May 6 (Island) Former Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekara doesn’t appear to be a great admirer of the recently appointed Cricket Interim Committee. During a television interview, he said that the current govt must take responsibility if the newly-appointed panel failed to deliver. MP Jayasekara has long been known as a man who shoots from the hip and at times, as a doomsday prophet, if his scathing criticism of the Hambantota Port project in the past is anything to go by. more..

May 6 (DN) Sixteen-member SL weight lifting team is expected to take part in the Asian Weightlifting Championships which will be held from May 12-17 at Gujarat, India. This is the second time India hosting this event bringing together 28 Nations to showcase top Asian weight lifters. This championship is a crucial competition for the Lankan weight lifters to gain experience and ranking points before the 2028 Olympic Games. This will also serve as the final selection meet before more..

May 6 (ST) Police has launched a search for another Buddhist monk and two others allegedly involved in the incident of using 22 monks to smuggle narcotics into the country, a senior police officer said. The case related to the monks was taken up at the Negombo courts yesterday. Negombo Additional Magistrate Subhani Abeysekara on the 26th ordered that they be detained and questioned until May 2. more..

May 6 (ST) Kalu – the Lankan dog who alongside Aloka briefly stole the spotlight at the recent Peace Walk found himself at the centre of a rather less peaceful dispute. Kalu, originally named Shadow, who became a minor sensation after briefly appearing to fill in for Aloka alongside Ven Pannakara Thera, had belonged to an individual living in a neighbouring house in Hingula. Upon the owner passing away about a year and a half ago, the dog had reportedly wandered off and more..

May 6 (ST) Marking the day with rallies in the North and East, Tamil political parties reiterated demands for political and economic reforms. Central to these is the longstanding call for a constitutional solution to ensure a dignified livelihood for the Tamil-speaking community. The grand old party of ITAK observed Int'l Workers’ Day by holding two major rallies in the two provinces. The northern rally was held in Mankulam, Mullaitivu, under the leadership of the party’s General Secretary more..

May 6 (ST) An Australia-based IT engineer has identified a security hole in the Dept of Immigration and Emigration’s (DIE) electronic travel authorisation (ETA) visa page, which allows the mere entry of a confirmation code—with no additional layer of protection—to access information such as passport numbers, full names, nationality and dates of birth. “In that link, only the confirmation code needs to be entered to see more..

May 6 (FT) The phishing and impersonation scam probe in Treasury for a sum of $ 2.5 million has now moved into its final phase following fresh discoveries regarding the role of the Central Bank in the process of paying back debts owed to Australian Agency, both past and present during the recent transition to the Finance Ministry. MP Ravi Karunanayake has made a clarion call that a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) be formed to examine the theft of $ 2.5 million in debt funds more..

May 6 (FT) Sri Lanka has sent its largest-ever business delegation to US for the SelectUSA investment summit, with 14 entrepreneurs and business leaders currently engaging with partners and investors. US Embassy in SL said: “This year is the largest-ever SL delegation to SelectUSA—14 entrepreneurs and business leaders are in the US right now building networks, exploring investment opportunities, and driving shared prosperity for a stronger US–SL economic partnership”. more..

May 6 (FT) Cabinet of Ministers approved awarding of a new ground handling contract for SriLankan Airlines operations at Sydney Airport in Australia, following the expiry of the previous agreement on 30 April 2026. The procurement was conducted through a limited international competitive bidding process, with three proposals received. After evaluation, High-Level Standing Procurement Committee recommended Menzies Aviation Australia Ltd, as the substantially responsive lowest bidder. more..

May 6 (FT) The Maldives, synonymous with its dried fish, yesterday launched a milestone initiative with its giant MIFCO launching premium tuna products in Sri Lanka in partnership with Development Interplan Ceylon Ltd, in the presence of the visiting Prez Mohamed Muizzu as the Chief Guest. The initiative saw the Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company Ltd, (MIFCO) launching premium tuna brand, Fasmeeru, in Sri Lanka, formalising an exclusive distribution partnership with DICL. more..

May 6 (FT) Sri Lanka and Maldives reaffirmed their long-standing friendship and commitment to deeper economic cooperation at the Maldives–SL Business Forum in Colombo, with leaders from both countries highlighting shared resilience, mutual support and growing opportunities for partnership. Forum brought together policymakers, and more than 400 business leaders and investors from both countries, reflecting more..

May 6 (Island) President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s demeanour, body language, and speaking style appear to have changed noticeably in recent weeks, a visible sign of embarrassment. The most likely reason is a stark contradiction between what he once publicly criticised and analysed so forcefully, and what his government is actually doing today. His own recent speeches seem to reflect that contradiction, sometimes coming across as confused and inconsistent. more..

May 6 (CT) Sri Pada is not merely a scenic mountain or a tourism asset—it is one of SL’s most sacred living landscapes and among its most significant biodiversity strongholds. Anchored by the Peak Wilderness Sanctuary, spanning approximately 224 square km, this region contains an extraordinary mosaic of tropical rainforest, montane forest, and cloud forest ecosystems. These habitats sustain a remarkable concentration of endemic life—from delicate orchids and ancient ferns to more..

May 6 (SO) For weeks, the jeers were loud and predictable. Why was the Govt sitting idle while SLC lurched from one embarrassment to another? From the stands to the studios, the blame game rarely stopped at the players; management, many insisted, was the real problem and the Govt, critics said, was simply looking the other way. Except, as it turns out, it wasn’t. What emerged this week is that the reset had been quietly stitched together well away from the public gaze. more..

May 6 (ST) At the turn of the century, about one in four Sri Lankans lived below the official poverty line. It continued to decline gradually but slowly over the years, 25 years later, we find ourselves back where we started: once again, about a quarter of our population is considered poor. Of course, there was a series of shocks underlying the sudden poverty reversal. However, I thought of highlighting its policy-driven part. This is important to understand that changes in policy directions can more..

May 6 (CT) “We walk this Peace March in silence. It is very important. Our monks walk very quietly, mindful of their breathing and footsteps. We greet the people on both sides of the road, but we never make any noise. We only talk to the people at the place where we receive alms in the afternoon or at the places where we rest at night. Therefore, in order for the message of this Peace March to be properly disseminated in society, we request more..

May 6 (CT) An open letter issued on 15 April by British MPs Liz Kendall and Dan Jarvis addressed to the UK’s business leaders deserves close reading even in Sri Lanka. The letter warns British businesses that new AI models are collapsing the expertise barrier which once confined sophisticated cyber-attacks to a small cadre of highly skilled criminals, with frontier capabilities now doubling every four months rather than every eight. The British Dept of Science, Innovation more..

May 6 (TM) The recent electoral upheaval in Tamil Nadu has sent shockwaves across the Palk Strait, arriving at the shores of Colombo. The victory of Vijay and his Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) marks the end of a long-standing duopoly, yet for Sri Lanka, it signals the beginning of a precarious new chapter in bilateral relations. While the corridors of power in New Delhi and Colombo are accustomed to the seasoned rhetoric of the DMK and AIADMK, the entry of a populist firebrand armed with more..

May 6 (TM) Sometimes, the most common sights, no matter how important they are, go almost unnoticed, because there is no way for an individual to experience their absence. Those people, the street cleaners, who step onto the streets before any of us get out of bed - to make the streets that we take to go to school, university, or work, clean, pleasant, and, most importantly, bearable - go unnoticed on most occasions, more..

May 6 (GV) One of the most damaging features of the collapse of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was the speed at which its own ranks fragmented under pressure. As corruption scandals mounted and electoral defeats accumulated former allies, MPs and party functionaries abandoned the sinking ship, many defecting to the BJP. In the last week of April 2026, seven AAP MPs including prominent figures quit to join the BJP. AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal reportedly tried personally to prevent more..

May 6 (Island) The tragic death of Assistant Director of the External Resources Department of the Ministry of Finance, Ranga Rajapaksha, 50, has given rise to doubts, suspicions and various conspiracy theories. It has become an issue reminiscent of the complex plot twists and tropes found in classic whodunits such as Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express and modern murder mysteries like Knives Out. Not even a postmortem exam has helped put the matter to rest. more..

May 5 (NW) National Fertilizer Secretariat has rejected reports aired on several television channels on Monday alleging that the govt paid excessively high prices for fertilizer imports. A representative of the National Farmers’ Union had claimed that urea could be purchased from Kazakhstan at USD 220–320 per metric ton, while the govt had permitted imports at around USD 800 per metric ton. In a statement, the National Fertilizer Secretariat clarified that although requests to import more..

May 5 (Island) Regional Centre for Strategic Studies (RCSS) has accommodated Prof. Deepika Udagama and Ambassador (Retd) Esala Weerakoon to its Board of Directors, at its meeting held on 30 April. They succeed former Secretary to the PM, Deshamanya M.D.D. Pieris, and former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank (CB) and member of the Monetary Board of the CB, Dr. Ranee Jayamaha, who completed their terms recently. The current members of the BoD comprise more..

May 5 (GF) SL is rewriting its economic story. After enduring the 2022 economic collapse and the devastation of Cyclone Ditwah in late Nov 2025—the deadliest disaster since the 2004 tsunami—the nation has emerged with renewed global confidence. Board of Investment (BOI) recently reported that 2025 foreign direct investment (FDI) surged by 72%, reaching a historic $1.06 billion—the first time foreign investments more..

May 5 (NW) Opposition MPs today issued a statement warning that recent remarks by Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake pose a serious threat to the independence of the judiciary. Statement referred to comments made by Prez at the May Day rally, where he said he was ready to raise his hand after the court delivers its judgment on May 25. Opposition legislators said the remark suggested prior knowledge of a pending judgment and amounted to an attempt to bring the judiciary more..

May 5 (ICC) Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu has been rewarded for her excellent recent form by making big gains on the latest ICC Women's T20I Player Rankings. Athapaththu was adjudged Player of the Series during Sri Lanka's recent 3-0 whitewash over Bangladesh, with the veteran compiling 115 runs from three innings and chipping in with four wickets in an ominous display ahead of the upcoming ICC Women's T20 World Cup that commences on June 12. more..

May 5 (EN) In just five weeks, Sri Lankans have faced a staggering four rounds of fuel price hikes with the latest taking effect on Sunday. This aligns with the cost-reflective pricing SL agreed upon with the IMF. With global crude prices hitting near four-year highs following the escalation of conflict in West Asia, the govt had no choice. However, this rapid succession of increases has sent shockwaves through more..

May 5 (EN) Sri Lanka’s cabinet has approved the acquisition of land for the long-delayed development of the Kelani Valley (KV) railway line, from Maradana to Avissawella, minister Nalinda Jayatissa said. The project, which aims to modernize the narrow-gauge corridor, will involve land acquisition across seven Divisional Secretariat Divisions, including Colombo, Thimbirigasyaya, Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte, Maharagama, Homagama, Padukka, and Seethawaka. more..

May 5 (NW) Work is set to commence on six priority socio-economic projects in the Eastern Province under Indian grant assistance, the High Commission of India in SL said. The projects fall under the framework MoU on Implementation of Indian Multi-Sectoral Grant Assistance for the Eastern Province, signed during the April 2025 state visit of the Indian PM to SL. According to the High Commission, the projects include the establishment of batik training centres to promote women’s empowerment, more..

May 5 (DM) The current govt has resumed restoration work on several archaeological sites that had been previously stalled, Buddhist Studies, Religious and Cultural Affairs Minister Dr. Hiniduma Sunil Senavi said. Minister, who is currently on an official visit to the US, made the remarks during a meeting with the Chief Judicial Sangha Nayaka of North America, Katugastota Uparathana Nayaka Thera, held at the Maryland Int'l Buddhist Temple, where he also received blessings. more..

May 5 (FT) In keeping with its commitment to continuous professional development, the Bar Association of SL (BASL) will commence an Online Certificate Course in Digital Law on 6 May 2026. The course will be conducted every Wednesday from 3 pm to 5 pm over a period of 11 weeks and will be delivered online. It is open to Attorneys-at-Law, law students, and all those with an interest in digital law and its growing relevance across industries. BASL President Rajeev Amarasuriya said: more..