Apr 29 (NF) CID reported facts to court in connection with an incident in which cybercriminals are alleged to have stolen USD 2.5 million from the Treasury. After reviewing the progress of the investigation, Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court approved a request made by the CID to impose overseas travel bans on five officials. When the case was taken up before Colombo Fort Magistrate Isuru Neththikumara, the CID revealed several more..

Apr 29 (NF) The state ceremony of the Walk for Peace in the Island of Peace was held Tuesday evening at Independence Square under the patronage of Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake. During the event, the Prez formally presented a sacred sapling of the Sri Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi to members of the Maha Sangha who had arrived from the US, in a diplomatic and official capacity. The sapling, taken from the revered Sri Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi in A'pura, was officially handed over by more..

Apr 29 (FT) Tensions between rival political groups surfaced near the residence of Treasury Secretary Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma yesterday, as a protest over the $ 2.5 million Treasury breach descended into disorder and thuggery, prompting Police intervention to restore order. A political group, the Nava Janatha Peramuna, led by former Private Secretary to ex-Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa Sugeeshwara Bandara, staged a protest yesterday near residence of Dr. Suriyapperuma more..

Apr 29 (TM) The authorities have uncovered that a businessman is the alleged mastermind behind a major drug trafficking operation involving 22 monks who were arrested at BIA. Chief monk believed to have coordinated the operation was arrested in Gampaha. Police report that he has not been cooperating with ongoing investigations. The suspects were taken into custody on 25 April upon arrival from Thailand, carrying more..

Apr 29 (ST) CID detectives have taken down an eight-page statement during a nearly 4-hour interview with former First Lady Maithree Wickramasinghe with regard to their probe into former Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe’s UK visit to attend a graduation ceremony at the Uni of Wolverhampton, where she was conferred an honorary professorship. Five CID officers arrived at former Prez’s private residence at 5th Lane in Colombo at about 9 am on Friday. more..

Apr 29 (AD) 19 out of 22 Buddhist monks arrested at BIA with a large stock of narcotics have tested positive for drug use, according to the Judicial Medical Officer. The suspects were taken into custody on April 25 after arriving from Thailand with 112 kg of Kush cannabis and Hashish, valued at over Rs. 110 million. They are currently being detained and questioned by the Police Narcotics Bureau. Investigations have revealed that a group of monks had previously traveled to Thailand, more..

Apr 29 (TM) Cabinet Spokesperson Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa said that a State Bank had clarified the recent revelations regarding the double payment of Rs. 380 million by the Road Development Authority (RDA) to its contractors, stating the issue had occurred during the SL Inter-Bank Payment System file transmission, where the Bank had paid an additional amount to the contractors. Dr. Jayatissa, clarifying the situation said the Bank, however, had a system in place to reclaim the money. more..

Apr 29 (AD) A discussion on the arrest of a group of Buddhist monks at the BIA for the possession of narcotics, the related investigations and the situation that has emerged in its aftermath, was held this afternoon (28) under the leadership of the Maha Sangha representing the three main Nikayas, with the participation of Prez Dissanayake. During the meeting, the Prez pointed out that this incident clearly demonstrates that the drug menace has now become a national disaster. more..

Apr 29 (FT) Govt said that neither Prez and Finance Minister Anura Kumara Dissanayake nor the Cabinet had discussed the reported $ 2.5 million Treasury cyber breach and internal investigation, leaving the matter to the Finance Ministry and external investigative agencies. Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said the alleged irregularity and the internal investigation initiated by the Finance Ministry in January had not been taken up more..

Apr 29 (DN) SL women’s hockey team failed to qualify for the Asian Games after suffering a heavy 1-6 defeat against Uzbekistan in the Women’s Asian Games Qualifier 2026 match played in Jakarta, Indonesia yesterday. SL, playing in the 5th to 8th place match, showed early resistance but could not contain a strong Uzbekistan side that dominated the second half to seal a convincing win. After a goalless first period, SL struck first through a field goal by Dil Miskin in 28th minute to take 1-0 lead. more..

Apr 29 (Island) Public interest activist Nagananda Kodituwakku has sought citizenship details of Finance Ministry Secretary Harshana Suriyapperuma from the Department of Home Affairs, Australia. According to a letter dated 28 April, addressed to the relevant department, Solicitor England and Wales Kodituwakku sought the required information in terms of Section 15 of the Freedom of Information Act No 3 of 1982 of Australia. more..

Apr 29 (Island) A nursing mother has been remanded by the Mallakam Magistrate’s Court over a land dispute following a complaint lodged by independent Jaffna MP Dr Archchuna Ramanathan, who was filmed brandishing a firearm during a confrontation with residents. The incident took place on Saturday in the Periyavilan area, within the Ilavalai Police Division, on land claimed by the MP as ancestral property. According to Ramanathan, he had entered plot to carry out clearing work more..

Apr 29 (AD) A former Deputy Commissioner of the Dept of Motor Traffic has been arrested by the CIABOC, officials said. The suspect was arrested today (28) in connection with an allegation of corruption involving the issuance of number plates for a vehicle that had no valid initial registration. The arrested individual is currently serving as a Commissioner at the Dept of Probation and Child Care Services in Battaramulla. Following her arrest, she is scheduled to be produced before more..

Apr 29 (TM) The recent cyberhack involving a sum of $ 2.5 million being miscredited to a third party’s account, instead of the Australian Govt as a creditor to Sri Lanka, is a crime of impersonation by way of email phishing, rather than a sophisticated computer system attack, Opposition MP Ajith P. Perera said. “Technically, this is not a sophisticated technical infiltration into the system, by way of breaking down firewalls. This is basic trickery. more..

Apr 29 (FT) A high-level discussion was held at the Finance Ministry yesterday to streamline and strengthen the identification and listing of beneficiaries under the Aswesuma Welfare Program. The meeting focused on revising existing eligibility criteria, expediting the identification process, and leveraging digitalisation to improve accuracy and efficiency. Officials also examined both long-term and immediate measures, including potential amendments to the relevant Act alongside more..

Apr 29 (FT) SL Export Development Board (EDB), in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), is making steady progress in formulating the National Export Development Plan (NEDP) for 2026–2030, a strategy aimed at steering the country toward sustained export-led growth in line with the Govt’s vision of A Thriving Nation – A Beautiful Life. As part of this process, an ADB fact-finding mission under Trade, Investment & Industry Development Policy-Based Lending (PBL) Program more..

Apr 29 (TM) Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL) is to discard the latest electricity tariff revision proposal submitted by the National System Operator (NSO) on 6 April, it is learnt. PUCSL sources said the Commission has decided to disregard the latest submission as it was received after a tariff revision had already been approved with effect from 1 April 2026, making it impractical to implement another revision more..

Apr 29 (DM) The ongoing Middle East crisis should serve as a critical wakeup call for Sri Lanka to implement long-overdue fundamental structural economic reforms, according to Regional Centre for Strategic Studies Executive Director Ravinatha Aryasinha. Aryasinha emphasised the need for greater product and market diversification, noting that such measures should have been prioritised earlier, particularly following trade disruptions triggered by policies such as Trump tariffs. more..

Apr 29 (DN) Cabinet of Ministers has decided to grant permanent appointments to 9,800 employees currently serving in temporary and non-permanent positions across the state sector, Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said. Minister stated, “This decision aligns with Budget Proposal No. 33.11 for 2026, presented by Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake. He added that the proposal seeks to regularise the employment status of workers engaged on temporary, casual (daily-paid), substitute, contract, and more..

Apr 29 (CI) Half-centuries from Harshitha Samarawickrama and Imesha Dulani propelled Sri Lanka to a 25-run win in the first T20I against Bangladesh. The home side's batting woes continued as they failed to chase down 162 against an efficient bowling effort by the visitors in Sylhet. Malki Madara, Mithali Ayodhya and captain Chamari Athapaththu picked up two wickets each as Sri Lanka restricted Bangladesh to 136 for 7 in the chase. Athapaththu was outstanding with more..

Apr 29 (KH) A South Korean university project helped Sri Lanka build its first immunology and molecular medicine department, which later became the country’s only infectious disease analysis center during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Education Ministry said Monday. The project, led by Sungkyunkwan University, established the department at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura in July 2020 as part of Korea’s university-based international cooperation program. more..

Apr 29 (Island) SLC President Shammi Silva had outlasted three Executive Presidents – Maithripala Sirisena, Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Ranil Wickremesinghe – and looked set to see off the new ball from Anura Kumara Dissanayake as well. For a while, it seemed like he had the measure of every spell thrown at him. But this time, the batter has edged one and walked. New govt, elected on a platform of transparency & good governance, more..

Apr 29 (DM) The recent exploit of US$ 2.5 million from Sri Lanka’s external resources department, tricked into funding a US$ 2.5 million sovereign debt payment to a malicious third-party account, is embarrassing enough. However, as the government has opted for a vague and self- contradictory narrative, and the opposition going for cheap political mileage, there is an immediate life-and-death concern. Who was the actual threat vector? Was it a business email compromise, more..

Apr 29 (Island) The police yesterday intervened to prevent a clash between a group of JVP activists and some Opposition politicians who held a protest near the private residence of Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma, in a Colombo suburb. The protesters complained of a cow dung attack by the JVP members, who denied the charge. Tempers were flaring, and the two groups would have come to blows but for the police presence. more..

Apr 29 (DN) In 2025 SL achieved a primary surplus of 5.4% of GDP, exceeding the conditionality under the EFF programme entered between the SL Govt and the IMF in 2023 which stipulates the country should maintain a primary surplus of 2.3% of GDP in 2025. Primary balance is the gap between a govt’s total revenue and expenditure minus interest expenditure. A primary surplus would indicate that excluding the interest expenditure the gap between govt revenue and expenditure is positive. more..

Apr 29 (SO) In the digital backwaters of Sri Lanka’s post-crisis economy, a new and silent predator has emerged. As the nation painstakingly negotiates its way out of the 2022 economic collapse, a surge in sophisticated online financial crimes is threatening to derail the fragile recovery. From fake Govt Securities to high-yield task-based apps, Sri Lankans, driven by a desperate need for secondary income, are falling prey to a multi-million dollar invisible heist that drains domestic savings more..

Apr 29 (SO) For decades, boarding a public bus in Sri Lanka has been a daily struggle for many. The steep climb onto the first step, the rush of passengers jostling for space, and the lack of facilities for the elderly or differently–abled persons have made public transport less than welcoming for thousands of commuters. Yet, for most Sri Lankans, buses remain the most affordable and accessible mode of travel. Now, a long-overdue more..

Apr 29 (ST) So now some political card readers or whatever they read seem convinced that they know where this country is heading. Maybe they have been communicating with Mr Trump. Just the other day he sent a torpedo into the belly of a passing Iranian ship not too far from our waters, without even a by-your-leave. And a couple of days earlier America’s big chief of the navy, Admiral Stephen Koehler, was in Colombo hobnobbing with our own big chief about maritime security and more..

Apr 29 (CT) The ongoing peace march by a group of international Buddhist monks has captured the sentiment of Sri Lankans in a manner that few public events have done in recent times. It is led by the Vietnamese monk Venerable Thich Pannakara who is associated with a mindfulness movement that has roots in Vietnamese Buddhist practice and actively promoted among diaspora communities in the United States. The peace march by the monks, accompanied by their mascot, the dog Aloka, more..

Apr 29 (SO) Even calm waters can turn deadly in a matter of seconds. This April, the country’s rivers, tanks, reservoirs, irrigation canals and coastal waters devoured lives in a sudden, yet in a familiar way. What might appear as isolated tragedies, in reality, is a part of a pattern that is hard to ignore. SL Life Saving President Athula Senarathna said alcohol consumption remains a significant factor in many drowning incidents. more..

Apr 29 (DM) Although Opposition parties so far have not proven their allegations of corruption against the govt, they have succeeded in creating considerable suspicion among the people about the moral high ground the NPP has been laying claims for. Despite the Opposition leaders having failed at least to pin point, leave alone proving, what the corruption involved and who the culprits are in for example the controversial release of over 300 containers from the Colombo harbour without physical inspection, more..

Apr 29 (TM) Twenty-two questions. None of them trivial. All of them unanswered. That is where this controversy now stands. Nearly a week after a suspected cyber heist involving $ 2.5 million in State funds, a set of pointed queries from the Free Lawyers organisation has cut through the noise and placed the burden squarely where it belongs, on the Govt. The questions go to the heart of the matter. Does the State acknowledge the money has been lost or stolen? more..