Arrangements near completion for sacred tooth relic exposition in Kandy

All arrangements for the exposition of the Sacred Tooth Relic tomorrow are nearing completion. Sri Dalada Maligawa, the Kandy Municipal Council, the police, security forces, and other government establishments have organized the grand ceremony, which is being held this year after a long interval of 16 years.

Probe into unattended evidence of Easter Attack on its sixth anniversary

Not ruling out the connection between Pillayan, exiled Channel 4 whistleblower Hanzeer Azad Maulana and Saharan Hashim with the Easter bombers as a script of the same incident, the civil society activists yesterday urged the government to probe into several unattended findings of the Easter Sunday attack at its sixth anniversary which falls next Monday.

Growing Chikungunya cases raise eyebrows

Health authorities have raised concerns over a noticeable increase in the spread of the Chikungunya virus, which is transmitted by mosquitoes and poses a serious threat to public health, according to the Health Promotion Bureau.

Doctors warn of unsafe firecrackers in the market

As the Sinhala and Tamil New Year approaches, medical specialists are warning the public about the dangers of low-quality firecrackers being sold in the market.

Sinhala New Year events under tight security watch

Police said yesterday that special security and traffic arrangements will be in place during the upcoming Sinhala and Tamil New Year festive season.

Pearl Cluster celebrates 12 years in business

Pearl Cluster, a company that manages a diverse portfolio in the energy, construction, software, digital marketing and healthcare sectors, celebrated 12 years in business on Wednesday at a function at the Waters’ Edge Hotel, Battaramulla.

UK school cricket team visits Aluthgama

A school cricket team from the UK visiting Sri Lanka was given a warm and heartfelt welcome upon their arrival at the Blue Sapphire Tourist Hotel in Kaluwamodara, Aluthgama.

Jaffna–Palali highway reopens to civilians after 34 years

The Jaffna-Palali main highway which had been closed during military conflicts was opened yesterday after 34 years for use by civilians.

Young woman in Spa and three others arrested for murder

An individual who had obtained the services of a Spa in Anuradhapura area video recorded the scenes of his sexual encounters with a young woman employed there, and earned money by hiring her for prostitution under threat of sharing the nude footage on websites had been killed by the young woman with the help of three young men.

Retired Naval rating abducted and robbed of Rs. 4.5M, five arrested

A gang of five men including two police sergeants, a Civil Security Constable and two others who abducted a retired naval rating at gunpoint and robbed him of Rs. 4.5 million was arrested by Mihintale Police.

India ready for maritime surveys in Sri Lanka, a countermeasure to China’s?

Against the backdrop of China’s foray into the Indian Ocean for research, India also remains ready to tie up with Sri Lanka to undertake hydrographic surveys, Daily Mirror learns.

Unlawful detention centre operator appointed advisor to Ministry of Public Security: Opposition MP alleges

A person named ‘Ranaweera’ who ran an unlawful detention centre in Welipanne during the late 1980s has been appointed as an advisor to the Ministry of Public Security today, opposition MP Mujibur Rahman told Parliament yesterday.

Deshabandu granted bail

The Matara Magistrate’s Court yesterday granted bail to suspended Inspector General of Police (IGP) Deshabandu Tennakoon.

Chamara withdrew Provincial Council funds as per govt. circular: Ranil

Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday said that the provincial council funds were withdrawn from banks during Chamara Sampath’s tenure as Chief Minister in accordance with a circular issued by the then government.

Defence pact with India affects Sri Lanka’s non aligned foreign policy - Opposition MP

While highlighting that signing of a defence pact with India will affect Sri Lanka’s non aligned foreign policy, Opposition MP Dayasiri Jayasekara yesterday called for a debate on the pacts which was signed with India recently.

Answer to SL debt crisis is a revolutionary one – Socialist Equality Party

The answer to the Sri Lankan debt crisis is a revolutionary solution and refusing to pay back any loans taken as they were not taken for the sake of the working class people or the farmer fraternity, is our solution, the Socialist Equality Party (SEP) said yesterday.

US reciprocal tariff AKD should directly negotiate with Trump: Namal

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake should directly negotiate with US President Donald Trump to ensure an amicable solution to the crisis brought on by the 44 percent reciprocal tariff, SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa told Parliament yesterday.

Ranil would have negotiated tariff reduction with Elon Musk: Rajitha

Former Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne claimed that if someone like President Ranil Wickremesinghe were currently in government, he would have directly engaged with Elon Musk, Senior Advisor to the U.S. President, to negotiate a reduction of the 44% tariff imposed on Sri Lankan goods.

President warns of removing state officials if they continue to resist change after May

Claiming that no section of the public service has been allowed to collapse over the past six months of the present government, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said if officials continue to resist change, the government will proceed to remove and replace them after May.

Awareness of Sri Lankans on scientific research findings extremely low

The Chairman National Science Foundation, Professor Saman Seneweera at the launch of the Objective Science Reporting Programme mentioned that Sri Lanka lacks in adapting scientific research due to the communication gap in delivering scientific reports to the public by media organizations.

Former PSD Constable remanded till April 22.

Former Police Constable of the Presidential Security Division (PSD) was remanded till April 22, by Colombo Additional Magistrate Bandara Ilangasinghe yesterday over allegations of defrauding over Rs. 1 billion by showing photos of luxury vehicles held at customs and convincing individuals that he could provide them at prices lower than market value.

President writes to Donald Trump over reciprocal tariffs

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake sent an official letter to US President Donald Trump over the recently imposed reciprocal tariffs on Sri Lankan exports to the US, Minister of Labour Anil Jayantha Fernando said yesterday.

Govt. scraps SriLankan Airlines privatization plan

Colombo, April 8 (Daily Mirror) - The current government has decided to reverse the previous administration’s decision to privatize the airline, the President’s Media Division said. Instead, it plans to continue operating it as the national carrier while introducing a new management structure to ensure its profitability moving forward.

Cabinet approves deal with Vitol Asia to supply fuel for six months

The Cabinet approval has given the green light to award the contract for the procurement of five shipments of 92 Octane Unleaded petrol to M/s Vitol Asia Pte. Ltd., Singapore, marking a key step in ensuring the country’s uninterrupted fuel supply over the next six months.

‘Pilleyan’ arrested

Former State Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, alias ‘Pilleyan’, was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) a short while ago, police said. The reason for the arrest not revealed until this edition went to print.

Tougher time ahead for Sri Lanka in securing GSP+

In the wake of the government bracing for dealing with the fallout of the U.S. tariffs, it will have a tougher time ahead in securing the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+), a trade facility to secure market access to the markets in the European Union (EU) because of conditions for compliance with 27 international conventions and new conventions to be added in the future.

Two ministers in the present govt. face corruption charges: Opposition MP

There are two ministers in the present government who have faced corruption charges, Opposition MP Chamara Sampath Dassanayake told Parliament yesterday.

Govt. still pursuing Arjuna Mahendran’s return: Minister Nalinda

The government has not given up on bringing former Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran back to the country at the first opportunity, Cabinet spokesman Nalinda Jayatissa said.

Intense heat, rainfall forecast simultaneously for several areas

While several parts of the island are expected to experience heavy rainfall of about 75mm today, the sun is also currently passing directly overhead in several areas.

Sri Lanka performs first successful adult-to-adult live donor liver transplant

​Doctors at Kings hospital have successfully completed the first-ever adult-to-adult live donor liver transplant in the country.