Apr 1 (DM) A 30-year-old man jumped from ITC Ratnadipa Luxury Hotel near Galle Face Green after leaving a written note stating that he took his own life due to unbearable stress, the police said. The incident occurred this afternoon. The victim jumped from Room 16 on the 31st floor of the hotel. As soon as the incident was reported, the police launched an investigation. The deceased has been identified as a resident of Kundasale. more..

Apr 1 (AD) Former Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has urged the SL govt to dispatch a medical team, including military personnel, to Myanmar to assist those affected by the recent earthquake. Wickremesinghe emphasized SL’s long-standing ties with Myanmar and stressed the importance of providing humanitarian relief. “My proposal to the govt is to send a medical team, including doctors from the army’s medical corps, along with essential medicines and equipment, to set up a more..

Apr 1 (ST) A 23-year-old man is being held under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) after being arrested in Kompanna Veediya earlier this week on suspicion of engaging in activities that threaten Israeli citizens in Sri Lanka and causing communal disharmony. Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) has been informed by the TID earlier this week as to the man’s arrest under the PTA. The HRCSL said it was monitoring the situation and the well-being of the detainee. more..

Apr 1 (DN) The annual cricket encounter between Wesley College, Colombo and St. Benedict’s College, Kotahena for the Rev. James Cartman Trophy, will be held today and tomorrow at the P. Sara Oval, Colombo. The first game in the history of cricket between the two schools was in 1896, 129 years ago. The only victory in the history of the colorful annual cricket match between the two schools was recorded last year while St. Benedict’s led by Sharujan Shanmuganathan had more..

Apr 1 (FT) Hambantota International Port (HIP) welcomed vessel CMA CGM SILVERSTONE, a pure car carrier operated by CMA CGM, marking her first-ever call at a SL port. This milestone emphasises the growing significance of HIP as a regional hub for vehicle transshipment. The 200-meter-long, LNG powered, CMA CGM SILVERSTONE sailing under the Maltese flag, was built in 2024 and has the capacity to transport 7,000 cars. The ship arrived in HIP from Singapore with 333 loading units more..

Apr 1 (TM) President of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) Shammi Silva retained his influential post for an unprecedented fourth successive term, after being reelected uncontested during its 64th AGM in Colombo yesterday. As expected it was simply a case of reasserting Silva’s clout over the country’s wealthiest sporting institution, with two other contestants namely Jayantha Dharmadasa and Samantha Dodanwela withdrawing more..

Apr 1 (DN) Neyara Weerawansa, once SL’s No.1-ranked women’s tennis player, has stamped her name in history by becoming the first Sri Lankan to win at the prestigious Royal South Yarra Club Championships in Australia recently. The 21-year-old former British School Colombo student claimed victory in the Ladies’ Singles Open and the Mixed Doubles Open alongside partner Himakesh Sankineni, marking a milestone moment in her career. “My highest ranking in SL was No.1 more..

Apr 1 (FT) People’s Bank recently unveiled the Vanitha Vasana VISA Platinum Credit Card at a special launch event held at Havelock City Mall, Colombo 6. The event took place under the patronage of People’s Bank CEO /General Manager Clive Fonseka, with the participation of well-known female artists and this coincided with the Bank’s special credit card promotion for the Sinhala and Tamil New Year celebrations. The Vanitha Vasana Credit Card is designed to empower and more..

Apr 1 (AD) The price of a cup of milk tea has been increase by Rs. 10, the All-Island Restaurant Owners’ Association announced. This decision has been taken as a result of the govt’s decision to increase the price of imported milk powder. Price hike will be implemented with effect from midnight yesterday, it said. Earlier, the govt decided to increase the price of imported milk powder by 4.7%. Price of a packet of imported milk powder weighing 400g will be increased by around Rs. 50 more..

Apr 1 (FT) The CEYPETCO and LAUGFS Gas PLC yesterday announced revised prices. Marking the first revision since 2024, LAUGFS Gas PLC yesterday announced that it has decided to increase its domestic liquefied petroleum (LP) gas cylinder prices effective midnight. Accordingly, the price of a 12.5 kg cylinder has been increased by Rs. 420 to Rs. 4,100, while a 5 kg cylinder has been increased by Rs. 168 to Rs. 1,645. LAUGFS is one of the two largest LP gas suppliers in the country. more..

Apr 1 (FT) Colombo stock market last week ended March suffering its second consecutive month of losses, raising concerns among investors and promoters. The indices suffered a 4% dip on top of over a 3.6% dip in February. This saw both indices turning year-to-date (YTD) negative. Some analysts said that having gained by 50% in 2024 – thereby becoming the second best performing frontier market – followed by a 4% gain in January, more..

Apr 1 (FT) Visa, the global leader in digital payments has reiterated its support to women entrepreneurs across Sri Lanka as a part of its International Women’s Month celebrations across the world, by stating a firm commitment towards financial inclusion and digitisation of women-led businesses, and hosted women from different walks of life in a specially curated event at Colombo. Visa in SL Country Manager Avanthi Colombage said: “At Visa, we believe in being the best way to more..

Apr 1 (DM) In my final year of the Power Systems Course, I had a close friend who was the best in that subject in class. I learnt from him, but he failed at it and did not graduate with us because it was a core subject. I heard from seniors and our Head that his English handwriting and grammar were so bad that local examiners, knowing what he knew, gave him full credit for what he wrote, but British re-scrutineers to whom all our final papers went, urged that our examiners make a strict textual reading more..

Apr 1 (Island) New laws will be made soon to facilitate the seizure of ill-gotten assets of the corrupt, Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake has said at a recent NPP campaign rally. Govt has chosen to crank up its anti-corruption campaign again as the local govt polls are drawing near. Laws with stronger teeth to deal with corruption cannot be overstated. Hydra-headed corruption can manifest itself in various forms at different levels, which can be individual, political, corporate, systemic, more..

Apr 1 (TM) Govt of Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake, like ones before him, have emphasised the need to improve SL’s digitalisation. Many experts have opined that digitalisation will greatly benefit SL. Already, multiple public services and State institutions are being modernised with digitalisation or are in different stages of the process that commenced under previous govts. SL also has designs to roll out more modern telecommunication and digital infrastructure, with 5G and 6G more..

Apr 1 (TM) Despite the long-standing microfinance crisis in SL, which has led to severe financial hardships and even the loss of lives, particularly in the Northern and North Central Provinces, Govt has yet to announce any concrete measures to address the issue. With microfinance institutions continuing to expand, especially in the aftermath of the economic crisis, rural communities remain vulnerable, yet no official action has been more..

Apr 1 (ST) In the glaring absence of an immediate Foreign Office response to Britain’s decision to impose sanctions on three former Lankan Armed Force Commanders, former Prez Mahinda Rajapaksa emerged from semi-retirement to declare that he, as the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces during the final years of the terrorist war, will accept full responsibility since “It was I, as the Executive President of SL, who took the decision to militarily defeat the LTTE, more..

Apr 1 (CT) The sudden reemergence of two major incidents from the past, that had become peripheral to the concerns of people today, has jolted the national polity and come to its centre stage. These are the interview by former prez Ranil Wickremesinghe with the Al Jazeera television station that elicited the Batalanda issue and now the sanctioning of three former military commanders of the SL armed forces and an LTTE commander who switched sides and joined the govt. more..

Apr 1 (DM) On March 25, the renowned Sri Lankan social anthropologist Prof. Gananath Obeyesekere of Princeton University, passed away leaving academia across the world immeasurably poorer. Till his last breath, at the ripe old age of 95, the genial giant was steeped in inquiries about cultures and mode of thinking across continents, giving them a new meaning and relevance. With his wide range of interests, more..

Apr 1 (CT) Two powerful earthquakes have devastated Myanmar, disrupting health services and putting thousands at risk of life-threatening injuries, on top of causing possible future disease outbreaks as people recover from the aftermath. While emergency supplies and services are being pooled in from all corners of the globe, and the world reels in reaction to the devastation, the earthquake comes as a significant wake-up call for the people, and Govt of Sri Lanka. more..

Apr 1 (DM) The notorious Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Act are probably the most misused laws in Sri Lanka by the law enforcement authorities, in most cases pacifying the politicians in power. The PTA has been misused against hundreds of Tamil youth, accusing them of involving in separatist activities. Some Tamil youth arrested under this law have been in prisons not for years but decades. more..

Mar 31 (FT) Prez Anura Kumara Disanayake announced that Govt will disclose the names of a significant number of individuals responsible for the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks before 21 April. He made these remarks addressing a meeting held in Deiyandara, reaffirming his administration’s commitment to justice and accountability. Prez emphasised that his Govt is actively investigating various crimes, including fraud & corruption. more..

Mar 31 (Island) Former MPs’ pensions cost the state coffers as much as Rs. 34,826,308.12 in Jan this year. Of this amount, Rs. 23,385,520.77 was allocated to 328 former MPs, while Rs. 11,020,666.14 was paid as pensions to 182 widows and widowers of former MPs. Additionally, Rs. 421,121.21 was disbursed for the benefit of disabled children of ex-MPs. This information was revealed in response to a RTI request submitted to Parliament by the investigative team of fact seeker group more..

Mar 31 (FT) German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and PM Dr. Harini Amarasuriya attended the 102nd East Asia friendship dinner, the annual gathering of the German Asia-Pacific Business Association (OAV), as Guests of Honour. For the 102nd time, more than 300 representatives from business, politics and diplomacy gathered on Friday in the ballroom of Hamburg City Hall, Germany’s second largest city and a major European port city. Other notable attendees included more..

Mar 31 (Island) Dr. Neville Hewage said that the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, the Ontario Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada had determined that alleged Tamil genocide hadn’t taken place in SL. The academic, who successfully moved the Canadian courts, said that, therefore, the much-touted Tamil Genocide Education Week Act (TGEWA), in terms of the ruling given by the Ontario Court of Appeal and more..

Mar 31 (DN) Over 30,000 athletes from 1,300 schools will compete for the Sir John Tarbat Athletic Championship which is the oldest school athletics event in SL’s sporting history and is conducted by SL Schools Athletics Association (SLSAA) and is organised and coordinated under the supervision of the Education Ministry. Starting off the events and building on the immense success of the previous years, the 3rd Ritzbury Relay Carnival will be conducted on an even grander scale more..

Mar 31 (AD) Muslims in SL will celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr today (31) as the crescent (new moon) for the month of Shawwal has been sighted today, according to the Colombo Grand Mosque. “Hilaal (crescent) for the month of Shawwal 1446 AH was sighted on Sunday (30), as confirmed by reports from the Hilaal subcommittees appointed across the country.” “Accordingly, the Colombo Grand Mosque, ACJU Hilaal Division, and the Department of Muslim Religious and Cultural Affairs (DMRCA) more..

Mar 31 (TM) Ministry of Transport, Highways, Ports, and Civil Aviation claimed that the resignation of the former Chairperson of the National Transport Commission (NTC), Dr. Bandura Vitharana, was due to personal reasons, not a conflict with the minister or the Govt. Last week, Dr. Vitharana reportedly submitted his resignation letter to the Ministry of Transport. Dr. Vitharana, who previously served as the head of the Transport Committee of the NPP, is also a lecturer at the Open Uni of SL. more..

Mar 31 (TM) Former Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles is to visit the CID today to record a statement about the shooting incident that occurred near the W15 Hotel in Weligama in 2023. It was reported that the former minister had been summoned by the CID to record a statement regarding the incident, which caused the death of a Police Sergeant attached to the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD). When contacted, Alles confirmed that he had been requested by the CID to record a statement. more..

Mar 31 (FT) On 31 March 2020, the first forced cremation of a Muslim COVID-19 victim took place in Negombo, marking the beginning of a tragic and painful chapter for the Muslim community. Over the months that followed, 278 victims, including a 20-day-old infant, were cremated against the wishes of families. Fear of cremation even forced many Muslims to refrain from seeking medical support when they were more..

Mar 31 (Island) Former PM and leader of the MEP Dinesh Gunawardena has alleged that the UK sanctioning retired top brass and ex-LTTE commander is biased, unjustifiable and a blatant interference in an internal affair of SL. Text of statement issued by former MP: “UK Govt recently imposed sanctions on former head of the SL Armed Forces Shavendra Silva, former Navy Commander Wasantha Karannagoda, former Commander of the SL Army Jagath Jayasuriya & V Muralitharan more..

Mar 31 (FT) Sunshine Holdings has announced that Vish Govindasamy will be stepping down from his Executive role within the Group to a Non-Executive role as Deputy Chairman after an illustrious 28-year journey marked by bold leadership, transformative innovation, and deep-rooted commitment to responsible entrepreneurship. Govindasamy will continue to support the Group in an advisory capacity, ensuring continuity and strategic guidance during this important transition. more..