Israel reopens Jerusalem holy sites

Israeli authorities have announced that major holy sites in Jerusalem will reopen to visitors and worshippers following a temporary ceasefire in the Middle East conflict.

Iran threatens new hostilities as Israel pounds Lebanon

Hezbollah said on Thursday that it fired rockets at Israel in response to continued attacks despite the US-Iran ceasefire.

Contract to procure coal signed without AG’s approval

A contract to procure coal was signed with Trident Chemphar Limited without obtaining the approval of the Attorney General, according to a report by the Auditor General investigating the alleged fraud.

JD Vance says Iran would be ‘dumb’ to let talks collapse over Lebanon

United States Vice President JD Vance has warned Iran that it would be “dumb” to jeopardise its ceasefire with Washington over Israel’s attacks in Lebanon.

Iran’s IRGC navy issues map to guide ships around Hormuz mines

Iran announced alternative routes on Thursday for ships traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, citing the risk of sea mines in the main zone of the vital waterway.

Sun overhead parts of country at 12:12 noon today

The sun will be directly overhead parts of the country today (09) at approximately 12:12 noon, with the closest areas identified as Chilaw, Bingiriya, Halmillawewa, Panduwasnuwara, Gokarella, Kawudupelella, Koppaveli and Kirankulam.

Iran says peace talks would be ’unreasonable’ following Israeli strikes

Israel pounded Lebanon with its heaviest strikes yet on Wednesday, killing hundreds of people and drawing a threat of retaliation from Iran, which suggested it would be ’’unreasonable’’ to ‌proceed with talks to forge a permanent peace deal with the United States.

Trump says Lebanon not included in US-Iran ceasefire amid Israeli assault

President Donald Trump has claimed that Lebanon was not included in the ceasefire between the United States and Iran, contradicting the assertion of Pakistan, which mediated the truce.

Israel launches 100 air strikes in 10 minutes across Lebanon

Israel carried out an unprecedented wave of attacks across Lebanon, saying it launched 100 air strikes in a span of 10 minutes. Al Jazeera’s Heidi Pett reports from the scene of a strike in Beirut.

GMOA calls 48-hour island-wide strike over appointment dispute

The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) has announced a 48-hour island-wide strike set to commence at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow (April 9), citing a dispute with the Health Ministry over post-internship appointments.

Iran may quit US ceasefire if Israel continues attacks in Lebanon: Iranian media

Iran will withdraw from a ceasefire agreement with the US if Israel continues to violate it through attacks on Lebanon, an informed source told Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency on Wednesday.

Iran halts tanker traffic at Strait of Hormuz after Israeli strikes on Lebanon

Oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has been halted following Israeli attacks on Lebanon, Iran’s Fars News Agency reported on Wednesday.

436 post-intern medical officers receive appointments

The Health and Mass Media Ministry has announced the appointment of 436 post-internship medical officers to strengthen healthcare services across the island.

Market surges on ceasefire optimism, records one of highest gains in CSE history

The Colombo Stock Exchange witnessed a powerful rebound, with both indices posting significant gains in a strongly bullish session. The ASPI surged by over 980 points within the first 10 minutes of trading, reflecting a sharp turnaround in investor sentiment. Although the index moderated thereafter, it maintained a strong upward trajectory, holding gains within the 800–900 point range throughout the session.

Iran could open Strait of Hormuz in a controlled way ahead of meeting with US, senior Iranian official says

Iran could open the Strait of ​Hormuz in a limited ‌and controlled way on Thursday or Friday ahead of ​a meeting between ​U.S. and Iranian officials in ⁠Pakistan, a senior Iranian ​official, involved in the ​talks, told Reuters on Wednesday.

Trump threatens tariffs of 50% on countries ‘supplying military weapons to Iran’

The U.S. will impose tariffs of 50% on “any and all” goods imported to the country from any nation “supplying military weapons to Iran”, President Donald Trump said on Wednesday.

Ministers accumulating social capital while people hit with economic burden: Namal

Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MP Namal Rajapaksa today alleged that Ministers of the government are accumulating social capital while the people are battered with unbearable economic burden.

Reduce fuel prices immediately: Sajith tells government

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa today urged the government to immediately reduce fuel prices which were increased due to the Middle East war as a two-week ceasefire has been declared now.

Zelenskiy, welcoming Iran de-escalation, says Ukraine ready for ceasefire with Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday he ​welcomed the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, adding ‌that Kyiv was ready to ’’respond in kind’’ if Moscow ceased strikes.

Iranian Oil Refining Company confirms attack on Lavan refinery, Shana reports

An oil refinery ​on Iran’s Lavan ‌Island was targeted in an ’’enemy attack’’ ​on Wednesday ​without causing casualties, ⁠the National Iranian ​Oil Refining ​and Distribution Company said, according to the ​Oil Ministry’s ​news outlet, Shana.

Maharagama visa scam: Woman arrested for Rs.10 million fraud promising overseas jobs

A woman from Maharagama has been arrested over allegations of defrauding more than Rs 10 Million by promising foreign employment opportunities in countries including Albania and Canada, The Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) said.

Iraq reopens airspace and all airports following weeks-long closure

In a major step toward normalizing national operations, the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority (ICAA) officially announced the reopening of the country’s airspace and all commercial airports effective immediately.

Sri Lanka records nearly 15 million local malware attacks in 2025: Kaspersky

Sri Lanka recorded 14,960,244 local malware incidents in 2025, with 37.4% of users affected by threats spread through removable media such as USB drives, CDs and DVDs, according to the latest Kaspersky Security Bulletin. The country ranks 48th globally for local threat exposure.

Greece to ban social media for under-15s from 2027

Greece ‌will ban access ​to ⁠social media for ‌children under ‌the ‌age ⁠of ⁠15 from ​January ‌1, 2027, Prime Minister Kyriakos ‌Mitsotakis said ​on Wednesday, ⁠citing rising anxiety, ‌sleep problems and the ‌addictive ​design of online platforms.

Afternoon showers expected in several provinces tomorrow

Showers or thundershowers will occur at a few places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa and North-Western provinces, as well as in Galle, Matara, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya and Mannar districts after 2.00 p.m. tomorrow (April 9), the Meteorology Department said.

Council of Arab Ambassadors in Sri Lanka calls on President AKD

A meeting between the Council of Arab Ambassadors accredited to Sri Lanka and President Anura Kumara Dissanayake was held this morning (08) at the Presidential Secretariat.

Kuwait Airways to launch Colombo operations from April 15

Kuwait Airways, the national carrier of the State of Kuwait, will commence flight operations to Colombo from April 15, enhancing air connectivity between Kuwait and Sri Lanka.

Unlicensed Ayurvedic cream manufacturing plant raided in Matale

Authorities have conducted a raid on an Ayurvedic cream manufacturing facility in Matale following an investigation by the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA).

Sri Lanka icon eager to continue ahead of T20WC 2026

Skipper Chamari Athapaththu has given an update on her future to head coach Jamie Siddons.

MP Archchuna publishes his pay slip on Social Media

Independent MP Ramanathan Archchuna has published his pay slip on social media, becoming the second MP to do so after MP Jagath Vithana did the same a few months ago.