Apr 28 (FT) The Ministry of Finance has received over 50 Requests for Proposals (RfPs) for the role of financial advisors and legal consultants for managing the external debt sustainability. The extended deadline for submission of RfPs closed on 22 April, and according to Finance Ministry sources, there had been 28 submissions for the role of financial advisor and 23 for legal consultant. The respective Technical Evaluation Committees are currently studying the RfPs. more..

Apr 28 (DM) Director-General of State Intelligence Service (SIS) Major General Suresh Sallay in a letter to the IGP has requested the police chief to conduct an impartial inquiry into the allegations made by SJB MP Manusha Nanayakkara in Parliament recently against him. Accordingly, Major General Sallay stated that “in a statement to MP Nanayakkara referred to me by my name and my professional capacity and stated that I am responsible for infamous Easter Sunday attacks more..

Apr 28 (TM) In two seemingly contradictory statements yesterday, Prez Rajapaksa said that he is, in principle, willing to form an all-party govt with the political parties representing the Parliament, following the resignation of the PM and Cabinet of Ministers, while PM Rajapaksa said Prez Rajapaksa had never asked him to resign from his position and believes the President would never make such a request. more..

Apr 28 (FT) Prez Rajapaksa, or Gota as the world now knows him from Northern Ireland to NZ and Australia to America, thinks the Presidency is something he owns. The real owners who lent it to him—the sovereign citizenry—want it back because he has put it to such terrible use. Prez Gotabaya must know that he cannot rule without the consent of any social class or category of the citizenry from the apex of the social pyramid to its base. If GR doesn’t leave voluntarily, the collective emotions more..

Apr 28 (FT) Several people on many of my social media platforms contacted me, asking for advice about the stability of the commercial banks in the country, given that I had been the chairman of the two of the largest private banks in the country. Their concerns were further amplified when former PM Ranil Wickremesinghe said publicly that some banks in the country are in danger of collapsing. The leader of the UNP made these comments while addressing a gathering of bankers last week. more..

Apr 28 (EN) Stock market jumped for the second session gaining 4.65% on Thursday (28) as bargain hunters entered the market after top emerging market investors comments and a two-day plunge early this week brought stocks cheaper. The ASPI gained 330.91 points to 7,611.43 at the close. In the last two days, ASPI has gained 10.2 percent after losing around 11 percent in the previous two days. “The market is moving on bargain hunting, the uncertainties in economic front still persist” more..

Apr 28 (AD) Train services are disrupted today as the employees from several railway trade unions have not reported to work, says the General Manager of SL Railways. A host of trade unions representing all state, semi-govt and private sectors resorted to an island-wide strike for 24 hours today, to express their dissatisfaction towards the govt. Many sectors in the country including plantation, agriculture, electricity, fisheries, banks, health, ports, economic centres, teachers and principals more..

Apr 28 (NZH) Loved ones want justice for a Wellington PhD student allegedly murdered by her estranged husband on a visit home to Sri Lanka. Apsara Wimalasiri had not wanted her dangerous ex to find out she had returned home, but he allegedly found and killed her just days after she arrived back in the country last week, a friend said. Wimalasiri had made a last-minute decision to fly back to join in mass protests calling for more..

Apr 28 (DM) Examination Dept today announced the dates for the 2022 GCE O/L, A/L and Grade Five Scholarship examinations. Examination Dept Commissioner General L.M.D. Dharmasena said the 2022 O/L exam will be held over nine days from May 23 (Monday) until June 1 (Wednesday). The Grade-5 scholarship exam will be held on Oct 6 (Sunday). All exam papers will be delivered to all provincial educational coordination and regional collective centres by May 21. more..

Apr 28 (DM) TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran has prepared a No-Confidence Motion against Prez Rajapaksa, which will be submitted to Parliament when the House convenes next. UNP has already expressed its support for this motion and moves are now underway to collect signatures from other opposition parties as well. If 113 signatures are collected on the NCM, there will be no legality to remove the Prez but this will clearly show that the Parliament has lost the trust in the Prez, more..

Apr 28 (EN) SL is facing its worst performing cultivation season in more than a decade during the ongoing Yala season and there is a possibility of a looming food crisis in the coming months,” a group of Agriculture experts have warned. Prez Rajapaksa’s ban on chemical fertilizer a year ago is now taking the toll on the agricultural sector with the paddy production has plummeted nearly by 50%. Rice is SL’s staple food more..

Apr 28 (AD) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), as part of the restructuring program of the High-Performance Center made the 14 appointments to the Coaching Unit. The changes are aimed at further enhancing the focus on the National Team, ‘A’, Emerging Team and as well as the U-19 Team. The new coaching appointments were approved by the executive committee of SLC. Thereby, Anton Roux, former head coach of the Netherlands Men’s team was appointed as the National Fielding Coach, more..

Apr 28 (AD) The case filed against former Minister Namal Rajapaksa and five others, for allegedly purchasing stocks using ill-gotten funds amounting to Rs 30 million has been fixed for further hearing. When the case was called today, the accused including Namal Rajapaksa appeared before Colombo High Court Judge Navaratne Marasinghe. Further examination of evidence in the case was postponed to September 14 and the witnesses were issued summons to appear before the court more..

Apr 28 (FT) New Media Minister Dr. Nalaka Godahewa blamed all regimes as well as trio of former top officials for the current crisis and that those responsible must be held accountable but insisted focus now must be to come out of it. The trio are former Secretary to the President Dr. P.B. Jayasundera, former Treasury Secretary S.R. Attygalle and former CB Governor Nivard Cabraal. “I don’t think this crisis was created by those officials. This crisis has a longer history. more..

Apr 28 (AD) SLFP is yet to confirm its participation in the meeting called by Prez Rajapaksa tomorrow. MP Dayasiri Jayasekara said the SLFP would reach a final decision in this regard at its meeting scheduled for this evening. On Wednesday (27), it was reported that the President, on principle, is willing to form an all-party govt with the political parties representing the parliament. He had conveyed this in a letter directed to the political party leaders representing the ruling faction. more..

Apr 28 (EN) A former minister had appointed five family members as staff to the ministry in line with a common practice and given themselves seven vehicles including an SUV and double cabs. MPs get a lifetime pension after five years in office and when ministers appoint family members as personal staff they also get a pension. Minister in question had appointed his wife as personal secretary (a widely done practice) more..

Apr 28 (AD) The road in front of the Ministry of Health in Maradana has been blocked by protesters. According to reports, the demonstration has interrupted the vehicular movement along the road. In another development, it was reported that a protest staged on the Colombo-Kandy main road has caused traffic congestion. It was organized by the employees of export processing zones in Wathupitiwala and Malwatta. They are urging the incumbent govt to step down immediately. more..

Apr 28 (FT) Digital Lanka, Green Tech Huawei Digital Congress highlighted the long-term momentum for the digital transformation and the need for cross-sector cooperation in the Sri Lankan ICT ecosystem. Hundreds of representatives from enterprises, organisations, and different sectors of the ICT industry joined the congress to explore together the prospects of SL’s digital future. At the event, Huawei emphasised its long-term contribution and commitment to technological progress more..

Apr 28 (AD) The IGP is yet to receive the court order for the arrest of the police officers involved in the Rambukkana shooting incident, SSP Nihal Thalduwa says. Speaking on the matter, SSP Nihal Thalduwa said necessary action will be taken once the court order is received. On Wednesday, Kegalle Magistrate’s Court ordered the IGP to arrest and produce before court all police personnel involved in the shooting which claimed more..

Apr 28 (EN) SL’s commercial banks quoted the rupee at 345/355 for telegraphic transfers on April 28, remaining at the same levels as the previous day, while the secondary market remained mostly inactive ahead of the 35 billion bond auction, market participants said. The central bank’s indicative spot was quoted at 341.85 rupees against the US dollar on Thursday, down from 337.9 rupees on Wednesday. At the time of filing CB had not updated its telegraphic transfer rates for Wednesday. more..

Apr 28 (DM) A total of 410 HIV positive cases were reported from the country in 2021, but there was a slight decline in the number of reported cases in 2020 and 2021 compared to 2019, National STD/AIDS control programme said. The information was revealed during a workshop conducted at the govt information dept. Medical officer, Consultant Venereologist at the National STD/AIDS control programme Dr. Darshani Mallikarachchi said that currently, there are about 3,700 people more..

Apr 28 (MFA) Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris received Ambassador of Indonesia Dewi Gustina Tobing at the Foreign Ministry on 27 April, 2022 who briefed on the update of Humanitarian Aid to SL from the Govt of Indonesia. Ambassador Tobing briefed the Foreign Minister that pursuant to a request for essential medicines and medical equipment from the Ministry of Health of SL, the Govt of Indonesia in consultation with Ministry of Health of SL and the representative Office of WHO in Indonesia, more..

Apr 28 (TM) The Prisons Department has decided to revise the amount deposited at the canteen for prison inmates, to be utilised for the purchase of sanitary items and food from the canteen. Owing to the current crisis in the country, transportation problems, and the high cost of goods, it has become difficult for relatives of inmates to visit prisons regularly. Therefore, prison inmates would be able to acquire food and sanitary items by depositing money under this system. more..

Apr 28 (EN) Sri Lanka has recorded a budget deficit of 12.2% of gross domestic product in 2021, with 1,225 billion rupees printed under output gap targeting with flexible inflation targeting, official data show. The debt ratio with Treasury guarantees and net central bank foreign debt was had risen to 115.9% of GDP. SL has raised 1,457 billion rupees in revenues in 2021 or 8.7% of GDP, down from 9.1% of GDP or 1,373.3 bil rupees in 2020, more..

Apr 28 (CT) Colombo Additional Magistrate T.N.L. Mahawatta yesterday, ordered the suspect Police Constable attached to the Gothatuwa Police Station to be remanded till 12 May. He was produced on charges of trafficking a stock of narcotics that had been kept as Court productions, at the Production Room of the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court. The suspect had served at the Legal Affairs Division of the Gothatuwa Police Station. The suspect had been held in detention by PNB, more..

Apr 28 (CT) As part of its on-going efforts to help the country mitigate unprecedented challenges, Lanka IOC distributed dry ration packs to needy families via St. Lucia’s Cathedral, Kotahena. Manoj Gupta, MD, Lanka IOC PLC said, “Our on-going initiatives are in line with nation’s current need for fighting challenges of economic meltdown and scarcity of food items. During this unprecedented time, when the price of food has gone above 30%, people are finding hard to fulfil their daily needs. more..

Apr 28 (TM) Health Ministry has rejected the recent statement made by Society of Govt Pharmacists (SGP) that about 50% of the stocks of medical supplies in the Medical Supplies Division (MSD) of the Ministry have been exhausted. Health Ministry Communications Director, Dr. Hemantha Herath said: “As far as I know, there are about 14,000 medical supplies in the MSD, so 50% of that would be a very large amount. more..

Apr 28 (NDTV) Former SL cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya met with Indian High Commissioner of SL Gopal Baglay and asked for assistance to obtain essential medicines for the island nation. During his meeting with High Commissioner Mr Baglay, the ace cricketer appreciated India's support in the form of essential supplies, including medicines. "High Commissioner met cricket legend @Sanath07 and hailed his many achievements for the sport and #SriLanka. more..

Apr 28 (TM) Members of the public have raised concerns over the Foreign Affairs Ministry’s Consular Affairs Division, due to having to wait in long queues to seek services. One person said that he had had to wait in three different queues to enter the division. “This division is situated at the Ceylinco building, on the second floor. Once we reached it to certify our documents, officers from the Civil Defence Force asked us to go downstairs and write our names,” they recounted. more..

Apr 28 (AD) The 11 political parties that became independent in the parliament recently have conditionally agreed to attend the meeting convened by Prez Rajapaksa tomorrow (29). This was decided during a discussion held at SLFP leader and former Prez Sirisena’s residence today. Accordingly, the independent MPs have agreed to meet only with the Prez, without the presence of PM and Cabinet of Ministers. more..

Apr 28 (EN) Power cuts of 3 hours and 20 minutes have been approved for for Apr 28, PUCSL Chairman Janaka Ratnayake said as forex shortages due to money printing by the central bank triggered forex shortages disrupting fuel imports. On April 28, all areas (ABCDEFGHIJKLPQRSTUVW) will have power cuts of 2 hours from 0900am to 0500pm and 1 hour and 20 minutes from 0500pm and 0900pm. CEB said the duration may be reduced by 30 minutes either at the beginning or more..

Apr 28 (DM) TNA MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam has been restrained from demonstrating against the government by a court order obtained by the Kaluwanchikudy Police, TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran said. "MP Rasamanickam has been restrained from demonstrating against the govt by a court order obtained by the Kaluwanchikudy Police! Again shows that law enforcement in N&E is different from the rest of the country. Over to those who wonder why N&E is reacting differently now" more..

Apr 28 (Island) Chairman of COPF Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, MP said that for want of proper Finance Ministry supervision, cash-strapped SL suffered staggering losses in both local and foreign transactions. Rebel SLPP MP Yapa said that an agreement with Myanmar for the importation of rice this year to meet the shortfall in the supply attracted their attention as SL was reported to have paid USD 450 per metric tonne of rice more..

Apr 28 (TM) Kesbewa Magistrate has handed over the case regarding the attack on journalist Chamuditha Samarawickrama’s residence to the CID. Samarawickrama said that while this was suggested by his lawyer, the Kesbewa Magistrate had decided to hand over the investigation to the CID if the Police could not arrest any of the suspects. “Police were unable to arrest any suspects. They informed the Court that they are unable to find the suspects, more..

Apr 28 (TM) Ceylon Workers’ Congress (CWC) has launched an islandwide protest with estate workers and party members demanding the current govt steps down and the cost of living be brought down, says CWC leader Senthil Thondaman. He said that the livelihoods of the working class have been effected very badly. “The livelihood of the working class people have been very badly effected. Estate workers and those in the central province are struggling in keeping up with the rise in more..

Apr 29 (CT) What is happening today is obvious. Rajapaksa Family Monolith existed with the active encouragement and nourishment of a parasitic Priestly Class. The ordinary folk were cowed into silent acquiescing. The brothers thrived with the praise and applause of a loyal base that quietly dwindled with increasing economic pressure. A narcistic tyrannical rule cannot survive solely with the Ape Hamuduruwane trickery. Without the passive acceptance of the people the edifice more..