Jun 6 (Island) Poverty is one of the most pressing and pervasive issues facing the world today. It affects billions of people globally, diminishing their quality of life, limiting their opportunities, and perpetuating a cycle of deprivation that can span generations. Understanding poverty requires a multidimensional approach that goes beyond mere economic measures. It encompasses social, cultural, political, and environmental factors, each contributing to the persistence of poverty more..

Jun 6 (ST) Self-styled Prophet Jerome Fernando has withdrawn four cases filed against authorities amid vehement objections from the Attorney General. Pastor Fernando had eight court cases pending. He had two matters before the Magistrate�s Courts, one in the Mount Lavinia Magistrate�s Court for suspected money laundering, another in the Fort Magistrate�s Court for offences committed under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Act. more..

Jun 6 (ST) SLC has implemented further amendments to its domestic cricket structure to enhance the quality of domestic club tournaments. Board has decided to limit the number of first-class clubs to 12, prohibit the participation of foreign players, and schedule the tournament during a non-rainy season. Under the previous system introduced in 2021 by the then Technical Advisory Committee led by Aravinda de Silva, all 26 domestic clubs more..

Jun 6 (FT) Dept of Immigration and Emigration has extended the visa-free entry service for nationals from seven countries until further notice. The new directive was shared via a circular issued on 30 May, by Immigration and Emigration Controller General Harsha Ilukpitiya. �This serves to inform you that the existing short-term free of charge visa issuance for designated countries (India, Indonesia, China, Russia, Thailand, Malaysia and Japan) will be in force until further notice,� it reads. more..

Jun 6 (CT) This week, a heart-wrenching video spread across social media, igniting widespread outrage and sorrow. The footage, too painful for many to watch to the end, shows a man ruthlessly hitting a small child while the child is eating. Two women stand by, doing nothing to intervene. The child, already bearing the weight of long-term trauma, does not even cry. Following the viral dissemination of this video, the Police arrested a 45-year-old man and two women in Pulmudai more..

Jun 6 (DN) The Sri Lanka-South Africa T20 World Cup game might have set a record for the most dot balls in a Men�s T20I or possibly all T20 matches, with 74 dot balls in the Sri Lankan innings alone. This issue plagued both teams during their debut game at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York, which featured a new drop-in wicket that both teams struggled with. In addition to the 74 dot balls in Sri Lanka�s innings, there were 52 in South Africa�s innings. more..

Jun 6 (Island) SL fans are still trying to come to terms with the inexplicable display the team put out in their opening encounter of the ICC T-20 World Cup. Captain Wanindu Hasaranga has received lot of flak after the team was bowled out for their lowest total ever in T-20 cricket. Hasaranga�s decision to bat first on Monday has not gone down too well with fans. Rightly so. New York is unknown territory and the team could have been better off trying to figure out how the wicket behaved. more..

Jun 6 (DN) SLA has announced the National Open Stage II athletics competition as a special trial for the Olympic Games. This event, scheduled for June 30th at the Sugathadasa Stadium, has been upgraded to a World Athletics Category �E� competition and included in the WA Global Calendar. Focus is on key athletes: Yupun Abeykoon (100m), Kalinga Kumarage (400m), Aruna Dharshana (400m), Tharushi Karunaratne (400m and more..

Jun 6 (FT) Independent policy think tank the Advocata Institute welcomed the Economic Transformation Bill as ambitious and progressive but listed few key concerns. �The Advocata Institute welcomes the Govt�s stated intention to move from an inward-oriented economy to a more open economy to boost international trade, foreign investment and productivity,� it said. SL Govt has gazetted the Economic Transformation Bill to overhaul the country�s economic landscape. more..

Jun 6 (FT) The Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Sri Lanka (AHK SL) proudly facilitated the first-ever Sri Lankan delegation�s participation at Drupa 2024, the world�s largest trade fair for the printing industry and technology. Held after an eight-year hiatus, Drupa 2024 was a landmark event, marking significant advancements and opportunities in the global printing industry. AHK SL played a pivotal role in organising and supporting the delegation, which comprised 17 members more..

Jun 6 (TM) Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL) has instructed the CEB to promptly refund amounts overcharged as reconnection fees since 6 March, to the relevant consumers. Despite the PUCSL's directive to reduce the reconnection fee from Rs. 3,000 to Rs. 800, effective 6 March, CEB continued to charge Rs. 3,000 until late March. In response, Electricity Consumers Association (ECA) urged the PUCSL to mandate CEB to repay more..

Jun 6 (DM) Some 800 tons of plastic products are thrown into SL's rivers annually, Chairman of the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Environment, MP Ajith Mannapperuma said. MP made this remark during the launch of a plastic bottle recycling project in Parliament this afternoon. Bins to throw plastic bottles were provided by Coca Cola SL Ltd. to mark World Environment Day. The bottles are to be purchased by Eco Spindle Ltd. The proceeds are to be credited to the account of more..

Jun 6 (CT) The death toll from the severe weather conditions has risen to 30 as of yesterday (5), State Minister Premitha Bandara Tennakoon told Parliament. Minister stated that Rs 25,000 has been allocated to cover funeral expenses for each deceased individual. Further, discussions are underway to provide additional compensation to the families. 71 homes have been completely destroyed, while 93,770 residences have suffered partial damage. more..

Jun 6 (PMD) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe announced that SL is committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2040 while pursuing its economic goals. He noted that SL is the first country in Asia to incorporate the global objective of zero carbon emissions into its national policy. He made these remarks during the World Environment Day celebrations held at the Presidential Secretariat this morning (05). Prez emphasized that SL�s approach to climate change and environmental issues more..

Jun 6 (EN) Sri Lanka has requested Maldives to revisit the limit imposed in foreign remittances sent by the island nation�s migrant workers in a move to ease the restriction and increase the inflow into the country. Bank of Maldives (BML) has announced a new limit for foreign transactions which has been between $250-$300 monthly to prevent large dollar outflow from the country with an aim to prevent a forex shortage. A large number of Sri Lankans work in the Maldives in high executive jobs more..

Jun 6 (FT) TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran announced that the party will decide which candidate to support in the upcoming prez election after holding discussions with all the main contenders. Sumanthiran said the party will evaluate the proposed programs of the candidates and engage in discussions with them. �The final decision will be made following these meetings,� he said. When asked about reports suggesting the TNA might back SJB leader more..

Jun 6 (DM) SL cricket team touring the USA for the World Cup T20 series has faced step-motherly treatment by the ICC, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa said today. He told Parliament that SL team has had to face serious issues with regard to logistics and scheduling of the matches. He said according to ICC regulations, the team must be located in a hotel within a maximum of 45 minutes distance from the stadium where the match is to be played and that SL team had been located more..

Jun 6 (CT) Colombo Additional Magistrate Manjula Rathnayake issued an order, yesterday, directing the CID to submit a report to the Court regarding an alleged error made by SJB General Secretary Ranjith Maddumabandara. This pertains to the inclusion of former MP Diana Gamage�s name in the SJB�s National List in 2020, despite her not holding citizenship in the country. Following a complaint lodged with the CID by a resident of Magampitiya (South), Dompe named more..

Jun 6 (FT) National People�s Power (NPP) party, in a letter to the Independent Television Network (ITN), accepted its invitation for its leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake to engage in a televised debate with Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa today. NPP Executive Council member Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, in response to ITN�s offer to host the long-delayed economic debate between the two party leaders, stated that NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake is prepared to participate in the debate. more..

Jun 6 (CT) The Ceylon Workers Red Flag Union, together with its trade unions and workers from the plantation sector, will be at the Workers� Tribunal on 7 and 8 June, at the BMICH, Colombo to give their testimonies about their plight. The judges will announce their concluding recommendations at 2:00 p.m. on 8 June at the BMICH. It has been 200 years since workers in the plantations have been enabling SL�s growth with their sweat and blood. Situation of the workers remains dire & unchanged. more..

Jun 6 (DM) United Petroleum Australia, which has entered Sri Lanka's petroleum retail market, will start their operations by the end of July or beginning of August this year, taking over 150 existing fuel stations and building over 50 new stations, Director of United Petroleum Lanka in Sri Lanka Dr. Prabhat Samarasinghe said. He said that United Petroleum Lanka made a deal with Board of Investments (BoI). more..

Jun 6 (FT) Cabinet of Ministers on Monday approved the appointment of a committee led by the Environment Ministry Secretary to evaluate project proposals and make decisions till Sri Lanka�s carbon market strategy and guiding principles are implemented. �The committee will oversee the assessment of project proposals and facilitate the implementation of effective carbon reduction strategies till the comprehensive carbon market framework is in place,� more..

Jun 6 (Island) There is a severe shortage of chlorine in the country and this can pose a lot of problems for grassroots health officials, govt servants and people who have to cleanse water sources like wells that were exposed to flood water, Upul Rohana, the head of the Public Health Inspectors Union said. �We urge health officials to do something about this soon,� he said. Rohana said people must be more vigilant and prevent the rapid spread of communicable diseases following the floods. more..

Jun 6 (Island) The ruling SLPP will be in a dilemma today (06), when Parliament is scheduled to vote on the Electricity Amendment Bill. Opposition sources pointed out that it would be the first vote since SLPP leader and former Prez, Mahinda Rajapaksa, in a statement on May 12, urged Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe to stop the divestiture drive pending the conclusion of the prez election, scheduled for Sept/Oct this year. more..

Jun 6 (FT) Another booster for Left presidential candidates everywhere. On the heels of the election of a leftwing Prez in Senegal, Mexico, one of the most important countries of the global South, has elected Dr Claudia Sheinbaum by a landslide as its first-ever woman Prez. AP News called her a lifelong leftist while The Guardian (UK) announced that �Sheinbaum, a leftwing climate scientist and former mayor of Mexico City, won the presidency with between 58.3% and 60.7% of the vote�. more..

Jun 6 (FT) A recent press statement issued by Ministry of Finance dated 27/05/2024, appears to be a belated focus possibly due to an intervention initiated by an external authority. It pronounces a scheme designed for the implementation of reforms for State Owned Banks. The diagnosed defects to be addressed are in summary form as follows; SOBs have faced significant stress during the recent economic crisis; SOB lending practices have deteriorated due to inadequate risk mitigation more..

Jun 6 (AD) The Supreme Court, which concluded the hearing of the Fundamental Rights (FR) petitions filed against the postponement of the 2023 Local Govt elections, has deferred delivering its verdict. The relevant FR petitions filed against the postponement of the 2023 Local Govt elections, which was initially scheduled to be held on March 09, 2023, were taken up before a five-member Supreme Court judge bench led by Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya today (06). more..

Jun 6 (DM) A 13-year-old boy had consumed poison after stabbing an eight-year-old boy for not allowing him to play a video game on his mobile phone. The two children are residents of Wetiya in the Angunukolapelessa police area. The child who received stab injuries was admitted to the Kuttigala Divisional Hospital and later transferred to the Hambantota General Hospital, while the child who had consumed poison was admitted to Embilipitiya Base Hospital. more..

Jun 6 (DM) In another landmark judgment pertaining to the scope of the pardon granted by the executive Prez, Supreme Court today ruled that former Prez Maithripala Sirisena's decision to grant a Presidential pardon to to Royal Park murder convict Don Shamantha Jude Anthony Jayamaha is arbitrary and not valid in law. Accordingly, SC 3-judge-bench comprising Justices S. Thurairaja, Yasantha Kodagoda and Janak de Silva ordered to more..

Jun 6 (DM) The govt is trying to sell off the country's power sector to India's Adani group by creating a private sector monopoly over the electricity sector through the Sri Lanka Electricity Bill, NPP MP Vijitha Herath said today. Speaking during the debate on the Electricity Bill, he said Clauses 20.6 and 30.4 of the Bill clearly show that the motive behind the Bill is to create a private sector monopoly over the electricity sector. He said while criticizing the state monopoly in the power sector, more..

Jun 6 (CT) Children in Sri Lanka are increasingly turning to tuition classes due to a loss of trust in the country�s State education system, Education Minister Susil Premajayantha said in Parliament. He highlighted that children express the view that the current education system is ineffective, a sentiment conveyed to him personally. Minister Premajayantha emphasised his commitment to reforming the recruitment process for teachers, advocating for appointments to be made more..

Jun 6 (AD) Speaker of the Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena announced to the House this evening that the third reading of the Sri Lanka Electricity Bill was passed in the Parliament with amendments. Meanwhile, the second reading of the draft bill was also passed in the Parliament with a majority of 44 votes. The Sri Lanka Electricity Bill, which incorporates the proposed reforms for the electricity sector, more..

Jun 6 (DM) A 22-year-old female student following a degree course at a private university was sentenced to one month compulsory imprisonment by Kuliyapitiya Magistrate Randika Lakmal Jayalath for making a false complaint that she was raped by an individual that led to legal action against the individual concerned. During the case proceedings, it transpired that the suspect taken into custody on her complaint had been in remand custody for 14 days. Police had charged her for making more..

Jun 6 (DM) A special programme is being implemented to provide school text books and exercise books for the students whose books were destroyed due to the floods, Education Minister Susil Premajayantha said today. He told Parliament that the affected students will be provided with text books and exercise books within the next two weeks. He said students in areas such as Kolonnawa, Kelanimulla and Wellampitiya have lost their books due to the floods. more..

Jun 6 (EN) Minister Kanchana Wijesekera has proposed sharp reduction in electricity bills for lower users from July 1. Wijesekera told the parliament that the proposal needs to be approved by the regulator, Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL). According to the new proposal, unit cost of households using 0-30 will be reduced by 2 rupees to 6 from the current 8 rupees. The unit cost of those using 30-60 will be reduced by 11 rupees to 9 and 60-90 will be reduced by 12 rupees to 18, more..