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Sri Lanka tourism promotion roadshow was recently held in Saudi Arabia’ Eastern Province with the participation of a large number of Destination Management Companies, after a 10-year hiatus. The tourism promotion roadshow was organized by the Sri Lankan Embassy in Riyadh in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, marking the second of its kind. The roadshow featured a networking session between the 20 visiting Destination Management Companies and their Saudi counterparts. During the event, Sri…

The International Monetary Fund offered to revise the terms of a $2.9 billion bailout loan to cash-strapped Sri Lanka, should the US reinstate punitive tariffs on exports. The administration of US President Donald Trump this month imposed a 44 percent tariff on imports, including garments and rubber, from the South Asian island nation, which is struggling to recover from its economic meltdown in 2022. Washington has suspended the prohibitive tariffs for 90 days, and Colombo is in talks to have them removed, but there…

West Indies' Sunil Narine put in a fine all-round performance to keep holders Kolkata Knight Riders alive in the IPL with a tense 14-run win over Delhi Capitals. Narine smashed 27 off 16 balls in Kolkata's 204-9 and then returned figures of 3-29 with his mystery spin to restrict the opposition to 190-9 at Delhi's Feroz Shah Kotla ground. Former West Indies all-rounder Narine was named player of the match and said: "It was a total team effort." Delhi's South African star Faf du Plessis scored 62 off 45 balls, but his…

Asia's front-runner for the papacy, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of the Philippines, is a charismatic moderate often dubbed the "Asian Francis." Tagle, 67, who shares with Pope Francis a history of advocating for the poor, migrants, and other marginalised people, is known for his missionary spirit and pastoral focus. Wearing glasses with a youthful air and ready smile, the cardinal nicknamed "Chito" is a popular figure among the fervently religious country's more than 90 million Catholics. Born into a working-class…

Following the ten-day "Siri Dalada Vandanawa" religious veneration, the Clean Sri Lanka Secretariat carried out a special clean-up operation at the Kandy Lake in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Navy. During this operation, plastic bottles, packaging materials, and other waste discarded into the lake were removed, restoring the Kandy Lake to its natural state. The operation was led by Commander Weerasekara and Captain Charitha Gunawantha of the Sri Lanka Navy, with teams from Clean Sri Lanka, the Department of…

The Sri Lanka Public Health Inspectors’ Union has announced the commencement of the registration process for the upcoming Vesak season, with the registration of ‘Dansal’ being the first event to be registered. Chamil Muthukuda, the Secretary of the Association, emphasised the importance of carrying out the relevant registration activities at Medical Officer of Health (MOH) offices in the area where the ‘Dansal’ is being organised. He stressed that all registration activities for ‘Dansal’ must be completed before 9 May.…

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberals retained power in the country's election on Monday, but CTV News predicted they would fall short of the majority government he had wanted to help him negotiate tariffs with US President Donald Trump. The Liberals needed to win 172 of the House of Commons' 343 electoral districts, known as seats, for a majority that would allow them to govern without support from a smaller party. The Liberals were leading or elected in 156 districts, followed by the Conservatives with 145,…

The 14-year-old batter Vaibhav Suryavanshi hit a breathtaking century in the Indian Premier League and one of the greatest innings in men's Twenty20 cricket history. Just nine days after becoming the youngest debutant in the IPL, Suryavanshi blew away observers again with a century in just his third match and, to boot, the second fastest in the tournament's 18 years. He got there in just 35 balls by pulling Gujarat Titans spinner Rashid Khan for a six over midwicket, and sending the Rajasthan Royals' packed home crowd…

Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, ordered a thorough investigation into the causes of a major blast at a key southern port that killed at least 40 people and injured more than 1,000. His instructions came after President Masoud Pezeshkian visited the blast scene in Shahid Rajaee Port near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, where a fire still blazed on Sunday, more than 24 hours after the explosion. "Security and judicial officials are obliged to thoroughly investigate, uncover any negligence or intent, and follow up…

Israeli warplanes last year intercepted Iranian aircraft headed toward Syria, preventing them from delivering troops meant to assist the country’s embattled president at the time, Bashar Assad, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. The remarks in a speech gave a new glimpse into Israel's thinking in the final days in power for Assad, a longtime enemy who was overthrown by insurgents last December. Speaking to a conference hosted by the Jewish News Syndicate, a pro-Israel news agency, Netanyahu claimed that…

Troops from Pakistan and India exchanged fire in disputed Kashmir for a third night in a row, officials said, as relations between the rivals plunged to their lowest level in years. India has accused Pakistan of supporting "cross-border terrorism" after gunmen killed 26 people in the worst attack on civilians in contested Muslim-majority Kashmir for a quarter of a century. Islamabad has denied any involvement, calling attempts to link Pakistan to the attack "frivolous" and vowing to respond to any Indian action.…

Indian all-rounder Krunal Pandya starred with bat and ball as Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat Delhi Capitals by six wickets to top the Indian Premier League table. Chasing 163 for victory, Bengaluru slipped to 26-3 before Virat Kohli and Pandya put together 119 runs to achieve their target with nine balls to spare at Delhi's Feroz Shah Kotla ground. Delhi-born Kohli hit 51. The left-handed Pandya smashed an unbeaten 73 off 47 balls after he returned 1-28 with his left-arm spin in Bengaluru's seventh win of this season…

Sri Lanka shares closed slightly higher on Friday, on gains in consumer discretionary stocks and staples gains. * The CSE All-Share index settled 0.81% higher at 15,742.04 points. * The Nuwara Eliya Hotels Company and Ceylinco Holdings were the top gainers by index points, up 159.5 points and 143 points, respectively, on the day. * Trading volume on the index rose to 125.53 million shares from 54.75 million in the previous session. * According to exchange data, the equity market's turnover rose to 2.43 billion…

The International Monetary Fund announced it had agreed on a loan program review with Sri Lanka, which will make around $344 million available to support the country’s economic reforms. Sri Lanka defaulted on its foreign debt of $46 billion in April 2022 after running out of foreign exchange to finance imports such as food, fuel, and medicines. The last government reached a roughly $3 billion, four-year bailout loan from the IMF. It embarked on a reform process that involved cutting subsidies and raising taxes to…

Fast bowler Harshal Patel grabbed four wickets and Kamindu Mendis showed his all-round skill as Sunrisers Hyderabad upstaged Chennai Super Kings by five wickets in Chennai. Patel grabbed 4-28 and was ably assisted by skipper Pat Cummins and Jaydev Unadkat — both finishing with identical figures of 2-21 — to dismiss the home team for a below-par 154 in 19.5 overs. South African youngster Dewald Brevis was the top scorer for the Kings with a blistering 25-ball 42, cracking four sixes and a boundary on his debut for the…

Acting High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, Dr. Satyanjal Pandey, and Hon. Minister of Mass Media and Health, Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, jointly inaugurated the first-ever Media Fest organized by the Sri Lanka-India Media Friendship Association (SLIMFA) at Taj Samudra, Colombo. Under the theme ‘Navigating the New Media Landscape Together,’ the two-day Media Fest from 25-26 April will explore contemporary media trends and innovations. Key focus areas include AI in journalism, mobile journalism, media monetization, data…

Pakistan closed its air space for Indian airlines and rejected New Delhi's suspension of a critical water sharing treaty in retaliation for India's response to a deadly militant attack on tourists in Indian Kashmir, Reuters reported. The tit-for-tat announcements took relations between the nuclear-armed neighbours, who have fought three wars, to the lowest level in years. The latest diplomatic crisis was triggered by the killing of 26 men at a popular tourist destination in Indian Kashmir on Tuesday, in the worst…

Buddhists flocking to see a sacred tooth in Sri Lanka were urged by authorities to stay away after four people died and hundreds fell sick while in lengthy queues, AFP reported. Regional police chief Lalith Pathinayake said queues in the city of Kandy were already 10 km long as Buddhists waited to worship what they believe to be a tooth of the Buddha — a special showing of the relic that will end on Sunday. Officials estimated there were around 450,000 people in queues on Thursday morning, more than double the expected…

The International Monetary Fund hopes to have an agreement soon on the next review of its program with Sri Lanka, Krishna Srinivasan, the director of the global lender's Asia and Pacific Department, said. "The program with Sri Lanka has led to a significant amount of macro stability, which led to higher growth and moderating inflation," Srinivasan said in a press conference during the spring meetings of the IMF and World Bank in Washington. "The time is right for Sri Lanka to embark on broader structural reforms that…

Star batsman Rohit Sharma smashed 76 and pace bowler Trent Boult claimed 4-26 as Mumbai Indians thrashed Sunrisers Hyderabad to move up to third in the IPL table. New Zealand's Boult, a left-arm quick, and fellow pace bowler Deepak Chahar ripped apart the top of Hyderabad's batting order as they collapsed to 35-5 before managing 143-8. Five-time champions Mumbai achieved their target with 26 balls and seven wickets to spare after Rohit registered his second successive half-century, smacking eight fours and three sixes…