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Marine Drive tree planting and conservation project in conjunction with World Environment Day and “Clean Sri Lanka” Programme

Published

10 months ago

2025/06/5

Priyan

In line with World Environment Day, a tree planting and conservation project was launched on Thursday (05) morning along the coastal stretch of Colombo’s Marine Drive, from the Kollupitiya Railway Station towards Wellawatte. The initiative was implemented by the Clean Sri Lanka Secretariat Office.

Marking the commencement of the project, 1,600 Takkada (Scaevola taccada) saplings were planted today, with plans to expand the number to 6,000 in the near future. The project was carried out with participation from state institutions, private organisations and the general public.

The Takkada plant, which includes two species highly resistant to saline environments, is listed as a threatened species on the Red Data List. The Scaevola taccada species planted today typically grows as a shrub reaching heights of 5 to 6 feet. Its dense green foliage and compact height make it ideal for urban settings, enhancing cityscapes with both environmental and aesthetic value.

This initiative was carried out with the collaboration of the Sri Lanka Army, Sri Lanka Police (Environmental and Traffic Divisions), Sri Lanka Railways, Road Development Authority, Urban Development Authority and the Colombo Municipal Council. It was sponsored by LB Finance PLC and Hemsandu Marketing Company.

The event was attended by Colombo Municipal Councillor Vraie Cally Balthazaar, Senior Additional Secretary to the President (Finance and Economic Affairs) G.M.R.D. Appuhamy, along with representatives from the sponsoring organisations and other distinguished guests.

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Zimbabwe Women set for maiden tour of Pakistan

Published

5 hours ago

2026/04/10

Priyan

Pakistan and Zimbabwe will play 3 ODIs and 3 T20Is [Cricbuzz]

Zimbabwe Women are set for their maiden tour to Pakistan for three ODIs and three T20Is.

The ODIs kick off on May 3 and will be part of the ICC Women’s Championship 2025-29. The T20I series will be played from May 12. All six matches will take place at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi.

Pakistan are currently placed fifth on the Women’s Championship table after a 2-1 series loss to South Africa. Zimbabwe are placed seventh after a three-match series loss to New Zealand.

Zimbabwe are scheduled to arrive in Pakistan on April 29.

Date	Match
May 3	1st ODI
May 6	2nd ODI
May 9	3rd ODI
May 12	1st T20I
May 14	2nd T20I
May 15	3rd T20I

[Cricbuzz]

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Bangladesh advance match timings to save energy

Published

6 hours ago

2026/04/10

Priyan

BCB aim to wrap up the matches by sunset, which is around 6:30 pm local during this time of the year [Cricbuzz]

The Bangladesh Cricket Board announced that they have decided to change match timings of the upcoming international assignments of the national cricket team in order to support the government’s energy-saving initiative.

As a result, the match timings of the upcoming men’s white-ball series against New Zealand and the women’s T20I series against Sri Lanka have been changed.

“The board has decided to readjust the match timings of the forthcoming Bangladesh vs New Zealand ODI and T20I series to support the energy saving initiative of the Bangladesh Government. The revised timing will aim to make maximum use of daylight in the day-night games,” the BCB said in a statement.

The board said they will bring the start time forward by three hours for all three ODIs scheduled in Dhaka and Chattogram, with the aim to finish the matches by sunset, which is around 6:30 pm during this time of the year. The ODIs will start at 11:00 am. The three T20Is will start from 2:00 pm with an aim to finish them by 5:30 pm.

Instead of the originally planned 6 pm starts, women’s T20Is will begin at 1:30 pm at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium. The women’s T20Is are scheduled on April 28 and 30, and May 2.

New Zealand are scheduled to arrive on April 13 for the tour, which comprises three ODIs and three T20Is. The first two ODIs will be played at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on April 17 and 20, before the teams travel to Chattogram for the third match on April 23 at the Bir Shreshtho Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman Cricket Stadium.

The first two T20Is will be held in Chattogram on April 27 and 29, with the final game scheduled in Dhaka on May 2. Bangladesh began their preparations for the series at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on March 27.

[Cricbuzz]

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Israel to hold direct talks with Lebanon but no ceasefire, Netanyahu says

Published

11 hours ago

2026/04/10

Priyan

Israel launched a blitz of air strikes on Lebanon on Wednesday, hitting over 100 targets in 10 minutes (BBC)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered his government to begin direct talks with Lebanon, he said in a statement on Thursday.

Netanyahu said the talks would focus on the disarmament of Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese political and militant group, and establishing peaceful relations.

A US State Department official confirmed it would host a meeting next week “to discuss ongoing ceasefire negotiations with Israel and Lebanon”.

Lebanese officials called for a ceasefire before the talks begin, but Netanyahu in a subsequent address to residents of northern Israel said: “There is no ceasefire in Lebanon.”

The Israeli military continued to strike Lebanon on Thursday – targeting what it described as Hezbollah rocket launch sites in the south. It also issued a new evacuation warning for residents in the southern suburbs of the capital, Beirut.

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said on X that this included the Jnah area, which includes two major hospitals.

“At this time, no alternative medical facilities are available to receive approximately 450 patients from the two hospitals (including 40 patients in the ICU), rendering their evacuation operationally unfeasible,” he said.

Among those being treated at the hospitals, Tedros added, were some of the 1,150 people that Lebanon’s health ministry said were wounded in Wednesday’s massive wave of Israeli strikes. At least 303 people were killed.

Tedros also said that the headquarters of the Ministry of Public Health, which “hosts five shelters accommodating more than 5,000 people”, is in the evacuation area.

That ceasefire began with confusion over whether Lebanon, Israel’s second front, was to be included. Iranian officials and mediators from Pakistan said it was, US and Israeli officials said clearly that it was not.

Amid the confusion, the wave of Israeli strikes on Lebanon – the heaviest since the conflict began six weeks ago – prompted Iran to declare that Israel was break8ng the terms of the ceasefire, once again halt passage of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, and to threaten retaliatory strikes.

Israel’s military continues to occupy a large part of the south of Lebanon, where it has destroyed villages in recent days. Without a commitment to a temporary ceasefire at least, it is not clear how productive talks could proceed between the two sides.

(BBC)