Mar 30 (Island) The govt, which used to flaunt its huge parliamentary majority, finds itself in an unenviable position. On seeing its predicament, one might say karmic forces are at work; those who stand accused of having borrowed heavily for Ozymandian projects and enriched themselves at the expense of the country have now been burdened with the task of shoring up the economy they ruined; they also run the risk of being ousted if they fail to accomplish the uphill task. more..

Mar 30 (DN) The semi-finals of the National Super League 4 day cricket tournament will commence tomorrow while Colombo will take on Jaffna at Hambantota and Kandy will battle with Galle at Pallekele in their semi finals. After the league round Colombo came on top with 56.505 points having three out right victories out of 4 matches. However Colombo led by Dimuth Karunartatne have to face big challenge as few of their players tested positive for Covid 19 and they could have missed more..

Mar 30 (DM) Can the law be made silent when shrine (Devalaya) officials enjoy limitless political powers of powerful political figures? They amass abundant wealth thanks to this political framework. A similar incident was reported in Anuradhapura city where the Shrine of Gnana Meniyo is located. It is known as Sasthara Gedara and is frequented by politicians. She is better known among locals in A'pura as Gnana Akka; more..

Mar 30 (FT) COVID-19 vaccines were administered to 9,134 persons on Monday as health officials continue to urge the public to get the booster dose. At a recently held Ministerial Consultative Committee on Health, Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said they will continue to educate and motivate the public to get the COVID-19 booster vaccine, adding that the Ministry has been conducting public awareness campaigns. The booster dose has been administered to more..

Mar 30 (Island) The media has revealed the finalisation of 3 defence-related agreements between Sri Lanka and India, and arrangements to bolster the capabilities of Sri Lanka’s armed forces and boost cooperation in the field of maritime security. With love from New Delhi! Minister Jaishankar’s visit overlaps with the finalisation of these agreements, though the stated objective of the visit is the participation at the BIMSTEC summit hosted by Sri Lanka, in Colombo. more..

Mar 30 (ST) Gold dealers say small-budget weddings are being postponed as families wait for the price of gold to cool off. The prices are soaring, and dealers and buyers are feeling the hard pinch. Within the last ten days, the price of a sovereign or eight grammes of gold has increased by Rs. 35,000. This has caused people to cancel or postpone orders they made for the April-May wedding season, said vendors at Sea Street more..

Mar 30 (AD) The body of a woman was found inside a septic tank at a tourist hotel in the area of Pinwatta, Panadura this evening (29). According to the police, the deceased is a 26-year-old who was residing in Kadawatha area. The body was recovered after opening a complaint filed by the owner of the tourist hotel, located at Keells Housing Complex in Pinwatta. He had reportedly received information that the body of a woman was hidden inside the septic tank at the hotel premises. more..

Mar 30 (DM) British Conservative party politician Lord Michael Naseby said redactions in the secret dispatches sent to the British govt during the civil war in SL must be removed to get a clearer picture of the events that unfolded during the conflict. Lord Naseby was referring to the controversial dispatches sent by the UK's defense attaché to the British High Commission in Colombo from 2007 to 2009. The reports were classified as secret by the British govt until it was challenged by Naseby more..

Mar 30 (CT) SL Test skipper Dimuth Karunarathne is set to make his county cricket debut when he signed with Division 1 team Yorkshire for this season. Karunarathne, 34 is hoping to leave SL by 10 April to join Yorkshire for whom he is set to play four matches before joining the SL team in Bangladesh for the two match Test series. Accordingly, he is set to play against Gloucestershire at Bristol from 14 to 17 April, followed by a match against Northamptonshire from 21 to 24 April more..

Mar 30 (FT) Generating a record-breaking profit for the year NSB records sensational performance beating all the odds during a pandemic which have a wide-ranging impact on the Bank, employees, customers, and economy. Our continued focus on financial resilience enables us to remain strong and achieve a solid performance. Performance of the Bank over the year was characterised by strength and resilience. Bank recorded its highest ever profit for the yr with a Profit Before Tax of Rs.28.4b more..

Mar 30 (FT) Amidst the numerous pandemic-induced challenges, a silver lining for SL was the record-breaking performance delivered by the fisheries industry in the year 2021. Exports exceeded forecasts to deliver many firsts: achieving the highest export value in history at $ 318 million as against $ 215 million in 2020, the largest balance of fish trade in history at $ 192 million compared to $ 23 million in 2020, lowest import value and more..

Mar 30 (Island) Sinhala School in the Batticaloa district restored after 32 years to meet the urgent needs of the Sinhala people in the district recently under the patronage of Eastern Province Governor Anuradha Yahampath. Earlier, there were 17 Sinhala schools in the Batticaloa district and all of them were closed due to terrorism. The Kalkudah Siri Seelalankara Sinhala Vidyalaya was established under the full supervision of the Governor and with the intervention of the Chief Incumbent more..

Mar 30 (TM) American economist Steve Hanke yesterday on his official Twitter handle claimed that as of last Thursday (24), SL has climbed to the sixth position in the weekly global Inflation Dashboard computed by him and Johns Hopkins University. Hanke, who is a Professor of Applied Economics at Johns Hopkins Uni and a Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute, Tweeted: “In this week’s inflation table, Sri Lanka is moving up the ranks. On 24 March, I measured SL’s inflation at a sky-high 55%/yr. more..

Mar 30 (TM) The ongoing economic crisis has left people of various social strata, age groups, and economic backgrounds struggling for the most basic needs, and the effects of the crisis are becoming apparent daily. However, how this crisis affects the next generation, or children, has not been discussed adequately, unless in cases like the postponement of exams or the shortage of milk powder. In an attempt to discuss how children more..

Mar 30 (Island) India has declared its support for the SL govt entering into a dialogue with the TNA. TNA recently accepted an invitation from Prez Rajapaksa to initiate a dialogue amidst the deepening economic crisis. The two parties discussed a four-point plan to improve bilateral relations and also to back economic recovery efforts, initiated by the govt. Indian High Commission in a statement issued yesterday declared New Delhi’s blessings for the latest initiative after the visiting more..

Mar 30 (EN) Sri Lanka on Tuesday (29) called for greater economic corporation among the members of BIMSTEC and revitalise trade and investment component among the members. Sri Lanka’s call came when the 18th Ministerial Meeting of BIMSTEC was held on Tuesday in Colombo in a hybrid mode under the chairmanship of Sri Lanka. “Minister Pieris called for action within the BIMSTEC for greater economic cooperation among the countries,” SL’s Foreign Ministry said. more..

Mar 30 (EN) Stock index plunged nearly 5% on Tuesday (29) as margin calls and selling pressure intensified amid economic concerns after a steep fall in the rupee continued to dent investor sentiments, brokers said. The main All Share Price Index (ASPI) fell 4.88% or 494.74 points to close at 9,647.55, its lowest close since Oct 6, 2021. “Following a panic selling by retailers, index displayed a continuous decline and was dragged down below the 10,000 level,” First Capital said in its market note. more..

Mar 30 (DM) The UNP’s call for formulating a national policy to revive the country’s economy, should have been done when they were in power, SJB MP J.C. Alawathuwala said. He was referring to the remarks made by UNP Chairman Vajira Abeywardene who said a national policy has to be formulated and former PM Ranil Wickremesinghe will revive the economy in 48 hours if he is appointed as the PM. “Mr. Wickremesnghe should have done what he pledges to do now when more..

Mar 30 (TM) Minister Gamini Lokuge stated that while 8,000 to 9,000 metric tonnes (MT) of fuel is being distributed to fuel stations daily at present, which is 1,000 to 2,000 MT more than the average daily fuel stocks released to fuel stations prior to the shortages, fuel runs out at stations due to people purchasing fuel in large quantities. He said: “In the past, an average of about 7,000 MT of fuel was distributed to fuel stations, but more..

Mar 30 (FT) Health officials state that 232 persons tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday, raising SL’s total COVID-19 case count to 661,285. The previous day, 163 persons tested positive for COVID-19. 2,736 PCR tests and 1,909 rapid antigen tests were conducted on Monday. Total of 73,482 COVID-19 patients have been detected since 1 Jan and the country’s local cases include 483,090 persons from the New Year cluster, 82,785 persons from the Peliyagoda cluster, 9,154 persons from more..

Mar 30 (CT) Sri Lanka is planning to manufacture vehicle number plates for the first time, which could save approximately Rs 1.4 billion annually. Ministry of Urban Development and Housing said, the State-owned factory in Kolonnawa has decided to manufacture vehicle number plates for the first time in the country to save foreign exchange The contract to import vehicle number plate parts, which is currently in operation through a local private company, is due to expire in 2024. more..

Mar 30 (TM) Police said that, at certain times, there is a shortage of officers in police stations due to the assignment of officers for unforeseen duties, such as conflict management, at fuel stations and gas distribution centres these days, in addition to the normal duties of police officers. Although criminal investigation duties and traffic duties are usually the main duties of the Police, in addition to these, there are a number of other more..

Mar 30 (FT) The CPC called on people not to panic as a diesel shortage is expected to hit the market today and tomorrow. “We were unable to unload 37,500 tons of diesel shipment as planned yesterday. Therefore, we request the public not to queue up at filling stations for diesel on 30 and 31 March,” CPC Chairman Sumith Wijesinghe said. However, he assured that the remaining stocks of diesel available will be supplied to essential services. more..

Mar 30 (DT) Bangladesh is looking into cash-strapped Sri Lanka's request for another loan of $250 million but no decision has been made yet in this regard, said Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen. "They have made another approach and we will look into it. It will be another loan but it's not decided yet," he said here yesterday while responding to a question on the island nation's deepening financial crisis on the sidelines of the 18th BIMSTEC ministerial meeting. more..

Mar 30 (TM) For the first time in its modern history, SL electricity consumers will face 10-hour-long power outages today, with the PUCSL permitting the CEB to impose such, with its Chairman terming it a sad day. “This is a sad day. We have reached the highest point of the electricity crisis. The CEB had requested permission to impose 12-hour power cuts. However, with great effort, we managed to secure a limited fuel reserve more..

Mar 30 (FT) An economic analyst recently stated, “Then, there was a second error made by his policy advisors. The Central Bank Governor whom he appointed was an academic who had believed throughout his academic career that undertaking expenditure programs through money printing by the Govt could deliver miracles to an economy” (Dr. W.A. Wijewardana, Daily FT). He was referring to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s advisors. I would like to add two more points to his remarks. more..

Mar 30 (FT) SL is going through an unprecedented economic crisis. It is believed to be the worst economic crisis since the country’s independence in 1948. People have to wait in long queues for daily essentials like LP Gas, fuel, milk foods, etc… a completely unfamiliar situation in the modern era. The last time Sri Lanka has seen similar queues was under the closed economic policy, adopted by SLFP-led Govt back in the 1970s. While many have expressed their views about economic crisis more..

Mar 30 (DS) India, China and Bangladesh have stepped in to help Sri Lanka weather a foreign exchange shortage that has forced it to devalue its currency amid soaring inflation, and to seek IMF assistance. Sri Lanka's worst economic crisis in decades is a result of mismanaged government finances and ill-timed tax cuts, alongside the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. With only $2.31 billion left in reserves, Sri Lanka has to repay debt of about $4 billion over the rest of this year, more..

Mar 30 (AD) The Locomotive Engine Operators’ Union has temporarily called off its trade union action which commenced midnight yesterday. They had withdrawn from overtime duties as a protest against the revision of train ticket fares. However, following a telephone conversation with the Transport Minister last night, the locomotive engine operators decided to suspend their trade union action, the chairman of the union Indika Dodangoda said, speaking on the matter. more..

Mar 30 (EN) SL’s power demand is surging despite power cuts as more people shift to electricity where the regulator has not raised prices, and liquefied petroleum gas prices went and shortages also worsened. The higher power demand has triggered bigger power cuts. “People have been buying electric cookers, heaters and are also using electric cookers at home,” power sector official said. “That is why total energy demand is going up, more..

Mar 30 (DM) A corruption case filed against former Minister Rajitha Senaratne and two others in connection with a corruption case was today fixed for May 11 by Colombo High Court. The prosecution sought a further date when the case came up before High Court Judge Nawaratne Marasinghe. The Bribery Commission had filed indictments in Colombo High Court against former Minister and two other for allegedly causing unlawful loss to the govt when leasing out Modara Fisheries harbor more..

Mar 30 (Island) Instead of delivering a fair recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, states across South Asia waged a sustained assault on peaceful demonstrators, journalists, human rights defenders, judiciaries and civil society organizations in a bid to silence dissent, driving a deepening human rights crises aided by increasing impunity said Amnesty International on Monday as it launched its annual assessment of human rights around the world. Amnesty International Report 2021/22: more..

Mar 30 (AD) Litro Gas Lanka Ltd. has submitted a request on increasing the prices of LP gas to the Cabinet of Ministers, the chairman of the company Theshara Jayasinghe says. Litro chairman said the company now releases approximately 30,000 LP gas cylinders to the market, exceeding the daily requirement, adding that they have released nearly one million LP gas cylinders to the market within past 10 days. more..

Mar 30 (DM) Minister Namal Rajapaksa today said there was no truth in him having to attend an event in Bandarawela due to which a group of people had to be shifted from queues at a fuel station in the area. Namal said that he had no event in Welimada and this was a false rumor spread to create unwanted panic. “Even if I am to attend any event, I will ensure that no one’s lives are disrupted. The queues right now are unfortunate but moving them to another area, is something I will never more..

Mar 30 (AD) Tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka surpassed 100,000 per month for the first time in two years, the Ministry of Tourism says. According to figures released by the ministry, a total of 101,192 have arrived on the island between the 1st and 29th of March. Meanwhile, the total tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka in the days that have elapsed in 2022 so far stand at 270,027. As per official figures, the highest number of tourist arrivals to SL was recorded from India, which stands at 22,231. more..