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We should start working collectively to rebuild the country -PM
The oil anointing ceremony for the Sinhala and Tamil New Year was held on April 16 at the historic Rajamaha Viharaya in Kolonnawa, with the participation of Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya.
Following the chanting of pirith, the oil anointing ritual was carried out at the auspicious time of 9:04 a.m., by the Chief Incumbent of the temple, Venerable Kolonnawa Dhammika Thero.
Speaking after the ceremony the Prime Minister said that:
“The Sinhala and Tamil New Year is one of the most important festivities in our country. It is a celebration with our families, reflecting our traditions and customs while strengthening the ties.
This festival leads the path for renewing unity, love, and bonds stronger. These values enrich a country. Development of a country is not limited by one-dimensional; a true development includes spirituality, relationships, and connections. The reason why we uphold these customs in such ceremonies is to remind ourselves of the significance and to pass on their value to future generations.
Therefore, today marks a significant day. Throughout this week, we came together and engaged in various activities. Followed by, the next event will mark the leaving for employment at the auspicious time and we should start working collectively to rebuild the country.
I wish everyone a New Year that is prosperous, peaceful, joyful, full of strengthened relationships, and most importantly, safe for all.”
The ceremony was graced by the presence of the Maha Sangha, and attended by the Deputy Minister of Youth Affairs Eranga Gunasekara, Divisional Secretary to Kolonnawa Priyanath Perera, Municipal Secretary Nelum Kumari Gamage, and the residents of the area.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
A United States judge has ruled that Alphabet’s Google illegally dominated two markets for online advertising technology, dealing another blow to the tech titan in an antitrust case brought by the US government.
On Thursday, US District Judge Leonie Brinkema, in Alexandria, Virginia, ruled that Google unlawfully monopolised markets for publisher ad servers and the market for ad exchanges, which sit between buyers and sellers. Antitrust enforcers failed to show the company had a monopoly in advertiser ad networks, she wrote.
The ruling could allow prosecutors to argue for a breakup of Google’s advertising products. The US Department of Justice has said that Google should have to sell off at least its Google Ad Manager, which includes the company’s publisher ad server and its ad exchange.
Google will now face the possibility of two different US courts ordering it to sell assets or change its business practices.
A judge in Washington will hold a trial next week on the DOJ’s request to make Google sell its Chrome browser and take other measures to end its dominance in online search.
[Aljazeera]
US air strikes on a key oil terminal on Yemen’s Red Sea coast controlled by the Houthi movement have killed at least 74 people and wounded 171 others, the Houthi-run health ministry says.
The US military said it had destroyed Ras Isa “to eliminate this source of fuel for the Iran-backed Houthi terrorists and deprive them of illegal revenue”.
The Houthi-led government in north-west Yemen said the terminal was a civilian facility and that the strikes constituted a “war crime”.
It was the deadliest known attack since President Donald Trump ordered an intensification of the US bombing campaign last month in response to Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping and Israel linked to the Gaza war.
Several hours after the strikes on Ras Isa, the Israeli military said it had intercepted a missile launched from Yemen.
Sirens sounded in several Israeli areas but there were no reports of any casualties or damage.
[BBC]
Donald Trump said the US will “take a pass” on brokering further Russia-Ukraine war talks if Moscow or Kyiv “make it very difficult” to reach a peace deal.
The US president told reporters in the Oval Office on Friday that he was not expecting a truce to happen in “a specific number of days” but he wanted it done “quickly”.
His comments came hours after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that the US would abandon talks “if it’s not going to happen”.
“We’re not going to continue with this endeavour for weeks and months on end,” Rubio said, adding that the US had “other priorities to focus on”.
[BBC]
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