Jun 3 (CT) Hotel Developers (Lanka) PLC, the holding company of Hilton Colombo, which announced that the property is open for private sector investment, found none have committed yet, however, a local investor, Melwa Hotels and Resorts (Pvt) Ltd, is tipped to be a potential investor. The Govt has appraised the hotel at USD 86 million. Previously, the Govt stated that nine Expressions of Interest (EOIs) were received by the State-Owned Enterprise (SOE) unit. more..

Jun 3 (Island) SJB parliamentary group unanimously resolved not to support the formation of a national govt under Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe. MP Buddhika Pathirana proposed that the party reject the call for a national govt. The SJB expected the Election Department to conduct a Presidential Election in Sept/Oct in terms of the Constitution. SJB General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara said that the SJB dismissed Prez Wickremesinghe’s proposal for a national govt two years ago more..

Jun 3 (DN) Sri Lankan athletes Tharushi Karunaratne (800m) and Dilhani Lekamge (Javelin Throw) have qualified for the upcoming Paris Olympics based on their world rankings, SLA confirmed. World Athletics Body announced their qualifications after reviewing the global rankings. Tharushi Karunaratne, ranked 45th in the world for the 800m, qualified as one of the top 48 athletes. Dilhani Lekamge, ranked 26th in Javelin Throw, secured her spot among top 32 qualifiers. more..

Jun 3 (FT) Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena announced the Supreme Court’s determination on the Economic Transformation Bill in Parliament, revealing that the apex court found several clauses in the proposed bill inconsistent with the Constitution. Under Article 121(1) of the Constitution, SC reviewed the Bill and proposed several amendments to align it with constitutional principles. Key recommendations include more..

Jun 3 (FT) The Supreme Court yesterday held that Clauses 32(3) and 32(4) of the Public Financial Management Bill are unconstitutional, and must only be passed by a Special Majority of Parliament and be approved by the people at a referendum. Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) challenged the Bill in the Supreme Court on the basis that Clause 32 seriously weakens the controls on public procurement, thereby increasing corruption risk and weakening the level playing field. more..

Jun 3 (DM) Two students, a male and female aged 15, studying at an Int'l School in Colombo, are suspected to have committed suicide by jumping from the 67th floor of the Altair apartments building in Kompanna Veediya on Tuesday evening. Police identified the deceased as residents of Wellawatta and Kelaniya. Both students were in the same class at the int'l school and had attended a party at the building after school hours. Approximately 100 students had reportedly attended the party. more..

Jun 3 (DM) Exposing a major scam by some Tamil diaspora groups and Tamil politicians in India and SL, the immediate family of LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran urged Tamils around the world not to get duped by a gang of mafia fraudsters. Karthic Manoharan, the son of Prabhakaran’s elder brother, Velupillai Manoharan warned that no money collected to keep alive the former rebel leader goes to the family nor the poor & suffering Tamils more..

Jun 3 (FT) Ranasinghe Premadasa, SL’s one and only non-Govigama PM and President is the focus of this two-part article commemorating his birth centenary. The first part published last week traced in brief the early phases of Premadasa’s political journey. This second and final part – written with the aid of earlier writings – will record the remarkable rise to power of Ranasinghe Premadasa. As stated last week, the UNP was down in the doldrums after the general elections of 1970. more..

Jun 3 (FT) SL’s world record for corruption, nepotism and bad governance is now being elevated by the proposed setting up of an Office for International Trade (OIT) in the Economic Transformation Bill. The transfer of State or National powers in the vital area of international trade to non-accountable politically appointed Board of private individuals in the OIT is indeed serious in that it has a pervasive effect on goods, services, employment, production, agriculture, phytosanitary and more..

Jun 3 (AD) The attorneys representing the Chairman of Aura Lanka Viranjith Thambugala, who was arrested and remanded over allegations of financial fraud, today informed the Colombo Magistrate’s Court that the businessman and his family members have received death threats after giving a statement related to the investigations being carried out against him by the CID. When the case was taken up before Colombo Additional Magistrate Pavitra Pathiraja today, the defence counsel also requested more..

Jun 3 (DM) SLPP General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam highlighted that former Ambassador of SL to Russia Udayanga Weeratunga has nothing to do with the party and thus, his statements regarding the party are of no importance. He made these remarks when reporters questioned Kariyawasam referring to a statement made by Udayanga Weeratunga where he had stated that the SLPP will nominate Dhammika Perera as its Presidential candidate and Namal Rajapaksa as PM. more..

Jun 3 (FT) Sri Lanka always ranks low in the World Happiness Index; 128 out of 148 in 2024 (we rank 48 in Global Militarisation Index though, and possess the 17th largest military in the world). We are also a gloomy lot in terms of how we see the country’s future. According to a new Institute of Health Policy (IHP) poll, in May 2024, 80% of Lankan adults thought the country was heading in the wrong direction. more..

Jun 3 (AD) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe presided over the appointment ceremony at Temple Trees this morning, where 60 individuals were appointed to Grade III general employee positions in the SL Education Administration Service. Additionally, teaching positions in national schools were awarded to 1,706 graduates and 453 English diploma holders. Addressing the event, Prez stressed the importance of those entering the teaching profession dedicating themselves to the future generation, more..

Jun 3 (EN) SL is planning to enlist the help of the military to help boost deep-sea diving for tourists, Chairman of the SL Tourism Promotion Bureau, Chalaka Gajabahu said. “We are talking to the associations in that area and we also plan on enlisting the help of the Army and Navy,” Gajabahu said. Tri forces (army, navy, air force) and police account for nearly 30% of the country’s total state sector employees. SL had a large number of military personnel when it ended a 26-year civil war more..

Jun 3 (TM) Sri Lanka Schools Rugby Football Association (SLSRFA) has summoned all relevant parties engaged in the fracas which occurred towards the end of the Schools League match between Science and S. Thomas’ last Sunday (30), for a crucial discussion at Asoka Vidyalaya towards its swift resolution, this morning. This was confirmed to The Daily Morning, yesterday by the Head of the SLSRFA and more..

Jun 3 (DM) Last week, the govt very proudly signed a debt restructuring agreement with the Paris Club and India and China which gives the country some breathing space to pay up its loans. After defaulting on our loan payments in 2022 and declaring bankruptcy, this news was welcomed as the govt will be able to breathe a sigh of relief to allocate funds for essential public services and secure concessional financing for development needs. It also gives some hope that people will not more..

Jun 3 (AD) The Excise Department has successfully collected Rs. 105 billion in revenue so far this year, marking a significant increase of Rs. 17 billion compared to the same period last year. Excise Commissioner M.J. Gunasiri stated that by June 30, the department had reached its revenue target. Gunasiri highlighted that, “We have collected Rs. 105 billion as planned by the Excise Department by June 30. By this time last year, we had collected Rs. 88 billion.” more..

Jun 3 (DN) At present, TEJC mango variety is produced in our country, which is popular in our country and also in the foreign market. But it is being affected due to the unlimited and informal cultivation of the TEJC mango variety. Due to maintaining the TEJC mango variety as a general cultivation and taking steps to grow those mango plants for domestic consumption in large numbers, the right way to grow those mangoes is being lost from the farmers. more..

Jun 3 (TM) The Ceylon Teachers' Union (CTU) has accused President and Finance Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe of misrepresenting the demands of teachers and principals. CTU President Priyantha Fernando claimed that the President has repeatedly stated that teacher-principal unions are requesting salary increases. However, he clarified that they are not asking for new salary hikes but for the restoration of the salaries that they have been deprived of for over 20 years. more..

Jun 3 (EN) SL will hand over its Chinese-built airport operations to a consortium with Indian and Russian firms, despite the US has informed about a US sanction on the key stakeholder of Moscow firm, Aviation Minister said. A joint venture between Shaurya Aeronautics Pvt Ltd of India and Airports of Regions Management Company of Russia has won the contract to manage Mattala Rajapaksa Int'l Airport for 30 years. more..

Jun 3 (PMD) Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva affirmed that SriLankan Airlines will undergo restructuring instead of being sold. He emphasized that according to existing regulations, only up to 49% of the airline’s shares can be transferred to another entity, yet no suitable investor has expressed interest thus far. Addressing the press briefing titled Collective Path to a Stable Country at the Presidential Media Centre (PMC) today, Minister Siripala de Silva further elaborated; more..

Jun 3 (ANI) Former Australia skipper Michael Clarke joined the Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2024 as the tournament's brand ambassador. The 2024 edition of the LPL will run from July 1 to 21. Clarke joined the list of LPL brand ambassadors, which includes cricket legends like Vivian Richards, Wasim Akram and Sanath Jayasuriya in previous editions. Clarke had a glittering international career that spanned more than a decade, the former Aussie skipper scored 8643 runs in 115 Tests, more..

Jun 3 (EN) Sri Lanka reached a deal with its bilateral creditors last week and Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe govt’s supporters celebrated the milestone with fire crackers. The bilateral loans accounted for US$ 10 billion out of the total US$37 billion foreign loans. The island nation is set to start the second round of negotiation with its commercials creditors and sovereign bond holders, govt officials have said. more..

Jun 3 (TM) Colombo District Court has issued an interim order against the SLFP's decision to expel MP Dayasiri Jayasekara from the Party membership and the post of the General Secretary. Jayasekara had sought an order revoking the decisions taken by the Party to oust him from the position he held within the Party. Jayasekara had filed the complaint before the Court, challenging the decision taken by the SLFP to expel him as the Party’s General Secretary and a letter directed by more..

Jun 3 (TM) The JVP-led NPP of the Parliamentary Opposition filed a complaint with the Election Commission (EC), against Southern Province Governor Lakshaman Yapa Abeywardena for allegedly violating election laws by appointing former Local Govt (LG) Councilors and Members as his representatives at a time when the LG Elections are indefinitely postponed. Member of the NPP’s Executive Committee and former MP, Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa highlighted the gravity more..

Jul 3 (AD) Police have apprehended an employee of the gold jewellery pawning section of a private financial institution in Badulla who is accused of cheating over Rs. 19.6 million by replacing real gold jewellery with imitation jewellery. Following an investigation carried out by the Special Crime Unit of Badulla Police Division, the employee of the gold pawning section of a private financial institution in Badulla was arrested. Police have launched an investigation into the incident more..

Jul 3 (CT) A false tip-off regarding a bomb threat within the Kandy Court complex yesterday, resulted in all court proceedings for the day being temporarily suspended and people being evacuated from the court premises. Police Media Division said following a 119-call warning of an impending explosion within the Kandy Court Complex, STF and the bomb disposal unit of the SL Army were deployed to carry out a special operation to find the suspected explosive device within the complex. more..

Jul 3 (DM) Human Rights Commission of SL (HRCSL) has issued a set of recommendations to Royal College, Col 7, pertaining to alleged irregularities in the appointments of the Prefects Council for the year 2023/2024. In its recommendations, the HRCSL insists that Royal College appoint one of the complainant students, M.G. Jayawardena as a prefect as he has achieved a mark exceeding the cutoff of 27. more..

Jul 3 (CT) Sri Lanka’s second rubber research institute was opened last Saturday at Moneragala Kumbukkana. This rubber research institute was opened under the patronage of the Minister of Agriculture and Plantation Industries, Mahinda Amaraweera and the amount spent by the govt was Rs 11 million. The event was organised by the SL Rubber Research Institute and the new chairman of that institute, Sarath Chandrasiri Withana and a group of officials participated in it. more..

Jul 3 (EN) Sri Lanka’s port trade unions have protested the increase of female gantry crane operators despite the port employing only 10 females working in the role, Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva said. “I want to recruit them but these people are saying there are other people who have been working in the harbor for a long time they must be upgraded without taking ladies,” De Silva told reporters on Wednesday. Sri Lanka currently has only 10 female gantry crane operators, more..

Jul 3 (EN) Strikes by teachers are detrimental and unjustified, and the Attorney General has been asked to propose counter-measures, Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has said. “No one, whether directly or indirectly, should disrupt school education from 7:30 am to 1:30 pm. I have requested the AG to propose measures regarding this issue,” Prez said at a ceremony at Temple Trees. “Moving forward, we will take stronger more..

Jul 3 (CT) Minister Douglas Devananda announced that arrangements have been made to allocate Rs 1 billion to develop fishery harbours on the western and southern coasts, from Colombo to Kirinda in the Hambantota District. Following an inspection tour of fishery harbours on the southern coast, Devananda instructed officials of the Ceylon Fishery Harbour Corporation to take action to renovate and develop these harbours addressing all issues including those related to dilapidated facilities. more..

Jul 3 (Kyodo) Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa praised SL's recent efforts to address its economic crisis and debt restructuring, following the South Asian country's agreement with creditor nations, according to the Japanese govt. Kamikawa met with her SL counterpart, Ali Sabry, in Tokyo, and they agreed that their countries will further promote exchanges of human resources, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry. SL announced last week it had reached a debt restructuring deal more..

Jul 4 (DM) Without franchise, it is not possible to activate electing Representatives of the people to the parliament or electing an Executive Prez according to the provisions set out in the Constitution. Article 04 and 4(C) in Chapter 1 of the Constitution states sovereignty is in people… sovereignty includes the power of Govt, fundamental rights and the franchise. Based on the results of past elections most of the people do not exercise franchise judiciously on Parliamentary or more..

Jul 4 (DM) Sri Lankans as a whole refuse to accept the official version of analysis and what is explained as the truth. At present the biggest truth that everyone in this sun kissed island must be aware of is that the Govt of SL has negotiated with representatives of the Bilateral Lenders Official Creditors Committee and China to restructure debts amounting to US$ 10 billion. However, govt is concerned regarding false information that’s circulated about debt restructuring. more..