Apr 25 (DN) SL Schools Rugby Football Association (SLSRFA) chairman Ranjith Chandrasekara said that they needed the permission of the Defence Ministry, Education Ministry and Sports Ministry to re-start Schools League Rugby tournament which was postponed due to the prevailing situation in the country. He also said that the association had no intention to cancel the rest of the matches of this year’s tournament. Tournament was due to start after the weekend of Sinhala-Tamil New Year more..

Apr 25 (NZH) The Black Caps' August tour of Sri Lanka will go ahead for now. New Zealand Cricket will consider their position after at least 290 people were killed in Easter suicide bombings. It's too early for the governing body to make a definitive decision on whether to play the scheduled two tests and three T20 internationals, but the risk assessment is likely to be postponed. Security checks were understood to be planned within the next three weeks, but a delay's expected. more..

Apr 25 (AD) Minister Rishad Bathiudeen stated that he strongly condemns false accusations against him, adding that false accusations for cheap, political mileage hurled at a time of crisis only deepens SL’s predicament. “Any Minister of Industry and Commerce has to meet business and trade representatives over trade issues and business development. As Trade Minister, I, too, meet business & trade representatives on a more..

Apr 25 (ICC) Chaminda Vaas, the former Sri Lanka paceman, believes Lasith Malinga's form and his leadership qualities will play the decisive role for Sri Lanka at the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2019. Sri Lanka announced their 15-man World Cup squad for the tournament last week, which included plenty of surprise omissions and comebacks. However, Vaas, who was in Mumbai to inaugurate a local T20 tournament on Tuesday, 23 April, thought the selectors had done a good job. more..

Apr 25 (CT) The Batticaloa Chamber of Commerce strongly condemned the attacks that took place in the country on Easter Sunday at multiple locations in the country, Batticaloa Chamber of Commerce CEO, K. Kugathas said. He further noted, “We extend our deepest condolences to the families of the victims and all those affected during this tragic time.” He urged the need for all to stand united with fellow citizens and look to leaders and the authorities concerned to swiftly enforce law and order, more..

Apr 25 (SLA) Hundreds of Army Officers and Other Ranks across the country after the gazette notification conferred the powers of search, detention or arrest without warrant any person on members of the armed forces, immediately took up position around the country on the instructions of respective Commanders of Security Forces, General Officers Commanding and Brigade Commanders. Security Force Headquarters - West more..

Apr 25 (Island) Ella Flower Garden Resort is a bustling tourism property in Ella where British, German, French and Australian guests account for more than 55% of their total guest profile. Even at the time of writing this news report, the hotel was fully booked contrary to widespread belief that many tourists in Sri Lanka are heading back home. The hotel's glass door now has signs of a variety of facial coverings, including icons of a helmet, an eyeless full-figure shroud etc. more..

Apr 25 (Island) Triple jumper Vidusha Lakshani said that she would be extremely happy if her medal winning feat at the Asian Athletics Championship here in Doha Qatar could bring a sense of hope for the masses struggling to overcome the grief from the Easter Sunday blasts back home. "All Sri Lankans, Sinhala, Muslim and Tamil, must unite to eradicate the menace of terrorism. I am happy if this medal could bring hope to people affected," Vidusha said after she won the bronze medal more..

Apr 25 (FT) Leader of the House Lakshman Kiriella called for the appointment of a parliamentary select committee to look into the failure of communication of the prior warnings that were made by foreign intelligence on last Sunday’s terrorist attacks. Minister who was speaking during the emergency debate in Parliament yesterday that it is extremely important to look into as to why the warning made by more..

Apr 25 (Hindu) The first reaction of disbelief after receiving news of the Easter Sunday attacks in Sri Lanka, with more than 350 now confirmed dead, has not dissipated. The emotions are reminiscent to what most of us felt when we first heard news of the 2004 tsunami. Sri Lankans are not unused to tragedy or shocks — we, after all, have lived with an ethnic conflict, two insurrections, riots, assassinations and constitutional coups. Nor is the disbelief simply because the war had ended more..

Apr 25 (FT) Govt continued to come under serious criticism over security lapses yesterday, with UPFA lawmaker Dinesh Gunawardena yet again demanding that the Govt should resign and insisting the public should have been informed of the security threats. MP taking part in the debate on the State of Emergency held that the Govt had failed to count the actual numbers of the injured. “There are missing an unidentified body of foreigners, but the Govt has failed to provide a list of these foreigners. more..

Apr 25 (Island) TNA MP M. A. Sumanthiran urged the govt to investigate Governor Eastern Province M.L.A.M. Hizbullah’s alleged links with the National Thowheed Jamaath along with all connections that group had with various other politicians and previous defence officials. MP said that there was an alleged link between the Islam radical group and the Eastern Province Governor. more..

Apr 25 (Hindu) Six Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leaders from Tiruppur had a providential escape from the bomb blasts that rocked Colombo on April 21. DMK’s Tiruppur urban district secretary and former Mayor K. Selvaraj and five of his party colleagues escaped one of the blasts by a few minutes. “Rajmohan Kumar, Muruganandam, and I were supposed to go down to the restaurant on the ground floor of Kingsbury hotel to have our breakfast on Sunday. While I was ready and waiting, more..

Apr 25 (AP) Pakistan PM Imran Khan, in a telephone conversation with his SL counterpart Ranil Wickremesinghe on Wed, strongly condemned the string of bombings in SL that claimed the lives of at least 359 people. PM conveyed his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for the speedy recovery of the wounded. PM Imran said that the people of Pakistan are deeply grieved over the loss of precious lives and stand with their SL brethren at this hour of grief. more..

Apr 25 (Island) The entire govt would have resigned if a disaster like the Easter Sunday carnage had happened in any other country, but such things would never happen in Sri Lanka, Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka told Parliament. Participating in the debate on gazette declaring a state of emergency, Field Marshal Fonseka severely criticised both the govt and the Opposition for allowing the deterioration of intelligence services. more..

Apr 25 (DM) Opposition MP Wimal Weerawansa said MP Mujibur Rahman, Western Province Governor Azath Salley and Minister Rishard Bathiudeen should be questioned for instigating extremism. He told parliament that the police had not even recorded a statement from them on the matter so far. MP Rahman, who responded to the allegation, challenged Mr. Weerawansa to prove with facts and evidence if he had instigated extremism. more..

Apr 25 (FT) Tourist hotels yesterday said that the deadly Easter Sunday attacks would have a major blow on the entire tourism industry, where they forecast a $ 1.5 billion revenue loss this year. “This is the first-ever time the terrorists have targeted and attacked tourists, particularly hotels. From the immediate reactions, we are estimating that there will be a massive loss of $ 1.5 billion in tourism earnings this year,” Hotels Association of SL (THASL) President Sanath Ukwatte said. more..

Apr 25 (AP) Inside the sprawling home with a white BMW parked outside, there was a terrifying secret. At least three of the suicide bombers who struck Sri Lanka on Easter belonged to the same extended family, police said. The patriarch was one of the country's most successful spice traders. Two of his sons carried out attacks early Sunday morning, according to law enforcement. Later that afternoon, they said, as police more..

Apr 25 (DN) A comprehensive security plan will be in force in and around schools to ensure safety of students, teachers and the non-academic staffers. Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam said this security plan will be implemented in all national and provincial schools to ensure safety of students and staffers. He said all schools and adjoining areas will be checked before the start of second term on Apr 29 as the govt has the responsibility to ensure the safety of students and staff members. more..

Apr 25 (EN) SL's Tourism Development Ministry on Tuesday said that all major tourist sites remain open with tighter security following the Easter Sunday bombings. "Sri Lanka Tourism wishes to assure tourists who are already in the country and unaffected by the terror attacks that the police, tourism police and security forces are jointly implementing a comprehensive security plan to ensure their safety across the island including all important tourism sites," a statement said. more..

Apr 25 (FT) Govt yesterday said a new splinter group of the National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ) had been identified as having links to the Easter Sunday attacks, as the number of arrested grew to 60 and the death toll rose to 359, with the country’s security remaining on high alert. The number of arrested rose to 60 on Wednesday with 32 of them in CID custody. Investigations were mainly being conducted by the CID and more..

Apr 25 (DM) Just over a year ago, on March 6, 2018 to be precise, following inter-religious unrest in Digana and elsewhere Lakshman Kiriella (UNP) said in Parliament that ‘a resolution should be brought and Buddhists should apologize to the Muslims in connection with the violence.’ Kiriella has not, as yet, called on Muslims to apologize to Christians and people of other faiths who perished in the Easter Sunday attacks. Kiriella was out of order and that is not surprising. more..

Apr 25 (DM) Reading the mind of someone practising the Islam faith would be much difficult than reading the mind of a terrorist. This could be because there are many breakaway sects of the Islam faith; each claiming purity of the religion in the way it is practised. Now we hear of the radical group called National Thawheeth Jama’ath being blamed for the recent series of bombings. Most of these radical Islamic groups apart from fighting to claim territory also promote their versions of Islamic more..

Apr 25 (ST) The Health Ministry will soon gazette maximum charges for medical and surgical procedures at private hospitals, Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne said. Accordingly, maximum charges will be gazetted for 48 procedures and private hospitals will be required by law to adhere to them. These will cover charges for surgery, including heart operations, scans and lab tests. Dr Senaratne said the gazette had been held up after more..

Apr 25 (ST) A group of handpicked personnel from the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) will get extensive training in handling wildlife crime scenes and evidence recovery by a team of crime scene investigators from the United States of America next week. The training team is from Serendipity Wildlife Foundation’s special CSIwildlife unit in Orange County, California, that comprises present & retired law enforcement more..

Apr 25 (DM) Violence is designed to challenge our democratic values, which were formed and endorsed in saner times. When bombs are set off they bring out some of our natural instincts for safety and, in the process, weaken our connections to our values and erode our freedoms. When we allow that to happen, we become like the bombers who then win. The picture here states that customers in burqa have no entry to the grocery shop. more..

Apr 25 (AD) Sri Lanka Police advises the general public not to panic as security forces are conducting search operations across the country. The public is requested to cooperate with security forces personnel carrying out the searches, the Police Spokesman said. Police have set up roadblocks at several areas including within the city of Colombo as they search suspicious vehicles and individuals. more..

Apr 25 (EN) Sri Lanka is expecting to grow 4% in 2019, up from 3.2% in 2018 the central bank said despite a severe credit and import collapse in the first quarter from monetary instability triggered last year. The central bank said reforms were needed to unlock growth. " ..[I]t is essential that the root causes for the continued low economic growth are addressed by expediting the required structural reforms with a focus on improving more..

Apr 25 (HT) Central agencies responsible for countering the influence of Islamic State in India have found that SL-based National Towheed Jama’at (NTJ), a Tamil Nadu-based outfit and some people from Kerala were in regular touch for over a year to create a separate Islamic confederation in the region, a counterterrorism official claimed. The official, however, said the TN-based org doesn’t seem to be involved more..

Apr 25 (EN) Sri Lanka's extended program with the IMF is expected to go for board approval in May, an official said as the country was rocked by radical Islamist bombings that killed over 350 people. "Based on the important progress to date and the reform plans under the program, our Executive Board is expected to consider in mid-May the authorities’ request to complete the fifth review under the arrangement and extend it by more..

Apr 25 (Bernama) Tourism Ministry said that it has kept its new visa-on-arrival programme on hold due to the security situation in the country. The visa-on-arrival regime was expected to be implemented from May 1 for tourists from over 30 countries. However, following the string of explosions on Easter Sunday which left 359 people dead & over 500 others injured, govt decided to put the programme on hold until further notice. more..

Apr 25 (BBC) A young mother of two in the coastal SL town of Kattankudy sits in disbelief. Mohammad Hashim Madaniya has found out that her brother, Zahran Hashim, is the alleged ringleader of a group of suicide bombers who attacked churches and hotels in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, killing more than 350 people. She says she is horrified by what he has done and fears what could happen next. She has been interviewed by police but more..

Apr 25 (AFP) Sri Lanka's Catholic churches suspended all public services over security fears on Thursday, as thousands of troops joined the hunt for suspects in deadly Easter bombings that killed nearly 360 people. Security forces also made fresh arrests overnight over the attacks, as the govt faced pressure over its failure to act on intelligence warnings about possible bombings. Recriminations have flown since more..

Apr 25 (CT) Following the Easter Sunday genocide in Sri Lanka that killed over 400 persons including 50 foreigners as well as injured over 500, the Govt is contemplating to have all the extremist organisations in the country banned, their members apprehended, properties confiscated and assets frozen forthwith. It was revealed that many Sri Lankan Muslims, who hold membership of Tawheed Jamaat which is confirmed to have perpetrated the Easter Sunday bombings of churches and star class hotels more..

Apr 25 (EN) Sri Lanka’s economic growth slowed to 3.2% in 2018 from 3.4% the previous year with growth largely supported by services activities and a recovery in agriculture while industry almost stagnated, central bank said. “The vulnerability of the Sri Lankan economy to global and domestic disturbances became increasingly visible in 2018, with a modest expansion in real economic activity amidst a low inflation environment during the year,” it said in a statement. more..

Apr 25 (AJ) Nearly four days after churches and hotels in Sri Lanka were attacked in a series of suicide bombings that left at least 359 people dead, the govt is facing mounting criticism over its failure to act on detailed warnings that an attack was imminent. The furore surrounds a memo from the police chief that was sent to various security officials on April 11, warning that National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ), a locally based more..

Apr 25 (FT) These are the worst of times for us all in our belovéd blesséd battered bruised broken bleeding isle. And I’m thinking dark thoughts that the twitterati and other tender-minded philosophers would deem unprintable. But will be publish and be damned if you please, @y’all. Because despite the dying need for moderation, restraint, etc., there are some things worth saying. Think of it as a citizen – a SL Christian – speaking truth to power: personal, political, religious, spiritual, diabolical. more..

Apr 25 (Island) Communist Party leader Dew Gunasekera and Ven. Sobitha thera, a former MP representing the JHU, said that Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando’s irresponsible response to Easter Sunday carnage devastated and demoralized the public. They demanded action against him in the wake of UNP MP Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakse, PC requesting Prez Sirisena, in writing to take both Fernando and IGP Pujitha Jayasundera into custody over their failure to thwart the attacks. more..

Apr 25 (AD) All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama (ACJU) stated that they will not accept the bodies of the individuals who carried out the Easter Day attacks. Sri Lanka’s main Islamic Cleric association stated that they vehemently condemn these attacks and that those who are responsible for this attack must be brought before the law and given maximum punishment. ACJU states that there is no place for terrorism in Islam and more..

Apr 25 (TA) Scott Morrison has confirmed one of the suicide bombers involved in the Sri Lankan bombings that killed more than 350 people on Easter Sunday spent time in Australia. The PM says the man was not granted another visa after leaving Australia more than six years ago. "I can confirm that the suicide bomber had been in Australia. They departed in early 2013. That individual had been here on a student and a graduate skilled visa," Mr Morrison told reporters on Thursday. more..