- President Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday said the government will introduce relief packages for education and fishing sectors with the launch of satellite internet services in Sri Lanka. Starlink’s implementation will be transformative for Sri Lankans, especially those struggling to stay connected with reliable, high-speed internet, he said.
- Muslims in Sri Lanka will celebrate the Hajj festival on Monday, 17th June 2024, as the crescent for the month of Dhul Hajj was sighted today (7).
- The Locomotive Operating Engineers’ Union of Sri Lanka Railways says that the strike action launched from midnight of 06th will continue further. The trade union action is being carried out over delays in second-class promotions of locomotive drivers and several other issues, according to the Locomotive Operating Engineers’ Union.
- Public Security Minister Tiran Alles has instructed IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon to direct the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to investigate into the alleged threats SJB MP Dr. Harsha de Silva has received. Speaking in Parliament, the opposition parliamentarian and economist claimed that he is faced with threats to his life.
- Senior Advisor to the President on National Security and Chief of Presidential Staff Sagala Ratnayaka said that an allowance of LKR 10,000 will be provided to every household affected by the flood. He stated that this financial assistance is intended for cleaning the houses. Additionally, once the assessment reports on all partially and fully damaged houses and buildings are received, the subsequent steps will be implemented promptly.
- The Parliament of Sri Lanka has passed the ‘Public Debt Management Bill’, State Minister of Finance Shehan Semasinghe said. Posting on ‘X’, the Finance State Minister highlighted that the bill will provide for Public Debt Management including the authorization to borrow, issue and to service public debt for the government.
- The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Politburo has granted permission to initiate disciplinary action against Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, MP S. B. Dissanayake said.
- Sri Lanka’s official reserve assets has recorded a marginal drop by 0.9% to USD 5.42 billion in May 2024 compared to USD 5.47 billion in April 2024, according to the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL). However, this includes proceeds from the swap with People’s Bank of China (PBoC) equivalent to around USD 1.4 billion, which is subject to conditionalities on usability.
- State Minister of Finance Shehan Semasinghe disclosed the government’s domestic and external debt figures in the Parliament. Accordingly, he stated that the domestic debt stood at Rs. 17,051 billion as of December 31, 2023, and increased to Rs. 17,252 billion by March 31, 2024. Additionally, he highlighted the external is debt USD 37 billion, including outstanding external debt installments amounting to USD 5.5 billion from April 2022.
- Minister of Sports Harin Fernando announced that a complaint has been lodged with the International Cricket Council (ICC) regarding the lengthy travel times and hardships the Sri Lankan team faced during the Group Stage matches of the 2024 T20 World Cup.
