(Photo Credit: Shehan Semasinghe’s X profile) Sri Lanka’s Finance State Minister Shehan Semasinghe recently engaged in bilateral talks with Robert Kaproth, the U.S. Treasury’s Deputy Assistant Secretary. According to a post on X by Minister Semasinghe, their discussion covered topics such as the latest economic updates in Sri Lanka, efforts in debt restructuring, improvements in tax administration, and ongoing reforms in governance. Minister Semasinghe also noted that Kaproth expressed strong support for Sri Lanka in these areas. On his X account, Kaproth shared his positive outlook on Sri L ..read more

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (Photo: YouTube) An Israeli missile has struck Iran, according to two U.S. officials who spoke with CBS News, the BBC’s US partner. Iranian state media reports that flights have been suspended over several cities, as stated by the Associated Press. Iran has been on high alert since Israel announced it would respond to an Iranian attack that occurred on Saturday night. An explosion was heard northwest of Isfahan, an Iranian city, early Friday morning, according to the country’s semi-official Fars news agency. Fars reported that the explosion occurred ..read more

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe expressed his firm conviction in his ability to shape Sri Lanka into the country that the nation’s youth envision. Embracing the daunting task of revitalizing Sri Lanka’s faltering economy, which many deemed challenging, the President underscored his success in stabilizing the nation’s economic trajectory in just two years. He emphasized that unity was the sole requisite for propelling the country towards progress. Addressing a gathering of young Members of Parliament and emerging political figures from the Nuwara Eliya district at the Nuwara Eliya Pr ..read more

(Photo: NPP Facebook Page) The National People’s Power (NPP) today (April 18) presented a statement with seven-point pledges to Archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, promising justice for the victims of the Easter Sunday attacks. The representatives of the NPP met Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith at the Archbishop’s House in Borella this morning to hand over this statement. The seven points in the statement focus on taking legal action against those responsible for the attacks to ensure justice for the deceased and their families, and also address taking measures against both direct and i ..read more

Reuters reports that Dialog Axiata, a leading Sri Lanka telecom operator, has finalized an agreement to acquire Bharti Airtel’s operations in Sri Lanka. This agreement comes nearly a year after the initial announcement of the merger. As part of the acquisition, Dialog Axiata will take complete ownership of Airtel Lanka and will, in return, issue a 10.4% stake of its own shares to Bharti Airtel. Dialog Axiata is primarily owned by the Axiata Group based in Malaysia, while Airtel Lanka operates as the Sri Lankan branch of the Indian telecom giant, Bharti Airtel. The valuation of the share swap ..read more

According to Reuters, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has expressed readiness to facilitate Sri Lanka’s ongoing negotiations with international bondholders. The IMF plans to provide a formal evaluation once a preliminary agreement is achieved, as stated by an IMF representative on Thursday. The spokesperson expressed optimism that an agreement aligning with the IMF’s program guidelines and the official creditors’ Comparability of Treatment standards would soon be finalized. This is anticipated before the second review of the program is completed. Earlier in the week, Sri Lanka disclosed ..read more

(Photo: linkedin) Sri Lankan postdoctoral research scientist Piyumi Wijesekara is among the new crew of four volunteers selected by NASA to participate in a simulated mission to Mars within a habitat at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. NASA said Jason Lee, Stephanie Navarro, Shareef Al Romaithi, and Piyumi Wijesekara will step into the agency’s Human Exploration Research Analog, or HERA, on Friday, May 10. Once inside, the team will live and work like astronauts for 45 days. The crew will exit the facility on June 24 after they “return” to Earth. Jose Baca and Brandon Kent are t ..read more

(Photo Source: Maithripala Sirisena’s Official Facebook Page) The Colombo District Court today (April 18) extended an enjoining order that prevents former President Maithripala Sirisena from serving as the chairman of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) until May 09. The decision follows a lawsuit initiated by former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, and continues to maintain the interim injunction that was first issued and reviewed by the court. The post Court extends enjoining order blocking Sirisena from SLFP chairmanship until May 9 appeared first on ONLANKA - Sri Lanka Latest ..read more

Sri Lanka’s Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera The proposed electricity sector reforms have been published in the government gazette on Wednesday (April 17), as the ‘Sri Lanka Electricity Bill’. Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera said the Bill will be presented to Parliament in the upcoming sitting week. Minister also said the amendments proposed by the stakeholders in January have been drafted into the revised Bill. Once the Bill is presented to Parliament, the public will have a two-week period to challenge its legality before the Supreme Court. The post Proposed E ..read more

(File Photo: YouTube) Chamari Athapaththu smashed the third-highest individual score in women’s ODIs to help Sri Lanka pull off the highest-ever successful run-chase in women’s ODIs. Chamari Athapaththu was at her brutal best as Sri Lanka stunned South Africa with a record run-chase in Potchefstroom to level the three-match ICC Women’s Championship ODI series and end a highly successful bilateral tour to the Rainbow Nation. Chasing 302 to win, Athapaththu led Sri Lanka’s fightback with a stunning hundred, and remained unbeaten on 195, the third-highest score in women’s ODIs, as the visitors ..read more