Apr 18 (EN) In a dramatic turn of events that has sent shockwaves through SL’s political establishment, Energy Minister Kumar Jayakody has tendered his resignation following allegations of a coal procurement deal that resulted in substandard coal. The controversy, which centers on the quality of coal imported for the Chinese-built Norochcholai Power Plant, has forced the govt of Prez AKD to take unprecedented measures to more..

Apr 18 (AD) Minister Vijitha Herath categorically rejected claims that any fraud had taken place in the importation of coal, but admitted that the imported coal shipment was of substandard quality. He said this at a special media briefing with the participation of several other ministers, regarding the resignation of Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody. Jayakody and Ministry Secretary Prof. Udayanga Hemapala stepped down from their respective positions to facilitate an impartial & indpt investigation more..

Apr 18 (AD) The SL delegation, headed by the CB Governor Dr Nandalal Weerasinghe, has engaged in productive discussions with the senior leadership of the IMF, World Bank Group, as well as with rating agencies and investors during the IMF-WB Spring Meetings 2026. IMF Managing Director, Dr Kristalina Georgieva, congratulated SL on reaching a staff-level agreement for the combined fifth and sixth reviews under the Extended Fund Facility and reaffirmed the IMF’s continued support for more..

Apr 18 (EN) Central Bank has said it was finalizing arrangements with National Development Bank (NDB) to engage an int'l firm to conduct a comprehensive forensic audit, after the lender disclosed an internal fraud of 13.2 billion rupees last month. “The scope of this audit will apart from matters directly related to the commission of this fraud, also fully address and assess any failures on compliance with regulatory requirements more..

Apr 18 (DN) Defence Deputy Minister Aruna Jayasekara stated that more than 150 kilograms of heroin were discovered in the multi-day fishing vessel that arrived in Dikowita Fisheries Harbour noting that the estimated street value of the drugs was exceeding Rs. 4 billion. “These drugs were delivered to a Sri Lankan fishing vessel by a foreign ship. We have received that information and accordingly, we are now taking action internationally with responsibility. more..

Apr 18 (AD) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake has appointed Senior Additional Secretary to the President G.M.R.D. Aponsu as the new Secretary to the Ministry of Energy. The relevant letter of appointment was handed over to him by the Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, this afternoon (17). G.M.R.D. Aponsu, who served as the Senior Additional Secretary to the President for Finance and Economic Affairs, is a senior officer of SL Planning Service (SLPS). more..

Apr 18 (AD) The CPC has announced that the temporary suspension of the QR code-based fuel quota system for petrol-powered vehicles will come to an end from midnight today (18). Accordingly, from that time onward, the QR code-based fuel quota system will be reintroduced as usual. However, the existing odd-even number plate system for fuel distribution will continue to remain in effect for all vehicles. On April 11, the CPC Chairman D.J. Rajakaruna stated that the QR system more..

Apr 18 (AD) SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa says that Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody’s resignation, although welcome, comes a bit too late. Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody and Ministry Secretary Prof. Udayanga Hemapala stepped down from their respective positions today (17) in order to facilitate an impartial and independent investigation by the Special Presidential Commission appointed to probe matters related to coal imports. Rajapaksa said that the Parliament spent an entire day debating more..

Apr 18 (AD) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake has appointed a Commission of Inquiry to investigate whether irregularities or illegal acts occurred within the state-owned Lanka Coal Company (Pvt) Ltd or its successors in relation to the importation of coal and the generation of electricity, covering the period from the inception of coal-based power generation in SL until April 16, 2026. The Commission has been appointed by Prez in terms of Section 2 of more..

Apr 18 (EN) Sri Lanka received its first crude shipment for its solo Iran-built refinery after the start of escalation in the Middle East, Deputy Energy Minister Arkam Ilyas said. The island nation, which was buying crude from the UAE, was struggling without crude after U.S./Israel started bombing on Iran on February 28. The island nation switched to more expensive refined oil amid fear of not receiving any crude shipments with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. more..

Apr 18 (NW) Five suspects, including the main accused, have been arrested by police over an incident in which a woman was assaulted and her hair forcibly cut at a shop in the Ragama area. Police said the arrests were made based on video footage that circulated on social media. Following the incident, officers recorded a statement from the victim and referred her to the Ragama Teaching Hospital for a medical examination. The main suspect is a 27-year-old resident of Ragama. more..

Apr 18 (ST) Serious concerns have come to the fore after a team of Sri Lankan researchers examined social media and health information regarding fatty liver disease, originating from Sri Lanka. In the first broad analysis of posts relating to Metabolic-dysfunction Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD) in SL on social media (SoMe), the team found that most content originated from non-healthcare sources. MASLD was earlier known as Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). more..

Apr 18 (AD) The Vice President of India, Shri C.P. Radhakrishnan, is scheduled to undertake an official visit to Sri Lanka from April 19 to 20, 2026. During this visit, he is expected to hold bilateral discussions with President Anura Kumara Disanayake and Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya in a continuation of the recent high-level diplomatic engagements which reinforce the longstanding ties between Sri Lanka and India, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Ministry of Foreign Affairs. more..

Apr 18 (AD) Power and Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody and Ministry Secretary Prof. Udayanga Hemapala have resigned from their respective positions. They have submitted their letters of resignation to Prez Dissanayake this afternoon (17). This decision was taken to facilitate an impartial and independent investigation by the Special Presidential Commission appointed to probe matters related to coal imports, it said. more..

Apr 18 (DN) Sri Lanka women’s Under 19 team continued their performance to get third consecutive win when they scored a 35 run victory over England women’s Under 19 in their Tri Nation T -20 cricket fixture played at Ian Healy Oval grounds Brisbane yesterday.This victory guided Sri Lanka lasses to maintain their unbeaten record in this tournament having beaten England twice and Australia once with only one game against Australia to spare in this series. more..

Apr 18 (TM) Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) officially opened its Galle Branch to the public, inaugurated with the participation of SEC Chairperson Professor D.B.P.H Dissabandara, CSE Chairperson Dimuthu Abeyesekera and CSE CEO Rajeeva Bandaranaike in the presence of senior officials representing both public and private sectors. CSE has branches in Matara, Kandy, Kurunegala, Negombo, Jaffna, Batticaloa, A'pura, Ratnapura, Panadura, Bandarawela, Kegalle, Galle, more..

Apr 18 (NPR) In her home in a tidy working class alley, Shiranti Rambukkana has set up a literal bonfire in her narrow living room. At precisely 10:51 a.m. she strikes a match to get a fire going under the wooden kindling on a metal pan in her living room. She throws fire starters to feed the flames, and soon a clay pot of milk resting on bricks boils over — to bring on prosperity and good fortune in the New Year. more..

Apr 18 (Island) Uber Eats is now live in Nuwara Eliya, making it easier for locals and tourists to enjoy their favourite meals – from a hot plate of kottu on a chilly evening to a comforting rice and curry spread or crispy egg hoppers – delivered right to their doorstep. Known for its cool climate, old-world charm, and rolling tea estates, Nuwara Eliya sees a surge of Sri Lanka and international visitors during the April holiday season. But as temperatures drop in the evenings, more..

Apr 18 (Island) As Sri Lanka confronts mounting environmental and economic pressures, a timely national conversation on resilience has underscored the urgent need to rethink how societies respond to change—by balancing resistance with alignment to nature. The inaugural Nature Talks Webinar Series, titled Nature’s Secrets for Building Resilience in a Changing World, took place on Wednesday night, bringing together leading environmental thinkers who argued that more..

Apr 18 (ST) The prospectus for the Ceylon Masters International Badminton Championship 2026 has now been released and is available for viewing on the ceylonmasters.lk, website. The event is due to take place from June 25 to 29 at the St. Joseph’s College Indoor Sports Complex in Darley Road. A galaxy of master’s badminton players, both local and international, are due to participate and Ceylon Masters Badminton (CMB) are having no stone unturned to make it a huge success. more..

Apr 18 (Island) SL speedster Matheesha Pathirana has passed his fitness tests with Sri Lanka Cricket and linked up with Kolkata Knight Riders, ready to steam in again after a frustrating spell on the sidelines. The Knight Riders are propping up the table without a win, their campaign already wobbling placed last. Injuries and indifferent form have left their bowling attack looking toothless and Pathirana’s return could be just the spark they need to stop the rots. more..

Apr 18 (MB) Spotting a leopard at Yala National Park, SL’s most famous wildlife park located in the deep south, tops the list of priorities for many local and foreign wildlife enthusiasts. Block I of Yala National Park attracts the most number of visitors, as it is known to have the highest density of leopards, with at least one leopard per square kilometer. Due to this pressure, many visitors flock to Yala Block I all year round, with the hope of more..

Apr 18 (ST) In the couple of days between the writing of this column and its appearance today, what will happen to the world is anybody’s guess. Whether this war, which the adversaries have called a halt to for a breather, I presume, will lead to a finis is hard to predict. True, a war that has been raging for a few months has suddenly been silenced. The wannabe Napoleon who threatened to send his adversarial Iran back to the Stone Age is possibly looking for sticks and stones to throw at more..

Apr 18 (GV) In his first solo exhibition on show at the Barefoot Gallery, Ponnaiyah Peter draws extensively from his experiences as a child growing up in the war torn North where life was a continuing cycle of fear, destruction, loss and displacement. The devastated lives of the people are depicted through mayflies and clouds, which are fleeting and ephemeral, constantly changing and ever unpredictable. While concentrating on the immediate effects of the war, Peter’s work also explores more..

Apr 18 (TM) Nearly 1 billion children worldwide face the impacts of climate change, with 242 million students disrupted by extreme weather in 2024 alone. Sustainable Stories Founder Naomi Queeckers decided that something needs to be done to build a better future for children. She set out to empower young minds to embrace responsibility, sustainability and shape their own futures. The result? Story-filled books that connects the heart, head, hands to help children build their more..

Apr 18 (TM) Education shapes Nations, and SL learned this lesson well. In 1944, Dr. Cristopher William Wijekoon Kannangara made a bold decision that changed our country forever - he introduced free education for everyone, from primary school to university. As our first Education Minister, he believed that investing in people's minds would bring an everlasting value to the Nation. His vision worked brilliantly. For nearly three decades, our economy grew steadily, with growth rates consistently more..

Apr 18 (TM) The rapid expansion of the digital economy has introduced a new layer of complexity to SL’s regulatory landscape, exposing weaknesses in the island nation’s legislative and institutional framework. As smartphone penetration and internet accessibility continue to rise, an unregulated digital gambling ecosystem has embedded itself across the island. Operating predominantly from offshore jurisdictions, more..

Apr 18 (DN) The 1970s were the golden decade of the SL silver screen, but by the 1980s, that gold had shifted to the small screen. With the launch of Sri Lanka’s first television channel in 1979, a variety of programs began to grace the screen, enchanting the hearts and minds of viewers. Among these milestones, the birth of the SL teledrama industry holds a special place. The saga of the teledrama, which began in 1983 with Dimuthu Muthu, has grown into a vast industry today. more..

Apr 18 (FT) I was numbed when I learned of a fraud at a listed commercial bank, reportedly amounting to around Rs. 13.2 billion. Having served on bank Boards since 2002/03, I must say this has shaken the credibility the sector has built over many years. The principal gap exposed is in board oversight, alongside weaknesses in internal controls, technological complexity, governance practices, and regulatory supervision. This is not merely a single bank’s failure but a broader signal that more..

Apr 18 (TM) SL is navigating a critical phase of recovery following the economic crisis of 2022. While macroeconomic stabilisation and structural reforms remain the immediate focus, a set of less visible but equally significant risks is quietly emerging. These include the rapid rise of cyber security threats, the potential for capital flight through crypto-currency channels, and a steady increase in sugar consumption that threatens more..

Apr 18 (DN) The Govt’s decision not to pass on the latest global fuel price hike to the public is a praiseworthy move. It will be greatly welcomed by the public who are today at their wits’ end to find answers to the steep rise in the Cost of Living. According to a news item quoting Treasury sources, the financial losses incurred by the State owned fuel- sector due to global crude oil price increase will not be transferred to the public through a fuel price adjustment. more..

Apr 18 (Island) Never a dull day in Sri Lanka. CEO of HSBC Georges Elhedery has caused quite a stir here by claiming that Sri Lanka paid as much as USD 286 per barrel of oil, far above the global benchmark prices. He said so during a recent investment forum in Hong Kong. What worries me is not the headlines, he is reported to have said, adding that buyers sourcing oil from the Middle East are currently paying between USD 140 and USD 150 per barrel, and the highest amount for oil more..