resilient multicultural societies. The ICCS, themed Cohesive Societies, Resilient Futures, is organised by S. Rajaratnam School of Int'l Studies (RSIS) more..

June 30 (Island) About 90% of land, held by the armed forces during the war in the Northern and Eastern provinces, had been released, in stages, since 2010, A group of military officers told The Island on condition of anonymity. They were responding to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk’s call for releasing what he called military-occupied land. At the conclusion of his three-day visit last week, the Austrian lawyer reiterated his call for an internationally backed more..

June 30 (NF) Sri Lanka mourns the loss of Prof. Malani Andagama, a distinguished historian, academic, and former Head of the Department of History and Archaeology at the Uni of Sri J'pura, who passed away at the age of 85. Born in Galapitamada, Kegalle, Prof. Andagama began her academic journey at Ruwanwella Central College, later entering the University of Peradeniya, where she earned her Honours Degree in History. She briefly served as an Assistant Lecturer more..

June 30 (NW) Dept of Inland Revenue has filed a case against Arjun Aloysius and Anthony John, directors of W.M. Mendis & Company, for allegedly evading over Rs. 1.035 billion in VAT owed to the SL govt. The case was brought before Colombo Additional Magistrate Pavithra Pathirana, who today issued summons requiring both defendants to appear in court on Oct 13, 2025. The charges relate to unpaid VAT for the financial years 2019 & 2020, which authorities claim were deliberately more..

June 30 (AD) SL is the only country in the Asia region currently holding discussions with officials in the US to revise the tariffs introduced by US Prez Donald Trump earlier this year, according to Minister Prof. Anil Jayantha Fernando. Joining the Parliamentary debate toda, where MPs are debating the fiscal strategy statement of the govt, Minister stated that they are hopeful the govt will be able get a better deal from the US regarding more..

June 30 (EN) Now that SL’s central bank has made a pro-cyclical rate cut as private credit is recovering reminiscent of its actions in 2015, 2018 and second half of 2019, time has come for the govt to start taking counter action to reduce the risk of the next default. Single policy rate and the de facto abandoning of the scarce regime is a key risk to debt repayment or expecting the central bank to provide dollars for debt repayment. Unlike in the past, IMF loan is now also the responsibility of Treasury. more..

June 30 (Island) A special awareness workshop on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) was held on Saturday (28) at the Ministry of Education, targeting senior officials of the Ministry. The session focused on how AI can be effectively utilized to transform the public service into a more efficient and productive system. As an initial step in the Govt’s flagship programme to digitise the public service, the objective of this initiative was to raise awareness among officials, more..

June 30 (MB) The Deduru Oya reservoir in northwestern SL has long been a favorite fishing spot for angler Ishanka Dissanayaka. In mid-June, he returned to the reservoir for a relaxing day by the water. But this time, the fish that snagged his bait was so heavy that he had to wade to the edge of the water and, with the help of colleagues, hauled it out using a hand net. The fish measured nearly a meter in length and weighed 8 kg, more..

June 30 (CT) SL needs a USD 7 billion investment in safe water supply distribution and sanitation to close access gaps, reach 80 per cent coverage, and manage water pollution by 2030, World Bank Group (WBG) said. WBG, in a publication titled SL, Country Climate Report, June 2025, further stated that such investments must be considered in light of the fact that only 15% of communities have access to safe water in the Northern Province, with extremely low coverage in tea estate communities. more..

June 30 (DM) The Mulleriyawa Police informed Colombo Additional Magistrate Kasun Kanchana Dissanayake today that an investigation has been launched into individuals suspected of misusing the "Million for Ishaq" fundraising campaign initiated to support ailing veteran artist Ishaq Beg to fraudulently collect money from foreign nationals. Police said the investigation was initiated based on a complaint lodged by announcer and media personality Rangan de Silva. more..

June 30 (DM) Batticaloa District MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam has voiced serious concerns over the ongoing exhumations at the Chemmmani mass grave site in Jaffna questioning the transparency and security of the process. MP pointed out that while 33 bodies have been exhumed so far, the site lacks adequate facilities to ensure the protection and integrity of the remains. Unlike the Kokkuththoduvai site in Mullaitivu where protective structures were built to shield the graves from rain and runoff, more..

June 30 (AM) A man who allegedly provided a false tip-off to the Police Emergency Unit (119) claiming that a woman was planning a grenade attack on President Anura Kumara Dissanayake during the upcoming Upasampada ceremony at the Galnewa public grounds has been remanded until 1 July. Kekirawa Magistrate Udari Gunasekara issued the remand order on the suspect, identified as Mahesh Ratnayake from Hiripitiyagama, Ipalogama. Police had earlier submitted a B-report to court, more..

June 30 (AD) The report of the committee appointed by the President to investigate allegations regarding the release of containers without undergoing scanning was tabled in Parliament today by SJB MP Mujibur Rahman. Speaking in Parliament, MP Rahman stated that the govt had concealed the contents of the committee report and had not presented it to Parliament until now. He said therefore he is tabling the report more..

June 30 (AD) MP Ramanathan Archchuna stated that he was prepared to disclose the contents of the 323 containers released recently but emphasized that the govt must first provide a formal assurance that he would not be subjected to imprisonment on fabricated charges. Speaking in Parliament regarding the release of the 323 containers, PM stated that he is able to provide a detailed list of what was inside the 323 containers—its contents, destination, and country of origin.” more..

June 30 (NW) The Malwathu Maha Viharaya in Kandy has denied claims that former President Mahinda Rajapaksa had made a request seeking its intervention to prevent the arrest of former First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa. The clarification comes over social media reports stating that former President Mahinda Rajapaksa had made such a request from the Malwathu Maha Viharaya. Issuing a statement, the Malwathu Maha Viharaya said the news report was misleading and baseless. more..

June 30 (EN) SL’s consumer prices in the capital Colombo rose 3.6% over 33 months since monetary stability was restored around Sept 2022, though the index deflated 0.6% over 12 months. Colombo Consumer Price Index rose 0.9% in the month of June, after rising 0.8% in May driven by surging food prices, according to data from the DCS. The food sub-index grew 1.8% to 249.3 points in June, after rising 2.7% in May. more..

June 30 (NW) Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has urged the govt to implement sustainable solutions for micro, small, and medium-scale industrialists and entrepreneurs, who he says are currently confused and distressed. Warning that from midnight today, the Parate Law will once again be enforced in Sri Lanka, allowing the rapid auctioning of properties belonging to industrialists and entrepreneurs, MP Premadasa said that, as a result, many micro, small, & medium-scale business more..

June 30 (DM) Minister Sunil Handunneththi told Parliament today that his recent speech at the World Economic Forum in China had been misrepresented by some individuals to suit their personal agendas. Clarifying his remarks, Minister said he had highlighted SL’s untapped potential and available resources as avenues to strengthen the economy. “I merely pointed out that SL has what it takes to move forward economically. For example, Batticaloa has an airport that remains unused more..

June 30 (AD) Two individuals have been arrested in connection with the murder of a businessman whose burned body was found in a forested area in Diyabatte, Maho. Investigations began following the discovery of a charred body inside a jeep in the Diyabatte forest area on Thursday. Multiple police teams launched inquiries under the guidance of the Senior DIG of North Western Province. Investigations revealed that the victim had been abducted and murdered by the suspects more..

June 30 (FT) In a recent forum in Colombo on SL’s road to recovery with special reference to debt and governance participated by the country’s top policy leaders, IMF’s leading managers and select private sector top brass, Prez Anura Kumara Disanayake is reported to have stressed his Govt’s commitment to continue with the ongoing reforms to improve economic conditions and assure lasting stability, while expressing his desire to make the current IMF program the last one in SL’s history. more..

June 30 (DM) Litigation process related to the X- Press Pearl disaster is tainted with allegations about corruption and frauds prompting the Environment Ministry to look at the appointment of a committee to probe what went wrong in the past, according to a minister. The X-Press Pearl incident in May, 2021 was the worst maritime disaster to strike SL, making a significant impact on SL’s sensitive coastal environment, local more..

June 30 (TM) At least five more sets of skeletal remains have been identified as of Friday during the second stage of the Chemmani mass grave investigations. Sunday Morning learns from Office on Missing Persons (OMP) sources that the financial tranche for this stage covers 45 days. However, the investigative process is being phased out instead of being undertaken for 45 days at a stretch. Well-placed sources at the Ministry of Justice said that process was being carried out in 2 stages. more..

June 30 (ST) CIABOC has begun a probe into an allegation that former Minister Keheliya Rambukwella had obtained a monthly payment of Rs. 240,000 for more than two years, claiming it was the rent for a Mercedes Benz car he was using. It is alleged that he had obtained this payment while he was health minister. Investigations have revealed that the registration number he had given in a document he submitted to the Health Ministry to obtain the rent belonged to a vehicle more..

June 30 (ST) Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara has refuted UN Human Rights High Commissioner Volker Türk’s statement that a bill to decriminalise same-sex marriages is before Parliament. Minister was reacting to Mr. Türk’s comment at a media briefing on Thursday at the end of his four-day visit to Sri Lanka. “I welcome the decriminalisation of same-sex relationships bill, which I understand is before Parliament,” more..

June 30 (DM) Two individuals who illegally entered the Kodigala Kanda area of the Ritigala Forest Reserve claiming to be a Rishi and his helper were rescued and arrested by officers of the Ritigala Wildlife Sanctuary Protection Office after becoming stranded in the forest. According to wildlife officials, both suspects are 35 years old. The man claiming to be a Rishi is a resident of Rajanganaya in A'pura and currently resides in Gampaha, while his alleged helper is a resident of Laggala in Matale. more..

June 30 (NW) Bollywood icon Shah Rukh Khan is likely to attend the highly anticipated grand opening of City of Dreams Sri Lanka on August 2, 2025, Newswire learns. While no official confirmation has been issued, sources close to the organisers say the actor is expected to be the star attraction at the launch of South Asia’s first fully integrated luxury resort, developed by John Keells Holdings PLC (JKH) in partnership with Melco Resorts & Entertainment (MRE). more..