COLOMBO, April 29: Six civilians were shot dead on Friday in separate attacks in three north-eastern districts of Sri Lanka. The body of a rickshaw driver was found with gunshot injuries in Jaffna while gunmen shot dead four Tamil men in eastern Batticaloa district.

Another man was shot dead in the Mannar district.

CONFERENCE: An all-party conference held at the presidential secretariat in Colombo on Friday unanimously agreed to take the peace process forward, despite strong reservations voiced by the government’s Marxist ally — the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) – and an all-monk party, the Jathika Hela Urumaya.

Opinion

Editorial

A difficult story
Updated 12 Jun, 2026

A difficult story

Unless productivity becomes the dominant target of economic policy, Pakistan will continue to oscillate between crises and fragile recovery.
Rough waters
12 Jun, 2026

Rough waters

AMONGST the key potential triggers for fresh conflict in South Asia is water. The Indian state is behaving in an...
Politicised football
12 Jun, 2026

Politicised football

ALMOST three-and-half years since Lionel Messi led Argentina to FIFA World Cup glory, the latest edition of...
GB polls’ aftermath
Updated 11 Jun, 2026

GB polls’ aftermath

The new administration must address the region’s issues proactively.
Peace in retreat
11 Jun, 2026

Peace in retreat

THE ceasefire announced in April was supposed to create space for negotiations. Instead, it has been repeatedly...
A few good men
11 Jun, 2026

A few good men

IT was a brave move, no doubt. This Tuesday, in the land of the Afghan Taliban, a few good men decided to take a...