Apr 24 (TM) Catholic Church in SL has denied the conclusion reportedly reached by US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that National Thowheeth Jama’ath Leader, Zahran Hashim was the mastermind behind the bombings on the Easter Sunday of 21 April 2019. It was reported by the media recently that FBI Special Agent Merrilee Goodwin had said that Hashim was the mastermind behind the terror attacks, in an affidavit more..

Apr 24 (DM) A person died due to a suspected heart attack while waiting in queues in Kandy for several days to venerate the Sacred Tooth Relic at the Sri Dalada Maligawa. Police said that the victim passed away after being admitted to hospital. According to police estimates, around 400,000 people are currently waiting in queues for the exposition. "Although 400,000 people are waiting in line, only a maximum of 95,000 will get the opportunity to worship the Sacred Tooth Relic," police said. more..

Apr 24 (AD) 7th day of Siri Dalada Vandanawa continues to draw overwhelming crowds to Kandy, with an estimated 400,000 devotees queuing across the city to witness the sacred Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha. In response to the massive influx, SL Police have introduced a special identification badge system to help manage and recognize devotees participating in the religious observance. The initiative came into effect last night in an effort to maintain order and ensure safety amid more..

Apr 24 (DM) Sri Lanka’s export sector maintained its upward trajectory in March 2025, pushing the total first-quarter earnings to US $ 4.21 billion, up 5.87% year-on-year (YoY). March exports rose 6.24% YoY to US $ 1.51 billion, with merchandise exports growing 5.87% to US $ 1.22 billion and services exports up 7.79% to US $ 291.12 million. Compared to February, total exports jumped 11.76%, reflecting improved more..

Apr 24 (DN) An estimated 300,000 devotees were seen in queues yesterday in Kandy, awaiting their turn to pay homage to the Sacred Tooth Relic, according to a headcount conducted by the Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka. On Tuesday (22), around 65,000 devotees had already paid their homage to the Sacred Relic. Organisers noted that by yesterday afternoon, a crowd nearly equivalent to what is expected over four full days had already gathered. more..

Apr 24 (TM) All inmates of the Matara Prison are currently being transferred to nearby prisons, according to the Prisons Department Spokesperson. Following the unrest that occurred at the Matara Prison on Tuesday (22), steps were taken yesterday morning (23) to transfer these inmates. Matara Prison Superintendent Mangala Weliwita stated that three Prison officers were injured during the unrest and have been admitted to the District General Hospital in Matara. more..

Apr 24 (CT) Acting Director of the Anti Malaria Campaign (AMC), Dr. Prasanga Serasinghe, stated that despite precautionary measures such as early detection and treatment, Sri Lanka recorded 62 imported cases of malaria in 2023. He noted that one of these cases was fatal. Dr. Serasinghe explained that early detection and treatment had been provided for imported cases, while prophylactic treatment was offered to Sri Lankans travelling to malaria-endemic countries. more..

Apr 24 (AD) Police HQ has issued a directive to all officers across the island to closely monitor and inspect individuals behaving suspiciously wearing protective helmets, particularly while not riding the motorcycles. This move comes in the wake of a series of serious crimes, including shootings and homicides, in which suspects have used full-face helmets to conceal their identities. According to police sources, these incidents have highlighted a growing trend of criminals exploiting more..

Apr 24 (TM) Officials from some 27 sports associations affiliated to the National Olympic Committee (NOC) on Tuesday (22), launching a strong diatribe at its Chair Suresh Subramanium at a news briefing, over his alleged dictatorial governance style, vowed that they will be submitting an official letter to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) shortly. They said the only alternative left for them was to draw the attention of the Lausanne-based global more..

Apr 24 (NW) Secretary to the Prez, Dr. Nandika Kumanayake stated that the govt has taken a policy decision to continue, without interruption, School Nutrition Programme aimed at reducing anemia among schoolchildren, which is being implemented with the assistance of the World Food Programme. He made these remarks yesterday, during a discussion with representatives from relevant Ministries and govt institutions involved in the programme, along with officials from WFP, more..

Apr 24 (NW) Police have introduced a special identification tag system from tonight (23) to manage the massive crowd gathered in Kandy for the Siri Dalada Vandana, with nearly 400,000 devotees already present, according to officials. Central Province Senior DIG Lalith Pathinayake and Kandy–Matale DIG Sudath Masinghe said the queues are so long that even allowing 100,000 people per day would take at least three more days to clear the current numbers. more..

Apr 24 (FT) Ambassador of SL in Poland Priyangika Dharmasena attended the opening ceremony of the 11th edition of the World Food Poland on 8 April held at the Expo XXI in Warsaw and met with SL companies, namely Ceylon Tea Land Pvt Ltd and CIC Agri Produce Export who participated at the fair. Ceylon Tea Land Pvt Ltd showcased and promoted pure Ceylon black, green, herbal, flavoured and organic teas, and CIC Agri Produce Export promoted varieties of healthy rice. more..

Apr 24 (DN) SL’s young golfing star Reshan Algama made a brilliant start at the 16th Faldo Series Asia Grand Final, carding a stunning one-under-par round of 70 on the opening day at the Laguna Golf Course in Vietnam yesterday. Competing in the Boys’ Under-16 category, 15-year-old Reshan placed fourth on the overall leaderboard, out of 59 top junior golfers from across Asia. It was a remarkable performance for the rising star from SL, making his country proud on one of region’s biggest junior golf stages. more..

Apr 24 (Island) UNP General Secretary Thalatha Atukorale has alleged that talks between the SJB and the UNP could have achieved a consensus if not for the selfish attitude of SJB leader Sajith Premadasa. The veteran UNPer accused the former UNP Deputy Leader of being the primary obstacle to the rapprochement of the divided party. Addressing those contesting Colombo and Kalutara districts under the elephant symbol at May 6 LG polls more..

Apr 24 (EN) Inland Revenue Department (IRD) has introduced a self declaration method to get exemption from Withholding Tax (WHT) deduction with effect from April 1 this year. Govt has doubled the WHT to 10% on interest income from this month and the new method will allow people with and without Tax Identification Number (TIN) to get the exemption if they are eligible. People who have total annual income of less than 1.8 million rupees from all sources are eligible to request more..

Apr 24 (FT) The National Movement for Social Justice (NMSJ) has urged President Anura Kumara Disanayake to immediately address the current state of the Right to Information (RTI) Commission, as the prevailing situation has created conditions that undermine its full and effective functioning. “We stress the urgent need for authorities to address the state of the Commission, which remains without a Chairperson following the resignation of its former Chairperson in March 2025. more..

Apr 24 (FT) Business leader Dhammika Perera has forayed into the competitive yet high-potential cement industry by acquiring a 51% controlling stake in DHT Cement Ltd, a joint venture between Indian and SL investors. Manufacturing the PowerTech Premium Cement brand, DHT will benefit from Dhammika’s entry via Vallibel X, the new venture after Vallibel One, the investment holding arm of the business leader, more..

Apr 24 (DN) Galle and Dambulla secured first-innings points in their final preliminary matches of the NSL tournament, ensuring their spots in the final. The two teams, Galle and Dambulla, will meet in the NSL final starting on April 27 at the SSC grounds. Dambulla topped the points table with 45.878 points after the preliminary round, while Galle finished in second place with 45.673 points. Dunith Wellalage had impressive figures of 4 for 81 as Colombo were bowled out for 422, more..

Apr 24 (FT) Now functioning as an independent entity in SL, Belluna Lanka said yesterday it is upholding its long-term dedication to growth and investment in the country. As a fully owned subsidiary of Belluna Co. Ltd, Japan, a company with over 50 years of global experience in various industries and listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Belluna Lanka benefits from the parent company’s strong foundation of financial stability, international recognition, and successful ventures. more..

Apr 24 (FT) WSO2, the leader in enterprise digital infrastructure technology, has announced the launch of the WSO2 Ambassador Program, a global initiative that celebrates and supports the most passionate voices in its tech community, including developers and architects. This program is designed to recognise individuals who actively share knowledge, inspire innovation, and contribute to the growth of the open-source ecosystem powered by WSO2 technologies. more..

Apr 24 (FT) Uber said it has supported SL with Rs. 160 billion worth of economic activity in 2024. The contribution is as per the findings from its 2024 SL Economic Impact Report, compiled by global policy research firm Public First. The report highlights how Uber and Uber Eats together contributed Rs. 160 billion in economic activity last year—underscoring their growing role in delivering flexible earning opportunities, expanding access to safer, affordable transportation, and helping local businesses more..

Apr 24 (ST) As SL prepared for Avurudu festivities, an environmental research center in Deniyaya saw an unexpected visitor at dusk on April 8. Silently emerging from the shadows of the rainforest, the lone elephant stepped gently onto the rain-soaked earth, leaving deep footprints in the muddy ground. It paused to feed on a banana tree before retreating into the forest. This visitor was none other than Panu Kota — one of the elusive more..

Apr 24 (DM) Sri Lankans faced a dilemma on Tuesday evening when the Police media division made contradictory statements regarding an assassination of an individual in Kolonnawa. Official media release indicated details of the incident which also added that the corpse had been sent to the mortuary of the Colombo National Hospital. But the Police media division later contradicted its official press release and went onto claim that the individual was in fact alive and is receiving treatment more..

Apr 24 (Island) The NPP govt is coming under increasing pressure to disclose the contents of the MoUs it signed with India during Indian PM Narendra Modi’s recent Sri Lanka visit. But it keeps them under wraps, trotting out various excuses and exuding hubris. Minister of Foreign Affairs Vijitha Herath as well as Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa has said anyone can invoke the Right to Information (RTI) laws and obtain information about the MoUs in question. more..

Apr 24 (Island) The cosy relationship between Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Indian PM Narendra Modi is causing concerns, perhaps, for good reasons. The inheritor of the leadership of the party, the JVP, which launched the first insurgency in the modern history of SL, way back in 1971 citing Indian expansionism as one of the reasons, seems to have undergone a miraculous transformation; it is now cosying up to India. The process started well before the last presidential election, more..

Apr 24 (GV) SL’s poverty rate has more than doubled over the past four years from 11% in 2019 to almost 26% in 2023. This means that more than a quarter of the population is living in poverty. One third of households are facing food insecurity with 11 mil people being considered as multidimensionally vulnerable. Women and children suffer the most because their access to nutrition is increasingly limited. Underweight rates show an increase among children and expectant mothers. more..

Apr 24 (SO) For decades, civil society organisations in SL, especially independent election monitoring organisations, have played a crucial role in safeguarding the democratic process. From ensuring transparency at polling booths to filing court cases that resulted in landmark judgments, these organisations have consistently held institutions accountable and empowered voters to demand free, fair and peaceful elections. more..

Apr 24 (ST) Once a Sri Lankan economist was stopped at a police checkpoint and asked for his national identity card (NIC). When he furnished it, the police officer was nonplussed and couldn’t understand his profession listed in the NIC. He was stumped and asked: “What is this, Sir?” The NIC had listed his profession as which denotes a person with a special knowledge of economics. (His profession had been listed in the Sinhala language in his NIC). Today, tongue-twisting economic terms are more..

Apr 24 (CT) When the Right to Information (RTI) Act was passed in 2016, it was hailed as a landmark moment in SL’s democratic evolution. For a nation long burdened by systemic corruption, poor governance, and lack of public oversight, the Act promised a new era of transparency. It empowered citizens to access State-held information and enabled civil society and the media to scrutinise those in power. Nearly a decade on, RTI framework is being quietly undermined more..

Apr 24 (TM) SL’s once-promising Renewable Energy (RE) targets are now facing a serious crisis, largely due to the Govt’s decision to abruptly curtail solar power generation, making the nation’s ambitious goal of achieving 70% of electricity from renewable sources by 2030 now appear increasingly unlikely, with solar power expansion brought to a standstill. The curtailment, enforced by the CEB, has been framed more..

Apr 24 (DM) Lesser known individuals with immense skills can be compared to real walmpooris; very expensive products, but no buyers in sight. The majority of Sri Lankans don’t have the finances to purchase expensive teas produced for the overseas market; If an enlightened being walks past the people standing in this queue, there is a big possibility that all of them would miss a golden opportunity to have a spiritual discussion. There is a frequently used quote more..

Apr 24 (CT) Minister KD Lalkantha, one of the most senior members of the govt, has made a statement regarding former Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe which has been a subject of speculation. Minister said that the former president has the best understanding of the present international economic order and the economic challenges facing the country. He had asserted that the former president has a distinct worldview, rooted in neoliberalism, which continues to shape his approach. more..