Apr 27 (EN) Prez Rajapaksa has given his consent in principle to an all-party govt to be appointed upon the resignation of PM Rajapaksa and the cabinet, a private broadcaster reported on Wednesday (27). According to the privately owned NewsFirst network, a statement from the president’s office which has yet to be publicised has said the president plans to meet leaders of parties and independent groups that represent parliament on Friday (29) at 10.30am. more..

Apr 27 (TM) Public Security Minister Prasanna Ranatunga has instructed the relevant authorities to expedite the implementation of a special welfare programme for police officers and to take immediate action to address issues related to their allowances and facilities. While addressing Public Security Ministry Secretary (Retd.) Maj. Gen. Jagath Alwis, Inspector General of Police Chandana D. Wickramaratne, and senior Police officials during a meeting held on 25 April, he said that more..

Apr 27 (CT) The Human Rights Commission of SL (HRCSL) issued a directive to Police to provide adequate protection for the President and the Prime Minister, while protecting freedom of speech and assembly through necessary and proportionate measures. HRCSL Chairperson Rohini Marasinghe issued the statement yesterday in the backdrop of ongoing protests and political turmoil in the country. The protesters are also close to the official residences of the Prez and PM. more..

Apr 27 (TM) Gazette Extraordinary preventing persons not fully vaccinated against Covid-19 from entering or being in public places with effect from 30 April will not be implemented, taking into account the prevailing situation in the country. Top-level official said: “Since the publication of this Gazette that prevents those who have not obtained all three Covid-19 vaccines from entering public places, the country’s socio-economic situation has undergone a plethora of changes. more..

Apr 27 (CT) Secretary to the Ministry of Trade J.M.B. Jayawardana has been removed from office with immediate effect. The decision has been reportedly taken by the Prez. In addition to being the Secretary to the Trade Ministry, Jayawardana has been the Chairman of a number of institutions as well as a member of Board of Directors of several other institutions. It is reported that former Trade Minister Bandula Gunawardena has repeatedly called for Jayawardana’s removal as the secretary. more..

Apr 27 (EN) SL’s commercial banks quoted the rupee at 345/355 for telegraphic transfers on April 27, rising from the previous day, while the secondary market remained mostly inactive ahead of the bill auction, market participants said. CB’s indicative spot was quoted at 337.9 rupees against the US dollar on Wednesday, down from 340.46 rupees on Tuesday. At the time of filing Central bank had not updated its telegraphic transfer rates for Wednesday. On Tuesday the TT rates were 333.88/346.5 against the US dollar. more..

Apr 28 (DM) More than 6.9 million people voted for the SLPP candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the Nov 16, 2019 prez election and he was sworn in as SL’s 8th executive president on Nov 18, 2019 while more than 5.8 million voted for the SLPP at the Aug 5, 2020 general election and Mahinda Rajapaksa was appointed PM. Subsequently, the newly appointed govt managed to garner a two-thirds majority in Parliament with the support of a few opposition MPs for the passage of the 20th Amendment, more..

Apr 28 (DM) Politics is about claims and counter-claims. It is about profit-seeking through exaggeration and pooh-poohing. It is also about wild extrapolation of conclusions wrought in echo-chambers. It is as much about deception as it is about self-deception. Perhaps an example would illustrate the point. Way back in 2010, a few weeks before prez election, a diehard UNP supporter said, this time Mahinda is finished, you wait and see! I asked, on what basis do you say this? more..

Apr 28 (DM) There are ongoing protests around the country against politicians who are thriving despite the economic hardships people go through every day. None of these protests has opened the eyes of politicians. SJB Chairman Sarath Fonseka is prepared to come forward to save the country, which is reaching a state of anarchy. This is an interview done with Fonseka on the present situation of the country. more..

Apr 28 (GV) The unprecedented national crisis has led to a collapse in the public liking of all politicians. At the Institute for Health Policy (IHP), we have been tracking favourability of several institutions and political personalities since last year. The past two months has seen substantial declines in favourability of all politicians. This has affected politicians in both government, such as Prez and PM, and opposition politicians, and in opposition, such as Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, more..

Apr 28 (TM) It was reported this week that the relevant authorities have been instructed to expedite the implementation of a special welfare programme for Police officers and to take immediate action to address issues pertaining to their allowances and facilities. At the same time, newly appointed Public Security Minister Prasanna Ranatunga, who issued the aforesaid instructions, had also remarked on the importance and necessity of making the Police force a people-friendly institution, while more..

Apr 28 (GV) “I’m 89 years old,” the grandmotherly protestor holding a hand-drawn placard says. “For the last…89 years I have not gone through so much misery. Every time in the night when the light goes off, I cry… I’m going to the polima (queue) in my old age trying to get gas. I stand in the polima to get a packet of milk in my old age… What is the meaning of this? Haven’t they got a heart?” (Newswire – 6.4.2022). more..

Apr 28 (CT) Chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL), on Tuesday (26) declared that ministers who are constantly being rotated within short intervals know next to nothing about policies and procedures. This indeed is a timely statement and aptly describes the root causes of why Sri Lanka is in this appalling situation at present. PUCSL Chairman Janaka Ratnayake made this remark while responding to a statement made by Minister of Power and Energy more..

Apr 28 (CT) We the People, is a unique preamble of US constitution where people are mentioned in the first person. Although it has no innate or legal connotation, those three words express a fundamental truth, i.e., every act undertaken by the govt in power, whether in terms of the constitution or otherwise, and the very existence of the govt in power, implies that they are at the mercy of the people. Whereas, the svasti of SL’s 1977 constitution, mentions people in third person. more..

Apr 28 (Island) Lawmaker Dullas Alahapperuma’s call for the resignation of the entire Cabinet of Ministers, including PM Rajapaksa, quite surprised the electorate. Matara District lawmaker made the declaration in a letter, dated April 21, addressed to Prez Rajapaksa. This was in response to Prez Rajapaksa’s ill-advised decision to accommodate nearly 10 new faces in a Cabinet that included PM Rajapaksa. Lawmaker Alahapperuma warned that the worst ever political and economic crisis more..

Apr 28 (Island) Prez Rajapaksa is reported to have invited all constituents of the SLPP to a discussion on how to form an all-party interim govt, which is widely considered a prerequisite for restoring political stability. This is exactly what the SLPP rebel MPs have been pressing for. But an all-party interim administration cannot be set up unless the PM and the Cabinet step down. PM Rajapaksa has said he will step down only in the event of some other party mustering 113 seats in Parliament. more..

Apr 28 (TM) There appears to be significant value for traders on the CSE right now, as many fundamentally strong and dollar-earning shares are currently trading at steep discounts well below their fair values, following the collapse of the CSE over the past three months, with the ASPI falling by over 45% after reaching its all-time high of 13,462.39 points on 19 Jan 2019. Expolanka Holding PLC (EXPO), more..

Apr 28 (FT) SL’s COVID-19 case count rose to 663,272 following the detection of 33 COVID-19 patients yesterday. On Tuesday, 44 persons tested positive for COVID-19. 1,240 PCR tests and 825 rapid antigen tests were conducted on Tuesday. A total of 75,667 COVID-19 patients have been detected since 1 January. In addition to this, 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 28 (FT) The national insurer Sri Lanka Insurance yet again recorded a stellar performance in the year 2021 to record a profit before taxation of Rs. 11.7 billion for the year 2021, with a strong improvement in combined Gross Written Premium (GWP) of Rs. 43.2 billion denoting a growth of 9.7%. Notwithstanding the stringent economic and social conditions that prevailed in the country, Sri Lanka Insurance’s asset base increased to Rs. 268 billion and the Life fund to Rs. 152 billion to uphold more..

Apr 28 (ST) The new appointee for the emerging squad Ruwan Kalpage came hard on the strictly adhered – fitness test – claiming and criticising that he dislikes the modus operandi of this fitness test affair. “I don’t like the way, they handle the fitness test. When having a trainer appointed for me, my trainer should be running the fitness, not someone else running for my boys,” he said. He was of the stance, too many cooks are spoiling more..

Apr 28 (DN) The promising all-rounder Kamindu Mendis who was adjudged the Player of the Tournament of the recently concluded National Super League (NSL) 4-day cricket tournament gets a chance to enter the National Test cricket squad for the forthcoming Bangladesh Test series which is scheduled to commence on May 15. The 33-year-old experienced Roshen Silva who was named in the National squad already is in England for the league cricket tournament matches and more..

Apr 28 (Island) Seylan Bank, the Bank with a Heart, announced the enhancement of its online transaction security protocol to EMV 3DS 2.0 for both Issuing and Acquiring stages, becoming one of the first banks in Sri Lanka to do so. This upgrade will ensure superior fraud prevention ability and a seamless customer check-out experience for Seylan customers on their Master and Visa card-based transactions. At present, transactions increasingly take place through digital touchpoints, more..

Apr 28 (DN) Two promising all rounders Nipun Dhananjaya and Dhananjaya Lakshan will lead (four day games and T-20’s) for the forthcoming Sri Lanka Emerging team tour to England which will commence from May 6. The selectors had an idea to give leadership to Kamindu Mendis for both 4 day games and T-20 games earlier but last moment Mendis got a chance to enter the National Test squad and Nipun Dhananjaya is named for the Emerging team four-day matches while more..

Apr 28 (AD) All manufacturers, producers, store owners and traders are now required to have a receipt, bill or invoice for goods in their possession, the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) says. The directive comes into effect from today (27). The relevant receipt, bill or invoice should mention the name and address of the supplier, the purchased date, the price, type of goods, quantity, and the batch number if any. This was mentioned in a Gazette Extraordinary published by CAA more..

Apr 28 (FT) The current economic crisis is resulting in widespread public disapproval of all politicians. Public liking of politicians in both Govt and Opposition has fallen to its lowest levels in the Institute for Health Policy (IHP) SLOTS opinion survey. Worst affected is President Mahinda Rajapaksa, whose personal favourability ratings have slumped from a high +50 during the Aug-Sept 2021 lockdown to -80 in April 2022. more..

Apr 28 (DN) The Central Bank should be more flexible in its policies to keep the export industries afloat, says Dilip de Silva, CEO of Serendib Horticulture Technologies. Noting that the present economic crisis of the country has drastically affected the floriculture growth he said the industry is unable to import chemicals that are required by the plant tissue culture production, through its chemical suppliers, due to the lack of dollars in the country. “Many attempts by the exporters to fund more..

Apr 28 (TM) US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie J. Chung visited Jaffna from 24 to 27 April during her initial trip to northern SL as Ambassador, in which she said she gained a “better understanding of the impact of the war and the human rights concerns”, the US Embassy in Colombo said in a statement. “It was essential to me to visit the North early in my tenure as Ambassador. During the visit, I explored the history of the region and heard from people first-hand about their challenges & opportunities” more..

Apr 28 (FT) Prez Rajapaksa hinted he would seek the resignation of PM Rajapaksa to facilitate the setting up of an all-party Govt but the PM said he’s confident he would remain in office. “Prez has not asked me to step down and I am confident he will not ask me to do so either,” the PM said hours after the Prez’s plans to set up the all-party Govt was announced. Prez sent a letter to party leaders in Parliament stating that he is agreeable to more..

Apr 28 (Island) The former Governor of the Central Bank has been re-noticed to appear before Colombo Additional Magistrate Harshana Kekunawela on 2 May in connection with a plaint filed by former Provincial Governor and NGO activist Rajith Keerthi Tennekoon. The petition has said that Cabraal was the Governor of the CB on two occasions. The first occasion was from July 1, 2006 up to Jan 5, 2015. During this period, the Central Bank incurred a loss, amount, to Rs. 10.4 billion. more..

Apr 28 (DM) Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court has to lift the travel ban imposed against Social media activist and the admin of #GoHomeGota2022 Facebook page Thisara Bandara. The suspect was arrested on April 2 for allegedly attempting to excite feelings of disaffection to the Prez and the Govt and he was released on bail after being produced before Court. On that occasion, the court imposed travel ban restrictions against the suspect, as one of the bail conditions. more..

Apr 28 (NR) A special party leaders meeting will be held under the patronage of Speaker of House Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena at the Parliament complex at 2pm today. The meeting was convened by the Speaker to discuss the proposals tabled in relation to Constitutional Amendments that have been put forth. Certain parties and groups in Parliament have thus far submitted a number of proposals to the Speaker in this regard. The SJB and the group that declared themselves more..

Apr 28 (Island) Now that the people have realised the need to fight for their rights, they should make a holistic effort to push lawmakers to create a political culture, where politicians were not entitled to unnecessary privileges, comforts, fancy vehicles, large security details, etc., says Former Human Rights Commission (HRCSL) Chairperson Dr. Deepika Udagama. “I am glad to see that eventually today’s younger generation has recognised their citizenship rights and risen against more..

Apr 28 (TM) Renewable Energy Associations that include small hydro, wind, solar, and biomass power developers, and also the Solar Industries Association of Sri Lanka, have jointly said that the national grid of Sri Lanka risks losing 1,250.9 megawatts (MW) of power generated by renewable energy developers, as the CEB has not paid for Rs. 22 billion worth of electricity supplied by them since Aug 2021. more..

Apr 28 (TM) The European Union (EU) handed over the Geographical Indication (GI) certification for Ceylon Cinnamon to the SL Export Development Board (EDB) yesterday, making it SL’s first GI-certified product, the EDB announced. The GI application was made by the EDB and supported by the EU under the EU-SL Trade Related Assistance Project, and through technical assistance from United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) & International Trade Centre (ITC). more..

Apr 28 (DM) The disagreement between the 40 dissident MPs of the govt and the opposition parties on a common agenda to run the country stands in the way of unseating the current rule through the adoption of a no confidence motion, Daily Mirror learns. There are 40 dissident MPs who have declared to function independent of the government in Parliament. They insist on the resignation of PM Mahinda Rajapaksa. However, some of them do not want Prez Rajapaksa to step down. more..

Apr 28 (TM) Nearly 1,000 state, semi-govt, and private sector trade unions are to engage in a joint token strike and hartal today in support of the ongoing protests across the country demanding the resignation of Prez Rajapaksa, PM Rajapaksa, and the current SLPP-led govt. Trade union representatives said that the decision to launch the strike and hartal was in support of the strongest people’s struggle ever seen in history of SL. more..