Apr 26 (NF) Several previously undisclosed details are emerging during the ongoing proceedings at the Fort Magistrate’s Court in connection with the April 21st, 2019 Easter Sunday attacks, while authorities are also taking steps to ensure that relevant information is obtained without delay or obstruction. Following recent revelations reported by Channel 4 regarding the attacks, it was claimed that Pillayan was allegedly behind the incident. A report submitted by the CID to the Fort Magistrate’s Court more..

Apr 26 (ST) Five officials of the Treasury have been suspended while a massive probe is underway – with Interpol expected to be involved – by the Govt to recover the stolen US $2.5 million in system breach by hackers using fraudulent email instructions to divert the payment to a third-party account. The Ministry of Finance is actively working with int'l partners and the Australian HC in this exercise. Those suspended include two directors, two deputy directors and one IT Division Head. more..

Apr 26 (TM) Preliminary findings have not established evidence of a cyber intrusion into Govt systems as SL continues investigations into the purported misdirected Treasury payment of $ 2.5 million, Deputy Minister of Digital Economy Eranga Weeraratne claimed on Friday. This was a day after the Treasury Secretary stated that hackers had breached the e-mail system to carry out the deed. According to Weeraratne, the payment, more..

Apr 26 (EN) Multiple SL banks are alerting customers from yesterday on attempts to by hackers to direct them to fake websites where credentials can be stolen and their accounts wiped clean of cash. The websites would also have domain names that closely resemble the actual one. The hackers were targeting or preparing to target over a dozen banks in SL, according to sources familiar with the matter. Cyber security experts in SL had counterattacked the hackers after the first attacks started. more..

Apr 26 (SO) Colombo Dockyard is set to boost SL’s export earnings from the shipbuilding sector, supported by a strategic majority stake held by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL), alongside a new order book from France & India, its CEO, Thimira Godakumbura said. MDL, which holds over 51% of CDPLC, brings extensive experience in complex shipbuilding and is widely recognised in India as Shipbuilders to the Nation. “With these new investments, we are strategically turning around the company more..

Apr 26 (TM) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) on Thursday averred that they were unaware of any move by the Govt to request the resignation of its Executive Committee members, headed by SLC President Shammi Silva. “We have also seen some reports in the media. But we have not been notified of anything. We are not aware of anything of that nature,” SLC CEO Ashley de Silva said at a press conference. It was held to introduce new SL Men’s Team Head Coach Gary Kirsten, more..

Apr 26 (TM) Govt has initiated firm and decisive measures to eradicate irregularities and corruption that have become increasingly entrenched across several sports bodies in the country. This was stated by Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports Media Secretary Tuan Nazeer Amath, in response to the growing concerns surrounding governance and accountability within the sporting sector. Highlighting the seriousness of the situation, he noted that new regulations had been introduced under more..

Apr 26 (SO) Asanga Seneviratne was elected President of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Sri Lanka for the period 2026 to 2030 after securing a clear majority at the Annual General Meeting held at the Duncan White Auditorium of the Sports Ministry in Colombo last evening. Seneviratne, who succeeds former President Suresh Subramaniam, polled 16 votes out of 29 to defeat Jaswar Umar, President of the Football Federation of Sri Lanka, who obtained 11 votes. more..

Apr 26 (ST) A marathon 174 from Kamil Mishara helped Sri Lanka ‘A’ gain a commanding 213-run first innings lead against New Zealand ‘A’, who are now in serious trouble after collapsing to 45-4 in 13 overs in their second innings on day three of the second and final unofficial Test being played at the Galle Int'l Stadium. At stumps yesterday, New Zealand ‘A’ trail by 168 runs, with the match firmly tilted in favour of the hosts. Responding to the visitors’ first innings total of 305, more..

Apr 26 (SO) SL put up a splendid performance to beat Bangladesh by seven wickets in the third Women’s ODI and clinched the 3-match series 2-1 in Rajshahi yesterday. Bangladesh Women were restricted to 213 for eight in 50 overs after they won the toss and elected to bat first in the series decider and the visitors cruised to their target with seven wickets and 21 deliveries to spare. Bangladesh, of course, took the series opener by three wickets before SL bounced back to level the series 1-1 more..

Apr 26 (ST) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has revised its national player contracts, introducing a more selective bonus structure that limits series win incentives to victories against the world’s top four ranked teams, a notable shift from the previous system, which extended rewards down to the ninth-ranked side. The board confirmed that the updated contracts will be presented to players within the next fortnight. more..

Apr 26 (Island) Sri Lanka is quietly but quickly becoming one of the most charming wedding destinations around the globe. After reading Suresh Abbas’s insightful letter in Newsline, I felt inspired to share my thoughts too. The truth is simple: no other island offers romance, diversity, and breathtaking natural beauty quite like SL. And more and more people are discovering this wonderful place. Today, couples are looking for wedding experiences that are intimate, meaningful, more..

Apr 26 (Island) Corruption scandals and blunders of successive govts have bled the state coffers for decades. The Treasury has lost USD 2.5 million again owing to a compromised payment process, and its bigwigs and their political masters are all out to muddy the water. The Opposition is out for their scalps. It never rains but it pours. Scandals have been cropping up in quick succession under the current dispensation. The JVP-NPP govt is in the same predicament as a cantankerous, more..

Apr 26 (CT) In an artful move that has wrongfooted its critics, the NPP govt would seem to have orchestrated the resignation of Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody and Ministry Secretary Udayanga Hemapala, while simultaneously appointing a Special Presidential Commission of Inquiry to investigate whether any irregularities or unlawful actions have taken place in the business of importing coal for the Lak Vijaya power station, by the state-owned Lanka Coal Company (Pvt) Limited. more..

Apr 26 (ST) My dear Anguru Kumara, I didn’t think I will be writing to you twice within three weeks. However, I thought I must do so after you achieved what most people thought was impossible — the first resignation of a Cabinet minister in this government. I don’t know what I should say, whether it is congratulations or commiserations! I hope you don’t mind me calling you Anguru Kumara. That is only to differentiate you from your more illustrious comrade, Anura Kumara, the boss himself. more..

Apr 26 (ST) Auditor General’s findings on the botched, if not corrupt, coal tender have further tested and eroded the credibility of the governing party while raising the profile and reputation of the department – the National Audit Office (NAO). The appointment of the head of the NAO became a controversial issue not long ago. Political chess games between the President and the Constitutional Council saw numerous nominees of the President for the job being rejected by the Council. more..

Apr 26 (CT) Govt’s struggles through the effects of a conflict in the Middle East were exemplified as it ended another week with greater criticism levelled against it on several crucial fronts. Barely weeks after the CB attempted to assure the shareholders of a leading private bank following a cyberattack leaving it at a Rs 13.2 billion loss, it was again seen attempting to assure a shocked country that its finances were in safe hands as the Treasury came out with claims of more..

Apr 26 (TM) It is becoming increasingly difficult to dismiss the unfolding events in Sri Lanka’s political and economic landscape as mere coincidence. Whether one chooses to call it karma, irony, or simply the inevitable consequence of power meeting reality, the fact remains that the very political movement which rose to prominence on a platform of uncompromising anti-corruption rhetoric is finding itself engulfed in a relentless cycle of scandal, one after another. more..

Apr 26 (TM) That President Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) and his JVP-led NPP Govt are now entering the period of terrible twos is evident by the weekly issues and controversies faced by them and their growing intensity. Sri Lanka’s latest economic indicators, according to the Dept of Census and Statistics, note that year-on-year inflation measured by the National Consumer Price Index has edged up to 2.4% in March this year from 1.6% in February. more..

Apr 26 (CT) The country remains in shock over a USD 2.5 million financial crime that had effectively taken place right under the country’s Department of Treasury. Paid as part of a debt settlement due in September 2025, of a USD 22.9 million loan to Australia, the Secretary to the Ministry of Finance on Thursday claimed that the theft was the work of a cyberattack that had been detected as early as January this year. Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma, maintains that the incident, more..

Apr 26 (SO) If you travel to other countries in Asia or even South Asia, you will come across gleaming new low-floor buses that are fully accessible for the differently-abled. These buses are clean, comfortable, punctual and reliable. SL already has very comfortable luxury buses that ply on long-distance routes (100 Km-600 Km), but the normal routes are still serviced by crowded buses mostly built on lorry chassis. Passengers have to endure a very uncomfortable ride in these buses more..

Apr 25 (FT) SL’s latest Census of Population and Housing points to a structural shift in the country’s economic foundations, with ageing, low fertility, and weak labour force participation emerging as the most critical pressures on future growth and fiscal stability. According to 15th Census of Population and Housing – 2024 Final Report, the population stood at 21.78 million in 2024, but the more consequential shift lies in its composition. more..

Apr 25 (Island) The Opposition yesterday called for the entire Cabinet-of-Ministers to accept responsibility for the coal scam. Addressing the media at the Flower Road Office of UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, former Foreign Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris emphasised that Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody’s resignation, in the wake of the damning report issued by the National Audit Office (NAO), has now implicated the entire Cabinet-of-Ministers. Prof. Peiris asserted that Jayakody, more..

Apr 25 (DN) Two high-tech machines provided to the Kandy National Hospital at a cost of Rs.600 million as part of the planned programme implemented by the Ministry of Health to increase the physical resources of the health service were inaugurated by Kandy National Hospital Director Dr. Iresha Fernando. Accordingly, two machines, the Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (ESWL) machine and the Digital Subtraction Angiography, were made available to the public. more..

Apr 25 (FT) CEB remained under financial strain in 2025 despite cost-reflective tariff adjustments, Central Bank said in its Annual Economic Review. CEB recorded an overall loss of Rs. 38.7 billion during the year, reflecting the impact of tariff reductions and elevated generation costs. Electricity tariffs were revised downward by an average of 20% in Jan 2025 following earlier reductions in 2024, but higher thermal generation costs during more..

Apr 25 (DN) Labour Minister Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando yesterday said that a failure to properly verify the intended recipient may have led to US$ 2.5 million being transferred to a third party during foreign debt repayment by the Finance Ministry. Responding to a question raised by a journalist, he said that officials responsible for external debt servicing should have confirmed the recipient’s account details in Australia before releasing the funds. more..

Apr 25 (ST) Shangri-La Asia’s real estate in Colombo including seafront luxury apartments, and commercial and office spaces have generated strong profit for the group in 2025, more than double the income from the year before. The group’s investment properties including One Galle Face shopping mall and One Galle Face Tower, posted US$ 14.2 million (about Rs 4.4 billion) full year profit for the year ended 31 Dec 2025, versus US$5.2m in 2024. This was an increase of more than 173%. more..

Apr 25 (DN) SL’s Ishara Samanmali and Sashikala Lankathilaka secured silver and bronze medals respectively in the women’s long jump at the 6 th Asian BeachGames held in Sanya, China yesterday. Samanmali won silver with a 5.87m leap which is a historic first silver medal by a Sri Lankan at Asian Beach Games. Meanwhile Shashikla Lankathilaka claimed bronze with a 5.83m jump in this same event. Thi Thuy Hang Ha of Vietnam won the gold medal in this event with a leap of 6.16m. more..

Apr 25 (DM) Bake House Kandy has officially relaunched with a refreshed brand identity, contemporary interiors and an enhanced customer experience, marking a new chapter for one of the city’s most recognised heritage dining establishments. With a legacy spanning over 55 years, relaunch reflects a strategic transformation designed to resonate with Gen Z and Millennials, while continuing to honour the loyalty of families who have grown alongside the brand for decades. more..

Apr 25 (FT) Sri Lanka’s latest Census data on language literacy reveals a sharp and unexpected decline in English literacy among the Burgher community, standing in contrast to broad-based gains recorded across all other ethnic groups. English literacy among Burghers fell to 79.3% in 2024 from 97.4% in 2012, marking the most significant drop across any community over the period. more..

Apr 25 (NW) SL’s javelin star Rumesh Tharanga produced a sensational performance in Nairobi, winning gold with a new meet record at the Kip Keino Classic after a massive throw of 89.28m. He outperformed a world-class field, including Olympic champion Thomas Röhler of Germany and Olympic silver medallist and world champion Julius Yego of Kenya. This marks his second 89m+ throw within 30 days, further underlining his consistency at elite international level and establishing him as more..

Apr 25 (BBC) Olympic cricket stadium for LA 2028 could host IPL teams in the future as part of its global expansion plans, says Kolkata Knight Riders CEO Venky Mysore. Construction has now started on the site at the Fairgrounds, officially known as Fairplex, in the southern Californian city of Pomona in readiness for cricket's return to the Games. The stadium will become the home to KKR's US franchise, Los Angeles Knight Riders and will host Major League Cricket matches this July. more..