Apr 21 (AD) Pope Francis, the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church, died on Monday (21) at the age of 88. Vatican announced his death on Monday, stating that the pope had died at his residence in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta. “Dear brothers and sisters, it is with profound sadness I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis,” Cardinal Kevin Farrell announced. “At 7.35am this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father.” more..

Apr 21 (CT) In response to widespread criticism over a viral video showing her being escorted by Police motorcycles and vehicles, tuition teacher Hayeshika Fernando issued a live explanation via Facebook, clarifying the circumstances surrounding the controversial event. The video, which showed Fernando arriving at a student event with a Police escort, sparked debate on social media, with many questioning the use of State resources. Addressing the backlash, Fernando insisted that more..

Apr 21 (EN) SL coconut sales declined 44% to 345,342 at an auction held last week, amid lower production, Coconut Development Authority (CDA) data showed. Average coconut prices rose 2.8% to 179,497.23 per 1,000 nuts at the auction held on April 10 ahead of the new year festival, from 174,601.50 the previous week. The highest price offered for a nut was 188 rupees while the lowest offered was 166 rupees. Nuts offered declined to 227,487, down from 362,016 nuts offered in the last session. more..

Apr 21 (DM) Six years have elapsed since the deadly Easter Sunday carnage left a permanent scar on the country’s political and national security domain. Despite the appointment of various commissions of inquiry under successive regimes, the actual mastermind behind the attack is allegedly still at large. However, Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake recently promised to reveal the names of the real culprits behind the Easter Sunday carnage by April 21. more..

Apr 21 (DM) CEB announced that the renewable energy curtailment, which began on April 10 ahead of the Sinhala and Tamil New Year holidays due to reduced electricity demand and the need to ensure grid stability, has concluded earlier than planned. CEB media spokesman Dhammika Wimalaratne said that initially scheduled to continue until 3 pm today, the curtailment period was successfully brought to a close at 3 p.m. yesterday, following a notable increase in electricity demand across the country. more..

Apr 21 (AD) Former Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has been summoned once again by the CIABOC in relation to a statement he had made about the bribery case filed against NDF MP Chamara Sampath Dassanayake. Accordingly, former Prez Wickremesinghe has been requested to be present before the Commission at 09.30 a.m. on Thursday (25). The former Prez was previously summoned to the Bribery Commission on April 17. In response to the previous summons, former Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe more..

Apr 21 (FT) Today is D-Day for a still tyro government to stop only saying what it would do and simply get cracking on meaningful action long overdue. It is a time for doing, and a time for refraining from an excess of empty words. And if the National People’s Power does not deliver on a Delivery-Day (D-Day) of its own making and promising, the people will have little choice left but to lament on the ash heap that the NPP has lost more than its early promise of late... more..

Apr 21 (FT) The harsh tariff rates imposed by US Prez Donald Trump on all exporters to USA have squarely hit the poor countries that export mainly items like apparels and rubber products. The list is long, but the main victims are in Asia like Bangladesh, SL, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Cambodia. Trump had imposed very high reciprocal tariff rates on these countries because they had been running a trade surplus with USA. Though the tariffs so imposed have been given a pause for 90 days, more..

Apr 21 (DN) Under direct instructions from Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the final report and all accompanying volumes of the Prez Commission of Inquiry into the Easter Sunday attacks were formally submitted yesterday (20) to the CID. Since the NPP Govt came into power, the inquiry has been fast‑tracked and reoriented to ensure it remains fully independent and impartial. Timed to coincide with the sixth anniversary more..

Apr 21 (DM) SL Police have issued an official statement addressing the circulation of a photograph claimed to have been taken during the special exposition of the Sacred Tooth Relic, known as Siri Dalada Wandanawa, held at the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic in Kandy. In their statement, police emphasized that all devotees attending the sacred exposition were strictly prohibited from using mobile phones or capturing any photographs of the Sacred Tooth Relic of The Buddha. more..

Apr 21 (DM) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake handing over the report of Prez Commission which probed Easter Sunday attacks to the CID is an eye wash as it is not likely to do any good, SJB MP Dr. Kavinda Jayawardene said. He said that handing over a public document to CID will not do any good. "The report was handed over to AG by former Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Nothing came out of it. Then Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe handed it over to Bishops Conference. more..

Apr 21 (TM) Prez and Defence Minister Anura Kumara Dissanayake yesterday stated that the CID would now fully study the complete report of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (COI) into the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks, including parts that were previously withheld, and take forward investigations to uncover those responsible. Prez claimed that previous administrations had not made all sections of the COI report available to more..

Apr 21 (DM) The Catholic Church in SL still hopes that truth behind the Easter Sunday attacks will be revealed, Member of Communications Committee Archdiocese of Colombo Fr. Cyril Gamini Fernando said yesterday. "We believe that the present government is conducting a more effective probe on the incident. We therefore hope that those who supported Zahran and his team to carry out attack will be revealed. We also want to see as to why others supported Zahran to carry out attacks more..

Apr 21 (DN) Central Province DIG Sudath Masinghe says that in the first three days of the Siri Dalada Vandanawa, a special veneration of the Sacred Tooth Relic, nearly 300,000 devotees have paid homage to the Sacred Tooth Relic. On the first day (18), second day (19) and third day (yesterday) (20), nearly 300,000 people arrived at the Sri Dalada Maligawa in Kandy to pay homage. The queues have become so long that some devotees have to wait for two nights to get the opportunity to more..

Apr 21 (DM) The European Union (EU) has inquired about a possible moratorium on the invocation of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) until it is repealed to be replaced by a new anti-terrorism law, but the govt has not yet discussed it. The EU, along with other Western powers, has called for the repeal of the PTA which is cited as a draconian piece of legislation. The representatives of the EU, in their recent meetings with the govt, has also inquired about a moratorium. more..

Apr 21 (AD) Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that individuals entangled in corrupt politics are currently in a state of visible unease, and that the notion that nationalism has become the final refuge of those politically abandoned is being strongly confirmed in recent times. PM made these remarks while addressing a public meeting of the NPP movement today (20) at the Nedunkeni Cultural Hall in the Vanni District, according to the PM’s Media Division. more..

Apr 21 (TM) Elections Commission (EC) has sent a letter to the President’s Secretary, requesting him to inform Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake not to make statements that could hinder a free and fair election process during the campaign for the LG Elections. Opposition MPs had alleged that during several campaign rallies for the LG Elections, Prez indicated that if NPP representatives were not in control of LG bodies, their financial requirements could be hampered. more..

Apr 21 (Island) SL Coast Guard (SLCG) launched a dedicated 24-hour emergency hotline — 106 — directly connected to the SLCG Operations Room, to strengthen maritime safety and ensure a swift response to sea-borne emergencies, Ministry of Defence announced. The newly introduced hotline aims to minimize response times and enhance coordination during maritime distress situations. By providing seafarers, coastal communities, and the general public with an immediate and more..

Apr 21 (EN) Central Bank has added back billions of dollars of capital lost to the EPF in 2022 and also preserved the real value of the fund in 2023 and 2024 then by maintaining a quality known as a store of value in the rupee. When current CB Governor Nandala Weerasinghe took over in 2022, the rupee had collapsed from 360 to the US dollar from 200 in the previous year by trying to float (suspension of convertibility), without removing a surrender rule (a strong-side convertibility undertaking). more..

Apr 21 (AD) The Ministry of Education says that the third phase of the first school term of academic year 2025 in all govt schools and govt-approved private schools will commence today (21). According to the Ministry of Education, the first term is scheduled to end on May 9. Meanwhile, the first phase of the second school term of 2025 will take place from Monday (May 14), to August 7. The first phase of the third school term will be from August 8 to October 17. Furthermore, more..

Apr 21 (DN) Young Sri Lankan athletes created history when they claimed eight medals at the 6th Asian Youth Athletic Championships concluded in Amman, Saudi Arabia on Friday. This was the highest ever Sri Lanka medals tally at Asian Youth Championship series and this time Sri Lanka placed 9th in gold medals tally while according to total medals Sri Lanka placed 4th with 8 medals at this event and it was a big success and SL youngsters proved their ability in great style. more..

Apr 21 (TM) Nearly four years after the MV X-Press Pearl disaster, four legal cases remain pending across three countries, as Sri Lanka continues its pursuit of justice and full compensation for what has been described as the worst maritime environmental disaster in the nation’s history. According to a senior official at AG Dept, there are currently two cases ongoing in SL, one in the UK and another in Singapore. more..

Apr 21 (Island) There were outstanding performances with as many as four athletes reaching personal best performances at the 400 metres trial on Saturday but a golden opportunity to test whether they were all genuine efforts went begging after officials of the SL Anti Doping Authority could collect samples of only one of the two randomly selected sprinters. As many as three school athletes are in contention for places in the senior men’s 4×400 metres relay team after more..

Apr 21 (ST) The govt – in a hurried move on a recommendation of the IMF – is to adopt a zero-tolerance policy soon against errant state officials involved in financial irregularities and misappropriations by imposing surcharges (fines) if they are found guilty. IMF in its technical assistance report — governance diagnostic assessment had directed the then govt in 2023 to amend the National Audit Act by March 2024. The aim is to enable the AG to levy surcharges on officers, more..

Apr 21 (ST) Setting the stage for a possible legal battle, the Road Development Authority (RDA) has rejected a renewed claim from China Harbour Engineering Corporation (CHEC) for billions of rupees in outstanding dues for building the Southern Expressway’s Kottawa-Dodangoda section, which was opened more than 15 years ago. CHEC has sent the RDA a letter of demand for Rs. 7.91bn, which it insists are unpaid monies more..

Apr 21 (TM) Sri Lanka captain Nigel Ratwatte implored the country’s rugby administrators to act fast and sort out their off-field issues, enabling his players to smoothly plan their campaign in the 2027 Rugby World Cup Qualifiers from this June. He spoke to The Daily Morning, in the wake of his team’s elevation to the top tier of Asian rugby, after his men thumped an under-par Malaysia 59-19 in their Asia Rugby Emirates Men’s Championship play-off in Colombo on Saturday. more..

Apr 21 (ST) A 107-run opening stand between Lasith Croospulle and Lahiru Udara set up SL A’s comprehensive 6-wicket win over hapless Ireland ‘A’ during their Tri-Series match at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. After Dilshan Madushanka (4/44), Dushan Hemantha (3/24), and Milan Ratnayake (2/26) led the bowling attack with remarkable efficiency to bowl out Ireland ‘A’ for a paltry 192, SL ‘A’ cruised to victory with more than 20 overs left in their innings. more..

Apr 21 (FT) MegaPay’s Pay&Go platform has already transformed payment behaviour across the country with over 1,000 active digital kiosks and a widely used mobile app. Designed with user convenience in mind, the Pay&Go app allows customers to settle a wide range of payments—from utility bills to mobile reloads—in just a few taps. In a significant move to enhance SL’s digital payments landscape, MegaPay, shaping the future in fintech, has announced a direct integration more..

Apr 21 (FT) Environment Ministry Secretary K.R. Uduwawala recently declared that SL’s transition to a green economy is steadily gaining momentum, but lacks adequate sustainable finance to deliver on its lofty ambitions in the immediate future. Speaking at the launch of the AgriFI SL Country Window, he acknowledged the Govt’s commitment to inclusive green development, listing a series of national policies aimed at accelerating renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, & circular economic more..

Apr 21 (FT) Faced with the imposition of a sharp 44% reciprocal tariff by the US, SL’s single largest export destination, Govt is mounting a multi-pronged diplomatic and policy effort to avert a looming trade crisis. EDB Chairman Mangala Wijesinghe described the development as a matter of urgent national interest, affirming that the Government has moved quickly to secure a 90-day grace period during which the tariff more..

Apr 21 (Island) While the whole world was waiting anxiously for President Donald J. Trump, a self- proclaimed tariff man, to present his plan for reciprocal tariffs on his Liberation Day, an American commentator Jon Stewart declared on The Weekly Show podcast that he knew what Donald Trump’s whole plan was. Since Trump was elected, I have been closely following the developments in Washington but didn’t come across any other such claims. more..

Apr 21 (Island) The sixth anniversary of the Easter Sunday terror attacks, which claimed about 270 lives and left more than 500 persons injured, falls today. Those who have lost their near and dear ones in the tragedy are still crying out for justice. There have been four Presidents and three governments since the savage terror attacks, yet the search for the masterminds behind them is still ongoing. A few weeks ago, the incumbent NPP government had the public believe that it would reveal something more..