Apr 22 (EN) SL�s state-run Litro Gas Company Ltd rejected a price increase claim that 12.5kg gas cylinder prices were increased to 5175 rupees and said there was no such decision taken yet. Vijitha Herath, the newly appointed Chairman of Litro said that nothing has been decided yet. On March 31, Litro sought approval from the cabinet to hike gas prices to sponge 4.2 billion rupee loss it had made since the rupee was floated on March 7. The rupee has fallen around 70% since then. more..

Apr 22 (DM) The Qatari govt has decided to pardon and release 20 Sri Lankans who have been imprisoned for various offences while working in Doha, in view of the holy month of Ramazan. SL Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) said many prisoners have been pardoned on account of the holy month by Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the ruler of Qatar. In addition to the imprisonment, they have also been released from penalties to be paid by the courts in that country, the Bureau said. more..

Apr 22 (EN) The head of SL�s Catholic Church Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith left to the Vatican Friday morning with a 60-member delegation including families of the 2019 Easter attack victims on an invitation of Pope Francis. Spokesman of the Archdiocese of Colombo Fr Cyril Gamini said that the Pope had conveyed to the Cardinal his solidarity with the community in SL�s moment of crisis. Pope Francis will bless the families of Easter Sunday victims at a mass at the St Peter�s basilica. more..

Apr 22 (DM) Former PM Ranil Wickremesinghe said today the no-confidence motion against the govt was delayed following a request made by him. He said this when Leader of the House Dinesh Gunawardena asked as to why the opposition didn't bring in the no-confidence motion against the govt as planned earlier. "The opposition said that they would bring in the no-confidence motion against the govt. It is Friday today. Why it is not presented as said?," he asked. Mr. Wickremesinghe said that it was absurd brining in more..

Apr 22 (EN) India has rolled over a US$ 400 million swap to Sri Lanka�s central bank, the country�s High Commission in Colombo said. India�s unstinted and multi-faceted support to SL continued,� the High Commission said in twitter.com message. �As ongoing currency support, Reserve Bank of India has extended the duration of the US$ 400 million currency swap the Central Bank of SL which was concluded in January this year. SL�s central bank started borrowing from other central banks more..

Apr 22 (FT) The insurance industry had achieved a growth of 12.25% in terms of overall Gross Written Premium (GWP), during the 4th Quarter of 2021, recording a GWP increase of Rs. 25,507 million when compared to the same period in the year 2020. GWP of Long-Term Insurance and General Insurance Businesses was Rs. 233,757 million compared to the 4th Quarter of 2020, amounting to Rs. 208,250 million. The GWP of Long-Term Insurance Business amounted to Rs. 124,709 million (Q4, 2020: Rs. 102,974 million) recording a growth of 21.11%. more..

Apr 22 (AD) Monaragala District MP Vijitha Berugoda has been appointed as State Minister of Highways. He took oath in his new state ministerial portfolio before Prez Rajapaksa this morning. Earlier this week, MP Berugoda was sworn in as State Minister of Ports and Shipping. A total of 24 new State Ministers and 17 new Cabinet ministers were sworn in before the President on Monday (18). Four other State Ministers including TMVP leader Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, alias Pillayan later took oaths on April 20. more..

Apr 22 (EN) Constitutional changes and abolishing the presidency will not be the answer for the ongoing crisis, opposition legislator and former army chief Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka told the parliament. He said the opposition is ready to form a minority govt if both the presidency and prime minister positions are given to them. Fonseka said the ruling party and the opposition both are trying to atone for their past sins by blaming each other and the parliament has not come to more..

Apr 22 (EN) Power cuts up to 3 hours and 20 minutes have been approved for SL for April 23, PUCSL Chairman Janaka Ratnayake said as money printing by the central bank triggered forex shortages, disrupting fuel imports. On April 23, all areas (ABCDEFGHIJKLPQRSTUVW) will have power cuts of 2 hours from 0900am to 0500pm and 1 hour and 20 minutes from 0500pm and 0900pm. On April 24, all areas (ABCDEFGHIJKLPQRSTUVW) will have power cuts of 1 hour and 40 minutes from 0900am to 0520pm and 1 hour and 20 minutes more..

Apr 22 (TM) The Independent Professionals for the Nation have released a letter to the armed forced of SL requesting them to act in coordination with Protesters and allow them to practice their freedom of speech. The letter dated today (22), requested the Armed Forces to allow protesters to Freedom of Expression, of which the right to protest is an integral part, the Freedom of Association and the Freedom of Peaceful Assembly are Fundamental Rights guaranteed to them under our Constitution. more..

Apr 22 (Island) There had been a 30%- 50% drop in the country�s agricultural output, Chinthaka Rajapakshe, Convener of the Movement for Land and Agricultural Reform (MONLAR) told The Island. �The farmers, like almost everyone else in this country, are uncertain of their future and they have only sold a portion of their produce. So, for example, if a farmer produced 100 kilos of paddy, he would keep 50 kilos for his own consumption and sell only 50 kilos,� more..

Apr 22 (AD) A proposal for the 21st amendment to the Constitution has been handed over to Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena on behalf of the 40 Members of Parliament who recently became independent in the House. The proposal has been presented as a private member�s bill by MP Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe. It seeks the repealing of the 20th Amendment to the Constitution and reintroduction of democratic features in the 19th constitutional amendment. Meanwhile, the main opposition SJB yesterday submitted more..

Apr 22 (NR) Teachers and Principals of govt schools have planned to strike on Monday, calling for the govt to provide solutions to the present crisis. The teachers claim that staff and students faced many difficulties in finding means of transportation to report to school, due to fuel shortages and continuous protests. Principal Trade Unions revealed that their proposal for teachers to work and students to learn at the closest school to their homes was rejected by authorities. more..

Apr 22 (TM) The special police team appointed to investigate the Rambukkana shooting incident has made a revelation with regard to the firearms and ammunition used by the law enforcement officers during the tense situation amidst a protest on April 19. According to them, four T-56 firearms and 35 rounds of ammunition have been used by the police officers who were at the scene to disperse the crowd. Residents in the area, who were on protest demanding fuel to be supplied at old prices, more..

Apr 22 (TM) The entire world is facing an economic crisis, not just SL and citizens must be thankful that SL, as a nation is not like other countries such as Ethiopia that distributes LP gas just once a week, says Former Minister of Trade Bandula Gunawadhane. He made this statement while speaking in Parliament. �This economic crisis is all over the world. In Pakistan and Nepal people have taken to the streets as well. But Sri Lankans must be thankful that unlike other countries like Ethiopia, more..

Apr 22 (FT) A hard-hitting letter by Sri Lanka Tourism Chairperson Kimarli Fernando this week criticised the efforts by SL Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) President and members to what she alleged as undermine Govt Tourism Institutions via series of media releases over the past two years and three months. In a letter to SLAITO President Thilak Weerasinghe, she listed out seven key opposing initiatives that SLAITO has been conducting such as; more..

Apr 23 (Island) High Commission of SL in Bangladesh together with its fraternal partner, High Commission of Bangladesh in SL are pleased to share with our well-wishers this landmark event celebrating 50 years of friendship and solidarity. As an initiative taken by our two Missions, the anniversary will be celebrated throughout this year on various topical areas ranging from investments to culture. It is expected to be a common platform reaching out to our valued communities. more..

Apr 23 (TM) On the cusp of celebrating my 49th birthday, I watch, with absolute pride, how the the youth of this land, as well as people from all walks of life, for whatever reasons, have gathered in Gotagogama (formally known as Galle Face Green) to peacefully protest against the local royal family. Whilst there are still a few absolute loyalists of this family � and I hope they will find a kind psychologist to disabuse them of these notions � it seems obvious that their voter base has eroded, more..

Apr 23 (DM) When Basil Rajapaksa was sworn in as Finance Minister by his brother Prez Rajapaksa in July 2021, appointment captured the attention of the world�s influential media. It was seen as an illustrative example of a single family enjoying a monopoly of political power in a democratic country. One family was having pervasive control over Govt in SL. It was estimated that 72% of the total budgetary allocations to ministries more..

Apr 23 (DM) The SLPP govt is no longer a strong govt, despite it commanding a simple majority in Parliament. One cannot give an assurance of even its simple majority which is 113 seats in the House being intact if a secret ballot was taken over any issue. Irrespective of its numerical strength, the confession-like statements by leaders of the govt, especially Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his brother PM Mahinda Rajapaksa, are a clear manifestation of the weakness of the govt. more..

Apr 23 (CT) The Govt which has virtually brought the Nation to its knees due to its dire mismanagement of the Economy and Monetary Policy is now proposing the divestiture of non-strategic public assets of SL! If we as a Nation must indeed sell the family silver to keep our heads above water, the million dollar question is: how competent and honest is the present Govt to handle such divestiture of National Assets? It is the method of such divestment, the negotiation of conditions attached to more..

Apr 23 (TM) SL-born Kamaj Silva was on his way home in a taxi with the last $ 700 in his bank account more than six years ago. �I wanted to build something for myself rather than going for interviews and trying to prove myself to people that I�m worthy enough to work for them,� he shares. Today, he is the Founder/CEO of MILK Sneaker Boutique based in Dupont St, Toronto, Ontario. He is also the brainchild behind Sneakertub, more..

Apr 23 (CT) The voices from #GoHomeGota campaign has brought together all Sri Lankans under a single banner to chase away the Rajapaksa dynasty and restore democracy and human dignity that will usher SL in to a truly multi ethnic, Multi religious, multi lingual and multi cultural pluralistic society. At #Go Home Gota Gama, the days of hate and racism seemed to be a fiction of the distant past. The genies of racists and extremists have been bottled to be discarded permanently at more..

Apr 23 (Island) Former PM Ranil Wickremesinghe has told Parliament a home truth while the Opposition is challenging the govt to prove that the latter has a majority in the House; whoever manages to muster a working majority, the current crises will not go away, and therefore the need is for a concerted effort to resolve them, Wickremesinghe has said. This, we believe, is a realistic assessment of the situation, which is bound to take a turn for the worse if the govt and the Opposition continue more..

Apr 23 (GV) The last two years have witnessed the unparalleled destruction of SL�s environment, with more than 1,000 cases of environmental degradation being reported throughout the country. The plundering of natural resources by elected public officials and their cronies is one of the first reasons that took citizens out on the streets to fight against the wanton destruction. Fuelled by shortages of basic necessities and accounts of rampant corruption, later protests exploded more..

Apr 23 (DM) Nearly eighteen years have passed since the cabinet took a decision to annexe half a kilometre buffer zone to SL�s last primary tropical forest, Sinharaja. On July 22, 2004, the then cabinet approved to obtain a recommendation to connect a buffer zone for Sinharaja. Still consecutive govts have opted to turn a blind eye to this long-overdue project despite demands by environmentalists. The moves during the past few years to initiate various projects in Sinharaja reserved forest territory more..

Apr 23 (FT) Finance Minister Ali Sabry said the World Bank has agreed to provide bridging finance of $ 300 to 600 million in the next four weeks to six months for SL to ease off the economic crisis. The medium-term bridging finance would be utilised for medicines, essential food, fertiliser and to provide financial relief to the most vulnerable people impacted by the worst economic crisis the country had ever encountered more..

Apr 23 (TM) Several months ago, the Covid-19 pandemic was the biggest challenge that Sri Lankans were dealing with, and it disrupted people�s everyday lives to a great extent. In a rather unexpected manner, however, the economic and political crises are now posing a much bigger and different threat. With time and amidst the exacerbating economic crisis, a considerable segment of the population has stopped adhering to Covid-19 safety guidelines. more..

Apr 23 (ST) It was about a year ago, that many started talking about and sometimes asked me (this issue) as well: What does it mean for a country to go bankrupt? What does it look like? In fact, it was since mid-2018, that I (through this column) drew parallels from the bankrupt economies like Greece, Venezuela and Lebanon for Sri Lanka. Their journey towards bankruptcy took decades, but the fall was within a few years� time. Much earlier than that too, as far back as 2008, more..

Apr 23 (DN) SL Badminton team comprising four players couldn�t take part at the Badminton Asian Championship scheduled to be held from April 26 to May 1 st in Manila, Philippines due to refusal of Visa. According to the senior official of Sri Lanka Badminton (SLB), the four players: Niluka Karunaratne, Buwaneka Gunathilleka, Sachin Dias, and Thilini Hendahewa were expected to take part in this event and they were due to leave for Manila today (23). more..

Apr 23 (TM) CT CLSA Securities (Pvt) Ltd., in its report Impact from Rising Borrowing Costs published on 20 April, predicted that the recent interest rate hike by newly appointed Central Bank of SL (CBSL) Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe will have a negative effect on the financials of corporate entities, as a result of increased cost of borrowings. According to CT CLSA, the interest rate hike will negatively affect the Profit Before Tax (PBT) of highly leveraged companies. more..

Apr 23 (Island) Men�s and women�s javelin throws and the 100 and 400 metres sprints are the main attractions when the postponed disciplines of the centenary National Athletics C'ships are held at Diyagama today. Sri Lanka Athletics had to postpone as many as 12 disciplines of the centenary National C'ship to April 23 after almost the entire final day of the landmark event was affected by rain at Diyagama on Apr 10. more..

Apr 23 (FT) 50 persons tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday, raising the country�s COVID-19 case count to 663,091. The previous day, 35 COVID-19 patients were detected. 1,524 PCR tests and 785 rapid antigen tests were conducted on Thursday. 75,469 COVID-19 patients have been detected since 1 Jan. SL�s local cases also include 483,090 persons from the New Year cluster, 82,785 persons from the Peliyagoda cluster, 9,154 persons from the Prisons cluster, and 3,059 persons from more..

Apr 23 (CT) Leader of UPF Dr. V. Radhakrishnan said that US Ambassador to SL Julie Chung has promised to recommend that the IMF assist SL in overcoming the current economic crisis. Dr. Radhakrishnan noted that his party had recently met Ambassador Chung to discuss SL�s current situation. �The citizens are experiencing numerous inconveniences as a result of the Govt�s irresponsible actions and the US Ambassador promised that she will urge the IMF to more..

Apr 23 (TM) Former Minister Dullas Alahapperuma has written a letter to Prez Rajapaksa, calling for the resignation of PM Rajapaksa and the cabinet of ministers to make way for an all-party interim govt in order to manage the country�s economic crisis. In the letter dated today, Alahaperruma suggested that a small cabinet that represents all political parties that represent parliament must be appointed without delay more..

Apr 23 (FT) SL Collective against Torture (SLCAT) in a statement condemned the violence by the Sri Lanka Police on 19 April at Rambukkana, Kegalle in the Sabaragamuwa Province. It said Police officials are alleged to have used violence, including beating with batons, and firing live ammunition repeatedly at people fleeing. These actions are alleged to have caused grave injuries to civilians agitating against Govt actions particularly the hike in fuel prices, and bystanders. more..