May 3 (DM) The proposals to implement a pilot project for introducing a digital gateway for the passengers who depart through platforms was approved by the govt today. The proposal was made by the Airport and Aviation (SL) Ltd (AASL). The AASL has been planning to execute several multiple extensions in order to enhance the efficacy of the monitoring activities at the BIA. After implementing the programme, checking the passengers will be an easy process to complete through confirming more..

May 3 (TM) The Tamil diaspora organisation, the Global Tamil Forum (GTF), has expressed its gratitude to Tamil Nadu (TN) Chief Minister M.K. Stalin for providing humanitarian relief to all communities living in Sri Lanka. Foreign media reported on 29 April that Stalin has moved a resolution in the Tamil Nadu State Assembly, urging the Central Govt to immediately send food and other essential commodities to Sri Lanka. more..

May 3 (ANI) Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam MP TKS Elangovan said that the situation in Sri Lanka, which is undergoing a severe economic crisis, is pitiable and further welcomed the decision of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to accept the request of the Tamil Nadu govt to supplement India's humanitarian aid to the island nation. Earlier today, Chief Minister MK Stalin expressed his gratitude to the EAM for accepting the state's request to supplement the aid being sent from India to SL more..

May 3 (TM) SLFP has called on the SLPP-led Govt to remove Dr. Suren Raghavan, who recently took over a State ministerial post, from the SLPP National List parliamentary seat and to appoint another person to replace him. SLFP Senior Vice President Prof. Rohana Luxman Piyadasa said: �During the last General Election, the SLPP promised to give the SLFP two National List seats. However, Raghavan, who was third on the list that we gave, was appointed. This was done for the benefit of more..

May 3 (Hindu) Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Tuesday appealed to the people of Tamil Nadu to contribute funds towards the State govt�s efforts to send humanitarian aid to the citizens of SL, who have been affected by a crippling economic crisis. State govt has decided to send humanitarian assistance including 40,000 tonnes of rice, 500 tonnes of milk powder and essential medicines as part of the first phase. �This is the time for us to extend assistance to those in need, to the extent possible. more..

May 3 (CT) Ahead of the T20 World Cup 2022, SL legend Mahela Jayawardene has picked five players from the current era for his dream T20 side. Jayawardene went with a maximum of two cricketers from Pakistan and one each from India, England, and Afghanistan. Starting with his first pick, the current Mumbai Indians (MI) coach chose Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan, who is currently playing for Gujarat Titans (GT) in the IPL 2022. Jayawardene opined that Rashid more..

May 3 (TM) SLFP has requested IGP C.D. Wickramaratne to investigate the incident where a youth blindfolded the eyes of the statue of slain PM and SLFP Founder S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike at the Galle Face Green, during the GotaGoHome protest. In a letter to the IGP, SLFP General Secretary MP Dayasiri Jayasekara said that the SLFP condemned the blindfolding of statue of Bandaranaike, who is also SLFP Founder. more..

May 3 (TM) The protestors at MynaGoGama protest zone in front of the Temple Trees parked their vehicles on the pavement in the area yesterday in protest against the Police buses that have been parked on both sides of the main road in front of the Temple Trees, blocking the pavement. When the Police attempted to impose fines on persons who had parked their vehicles on the pavement in the area, the vehicle owners were seen claiming that they had parked their vehicles in the same more..

May 3 (DM) The Lanka Private Bus Owners' Association (LPBOA) has decided to provide free transport facilities for the youth who have engaged in peaceful protests. LPBBOA Chairman Gemunu Wijerathne said they have decided to provide buses with adequate diesel to travel a distance of 20-25 km for peaceful protests. Also he said the association has decided to park their buses around the Parliament in view to demonstrate their dissent to present govt. more..

May 4 (ST) Okay, so troubles lie ahead. We have a govt of sorts and a cabinet that is out of sorts. As though we are not a bankrupt nation we appoint ministers and state ministers as if they are imperative to national resuscitation and there is enough money to splash on such a third eleven. From where President Rajapaksa found this lot would surely have raised a million eyebrows in Gotagogama and beyond. Some believe he might have consulted SLC�s national selectors. more..

May 4 (DM) It was eerie to hear the three names Lasantha, Prageeth, Thajudeen mentioned in the same breath. I was watching a live feed of the IUSF protest late last month that had surrounded the residence of Mahinda Rajapaksa. Protesters were on the outer wall while hundreds of others clamoured outside. The once impenetrable modern-day royalty of the Rajapaksa Inc. had weakened unlike never before. Those names and others like Lalith, Kugan; the two human rights activists more..

May 4 (CT) Many children in the world face violence against and two in three do so at the hands of those who are supposed to love them the most. This happens in many places including homes, classrooms, childcare centres and others. Today, 86% of the world�s children are not protected from this practice by the law. Though the Circular of 2016 prohibits the use of corporal punishment in govt schools, it does not apply to all schools more..

May 4 (CT) Electricity is associated with economic wellbeing. Generally, where there is a growth in electricity consumption there is economic growth, while the obverse also holds true. Currently, for a record number of weeks, if not months, SL has been subject to hours-long daily power cuts because the island is foreign currency cash strapped to import the required coal, gas and diesel needed to provide uninterrupted power, discounting the always breakdown Norochcholai Coal Power Plant, more..

May 4 (DM) The war in Ukraine has been expanding since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 this year. According to UN IOM (UM Migration) since the Russian Federation�s invasion of Ukraine on Feb 24, 7.7 million Ukrainians have been displaced. ABC News quoting the Kyiv School of Economics estimate the cost of direct damage to Ukraine�s infrastructure amid Russia�s ongoing invasion has reached almost an estimated US$63 billion. The latest analysis shows that, as of March 24, more..

May 4 (CT) Given the tremendous difficulties the construction industry is presently facing, it is not surprising to see small construction companies go bankrupt in quick succession following the recent price hikes and a shortage of industrial input. There is also a chance that other large construction projects may follow, potentially creating a domino effect for subcontractors, who will be left out of pocket and in debt. more..

May 4 (TM) The Morning yesterday reported that Office on Missing Persons (OMP) Commissioner Shiraz Noordeen had resigned from the OMP, stating that it was unable to act independently to bring justice to victims. Noordeen had raised grave concerns about the OMP�s decision-making process lacking independence and being influenced, needing approval from the Justice Ministry for the OMP�s activities, and difficulties with regard to obtaining funds in an independent manner, more..

May 4 (Island) JVP has displayed a slew of files at a press conference, claiming that they contain information about corrupt activities of the present-day leaders, Opposition politicians and others. It has made no revelation, though; it has only repeated the same old charges. Everybody knows that the grandees of the current dispensation are corrupt to the core. Sugar tax scam, which benefited them and their cronies, has cost Treasury billions of rupees; it is said to be bigger than even CB bond fraud. more..

May 4 (GV) Way ahead of the Prez election of 2019 Gotabhaya Rajapaksa had given enough indication that he was incapacitated, incompetent and illegitimate to establish a democratic govt that would safeguard the interests of its people. We had all the signs. Lasantha Wickrematunge wrote a letter where he prophesized his own death. He claimed that he would one day be killed by the Rajapaksas. And then he was killed, when Mahinda Rajapakasa was the Prez and Gotabaya more..

May 4 (FT) SL�s COVID-19 case count rose to 663,426 following the detection of 18 COVID-19 patients yesterday. The previous day, 35 COVID-19 patients were detected. 1,020 PCR tests and 485 rapid antigen tests were conducted on Monday. Total of 75,836 COVID-19 patients have been detected this year. 483,090 patients from the New Year cluster, 82,785 patients from the Peliyagoda cluster, 9,154 patients from the Prisons cluster and 3,059 patients from Divulapitiya cluster more..

May 4 (FT) The SJB yesterday handed over two No-Confidence Motions, one against Prez Rajapaksa and another against the Govt, to Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena. The No-Confidence Motion against the Govt was handed over after weeks of speculation on whether the Opposition can muster enough votes to get it passed. The motion was signed only by members of the SJB even though the party has been more..

May 4 (Island) A few years ago, when a minister tabled an amendment to the Electricity Act, most likely with ulterior motives, his colleagues shot down the amendment hours before it was to be presented in Parliament. The proposed revision would have removed the power vested with the PUCSL to regulate the economic operation of the electricity supply industry. The objective of the minister concerned may have been to remove the requirement for competitive bidding to more..

May 4 (FT) Hotels Association of SL (THASL) called upon the Govt leadership to take appropriate decisions immediately and create a conducive environment to ensure social and political stability and security which are key for foreign visitor travel and the overall efforts to revive the economy. �In the backdrop of the events taking place across the country, it is our belief that the time has come for the Govt leadership to listen to the voice of the people during these difficult times and more..

May 4 (TM) Former Prez Chandrika Kumaratunga has handed over a series of proposals to religious leaders, political parties, and civil organisations regarding the formation of an interim govt and a council of State as a solution to the prevailing economic and political crisis situation in the country. It is reported that the series of proposals prepared by Kumaratunga has been handed over to a number of parties including more..

May 4 (DN) An Eight member SL Badminton team will take part in the Commonwealth Games which is scheduled to be held from July 28 to August 8 in Birmingham, England. According to the Vice President of SL Badminton Palitha Hettiarachchi, four men�s shuttlers and four women�s shuttlers have been selected for the Birmingham Games based on their performances at the selection trials and all of them are undergoing training with Indonesian Jeffer Rosobin who is the present National coach. more..

May 4 (Island) The reigning national chess champion Susal de Silva of Nalanda College won the SL National Chess Championship for the second successive year as he scored ten points in 13 games at the 2022 edition concluded on Sunday. The 17-year-old FIDE Master, lead from the start and beat his Ananda College rival Ranindu Liyanage in the eighth round which gave him the needed tie-breaking points to win the title and the cash award of Rs. 112,500.00. more..

May 4 (Island) After a very good season of domestic cricket, middle-order batsman Roshen Silva was among the shortlisted players for the upcoming tour of Bangladesh but it seems he has made up his mind to move on. Roshen is currently in the UK playing league cricket and despite the selectors asking him to return home to face a fitness test, he has preferred to stay on in England and make a living by playing league cricket rather than returning to the Test fold. more..

May 4 (ST) Five couples with special needs joined hands in marriage at the same time. The rare event took place on Friday, April 29, at the Namal Hotel in Bandarawela. The five couples ascended the poruwa simultaneously, and performed the wedding rituals together. What was special about this wedding ceremony was that all the brides and the grooms were persons with special needs. The wedding papers were signed before Additional Registrar, D N Hettiarachchie. more..

May 4 (DM) As SL is now compelled to make some tough choices to put its economy back on track, both the Finance Ministry and Central Bank officials are calling for higher taxes as part of a crucial fiscal reforms package, while the talks with the IMF continue for a rescue package. The officials are looking at bringing up the taxes at least to the level that was there before the sweeping tax cuts introduced by Rajapaksa govt in late 2019, more..

May 4 (FT) In response to the Daily FT article last week on some reservations expressed by shipping lines over the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) requirement of payments in dollars from 1 June, the Ceylon Association of Shipping Agents has issued the following statement. The shipping lines have been making payments to the private terminals in the Port of Colombo SAGT and CICT in dollars for quite some time. Only SLPA was accepting SLR. In a recent meeting the Minister of Ports more..

May 4 (Island) For the first time, an Indian e-commerce wholesale startup for emerging brands and distributors in Sivagangai, Tamil Nadu, will introduce SL petro-chemicals to the Indian market, CEO of Tamil Nadu�s Vinayagam Associates Vinayaga Murugesan said. �We are now in the process of connecting leading and emerging brands in India to reach and expand their customer, dealer and distributor network across India successfully. When I met SL�s Deputy High Commissioner more..

May 4 (Island) JVP yesterday presented a set of files containing what it called documentary proof of corruption involving Namal Rajapaksa, Basil Rajapaksa, Yoshitha Rajapaksa, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, Thirukumar Nadesan and several others. The files were displayed during an event held at SL Foundation, in Colombo, with the participation of several other JVP leaders and NPP members and media. more..

May 4 (DM) The govt has declared the dead tusker Nedungamuwe Raja as a national heritage. The decision was announced today during the weekly cabinet meeting. Tusker that served as the ceremonial carrier of the casket of the Temple of the Tooth on 13 occasions from 2005 to 2021 as well as did participate in numerous pageants in a number of pioneer religious places of worship around the island. Tusker died on Mar 7, 2022. Considering the contribution rendered by Nedungamuwe more..

May 4 (Island) The banking sector in SL suffers from a lack of forex liquidity in spite of being a stable sector in the country, CB Governor Dr Nandalal Weerasinghe said. �Our banking sector is quite stable but a lack of forex liquidity, both in private and state banks, is an issue. But we will make every possible attempt to increase the inflow of dollars to the system, Weerasinghe said. �We have plans to remove a forced conversion rule for services exports as part of plans to gradually relax controls more..

May 4 (Island) SL�s Ambassador in Oslo, Godfrey Cooray, has pleaded with Prez Rajapaksa not to close the diplomatic mission in Norway. In a letter dated 20 April, Cooray has said that the Norwegian Foreign Ministry and Sri Lankans residing there had expressed concern about the govt move. The Foreign Ministry recently announced the closure of several diplomatic missions as part of its cost cutting programme in view of the foreign exchange crisis. Mission was to cease operations on 30 Apr more..

May 4 (CT) As the country is struggling with the severe economic crisis this year, the two important institutions, Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) and Ceylon Petroleum Storage Terminal Limited (CPSTL), have indicated a staggering. Rs 53 billion as the total expenses they would incur in 2022. The CPSTL, a subsidiary company of the CPC, in its expenditure for 2022 has quoted Rs 7.5 billion whereas the CPC has stated that its expenditure for 2022 will be Rs. 45.5 billion. more..