Apr 28 (Island) I was Chairman of the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation and Director-General of Broadcasting only for a period of a little over four months, before I was reassigned. Therefore, a lengthy account of my stewardship in this post would not be necessary. I would however, like to briefly touch upon some salient issues. Firstly, on the management side, I found the organization to lack sufficient vigour. There had developed a looseness dangerously bordering on the careless. more..

Apr 28 (FT) Dipped Products (DPL), a global leader in hand protection and a member of the Hayleys Group, has unveiled its latest state-of-the-art Natural Rubber Chain Production Plant at its subsidiary, Hanwella Rubber Products Ltd. (HRPL), following a Rs. 1 billion investment. This milestone marks a significant step in the company’s continued commitment to growth, innovation, and sustainability. The newly commissioned plant boosts the production capacity of HRPL by 25% for more..

Apr 28 (FT) Well-known Indian TV journalist Palki Sharma on Saturday urged media professionals across South Asia to embrace collaboration, resist polarisation, and reshape the global narrative about the region. Delivering the keynote on Challenges and Opportunities for Media in South Asia: Power of Collaborative Journalism at the inaugural SL Media Fest, organised by the SL-India Media Friendship Association (SLIMFA) more..

Apr 28 (AD) A father of three has died this morning after falling from a 60-foot pole while performing in a traditional drama, according to Nanuoya Police. The deceased has been identified as a resident of the Glasgow Estate within the Nanuoya police division. It is reported that annually, estate workers of the area perform a drama and organize a ceremony as part of preserving the Hindu culture. Similarly, all estate workers had gathered last night to perform and witness the drama. more..

Apr 28 (FT) With a deep-rooted architectural legacy and a growing presence on the global stage, SL is carving out a bold new identity in design. One of the firms leading this shift is Turner Walker Robinson (TWR), a homegrown group of architects and designers with teams based in Sri Lanka, the UAE and Melbourne. The firm’s recent appointment of internationally acclaimed consultant Jeff Rossely as the Group Chairman marks a significant step in its global expansion. more..

Apr 28 (FT) Originally initiated by Janashakthi Insurance, the event now returns under the leadership of JXG (Janashakthi Group) — SL’s emerging financial conglomerate. Reflecting the expanded role of the Group, the initiative makes its comeback as the CIMA - JXG Pinnacle Awards, in collaboration with AICPA and CIMA SL. Scheduled for 11 June at Cinnamon Life, the awards return after nearly two decades to once again recognise and celebrate excellence, leadership and more..

Apr 28 (AD) Based on investigations into a complaint received on April 22 that a woman from the Grandpass area had gone missing, her husband and son-in-law were arrested by Grandpass Police. During interrogation of the suspects, it was uncovered that the woman had been beaten to death with sharp weapons and dumped into a canal in the area. The incident has also been recorded on a CCTV camera, police said. Police suspect that the murder was committed after the 65-year-old more..

Apr 28 (ST) One year after a catastrophic Fox Hill Super Cross racing incident that claimed eight lives and left 19 others with severe injuries, Bandarawela Magistrate Peter Paul has issued an order to the Officer-in-Charge of the Diyatalawa Police. Police must arrest all responsible parties from both the SL Automobile Sports and SL Army Military Academy, requiring them to appear before the court on or before May 20. more..

Apr 28 (FT) Sri Lanka’s tourism industry continues its momentum with a significant year-on-year (YoY) increase in visitor numbers during 2025. The SLTDA noted that during the first 24 days of April, the country welcomed 144,320 tourists, marking a 22.1% increase, compared to 118,134 arrivals recorded during the same period in 2024, supported by a strong daily average of 6,013 visitors. This favourable situation also pushed the year-to-date (YTD) arrivals more..

Apr 28 (CI) A tight Sneh Rana spell put in motion a collapse SL did not recover from, losing their last nine wickets for 93 runs. This match had been shortened to 39-overs-a-side due to morning rains, but even so, a target of 148 was never really going to test a strong India batting order. Their top three hunted efficiently, Pratika Rawal holding the chase together with 50 not out off 62 balls after Smriti Mandhana had provided a brisk start. India cruised home with 9 wickets & 9.2 overs to spare. more..

Apr 28 (NW) Sri Lankan racing prodigy Yevan David secured a landmark victory in Race 2 of the 2025 EuroFormula Open Championship at the Algarve International Circuit in Portimão, Portugal, on Sunday. This triumph marks David’s first win of the season and the inaugural victory for Team Motopark in the current campaign. One of the title top EFO title contenders this year, Yevan David, has opened his count of victories by winning with authority Race 2 a Portimão, in a sunny morning. more..

Apr 28 (TM) A 21-year-old university student has died after falling from the Galle Fort ramparts. According to the Police, the incident had occurred at around 7.40 p.m. on Saturday (26). The student had later been admitted to the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. The student, who was a resident of Hapugala, Galle, and an undergraduate of the Kotelawala Defence University, had visited the Galle Fort with a group of friends for leisure when incident took place. more..

Apr 28 (ST) This year, the 37-km stretch of road from Kadawatha to Mirigama—called Central Expressway Part I (CEP I)—was to have been ceremoniously opened. But ten whole years after the RDA signed its first project agreement with the Metallurgical Corporation of China (MCC), the progress of civil works stands at a mere 36.8 percent. The main hurdle is that China Exim—which in March 2019 had signed up more..

Apr 28 (ST) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake is to undertake an official visit to Viet Nam early next month to attend the 20th UN Day of Vesak. The main theme for this year’s UN Day of Vesak will be Unity and Inclusivity for Human Dignity: Buddhist Insights for World Peace and Sustainable Development. UN Vesak celebrations will be held in Ho Chi Minh City from May 6 to 8. About 2,700 delegates are expected to attend, including 1,250 international guests from 85 countries and territories. more..

Apr 28 (TM) SJB expressed concerns about inadequate and impractical arrangements made by the Govt for the devotees who visited the Temple of the Tooth Relic in Kandy to worship the Sacred Tooth Relic during the past few days. These concerns were raised mainly about the sanitation facilities provided for these devotees, regarding which SJB member Niroshan Padukka added that the lack of facilities had placed the devotees in a difficult situation. He discussed these matters while addressing more..

Apr 28 (Island) Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) has urged the NPP govt to prevent Japan’s Onomichi Dockyard Company from selling its 51% ownership stake in the Colombo Dockyard Ltd (CDL) to Indian govt-owned Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd, Mumbai, a leading shipbuilder. FSP spokesman Pubudu Jayagoda said that the move seemed to be in line with the overall India-SL understanding on the basis of recently signed more..

Apr 28 (Island) Sri Lanka’s Central Bank Governor, Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, has underscored the critical role of sovereign credit rating agencies in helping debt-distressed nations smoothly transition out of default status after successful debt restructuring. Speaking at the Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable (GSDR) in Washington DC on the sidelines of the IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings, Dr. Weerasinghe shared Sri Lanka’s ongoing debt restructuring experience. more..

Apr 28 (ST) Ministry of Justice has informed coroners that deaths of all children under the age of five will be subject to a mandatory post-mortem examination. In a circular shared with coroners, ministry highlighted that this was an essential element of child death analysis in SL. Ministry claimed that this practice was being imposed to identify common causes of mortality rates in children under the age of 5 and take precautionary measures to avoid such deaths. more..

Apr 28 (DM) Picture Archiving and Communication System (PAC System) at the National Hospital has been out of service for the past two weeks leading to the suspension of appointment scheduling for CT and MRI scans, sources said. Non-payment to the system provider and a full data storage network have led to the breakdown. Several years ago, the hospital installed the PAC system to streamline radiology services. With its introduction, images and data related to CT, MRI, and other more..

Apr 28 (DM) Public Health Inspectors' Union has warned that Kandy is at risk of spreading serious infectious diseases because the city cannot handle the large number of people coming for the exposition of the Sacred Tooth Relic. Union President Upul Rohana said there is a risk of diseases such as diarrhea, dengue and chikungunya spreading among the people. He predicted that the risk will increase after the exposition ends, as the number of mosquitoes in the area is expected to rise. more..

Apr 28 (CT) SL’s public and semi-govt sector workforce has shown a remarkable growth trend over the past six decades, according to the latest census data. From 419,029 employees in 1968, number has increased to 1,156,018 employees by 2024, marking a significant expansion. The census, which tracks the number of employees in the public and semi-govt sectors, distinguishes between two main categories: more..

Apr 28 (AD) Chief Prelates of the Asgiriya and Malwathu Chapters and the Sri Dalada Maligawa have issued a joint statement, announcing that the Siri Dalada Wandanawa, the special exposition of the Sacred Tooth Relic, was successfully concluded. The statement mentions that, following a request from Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake, this rare opportunity was made available to the public after a period of 16 years. The special exposition of the Sacred Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha more..

Apr 28 (AD) The special 10-day exposition of the Sacred Tooth Relic, Siri Dalada Wandanawa, which drew thousands of devotees to Kandy drew to a close at the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic this evening (27). As on previous days, the Siri Dalada Wandanawa exposition commenced at 11:00 a.m. and concluded at around 5:30 p.m. Large numbers of devotees worshiped the Sacred Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha today as well. The Siri Dalada Wandanawa, held for the first time in 16 yrs, more..

Apr 28 (EN) Sri Lanka’s tax revenues went up 25% from a year ago to 321.5 billion rupees in Jan 2025, while the overall budget deficit fell 28%, ahead of a state salary hike. Non-tax revenues were marginally down at 25.1 billion rupees from 25.6 billion. Total revenues grew 22% to 346.6 billion rupees. Current expenditures grew 7% to 424.5 billion rupees, ahead of salary hike for state workers. In addition to hiking wages, more..

Apr 28 (FT) Prez Donald Trump, giving vent to his deep-rooted displeasure at Fed Chairman Jerome Powell’s public statement that Trump’s tariff policy will lead to inflation, slowdown in economic growth, and cause job cuts, retorted wildly that he wanted to sack Powell. His only worry was that it would not come earlier than necessary since Powell was to serve as Fed Chair till the middle of 2026. When this pronouncement sent disastrous ripples through the financial markets causing sharp falls more..

Apr 28 (FT) The maiden Budget of the NPP Govt was tabled in the Parliament on 17 Feb. The third Reading of it was concluded on 21 March with the Prez’s speech. There have been many opinions expressed within and outside the Parliament during this 4½ weeks period. They were primarily focused on Govt proposals for generating revenue, spending it and bridging the deficit. But, as the Prez mentioned in the Budget speech, “A budget is not just a set of revenue & expenditure proposals more..

Apr 28 (AD) Former Prez Chandrika Kumaratunga has informed the Election Commissioner via a letter that her name and image have been used without her permission for election propaganda activities. The letter states that certain candidates of UPFA, contesting under the symbol of the chair for the Attanagalla PS at the LG election, have been distributing leaflets containing her image, along with those of former Ministers Lasantha Alagiyawanna and Sarana Gunawardena, and more..

Apr 28 (NW) Australia’s ruling Labor Party has announced it will fund some of its election promises by raising visa fees for int'l students. The move will mean the fee will rise from $1,600 to $2,000 if Labor is re-elected. Coalition has also said it would raise the student visa application charge to $5,000 for Group of Eight universities and $2,500 for all other int'l students. Election costings outline how the major parties plan to fund all policies & announcements made throughout their campaign. more..

Apr 28 (EN) Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao is expected to visit Sri Lanka in June, amid the island nation is looking to expand its export market across the globe after U.S. Prez Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariff announcement. The U.S. has imposed a 44% tariff by Trump’s latest policy, but the effective date has been postponed to three months. However, the island nation is facing a 10% universal baseline tariff. more..

Apr 28 (DM) Despite the hardening of stance earlier on the reservation of Galle Face Green for political work, NPP has decided to hold its May Day rally there this year. NPP will conduct its May Day rally for the first time as the ruling party this year. Galle Face Green was the site of the Aragalaya protest in 2022 which chased out then Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa from office. Approximately Rs. 2.5–3.0 million has to be incurred for the administration and d maintenance of the Galle Face Green, more..

Apr 28 (EN) MV Viking Drive, a roll-on/roll-off vehicle carrier operated by Seven Seals Company Ltd, had brought 1,560 used cars from Japan, Hambantota International Port Group (HIPG) said. There were four high and heavy units, and used vehicles including Toyota Land Cruiser, Prado, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota Raize, Honda Vezel, Daihatsu, and Suzuki Wagon R from Japan. “This marks a significant milestone in Sri Lanka’s post-pandemic recovery,” more..

Apr 28 (DM) Thai govt has announced that the elephant named Muthu Raja, which was taken to Thailand while under the care of the National Zoo, Dehiwala will not be returned to SL. Muthu Raja was taken from SL to Thailand in 2023, with assurances that the elephant will be sent back to the country after receiving treatment for multiple injuries. According to Director General of National Zoo, elephant has now fully recovered. more..

Apr 28 (Island) Chairman of the Parliamentary watchdog committee COPE, Dr. Nishantha Samaraweera, says the COPE has decided to submit its reports progressively immediately after the conclusion of each probe. Previously, reports were submitted only after the conclusion of investigations into several institutions. That decision had been made due to the slow implementation of the COPE Committee recommendations regarding irregularities and corruption revealed during investigations. more..

Apr 28 (FT) Held in collaboration with SL Export Development Board (EDB) and Japan Int'l Cooperation Agency (JICA), a session organised by the Embassy in Tokyo introduced 10 export-ready SL ICT companies to Japan-based SL associations and to Japan’s start-up and innovation ecosystem, fostering new business opportunities and strategic partnerships. 10 companies were selected through a JICA-supported export readiness program, jointly implemented with EDB, from over 85 more..

Apr 28 (DM) Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe who made a three-hour statement to the Bribery Commission today, said that withdrawing funds of the Uva Provincial Council from the bank and spending it on recurrent or capital expenditure is not a crime. Wickremesinghe was summoned before the Bribery Commission over the withdrawal of the Uva Provincial Council funds from a bank by the former Chief Minister of Uva Province Chamara Sampath Dassanayake during more..