Apr 24 (AD) The SL govt has decided to declare April 26, 2025 (Sunday), a National Day of Mourning in view of late Pope Francis’ funeral. Accordingly, all state institutions and offices are informed to fly the national flag at half-mast on Sunday (26). Pope Francis’ funeral has been scheduled for Saturday in front of St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican announced following a meeting of the College of Cardinals at the Catholic Church’s city-state headquarters in the heart of Rome. more..

Apr 24 (AD) Colombo High Court has sentenced to death a man who was convicted of the brutal murder of a woman in 2015, whose body was later discovered stuffed inside a suitcase at the Bastian Mawatha Bus Station in Colombo. Colombo HC Judge Aditya Patabendige delivered the verdict, convicting the suspect, Patrick Krishnaraja, of the murder of Dharmaraja Karthika, which took place at a lodge in Sea Street, Colombo 11, on July 29, 2015. The body of the victim woman was later found stuffed inside more..

Apr 24 (TM) The need to regulate the procedure for issuing fitness certificates for public transport buses along with the necessity of enforcing vehicle construction-related regulations, has been emphasised in the Parliament. This was when discussions were held regarding proposals to strengthen the existing legal framework to ensure the safety of public transport, including the safety of bus passengers at the Parliamentary Sub-Committee on more..

Apr 24 (NW) The Archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, has paid his last respects to His Holiness, Pope Francis. Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith is currently at the Vatican City attending the funeral of the late Pope Francis. The Vatican has announced that the funeral of Pope Francis will take place on Saturday at 10 am in the square in front of St Peter’s Basilica. The coffin of the Argentine pontiff, who died on Monday aged 88, will then be taken inside the church and more..

Apr 24 (EN) SL expatriates in Romania celebrated the Sinhala and Tamil New Year, with more than 2000 members of the community coming together, the island’s embassy in Bucharest said. The 2025 Avurudu Festival that brought together SL expatriate workers, families, and friends from across Romania, from Bucharest to the most distant provinces. SL’s Ambassador to Romania, Madurika Weninger, addressing the audience in Sinhala and English said organizers had provided a venue to unite the community more..

Apr 24 (AD) The public are urged to avoid coming to venerate the Sacred Tooth Relic in Kandy until further notice in response to the massive influx of devotees currently waiting in the queues. Kandy District Secretary Indika Udawatte made this request in a special press conference held today, highlighting that more crowds arriving in the city can create concerns over crowd control, public safety and health issues. more..

Apr 24 (AD) Former Director of the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD), ASP Neville Silva, has surrendered to the Matara Magistrate’s Court today (24). Accordingly, the former CCD Director has surrendered to the court in connection with the shooting incident that occurred on December 31, 2023, in front of the W15 Hotel in the Pelena area of Weligama, Matara. The Matara Magistrate’s Court had previously issued arrest warrants for eight police officers, including former officers of the CCD and more..

Apr 24 (NW) All schools across SL will be closed on 5 and 6 May in view of the upcoming 2025 Local Govt Elections. According to the Education Ministry, schools are expected to resume academic activities on 07 May. The move follows a request by the Election Commission to use school premises as polling centres, counting centres, and for the distribution and collection of ballot boxes and other election-related materials. The circular states that schools used as polling centres must be handed over to more..

Apr 24 (FT) Here is a challenge to the NPP Govt which promised to eradicate racism and champion the cause of forging one united SL citizenry. An extension of this promise is to guide society towards reconciliation, mutual tolerance and coexistence. Cleaning Sri Lanka with the promise of no discrimination, no injustice and replacing them with equity in action. All of which are excellent and highly commendable promises. Indeed, all citizens irrespective of any differences more..

Apr 24 (FT) Of the six Popes of my lifetime starting with John XXIII, I felt emotionally closest to Pope Francis and saddest at his passing. While every Pope is inspired by and in communion with Jesus in some way, it seemed to me that Francis got closest to the core message of Jesus, conveyed most accurately the spirit of the teachings of Jesus, illumined most clearly the way of Jesus, and glimpsed Jesus most often in everyday social life and human existence. To me, the elevation to sainthood of more..

Apr 24 (TM) Catholic Church in SL has denied the conclusion reportedly reached by US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that National Thowheeth Jama’ath Leader, Zahran Hashim was the mastermind behind the bombings on the Easter Sunday of 21 April 2019. It was reported by the media recently that FBI Special Agent Merrilee Goodwin had said that Hashim was the mastermind behind the terror attacks, in an affidavit more..

Apr 24 (DM) A person died due to a suspected heart attack while waiting in queues in Kandy for several days to venerate the Sacred Tooth Relic at the Sri Dalada Maligawa. Police said that the victim passed away after being admitted to hospital. According to police estimates, around 400,000 people are currently waiting in queues for the exposition. "Although 400,000 people are waiting in line, only a maximum of 95,000 will get the opportunity to worship the Sacred Tooth Relic," police said. more..

Apr 24 (AD) 7th day of Siri Dalada Vandanawa continues to draw overwhelming crowds to Kandy, with an estimated 400,000 devotees queuing across the city to witness the sacred Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha. In response to the massive influx, SL Police have introduced a special identification badge system to help manage and recognize devotees participating in the religious observance. The initiative came into effect last night in an effort to maintain order and ensure safety amid more..

Apr 24 (DM) Sri Lanka’s export sector maintained its upward trajectory in March 2025, pushing the total first-quarter earnings to US $ 4.21 billion, up 5.87% year-on-year (YoY). March exports rose 6.24% YoY to US $ 1.51 billion, with merchandise exports growing 5.87% to US $ 1.22 billion and services exports up 7.79% to US $ 291.12 million. Compared to February, total exports jumped 11.76%, reflecting improved more..

Apr 24 (DN) An estimated 300,000 devotees were seen in queues yesterday in Kandy, awaiting their turn to pay homage to the Sacred Tooth Relic, according to a headcount conducted by the Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka. On Tuesday (22), around 65,000 devotees had already paid their homage to the Sacred Relic. Organisers noted that by yesterday afternoon, a crowd nearly equivalent to what is expected over four full days had already gathered. more..

Apr 24 (TM) All inmates of the Matara Prison are currently being transferred to nearby prisons, according to the Prisons Department Spokesperson. Following the unrest that occurred at the Matara Prison on Tuesday (22), steps were taken yesterday morning (23) to transfer these inmates. Matara Prison Superintendent Mangala Weliwita stated that three Prison officers were injured during the unrest and have been admitted to the District General Hospital in Matara. more..

Apr 24 (CT) Acting Director of the Anti Malaria Campaign (AMC), Dr. Prasanga Serasinghe, stated that despite precautionary measures such as early detection and treatment, Sri Lanka recorded 62 imported cases of malaria in 2023. He noted that one of these cases was fatal. Dr. Serasinghe explained that early detection and treatment had been provided for imported cases, while prophylactic treatment was offered to Sri Lankans travelling to malaria-endemic countries. more..

Apr 24 (AD) Police HQ has issued a directive to all officers across the island to closely monitor and inspect individuals behaving suspiciously wearing protective helmets, particularly while not riding the motorcycles. This move comes in the wake of a series of serious crimes, including shootings and homicides, in which suspects have used full-face helmets to conceal their identities. According to police sources, these incidents have highlighted a growing trend of criminals exploiting more..

Apr 24 (TM) Officials from some 27 sports associations affiliated to the National Olympic Committee (NOC) on Tuesday (22), launching a strong diatribe at its Chair Suresh Subramanium at a news briefing, over his alleged dictatorial governance style, vowed that they will be submitting an official letter to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) shortly. They said the only alternative left for them was to draw the attention of the Lausanne-based global more..

Apr 24 (NW) Secretary to the Prez, Dr. Nandika Kumanayake stated that the govt has taken a policy decision to continue, without interruption, School Nutrition Programme aimed at reducing anemia among schoolchildren, which is being implemented with the assistance of the World Food Programme. He made these remarks yesterday, during a discussion with representatives from relevant Ministries and govt institutions involved in the programme, along with officials from WFP, more..

Apr 24 (NW) Police have introduced a special identification tag system from tonight (23) to manage the massive crowd gathered in Kandy for the Siri Dalada Vandana, with nearly 400,000 devotees already present, according to officials. Central Province Senior DIG Lalith Pathinayake and Kandy–Matale DIG Sudath Masinghe said the queues are so long that even allowing 100,000 people per day would take at least three more days to clear the current numbers. more..

Apr 24 (FT) Ambassador of SL in Poland Priyangika Dharmasena attended the opening ceremony of the 11th edition of the World Food Poland on 8 April held at the Expo XXI in Warsaw and met with SL companies, namely Ceylon Tea Land Pvt Ltd and CIC Agri Produce Export who participated at the fair. Ceylon Tea Land Pvt Ltd showcased and promoted pure Ceylon black, green, herbal, flavoured and organic teas, and CIC Agri Produce Export promoted varieties of healthy rice. more..

Apr 24 (DN) SL’s young golfing star Reshan Algama made a brilliant start at the 16th Faldo Series Asia Grand Final, carding a stunning one-under-par round of 70 on the opening day at the Laguna Golf Course in Vietnam yesterday. Competing in the Boys’ Under-16 category, 15-year-old Reshan placed fourth on the overall leaderboard, out of 59 top junior golfers from across Asia. It was a remarkable performance for the rising star from SL, making his country proud on one of region’s biggest junior golf stages. more..

Apr 24 (Island) UNP General Secretary Thalatha Atukorale has alleged that talks between the SJB and the UNP could have achieved a consensus if not for the selfish attitude of SJB leader Sajith Premadasa. The veteran UNPer accused the former UNP Deputy Leader of being the primary obstacle to the rapprochement of the divided party. Addressing those contesting Colombo and Kalutara districts under the elephant symbol at May 6 LG polls more..

Apr 24 (EN) Inland Revenue Department (IRD) has introduced a self declaration method to get exemption from Withholding Tax (WHT) deduction with effect from April 1 this year. Govt has doubled the WHT to 10% on interest income from this month and the new method will allow people with and without Tax Identification Number (TIN) to get the exemption if they are eligible. People who have total annual income of less than 1.8 million rupees from all sources are eligible to request more..

Apr 24 (FT) The National Movement for Social Justice (NMSJ) has urged President Anura Kumara Disanayake to immediately address the current state of the Right to Information (RTI) Commission, as the prevailing situation has created conditions that undermine its full and effective functioning. “We stress the urgent need for authorities to address the state of the Commission, which remains without a Chairperson following the resignation of its former Chairperson in March 2025. more..

Apr 24 (FT) Business leader Dhammika Perera has forayed into the competitive yet high-potential cement industry by acquiring a 51% controlling stake in DHT Cement Ltd, a joint venture between Indian and SL investors. Manufacturing the PowerTech Premium Cement brand, DHT will benefit from Dhammika’s entry via Vallibel X, the new venture after Vallibel One, the investment holding arm of the business leader, more..

Apr 24 (DN) Galle and Dambulla secured first-innings points in their final preliminary matches of the NSL tournament, ensuring their spots in the final. The two teams, Galle and Dambulla, will meet in the NSL final starting on April 27 at the SSC grounds. Dambulla topped the points table with 45.878 points after the preliminary round, while Galle finished in second place with 45.673 points. Dunith Wellalage had impressive figures of 4 for 81 as Colombo were bowled out for 422, more..

Apr 24 (FT) Now functioning as an independent entity in SL, Belluna Lanka said yesterday it is upholding its long-term dedication to growth and investment in the country. As a fully owned subsidiary of Belluna Co. Ltd, Japan, a company with over 50 years of global experience in various industries and listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Belluna Lanka benefits from the parent company’s strong foundation of financial stability, international recognition, and successful ventures. more..

Apr 24 (FT) WSO2, the leader in enterprise digital infrastructure technology, has announced the launch of the WSO2 Ambassador Program, a global initiative that celebrates and supports the most passionate voices in its tech community, including developers and architects. This program is designed to recognise individuals who actively share knowledge, inspire innovation, and contribute to the growth of the open-source ecosystem powered by WSO2 technologies. more..

Apr 24 (FT) Uber said it has supported SL with Rs. 160 billion worth of economic activity in 2024. The contribution is as per the findings from its 2024 SL Economic Impact Report, compiled by global policy research firm Public First. The report highlights how Uber and Uber Eats together contributed Rs. 160 billion in economic activity last year—underscoring their growing role in delivering flexible earning opportunities, expanding access to safer, affordable transportation, and helping local businesses more..