Trump shares militarised White House rooftop 'Drone Empire' images

Donald Trump has shared a mock-up image of the "drone port" set to be built on the roof of the White House ballroom, as part of sweeping military enhancements.

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Kohli, bowlers lead RCB to second straight IPL title

It took them 18 years to win their first title, but Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) took no time in becoming only the third team to successfully defend it. Their seam bowlers made superb use of a slightly sticky surface after Rajat Patidar won the toss, restricting Gujarat Titans (GT), who were in their third final in five years of their existence, to 155, the exact same score RCB managed in the league match against the seam team in the same ground on the same pitch No. 6 bang in the middle of the square.

Josh Hazelwood who has never lost a T20 or ODI final, set the tone with the wicket of Shubman Gill in his first over. Bhuveneshwar Kumar momentarily reclaimed the purple cap with two wickets, and Rasikh Salam capped off his best IPL with three to take his tally for the year to 19. Last final’s Player of the match, Krunal Pandya, who won his fifth IPL final out of five, also chipped in with the big wicket of Jos Buttler in his analysis of 4-0-23-1. He is now behind only Rohit Sharma and Ambati Rayudu in number of titles, and is also the first player to successfully defend a title with two different teams.

Only three out of 26 scores under 190 in a full match had been defended successfully this IPL. With the ball still nibbling around, the best attack in the tournament would have thought they had a chance, but amid falling wickets, Virat Kohli chose this final to hit his fastest IPL fifty and his highest playoff score, leading a five-wicket win with two overs to spare.

Get the openers

Gill and B Sai Sudharsan came into the final as the only pair of batters from the same team to have scored 700 or more runs in the same IPL. However, they were up against bowlers that have troubled them in the past. A cagey start ensued, Gill survived the Bhuvneshwar over, but Hazlewood had him top-edging his signature short-arm pull.

Josh Hazlewood got the key wicket of the opposition captain [Cricinfo]

GT promoted Nishant Sindhu to No. 3 to protect Buttler from Bhuvneshwar, but the wily bowler made sure Buttler had to come out as he took out Sudharsan in his second over. He first beat Sudharsan on the charge with a bouncer before continuing with another, this one taking the toe end on the ramp. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, in attendance in Ahmedabad, was now assured of the orange cap. This was only the fourth time this IPL that both the GT owners had been dismissed inside the powerplay, three of them against RCB.

Middle-overs choke

Seeing some grip from the pitch and conventional, subdued batters at the wicket, Krunal shelved all his fancy change-ups and bowled only length. His first three overs yielded zero boundaries. Salam was equally miserly at the other end, just bowling good length and enjoying the slight variations from the surface. One of those had Sindhu caught at long-on.

When Krunal started his final over, they had gone 37 legal deliveries without a boundary. Krunal expected the frustrated Buttler to try something, saw him coming and fired in a wide yorker for a spectacular stumping by Jitesh Sharma.

Rasikh Salam and Krunal Pandya bowled superb spells [Cricinfo]

Another promotion followed with Arshad Khan walking in and hitting the fourth ball of the 13th over for a six, only one ball quicker than the longest it has taken a team to hit a six in an IPL final.

No let-up from RCB

Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar and Salam offered no freebies in the death overs. Every time GT thought they could build some momentum, one of the quicks jolted them with a wicket. Hazlewood got Arshad, Bhuvneshwar made it 28 wickets for the season with Jason Holder’s scalp, and Salam took out Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan in the end. Only Jacob Duffy went wicketless, but he, too, nearly had Washington Sundar,  who went on from the reprieve to score a fighting 37-ball 50.

The high-octane chase

Like he did in the 2024 final with a 50 at two runs a ball, Venkatesh Iyer got the middling chase to a flying start. Not that he needed extra licence, but an injury to the inside of the knee in the first over of the chase left him no option but to hit out. He hit out against Rabada in his first over, and by the time Mohammed Siraj got him out for 32 off 16, he had set RCB on their way.

While Venkatesh might have added reason to hit out, Kohli lashed out at Rabada with ferocity that was only foretold by a season in which he has matched some of the younger, more cutting-edge T20 batters. Of  the six batters to have scored 600 or more this IPL, only Sooryavanshi and Ishan Kishan have done so quicker than his 675 at 165.84.

As is often expected of Kohli, he was pumped up when he took on his great rival Rabada, hitting a spectacular six and three fours in Rabada’s second. Rattled bowlers lost their line against Kohli, whose first run on the off side was his 39th. By that time, Rabada had taken back his purple cap with Devdutt Padikkal’s wicket and Rashid Khan would soon take two in his first over, but the asking rate was already under a run a ball.

Only an injury to Kohli slowed down RCB’s march to the title, but Kohli finished it off in style with a four and a six off the last two balls of the 18th over.

Brief scores:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru 161 for 5 in 18 overs (Venkatesh Iyer 32, Virat Kohli 75*, Rajat Patidar 15, Tim David 24, Jitesh Sharma  11*; Mohammed Siraj 1-36, Kagiso Rabada 1-44,  Rashid Khan 2-25, Arshad Khan 1-32) beat Gujarat Titans 155 for 8 in 20 overs (Sai Sudarshan 12, Shubman Gill 10, Nishant Sindhu 20, Jos Buttler 19, Washington Sundar 50*, Arshad Khan 15; Rasikh Salam 3-27, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 2-29, Josh Hazelwood 2-37, Krunal Pandya 1-23) by five wickets

[Cricinfo]

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IMF approves USD695 million for Sri Lanka

AFP –The International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) board approved two reviews of Sri Lanka’s loan programme, making USD695 million in additional loans immediately available to the island nation.

It is the latest tranche in the country’s four-year USD3 billion bailout, with the Fund warning of further risks due to the economic impact of the Middle East conflict.

Surging oil prices due to the conflict have heavily impacted many import-dependent Asian countries.

“Sri Lanka’s strong implementation under the EFF arrangement has continued despite challenging circumstances,” said the IMF’s Deputy Managing Director and Acting Chair Kenji Okamura.

“Gains from the economic reform programme helped preserve economic resilience and provided room to respond to cyclone Ditwah and the Middle East conflict. The latter, however, has significantly worsened Sri Lanka’s economic outlook and tilted risks to the downside.”

The IMF projects 2026 growth to slow to three per cent, with higher oil prices increasing inflation and weighing on the current account balance.

The board’s approval was contingent on Sri Lanka adjusting certain energy market subsidies issued in the wake of the conflict.

The statement said the Sri Lankan authorities had met the Fund’s requirements on fuel and electricity prices meeting cost-recovery criteria.

Criteria on ensuring no new external debts and on not imposing or intensifying import restrictions “were not observed”, however.

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CIABOC DG in JO’s crosshairs

Saturday 30th May, 2026

The Joint Opposition (JO) has submitted a petition to the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC), calling for the suspension of CIABOC Director General Ranga Dissanayake and a high-level probe into his allegedly arbitrary and biased conduct. It has claimed that Dissanayake is misusing his position to further the interests of the ruling NPP led by the JVP, and the integrity of the CIABOC investigations has been undermined by his political bias and arbitrary actions.

There are arguments for and against the Opposition’s campaign against the CIABOC DG. Dissanayake himself has denied the allegations against him as baseless, and it is being argued in some quarters that he is in the Opposition’s crosshairs because of the ongoing investigations into corrupt deals under the previous governments. The JO has cited in support of its petition against Dissanayake an affidavit the late SriLankan CEO Kapila Chandrasena submitted to court through his lawyers, claiming that Dissanayake intimidated him.

Allegations against Dissanayake have not been substantiated, but they have adversely impacted the image of the CIABOC. Hence the need for a thorough investigation into the charges contained in the JO’s petition, which is now in the public domain.

There are various allegations against many state officials in key positions. Some officials of the Attorney General’s Department, the police top brass and some secretaries to ministries have also been accused of misusing their authority to advance the government’s political agenda. Some public officials’ partiality and servility to the government in power severely erode public trust in the institutions they represent and make a mockery of the constitutional safeguards in place to ensure their independence. Constitutional provisions alone cannot depoliticise public institutions; state officials in key positions must assert their independence from politicians and be above reproach.

The JVP was instrumental in having the 17th Amendment to the Constitution introduced in 2001, paving the way for the establishment of the Independent Commissions to safeguard the independence of key state institutions vis-a-vis political interference. In 2015, it campaigned really hard to have the 18th Amendment replaced with the 19th Amendment to restore the 17th Amendment in all but name. In 2022, it joined forces with other Opposition parties and civil society groups to do away with the 20th Amendment and bring in the 21st Amendment, which revived the constitutional mechanisms the 19th Amendment had put in place to free the state service from the clutches of politicians.

But today the JVP-led NPP government stands accused of manipulating the Constitutional Council to elevate its loyalists among public officials to key positions in the state service and pressuring officials to toe its line. The Sri Lanka Association of Divisional Secretaries and Assistant Divisional Secretaries has protested against a controversial government decision to provide “Clean Sri Lanka” coordinators, who are said to be JVP cadres, with offices inside Divisional Secretariats. It has written to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake opposing the government move and warning that such deployment of “Clean Sri Lanka” operatives will only undermine the independence of the public service. The JVP/NPP is accused of trying to establish a parallel administration as part of a strategy to perpetuate its hold on power.

It is imperative that the CIABOC conduct a thorough probe into the JO’s allegations against DG Dissanayake, in a transparent manner. That is the only way it can clear its name, if at all. If the allegations at issue go uninvestigated, they will undermine the integrity of the CIABOC, and provide a fresh impetus to the Opposition’s campaign.

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Sri Lanka’s construction industry losing ground while no one watches

The 21st edition of the “Build Sri Lanka” housing and construction exhibition concluded last week at the BMICH. On the surface, it was a modest success: stalls were staffed, catalogues were exchanged, and the usual dignitaries cut the usual ribbons. But beneath the low hum of polite conversation, a far more urgent story was unfolding – one that policymakers appear to have missed entirely.

For an industry that contributes nearly 8% to Sri Lanka’s GDP and employs over 500,000 people, the quiet profile of this year’s exhibition was telling – the kind that settles over an industry bracing for impact.

The Chamber of Construction Industry (CCI) President, Manilal Fernando, used the platform not to celebrate, but to warn. Two specific points he raised should be ringing alarm bells in the Treasury and the Ministry of Housing. But because the event lacked high-level political attendance, these warnings have so far fallen into a policy void.

Fernando noted that after a brutal slump from 2020 to 2023, the industry saw a fragile recovery in 2024. But that green shoot is now withering. “With the rupee volatility due to the war in the Persian Gulf,” he said, “again we are heading for uncertain times.”

According to CCI, Sri Lanka’s construction industry is an importer in disguise. Over 60% of construction materials from steel and cement to tiles, fittings, and MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing) components are either directly imported or have high import content. Even locally manufactured items rely on imported raw materials.

When the rupee depreciates, costs don’t just rise; they leap. And here is the crux according to Fernando : current contractual payment mechanisms do not automatically reflect these real-time cost increases. As he warned, unless cost escalations are correctly reflected in contract payments, many contractors and consultants will simply be unable to perform. That means stalled projects, abandoned housing schemes, and unfinished infrastructure – paid for, but not delivered.

The second issue is even more maddening because it is entirely within the government’s control to fix. Fernando revealed that a set of long-overdue amendments to the Construction Industry Development Act (CID Act) was finalised in 2024. These amendments were developed over six years by the National Advisory Council on Construction, approved by the Legal Draftsman, and could be enacted within two months.

But instead of enacting these ready-made fixes, CIDA is now pushing for a complete overhaul of the Act – a process that will take a minimum of two years to reach parliament.

He pointed out that without these amendments, the industry lacks a fair, transparent price variation mechanism. Right now, MEP contractors and others complain that CIDA’s official price indices do not reflect actual market price fluctuations. The CCI, therefore, proposed a simple solution: a joint committee (CCI + reputable contractors + CIDA) to oversee index compilation. But even that cannot be implemented effectively without the Act’s update.

The construction industry, once a bellwether of national economic health, is now whispering its crises in a conference hall with no television cameras to air high-decibel news stories or make it a headline event.

The builders of Sri Lanka are not asking for subsidies. They are asking for predictability, fairness, and speed. The war in the Persian Gulf is beyond Sri Lanka’s control. But the CID Act and contract index reforms are not.

By Sanath Nanayakkare

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Trump 'prepares 48-hour invasion' of nearby nation: 'This could get messy'

The Trump administration is reportedly discussing a possible military move on a near enighbour, as the White House continues to push for regime change.

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Blundell, Foxcroft and Smith give New Zealand vice-grip on Ireland Test

New Zealand extended their control on the one-off four-day Test against Ireland in Belfast following a dominating performance on the second day with bat and ball. Building on from the strong foundation set by Rachin Ravindra’s century on the opening day, the visitors posted 490 for 8 after scores of 186 from Tom Blundell and 98 from debutant Dean Foxcroft.

After that, seamer Nathan Smith ran through the Irish top-order, claiming a five-wicket haul within 29 balls of his new-ball spell to finish with 6 for 40. That rolled Ireland over for 179, and New Zealand swiftly enforced the follow-on. By stumps, Ireland were 65 for 2 in their third innings, still 246 runs away from making New Zealand bat again.

With the ball, Smith removed four of Ireland’s top-six batters for ducks in the hosts’ first batting innings – a record in Test cricket – and blazed to his maiden Test five-for after New Zealand had declared for 490 just before lunch.

The Irish top-order collapse started two balls into the Test’s second innings when Smith struck with a full ball that jagged inwards, hitting opener Stephen Doheny on the pads in front of the stumps. Four balls later, No. 3 Cade Carmichael tried to play straight to an inswinger but get an edge to Tom Latham at slip. With both out for ducks, Ireland were 0 for 2 after the first over.

After lunch, and under greyer skies, it was Smith tormenting Ireland once again, with a beauty of a length ball that angled in and opened Andrew Balbirnie’s defense. The exposed bat-pad gap was enough to knock Balbirnie’s middle stump back for 13.

In the same spell, Smith got another full ball to sear back and hit Curtis Campher’s front pad, and he was the third batter gone for a duck. Smith would collect his fourth duck victim and get his five-for when Lorcan Tucker pressed forward for a drive, only for the ball to cut him in half and take out his poles. A wicket for Zak Foulkes to dismiss Harry Tector (16) then saw Ireland reeling at 38 for 6.

Andy McBrine and Mark Adair shared a 116-run stand for the seventh wicket [Cricinfo]

A stubborn seventh-wicket stand of 116 between Andy McBrine and Mark Adair, though, brought some respectability to the hosts’ batting response. As they did against England at Lord’s and against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo previously to post Ireland’s two highest partnerships in Test history, the pair held the innings together. Adair didn’t mind playing T20 shots or moving around the crease early on, but once the sun came out, locked in for a more patient batting innings.

McBrine was enterprising with the cut, and survived a Daryl Mitchell drop at slips, to bring up his half-century in the last over before tea. A few balls later, the partnership crossed hundred, and the teams left the field for the session break at 139 for 6.

It was Smith who broke the partnership, with a short ball that rose uncomfortably to Adair. Once he walked back for 40 and with Ireland at 154 for 7, McBrine soon ran out of partners. New Zealand’s seamers opted for a short-ball tactic against the lower-order batters and that saw Thomas Mayes holing out to deep square leg and Reuben Wilson gloving a catch to slip. McBrine remained unbeaten on 73.

After following-on, Ireland made a much better start, with openers Doheny and Balbirnie putting on 42 for the first wicket. Balbirnie was out nicking behind to Blair Tickner, and the bowler added a second by getting Carmichael edging to slip too.

Earlier in the day, overnight batters Blundell and Foxcroft began the morning by wearing down the Irish bowling attack in the first innings after starting from 361 for 5. Ireland were without Adair – the bowler – for the morning session, and as the highest wicket-taker of day one, he was missed.

The two batters were careful against the swinging ball and seaming track in the early stages but once New Zealand went to the first drinks break without any wickets lost, they changed gears with declaration in sight.

Blundell was particularly strong with his pulls and flat-batted shots between midwicket and long on, getting on top of the leg-stump line and short-ball plan that Liam McCarthy operated on. Foxcroft struck six fours and one six in his innings, unafraid to use his crease either laterally or down the track, to get on top of the home side’s bowling.

Their sixth-wicket stand of 158 for the sixth wicket – which followed up from the 217-run fifth-wicket stand between Blundell and Ravindra on day one – pulverised Ireland. Blundell was out for 186 in the 114th over, out at midwicket looking for more big hits off Wilson’s bowling. Foxcroft, two short of a ton on Test debut, got a top-edge to fine leg off McBrine’s offspin in the 119th over.

In between, Nathan Smith was run-out for 17 courtesy a smart team run-out between substitute fielder Jake Egan and wicketkeeper Lorcan Tucker. New Zealand declared on 490 for 8, giving their new-ball bowlers a few overs before lunch, during which time Smith struck twice to add to the visitors’ advantage en route to his six-for.

Brief scores:
Ireland 179 in 45 overs (Andy McBrine 73*, Mark Adair 40;  Nathan Smith 6-40, Ben Sears 2-27) and [f/o] 65 for 2 (Stephen Doheny 36*; Blair Tickner 2-14) trail New Zealand 490 for 8 dec in 119 overs (Rachin Ravindra 121, Tom Blundell 186, Dean Foxcroft 98; Markm Adair 3-66) by 246 runs

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