May 2 (DM) To commemorate the heroes involved in the 1886 struggle, words stronger than anyone could write are engravedon the Monument erected at the Haymarket, Chicago where Mayday Mayhem occurred, it says, -- the day will come when our silence will be more powerful than the voices you are throttling today. The oldest writings on social class classification are found in Plato’s Socratic dialogue, The Republic- 375 BCE. The ideal state according to him comprises three classes: more..

May 2 (ST) From the time I can recollect, Sri Lanka has been called the Pearl of the Indian Ocean by writers and awe-struck visitors on seeing the beauty and variety of this resplendent isle. If memory serves me, Jesus Christ warned his disciples not to cast pearls before swine. His admonition was not to waste something valuable by offering it to those who do not understand its worth. But Christ could not perceive then who would rule this once-blessed island. more..

May 2 (TM) It retold a chapter of SL history that for the most part had been erased and most know little about. Set in 1814, Prasanna Vithanage’s Gaadi – Children of the Sun narrates a story of class, caste, dignity, beliefs, betrayal, punishment, and the strength of women in a beautifully woven and detail oriented tale that got the film numerous accolades. Premiering way back in 2019 at Busan Film Festival in South Korea more..

May 2 (Island) of 29 April carried a report, which said, Sri Lanka will take the lead in ensuring the developing economies have the resources to mitigate climate change. As the worst polluter of the Indian ocean for years, as a promoter of fossil fuel and massive concrete constructions pouring out greenhouse gasses as development and having changed our agriculture to one totally dependent on fossil fuels, all of which contribute massively to climate change, more..

May 2 (TM) Usual Labour Day rallies organised by several groups including politicians and trade unions filled several main roads in the country with politicians, workers, and activists yesterday. As on every year’s Labour Day, they talked about how workers should be protected and strengthened, and what the Govt’s role in it is. Prez Wickremesinghe, PM Gunawardena & Opposition Leader Premadasa too had issued their usual Labour Day statements, covering more or less the same topics. more..

May 2 (CT) Again, on the rise, within our island nation, is the mosquito-borne virus that has plagued us for decades. With a dramatic rise in weekly cases and deaths, dengue, experts say as things stand it is a serious cause for concern to the point where we are on the verge of a disastrous endemic. This already devastating situation would have been further exacerbated if the Ministry of Health, who were contemplating the minimised use of chemicals for fogging purposes in mosquito control, more..

May 2 (Island) Another May Day has come and gone. The organisers of the International Workers’ Day celebrations, in this country, rarely mention the Haymarket Riot in Chicago (1886), and benefits that accrued therefrom to workers the world over, much less commemorate the brave workers who have laid down their lives in the US and other countries for sake of the working class. Instead, they use the occasion to advance their political agendas. On watching the Labour Day events, here, more..

May 2 (TM) Although the water tariffs should definitely be raised in view of the recent revision of electricity tariffs, the National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) stated however that a final decision regarding the matter is yet to be taken. The Deputy General Manager of the NWSDB, N.K. Ranatunga said that water tariffs need to be raised soon, given the recent electricity tariff hike. more..

May 2 (FT) The report titled E-commerce: A Driver of Inclusive Growth in Sri Lanka? was presented to Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe on April 26, 2023. Daraz SL Managing Director Rakhil Fernando, co-authors of the report Dr. Ganeshan Wignaraja and Anishka De Zylva and Presidential Secretariat Director Dinouk Colombage attended the meeting. This first in-depth study on the adoption and use of e-commerce in SL during difficult economic times was launched at an event earlier in 2023, more..

May 2 (ST) Religious activities will be prominent at the national Vesak celebration on Thursday and Friday next week at the Kebellawela Sri Rathanasiri Pirivena at Madampe in Chilaw. Activities for Vesak, when Sri Lankans celebrate the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment and death, will also be held in temples island-wide from Tuesday to Sunday. Religious activities will be held in schools, at Dhamma schools and at Govt and non-Govt organisations with Divisional and more..

May 2 (CT) All eyes will be on the weather when the Sri Lankan lasses take on Bangladesh in the 2nd game of the 3 match ODI series today at P. Sara Oval. This will be the 3rd H2H meeting between the 2 teams, with the previous one ending in a No Result due to rain, while SL had emerged victorious in the only completed game. Bangladesh will take in a lot of confidence from the previous game, where their bowlers managed to put SL in all sorts of trouble by reducing them to 117/6 at one stage, more..

May 2 (DN) Lochana de Silva and Ranithma Liyanage emerged Open men’s and women’s singles titles at the Summer Season Open All Island Badminton Championship held at Municipal Indoor Stadium, Nuwara Eliya yesterday. At the men’s single final Lochana made a hard fought three setter game over Shavinka Weerasekara. Lochana lost his first set 18/21 but came back strongly to win second and third sets respectively 21/13, 21/17 to clinch the title. 17-year-old Christ Church Baddegama more..

May 2 (FT) The Sri Lanka Banks’ Association (SLBA) has raised concerns over a possible Domestic Debt Restructuring (DDR) urging a proper evaluation and warning that additional risks to industry stability and public confidence must be avoided. “The banks believe that all stakeholders involved in structuring the restoration of Sri Lanka’s Balance of Payments to a sustainable equilibrium must necessarily take a careful look at more..

May 2 (FT) SL Association of Manufacturers and Exporters of Rubber Products (SLAMERP) said that the value-added rubber export sector has seen a 10% revenue decline in the first three months of 2023 from $ 251 million to $ 231 million. The declining trend has been seen from 2022 in which year a near 20% revenue reduction to $ 1 billion was recorded from $ 1.2 billion in 2021. SLAMERP DG Rohan Masakorala said forward order books too have dropped considerably, and more..

May 2 (Island) As records tumbled in Galle during the second Test match between Ireland and Sri Lanka, Kusal Mendis came closer to break Wasim Akram’s World Record for most sixes in a Test match innings. Mendis, who posted his maiden double hundred, smashed 11 sixes during his 245 and was dismissed attempting the 12th six that would have seen him equalling the record. Pakistan great Wasim Akram had smashed 12 sixes in an innings in 1996 against Zimbabwe. more..

May 2 (TM) GMOA requested the public to follow preventive measures during the coming Vesak festival season as there has been a slight increase in the number of reported Covid-19 patients these days. GMOA Spokesperson Dr. Chamil Wijesinghe said that people who have not been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 should pay more attention to this matter and follow the relevant safety precautions. “According to the data that we receive, more..

May 2 (FT) Expolanka Holdings has ended its financial year 2023 displaying resilience in the face of a challenging macro environment, while pursuing a strategy of consolidation paving the way for future growth. For the fourth quarter, Expolanka achieved a Revenue of Rs. 55.1 billion, Gross Profit of Rs. 19.3 billion, and Operating Profit of Rs. 1.08 billion. However, the appreciation of the SL rupee against the dollar caused the group to record an exchange loss of Rs. 2.4 billion during the quarter more..

May 2 (Island) SL Wheelchair Tennis team consisting of Pradeep Kumara, Suresh Dharmasena, and Gamini Dissanayake will compete in the 2023 BNP Paribas World Team Cup World Group which takes place at Vilamoura Tennis and Padel Academy in Portugal for the 2nd successive year. Following the completion of four regional qualification events for Africa, the Americas, Asia and Oceania, and Europe, 43 teams from 24 countries currently line up in Vilamoura from May 1-7 more..

May 2 (EN) The tendency of Washington to blame China for the post-2018 sovereign default wave in which SL is also caught up in, is a repeat of earlier exercises where Arabs and the East Asia savings glut was blamed for US driven policy errors. In the current default wave, Argentina, which originally led the Keynesian ideological foundation of a sterilizing central bank which tries – and fails – to neutralize the balance of payments with a fixed policy frate and crashes headlong into currency crises, more..

May 2 (DM) SJB MP Vadivel Suresh demanded an apology from Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa for failing to attend a meeting with estate workers in Madulsima recently. He made these comments while addressing a May Day rally in Badulla. "Even to my own leader, I say this. Sir, don't discount us as small change. You didn't attend the estate workers' meeting in Madulsima. If you don't apologize to our people, there will be no Vadivel Suresh in this journey with the SJB," he said. more..

May 2 (Island) SJB MP Harsha de Silva said that their decision to skip the vote on the Resolution for the implementation of the arrangement under the EFF of the IMF for SL shouldn’t be construed as a rejection of the agreement with the IMF. The chief of SJB’s economic management team said so when The Island sought his explanation for failing to back the agreement with the IMF, having repeatedly urged Prez Rajapaksa’s govt more..

May 2 (EN) India’s High Commission (embassy) in SL has applicants against a series of fake websites offering e-visa services. “It has been noticed that some fake / fraudulent web URLs are offering Indian e-Visa,” the High Commission said in a statment. “Therefore, applicants are advised not to use these fake URLs for obtaining Indian e-Visa.” The statement listed 125 websites with names ranging from www.indiaimmigration.in and indianevisagov.in to .com, .org and .sg webistes. more..

May 2 (AD) Former President Maithripala Sirisena says that no other political party or individual will succeed in winning any of the next elections or establish a govt in Sri Lanka, without the leadership or support of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). Speaking during the SLFP’s May Day rally in Kandy today (May 01), he said that they as the SLFP will “no longer go behind” anyone and that if anyone wants to they have to come to us and form an alliance. more..

May 2 (FT) SJB Leader Sajith Premadasa yesterday promised to herald in prosperity for everyone through a national revolution led by the party. Addressing the party’s labour day rally, Premadasa who is also the Opposition Leader said the SJB will commence visiting the grassroots covering the entire island and launch a revolution commencing on 16 June. “We will cover all the electoral seats in the country,” he said. Premadasa and many leaders of the party attended the rally held in Colombo more..

May 2 (FT) JVP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake declared the party is prepared to awaken the SL people against the oppressive regime of Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe. Addressing the party’s May Day rally held in Colombo, JVP Leader said it is time that the country’s power changes hands from the political classes to the common man. Dissanayake accused the Govt of Wickremesinghe of attempting to bring in laws to suppress the people such as the proposed Anti-Terror Bill to silence and scare them. more..

May 2 (FT) Prez and UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday extended a direct invitation to SJB to join and form a govt. “During the last election, some MPs from the SJB chose to abstain from voting. We all share the same goal of building an open economy. Therefore, let us unite and work together by forming a parliament and a govt,” Wickremesinghe told the UNP’s May Day rally. Speaking via Zoom at the UNP’s rally more..

May 2 (Island) Chief of the Air Staff of Indian Air Force, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, arrived in the country yesterday, on a four-day official visit, on the invitation of the Commander of the SL Air Force. SLAF Chief of Staff Air Vice Marshal Udeni Rajapaksa and Deputy High Commissioner of India, Vinod K. Jacob, warmly welcomed Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari on his arrival. During the visit, VR Chaudhari is scheduled to make courtesy calls on Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, more..

May 2 (FT) SLPP leader and former PM Mahinda Rajapaksa claimed the aspirations of SL’s working people continue to be with the ruling SLPP. “The relationship between us and the workers of this country has been proven once again today. We therefore salute them,” he said. Rajapaksa made these comments at the SLPP Labour Day rally held at Campbell Park in Borella yesterday. Rajapaksa said all political fights of the party have always been connected to winning the rights of workers. more..

May 2 (TM) Association of Medical Specialists (AMS) stated that there is currently a shortage of medical specialists in hospitals located in many areas, and that if urgent solutions are not provided, there may even be a risk of such hospitals having to be shut down. A representative of the AMS said that due to the Govt's new retirement policy through which the public servants are supposed to retire at the age of 60 years, and specialists more..

May 2 (FT) Central Bank has issued its Annual Report for 2022 in two volumes, the first on the state of the economy and the second on its operations. The members of the public normally focus on the first volume since it is a rich source of the current and emerging economic situation. A scanty attention is paid to volume number two which brings out the financial position of the Bank. However, it is the volume which should be read and debated by the public because it gives clues about more..

May 2 (FT) SL is facing the worst economic crisis since the 1930s. Experts in the field claimed that there is no alternative other than to go down the well-traversed path, 16 times to be precise, and seek assistance from the IMF. Thus, following the hasty default of its $ 52 billion foreign debt in May 2022, SL joined the ranks with several other countries facing debt distress in the global South. Severe austerity measures were implemented even before the agreement was finalised. more..

May 2 (AD) A student has been hospitalized owing to critical injuries following a clash which broke out following a limited overs cricket match between two schools in Kalutara. Police stated that the conflict has arisen following the 13th Battle of the Mangosteens which was held between Tissa National College in Kalutara and Kalutara Maha Vidyalaya at the Surrey Grounds in Maggona on Sunday. Kalutara Maha Vidyalaya had won the match, and later the conflict arose when more..

May 2 (AD) Eight persons including three women have been injured and hospitalized following a shooting carried out by a security guard near Gate No. 06 of the Colombo Harbour. Police said that the shooting has been carried out by a private security officer at the Colombo Harbour and that the injured persons are residents of Bloemendhal Street in Colombo. According to police, a tense situation had ensued with the arrival of an angry mob at the location after the security officer had more..

May 2 (EN) SL’s top mobile telecommunication firm Dialog Axiata has merged their operation with India’s Bharti Artel Limited, Dialog said in a statement to the Stock Exchange on Tuesday. “…we wish to inform you that Dialog Axiata PLC, Axiata Group Berhad, and Bharti Artel Limited, have entered into a binding term sheet to combine operations of Bharti Artel Lanka (Pvt) Ltd, Artel’s wholly-owned subsidiary with Dialog,” more..

May 2 (AD) Veteran actor in SL cinema, theatre, and television G.R. Perera has passed away at the age of 83. Galhenage Rathnapala Perera, born on 13 November 1939, has acted in more than 600 television serials, with a career spanning over five decades. G.R. Perera, who started his film career with the 1971 film Welikathara directed by D.B. Nihalsinghe with a minor role, first appeared in a major role in his second film of the career, Kalu Diya Dahara directed by Manik Sandarasagara. more..