Apr 20 (ST) CPC bought three shipments of diesel between the last week of March and the second week of April at prices of between US$ 288 & US$ 281 per barrel, General Manager Mayura Neththikumarage said. Thus, CPC acquired 240,000 barrels on March 31, 2026, at the cost of US$ 285 per barrel; 295,000 barrels on April 6-7 at the cost of US$ 288 per barrel; and 254,000 barrels on April 7-8 at US$ 281 per barrel, more..

Apr 20 (CT) A group representing more than 2,000 former employees of the CEB has written to the Minister of Energy, raising urgent concerns over the non-payment of retirement benefits and alleged administrative harassment following their exit under the Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS). In a letter dated 11 April 2026, the collective said they were facing severe financial hardship more than a month after retirement, with neither VRS compensation nor statutory payments—including more..

Apr 20 (FT) SL is in a stronger position to cushion the impact of rising energy costs following improvements in revenue mobilisation, though vulnerabilities remain due to its reliance on fuel imports, the IMF said last week. IMF Asia Pacific Dept Director Krishna Srinivasan, speaking at a press conference at the launch of the Regional Economic Outlook for Asia and the Pacific, said the country has rebuilt fiscal space since the crisis, providing room for limited intervention. more..

Apr 20 (Island) Bloomfield Cricket Club will soon be without the steady hand that steered their ship through calm and storm, as Tharanga Dammika prepares to call time on his stint as Head Coach at the end of the Major Clubs Premier League season. After years of unwavering commitment, Tharanga has decided to hang up his boots bringing down the curtain on a six-year spell that left an indelible mark on one of SL’s most storied clubs. The news has sent ripples through the cricketing fraternity, more..

Apr 20 (Island) Island newspaper’s lead news item on the 12th of April 2026 was on the CEB request to shut down rooftop solar power during the low demand periods. Their argument is that rooftop solar panels produce about 300 MW power during the day and there is no procedure to balance the grid with such a load. We as well as a large academic and industrial consortium members have been trying to promote solar energy as a viable and sustainable power source since the early 1990’s. more..

Apr 20 (FT) SL’s economic growth is expected to slow to 3.6% in 2026 as higher energy prices weigh on activity, although the economy will regain its pre-crisis size last seen in 2018, the World Bank said in its latest South Asia Economic Update April 2026. Growth is projected to edge up to 3.8% in 2027, with the moderation from 2025 reflecting higher energy prices as well as a shift from recovery to a pace consistent with its potential, more..

Apr 20 (SO) SL has adequate fiscal buffers to face the impact of rising energy costs on households and businesses, IMF Asia and Pacific Department Director Krishna Srinivasan said last week. He was speaking at a regional media briefing in Washington, DC. SL has gradually built reasonable fiscal buffers over the last three years, Srinivasan said. He said Govt revenue has doubled during the period, indicating that the island nation is in a better position than before to provide targeted fiscal support. more..

Apr 20 (Island) Several salespersons have been arrested and remanded for forcibly cutting the hair of a woman as punishment for shoplifting. But neither Kumara Jayakody nor Udayanga Hemapala has been arrested over a mega coal procurement scandal that has caused massive losses, amounting to billions of rupees, to the state coffers. The government had them resign as the Minister of Energy and the Secretary to the Ministry of Energy, respectively, as a face-saving exercise. more..

Apr 20 (TM) SL has been my home by choice for 13 years. My children have grown up here. They have gone to school here. I am married to a SL woman who embodies much of what I admire about this place. I love the country – its food, its rhythms, its people. If there were an international championship for friendliness and unassuming decency, Sri Lankans would reach the final most years. That this remains true despite a very dark recent past makes it more, not less, remarkable. more..

Apr 20 (DN) Water is a gift of nature that is essential for life. It plays an important role in human survival, agriculture, industries, and the environment. Preventing drinking water contamination in SL is something commendable because still the majority of Sri Lankans, especially in far away rural areas, use wells to obtain drinking water. The Water Resources Board has been established under the Water Resources Board Act No. 29 of 1964 to protect and conserve the water resources more..

Apr 20 (TM) Colombo is grappling with a deepening drinking water crisis, as an intense dry spell and rapidly declining reservoir levels strain supply across the district. NWSDB has imposed a series of scheduled water cuts and pressure reductions in a bid to manage dwindling stocks, with disruptions now affecting both suburban and urban areas. Under the current schedule for April, the most severe restrictions are being felt in areas more..

Apr 20 (CT) Recent discussions around electric vehicles (EVs) and their impact on SL’s electricity grid have gained traction, particularly amid broader global energy uncertainty. Concerns around grid stability are both valid and important as the country navigates evolving energy conditions, making it essential to examine how emerging technologies interact with existing infrastructure. Among the concerns raised is the suggestion that EV charging has contributed significantly to peak electricity more..

Apr 20 (ST) The unconvincing lifeline of a Special Presidential Commission of Inquiry to probe coal imports from its inception (a catchy word, that) up to 16th April 2026 is scarcely likely to help Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake and his NPP Govt extricate themselves from the thick mud of the Coalgate quicksand that they are struggling in. More likely, (and whatever the results may be of the Commission exercise), this will potentially aggravate the issue. Bitterly jaundiced by past experiences, more..

Apr 20 (DM) Days after Kumara Jayakody resigned as the Energy Minister making him the first minister to step down amidst corruption allegations in the NPP govt, Prez will this week appoint an already existing cabinet minister to the post to temporarily look into the affairs of the ministry. A top source said that following Jayakody’s resignation, Prez had informed his close confidantes that he would not appoint a new Minister to more..

Apr 20 (CT) The govt led by Anura Kumara Dissanayake came to power on a clear and uncompromising promise: to eradicate fraud and corruption that had long functioned as a structural cancer within SL’s political economy. This was not merely an electoral slogan but a defining moral and political commitment—one that resonated deeply with a public fatigued by decades of institutional decay, rent-seeking, and governance failures. In this context, every action, decision, and response more..

Apr 20 (DM) The Sinhala and Tamil New Year is more than a festive occasion marked by sweetmeats, rituals, and games. It is a civilisational marker—one that binds agrarian rhythms, cosmological beliefs, and community life into a shared cultural experience. At a time when nations grapple with identity, social cohesion, and the pressures of globalisation, the enduring value of such traditions becomes not merely nostalgic, but politically and culturally significant. more..

Apr 19 (ST) The final act of MPs from the ruling NPP before going on their New Year vacation last week was to use their votes to defeat a No-Confidence Motion (NCM) against one of their own ministers, who was only recently indicted in the Colombo High Court on corruption charges and is currently out on bail. Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody was indicted before the High Court by the CIABOC last month on corruption charges more..

Apr 19 (TM) A decision on whether to implement water cuts to preserve supplies will follow NWSDB review meeting on Monday (20). NWSDB Chairman Chandana Bandara said there was currently no immediate need to impose water cuts, noting that the rainy season was beginning to pick up. However, he said a final decision would be made after the review. “What decision will be taken going forward will be made on Monday,” he said, adding that no water cuts would be imposed until then. more..

Apr 19 (NW) Minister K.D. Lal Kantha has issued a legal notice against Asia Broadcasting Corporation (Pvt) Ltd, accusing the local broadcaster of misrepresenting his 2025 assets and liabilities declaration and publishing defamatory content. The notice, dated April 18, states that Hiru Media Network aired a news segment on April 16 alleging the minister’s assets exceeded Rs. 460 million, citing details from his declaration. Lal Kantha contends the figures were deliberately exaggerated more..

Apr 19 (ST) Trident Chemphar’s coal caused serious, repetitive problems at the Lakvijaya coal power plant (LVP), including inability to generate full power capacity, severe overconsumption of coal, high pyrite (hard mineral particles that cannot be ground by the mills), leading to mill blockages and fires and restricted primary air flow due to high ash content. The report of the National Audit Office confirms that, according to operational data, more..

Apr 19 (CT) Association of Former MPs of SL has formally raised serious concerns with leading international bodies—the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, Inter-Parliamentary Union, and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights—regarding alarming developments within the Parliament of SL. At the centre of these concerns is the illegal and malicious interdiction of the Deputy Secretary-General of Parliament, which the Association describes more..

Apr 19 (AD) Vice President of India, C.P. Radhakrishnan is scheduled to arrive in SL today on an official visit. Vice President is expected to remain in the country until tomorrow. During the visit, he will hold bilateral discussions with Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake and PM Harini Amarasuriya, as part of ongoing high-level diplomatic engagements between SL & India. The visit will also include participation in several official events and meetings with political and community leaders. more..

Apr 19 (NW) A television channel has admitted an error in its earlier reporting on the declared assets of Minister K.D. Lalkantha, saying previously published figures were the result of a calculation mistake. In a correction issued on Saturday, the channel said an earlier report had incorrectly stated that the minister’s securities were worth Rs. 38.39 crore and that his total gross assets exceeded Rs. 46 crore. The outlet said the correct value of the declared securities should have more..

Apr 19 (DM) A special Buddhist religious programme was held at the White House on April 16, amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, to invoke blessings for world peace and harmony among nations, as well as for US President Donald Trump and the American people. The event was attended by the Chief Judicial Sanghanayake of the United States, Most Venerable Katugasthota Uparatana Nayaka Thera, along with monks representing Theravada, Mahayana & Vajrayana traditions. more..

Apr 19 (Island) Warning that agents of the devil who wish to hide the truth behind a wall of political posturing were attempting to obstruct investigations into the Easter Sunday terror attacks, Catholic Church has called for intensified public support and prayer to ensure justice for victims. In a message issued ahead of the seventh anniversary of the April 21, 2019 bombings, Colombo Archbishop Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith said more..

Apr 19 (ST) Govt’s multi-billion rupee initiative to abolish telecom tower taxes and subsidise rural infrastructure comes into effect soon to bridge the digital divide. On April 8, Cabinet approved the necessary amendments to the Finance Act No. 35 of 2018 to formalise this change. Bill will then be gazetted and brought before Parliament for approval soon. By eliminating any monetary obstacle, govt will encourage big telecom operators to venture into areas that have been less serviced. more..

Apr 19 (TM) The resignation of Sri Lanka Athletics (SLA) Secretary General Madhawa Bandara Senarath has been accepted by SLA President Bimal Wijayasinghe, the latter confirmed to The Sunday Morning Sports on Thursday (16). The SLA President stated that Senarath, when handing over his resignation letter, had mentioned that he was stepping down from his post due to personal reasons, having only been elected to office during the SLA election held in mid-March this year. more..

Apr 19 (NW) SL’s Free Media Movement (FMM) has condemned the CID over its reported request to X concerning a journalist’s post on the country’s energy crisis. The FMM said journalist Sulochana Ramiah Mohan had received an email from X informing her that the platform had received a legal request from the CID regarding content shared from her account @sulorammohan. According to the notice, the CID claimed a post linking to one of her articles violated the laws of Sri Lanka. more..

Apr 19 (AD) Three separate incidents involving violent attacks on women have been reported from Moragahahena, Gokarella, and Ragama, prompting police investigations and multiple arrests. In the first incident, video footage circulating on social media depicts an assault on a woman in the Moragahahena area. Incident reportedly occurred after she requested her neighbors to stop lighting firecrackers, as the noise was distressing her pet dogs. Police have since arrested more..

Apr 19 (TM) The ongoing Middle East crisis has had a limited direct impact on SL’s coconut exports, although shipping disruptions and increasing freight costs have created operational challenges for the sector, according to CDA Chairman Shantha Ranathunga. He explained that the direct impact on exports remained relatively low, noting that only a small portion of coconut products were shipped to the Middle East. more..

Apr 19 (TM) The liquidator to wind up the affairs of the Information Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) is expected to be appointed within the next two to three months. Deputy Minister Eranga Weeraratne stated that the ICTA was currently in the process of handing over its projects and that a liquidator would be appointed once this transition was completed. “Projects currently under the ICTA are being transferred to GovTech. Once that process is finalised, we will appoint a liquidator,” more..

Apr 19 (TM) Despite a recent dip in foreign worker remittances, the Govt has no immediate plans to reconsider its decision to relax vehicle import restrictions as current import volumes remain within manageable levels, the Deputy Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security, and Cooperative Development has revealed. Deputy Minister R.M. Jayawardana stated that the ongoing conflict in the Middle East had contributed to a decline in remittances from Sri Lankan workers abroad. more..