The Presidential Secretariat has denied approving a pardon for W.H. Athula Tilakaratne, a prisoner convicted of financial fraud, reportedly released from Anuradhapura Prison during the Vesak 2025 pardons. His name was not on the official list of 388 inmates approved by the President. A complaint has been filed with the CID, and an investigation is underway to identify those responsible for the unauthorized release.

Unauthorized prisoner release triggers CID probe

A total of 6,042 cases of dengue was reported from Sri Lanka in May, the latest data by the National Dengue Control Unit (NDCU) shows. The data also indicates a steady increase in dengue cases over the past three months, with 3,766 cases reported in March and 5,166 cases in April. In the first five months of this year, 23,744 dengue cases have been reported. Most cases have been reported in Colombo, Gampaha, Ratnapura, and Batticaloa districts. So far, 13 people have died from dengue over the first five months of 2025, the NDCU data shows. Health officials warn that the number of dengue cases is likely to rise further with the onset of the monsoon rains. Source: Xinhua

Dengue cases surge past 6,000 in Sri Lanka in May as monsoon season begins

Sri Lanka Railways is inspecting the signalling system from Colombo Fort to Kalutara today and tomorrow, following a recent safety scare. A Sagarika train was halted in Modara, Moratuwa due to a broken rail. Despite the blockage, another train proceeded after a signal wrongly showed green, nearly causing a collision. Quick action by the driver averted disaster. The Panadura–Moratuwa section has been certified safe.

Coastal line signal check after near-miss incident

The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) will issue its recommendation next week on the Ceylon Electricity Board’s proposed 18.3% electricity tariff increase. The decision follows the conclusion of public consultations across all nine provinces and a review of generation cost reports and stakeholder submissions. The study is now in its final stages.

PUCSL to decide on proposed 18.3% electricity tariff hike next week

National Poson Week commenced today (7) and will run until 13 June, with key celebrations centered in Anuradhapura, Mihintale, and Thanthirimale. Anuradhapura District Secretary K.P. Ranjith Wimalasooriya announced that a special mobile app has been launched to assist devotees, offering details on parking, dansal locations, first aid centers, and traffic updates to ease congestion during the festival.

National Poson week begins today

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, in his Hajj message today (7) emphasised the pilgrimage as a symbol of unity, equality, and self-sacrifice. Recognizing Hajj as a powerful reflection of Prophet Ibrahim’s unwavering faith, he stated that it inspires collective harmony and spiritual renewal. He stressed that Hajj promotes peace, compassion, and brotherhood values vital to building a united and progressive Sri Lanka. The President called on all citizens to join in national efforts with goodwill and inclusivity. Extending his heartfelt wishes to Muslims in Sri Lanka and around the world, he concluded: "Eid Mubarak!"

President extends Eid wishes

Tom Felton is to reprise his role as the villainous Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter stage show on Broadway.It marks the first time that a star of the Harry Potter movies has joined the spin-off stage production, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.The hit play - which serves as an epilogue to the famous wizard’s story, following on from the end of the book series - opened in London’s West End in 2016 before transferring to New York two years later.Felton said: “It’s surreal to be stepping back into his shoes - and of course his iconic platinum blond hair - and I am thrilled to be able to see his story through and to share it with the greatest fan community in the world.”He will play the role at New York’s Lyric Theatre for 19 weeks from 11 November.The English actor featured opposite Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson on screen in the film franchise from 2001 to 2011.Now 37, he will become the first member of the cast to join the stage show, which takes place 19 years after the end of the original story, with Harry, Ron and Hermione, as well as Draco, all sending their own children to Hogwarts.“Being a part of the Harry Potter films has been one of the greatest honours of my life,” Felton said in a statement.“Joining this production will be a full-circle moment for me, because when I begin performances in Cursed Child this fall, I’ll also be the exact age Draco is in the play.”He added: “I look forward to joining this incredible company and being a part of the Broadway community.”He also posted a teaser video on Instagram, in which he dons Draco’s blonde wig and black robes and reaches for his wooden wand before menacingly asking: “Scared, Potter?” A caption then reads: “Draco is back.”Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the highest-grossing non-musical play in Broadway history, and has sold more than 10 million tickets worldwide since its premiere in London in 2016.It currently has productions running in London, New York, Hamburg and Tokyo.The producers of Broadway production, Sonia Friedman and Colin Callender, said in a joint statement they could not wait to see Felton perform “once again with the same depth, gravity, and humanity he has always brought to Draco”.“It’s not lost on us that this is a cultural moment charged with nostalgia, evolution, and emotion,” they added.“Tom’s return to Hogwarts bridges generations of fans and breathes new life into a beloved story. We’re beyond thrilled to welcome Tom back ‘home’ but also into a new family: our Broadway company.”Since his last outing as Draco, Felton featured in the 2011 sci-fi movie Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and made his West End theatre debut in the 2022 play, 2:22 A Ghost Story.This came shortly after he had attended the filming of the Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts feature alongside Radcliffe, Watson, and Grint.The same year, he published a memoir of his time as a young actor in the franchise entitled Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard.Tickets for his latest venture will go on general sale on 12 June, with a presale starting two days earlier.Last week, HBO has announced the young actors who will play the lead trio in its TV series adaption of JK Rowling’s fantasy book series.Source: BBC

Tom Felton to reprise Draco Malfoy role in Broadway’s ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’

Goods brought into the US plunged by 20% in April, recording their largest ever monthly drop in the face of a wave of tariffs unleashed by US President Donald Trump.The retreat reflects the abrupt hit to trade, after firms had rushed products into the country earlier this year to try to get ahead of new taxes on imports Trump had promised.US purchases from major trade partners such as Canada and China fell to their lowest levels since 2021 and 2020 respectively, the Commerce Department said.The collapse helped to cut the US trade deficit - the gap between exports and imports - in goods by almost half, a record decline, according to the report.“The April trade report indicates the impact from tariffs has well and truly arrived,” said Oxford Economics, while noting that the latest figures should be interpreted with caution, given the surge in activity earlier this year.Since re-entering office in January, Trump has raised import taxes on specific items such as foreign steel, aluminium and cars and imposed a blanket 10% levy on most goods from trading partners around the world.He had briefly targeted some countries’ exports with even higher duties, only to suspend those measures for 90 days to allow for talks.Trump has said the moves are intended to rebuild manufacturing at home and strengthen its hand in trade negotiations.White House officials are now engaged in intense talks aimed at striking deals before that 90-day deadline expires next month.Chinese President Xi Jinping and Trump spoke by phone on Thursday to try to reach a breakthrough in those negotiations, as the fragile truce between the two sides showed signs of deteriorating.In a social media post, Trump said it had been a “very good phone call” focused on trade and that teams from the two sides would be meeting again shortly.State media in China reported that they had agreed to further talks and extended an invitation of a visit to Trump.Trump’s barrage of tariffs have brought the average effective tariff rate in the US to the highest level since the 1930s, according to analysts.After a surge in activity earlier this year, the abrupt changes have led to a sharp slowdown in trade as firms weigh how to respond.In Mexico, the steel industry said its exports to the US had been cut in half last month.In Canada, the trade deficit hit an all-time high last month, widening to C$7.1bn, as exports to the US shrank for a third month in a row.Thursday’s report from the US Commerce Department showed few categories of products were unaffected by the changes.Imports of passenger cars dropped by a third from March to April. Pharmaceutical products were hit and imports of most consumer goods also fell, including cell phones, artwork, furniture, toys and apparel.But imports surged from Vietnam and Taiwan, which saw their exports briefly targeted with higher rates before Trump suspended those levies, according to the report.Despite the big monthly decline, overall US goods imports in the first four months of the year are up about 20% compared with the same period in 2024.Exports so far this year are up about 5% compared with 2024.The overall goods and services deficit in April was $61.6bn, down from $138.3bn in March.Source: BBC

Tariffs prompt record plunge in US imports

President Donald Trump threatened on Thursday to cut off government contracts with billionaire Elon Musk’s companies, while Musk suggested Trump should be impeached, turning their bromance into an all-out brawl on social media.The hostilities began when Trump criticized Tesla CEO Musk in the Oval Office. Within hours, the once-close relationship had disintegrated in full public view, as the world’s most powerful man and its richest launched personal barbs at one another on Trump’s Truth Social and Musk’s X.“The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts,” Trump posted on Truth Social.Wall Street traders dumped shares of Musk’s electric vehicle maker and Tesla closed down 14.3%, losing about $150 billion in market value. It was Tesla’s largest single-day decline in value in its history.Minutes after the closing bell, Musk replied, “Yes,” to a post on X saying Trump should be impeached. Trump’s Republicans hold majorities in both chambers of Congress and are highly unlikely to impeach him.The trouble between the two started brewing days ago, when Musk denounced Trump’s sweeping tax-cut and spending bill. The president initially held his tongue while Musk campaigned to torpedo the bill, saying it would add too much to the nation’s $36.2 trillion in debt.Trump broke his silence on Thursday, telling reporters in the Oval Office he was “very disappointed” in Musk.“Look, Elon and I had a great relationship. I don’t know if we will anymore,” Trump said.While Trump spoke, Musk responded with increasingly acerbic posts on X.“Without me, Trump would have lost the election,” wrote Musk, who spent nearly $300 million backing Trump and other Republicans in last year’s election. “Such ingratitude.”In another post, Musk asserted that Trump’s signature tariffs would push the U.S. into a recession later this year.Besides Tesla, Musk’s businesses include rocket company and government contractor SpaceX and its satellite unit Starlink.Musk, whose space business plays a critical role in the U.S. government’s space program, said that as a result of Trump’s threats he would begin decommissioning SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft. Dragon is the only U.S. spacecraft currently capable of sending astronauts to the International Space Station.Hours later, Musk appeared to reverse that move. Responding to a follower on X urging Musk and Trump to “cool off and take a step back for a couple of days,” Musk wrote: “Good advice. Ok, we won’t decommission Dragon.”In another possible sign of de-escalation on Thursday evening, Musk separately posted, “You’re not wrong,” in response to hedge fund manager Bill Ackman saying Trump and Musk should make peace.PUGILISTIC PAIRThe feud was not entirely unexpected. Trump and Musk are both political pugilists with sizable egos and a penchant for using social media to punch back against their perceived enemies, and many observers had predicted an eventual falling out.Even before Musk’s departure from the administration last week, his influence had waned following a series of clashes with cabinet members over his cuts to their agencies.For Trump, the fight was the first major rift he has had with a top adviser since taking office for a second time, after his first term was marked by numerous blow-ups.Trump parted ways with multiple chiefs of staff, national security advisers and political strategists during his 2017-2021 White House tenure. A few, like Steve Bannon, remained in his good graces, while many others, like U.N. Ambassador John Bolton, became loud and vocal critics.After serving as the biggest Republican donor in the 2024 campaign season, Musk became one of Trump’s most visible advisers as head of the Department of Government Efficiency, which mounted a sweeping and controversial effort to downsize the federal workforce and slash spending.Musk was frequently present at the White House and made multiple appearances on Capitol Hill, sometimes carrying his young son.Only six days before Thursday’s blowup, Trump and Musk held an appearance in the Oval Office where Trump praised Musk’s government service and both men promised to continue working together.A prolonged feud between Trump and Musk could make it more difficult for Republicans to keep control of Congress in next year’s midterm elections. In addition to his campaign spending, Musk has a huge online following and helped connect Trump to parts of Silicon Valley and wealthy donors.Musk had already said he planned to curtail his political spending in the future.Soon after Trump’s Oval Office comments on Thursday, Musk polled his 220 million followers on X: “Is it time to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle?”‘KILL THE BILL’Musk targeted what Trump has named his “big, beautiful bill” this week, calling it a “disgusting abomination” that would deepen the federal deficit. His attacks amplified a rift within the Republican Party that could threaten the bill’s prospects in the Senate.Nonpartisan analysts say Trump’s bill could add $2.4 trillion to $5 trillion to the nation’s $36.2 trillion in debt.Trump asserted that Musk’s true objection was the bill’s elimination of consumer tax credits for electric vehicles. The president also suggested that Musk was upset because he missed working for the White House.“He’s not the first,” Trump said on Thursday. “People leave my administration... then at some point they miss it so badly, and some of them embrace it and some of them actually become hostile.”Musk wrote on X, “KILL the BILL,” adding he was fine with Trump’s planned cuts to EV credits as long as Republicans rid the bill of “mountain of disgusting pork” or wasteful spending.He also pulled up past quotes from Trump decrying the level of federal spending, adding, “Where is this guy today?”Musk came into government with brash plans to cut $2 trillion from the federal budget. He left last week having cut only about half of 1% of total spending while causing disruption across multiple agencies.Musk’s increasing focus on politics provoked widespread protests at Tesla sites in the U.S. and Europe, driving down sales while investors fretted that Musk’s attention was too divided.Source: Reuters

Unauthorized prisoner release triggers CID probe

Dengue cases surge past 6,000 in Sri Lanka in May as monsoon season be ...

Dengue cases surge past 6,000 ...

Coastal line signal check after near-miss incident

Coastal line signal check afte ...

PUCSL to decide on proposed 18.3% electricity tariff hike next week

PUCSL to decide on proposed 18 ...

National Poson week begins today

National Poson week begins tod ...

President extends Eid wishes

President extends Eid wishes

Tom Felton to reprise Draco Malfoy role in Broadway’s ‘Harry Potter an ...

Tom Felton to reprise Draco Ma ...

Tariffs prompt record plunge in US imports

Tariffs prompt record plunge i ...

Trump, Musk feud explodes with threats of cutting contracts, backing i ...

Trump, Musk feud explodes with ...

Dengue cases surge past 6,000 in Sri Lanka in May as monsoon season be ...

Dengue cases surge past 6,000 ...

Coastal line signal check after near-miss incident

Coastal line signal check afte ...

PUCSL to decide on proposed 18.3% electricity tariff hike next week

PUCSL to decide on proposed 18 ...

National Poson week begins today

National Poson week begins tod ...

President extends Eid wishes

President extends Eid wishes

Tom Felton to reprise Draco Malfoy role in Broadway’s ‘Harry Potter an ...

Tom Felton to reprise Draco Ma ...

Tariffs prompt record plunge in US imports

Tariffs prompt record plunge i ...

Trump, Musk feud explodes with threats of cutting contracts, backing i ...

Trump, Musk feud explodes with ...

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Coastal line signal check after near-miss incident

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Bringing the news paper to your fingertips

PUCSL to decide on proposed 18.3% electricity tariff hike next week

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National Poson week begins today

National Poson week begins tod ...

President extends Eid wishes

President extends Eid wishes

Tom Felton to reprise Draco Malfoy role in Broadway’s ‘Harry Potter an ...

Tom Felton to reprise Draco Ma ...