Apr 12 (TM) There is no mistaking Kimbulapitiya, located close to Negombo, for what it is: Sri Lanka's fireworks village. From vendors to manufacturers, Kimbulapitiya is where one can find any kind of firecracker, ranging from strings of rathingnga and sticks of ahas kuuru to boxes of nilaa and packets of bambara chakra. What you want, from colour to volume, you can find in Kimbulapitiya. With Avurudu just days away, more..

Apr 12 (FT) Pyramid Wilmar Group was certified as a great workplace by the independent analysts at Great Place to Work in SL. Pyramid Wilmar earned this credential based on extensive ratings provided by its employees in an anonymous survey conducted by Great Place to Work. Pyramid Wilmar Group Managing Director Sajjad Mawzoon: �Our strongest attribute is our commitment to live to our core strengths, within which we give considerable emphasis to the strength of our people more..

Apr 12 (CT) SL cricketing legend Kumar Sangakkara, who is both the Director of Cricket and Head Coach of the Indian Premier League (IPL) team Rajasthan Royals, has commended young spinner Vijayakanth Viyaskanth for his short stint with the franchise. Taking to Twitter, Sangakkara said �Viyaskanth is leaving the Rajasthan Royals bowling group today. It was such a pleasure having him with us. He bowled at the best and learnt from the best. Such an impressive talent. more..

Apr 12 (Island) Speaker made the following announcement immediately after the opening of Parliament on April 4. Speaker declared: �I wish to make an announcement in respect of the Bill titled Central Bank of SL. The court has determined that none of the provisions in the Bill are inconsistent with the Constitution. Accordingly, the court has determined that the Bill can be passed by a simple majority in parliament subject to the amendments which have been mentioned in determination. more..

Apr 12 (FT) The April edition of leading business magazine LMD notes that there are mixed feelings about the economy in corporate circles. However, NielsenIQ�s Director � Consumer Insights Therica Miyanadeniya says in the magazine that expectations for the future have begun to pick up slowly. According to LMD, 17% of the businesspeople interviewed by NielsenIQ�s pollsters in early March said they expect the economy to improve � compared to only 7% a month ago. more..

Apr 12 (FT) Govt�s agreement with the IMF for an $ 2.9 billion four year EFF program will be presented to Parliament on 25 April, Chief of Staff to the Prez Sagala Ratnayake told diplomats on Monday. He said that political parties will have to decide whether they will support their country or not. Ratnayake emphasised the importance of a structural reform program for economic recovery and sustainable growth, more..

Apr 12 (FT) SJB MP Lakshman Kiriella says the Govt will head into trouble with the IMF over the postponement of polls. MP said the Govt has assured the IMF it would uphold the Rule of Law in the country. �It is one of the main conditions in the agreement signed between the IMF and the Govt. It also said we must protect human rights and work with the civil society. The IMF extended us their support subject to these conditions,� he said. The MP said not adhering to these conditions more..

Apr 12 (DN) Our cricketers are talented and we must create a good environment and have well-balanced physical and mental fitness. As the Cricket Technical Committee (CTC), we are keen to support them said the Chairman of the committee, Sanath Jayasuriya in the committee's first meeting yesterday at the Sports Ministry. CTC is not a new concept and has been engaged in the development of cricket before, said the newly appointed CTC chairman Sanath Jayasuriya who was the former skipper and more..

Apr 12 (TM) Authorities of the Dept of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) and the Ministry of Agriculture are currently discussing the provision of 100,000 toque macaques (a reddish brown coloured Old World monkey endemic to SL and known as the rilawa) to China, considering a request made by the latter to the same effect. Media Director of the Ministry, Dharma Wanninayake said that a group of Chinese representatives has submitted more..

Apr 12 (ST) Two of the most important events of the National Shooting Sport Federation of SL (NSSF) calendar � the 22 National Championship and National Airgun Championship � for the year 2022, were conducted successfully over the past few months at two locations with 11 national records being established. Among all shooters, W.M.S.Y. Perera of SL Navy Musketry, stole the limelight among many others, when she claimed the .22 50m Rifle 3�20 and .22 50m Prone events more..

Apr 12 (FT) The OPA, as the apex body of 52 Professional Associations in SL, stressed that there is a constitutional responsibility to protect the independence of the Judiciary and also to ensure that the rule of law is not undermined. Following is the full statement issued by OPA President Ruchira Gunasekera and General Secretary Sujeewa Dahanayake. The foundation of our democracy rests on the three institutions named in the Constitution viz. the Legislature, Executive & Judiciary. more..

Apr 12 (Island) Plans are underway to export the first batch of Jaffna organic sour bananas to Dubai on April 28. Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said that the Ministry would export the first batch of 25,000 kilos of organic sour bananas grown on 350 acres in Jaffna to the Dubai market on the 28th of this month and thereafter every week. Sour bananas had already been exported from Rajangana 18 times under the programme of establishing sour banana export zones here under more..

Apr 12 (FT) World Bank has reaffirmed its commitment to assisting Sri Lanka in stabilising the economy, stepping up social protection and reviving growth. Taking to Twitter the World Bank Managing Director Operations Anna Bjerde noted that she had a discussion with the State Finance Minister Shehan Semasinghe, Treasury Secretary Mahinda Siriwardana and CB Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe on the sidelines of the Spring Meetings of the IMF and the World Bank Group. more..

Apr 12 (TM) Claiming that certain groups that are working against the Tamil community are benefitted through certain differences and disagreements among the MPs representing the said community, TMTK MP, C.V. Wigneswaran endorsed the establishment of a caucus of Tamil MPs, as suggested by SJB MP Mano Ganesan. Ganesan, who is also the Leader of TPA, had recently proposed the establishment of a Tamil MPs' more..

Apr 12 (DM) UNP MP Vajira Abeywardane said SL people should elect Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe uncontested for another term. Mr. Abeywardane who is believed to be a close confidant of the Prez said the possible rival candidates of Mr. Wickremesinghe could not even think of how to resuscitate the economy and make SL a country to be reckoned with in the global context. �The president took over a country that remained engulfed in public unrest with petrol lines, demonstrations, food shortages. more..

Apr 12 (Island) Four Lankan stowaways caught while travelling in a cargo ship conveying apparel exports to Europe from Sri Lanka had been handed over to the SL authorities, police said. The suspects sneaked into the MV CMA CGM PANAMA container ship while it was at Colombo Harbour last month. They were discovered by the captain of the ship at the Suez Canal security checkpoint in Egypt. The stowaways were returned to Sri Lanka on another ship of the same shipping company. more..

Apr 12 (TG) On 23rd March, SL naval forces arrested 12 fisherfolk on two boats near Analaitivu for fishing within the Exclusive Economic Zone of SL. They were then presented to the Kayts Magistrate Court for their charges. One of the 12 individuals arrested had previously been arrested and produced in court for the same charges within the last 12 months, as was revealed during the court proceedings. This person was subsequently sentenced to 14 months in prison, more..

Apr 12 (FT) The Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) says it has taken all the necessary steps to take legal action against the owners of the Xpress Pearl Vessel and its operators or local agents. Issuing a press release yesterday after environmentalists raised concerns on claiming damages for the marine disaster, MEPA said the AG�s Dept has already filed criminal action before the courts. MEPA said it provided the AG�s department with the requisite information. more..

Apr 12 (TM) SLPP General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam said that there are several politicians including the Party's National Organiser, Basil Rajapaksa, who can be fielded as the SLPP's candidate for the upcoming Prez Election, instead of SLPP backed incumbent Prez and UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe. The media queried Kariyawasam as to whether there is any other politician in SLPP who can be fielded more..

Apr 12 (DM) Internal issues of SJB and crossovers are not the most important issues at the moment as there are greater issues that have to be focused on, such as violation of the IMF agreement, SJB MP Lakshman Kiriella said. �The most important is the violation of the agreement which the govt has signed with the IMF,� the MP said. �As per the agreement the govt is bound to identify governance and weakness risks across certain core state functions namely fiscal governance, more..

Apr 12 (ANI) Negotiations for a possible FTA between China and Sri Lanka were launched in 2014 in the presence of Chinese President Xi Jinping and former SL President Mahinda Rajapaksa when both sides continued to have several rounds of talks. China had awarded Sri Lanka with a delayed response to its request for debt restructuring and now appears to pressure SL into signing a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) under the guise of helping to restructure debt repayments. more..

Apr 12 (Reuters) SL's sovereign lenders have yet to inform the govt how they will engage with the country to restructure its US$7.1 billion of debt and whether they will form an official committee or engage in bilateral talks, central bank governor said. SL aims to formally engage in debt negotiations with overseas creditors that include China, India & Paris Club group of nations in May, after concluding a debt rework more..

Apr 12 (FT) Dudley Shelton Senanayake known as Dudley Senanayake and Dudley passed away 50 years ago on 13 April 1973 at the age of 61. The former leader of the UNP served as PM of Sri Lanka known then as Ceylon four times. In those pre-executive presidency days the PM was the head of Govt. The PM post was a powerful one. Dudley Senanayake was in office as PM from 1952-53, 1960 and 1965-70. Dudley born on 19 June 1911 was eldest son of Don Stephen Senanayake more..

Apr 12 (FT) It�s the thought that matters. The intention betrays character. That is why a bomb that explodes on a bus, even if it doesn�t succeed in killing or maiming anyone, is correctly deemed an act of terrorism. So also, with purportedly anti-terrorist legislation. Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) seeks to criminalise so very many ordinary activities of exercising one�s right to dissent and protest which we have enjoyed over decades, that the regime�s intention goes beyond more..

Apr 12 (SLN) The Sri Lanka Navy set free 97 sea turtle hatchlings at the Panama beach on 11th April 2023, in a bid to save these endangered marine animal. The Deputy Area Commander Southeastern Naval Area, Commodore Ruwan Rupasena was also in attendance on this occasion where the hatchlings were released. As part of the Turtle Conservation Project of the Sri Lanka Navy, the eggs of these hatchlings were conserved, to help them start the journey to adulthood. more..

Apr 12 (BT) A father and son have drowned at a popular swimming spot in Queensland�s far north. Melbourne bus driver Sisira Gajanayake, who drowned along with his son near Cairns on Tuesday. Melbourne bus driver Sisira Gajanayake, who drowned along with his son near Cairns on Tuesday. The 59-year-old father and his 21-year-old son got into trouble at The Crystal Cascades waterfall near Cairns just after 5pm on Tuesday. The men, who were found unresponsive in the water, more..

Apr 12 (DN) We are not underestimating any team and want to put up a good challenge against Ireland during the forthcoming two test match series said SL test skipper Dimuth Karunaratne. We really performed well in the last test championship in which SL ended up third. We had a good chance to enter the ICC test championship final but we lost the deciding NZ Test series but overall our test team really performed well more..

Apr 12 (Island) AIESEC in Uni of Peradeniya brings Prime Minds 3.0, an extensive series of career guidance programs for youth in SL. AIESEC is the world�s largest youth-run organization which focuses on empowering young individuals to make a progressive social impact. Prime Minds is an event we take great pride in since it speaks to the future leaders of the world. Prime Minds 3.0 hopes to conduct a webinar session on the 17th of April and a physical conference on the 23rd of April 2023 more..

Apr 12 (EN) SL is targeting the Philippines as part of efforts to get a presence in newly emerging tourism markets in Asia, SL�s Tourism Promotion Bureau Chairman Chalaka Gajabahu said. �This is an emerging market so we have to grab much as possible we can,� Gajabahu said. �Being a country in South Asia, they travel to India and Maldives as well. �It has a high-end market and even a middle market so we also wanted to promote SL in Philippines because we have everything as an island,� more..

Apr 12 (BN) Asian Development Bank is considering more concessionary funding for SL and support for green bond issues as part of its assistance to help the South Asian nation recover from its worst economic crisis in decades. Manila-based lender�s immediate priority in 2023 is to continue work on overall economic stability and support the banking and energy sectors, ADB SL country director Chen Chen said. more..

Apr 12 (AD) The welfare benefit payments will be made to eligible individuals starting from June this year, Welfare Benefits Board says. According to its chairman B. Wijayaratne, the applications belonging to nearly 3.2 million households have thus far been verified. Meanwhile, the information survey aimed at identifying eligible individuals for the welfare benefits program came to an end on 10 April. The census work was originally scheduled to be completed by 31 March, however, the time period was more..

Apr 12 (DM) Environmental lawyer Dr. Jagath Gunawardana, while questioning the govt�s recent decision to appoint a committee to study the export of 100,000 Toque monkeys to China, said that the current legal provisions do not permit the export of animals. SL Toque monkey is an endemic species to SL with two sub-species identified in the dry zone and the wet zone, he explained. �If monkeys which are causing crop damage are considered, a number of factors need to be taken into consideration. more..

Apr 12 (DM) While SJB General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara said yesterday that MP Rajitha Senaratne had changed his mind on the crossover, the latter says that many have misunderstood him. "Rajitha Senaratne will not crossover as anticipated," Madduma Bandara said in response to a query made by Daily Mirror on the outcome of the meeting the SJB MPs had with the Kalutara District MP last evening. MP Senaratne too said he explained his stand to the group of SJB MPs more..

Apr 12 (TOO) The foreign ministries of the Sultanate of Oman and SL yesterday held the 3rd session of talks. During the session, held via video-conferencing, the two sides reviewed bilateral cooperation in various fields and means of enhancing them to serve joint interests. They also exchanged views on matters of mutual interest. Omani side was headed by Sheikh Hamad Saif Al Rawahi, Head of International Cooperation Dept at the Foreign Ministry, while the SL side more..

Apr 12 (BN) Sri Lanka expects China to support its effort to restructure debts and help it begin repaying its obligations, according to the nation�s central bank governor. The country also aims to quickly complete negotiations with official and commercial creditors, Nandalal Weerasinghe said in Washington, where he�s attending the IMF and World Bank�s Spring Meetings. more..