Apr 20 (TM) Colombo’s All Share Price Index (ASPI) has a potential downside of 18,000 to 19,000 points if global volatility is to continue to persist, and thereby compress valuations to 8x price-to-earnings (PER), First Capital Holdings stated in its latest equity webinar, recently. The investment institution had further revised its fair value expectations for the ASPI, in view of the ongoing economic repercussions of external shocks materialising. “We expect a further rerating as more..

Apr 20 (NW) Four newly appointed ambassadors and two high commissioners formally presented their credentials to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake this morning (20). The envoys are: Vincent Sumale – High Commissioner of the Independent State of Papua New Guinea (resident in New Delhi); Abdullahi Mohammed Odowa – Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Somalia (resident in New Delhi) Christian Biever – Ambassador of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (resident in New Delhi) more..

Apr 20 (DM) Traffic on the expressways (E01, E02, E03 & E04) generated a total revenue of Rs. 48,500,040 during the 24-hour period from midnight on April 19 to midnight on April 20. A total of 128,283 vehicles entered the expressway network, while 130,182 vehicles exited during the same period, indicating a steady flow of traffic with exits slightly exceeding entries. E01 and E01 Extension recorded highest traffic volume, more..

Apr 20 (NW) A second group of monks has arrived in SL from Dallas–Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport, Texas, US, to take part in the internationally renowned Walk for Peace pilgrimage programme. The event, scheduled to be held from April 21 to 28, 2026, will take place under full state patronage. A delegation of monks led by the Most Venerable Pannakara Thero is expected to join the procession, which will carry a Bodhi sapling obtained from the sacred Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi in A'pura. more..

Apr 20 (FT) European Union (EU), through the Accelerated Industries Climate Response SL (AICRSL) Project implemented by the US Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), facilitated the handover of advanced Solar PV training and demonstration equipment to five Technical Colleges across SL. The ceremonial event was held today at the Department of Technical Education and Training (DTET) in Colombo. This timely intervention, carried out in response to a request by the PUCSL, more..

Apr 20 (TM) SL’s maritime sector is currently navigating a substantial escalation in bunker fuel costs, with surcharges rising by nearly 23% in recent weeks. Despite the sharp increase in these operational expenses, authorities maintain that both the Port of Colombo and the Port of Hambantota continue to operate at maximum capacity. Govt officials emphasise that fuel pricing is not the primary driver of transhipment traffic, more..

Apr 20 (TM) Ministry of Housing, Construction, and Water Supply stated the Govt has moved to train 10,000 construction workers under the SL Army in response to a growing shortage of labour in the construction sector. Deputy subject Minister T.B. Sarath said that discussions are ongoing with construction companies and that steps are being taken to standardise the designation of construction worker as a recognised job category. “We currently have about 7,500 vacancies for more..

Apr 20 (TM) The second school term of 2026 has officially begun today (20) across all Govt and Govt-approved private Sinhala and Tamil schools. Similarly, the fourth stage of the first term for Muslim schools also commenced today, as per the Ministry of Education (MOE). The first term’s second phase concluded on April 10, with holidays observed until 19 April for the Sinhala and Tamil New Year. The current term will run until 24 July, 2026. In addition, the MOE announced more..

Apr 20 (AD) Former Prez Mahinda Rajapaksa has stated that a significant plan is in place to regain political power in the New Year. Asserting that a political shift is imminent, he noted that his party is fully prepared for the change. The former Prez further mentioned that, as May Day coincides with a Poya day this year, the party will refrain from holding traditional celebrations and will instead engage in religious observances. Following the Sinhala and Tamil New Year, activities at more..

Apr 20 (TM) The SJB has called for the audit report containing details related to the alleged substandard coal imports to be immediately forwarded to the Attorney General (AG) through Parliament. The party’s Senior Vice President (SVP), former MP and attorney Lakshman Kiriella made this call during a press conference in Colombo yesterday (19). He also accused the Govt of appointing various commissions in an attempt to delay action instead of addressing the matter directly. more..

Apr 20 (Island) Fried rice, kottu and instant noodles could soon be banned from school canteens under a proposal submitted to Parliament by NPP MP Ruwanthilaka Jayakody, who has warned of a growing diabetes crisis among children. Moving a motion in the House, the NPP Gampaha District MP called for the immediate formulation and implementation of a regulatory system to restrict the sale of unhealthy food and beverages in more..

Apr 20 (AD) Commissioner General of Motor Traffic, Kamal Amarasinghe, who was arrested by the CID, has been granted bail by the Pilessa Magistrate’s Court in Kurunegala. He was ordered released on a cash bail of Rs. 25,000 and two surety bails of Rs. 200,000 each. The court also ordered the impounding of his passport and imposed an overseas travel ban preventing him from leaving the country. He was taken into custody by the CID on March 27 in connection with an investigation more..

Apr 20 (NW) India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri has described Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited’s acquisition of a 51% controlling stake in Colombo Dockyard PLC as a significant development that represents investment in a highly strategic sector. Speaking on the development, Misri said the deal highlights growing India-SL cooperation in maritime and industrial sectors. Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL), India’s state-owned defence shipbuilder under the Ministry of Defence, more..

Apr 20 (TM) SL Purchasing Managers’ Index for Manufacturing (PMI) increased to 66.7 in March 2026, supported by a heightened activity due to seasonal demand amid a tight production environment, attributed to raw material and fuel shortages, rising costs, and logistical constraints, according to the PMI report released by CB. The new orders and production sub-indices expanded in March, particularly more..

Apr 20 (EN) The self-congratulatory and almost gloating terms in which the return of monetary depreciation and accompanying rise in the cost of living towards the central bank’s inflation target is welcomed by macro-economists is in bad taste. Inflation is nothing other than an immoral philosophy cooked up by post-1960s macroeconomists who rejected classical economic theory for statistics and visited great privations upon vast populations. The return of depreciation and inflation which more..

Apr 20 (Island) Sri Lanka has formally ratified the Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019 (No. 190), becoming the 55th member of the International Labour Organisation to do so, the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the UN in Geneva said in a statement on Saturday (18). The statement said: On 16 April 2026, Sri Lanka deposited the instrument of ratification of the Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019 (No. 190) with the International Labour Office. more..

Apr 20 (FT) The Philip Gunawardena Commemorative Society has released Volume III of the speeches of Philip Gunawardena in Parliament from 1965 to 1970. Previously, the Commemorative Society had issued a compilation of his speeches in the State Council during the colonial period as Volume I, and those in Parliament in independent SL as Volume II. The present volume completes all his speeches as a people’s representative during his long political journey in the country. more..

Apr 20 (FT) Seven years on from that black Easter Sunday of 2019, the toll of grief has not let up its death grip. Nor have the traumatic memories of the dark day which unshrouded terror diminished. The wound has merely deepened into something more corrosive and even cancerous – since it has been left untreated. Dare we say, some 2,555 days (or 83 months) later, it has deepened into a silent national crisis that no one dares name. It is an issue that goes by no formal title. more..

Apr 20 (AD) Visiting Vice President of India CP Radhakrishnan on Sunday met leaders of political parties in the N&E and Indian Origin Tamil parties during his visit to SL, reinforcing India’s commitment to the welfare of the Tamil community in the island. The meeting, held during the Vice President’s official visit to SL, served as a platform for regional leaders to express their gratitude for India’s swift and substantial humanitarian more..

Apr 20 (DM) Asserting that there is no further time to lose on strategic projects such as the Trincomalee energy hub, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said that although a timeline has not yet been established, discussions are in progress, given the complexity of the project and its significant financial outlays. Making his remarks at a press conference, Mr. Misri, who accompanied Indian Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan, said that some time would be required to finalise the details. more..

Apr 20 (DN) Sri Lanka has had discussions with both India and China on the benefits of using the Indian Rupee (INR) and the Chinese Renminbi (RMB/Yuan) on cross-border settlements for trade and tourism. The matter was discussed by CB Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe with his counterparts from India and China on the sidelines of the IMF–World Bank Spring Meetings. The CBSL said, Governor Weerasinghe had met with Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Sanjay Malhotra on Saturday. more..

Apr 20 (AD) A total of 26 people have lost their lives in drowning incidents during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year period, police stated. Among the victims were a private tuition teacher and an Advanced Level student who drowned last afternoon at the Nallachchiya Wewa in Thambuttegama. The duo had entered an irrigation canal around 3:30 p.m. when they were suddenly caught in a current and swept nearly 300 meters downstream. more..

Apr 20 (FT) SL’s tourist arrivals have crossed the 800,000 mark so far this year, raising cautious optimism about reaching the Govt’s ambitious 3 million visitor target for 2026, despite a recent slowdown. From 1-15 April, SL welcomed 809,595 tourists, a marginal 0.8% YoY decline compared to the same period last year. However, momentum has weakened in April. Arrivals during first 15 days of the month fell 27% YoY to 68,961, with the daily average declining to 4,597 from 6,261 yr earlier. more..

Apr 20 (AD) The third phase of the Indian housing project implemented by the Govt of India in the plantation areas has officially concluded today (19). Under this housing project, the Govt of India has been providing assistance to construct 60,000 houses in plantation regions. Of these, 46,000 houses were completed under the first two phases. Accordingly, the third phase, which consists of 4,000 houses, was carried out focusing on plantation areas in the Uva, Central, and Southern Provinces. more..

Apr 20 (NW) A low-floor priority bus service will be launched as a pilot project from April 21, operating from the Makumbura Multimodal Transport Centre. The programme, introduced in line with the govt’s vision of ensuring equal opportunities and human dignity for all, has an allocation of Rs. 430.7 million and is being implemented under the Clean SL initiative. In the first phase, 10 modern air-conditioned low-floor buses will be deployed, specially designed to be easily accessible more..

Apr 20 (AD) Investigations have revealed that the fire that broke out yesterday (18) in the upper floor of a two-storey house on the Pamunuwa Road, Maharagama, was intentionally set by the homeowner himself, police said. The fire had started in the upper floor of the two-storey house last afternoon (18). Local residents who noticed the fire had taken steps to extinguish it promptly. During the incident, two severely burnt men who were inside the house were first taken to hospital. more..

Apr 20 (Island) The Catholic Church intends to formally request Prez this week to relieve Deputy Defence Minister Aruna Jayasekera of his ministerial post pending investigations into the Easter Sunday carnage. Head of Centre for Society & Religion (CSR) Rev. Father. Rohan Silva OMI said that they were in the process of collecting signatures from the relevant Catholic clergy for a petition to be handed over to Prez Dissanayake probably more..

Apr 20 (EN) Indian Vice President C P Radhakrishnan who arrived in SL for a two-day visit, has had high-level talks with President Anura Disanayake, his media division said. Radhakrishnan also met Premier Harini Amarasuriya, and participated in cultural and community engagements. Ahead of the meeting, Disanayake said discussions would focus on strengthening bilateral ties. The thorny issue of Indian fisherman poaching in SL’s territorial waters was also discussed, more..

Apr 20 (FT) In an encouraging sign for the economy, workers’ remittances increased 17.5% YoY to $ 814.8 million in March during the first full month of the ongoing Middle East war. This brings total remittances inflows during the first quarter 2026 to nearly $2.3 bil, up 26.5% from a year ago, $814.8 mil inflow in March 2026 is the 2nd highest monthly inflow in history behind $ 879.09 mil in Dec 2025, but above $ 812.73 mil in Dec 2020, $751.13 mil in Jan 2026, and $729.35 mil in Jan 2018. more..

Apr 20 (FT) The CB last week said its latest Business Outlook Survey (BOS), conducted before the onset of the Middle East conflict, pointed to continued expansion in business activity into early 2026 due to favourable macroeconomic conditions. “The Business Condition Index denoted an expansion in the fourth quarter of 2025 amidst the weather-related disturbances, demonstrating resilience in the overall business environment. Furthermore, the outlook for 1Q 2026 also more..

Apr 20 (DN) Although the Middle East conflict places geopolitical risk at the center of developing Asia and the Pacific’s economic outlook, Sri Lanka enters this challenging and uncertain environment from a position of strength, with growth at 5 % in 2025, ADB Senior Country Economist Lilia Aleksanyan said releasing its Asian Development Outlook (ADO) April 2026 report in Colombo. The ADO said Sri Lankan growth is projected to moderate from 5% in 2025 to 4% in 2026 and 4.2% in 2027, more..

Apr 20 (TM) SLC is set to introduce a revised ethics code for nationally-contracted players ahead of finalising its fresh contracts through the formation of a new and long-overdue ethics code. This has been mooted in a bid to improve the public perception of the national team in the eyes of its legion of followers and to fully professionalise its set up. A key feature of this ethics code set forth is all nationally-contracted players & support staff more..