President Maithripala Sirisena met with the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) led by General Secretary, Ven. Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thera and Chief Executive Officer of the BBS, Dr. Dilantha Withanage at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday (18).The appointment to meet Sirisena had been granted as per a letter sent to him requesting a discussion and meeting by Dr. Withanage on 09, December 2015. The BBS Media Unit informed that the discussion was to be with regards to a multitude of matters regarding the country including the Wilpattu resettlement and deforestation controversy, regarding which they had previously on many an occasion written to President Sirisena requesting an audience, and also the recent Theravadi Bhikkhu Kathikavath Act Draft Bill presented to Parliament, amongst others.

President Sirisena agreed that with regards to the aforementioned Bill there had been a lapse on the part of the government of not consulting the Mahanayakes of the Chapters and Sects in prior and added that steps would taken to remedy this situation, Dr. Withanage said. "We informed Sirisena that he along with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and ministers had on various occasions in locations island-wide stated that we throw stones and cause trouble. We informed him that though this charge has plagued us since the time of his predecessor in office, Mahinda Rajapaksa, we have not behaved in such a manner. We talk about issues faced by Sinhalese Buddhists. These should be discussed. We asked him to intervene to organize a discussion and meeting for a debate and discourse with those who criticize us including Muslim Ministers. He wanted us to give all the details in writing to him. We informed him that if things proceed without a dialogue, debate and discourse, things would head towards a bad place. We informed him that there was deforestation still taking place in Wilpattu. We informed him about Muslim extremism and Christian fundamentalism. We informed him that we criticize him and the government not out of personal malice but out of patriotism," he added.

National Organizer of the BBS, Ven. Witharandeniye Nanda Thera along with Organizer of the BBS in the Kandy District, Dr. Jeewa, were also present at the meeting cum discussion.

Sri Lanka has reached a final restructuring agreement for $5.8 billion of debt with its bilateral lenders' Official Creditor Committee in Paris. According to the President’s Media Division, the agreement was finalized a short while ago.

Foreign Minister Ali Sabry is scheduled to undertake an official visit to Japan from July 1, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said. They said the visit will be made on an invitation extended by Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa,

A fatal accident on Tuesday night resulted in the deaths of three persons and left two others injured when a lorry collided with a parked bus on the A9 road in Mankulam, according to police.

Police fired tear gas and used water cannons at the teachers’ and principals’ union members who staged a protest near the Lotus roundabout, Colombo.

A sailor sustained fatal wounds and a Navy Dora damaged due to the aggressive maneuvering of a poaching Indian bottom trawler during a pre-dawn operation by the Sri Lanka Navy to seize the intruding vessel in the seas off Delft Island in Jaffna yesterday, the Navy said.

The Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU) has announced that the trade union action launched by teachers and principals will continue tomorrow as well.

Speculation is rife within the political circles of an imminent cabinet reshuffle in the coming weeks, the Daily Mirror learns.

A total of 946 people belonging to 432 families have been affected by the drought, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said. They said the people in the Karachchi divisional secretariat of the Killinochchi district in the Northern Province have been affected.

Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena appointed four new district secretaries for the Colombo, Kalutara, Jaffna, and Kilinochchi districts.

The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) observed that Members of Parliament should not interfere with the functions of the judiciary or the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) by making statements under the protection of Parliamentary Privileges.

The Cabinet gave approval for the signing of the debt restructuring agreements with the relevant parties, a Minister said. President Ranil Wickremesinghe briefed the Cabinet at its meeting held on Monday evening.

A Special Parliamentary Sitting has been scheduled for July 2, 2024, at 9:30 AM, at the request of the Prime Minister, according to the Communication Department of Parliament.

The results of the 2023 (2024) GCE Ordinary Level Examination will be released within the next 10 days, the Department of Examinations announced.

The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) is to take disciplinary action against its Chairman Sarath Fonseka this week, Party General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara said yesterday.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe will address the nation on Wednesday, June 26, to brief on the country's economic challenges and provide an update on the foreign debt restructuring efforts.

Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Gampaha District organisers made a formal request from the party hierarchy to remove Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka from the party with immediate effect.

Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MP Sathasivam Viyalendiran was sworn in as the State Minister of Trade and Environment. The ceremony took place at the Presidential Secretariat, with President Ranil Wickremesinghe administering the oath of office.

While refuting claims that the National People's Power (NPP) has a deal with President Ranil Wickremesinghe, NPP General Secretary Tilvin Silva said the real deal is with Wickremesinghe and the Rajapaksas.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe will resend his recommendation, to extend Attorney General Sanjay Rajaratnam’s term of office, by another six months, a senior official at the President’s Office confirmed. The President is planning to do this, as per powers entrusted to him by the Constitution, the official clarified.

Sri Lanka has once again declined to accept the external evidence-gathering mechanism established by UN Human Rights Council resolutions 46/1 and 51/1, emphasizing significant legal and political implications for all nations involved.