Latest News
Fifty-three killed in US strikes on Yemen, Houthis say
The death toll from US strikes on Yemen has risen to 53, including five children, the Houthi rebels’ health ministry said.
The US said it launched a “decisive and powerful” wave of air strikes on Houthi targets on Saturday, with President Donald Trump citing Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea as the reason.
Washington said some key Houthi figures were among the dead, but the group has not confirmed this.
Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said that his militants would target US ships in the Red Sea as long as the US continues its attacks on Yemen.
Updating an earlier death toll, Houthi health ministry spokesperson Anis al-Asbahi posted on X that 53 people had been killed including “five children and two women”, and that 98 people had been wounded.
One father of two, who gave his name as Ahmed, told the AFP news agency: “I’ve been living in Sanaa for 10 years, hearing shelling throughout the war. By God, I’ve never experienced anything like this before.”
The Houthis also said there were fresh US strikes targeting them in Al Jaouf and Hudaydah early on Monday. The US is yet to comment.
US National Security Advisor Michael Waltz told ABC News that Saturday’s strikes “targeted multiple Houthi leaders and took them out”.
He told Fox News: “We just hit them with overwhelming force and put Iran on notice that enough is enough.”
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth vowed an “unrelenting” missile campaign until the Houthi attacks stop.
“I want to be very clear, this campaign is about freedom of navigation and restoring deterrence,” Hegseth said in a televised Fox Business interview.
The Houthis said it would continue to target Red Sea shipping until Israel lifted its blockade of Gaza, and that its forces would respond to the strikes.
The Iranian-backed rebel group, which considers Israel its enemy, controls Sanaa and the north-west of Yemen, but it is not the country’s internationally-recognised government.
The Houthis have said they are acting in support of the Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, and have claimed – often falsely – that they are targeting ships only linked to Israel, the US or the UK.
Since November 2023, the Houthis have targeted dozens of merchant vessels with missiles, drones and small boat attacks in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. They have sunk two vessels, seized a third, and killed four crew members.
Announcing Saturday’s strikes, Trump said “we will use overwhelming lethal force until we have achieved our objective”.
“Funded by Iran, the Houthi thugs have fired missiles at US aircraft, and targeted our Troops and Allies,” Trump said on social media, adding that their “piracy, violence, and terrorism” had cost “billions” and put lives at risk.
Addressing the Houthis directly, Trump wrote that if they did not stop, “HELL WILL RAIN DOWN UPON YOU LIKE NOTHING YOU HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE”.
But the Houthis have been unwavering in their response, saying the aggression would not diminish their support for Palestinians.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the US government had “no authority, or business, dictating Iranian foreign policy”.
“End support for Israeli genocide and terrorism,” he posted on X on Sunday. “Stop killing of Yemeni people.”
The Houthis have claimed responsibility, without offering evidence, for two attacks on the US aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman and several American warships in the Red Sea, calling it retaliation for US strikes.
But a US official told Reuters news agency that US warplanes shot down 11 Houthi drones on Sunday, none of which came close to the Truman. The US is yet to respond to the second claim of such a strike.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday called for “utmost restraint and a cessation of all military activities” in Yemen.
[BBC]
The Prime Minister, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, paid a solemn visit to the Embassy of the Vatican in Colombo today (25) to offer condolences on behalf of the Government and the people of Sri Lanka on the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis.
During the visit, Dr. Amarasuriya signed the book of condolence, expressing deep sorrow over the demise of the beloved spiritual leader and extending heartfelt sympathies to the Catholic community both in Sri Lanka and around the world:
The Prime Minister was received by the Archbishop Brian N. Udaigwe, Apostolic Nuncio of the Apostolic Nunciature, the Vatican Embassy in Colombo and other officials.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
President Anura Kumara Disanayake visited the Chief Prelates of the Malwathu and Asgiri Chapters of the Siyam Nikaya today (25) and received their blessings.
The President first visited the Malwathu Maha Viharaya and held discussions with the Most Venerable Thibbatuwawe Sri Sumangala Nayaka Thera, Chief Prelate of the Malwathu Chapter, regarding the “Siri Dalada Wandanawa” and related matters.
Thereafter, President Disanayake proceeded to the Asgiri Maha Viharaya and engaged in a brief discussion with the Most Venerable Warakagoda Sri Gnanarathana Nayaka Thera, Chief Prelate of the Asgiri Chapter.
The President also met with the Venerable Urulewatte Dhammarakkhitha Thera, Asgiri Vihara Senior Karaka Sangha Sabhika, in charge of Theva (Daily Services) of the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic.
Diyawadana Nilame of the Sri Dalada Maligawa Nilanga Dela and Acting Inspector General of Police, Priyantha Weerasooriya, were also present during these visits.
[PMD]
Latest News
IPL 2025: Kohli and Hazlewood break Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s home duck as Rajahstan Royals botch another chase
At some point, you’d think the toss gods would show Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) a little mercy at home. But once again, the coin turned its back on Rajat Patidar. This time, though, the bad luck ended right there as they posted 205 for 5, their highest total at home this season. For all that, another heartbreak loomed, but RCB turned it around sensationally to clinch their first home win – and perhaps their most dramatic win at any venue – of IPL 2025.
The losing side were Rajasthan Royals (RR), who came into this contest having let back-to-back games slip out of their control in the final over. Their tension seemed to have defused when Dhruv Jurel , having scratched his way to 18 off 23, found his hitting range, and when he and Shubnam Dubey ransacked 22 off Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the 18th over, the equation came down to 18 off 12.
Then came Josh Hazelwood. He was ice-cold in the moment, producing a masterful 19th over of unhittably steep bounce – conceding just one run and taking two wickets, of Jurel and Jofra Archer in successive balls.
It was left to Yash Dayal, the same man who had held his nerve in a now-legendary last over to deliver their previous home win, against Chennai Super Kings last season. And he delivered as RR lost by 11 runs after having the chase in their grasp for so long.
The M Chinnaswamy Stadium erupted. RCB had finally found their voice at home and, with it, a long-overdue win that put them in the top three. For RR, this was a fifth straight loss that left them on the brink.
With 17 needed off ten, Hazlewood conjured a moment of magic – a pinpoint wide yorker that Dhruv Jurel shaped to scythe but appeared to miss. With little conviction, Patidar opted for a caught-behind review. Technology confirmed what only Jurel might have known – a faint under edge that carried low to Jitesh Sharma. A seemingly innocuous dot turned into a game-changing strike.
Jurel, who had weathered a slow start and was just beginning to ignite, walked back, and with him went RR’s best hope. But Hazlewood wasn’t done. He cranked up a hard-length ball next that cramped Archer for room. It was as if Archer had been served a dish of his own, cold. The ball ballooned to cover, where Patidar pouched it gleefully.
If Hazlewood’s final over, the 19th, was theatre, his penultimate over was no less telling. Having seen balls angled across the left-handers disappear, he went around the wicket to Shimron Hetmyer and pounded the surface with venom. Hetmyer tried to nudge him away but only managed a feather of an inside edge through to Jitesh. Only six runs came off that over, the 17th, and RCB’s grip got firm.
Long before the chaos of the death overs, RR were cruising. Yzshaswi Jaiswal had lit the Chinnaswamy up with a power-packed 49 off 19, and Nitish Rana was stroking it with finesse. At 110 for 2 in nine overs, the chase seemed to be on autopilot.
It’s here that Krunal Pandya was summoned and he delivered a breakthrough first ball when Riyan Parag, looking to muscle a slog sweep, only managed a top edge that settled into Jitesh’s gloves.
At the other end, Suryash Sharma was equally impressive. Mixing up quick, skiddy legbreaks with the odd wrong’un, he kept the pressure on. RR managed just one boundary from the tenth to the 13th overs. Under rising pressure, Rana went for a release shot in the 14th, only for Bhuvneshwar to pluck a catch on the second attempt at short fine leg. Krunal now had figures of 3-0-19-2. The strangle was on.
Half-centuries from Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal laid a strong foundation after Phil Salt’s scratchy 26 off 23, while a late dash from Tim David and Jitesh lifted RCB to 205 for 5. Kohli overcame a streaky start to get to a composed fifty in 32 balls. His early duel with a fiery Archer was, in particular, thrilling. Meanwhile, Padikkal made the most of two dropped chances to notch up a second straight half-century.
Just as the platform was set for a lift-off, RR struck back, removing Kohli, Padikkal, and Patidar in quick succession. But David and Jitesh picked up 42 runs in just 19 balls to cap the innings with a flourish. In a match that swung wildly from one side to the other, those closing overs turned out to be the difference between a defendable total and yet another heartbreak.
Brief scores:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru 205 for 5 in 20 overs (Phil Salt 26, Virat Kohli 70, Devudutt Padikkal 50, Tim David 23, Jitesh Sharma 20*; Jofra Archer 1-33, Sandeep Sharma 2-45, Wanidu Hasaranga 1-30) beat Rajasthan Royals 194 for 9 in 20 overs (Yashaswi Jaiswal 49, Vaibhav Suriyavanshi 16, Nitish Rana 28, Riyan Parag 22, Dhruv Jurel 47, Shimron Hetmyer 11, Shubham Dubey 12; Josh Hazlewood 4-33, Bhuveneshwar Kumar 1-50, Yash Dayal 1-33, Krunal Pandya 2-31) by 11 runs
[Cricinfo]
PM pays condolence to pope Francis at the Embassy of the Vatican in Colombo
President conducts an inspection tour of Kandy city
Sri Lankan delegation meets with US Trade Representative
-
Business7 days agoDIMO pioneers major fleet expansion with Tata SIGNA Prime Movers for ILM
-
News6 days agoFamily discovers rare species thought to be extinct for over a century in home garden
-
Features4 days agoRuGoesWild: Taking science into the wild — and into the hearts of Sri Lankans
-
Foreign News6 days agoChina races robots against humans in Beijing half marathon
-
Editorial7 days agoSelective use of PTA
-
News3 days agoOrders under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruptions Act No. 9 of 2023 for concurrence of parliament
-
Features5 days agoNew species of Bronzeback snake, discovered in Sri Lanka
-
Features6 days agoThe ironies of history