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Home » NewsHumility and devotion: Kissing Christ’s feet
Christians across the world celebrate Easter Sunday today. Two days earlier, our photographer captured a nun kissing the feet of a statue of Jesus Christ during Good Friday services at St. Lucia’s Cathedral in Kotahena—a symbolic act of devotion, humility, and solidarity with Christ’s Passion. Pic by M.A. Pushpa Kumara
China offers fuel to Sri Lanka; shipment due within weeks
Govt considers buying Russian oil, coal and fertiliser; seeks US sanctions waiver By Damith Wickremasekera China this week stepped in to offer Sri Lanka fuel stocks on a priority basis in a bid to maintain stable fuel supplies. China’s Ambassador Qi Zhenhong met President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Foreign Affairs Minister Vijitha Herath yesterday to [...]
Lanka says no to Russian nuclear plant offer
Sri Lanka has turned down a Russian offer to go nuclear in the energy sector after Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko, who was on a visit to Sri Lanka recently, said discussions could begin should Sri Lanka express an interest in obtaining a small modular nuclear power plant for the country. Talks with Russia [...]
VAT on foreign digital services postponed again
By S. Rubatheesan The government has further postponed the imposition of an 18 per cent Value Added Tax (VAT) on digital services supplied by non-resident service providers through electronic platforms until July 1, according to an Inland Revenue Department circular. The imposition of VAT on such services has been further postponed until July 1, subject [...]
LCC tightens rules, floats tender for 2.28mn MT of coal for 2026–27 season
By Namini Wijedasa Lanka Coal Company (Pvt) Ltd (LCC) this week floated a tender for 2.28 million metric tonnes (MT) for the 2026-27 season, changing several of the bid conditions with the objective of avoiding a procurement similar to the ongoing fiasco of substandard coal. While some of the terms have been tightened, the tender [...]
Lankan troops to resume Haiti peacekeeping
Sri Lanka will shortly resume peacekeeping operations in Haiti after a lapse of more than ten years, senior government officials said yesterday. Approval has been given for the Sri Lankan peacekeepers to join operations in Haiti following talks held with the UN Department of Peace Operations in New York. Foreign Affairs Minister Vijitha Herath also [...]
Security arrangements all in place for Easter Sunday, say police
By Iresha Bandara and Kasun Warakapitiya As Christians celebrate Easter Sunday today (April 5), heightened security measures have been implemented across the country to ensure public safety. Police media spokesman Senior Superintendent of Police, Fredric Wootler said that the Inspector General of Police, Priyantha Weerasooriya, had instructed all police stations islandwide to follow intelligence reports and [...]
Final Rites for veteran politician Mahinda Wijesekera held in Matara
The final rites of senior politician and former minister Mahinda Wijesekera, (83), who passed away on Thursday was held in his hometown in Matara yesterday. Mr Wijesekera was a leading political figure in the Matara District and had a parliamentary career spanning nearly three decades; first as Member of Parliament for Matara from the Sri [...]
No remains found: Excavation ends at suspected mass grave
By S Rubatheesan Since no human remains or artefacts were recovered during the three days of excavations at a specific spot in the suspected mass grave site in Kurukkalmadam, Batticaloa, the pit was closed on Friday, according to the Office of Missing Persons (OMP). The excavation activities began on Tuesday (March 30) under the supervision [...]
Health fears as substandard coal doubles fly ash, Mercury levels
Amidst environmentalists raising concerns this week that recent substandard coal consignments may contain high levels of mercury, thereby posing a health risk to Norochcholai residents, an energy analyst has calculated that the amount of mercury generally released to the environment due to coal combustion is between 600 and 650kg per year. Reports point to mercury [...]
Vidya case convict tries to abuse female prison doctor
By Shane Senevirtane A prisoner serving a jail term for the rape and murder of Jaffna schoolgirl Sivaloganadan Vidya attempted to abuse a female doctor at the Pallekele Dumbara Prison hospital, police said yesterday. The incident occurred when the doctor visited the prison to treat the convict. Police said the prisoner tried to abuse the [...]
Price shock hits consumers before electricity bills’ crushing blow
By Kasun Warakapitiya Wednesday’s electricity tariff hikes—over 25% for households consuming more than 180 units—have shocked the public on multiple fronts. Not only consumers but traders, industrialists, hoteliers, and others depending on diverse livelihoods appear worried. Though people dread receiving this month’s electricity bill, they are already feeling the impact of the tariff hike, as [...]
Building materials and hardware traders pounce in crisis
By Kapila Bandara Retail traders of building materials and hardware have raised prices of a wide range of items at double-digit rates in some cases, taking advantage of the acceleration in energy prices and supply disruptions due to the war in West Asia. Some traders are blunt about price escalation and boldly say there is [...]
The coal may not be perfect but the procurement is, says Govt.
But why did it take seven months to close? By Namini Wijedasa When it comes to the controversial 2025-26 coal tender, the government’s position is now clear: something may be wrong with the coal, but there was no fraud in the procurement. Guidelines were followed to the letter. The Sunday Times tracked the process, based [...]
Imports of alternatives to fill Keeri Samba shortage
As underground market thrives, farmers blame lack of government cultivation plan By Nidarshani Wickramasinghe A shortage of Keeri Samba and complaints of prices exceeding Rs 350 a kilogram have emerged ahead of the biggest cultural festival this month. As a solution to the shortage of Samba and Keeri Samba, the Food Policy and Security Committee [...]
62% qualify for university in 2025 GCE AL exam
Results released this week show that 176,527 students who sat the 2025 GCE Advanced Level examinations—62.64 per cent of candidates—qualified for university admission. A total of 281,810 students sat the exams—221,413 school candidates and 60,397 private candidates. Among those students, 7,477 school students and 823 private students secured ‘A’ passes in all subjects. Examinations Commissioner [...]
Devinuwara Devale accounts not ‘personal funds’: CA upholds RTIC’s order to People’s Bank
Basnayake Nilame holds the accounts in ‘trust’ for the devotees and not in personal ‘capacity’ Refusal to disclose information is a ‘frustration of legislative intent regarding transparency and accountability’ By Ranjith Padmasiri “The office of the Basnayake Nilame had recently faced scrutiny on the misuse of funds’ and the transparency of such funds cannot [...]
NDB unable to reveal full scale of insider financial fraud
By Kapila Bandara The National Development Bank (NDB) has informed the financial market that a Rs 380 million fraud has been pulled off by some staff and others and warned that “the final amounts could be substantially greater’’. The Norwegian government-run Norwegian Investment Fund for Developing Countries, NORFUND, is the bank’s largest shareholder with a [...]
Parliament report on female staffer’s harassment gathers dust
By Sandun Jayawardana Key recommendations made in a report into the alleged harassment of a female employee of parliament are yet to be implemented more than four months after it was officially handed over. The investigation report prepared by retired High Court Judge Sujatha Alahapperuma was handed over to Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne on November 24, [...]
Foreigners arrested in raid on Chilaw cyberscam hub
Pix and text by Hiran Priyankara Jayasinghe A clandestine operation led by a Chinese group posing as tourists was busted by the Computer Crimes Unit of the Criminal Investigation Department this week with the arrest of 152 foreigners in the Ambakandawila area of Iranawila. They were allegedly involved in financial fraud via the internet. Over [...]
Nuwara Eliya’s Spring Festival takes off under a cloud
By Shelton Hettiarchchi Uncertainty hangs over the annual Nuwara Eliya spring festival that usually draws large crowds from various parts of the country. Residents say that this time around an acute water shortage, rail disruptions following the Ditwah destruction, fuel restrictions, and the government’s cancellation of large public events have all put a damper on [...]
Kandy’s pavement hawkers get an Avurudu bonanza
By L.B. Senaratne The Kandy Municipal Council has unanimously decided to allow pavement hawkers to trade on the upper floor of the George E. de Silva park for ten days, beginning today, in view of the upcoming Avurudu season. The decision was reached during a meeting on Friday presided over by the Mayor of Kandy, [...]
A helping hand to foster music in two schools in Puttalam
By Hiran Priyankara Jayasinghe Two Sri Lankans residing in the UK have reached out to help students of a couple of underprivileged schools in Puttalam. The two men, businessman Dilakshan Somanathbabuji and attorney at law Mohamed Malik had contacted Public Administration and Provincial Council Minister Chandana Abeyaratne and expressed their desire to give a helping [...]
‘It is the quiet, often unseen act of doing justice that gives meaning to a life in the law’
Justice Kumudini Wickremasinghe’s address at the ceremonial sitting at the Supreme Court to mark her retirement By Ranjith Padmasiri “Positions are transient. Recognition fades. But your integrity, your humility and your commitment to justice must remain constant. For we are, above all, servants of a greater purpose,” said Justice Kumudini Wickremasinghe. Addressing the ceremonial sitting [...]
Rs 56.288 billion allocated for Ditwah relief but thousands still awaiting compensation
Documentation and verification processes slowing down payments, say officials By Ishu Bandara The Government has allocated Rs. 56.288 billion (as of March 27) toward an empowerment programme to help those affected by Cyclone Ditwah rebuild their lives Despite the considerable allocation, lakhs of beneficiaries are still awaiting compensation the Sunday Times learnes. The [...]
Water cuts necessary to avert some areas from going dry completely, say officials
Households facing long duration cuts undergo severe disruption to daily life By Ishu Bandara Residents in several suburbs of Colombo are facing difficulties due to water cuts that have been imposed due to to the prevailing dry weather. Some areas initially experienced interruptions of up to 24 hours, which were later reduced to around [...]
Groundwater replenishment, new supply projects, and rainwater to help ease recurring crises
By Niranjala Ariyawansha The importance of conserving the nation’s water resources has emerged as a matter of critical urgency as the need for water cuts has risen. To address the predicted water scarcity in the future, developing the country’s ground water table and introducing more rainwater harvesting systems have been under discussion for a long [...]
Human interventions intensify city heat; urban animals bear the brunt
By Kasun Warakapitiya Clearing trees for beautification and safety, creating open spaces for pathways and erecting billboards have contributed to an increase in the heat in urban and suburban areas of Sri Lanka. Colombo and most prominent cities have become areas which radiate more heat as the concrete buildings bake in the sun, subjecting urban [...]
April fools of the wild; the ancient trickery of the jackal
By Malaka Rodrigo On April 1, as people trade tricks and laughter to make “April Fools” of one another, a different kind of deception comes to mind; one that unfolds in Sri Lanka’s scrub forests, chena lands and village edges and associated with the Sri Lankan Jackal (Canis aureus naria). A subspecies of the golden [...]
The passion of Christ and Duwa’s fishing community united by faith and tradition
Thousands of devotees and visitors gathered in Duwa to witness the Duwa Passion Play, a centuries-old Christian drama that continues to unite an entire community in a display of faith and tradition. Widely regarded as one of the world’s most significant Passion Plays, the Duwa production has grown into a major cultural and spiritual event [...]
Washing the feet of 12 devotees on Maundy Thursday
Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, the Archbishop of Colombo, conveyed the meaning of “servant leadership” by washing the feet of 12 devotees at St. Lucia’s Cathedral in Kotahena on April 2, Maundy Thursday symbolising the humility of Jesus Christ who washed the feet of his disciples. The ceremony marked the Last Supper and the institution of the [...]