May 3 (FT) Only 50 persons were vaccinated against COVID-19 on Sunday, with 36 persons receiving the booster dose. The booster dose has been administered to a total of 7,966,599 persons. 17,063,898 persons have received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 14,456,291 persons have received the second dose as well. On Sunday, six persons received the first dose of Pfizer, raising the total number of persons to have received the first dose of the vaccine to 2,571,672. more..

May 3 (FT) Workers remittances in March ended their month-on-month declining course with a modest gain. Workers remittances in March amounted to $ 318.4 million bringing the first quarter haul to $ 782.5 million. From a year earlier, the cumulative figure is down by 58%. In January, workers remittances amounted to $ 259 million and February it was $ 205 million. The gain in March can be partly linked to the free float of the currency which saw the rupee plunge by over 30% more..

May 3 (Island) The cash-strapped govt has to pay over USD 1 mn as demurrage for the delay in unloading two shiploads of diesel and petrol (92 & 95). SJB trade union convenor Ananda Palitha said that the govt owed an explanation regarding the unbelievable waste of funds at a time the country was seeking IMF’s intervention and assistance from China, India and other major powers. Palitha said that two consignments had been supplied by more..

May 3 (AD) Ministry of Finance says the SL govt signed the USD 1 billion credit facility agreement with the govt of India, to facilitate SL importers who faced many difficulties in opening Letters of Credit to import food and other essential items due to the shortage of foreign currency in the banking system and the market. The remarks came in response to a recent media report titled, Indian Credit for Food Goes to Import Steel. Finance Ministry stated that the credit line was initially allocated more..

May 3 (DM) CAA has issued a gazette notification declaring maximum price for local varities of rice with effect from today. Accordingly, a kilo of white or red Nadu (steamed or boiled) should be sold at Rs. 220. A kilo of white or red Samba (Steamed/ Boiled) should be sold at Rs. 230 and a kilo of Keeri Samba at Rs. 260. The CAA orders that no supplier, manufacturer, producer, distributor or trader shall sell, supply, expose or offer for sale, display for sale the local varieties of rice listed above, more..

May 3 (EN) SL tourism arrivals dipped 40% in April resulting in the lowest number of arrivals in the last three months of 2022. Only 62,980 tourists had arrived in April compared to 106,500 the previous month. March was also the month SL had welcomed the highest number of travellers since August 2021 when the country fully opened its doors since the pandemic. A market analysis published by SLTDA on April 30 said the repercussions of SL’s ongoing economic crisis have started to spread and more..

May 3 (CT) According to CB annual report 2021, operations of the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) and private bus operators recorded notable declines in 2021. This was mainly due to mobility restrictions to contain the spread of COVID-19 and the increased preference for private transportation. Total revenue of the SLTB declined by 13.7% to Rs. 26.9 billion in 2021, while total expenditure also declined by around 9.1% to Rs. 30.4 billion. SLTB recorded an operational loss of Rs. 3.4 billion in 2021 more..

May 3 (TM) Office on Missing Persons (OMP) Commissioner Shiraz Noordeen has resigned from the OMP, stating that the OMP is unable to act independently to bring justice to victims. “I was appointed on 13 Dec 2021. I accepted the position later that month. I worked for about four months in the OMP. We went to Kilinochchi, Jaffna, Mullaitivu, and Batticaloa to meet people. more..

May 3 (DN) Sri Lanka is a county that has garnered immense acclaim and a strong reputation worldwide for manufacturing high-quality apparel trusted by the iconic global fashion brands. SL annually imports textile raw materials used in the apparel industry worth US $6 bn from different countries around the globe. Taking this into account, the attention of the BOI was drawn to set up the Textile Park in Punnakuda, Batticaloa with the intention of manufacturing textile raw materials more..

May 3 (Island) Ministry of Tourism and Public Security said that Minister Prasanna Ranatunga’s warning to those protesting against the govt that their actions would further weaken the national economy shouldn’t be misconstrued as rejection of the proposals made by the Maha Sangha to settle the crisis. Ministry spokesperson said so when The Island asked whether Minister Ranatunga declaration that the solutions to the economic fallout couldn’t be found through protests meant more..

May 3 (DM) Former Minister Basil Rajapaksa appears to be calling the shots in making decisions on behalf of his SLPP regarding the formation of an interim govt since he participated in talks with the representatives, Daily Mirror learns. After talks with Prez Rajapaksa, five members of the 40-member dissident group were appointed to engage with other parties to discuss the formation of an interim govt to resolve current crisis situation. more..

May 3 (TM) Chinese Ambassador to SL Qi Zhenhong yesterday said that China is willing to offer its fullest support to Sri Lanka towards securing the assistance of the IMF to overcome the ongoing financial crisis. “As a major shareholder of the IMF, China is willing to play an active role in encouraging the IMF to positively consider SL’s difficulties and reach a proper agreement as soon as possible,” Zhenhong added. Zhenhong made these remarks during a meeting with Minister Ali Sabry. more..

May 3 (CT) Addressing a recent investment promotional mission in UK, Chairman of Gateway Group Dr. Harsha Alles said they hope to partner with a to set up an international school in the Port City aligning with the British system and ethos to cater to the South Asian region and beyond. SL High Commission in London in partnership with CHEC Port City Colombo (Pvt) Ltd and Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council organised a presentation on investment opportunities more..

May 3 (DM) A tense situation erupted at the Galle Face protest site today as riot police were deployed on ground resulting in protestors engaging in a verbal battle and eventually asking the riot police to leave. Video footage obtained by Daily Mirror showed that riot police, carrying batons were deployed in the area which led to protestors engaging in a heated argument and the police squads eventually having to leave. When contacted, senior police officers said that more..

May 3 (PTI) India has extended its current credit line by a further USD 200 million to replenish Sri Lanka's rapidly depleting fuel stocks, Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said on Monday. SL is currently in the throes of an unprecedented economic turmoil since its independence from Britain in 1948. The crisis is caused in part by a lack of foreign currency, which has meant that the country cannot afford to pay for imports of staple foods and fuel, leading to acute shortages and very high prices. more..

May 3 (FT) The group of SLPP dissident MPs led by former Ministers Wimal Weerawansa and Udaya Gammanpila met with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday to discuss the formation of an all-party Govt. SLPP General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam told reporters after the meeting that they agreed in principle that the all-party Govt proposal should be implemented and they would work towards this end, but more..

May 3 (FT) This is a brief note pulling together different strands of opinions on transitioning out of the current political impasse. The #GotaGoHome has ushered in an unprecedented opportunity to imagine a new SL, which will necessarily be a long process. This note though deals with the more pressing concerns of how the immediate transitioning out of the political crisis could be operationalised. Time is obviously of essence given the tough decisions that need to be taken more..

May 3 (FT) Necessity is the mother of invention: Protests are mounting by people from all walks of life in all parts of SL against the soaring cost of living, food and fuel shortages, blackouts, lockdowns, forced COVID injections, and the sale of national assets by the ruling dual US citizen Rajapaksa-led regime in Colombo. As the SL Rupee crashes against the exorbitantly privileged American Dollar, seemingly a precondition for an IMF bailout, the buzz in some quarters of more..

May 3 (DM) Veteran actor and stunt director Wilson Karunarathne has passed away. Popularly known as Wilson Karu, he was 79 years old at the time of his demise. Considered one of the best villains in Sinhala cinema, Karunaratne has acted in more than 240 films across many genres primarily as the main antagonist. Wilson Karu’s maiden cinematic appearance was in the film titled Hadawath Neththo directed by Subayar Makeem in 1974. He won a merit award for the role Nicholas in more..

May 3 (PMD) Muslim community celebrating Eid-ul-fitr after a month of fasting seeks the blessings of the God according to their belief. I also wish you all that the spiritual healing you seek may bestow upon you. Ramazan is one of the most important festivals in the Islamic religious calendar. The Muslim community expected to receive a mental stimulus to practice good deeds every day according to the religious principles of Allah. Cultural relations between them through harmonious meeting, more..

May 3 (DM) The JVP revealed that former Minister Namal Rajapaksa has received money from two Companies - NR Projects, a Netherlands company and Aspen Medical, an Australian Company through Nimal Perera connected to the construction of the Nuwara Eliya and Hambantota Hospitals. Convenor of the Voice Against Corruption Wasantha Samarasinghe said this fraud came to light during the investigations into more..

May 3 (DM) Sri Lanka Broadcasters' Guild (SLBG) today said that in order to solve the current economic crisis, a solution must be found through the Parliament system as soon as possible and if those politicians fail to find a solution, the Guild is to take a collective decision not to invite any politicians to their media channels for programs as a protest. The guild stated that after a series of lengthy discussions with members of the SLBG and discussions with local and foreign experts, more..

May 3 (EN) SL will entertain proposals from private developers to locations where the grid does not capacity to absorb renewable power by getting them to build transmission lines on a build and transfer basis, Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said. CEB has developed plans to first tender for plants in locations where grid capacity is available and progressively without additional expenses. “CEB has said the transmission line has to be increased. We plan to ask the investor to build transmission line” more..

May 3 (EN) Sri Lanka main opposition the SJB will hand over a no confidence motion against the govt on Wednesday (04), attorney-at-law and SJB member Ajith P Perera said. SJB and opposition leader Sajith Premadasa proposed the no confidence motion (NCM) weeks ago, but a delay ensued after a signature campaign was launched to determine the number of MPs that would support it. more..

May 3 (EN) SL has re-allocated a part of a US$ 1 billion credit line from India originally for food and medicines to import cooking gas, liquefied petroleum gas and fuel. Concerns have been raised in the media that up to US$ 200 million of the credit line may be used for steel imports instead of food and medicines. Originally US$ 500 million was allocated for industrial raw materials but it has now been reduced to US$ 260 million, Finance Ministry said. About US$ 40 m had been spent on steel. more..

May 3 (FT) Apparel exports in March have declined marginally by 0.04% on Y-o-Y basis, though the drop is not as much as it was being predicted by the industry amidst economic crisis the country has been facing. During March, SL shipped $ 435.20 million as compared to $ 435.36 million in the same month of 2021, according to statistics released by SL Apparel Exporters Association. Cumulatively, in Q1, SL’s apparel exports grew by 11% to $ 1.39 billion when compared to $ 1.25 billion more..

May 3 (AD) The go-ahead of the Cabinet of Ministers has been given to provide a special cash allowance for a period of three months to identified low-income families affected by the ongoing economic crisis. Relevant proposal was tabled by the Minister of Finance and Minister of Samurdhi. As the low-income families entitled to Samurdhi, Elderly, Kidney and Disability allowances have been severely affected by the current economic crisis in the country, govt has identified the need for more..

May 3 (NR) Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa says an indefinite struggle will be launched seeking the release of former MP Ranjan Ramanayake. MP Premadasa speaking to media after visiting MP Ramanayake at the Welikada Prison this evening said he appointed a special team under the leadership of MP Harin Fernando, to secure the release of Ramanayake. MP Premadasa said they will not make mere requests and will strengthen the on-going struggle. more..

May 3 (Island) Arrangements were underway to make the May 6 hartal a record success so that it would leave all previous hartals in the country in limbo, the organisers said. Member of the Trade Union Coordinating Committee (TUCC), Chandana Sooriyarachchi, said that more than 1,000 unions from the govt, semi-govt, estate and private sector would participate in the hartal campaign demanding the govt to step down immediately. more..

May 3 (NR) The JVP says the formation of a national consensus govt will not bring about solutions to the issues in the country. Speaking during a media briefing today, Chief Secretary of the JVP Tilvin Silva said the formation of an interim govt is a mere ploy to deceive the public. Silva said the people are urging the govt and the President to step down while the President is requesting political parties to join forces in forming a govt. He said this has become a joke at present. more..

May 3 (Island) The country was in crisis and masses are suffering untold hardships because President Gotabaya Rajapaksa chose wrong advisers, SLFP General Secretary Dayasiri Jayasekera says. Former minister said that Prez Rajapaksa had among his advisers who had not even passed Grade Eight. “Those advisers were from the Kurunegala District. The Prez followed their instructions. Now, you see the results. The Prez should understand the causes of this crisis at least now.” more..

May 3 (EN) China will provide an additional 300 million renminbi (US$ 45 m) in aid to cash-strapped SL for the urgent purchase of medicines, food, fuel and other essentials, the Chinese embassy in Colombo said on Tuesday (3). The embassy tweeted in the early hours of Tuesday that the new grant will increase the total emergency aid from China to 500 million renminbi (over US$ 75 m). Meanwhile, Reuters reported on Monday (2) that Beijing’s ambassador Qi Zhenhong told more..

May 3 (DM) Minister Dr. Nalaka Godahewa today said the cabinet on Monday gave the approval to appoint a five-member ministerial sub-committee of four cabinet and one state minister to identify investment opportunities that have the potential to attract foreign investment expeditiously, as a solution to the current foreign exchange crisis in the country. Mass Media Minister Dr. Nalaka Godahewa, Transport and Industries Minister Dilum Amunugama, Power & Energy Minister, more..

May 3 (TM) Most Sri Lankans wonder whether Prez Rajapaksa and the SLPP-led Govt helmed by him would resign in the face of the ongoing protests demanding their resignations, and how long the protests will go on. This is in a context where the Prez is not showing any willingness whatsoever to leave his position, and has not even acknowledged the opposition expressed by the people. In fact, other than instances where he addressed more..

May 3 (DM) Former Prez Maithripala Sirisena today strongly rejected the allegation made by Wasantha Samarasinghe, the convener of the Voice Against Corruption, that a portion of the money allegedly stolen from the Central Bank bond fraud had been given to former Prez Maithripala Sirisena and his family members. In a media release, the former Prez’s private secretary Sameera de Silva stated that “Blaming innocent people without any basis for political gain was not a moral political act more..