Apr 22 (TG) Driving through the verdant landscape of Rajanganaya, a rural district in north Sri Lanka where the hibiscus flowers pop out of rich green foliage and the mango trees are already weighed down by early fruit, it is hard to imagine this is a community in crisis. Yet for many of those who have farmed this land since the 1960s, mainly with rice and banana crops, the past year has been the toughest of their lives. more..

Apr 22 (DM) It is evident with facts that those who are holding higher appointments in the Ministry of Defence providing guidelines and advises to President lack basic knowledge in the discipline of National Security. In the meantime, although the Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa boasts to have ensured National Security in the country, it is not the reality. In the wider spectrum, National security doesn�t only mean countering terrorism, arresting trouble makers, declaring emergency and enforcing curfew. more..

Apr 22 (DM) A protest in Rambukkana on April 19 brought death to a 41 year-old father sending a strong message to protesters, the police and the govt to maintain nonviolence throughout this difficult time where the majority of the citizenry has turned against the state. The deceased-identified as K.D Chaminda Lakshan- became the first casualty in this struggle where the agitators are protesting against the fuel hike and the interruption in the supplying of fuel to filling stations. more..

Apr 22 (TM) Before the Covid-19 pandemic broke out in early 2020, SL was a land of hope with many developmental and economic activities taking place with the involvement of local and international stakeholders. However, a large number of development activities, especially construction activities, have come to a halt, and those sectors are stuck in a situation where they cannot continue. more..

Apr 22 (GV) Catholic Archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, knows exactly why most Sri Lankans are living through the worst times ever experienced in recent history. It�s the curse on the bloodstained leaders of the land. �The true faces of the people behind the ruthless Easter Sunday attacks are evident. Although the conspirators could gain power, they could not sustain it, as their power was cursed by God. Maybe it is one of the main reasons why SL has not moved forward more..

Apr 22 (CT) Remembering a remarkable human being who has sadly passed away when you need him most is best done by remembering his life and work on his birth anniversary. Mangala Samaraweera would have tuned 66 today 21st April. On his political journey he left a footprint that attests to courage and conviction. He was an exceptional man of his time. As we look back, in the context of contemporary crisis, he departed at a time when history was crying out to be free. more..

Apr 22 (Island) All politicians who are out of power pledge to abolish the executive presidency. They follow Machiavelli�s advice when there occurs a rebound in their political fortunes; then, they renege on their promise. The SJB has submitted a draft 21st constitutional amendment (21-A) to the Secretary General of Parliament. It wants the executive presidency scrapped and Parliament strengthened. The proposed amendment also seeks to prevent crossovers from receiving ministerial posts. more..

Apr 22 (Island) The sea of troubles is within our land, surrounded by the Indian Ocean, which will soon turmoil to send us its SW Monsoon winds. No sharp light of relief is discernible in the mists and vapours of rain and people�s continued shouts of protest. But hope lives on. The People braved torrential rains and the scorching sun, forewent usual national New Year routines and continue their effort to send a strong, determined, heartfelt, unanimous message to the govt. more..

Apr 22 (ST) Why aren�t the northern people protesting over rising prices and shortages of essential items? The answer: Economic hardships are not new to them. When the war was raging in the Northern Province just over a decade ago, electricity was a luxury for many families in the region. To survive and overcome life�s difficulties, people were forced to look for alternatives and innovative techniques during the war. more..

Apr 22 (GV) I am writing from Jaffna, rather disappointed and disenchanted with the IMF and the Govt of India for trying to bail out our horrid govt as detailed by the Hindustan Times. Owing to the govt�s mismanagement and corruption, my diesel vehicle is grounded, there is no cooking gas at home and my wife manages to cook with our rice cooker when there is electricity. We are not set up for cooking with firewood as a few of our neighbours are. Two days ago I searched desperately for cooking gas more..

Apr 22 (FT) SL�s COVID-19 case count rose to 663,041 following the detection of 35 COVID-19 patients yesterday. The previous day, 61 persons tested positive for COVID-19. 1,705 PCR tests and 1,836 rapid antigen tests were conducted on Wednesday. Sri Lanka�s COVID-19 detections include 483,090 cases from the New Year cluster, 82,785 cases from the Peliyagoda cluster, 9,154 cases from the Prisons cluster and 3,059 cases from the Divulapitiya cluster. more..

Apr 22 (TM) On the third anniversary of the Easter Sunday attacks, which was marked yesterday, Archbishop of Colombo His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith questioned whether the present Govt is protecting former Prez Maithripala Sirisena due to the fear of links between top govt officials and the Easter Sunday attacks being revealed. �When some officers asked Sirisena to arrest Easter Sunday bomber Zahran Hashim & his team, more..

Apr 22 (ST) With little more than a month left for the GCE O/L exam, teachers have urged the authorities to verify whether the syllabuses have been covered before the question papers are set. Their call came amidst reports that many schools have not covered the syllabuses due to shutdowns prompted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Ceylon Teachers Union General Secretary Joseph Stalin said it was unfair to set the question papers on the assumption that all schools had covered the syllabuses of all subjects. more..

Apr 22 (ST) A Tamil diaspora organisation has urged that the current momentum caused by the ongoing protests against the govt should not be lost but instead should lead to a historical transformation in the country with meaningful and long lasting changes. Global Tamil Forum (GTF), an umbrella organisation of Tamil diaspora outfits based in North America and Europe has recognised remarkable and hopeful developments taking place in the country while stressing that more..

Apr 22 (Island) Former Sri Lankan cricketers Kumar Sangakkara and Sanath Jayasuriya have spoken out against the recent violence in the country�s southwestern town of Rambukkana. Several people were injured and at least one civilian was killed during Tuesday�s violence in the region. As per reports, the violence occurred after the Sri Lanka police opened fire on unarmed protesters while they were demonstrating against rising fuel prices in the country. more..

Apr 22 (ST) In a rare sight of rival schools becoming joint-winners, arch-rivals St. Joseph�s and St. Peter�s came out on top sharing 28-points each in the men�s category, while Visaka Vidyalaya were the overall champions in the women�s category in the Pentathlon Swimming Championships 2022 that concluded last Monday (11). In fact, both Joes and Visakians, champions of the National Age Group Relay Championships, worked off early this year, continued from where they left sharing more..

Apr 22 (TM) The current milk powder shortage in the country will likely be aggravated in the near term, as milk importers claim that they have completely run out of stocks due to the difficulties faced in opening Letters of Credit (LC). A source from the dairy-importing industry claimed that they have completely run out of stocks, and that the next shipment of milk powder is expected to arrive by the end of this month. more..

Apr 22 (ST) The sudden interest rate hike excessively by the Central Bank would hit COVID-19 affected small and medium enterprises (SMEs) hard compelling them to declare bankruptcy under the present economic downturn, SME associations warned. Banks and financial institutions have already activated all types of recovery actions, including parate execution and forced repossession of leased assets, they complained. Around 1.3 million SMEs with 2.2 million employees more..

Apr 22 (Island) St. Joseph�s retained the Under 19 Division I Tier �A� cricket title with a convincing 106 runs victory over Richmond as skipper Shevon Daniel with a top score of 80 runs and Deshan Senaviratne and Dunith Wellalage with three-wicket hauls excelled for the Darley Road team in the final played at the Police Park ground in Colombo on Wednesday. Chasing a target of 258 runs to win Richmond�s top order failed to provide a solid start as they lost four wickets for 41 runs. more..

Apr 22 (TM) CEB officials raised concerns about the payments for the upcoming maintenance at the Lakvijaya Coal Power Plant in Norochcholai, considering the current United States dollar shortage in the country. There is a scheduled maintenance for Unit 2 of Lakvijaya, due to begin on 4 June. This is a Class A maintenance, which requires the assistance of China and is recommended to be done every four years. more..

Apr 22 (CT) 17-year-old Vishmi Gunarathne, skipper of Rathnawali Balika Vidyalaya Gampaha, established a new batting record in the history of Sri Lanka Girls� Cricket by being the first Quadra Centurion. She is a member of the SL National Women�s squad. The right hand opener scored an unbeaten 417 runs in 128 balls with 49 boundaries and 29 sixes against Jayasiripura Kanishta Vidyalaya Polonnaruwa in the pre-quarter-final match played at MB Ground Godigamuwa. more..

Apr 22 (TM) Sri Lanka technically became bankrupt when it announced a temporary suspension of repayment of all external debt of around $ 50 billion, saying the country can no longer honour its commitments owing to weak financial reserves caused by external and internal shocks. This meant the Finance Ministry, with the stroke of a pen, said goodbye to an outstanding track record of servicing its external debt obligations since Independence, built by our forefathers. more..

Apr 22 (DM) Constitutional amendments will not resolve the country�s political crisis, SJB MP Sarath Fonseka told Parliament. �You have to take action against a school principal whenever he abuses a child in the school rather than abolishing the principal�s post,� he said. �I don�t see how a constitutional amendment would help SL. What we need is a change in the political culture. Neither a constitutional amendment nor the appointment of an interim govt is going to help more..

Apr 22 (HT) China on Thursday gave the go ahead to a batch of SL students, studying in Chinese universities but currently stranded in their home country because of Covid-related restrictions imposed by Beijing, to return to their campuses to resume in-person learning. China�s decision to allow SL students to return was announced by the SL embassy in Beijing in a statement on Thursday. The announcement will be keenly followed by Indian students who are studying in Chinese uni more..

Apr 22 (Island) TNA MP M. A. Sumanthiran told Parliament on Wednesday (20) that he had not seen any protesters unleashing violence. The MP said that it had been only the police who used excessive force which was quite blatant, and that had resulted in the death of one person in Rambukkana. �I saw a message from the President via twitter, in which he says �I urge all to refrain from violence as they protest�. more..

Apr 22 (MFA) Minister of Foreign Affairs, G.L. Peiris met with the Ambassador of China, Qi Zhenhong, on 21 April, at the Foreign Ministry. While welcoming the Ambassador, Minister Peiris appreciated China�s continued assistance to SL which had begun even before establishing formal diplomatic relations between the two countries. He also recalled the Chinese monuments erected in SL with the funding of the Chinese Govt. Foreign Minister also apprised the Ambassador of the current situation more..

Apr 22 (DM) SL has further relaxed the entry requirements to the country by removing the need for on-arrival PCR tests for non-vaccinated and partially vaccinated travellers. SL Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) issued a notice yesterday informing that all non-vaccinated and partially vaccinated travellers are exempted from the Day-1 PCR test and quarantine period. However, to be exempted from the on-arrival PCR test, travellers must arrive with a negative PCR report more..

Apr 22 (FT) Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith yesterday charged that the 2019 Easter Sunday attack was used by a Presidential Election candidate to garner support by putting forth promises of upholding national security. �The 2019 Presidential Election was focused on national security, whilst creating an unrest and instilled fear among citizens, where people pitted against each other,� he claimed more..

Apr 22 (CT) It is revealed that the shooting in the Rambukkana incident was on the orders of the Kegalle SSP. Internal sources in Police Dept reveal that three armed Police Officers who were ordered to come to the premises by the Kegalla SSP, have begun shooting to bring the protesters under control. The 3 armed police officers, who were involved in this incident noted that the the Kegalle SSP was the highest ranking officer who was at the protest site & therefore, they followed his orders. more..

Apr 22 (TM) Several parties including political parties, lawyers, and civil activists have questioned the impartiality of SDIG Ajith Rohana, who is also the Senior Police Media Spokesman, in connection with the death of a protestor in Rambukkana. Making a statement on social media about the court case related to the police shooting in Rambukkana on 19 April, that led to the killing of a protestor, Frontline Socialist Party Education Secretary Pubudu Jayagoda said: more..

Apr 22 (TM) The IGP yesterday directed the CID to conduct an impartial, comprehensive probe into the death of an individual after Police opened fire at protesters in Rambukkana on Tuesday to disperse them, while two officers of the Rambukkana Police and one officer of the Kegalle Police have been transferred with immediate effect. The directives were given to the DIG in charge of the CID, W. Thilakaratne, Govt Information Dept more..

Apr 22 (FT) This year the Sinhala Hindu New Year dawned with the echo of the declaration by the Central Bank itself that SL has become a bankrupt country unable to repay its foreign loans. The amount of foreign debt outstanding is approximately $ 50 billion. The country�s journey towards anarchy will truly commence from there. From now on, SL will become a country which has lost the ability to secure foreign loans by way of bonds or other forms of commercial loans until it is restored from the state of bankruptcy. more..

Apr 22 (FT) SL is at a crossroad. Debate and discussion abound on how to address the current multiple crises that SL faces, as well as the present impasse of an unwanted Executive with all powers and an inadequate Legislature with little powers. The current peaceful, united call of the people for real change requires a clear vision and framework on which to base a sustainable development plan for SL and assign responsibility to its Executive, Legislature and Public Service to implement that plan. more..

Apr 22 (DM) Litro gas price increased to Rs. 5,175 The Litro Gas company has decided to increase the selling price of a 12.5 kg domestic gas cylinder to Rs. 5,175 with effect from midnight today. Accordingly, the price of a gas cylinder has is increased by Rs 2500. Earlier, a 12.5Kg litro gas cinder was sold at Rs 2,675, the official said. Meanwhile the official said that the company had incurred Rs. 20 billion last year and 70 percent of the people in the country currently have converter to use wood. more..

Apr 22 (AD) IGP C.D. Wickramaratne arrived at the Human Rights Commission of SL (HRCSL) this morning, over the police shooting during a protest in Rambukkana area that led to the death of one individual. The HRCSL had issued summons to a group of law enforcement authorities � the IGP, the DIG in charge of Central Province, the Senior Superintendent of Police in charge of Kegalle and the OICs of Kegalle and Rambukkana police stations � to make an appearance before the commission at 11.00 a.m. today. more..

Apr 22 (AD) SL�s overall rate of inflation as measured by the National Consumer Price Index (NCPI) on Y-o-Y basis has been recorded as 21.5% in March 2022. This was revealed in the National Consumer Price Index issued for the month of March 2022. Headline inflation calculated for the month of Feb 2022 was 17.5%. With respect to March 2021, reported inflation for the month of March 2022 was mainly due to the higher price levels prevailed in both food and non-food groups, more..