Apr 29 (ST) An (un)holy row has erupted between Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, head of SL�s Catholic Church and former Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa regarding who said what in the aftermath of the Easter Sunday attacks on April 21st 2019 by home grown jihadists. Examining several aspects of this dispute is relevant against the wider backdrop of SL�s painful struggles with political accountability. Marking the fifth anniversary of the attacks last week, the Church repeated its call for more..

Apr 29 (FT) The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce has announced the inaugural Sri Lanka Climate Summit 2024, themed Code Red: Climate Risks and Opportunities for SL Businesses, from 7 to 9 May at the Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo. As scientists warn of the potentially devastating consequences of accelerating climate change, the summit will serve as a platform for a national dialogue on the impending risks of climate change, and the opportunities presented to SL businesses. more..

Apr 29 (ST) Political parties and trade unions are finalising preparations to mark May Day, just three days away. The UNP hopes to begin the construction of its stage at Maligawatte today. Party General Secretary Range Bandara said Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe is due to take part in the event scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. He said Indian artists have also confirmed that they will attend the musical show to be held later in the evening. more..

Apr 29 (Island) In the early nineties, the Hingurakgoda (Mineriya) Airport was nominated to be upgraded as an alternative airport to BIA out of the blue with financial aid from Australia. During this time at a regional conference of the International Federation of Air Traffic Controller Associations (IFATCA) held in Sri Lanka, a member of the Air Line Pilots� Guild of Sri Lanka commented about the end users not being consulted on matters such as these (Meaning the Airline Pilots). more..

Apr 29 (DN) Opener Nishan Madushka hit 72 while Nuwanidu Fernando scored a brilliant knock of 83 runs as Sri Lanka A recorded an eight run win on (D/LS Method) against Afghanistan A in their first ODI unofficial game of the five match series played at Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium yesterday. Afghanistan A chasing a target of 305 managed to get 277 for 7 wickets in 48 overs and two umpires Nilan de Silva and Chandrika Amarasinghe declared bad light at 6.4 pm. more..

Apr 29 (FT) In a momentous occasion for international dispute resolution, the Bangladesh International Arbitration Centre (BIAC) and the SL National Arbitration Centre (SLNAC) have strengthened their collaboration through the signing of a MoU. BIAC Vice Chairman Muhammad (Rumee) Ali and SLNAC Chief Executive Seedantha Kulatilake signed the MoU on behalf of their respective organisations at the BIAC office in Dhaka, Bangladesh on 22 April 2024. more..

Apr 29 (DM) In an effort to nip any discord with India in the bud, SLFP faction led by Nimal Siripala de Silva as acting chairman called on Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha and disassociated itself from remarks by its former Chairman Maithripala Sirisena implicating alleged Indian involvement in orchestrating the Easter Sunday attacks, an informed source said. Earlier, there were media reports about Mr. Sirisena implicating India in the attack in his statement to the CID. more..

Apr 29 (CT) Many taxpayers, especially businesspersons, are facing difficulties when paying taxes due to the latest circular issued by the Inland Revenue Dept (IRD), as the circular omitted the option of paying taxes via cheques. According to a Gazette Notification issued by Commissioner General Chandrasekara, regarding the three methods of tax payment, taxpayers are no longer allowed to pay taxes through cheques. more..

Apr 29 (DN) Janani Dhananjana and Samitha Dulan won gold medals while Anil Jayalath and Pradeep Somasiri clinched silver medals at the World Para Athletic Grand Prix held in Morocco yesterday. Seven SL para athletes are taking part in this Grand Prix which is more important to gain Paralympics qualification said National Paralympic Committee (NPC) President Colonel Deepal Herath. Samitha Dulan who won the bronze at last Tokyo Paralympics once again came to the fore when more..

Apr 29 (AD) Former Prez Maithripala Sirisena has dismissed recent reports claiming that he is moving to South Korea, asserting that he has no such plans to relocate to any other country. Issuing a statement, Sirisena refuted what he termed as false propaganda propagated by political adversaries. Furthermore, the former President has mentioned in his statement that since there is an injunction issued against him by the court, the authorized officials of the party have already organized more..

Apr 29 (TM) Plantation companies say that they are not averse to the overall proposals seeking wage hikes for plantation sector workers, pointing out that what they oppose is the idea of providing such wage hikes without any equal gain in productivity. They said that the long-proposed productivity-based wage model is the best way to achieve wage-related demands. Planters� Association (PA) of Ceylon made these more..

Apr 29 (Island) All four relay teams fielded by SL secured podium positions and in a notable achievement all participants finished among the top eight as SL concluded the Asian Junior Athletics Championship with two silver medals and three bronzes in Dubai. In a remarkable sprint performance, Ananda College Colombo sprinter Merone Wijesinghe anchored the men�s 4x100metres relay team to win silver as the team shattered the National Junior Record twice more..

Apr 29 (AD) Leader of the NPP Anura Kumara Dissanayaka states that opposing political factions might unite in order to ensure that the NPP will not come into power. Addressing a gathering in Sweden, he also stated that SL will continue to be unstable until questions regarding the Easter Sunday attacks are clarified and resolved. �All opposing factions including Chandrika, Mahinda and Ranil will be joining one platform in the upcoming prez poll. They are already making plans to unite�, more..

Apr 29 (DN) In a significant development in the aviation sector, Supreme Global Holdings, a conglomerate owned by R.M. Manivannan, has entered the bidding process to acquire the national carrier, SriLankan Airlines. The Expression of Interest (EOI) process, which concluded, saw the surprising participation of Supreme Global, signalling a potentially transformative shift in the airline�s ownership and management. Supreme Global has formed a robust consortium including more..

Apr 29 (AD) Sri Lanka has shown a significant drop in annual birth rate while the number of annual deaths has increased since 2020, Registrar General�s Dept revealed. The number of annual births which was around 325,000 before 2020 has now decreased to 280,000. Meanwhile, the number of annual deaths has increased to around 180,000, which was 140,000 before 2020, as per reports. Registrar General�s Dept points out that this situation will adversely affect SL�s population growth. more..

Apr 29 (TM) Following several remains being discovered in Muhamalai in the Kilinochchi district, Pallai Police Station said that they are conducting further investigations into the matter under the orders given by the Kilinochchi Magistrate�s Court. A group of NGO workers engaged in demining activities in Muhamalai in the Pallai Police area have reportedly discovered a uniform along with several human skeletons more..

Apr 29 (FT) Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa emphasised on Friday the necessity for the Govt to enact a program aimed at granting Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) access to cost-effective working capital, thus fostering the growth of their currently struggling businesses. Addressing the Parliament regarding the delay in executing the cabinet decision to temporarily suspend parate executions carried out by banks and financial institutions, Premadasa emphasised more..

Apr 29 (FT) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe on Friday emphasised the Govt�s aim to create a highly competitive, export-oriented economy based on market economy, expressing full faith in the business community of the country. He pointed out that the current challenge facing the nation is not about maintaining the executive presidential system but rather about building a robust economic framework. Speaking at the International Rotary District Conference 2023/24 of District 3220 Club more..

Apr 29 (AD) Steps are being taken to increase the interest rate of the EPF from the existing 9% to 13% with effect from 2023, State Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said. Accordingly, the payment of 13% interest rate for the EPF will be ensured for the year 2023, due to good investment performance of the fund, according to the minister. He made these comments in response to a question raised by a journalist while attending a meeting held in Yatianthota area of Kegalle district. more..

Apr 29 (DM) A man in Mullaitivu District claimed to be the tallest person in Sri Lanka. According to BBC Sinhala Service, Gunasingham Kasenthiran, a former cadre of the proscribed LTTE who lives in Kaiveli, Puthukudiruppu is seven feet two inches tall. He laments that he has to face numerous problems due to his abnormal height. Nowhere in Sri Lanka could he find footwear that matches the length of his feet and he has been forced to get them from foreign countries, he states. more..

Apr 29 (FT) Central Bank expects the economy to grow by 3% this year as the benefits of the eased monetary policy stance and low inflation environment continue to be gradually channelled into the economy. The outlook comes on the back of the economy recording a positive performance in the second half of 2023 following six quarters of year-on-year contractions. �A sustained recovery is expected in the period ahead,� more..

Apr 29 (AD) Meteorology Dept has issued a Heat Index Advisory for Northern, North-central, Sabaragamuwa, Eastern and North-Western provinces and Monaragala, Hambantota districts. Heat index, the temperature felt on human body is expected to increase up to Caution level at some places in Northern, North-central, Western, Sabaragamuwa, Eastern, Southern and North-Western provinces and in Monaragala district tomorrow (29), it said. As per the advisory, more..

Apr 29 (FT) SL Govt has granted entry to a US research ship for replenishment purposes alone. Min. of Defence confirmed that while the ship was denied permission to conduct research activities, it was allowed entry for replenishment purposes. Earlier reports indicated that SL Govt declined a request for a research vessel to access SL waters, consistent with its policy against permitting research ships in its maritime territory. Vessel, which included students from a US uni, more..

Apr 29 (ST) The Anuradhapura High Court on Friday passed a death sentence on five police officers who were found guilty of killing eight Tamil civilians at the Bharathipuram village in Kantale 26 years ago. The sentence was passed by High Court Judge Manoj Thalgodapitiya. The five police officers were attached to the Bharathipuram police post and were charged with unlawful assembly with the intention to commit murder. more..

Apr 29 (FT) SL�s Govt debt issue has become a perennial problem giving opportunities for politicians of the two major political camps which had been in power in the post-independence history to blame each other. They blame the other political party for adopting an irresponsible borrowing spree and gradually driving the nation to an inescapable debt trap. However, this was not the case when the country was under the British. Those colonial masters had adopted the practice of more..

Apr 29 (FT) Robert Frost once wrote, �Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in.� It�s a place like Hotel California in the popular Eagles song by that name � you can check out any time you like but you can never leave. It�s all about family. The prodigal son or daughter can return. And when they do, other residents cannot pack their bags and leave, however distasteful the returnee has turned out to be or the returning is. And even if they are far away, more..

Apr 29 (FT) SJB Deputy General Secretary Mujibur Rahman raised concerns yesterday about the lack of information regarding the guests who stayed in room 616 of the Shangri-La Hotel before being occupied by the Easter Sunday attackers including Zahran Hashim on 20 April 2019. Rahman highlighted that court proceedings have unveiled a concerning lack of information regarding the occupants of room 616 at the Shangri-La Hotel in the days leading up to the terrorist attack. more..

Apr 29 (CT) During an amnesty period declared by Ministry of Defence, more than 7,000 soldiers who deserted the SL Army have received a legal discharge. On the directive of the Ministry of Defence, SL Army announced a general amnesty starting on 20 April, allowing all Army absentees to receive an official discharge from their service. The general amnesty is effective for one month, from 20 April to 20 May 2024. During this period, Army absentees have been allowed to obtain more..

Apr 29 (FT) Apparel exports are showing signs of rebound with March netting the highest ever performance in the past 15 months. As per provisional data of Joint Apparel Association Forum, exports in March amounted to $ 418.3 million, up from 7.7% from a year ago. More importantly, the March performance is the highest monthly exports since $ 442.6 million achieved in Dec 2022. It is also the highest so far for 2024. more..

Apr 29 (EN) Sri Lanka is in the process to designate 49 additional official tourism zones and the new areas will be published in a gazette within a month as part of the on-going efforts to boost tourism,� State Tourism Minister Diana Gamage said. �We have identified 49 additional tourist destinations for the advancement of our tourism industry,� Gamage said. �These sites will be designated as tourism zones and will be officially published in the gazette within a month. more..

Apr 29 (MFA) Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan Yoko Kamikawa is scheduled to undertake an official visit to SL from 4-5 May. During this visit, Japanese Foreign Minister is scheduled to pay courtesy calls on Prez Wickremesinghe and PM Gunawardena. Japanese Foreign Minister and her delegation will have official discussions with the Foreign Minister Ali Sabry during the visit. The Foreign Minister will be accompanied by senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. more..

Apr 29 (DM) Bar Association of SL (BASL) has expressed serious concern over recent remarks made by Minister Tiran Alles, and urging Prez to remove him from the portfolio of Public Security. During its council meeting, BASL condemned Minister Alles's statement at the passing out parade of Katukurunda STF training camp, where he stated, "Eliminating criminals from the country is not a sin. Don't be afraid to use the weapon more..

Apr 29 (DN) The team from the 2024 Himalayan Expedition of the Peradeniya University Explorers� Association successfully reached the 6,189 meter high Island peak on Saturday (27) at 8.27 am, accomplishing the primary objective of their arduous journey. This is the first time a team of students from a Sri Lankan University has traversed this location. They had traversed the arduous section of the Himalayas situated above 3,500 meters and arrived at the base camp. more..

Apr 29 (EN) Young SL school innovators showcased their creative products at DreamCraft exhibition in Colombo on the International Innovation and Creativity Day this month, illustrating the importance of educational initiatives in entrepreneurial success. The exhibition showcased the talents on young innovators who demonstrated practical skills in handling latest technology like 3D printing and start ups by young kids which are likely to spark economic opportunities in the future. more..

Apr 29 (FT) AgriFI, the EU-funded Agriculture Financing Initiative, managed by EDFI Management Company, announced today a $ 3 million loan to Sarvodaya Development Finance (SDF), a leading Licensed Finance Company (LFC) in SL aiming at developing rural areas. This investment rolls out the principle of the Global Gateway in SL, which is Europe�s strategy to better connect the world and to create the proper conditions for attractive investment opportunities. more..