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Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau conducted a roadshow in Turkey, the first roadshow organized by SLTPB in Turkey, in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Mission in Turkey and the National Carrier that has direct connectivity from Istanbul and operates five flights per week. The Turkish airline is scheduled to carry daily flights from October 2024 onwards. Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau organized this event as the first initiative to create awareness promptly and showcase the market's importance in the international…

Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Shashi Tharoor has said the fight was for “the ideal of India as a secular and democratic nation, and not any one party or individual.” Speaking to journalists after casting his vote in Thiruvananthapuram, Mr. Tharoor said the prime aim was to defeat the BJP’s polarising and divisive agenda, which struck at the secular and democratic core of the Constitution. He said the Congress would heal the divisions and unite the people. It would restore federal consensus and promote a…

ITC Limited’s wholly owned subsidiary WelcomHotels Lanka (Private) Limited has launched ITC Ratnadipa, a jewel in Colombo’s skyline that promises to enrich Sri Lanka's tourism and hospitality landscape. This flagship hospitality icon of ITC Hotels was inaugurated by the President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, Ranil Wickremesinghe in the presence of Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Dinesh Gunewardena, Santosh Jha, Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka and Sanjiv Puri, Chairman and Managing Director, ITC…

Chinese energy giant Sinopec is advancing its global strategy as it seeks to establish its first fully controlled overseas refinery in Sri Lanka, reported Reuters. The company is expected to complete a feasibility study by June for a plant at the Hambantota port, following approval from Colombo last November, industry sources told the news agency. This move, a major change in Sinopec’s foreign strategy, is perceived as a reaction to China’s slowing increase in demand. Sri Lankan officials estimate the proposed…

Doubling down on his attacks against the Congress’ promises on social justice and alleged wealth redistribution, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 24 claimed that the Congress's “dangerous intentions” were coming to the fore one by one. Addressing poll rallies in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, Mr. Modi reiterated his assertion that Congress’s plan for social welfare and reducing inequality amounted to a “dangerous game” of wealth redistribution and “snatching people’s rights and properties.” “This is Congress ki…

Russia vetoed a US-drafted UN Security Council resolution calling on countries to prevent an arms race in outer space, prompting the US to question whether Moscow was hiding something. The vote came after Washington accused Moscow of developing an anti-satellite nuclear weapon to put in space, an allegation that Russia has denied. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Moscow was against putting nuclear weapons in space. "Today's veto begs the question: Why? Why, if you follow the rules, would you not support a…

Facebook owner Meta's quarterly profits soared last quarter as the company continues to see stellar ad growth across its family of world-leading social media apps, AFP reported. The company, founded by Mark Zuckerberg, said that net profit in the January to March period rose to $12.4 billion, and total revenue, mainly from selling ads, was up an impressive 27 percent to $36.5 billion. According to analyst Debra Williamson of Sonata Insights, Meta's growth is due, in particular, to its sophisticated advertising tools…

Rishabh Pant smashed an unbeaten 88 as he led Delhi Capitals to a tense IPL win over Gujarat Titans, boosting his chances of playing for India at the T20 World Cup. Delhi posted 224-4 courtesy of a 113-run stand between Pant and fellow left-hander Axar Patel, who hit 66 after they slipped to 44-3 inside six overs at their home Arun Jaitley Stadium. The hosts kept Gujarat down to 220-8 to win by four runs after David Miller's 23-ball 55 and an unbeaten 21 off 11 deliveries by Rashid Khan. Mukesh Kumar kept his nerve…

Sri Lanka’s star batter Chamari Athapaththu edged Natalie Sciver-Brunt to become the top-ranked batter in the ICC Women’s ODI batting rankings. Powering Sri Lanka to the highest successful run chase in women’s ODIs has seen Chamari Athapaththu rise to the top of the ICC Women’s ODI Batting Rankings in the latest update. Athapaththu’s stellar knock in the third and final ODI helped Sri Lanka level the three-match series in South Africa. Chasing a record target 302 to win, Athapaththu led Sri Lanka’s fightback with a…

The Chief of the Bureau of Australia’s state-run news outlet in New Delhi has stated that she had to leave India ‘abruptly’ after government officials denied her a visa extension. The public announcement by Avani Dias, the journalist, came after she and her team from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) were questioned by an officer from the Criminal Intelligence Department when they were producing a program on the Indian government’s alleged targeted assassination of pro-Khalistan separatists in western…

The US State Department's 2023 Human Rights Report (HRR) has highlighted multiple human rights abuses in India. The report, a country-wise compilation of human rights practices, has flagged "credible reports" of more than a dozen different kinds of human rights abuses in India, including extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrest or detention, torture to coerce confessions, repeated imposition of Internet shutdowns and blocked telecommunications, surveillance of civil society activists and…

Australia's Marcus Stoinis hit an unbeaten 124 as Lucknow Super Giants chased down a target of 211 with six wickets and three balls to spare against Chennai Super Kings. It was Stoinis' first IPL century and his second in T20 cricket, trumping an unbeaten 108 by Chennai skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad at his home M.A. Chidambaram Stadium. Lucknow looked in trouble at 88-3 after 11 overs, but Stoinis put on 70 runs with Nicholas Pooran, who hit 34 off 15 balls, and an unbeaten 65-run stand with Deepak Hooda to achieve victory…

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu's party earned a landslide victory in parliamentary elections, local media reported, a result set to move the Indian Ocean archipelago closer to China and away from traditional partner India. Muizzu's People's National Congress (PNC) won 71 of the 93 seats available on Sunday, preliminary results from the Maldives Elections Commission and media projections showed. The PNC together with its coalition parties holds 75 seats in total while the main opposition Maldives Democratic Party…

Sri Lanka's consumer price inflation dropped to 2.5% in March from 5.1% in February, official data showed, as the impact of a higher sales tax needed to meet targets set under a $2.9-billion IMF program receded. The National Consumer Price Index (NCPI) captures broad retail price inflation and is released with a lag of 21 days every month. The decrease was largely driven by a 22% cut in power tariffs last month for households, ensuring prices in the non-food category rose only 0.7% in March versus 5.1% in February.…

AirAsia is among six bidders for Sri Lanka's carrier, SriLankan Airlines. The island nation is seeking to reduce losses incurred by government-owned enterprises under a $2.9 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) program. A statement released by Sri Lanka's finance ministry said AirAsia Consulting has submitted a request for qualification from potential investors to acquire shares in SriLankan Airlines Limited. The document also named Dharshaan Elite Investment Holding (Pvt) Ltd, FITS Aviation (Private) Limited,…

Yashasvi Jaiswal struck form with an unbeaten 104 as Rajasthan Royals consolidated their position at the top of the IPL table with a nine-wicket thrashing of Mumbai Indians. Medium-pace bowler Sandeep Sharma took 5-18 to help restrict Mumbai to 179-9 after Yuzvendra Chahal claimed an IPL first of 200 wickets at Rajasthan's home ground in Jaipur. Jaiswal, a left-handed opener whose previous best this season was 39, steered the team home in 18.4 overs in an innings interrupted by rain. "I enjoyed it from the start,…

The UN urged Sri Lanka to bridge its “accountability deficit” and ensure justice as the country commemorated the 279 victims of its worst-ever attack against civilians five years ago. The UN’s top envoy to the country, Marc-Andre Franche, told a remembrance service in Colombo that there should be a “thorough and transparent investigation” to uncover those behind the Easter carnage in 2019. Islamist bombers hit three churches and three hotels in the island’s deadliest suicide attack aimed at civilians, but grieving…

DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin alleged that the BJP government had changed the color of the Doordarshan logo to saffron as a prelude to its conspiracy to “saffronize” everything in India. In a post on X, the Chief Minister said that during the campaign, he had pointed out the BJP’s agenda of saffronization. “The outcome of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections will show people’s anger against the unitary fascist party,” he felt. According to him, the BJP had previously denigrated poet-saint…

Mark Chapman hit an undefeated 87 to lead an under-strength New Zealand to a shock seven-wicket victory over Pakistan in the third Twenty20 international in Rawalpindi. The 29-year-old left-hander smashed his runs off 42 balls to anchor New Zealand's chase of a 179-run target in 18.2 overs against a much-vaunted Pakistan bowling attack, silencing a packed 16,000-strong holiday crowd. Shadab Khan (41) and Babar Azam (37) were the main contributors in Pakistan's 178-4 after the hosts were sent in to bat. Tim Robinson…

Kolkata Knight Riders survived a late charge by Royal Challengers Bengaluru batsmen to win by one run in an IPL thriller after Virat Kohli’s angry outburst at his dismissal. Bengaluru conceded 222-6 after electing to field first at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens. Phil Salt scored 48 off 14 balls, and skipper Shreyas Iyer hit 50. Needing 21 to win in the final over bowled by Mitchell Starc, Bengaluru’s number 10 Karn Sharma hit the Australian left-arm quick for three sixes before being caught and bowled. Wicketkeeper Salt…