- President Ranil Wickremesinghe expressed his dedication to fostering an economic landscape in the nation that would prevent future struggles among its citizens. Emphasizing the swift reconstruction of the economy within a mere two-year span, he underscored his resolve to elevate the standard of living by fortifying the economy’s resilience.
- National People’s Power leader, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, is set to depart for Sweden tonight to participate in a series of engagements. The events, organized by the Swedish Foreign Committee of the National People’s Power, aim to foster friendly discussions and interactions.
- The Sri Lanka Freedom Party’s (SLFP) faction led by Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva has appointed MP Duminda Dissanayake as the party’s Acting General Secretary.
- The ‘Sri Lanka Electricity Bill’, which incorporates the proposed reforms for the electricity sector, was presented to the parliament by Power & Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera. The Bill seeks to provide for the establishment of the National Electricity Advisory Council and make the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) the regulator for the electricity industry in terms of the proposed legislation.
- Former President Maithripala Sirisena has sent a letter of demand to Minister Mahinda Amaraweera, seeking Rs. 1 billion in damages over defamation. The letter of demand references an alleged statement made by Minister Amaraweera to the media on April 22 and 24 which it claims contains inaccurate and malicious comments regarding former President Sirisena.
- Sri Lanka and Singapore have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a view to working together to promote the boating and yachting industries. The agreement was forged between the Chamber of Marine Industries of Sri Lanka (CMISL) and the Singapore Boating Industry Association (SBIA).
- Upul Shantha Sannasgala, who was arrested earlier on Thursday has been released on bail, on the orders of Welisara Magistrate’s Court. He is accused of defrauding an individual of Rs. 1 million.
- Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa vehemently refuted the allegations recently levelled at him by Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith concerning the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks. Rajapaksa addressed four such allegations made by the Cardinal at an event held to mark the 5th anniversary of the carnage that claimed the lives of more than 250 people and left hundreds of others wounded.
- ITC Limited’s wholly owned subsidiary WelcomHotels Lanka (Private) Limited has launched ITC Ratnadipa. This luxury destination draws inspiration from the national flower of Sri Lanka, the floating water lily.
- New Uganda Cricket coach Abhay Sharma is pleased with his work with the team and looks forward to the Sri Lanka camp for insights before the World Cup. The team left for Colombo, then heads to Galle for a 15-day training camp until May 11th.
