Apr 18 (DM) NPP today presented to Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith its 7-point statement pledging to mete out justice to the victims of the Easter Sunday attacks. NPP representatives met Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith at the Archbishop's House in Borella this morning and presented the 7-point statement. Statement included key points such as implementing law against those responsible for the attacks so as to mete out justice to those who lost lives in the attacks and more..

Apr 18 (Reuters) Sri Lankan telecom operator Dialog Axiata has signed a definitive agreement to buy Bharti Airtel's operations in the island nation, the companies said on Thursday, nearly a year after the merger was announced. Under the agreement, Dialog Axiata will acquire a 100% stake in Airtel Lanka by issuing Bharti Airtel a 10.4% stake in Dialog Axiata. Dialog Axiata is majorly owned by Malaysia's Axiata Group. Airtel Lanka is the Sri Lankan unit of India's Bharti Airtel. more..

Apr 18 (EN) Transparency International SL (TISL) has filed a Fundamental Rights Application in the Supreme Court requesting the Court to direct the Auditor General to conduct an inquiry into the decision to procure medical supplies from medical suppliers to whom Waivers of Registration had been issued, and recover the cost incurred by procuring medical supplies through them. “The FR application has been filed more..

Apr 18 (Island) SLFP would not support an administration bent on selling national assets, Kegalle District MP Dushmantha Mithrapala, Acting General Secretary of the SLFP said, addressing an event to mark the 108th birth anniversary of Sirimavo Bandaranaike at the BMICH on Wednesday. The ceremony was attended by both factions of the SLFP vying for the control of the party. Mithrapala represents Maithripala Sirisena faction. “Sirimavo Bandaranaike never more..

Apr 18 (CBC) Two scientists whose connection was sparked in Saskatchewan are working together from different sides of the globe to improve animal health in SL, in hopes of addressing a potential global health threat. "Literally right here is where we sat together," said Joe Rubin, looking around his lab at the Uni of Saskatchewan. It's the scene where an international friendship formed on the Prairies. Rubin is a professor of veterinary microbiology at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine more..

Apr 18 (EN) Net favourability rating of opposition leader Sajith Premadasa increased in March but rival Anura Kumara Dissanayake continued to lead, though all potential candidates including them had negative ratings for the month. Institute for Health Policy (IHP) which carried out the survey found that Premadasa’s net favourability had increased by 30 points to -30 in March compared to the previous month while favourability ratings more..

Apr 18 (EN) The Sri Lanka Police has requested the public to provide information on environmental damage such as burning trash and noise pollution to its Special Bureau on the hotline 1997 and the Central Environment Authority’s hotline 1981. “These numbers already receive information from the public regarding various environmental damages such as mining for minerals, illegal mining along riverbanks, environmental damage caused by illegal factories and noise pollution,” more..

Apr 18 (RI) A 53-year-old man from SL, internationally wanted for a murder committed in Bucharest in 1991 and arrested in Germany at the beginning of this year, will be brought to Romania on April 23 to serve a 19-year prison sentence. The man will be brought to the country by an escort of the Romanian Police. “In Dec 1991, the man killed a foreign citizen, after which he tied him up and wrapped him in a carpet from his residence in Bucharest and transported him to more..

Apr 18 (FT) Corruption and investment have been synonymous in Sri Lanka for decades as investments paved the way for corrupt politicians and their close associates to embezzle public funds with ease. In a country where the term governance was used as a shield to cover corruption, hardly any room was left for transparency to play a role. It was no surprise for the country to be labelled as bankrupt by lenders, resulting from its inability to repay the debt. more..

Apr 18 (FT) Every stable democracy needs a political and ideological centre. In Ceylon/SL, the political Centre as distinct from the Right and Left was always identified with the SLFP founded by SWRD Bandaranaike. When he crossed the floor in Parliament in 1951, leaving DS Senanayake’s UNP govt he was followed by only one MP, DA Rajapaksa, Mahinda’s father. When the SLFP or a faction of it shifted Right and went into alliance with Ranil Wickremesinghe’s UNP in 2005, more..

Apr 18 (DM) Catholic Church has received the remaining parts of the report submitted by the presidential commission which probed the Easter Sunday attacks, Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith said. Cardinal Ranjith said the church had received it three weeks ago. “A team of lawyers are studying the report and we will come up with a statement on it once the study is completed,” he told a briefing. more..

Apr 18 (DM) SL remains on high alert as Canadian leaders may make genocide allegations next month when the country marks the war victory, according to a diplomatic source. Last year, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau's genocide accusations sparked a diplomatic dispute between the two nations. SL responded with protests by summoning the Canadian envoy. A well-placed diplomatic source informed that SL govt is keen to ascertain whether such allegations will be repeated this time, more..

Apr 18 (DM) The mounting tensions in the Middle East that are becoming increasingly unpredictable are likely to impact the Ceylon Tea cuppa, the industry stakeholders said, especially since over 50% of the island nation’s tea is exported to that region. While the issues stemming from the Red Sea attack have already impacted the industry with longer delivery time and higher freight costs, new issues such as closure of airspace among others could add to the woes. more..

Apr 18 (FT) Following the failure by Sri Lanka to strike a deal with holders of its International Sovereign Bonds (ISBs) the SJB, asked what is the real position of Govt with respect to restructuring. The SJB stressed the need for greater transparency engaging all political factions, as multiple govts in the run up to 2040 will have to shoulder the burden posed in any agreement that is penned now. more..

Apr 18 (TM) Neither a party nor a country can go forward with a socialist political philosophy, which is already outdated, and therefore, political parties and individuals must be updated with the new world order, opined the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Acting Chairperson, Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva. He made these remarks at an event held yesterday (17) to commemorate the 108th birth anniversary of the world's first female PM, former SLFP Chairperson Sirima Bandaranaike. more..

Apr 18 (FT) TNA Jaffna district MP M.A. Sumanthiran is urging all major political parties intending to form a Govt to commit to amending the Employee Provident Fund (EPF) Act to ensure that information is disclosed to the public for the benefit of the working class. During a recent political talk show, Sumanthiran said that while his party would pass the private members' bill he presented to amend the act, they are unlikely to come into power. Therefore, he challenged other major parties more..

Apr 18 (TM) Sri Lanka has failed to reach an agreement with the bondholders on how to apply the upward and downward adjustments in the proposed Macro-Linked Bonds (MLBs), said Former Governor of CB, Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy. He said that the authorities have failed to reach an agreement with the bondholders on how to apply the upward or the downward adjustment in the MLBs and on the distribution of benefits if Sri Lanka outperforms the GDP projections. more..

Apr 18 (TM) Despite the rubber sector earnings for the first two months of 2024 increased by 14% in comparison to the first two months of 2023, the rubber industry is currently facing deforestation regulation from the European Union (EU). SL Association of Manufacturers and Exporters of Rubber Products (SLAMERP) Director General Sisira Ranatunga said: “There is a big threat coming from the EU orders from 1 Jan 2025 that all rubber products to Europe should be free from more..

Apr 18 (FT) Govt has hiked the standard tourist visa fee by over 100%, coupled with the shift to a global processing company, which has raised eyebrows among industry stakeholders. Announcement came on Tuesday, with the Immigration and Emigration Dept unveiling the new visa procedures and the launch of an online visa issuing system which came live yesterday. However, the move to a global processing company more..

Apr 18 (TM) The Catholic Church yesterday said that it has planned a spiritual commemoration, which will not be in any way political, to mark the five-year anniversary of the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks. The programme which consists of several events including those focusing on the Churches that were attacked, is expected to bring the attention of both the local and international communities to the Easter Sunday attacks and justice regarding the same. Announcing the programme during more..

Apr 18 (FT) SL’s Piyumi Wijesekera is among NASA’s four-member new volunteer crew selected to participate in a simulated mission to Mars within a habitat at the agency’s Johnson Space Centre in Houston. Others are Jason Lee, Stephanie Navarro, Shareef Al Romaithi. They will step into the agency’s Human Exploration Research Analog, or HERA, on Friday, 10 May. Once inside, the team will live and work like astronauts for 45 days. Crew will exit the facility on 24 June after they return to Earth. more..

Apr 18 (FT) First quarter tea exports in $ terms had hit a six year high of $ 354 million, Asia Siyaka Research said yesterday quoting data published by Sri Lanka Customs. Sri Lanka shipped 62 Mnkg during the period January - March 2024, up 15% on last year’s figure of 54 Mnkg. “Due to steady strengthening of the SL Rupee against US$ YoY and lower auction prices, Rupee earnings show only a nominal change with an increase from Rs. 36 billion to Rs. 38 billion,” Asia Siyaka said. more..

Apr 18 (TM) Reproductive health is a crucial aspect of overall wellbeing, particularly for women living in urban slums where access to healthcare services may be limited. Colombo is home to a significant population living in slum areas, and the reproductive health of women in these communities is a matter of concern. One of the key reproductive health-related challenges faced by women in Colombo slums is the high prevalence of teenage pregnancy. According to the WHO, more..

Apr 18 (TM) The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) stressed that in the event of attempts to postpone the Presidential and Parliamentary elections, the former which is expected to take place towards the end of this year, it will not hesitate to oppose such attempts and will show zero tolerance regarding the same. It noted that such an attempt will erode the public confidence in universal suffrage and challenge the franchise of the people. more..

Apr 18 (FT) DP Education, the philanthropic initiative of MP Dhammika Perera’s DP Foundation, yesterday opened the country’s first digital pre-school in Bibile in Uva province. Perera also opened the latest branch of DP IT Campus at the Bibile Wagama Sri Saddaramalankara Pirivena consisting of 21 computers with internet connection enabling students and youth to learn software development and coding free of charge. The initiative at Bibile is with the blessings and support of more..

Apr 18 (FT) Techtextil and Texprocess will take place from 23 to 26 April 2024 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Techtextil is the leading international trade fair for technical textiles and nonwovens, while Texprocess showcases the latest in garment and textile manufacturing machinery and services. These events provide numerous benefits for SL’s technical textile sector, including market access, networking opportunities, knowledge sharing, promotion of innovation, attracting investment, and more..

Apr 18 (DN) Top four SL athletes are expected to participate in the UAE Grand Prix Athletic Championship scheduled for May 3 in Dubai. This presents an excellent opportunity for SL athletes to earn points for ranking aiding them in reaching the Olympic qualification mark, added SL Athletic President Palitha Fernando. SL ace sprinter Yupun Abeykoon based in Italy, will compete in the 100m event at the Dubai Grand Prix. more..

Apr 18 (Island) Sri Lanka Insurance concludes the year 2023 with remarkable success, achieving an impressive profit before taxation of Rs. 10.6 billion, reflecting a robust improvement in combined Gross Written Premium (GWP) of Rs. 44.2 billion, marking a growth of 7.2%. As of December 31, 2023, SL Insurance Life recorded a premium volume of Rs. 21 billion, while SL Insurance General recorded a premium value of Rs. 23.1 billion. Reaffirming its commitment to customers throughout 2023, more..

Apr 18 (Island) Derek Underwood, the man who mesmerized Sri Lankans with an eight-wicket haul in our inaugural Test match at P. Sara Oval 42 years ago, is no more. He passed away at the age of 78 on Monday. Arjuna Ranatunga thrilled us all becoming the first Sri Lankan to post a half-century in Test match cricket. He was dismissed by Underwood. The manner in which the old fox, 37 at that time, set up the 18-year-old was a treat to watch indeed. Arjuna was cleaned up shouldering more..

Apr 18 (FT) Heralding a new era for both SL and Kuwaiti accounting professionals, the Kuwait Chapter of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of SL (CA SL) is poised to catalyze professional growth and knowledge exchange opportunities for Sri Lankans through an impactful partnership with the Kuwait Accountants & Auditors Association (KAAA). The MoU was signed by CA SL President Heshana Kuruppu and KAAA Chairman Sabah Mubarak Al-Jalawi, in the presence of Ambassador more..

Apr 18 (DM) Knuckles, renowned for its commitment to purity and quality, has announced the launch of its newest innovation: Knuckles Bottled Drinking Water in glass bottles. Bottled at the source in the Knuckles Mountains range, the water undergoes a meticulous bottling process that ensures it retains all the natural elements and qualities historically associated with the region. From its pure, natural spring origins to its high pH value and rich essential mineral content, Knuckles Bottled Drinking Water more..