Pope Francis, the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church, has died, the Vatican said in a video statement on Monday, ending an often turbulent reign marked by division and tension as he sought to overhaul the hidebound institution.

Images of Pope Francis' tomb at the Santa Maria Maggiore church in Rome have been released. A single, white rose was pictured lying on the stone tomb that bears the name he was known by during his pontificate, below a crucifix illuminated by a single spotlight.

Ranuli Wijesirwardhana, a student of Visakha Vidyalaya, Colombo, has excelled in both the G.C.E. Ordinary Level and Advanced Level examinations within the same year.

Commissioner General of Examinations Amith Jayasundara has revealed that a higher percentage of female candidates have qualified for university admission compared to male candidates at the 2024 Advanced Level examinations.

A man who demonstrated the main character of a drama (Ponnan Sangar), which depicted the Hindu culture, fell to death off a 60-foot pole in Nanu Oya this morning. The man was identified as a 63-year-old father of three from a tea estate in Nanu Oya.

A total of 177,588 students who passed the 2024 GCE Advanced Level (A/L) examinations have qualified for university entrance, the Examinations Department announced. A total of 274,361 candidates including 222,774 school candidates and 51,587 private candidates passed the examinations.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said an international cricket stadium will be constructed in the north. Addressing an electoral rally in the north in view of the Local Government elections, he said the first match will be played soon after that, enabling the people to cheer in the pavilion irrespective of any divisions among them.

A high-level European Union GSP+ Monitoring Mission is scheduled to visit Sri Lanka from April 28 to May 7, 2025. The purpose of the mission is to assess the country's progress in meeting the conditions tied to the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) trade concessions.

Highlighting that the recent spate of killings is clear evidence that Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala has failed in his duties to maintain law and order, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Dayasiri Jayasekera called for the minister’s resignation. Jayasekera told a media briefing that the minister in charge of law and order has not fulfilled his responsibilities.

A 29-year-old businessman from the Heenatiya area in Katunayaka was injured in a shooting incident this morning, Katunayake Police said. According to police, the incident occurred around 5:35 a.m. when two individuals arrived at his residence armed with T-56 type firearms and opened fire.

The results of the 2024 (2025) GCE Advanced Level Examinations will be released soon according to several local media reports. Hiru TV has reported that the results are expected to be released tonight.

It’s reported that 201 key underworld figures are reportedly coordinating crimes in Sri Lanka, including murders and drug trafficking, while residing abroad, mainly in countries like Dubai. Police sources say all relevant details about these individuals have been shared with INTERPOL.

Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe has informed the Bribery Commission that he will report to provide a statement on 28 April 2025. Informing the Commission through his Attorney, the former President confirmed that he would report to the Bribery Commission at 02.00 pm on the said date.

Sri Lanka and the United States agreed to continue the discussions on reciprocal tariff with the objective of finalising a bilateral trade agreement between the two countries,the President’s Media Division (PMD) said.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Vijitha Herath will represent the Government of Sri Lanka at His Holiness Pope Francis' funeral, which will be held on Saturday (April 26) in Saint Peter's Square, Vatican City.

A severe lightning warning has been issued for 18 districts, valid for 11 pm today, the Meteorology Department said.

A schoolboy who attempted to enter the Sri Dalada Maligawa, clad as a Buddhist monk was arrested by the police. The suspect is identified as a 18-year-old schoolboy, a resident of Kirallawela, Gampaha.

A total of 28 people including 10 school children were injured when a bus met with an accident at the Mahiyangana-Tissapura PTS junction this morning, police said. The Mahiyangana police said that the accident occurred due to a brake failure in the bus.

Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe today questioned the claim made by the government on a successful deliberation with the US on the Reciprocal tariff on imports.

Four people who visited Kandy to pay homage to the Sacred Tooth Relic and for official duties have died, Director National Hospital, Kandy Dr. Iresha Fernando said.

The Education Ministry has decided to close schools on May 5 as notified in the Commissioner General of Elections' letter dated April 19, in view of the Local Government elections scheduled for May 6.

The government has declared April 26, 2025 as a national day of mourning in view of the passing away of Pope Francis. Accordingly, the Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government requests that the national flag at all government institutions be hoisted at half mast.

Retired SSP Shani Abeysekera, serving the Police Department again, has been appointed to the committee headed by Senior DIG Asanka Karawita, tasked with studying the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) report on the 2019 Easter Sunday carnage.

Police have arrested three suspects, including a woman, in connection with the killing of Dan Priyasad, political activist, convenor of Nawa Sinhale National Movement and SLPP candidate in the upcoming local government (LG) elections from Kolonnawa.

Sri Lanka Police have appointed a four-member committee to study the final report of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the Easter Sunday bomb attacks, which spans approximately 66,000 to 67,000 pages, police said.

The government is questioning why some former government members, now in the Opposition, appear so worried about the ongoing investigations into the Easter Sunday bomb attacks, Health and Mass Media Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa said.

A suspect was arrested following a failed shooting attempt at Andiambalama in Katunayake this morning, police said. Police said two individuals on a motorcycle had attempted to target a businessman in the area. However, their attempt was foiled when the weapon reportedly malfunctioned, preventing the shooting attempt.

Referring to the reports in the social media that Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith is a contender for the papacy which has fallen vacant with the death of Pope Francis, a spokesman for the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka said there is no such thing called contenders for the papacy.

To genuinely bring justice to those who died and to those permanently disabled in the Easter Sunday bomb attacks, we must unite to defeat the rabid Islamic extremist forces that are spreading like a cancer in this country, Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) General Secretary Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera said.

The Attorney General has requested the Chief Justice to appoint three High Court judges to constitute a High Court-at-Bar for the trial against former Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella over the controversial purchase of substandard immunoglobulin injections.