A consignment of Sri Lankan books from Sri Lanka National Library and Documentation Services Board were officially handed over to the National Library Board of Singapore on 02 April 2025 at the Central Public Library section premises.

High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to Singapore, Senarath Dissanayake officially handed over the consignment of books to Deputy Director, Partnership and Strategy of the National Library Board of Singapore, Michelle LAU.

The handover of books took place as part of cultural promotion between the two countries and is expected to enhance people-to-people connections and mutual understanding. The High Commissioner and the Deputy Director discussed the possibilities of carrying out similar programmes in the future. The Deputy Director of the National Library Board thanked the High Commissioner and the National Library and Documentation Services of Sri Lanka for the handover of the book consignment.

Minister of the High Commission, Priyanga Nanayakkara and the Assistant Director of Partnership and Strategy Group of the National Library Board of Singapore, Averil Tan were also present on the occasion.

The official welcome ceremony for visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been held at the Independence Square, Colombo today (April 05).

The Indian PM was ceremoniously escorted to Independence Square with a Police Mounted Guard of honour, following which he was warmly welcomed by Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Disanayake.

The official welcome ceremony commenced following the playing of the national anthems of both India and Sri Lanka.

The Prime Minister was received with full state honours, including a ceremonial guard of honour and gun salute, in recognition of his state visit to the country. Subsequently, the Indian Prime Minister inspected the Sri Lanka Armed Forces Guard of Honour.

Following the exchange of state courtesies between President Anura Kumara Disanayake and Prime Minister Modi, members of the Sri Lankan and Indian delegations were formally introduced.

The State Ceremony was attended by Sri Lankan Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, Speaker of Parliament Jagath Wickramaratne, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Vijitha Herath, Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Economic Development Anil Jayantha Fernando, Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Sunil Handunnetti, Minister of Health and Mass Media Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, Minister of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources Ramalingam Chandrasekar and Western Province Governor Hanif Yusuf.

On the Indian side, the ceremony was graced by Minister of External Affairs Dr. S. Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, and High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka His Excellency Santosh Jha, along with a delegation of senior officials from both nations.

(Video : Rupavahini)

In a statement, the the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development has said the government is ready to engage with the US administration at the earliest opportunity to explore ways to manage the trade balance in a fair manner.

The statement also reaffirms the government’s strong commitment to deepening economic ties with the US, a longstanding friend and trusted trading partner.

The full announcement is below.

Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump announced a sweeping new set of reciprocal tariffs on Wednesday (April 02), arguing that they would allow the United States to succeed.

Under the tariffs, Sri Lanka was slapped with 44% tariffs which will be a significant blow as 25% of Sri Lanka’s exports are sent to the US.

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