Apr 6 (TM) Indian PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Sri Lanka has resulted in the signing of several key agreements, marking a new phase of bilateral cooperation between the two countries. Modi arrived in Colombo for a bilateral engagement with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. The visit, coming just months after President Dissanayake chose India as his first overseas destination after assuming office, more..

Apr 6 (PMD) A specialized medical and disaster relief team, consisting of 26 members from the SL tri-services led by Brigadier Punya Karunathilake, has departed for Myanmar on a special flight today, (5), to assist those affected by the recent earthquake. These disaster relief operations are being conducted under the supervision of Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retd), following directives from Prez Anura Kumara Disanayake. more..

Apr 6 (AD) The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) has expressed grave concern over the death of a youth while in the custody of the Welikada Police in the early hours of April 02, 2025. The youth reportedly sustained fatal injuries while in custody, which are said to have been self-inflicted. It has also been reported that the youth was not in a proper mental state at the time. He was subsequently transferred to Mulleriyawa Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. more..

Apr 6 (AD) Indian PM Narendra Modi met a delegation of Tamil political party representatives in Colombo, during his ongoing visit to SL. The Head of State has conveyed his condolences on the passing of former TNA leaders R. Smapanthan and Mavai Senathirajah. Modi said he reiterated India’s unwavering commitment to a life of equality, dignity and justice for the Tamil community within a united SL, and assured that many projects and initiatives launched during his visit will contribute to more..

Apr 6 (AD) Indian PM Narendra Modi has met with Sri Lanka’s Leader of the Opposition and SJB leader Sajith Premadasa in Colombo, during his official state visit to the island. Modi said he appreciated Premadasa’s personal contribution and commitment to strengthening Indo-Lanka friendship. “Glad to meet Sri Lanka’s Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Sajith Premadasa. Appreciated his personal contribution and commitment to strengthening India-Sri Lanka friendship.” more..

Apr 6 (DM) A writ petition filed challenging Colombo Lotus Tower Management Company’s decision to evict N. Seelanatha Holdings from the Lotus Tower premises was yesterday dismissed by the Court of Appeal. Court of Appeal two-judge-bench comprising Justice (Acting President) M.T. Mohammed Laffar and Justice K.M.S. Dissanayake upheld the preliminary objection raised by the Colombo Lotus Tower Management Company (Pvt) Limited and decided to dismiss the petition in-limine. more..

Apr 6 (ANI) PM Narendra Modi interacted with SL's cricket legends who won the 1996 Cricket World Cup, including Sanath Jayasuriya, Chaminda Vaas, Aravinda de Silva, Marvan Atapattu, and others in Colombo. PM Modi is on a State visit to SL from April 4 to 6 at the invitation of SL Prez Disanayaka. His arrival in Colombo on Friday marked his first visit to SL since 2019. During his visit, he met members of 1996 WC-winning more..

Apr 6 (EN) Sri Lanka is expecting to initiate prompt discussions with the US to gain relief from 44 percent tariffs imposed by Prez Donald Trump on exports from the Indian Ocean island. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake appointed a committee to review the tariff and recommend measures. “A discussion was held at the Presidential Secretariat between Prez Anura Kumara Disanayake and the Committee appointed to submit recommendations on the new U.S. tariff system,” more..

Apr 6 (EN) Sri Lanka, India and the UAE signed an agreement to make Trincomalee an energy hub, during the visit of PM Narendra Modi to Colombo. India and Sri Lanka also signed an agreement for a high voltage direct current interconnection which will allow for the export and import of power. The cable has been in the works for many years. PM Modi also mentioned the multi-product fuel pipeline planned between Trincomalee and India. Trincomalee has 99 World War II era tanks more..

Apr 6 (EN) India has converted US$ 100 million of loans into grants, visiting PM Narenda Modi said in Colombo, effectively writing off the debt. “In the last 6 months alone, we have converted loans worth more than US$ 100 million into grants,” PM Modi said at a briefing with Prez Anura Dissanayake at the Prez Secretariat. SL defaulted on its foreign debt in 2022 after extreme macro-economic policy inflation flexible inflation targeting and potential output targeting, shattered the balance of payments. more..

Apr 6 (AD) Indian PM Narendra Modi said the Sampur Solar Power Plant, Multi-product Pipeline, and Trincomalee Energy Hub will benefit all Sri Lankans, and that the interconnectivity agreement will enable Sri Lanka to export electricity. Modi held a bilateral meeting with SL President Anura Kumar Dissanayake on Saturday during his visit to Colombo. Two sides signed seven MoUs after the bilateral talks including an ambitious more..

Apr 6 (AD) Indian PM Narendra Modi was presented with the Mithra Vibhushana award, the highest award to a foreign head of state, by SL Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake during a ceremony held at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo today (5). In a joint press statement alongside PM Modi, Dissanayake said, “I am pleased to announce that the Govt of SL has decided to confer upon him (PM Narendra Modi) the highest SL honour to a foreign head of state of govt- SL Mitra Vibhushana. more..

Apr 6 (ST) Sri Lanka and India inked a defence cooperation memorandum of understanding yesterday, sealing close interlinked security ties between the two nations a Sri Lanka reiterated once again that the country will not be allowed to pose threats to India’s interests. “[this] signifies a point of really close convergence in the narratives of both sides—that has been the recognition of the completely interlinked nature of the national security of Sri Lanka and India,” more..

Apr 6 (ST) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s govt is walking a tightrope, balancing between rays of hope and looming shadows. With the local council elections on the horizon, the administration is pulling out all the stops to win over the public. The task is not difficult since opposition parties remain in disarray. SJB appears less active. It can be gauged from a Colombo district organisers’ meeting summoned by their more..

Apr 7 (CT) According to President Trump, the trade deficit of the US in the last year (2024) was a staggering figure of $1.2 trillion dollars. The trade deficit of this magnitude is considered as being ripped of America by other nations – friends and foes alike. To make the United States rich and wealthy again, Prez Trump believes that this ripping off got to be stopped by eliminating trade deficit by imposing tariffs on all goods imported to the US. Two methods are used to impose tariffs. more..

Apr 7 (ST) It is a travesty of the so-called international rules based order when old rich men (and rich countries) somehow pass themselves off as victims of supposed international trade imbalances, wreaking global havoc at their will and fancy. Brutally put, US Prez Donald Trump engaged in a classically amoral financial sleight of hand this Thursday. That was by imposing punitive baseline (10%) reciprocal tariffs on goods coming into the US from across the world. more..

Apr 7 (TM) As the US imposes a 44% reciprocal tariff on all Sri Lankan exports, concerns are mounting over whether SL has adequately anticipated and prepared for the fallout. While the measure is only one component of a wider recalibration of US trade policy under President Donald Trump, trade analysts and exporters argue that the warning signs were visible for months. With protectionist rhetoric steadily intensifying, more..

Apr 7 (TM) As I observed during my recent visit, Ravan Mandir in Uttar Pradesh, a temple claiming to mark the birthplace of Ravana, the central character of the Ramayana, remains largely forgotten, drawing little attention from the masses. Situated in an area characterised by extreme poverty and surrounded by the harsh realities of modern Indian inequality – despite India’s projected rise as the third-largest global economy by 2030 – the temple’s isolation reflects the broader disconnection more..

Apr 7 (CT) In a world where narratives often overshadow reality, a retired electoral officer has taken it upon himself to inject thought-provoking wisdom into public discourse. His commitment to reviving Tamil language proverbs and their deeper societal implications has sparked conversations across social media. Recently, he shared a compelling Tamil saying on his META account: Kudipaddu Kool Koppalipaddu Panneerbo – Drinking Cheap Porridge and Vomiting Luxury more..

Apr 7 (TM) Sri Lanka’s education system is in crisis and the tuition industry keeps an ailing system’s wheels turning. Yet, whether the future of education should rest in the hands of a shadow system remains a question. Rashini from Deraniyagala entered a school in Colombo to do her A/L exams in the Science stream in 2020. What she learnt when she came to Colombo was that her school teachers paid little attention to more..

Apr 7 (DM) By the time this editorial is published, Indian PM Modi will have left our shores. During his visit Premier Modi signed a number of MoUs with our govt led by Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake; the most important among them being the Defence and Co-operation Pact. Prez Dissanayake himself assured Modi that SL would not allow its territory to be used in ways that could harm India’s security. MoU on defence co-operation between our two countries came nearly 38-years after more..

Apr 7 (DM) Lakshman Kadirgamar once described India–Sri Lanka relations as one of irreversible excellence. Unfortunately, under some govts, they have been neither irreversible nor excellent. In particular, past insensitivity to India’s security concerns has strained relations. That lesson, however, has now been well learnt—and is unlikely to be repeated in the foreseeable future; certainly not by the current govt. Today, Sri Lanka’s chief concern is economic. more..

Apr 7 (ST) SL’s junior golf star, Reshan Algama, claimed a thrilling victory at the 2025 Robert Rock Junior Masters Golf Tournament, concluded at the Al Hamra Golf Club, Ras Al Khaimah, in the UAE. The 17-year-old’s remarkable win secured him his maiden international title, capping off a nail-biting final day of competition. Algama, who finished regulation play tied at two over par (218), displayed nerves of steel in a dramatic three-way playoff. Despite a modest start to the tournament, more..

Apr 7 (TM) Govt is currently in the process of identifying a suitable private investor for the joint development of the Trincomalee Oil Tank Farm in partnership with Trinco Petroleum Terminal Ltd. (TPTL), with the announced refurbishment of the 61 tanks allocated to TPTL currently at a standstill until a private investor is identified. Lanka IOC (LIOC) Managing Director Dipak Das revealed that no decision had been made yet on how the 61 tanks allocated to TPTL would be developed. more..

Apr 7 (TM) SL is set to sign a termination agreement with Australian-based United Petroleum (UP) after the company decided to cease its operations in the country. A senior official from the Ministry of Energy confirmed that the issue with UP had been resolved, and that the Cabinet had approved the termination agreement. Since 1 Jan 2024, CPC has taken over the operation of 64 fuel stations previously managed by UP. more..

Apr 7 (Island) Indian PM Narendra Modi’s SL visit saw the signing of seven MoUs between New Delhi and Colombo. Prominent among them are the MoU on the implementation of HVDC Interconnection for import/export of power, the MoU on cooperation among the gots of India, SL, and the UAE on developing Trincomalee as an energy hub, and the MoU on defence cooperation between India and SL. The signing of those MoUs, especially the one on defence cooperation, on 05 April, more..

Apr 7 (TM) The spectre of custodial deaths has long haunted the law enforcement system of SL. It is a symptom of a systematic sub-culture of impunity and lack of accountability, which has been long entrenched in the SL Police. Custodial deaths and forced confessions and the SL Police have a long-standing relationship. The practice of beating out a confession is nothing new to most law enforcement forces which were modelled under colonial policing objectives. more..

Apr 7 (AD) PM of India Narendra Modi has proposed to exhibit sacred relics of the Lord Buddha that were discovered in the 1960s in Gujarat. Indian Prime Modi along with Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake paid homage to the sacred Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi in Anuradhapura this morning (6) and received blessings. Following his visit to the sacred site, PM Modi proceeded to the Udamaluwa, where he had an audience with the Chief Incumbent Most Venerable Dr. Pallegama Hemarathana Nayaka Thera, for a cordial discussion. more..

Apr 7 (CT) As the country prepares to celebrate the Sinhala and Hindu New Year, the charm of traditional batik and handloom clothing once again comes into focus. Colourful shirts, sarees, sarongs and lungis — woven or dyed with care — grace shop windows and wardrobes. These are more than just clothes. They are works of art. They are a proud expression of SL culture and identity. Despite their popularity, the batik and handloom industries are struggling. High production costs, labour shortages, more..

Apr 7 (DM) A stock of 50,000 kilograms of large shrimp, previously recommended for destruction, was discovered stored in two containers and being transported to the Peliyagoda Fish Market Complex, allegedly to be sold to the public. The raid was carried out by officers from the CAA, which has since launched an investigation into the incident involving the shrimp containers at the Colombo Port. Shrimp was found being fed into machinery more..

Apr 7 (DM) SL, facing 2 weather patterns of high heat and thunderstorms at the same time, is expected to continue for the month of April, an official from the Dept of Meteorology said. Meteorologist Malith Fernando said that SL has almost no wind pattern this month and due to wind patterns being low the heat is felt even more than that with windy weather. The humidity in SL has also increased in comparison to the previous year, with high-end temperatures reaching above 30C. more..

Apr 7 (ST) Sunshine Holdings PLC is aggressively expanding into the pharmaceutical sector and consolidating its superior position while aiming to collaborate with international partners to look at other new products. “We are looking for products of complexity (international partnerships) where there could be technology transfer, as in biosimilars, such as insulin, Sunshine Holdings PLC Group CEO, Shyam Sathasivam, said in an interview on Wednesday in Colombo. more..

Apr 7 (CT) SJB MP Dr. Harsha de Silva expressed mixed emotions over the official opening of the Prabashwara agricultural warehouse complex in Dambulla, a major infrastructure project he had championed during his tenure in the Opposition. Dr. de Silva described the moment as another historic day in his life and said he was sincerely happy to witness launch of temperature – & humidity-controlled facility, more..

Apr 7 (TM) Brilliant scrum-half Heshan Jansen scored a game changing try in stoppage time with scores at 34-33, as Kandy SC withstood a fierce challenge from CR and FC, to win 41-33, in a pulsating Inter-Club Clifford Cup Knockout final at Nittawela yesterday. With this stirring victory last evening, Kandy SC also reclaimed the Clifford Cup for the first time in seven years, as they clinched the double to back up their outstanding league championship success, with an unbeaten run. more..

Apr 7 (Hindu) MDMK General Secretary Vaiko on Sunday condemned the MoU signed between India and SL for defence cooperation during PM Narendra Modi’s visit to the neighbouring island nation. In a statement, Vaiko said Modi visited SL and held talks with Prez Anura Kumara Disanayake. The two sides signed seven MoUs which included cooperation between the defence forces of two nations. “It was the SL defence forces that massacred over 1.37 lakh SL Tamils [during the civil war] and more..