Apr 12 (AD) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake assured that the NPP government will not let racial and ethnic violence erupt in the country again. Speaking at an NPP Public Rally in Akkaraipattu, Ampara, the Prez claimed that projects under India’s Rs. 2 billion pledge for the development of agriculture, dairy and fisheries industries in the Eastern Province will commence next month. “The National People’s Power is the only govt that treats every race equally in this country. more..

Apr 12 (DN) Ten leading SL ICT companies will be showcasing their products & solutions at Japan IT Week (Spring) 2025, one of the Asia’s most prominent technology exhibitions. The event is scheduled to take place from April 23 to 25, at Tokyo Big Sight, Japan. Companies will participate under the SL Pavilion, facilitated by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), marking a significant milestone in the ongoing collaboration between SL Export Development Board (EDB) and JICA. more..

Apr 12 (TM) The Govt has claimed that it has no plans to revise down the export target for 2025 despite the recent announcement of 44% reciprocal tariffs imposed on Sri Lanka exports by the US. Deputy Minister of Trade, Commerce, and Food Security R.M. Jayawardana stated that notwithstanding the announcement made by US Prez Donald Trump on 2 April, imposing 44% reciprocal tariffs on all SL exports, more..

Apr 12 (TM) Retailers claim that they are tempering their expectations in the lead-up to the New Year season, as subdued consumer demand continues to weigh heavily on their expectations. SL Retailers’ Association (SLRA) Founder Prez Hussain Sadique pointed out that even though SL had emerged from its economic crisis, consumption in the economy had not grown compared to 2019, prior to the successive disasters that hit the country. “We are getting the current sales revenue numbers more..

Apr 12 (Island) Sri Lanka ‘A’ team inclusive of Olympian Aruna Dharshana, Sadew Rajakaruna, R. Madushan and Kalinga Kumarage won the invitational 4×400 metres relay ahead of SL ‘B’ and India at Diyagama a little while ago. They returned a time of 3:05.60 seconds( not the official time) to win. They remained unchallanged from the gun to finish as Dharshana provided a solid start for the others to maintain. Their only challange came from the SL ‘B’ team who beat India to the third place. more..

Apr 12 (TM) Lanka Coal Company (LCC) is set to commence the tender process for purchasing coal for the upcoming season in July, according to LCC General Manager Namal Hewage. He said that the company had ample time to complete the tender process, as several coal shipments were still pending for the September and October seasons. At present, the company has nine coal shipments outstanding from the previous season. Despite this, Hewage assured that the company was well more..

Apr 12 (NW) SriLankan Airlines has won the Outstanding Food Service by a Carrier – South Asia award at the PAX Readership Awards 2025, held on 9 April 2025 in Germany, proving once again its culinary expertise in serving an inflight dining experience that truly stands out. The PAX Readership Awards, presented by PAX International and PAX Tech magazines, are exclusively determined by a popular vote from over 15,500 aviation professionals worldwide. more..

Apr 12 (TM) SJB MP Dayasiri Jayasekara says the Ministry of Sports should tread subtly when dealing with any allegations into acts of irregularities connected to incumbent SLC office bearers. If not, he said that the ICC could consider such interferences as politically motivated, with the dire consequences likely to be felt by the country at large. Former Sports Minister stated that as SL was in line to co-host 2026 ICC Men’s T20I WC more..

Apr 12 (FT) Renowned Sri Lankan chef, food curator and author, Tasha Marikkar, brought the vibrant flavours of her homeland to an international audience as she appeared on BBC One’s popular culinary show, Saturday Kitchen Live. This exciting feature marked another milestone in Tasha’s journey as she introduced the world to the rich and diverse cuisine of Sri Lanka through her debut cookbook, Jayaflava. Published by HarperCollins India – named Publisher of the Year 2023 more..

Apr 12 (TM) Sports Ministry Director General (DG) of Sports Shemal Fernando, who also functions as the Competent Authority (CA) for Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR), says that the ball is currently in the court of the provincial unions in reference to a much-sought-after resolution to the escalating local rugby crisis. He was firmly of the opinion that it was the provincial unions who would need to decide whether rugby in this country was to move forward or become isolated from the rest of the world. more..

Apr 12 (DM) Govt’s restrictions on the issuance of chemical components to licensed firecracker manufacturers have kept small and medium scale manufacturers in the dark over the past few years. For Priyantha Peters (53), a medium scale fireworks manufacturer from Kimbulapitiya, these restrictions have taken a toll on his business. With an experience of over 25 years in the business, Priyantha had spent a greater part of his more..

Apr 12 (ST) Nine families evicted after a landslide in Levela, Bulathkohoupitiya in the Kegalle district and settled in a plot of land temporarily 13 years ago with the promise of providing them with a permanent solution, still live in temporary shelters. The families were located in a land close to the Yakella school and promised that they would be given alternative land. They claim that most other families who were displaced were given land and most have built their homes by now. more..

Apr 12 (ST) The annual Nuwara Eliya spring festival started with a bang on April 1, with a performance by 18 percussion bands featuring 600 schoolchildren. The parade was held along Queen Elizabeth Mawatha, near the Nuwara Eliya central market, with the Central Provincial Chief Secretary, Ajith Premasinghe as Chief Guest. Nuwara Eliya Municipal Commissioner, K.M.S. W. officially proclaimed the beginning of the spring festival (wasantha samaya) which was immediately more..

Apr 12 (DN) Walala A. Ratnayake MMV once again dominated the 3rd Ritzbury Relay Carnival, winning the 800m relays in the Girls’ U-16 and both Boys’ and Girls’ U-18 categories. The meet was held at the Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium in Diyagama. In addition, Walala girls won the Under-16 200m relay in great style. W.G.N. Sewwandi, D.M.G.K. Karunarathne, G.M.W.C. Bandara, and D.E.O.T. Dissanayake represented the Walala U-16 girls’ 200m relay team and established a clear lead more..

Apr 12 (NW) Motorists in Sri Lanka can now conveniently pay traffic fines online through a pilot project launched across 12 police stations from Kurunegala to Anuradhapura. The initiative, announced at a press briefing held today (11) at the Government Information Department, is being implemented by the Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) in partnership with Sri Lanka Police and the GovPay platform. Here’s how the online payment process works: more..

Apr 12 (ST) As a proposed strategy and recommendations to boost the local pharmaceutical industry are being drawn up, the need is to re-orient govt policies including technological and other support to develop medicine security and reduce the import burden. This was the general consensus at the conclusion of the presentation of a Situational Analysis of the Medical Products Industry in SL, on the request of the SL govt recently. more..

Apr 12 (Island) Even if you are old and grey and want to forget the usual niceties of life, you simply cannot push the Sinhala and Tamil Aluth Avurudda out of your ken but need to reckon with it. The koha cries incessantly; old retainers come to mind; streets are crowded with jostling shoppers; TV has plenty of clips, both advertising and informing of villages preparing for the national festival. And, of course, irresistible are the pull of cultural customs and age old rituals. more..

Apr 12 (FT) The Indian Ocean is fast becoming the world’s most contested geopolitical theatre. With two giants—India and China—promoting competing visions of regional order, SL finds itself at the centre of a high-stakes maritime chessboard. India’s SAGAR (Security & growth for all in the region) and China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) are more than development models—they are strategic blueprints shaping the 21st-century Indo-Pacific. Few nations are as strategically located as SL. more..

Apr 12 (Island) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake will appoint a committee to decide on instituting legal action against those named in the report of the Batalanda Commission, which probed extrajudicial killings, torture, etc., in the Batalanda detention centre, in the late 1980s, Leader of the House and Minister Bimal Ratnayake has said. The commission report has also been referred to the Attorney General for action, according to media reports quoting Ratnayake. more..

Apr 12 (TM) In his tract on the ethnic conflict, written on the eve of the second insurrection, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Founder Rohana Wijeweera framed Indian intervention in Sri Lanka as part of a wider historical process, underscoring the island’s long history of occupation by foreign forces. Neither Wijeweera nor the top brass of the party advocated or justified violence against the Sri Lankan Tamil community, even those who were wrongly viewed as fifth columns. more..

Apr 12 (CT) Indian PM Modi’s fourth visit last week expressed his commitment to safeguarding the national interests of both India and Sri Lanka, particularly in the security and energy sectors. This agreement comes after nearly four decades of strained relations, stemming from India’s intervention during Sri Lanka’s civil war in the late 80s. The visit showcased India’s concerted efforts to reset its strategic influence in Sri Lanka, more..

Apr 12 (GV) For more than two decades, the Batalanda Commission report has languished in the archives of our nation’s history, ignored and forgotten by those who should have cared most. But recent events, including Prez Ranil Ranil Wickremesinghe’s appearance on Al Jazeera’s Head to Head has once again shone a spotlight on this painful chapter in SL’s past. With a parliamentary debate on the Batalanda Commission scheduled for April 10, we stand at a crossroads: more..

Apr 12 (GV) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake and his NPP govt have inherited a daunting list of human rights problems to address. In his election manifesto, Prez Dissanayake pledged to repeal the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), remove abusive provisions of the Online Safety Act (OSA), establish an independent Directorate of Public Prosecutions separate from the Attorney General’s office, aggressively combat corruption and revise economic policies to promote equity. more..

Apr 12 (CT) Many countries in the world have different cultures, including their own folk cultures. Their forms vary from country to country. However, it is clear that today many cultural elements unique to the eastern countries of the world are undergoing profound changes due to global influence. Such impacts on countries like Sri Lanka are also great. Heritage of a country belongs to the people of that country. more..

Apr 12 (CT) The centerpiece of Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s Prez Election campaign and that of the General Election campaign of his NPP was to combat corruption and hold wrongdoers accountable through credible investigative and judicial processes. It is now more than 6 and 4 months respectively after the Prez and General Elections. This time period is more than sufficient to demonstrate whether he is sincere in combating corruption. AKD and his NPP have dismally failed in this task. more..

Apr 12 (TM) As SL prepares to celebrate yet another traditional Sinhala and Tamil New Year – the first under the NPP Govt – the country does so while heaving a sigh of relief following the Trump administration’s 11th-hour decision to suspend its steeply revised import tariffs for a period of 90 days. Prior to this announcement, thousands of workers serving in export industries, primarily in the apparel trade, were unsure of their employment once they returned to work from the holiday break. more..

Apr 11 (DM) There will be no special queues or tickets for elite individuals during the exposition of the Sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha, which is open to the public, Deputy Chief Prelate of Asgiri Chapter Ven. Narampanawa Ananda Thera said. Thera said that all visitors must use the regular queues. Facilities will only be extended to the Maha Sangha, foreign ambassadors, special guests and persons with special needs. Unlike previous years, no special tickets will be issued. more..

Apr 11 (NW) A Colombo-based think tank Verité Research has called on the SL govt and the international community to pursue a multilateral response to the recent tariff hike imposed by the US, warning that failure to do so could further undermine the rules-based global trade system. Verité Research said the U.S. tariff hike — linked to trade deficits — represents a severe break from the rules-based order established under the World Trade Organization (WTO), more..

Apr 11 (AD) The IMF says that the SL govt remains committed to program objectives and implementation is strong and commendable, but more time is needed to assess the implications for Sri Lanka of the external shock as global uncertainty remains elevated and is contributing to financial market volatility. After concluding the discussions with the SL authorities on economic performance and policies more..

Apr 11 (NW) SL has held two rounds of virtual discussions with the Office of the US Trade Representative as part of efforts to address reciprocal tariffs imposed by the US, Deputy Minister Anil Jayantha said. Talks were conducted by a committee appointed by Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake to formulate proposals to reduce the trade deficit between the two countries. Minister said a second letter outlining SL’s position had also been sent to the US Prez through SL mission more..

Apr 11 (EN) SL has made remarkable progress in reducing maternal mortality to 25 per 100,000 live births in 2023, the WHO said, but attention has to be given to a rise in low birth weight babies, with an urgent need to examine the underlying causes and the role of maternal nutrition. “This achievement stems from a robust healthcare system that offers free and equitable maternal health services,” the WHO said commending the country’s low mortality rate in a statement marking World Health Day more..