News

Former Director of the National Lotteries Board, Thusitha Halloluwa, was today (13) further remanded until June 20 by the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court in connection with an ongoing investigation into the alleged misuse of state-owned property.

Halloluwa was initially arrested on May 30 over allegations of criminal misuse involving a laptop computer and a mobile phone, collectively valued at over Rs 478,000, which belonged to the National Lotteries Board.

The investigation centers on the alleged unauthorized use of these items during his tenure. Halloluwa served as Director of the National Lotteries Board from 2017 to 2019.

Suspended Prisons Commissioner General Thushara Upuldeniya has been further remanded until June 25. He was produced before the Colombo Magistrate’s Court today (June 11) following his arrest by the CID.

The investigation relates to the alleged unlawful release of an inmate under the presidential pardon, with the Cabinet on Monday deciding to suspend his duties.

The Attorney General’s Department told Colombo Magistrate’s Court that Upuldeniya unlawfully released the convicted financial fraudster under a Presidential pardon. The inmate, Athula Thilakarathna, was not on the official Vesak pardon list.

Upuldeniya is alleged to have bypassed legal procedures and operated the department like a “private empire,” court was informed.

Preliminary investigations also revealed that 68 inmates may have been released illegally.

The CID arrested Upuldeniya on June 9, and his bail was denied due to potential interference with the investigation.

The Department of Meteorology has forecast heavy rains for the next 36 hours, starting from 04.00 pm today.

Accordingly, showers will occur at times in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, Southern and North-western provinces.

Heavy falls of about 100 mm are likely at some places in the Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces and the Nuwara-Eliya, Kandy, Galle, Matara and Puttalam districts.

Several spells of showers may occur in the Northern Province and the Anuradhapura district.

Strong winds of about 50-60 kmph can be expected at times over the Western slopes of the central hills and in the Northern, North-central, Sabaragamuwa, North-western and Southern provinces and Trincomalee district.

A woman, who had worked as a domestic worker at former Minister Keheliya Rambukwella’s house, has been arrested by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC).

The Bribery Commission says the woman was arrested in connection with an ongoing investigation into Rambukwella for allegedly misusing government salaries and overtime allowances by making nominal appointments to the Health Ministry.

The woman arrested is a resident of the Embilipitiya area. The Bribery Commission further stated that the suspect is scheduled to be produced before the court.

The National Animal Census was conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture on March 15, and the contents of the report was released earlier today (12).

According to the report, the total number of toque monkeys, langurs, peacocks, and giant squirrels across the country exceeds 13 million.

According to the animal census, the highest population of langurs was recorded in the Kandy District, with a count of 634,668.

Additionally, the highest number of monkeys, 160,315, was reported from the Anuradhapura District.

The highest numbers of giant squirrel and peacocks were reported from the Kurunegala District, with 546,715 and 621,517 respectively.

Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe reported to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) to record a statement today.

It is reported that the former President has arrived at the CID to record a statement regarding a complaint made by former Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella regarding the importation of medicines.

Keheliya Rambukwella had previously submitted a complaint to the CID regarding an incident involving the importation of drugs into the country.

Members of Parliament from the previous government have also recorded statements regarding the investigation into the complaint.

Thirty-four (34) officers, including OICs of the Sri Lanka Police, have been issued transfers.

The Police officers have been transferred and assigned to new positions with immediate effect.

The transfers have been approved by the National Police Commission.

Media on 2025.06.12 පැය 1450 ස්ථානාධිපතිවරුන්ගේ ස්ථාන මාරුවීම් හා පත්කිරීම් සම්බන්ධව by poornima

The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) has confirmed that electricity tariffs will be increased by 15% starting tomorrow, June 12, as part of the second tariff revision for the year.

One school student was reported dead after a tree had fallen onto a building in a school in Balangoda today.

According to the Police, 16 other students who were injured in the incident have been admitted to the hospital.

It is reported that the deceased is a 17-year-old schoolboy.

The Balangoda Police is conducting investigations into the incident. 

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake arrived at Berlin Brandenburg International Airport, commencing his official visit to the Federal Republic of Germany.

An official welcome ceremony hosted by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is scheduled for this afternoon at Bellevue Palace in Berlin, followed by official talks between the two leaders, the President’s Media Division said.

The President is accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Vijith Herath, and a delegation of senior government officials.

An Air India flight to London crashed shortly after take-off near the Ahmedabad airport.

The flight, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, carried 242 people, including 230 passengers and 12 crew members.

Visuals from the area showed thick black smoke in the air as more details about the accident were awaited.

Emergency services rushed to the spot following the crash, including seven fire engines.

Dr. Gita Gopinath, the First Deputy Managing Director (FDMD) of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), is scheduled to visit Sri Lanka from 15-16 June 2025. This visit is significant, as it marks the first time since 2005 that a serving FDMD of the IMF visits Sri Lanka.

During this visit, Dr. Gopinath will be the guest of honour at the conference on “Sri Lanka’s Road to Recovery: Debt and Governance”, jointly co-hosted by the Ministry of Finance, Central Bank of Sri Lanka and the IMF, scheduled to be held on 16 June 2025.

At the mid-point of the IMF-supported reform programme, the conference aims to reflect upon the lessons learnt from Sri Lanka’s experience in restoring macroeconomic stability, implementing debt restructuring and governance reforms, and to focus on the challenges ahead.

Additionally, FDMD is expected to hold bilateral discussions with the Sri Lankan authorities and several key stakeholders on the IMF’s engagement with Sri Lanka.