Apr 3 (TM) Even before the dollar was floated against the rupee earlier last month, many of the Information Communication Technology (ICT) companies in Sri Lanka started pegging their salaries to the US Dollar, a practice which by now has received much popularity within those sectors. A survey covering 91 companies in Sri Lanka showed that at least 30 companies in SL have already pegged their salaries to the US Dollar, while other companies have pegged their salaries to more..

Apr 3 (ST) Govt clamped a sudden 36-hour all-island curfew from 6pm yesterday till Monday 6am, a few hours after declaring a state of emergency in the country. The immediate reason was to crack down on mass country-wide anti-Govt gatherings planned for today to protest against the huge increases in the prices of food items, the non-availability of essential goods such as gas and fuel and 10-12-hour power cuts apart from more..

Apr 3 (TM) The commissioning of the much-delayed 120 MW Uma Oya Power Plant will see further delays due to issues triggered by the existing foreign exchange crisis. The power plant was earlier scheduled to be commissioned in 2021 but the construction of the project was delayed due to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. However, it was later scheduled to be commissioned this year. According to the Long Term Energy Generation Plan of the CEB, the Uma Oya hydropower plant more..

Apr 3 (ST) The 10-hour to 16-hour power cuts will cripple the Sri Lankan Internet, mobile operators fear saying that most of their sites are set up with battery banks and only the critical hubs are equipped with generators. As such the majority of the sites will cease backup power and shut down if power cuts persist, they say. �We understand that it is our responsibility as connectivity providers to keep our people and enterprises connected during these unprecedented times. more..

Apr 3 (AD) There are several reports that social media users are facing difficulties in using platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp and YouTube in SL. Meanwhile the Director General of TRCSL says that service providers have been advised to temporarily restrict access to social media websites, on the request of the Ministry of Defence. NetBlocks, a watchdog organization that monitors cybersecurity and more..

Apr 3 (EN) The alleged assault on a group of journalists covering the protest in Mirihana on Thursday (31) has received widespread condemnation from domestic and international civil society groups. Several journalists who covered the protest alleged that they were assaulted by Police officers and members of the STF and that some were later arrested by authorities. The Free Media Movement (FMM) yesterday (2) condemned the assault of journalists and the hindrance of more..

Apr 3 (Island) United Nations SL has expressed concern over reports of violence in the country, resident coordinator Hanaa Singer-Hamdy said on Friday, after a massive protest outside Prez Rajapaksa�s residence over SL�s prevailing economic crisis turned violent. In a tweet posted Friday afternoon, Singer-Hamdy called for restraint from all groups. The Tweet said: �We are monitoring developments and are concerned by reports of violence in #SriLanka. Calling for restraint more..

Apr 3 (ST) SL continues to sink into a morass as public protests continue countrywide over increasing food, fuel shortages, power cuts, and the non-availability of LPG (cooking gas) among others. On Thursday, Prez Rajapaksa could not spend the night at his private residence at Pangiriwatte Road in Mirihana. However, Minister Prasanna Ranatunga, insisted on Friday that he was at home. More than 1,500 people, mostly middle-class residents more..

Apr 4 (DM) On Thursday (31), the anger of ordinary Lankans boiled over. Lanka is caught up in the worst financial crises to hit the country since its independent in 1948. In recent months, food prices have skyrocketed, there has been a continued dearth of essential goods, fruit and vegetables. Long queues have formed outside petrol stations due to a shortage of fuel and LP gas. Since last week, we have faced daily power cuts of over seven hours across the island. more..

Apr 4 (DM) The scorching heat in April and May are going to fry our working people as food and medicines are in short supply, oil shortages lead to transport disruption and power cuts shut down shop floors. What does one make of the mismanagement of an economy with peak levels of imports in 2021 of US$ 21 b � including for example US$ 1.3 b for non-food consumables and US$ 1.6 b for substitutable foods (vegetables, seafood, confectionery, beverages) � and then unable to even pay for more..

Apr 4 (SO) Minister C.B. Rathnayake said that in a crisis like this, everybody should join hands irrespective of petty political differences. He said attempts by certain sections to realise their ulterior motives and somehow grab power should be stopped even at this critical juncture. Instead of promising people various packages, they should be properly educated about the situation stressing the need to protect the motherland for the sake more..

Apr 4 (ST) If the SL Govt prefers to delude itself into believing that widespread and unprecedentedly furious public protests against the Prez, the PM and the Govt this week were instigated by agent provocateurs of the Opposition, that is its wish. Contrary to that belief however, the truth is far more inconvenient. To put it a tad crudely, the Opposition, put together, cannot say boo to the proverbial goose. What the country experienced was not the feeble yapping of the Opposition but more..

Apr 4 (ST) On Monday morn visiting Indian Foreign Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar made a pit stop at a LIOC filling station in Colombo to personally inspect how the Indian fuel supplied by his Govt under the Indian credit line was being distributed to the hordes of Lankans queued outside to pump their tanks. Minister Jaishankar tweeted on his hands-on approach stating he had been briefed by LIOC�S Managing Director Gupta, stating, �LIOC of US$ 500m is helping people in their everyday life.� more..

Apr 4 (ST) SL risks prolonging economic recovery by many years and further complicating the ongoing crisis, if we do not expedite a credible debt restructuring programme and introduce policies that ensure rapid and inclusive economic growth, former Director for Development Economics and Chief Economist of the World Bank for the South Asia region, Prof. Shanta Devarajan said. SL is on the cusp of its first sovereign debt more..

Apr 4 (CT) It is no exaggeration that Sri Lanka is currently on the threshold of a great political upheaval. For the first time in the country�s long history, the vast majority of the population is shouting in unison for the sitting Prez to leave office. Starting from the massive protest near the Prez�s private residence in Mirihana on Thursday, 31 March, until this edition went to print, the ordinary citizens of this country have been on the streets, demanding solutions for the economic crisis more..

Apr 4 (TM) What started out as a somewhat tepid protest of placard bearing against the Govt�s failure to address and provide immediate solutions to pressing issues (fuel shortage, power crisis, gas shortage, soaring commodity prices, and the rising cost of living, etc.) and held towards the evening of last Thursday (31) at Jubilee Post in Nugegoda soon gathered numbers, a repertoire of animus infused slogans, assorted four-letter epithets, bars/clubs/rods/sticks and handy projectiles, more..

Apr 4 (Island) It has been said that when govts fear the people, there is liberty, and when the people fear govts, there is tyranny. But the rulers� fear of the masses could also lead to tyranny, as evident from what is unfolding in this country. Last Thursday�s protest near Prez Rajapaksa�s private residence has prompted the govt to declare a state of emergency, and a countrywide curfew. The beleaguered regime also hastened to block social media yesterday only to make an about turn several hours later. more..

Apr 4 (Island) At more than 10 hours, the power cuts are draining SL�s potential by the day. What�s particularly terrifying about them is that the govt is imposing them in the early hours. I remember the Chandrika Kumaratunga blackouts well and they were bad, but not even the 2001 blackouts extended beyond midnight. Gotabaya Rajapaksa blackouts have not just hampered productivity at the workplace, they have forced entire sectors, like ICT, to change their routines and reduce their more..

Apr 4 (ST) Satellite pay-TV users are finding that increasingly more channels are unavailable for viewing. The reason: non-availability of dollars to make payments to the relevant foreign stations. �I noticed that the channel the kids usually watch was blank with a poor signal message,� said a 38-year-old author and mother of two children below the age of six. It started around two weeks ago. more..

Apr 4 (FT) Thousands of Lankans abroad from around the world yesterday staged protests demanding the Govt resign over the failure to resolve multiple crises. Protestors from Australia, NZ, UK, France, US, Finland, Canada, Italy and Germany held placards and shouted slogans demanding that Prez Rajapaksa step down along with the rest of the Govt. Irrespective of religion or race, Lankans living overseas gathered in unity to show their support to fellow Sri Lankans more..

Apr 4 (FT) COVID-19 vaccines were administered to 5,907 persons on Saturday. Majority of the vaccines administered were booster dose vaccines. 4,208 persons received the booster dose on Saturday. In total, the third dose has been administered to 7,889,077 persons. First dose of a COVID-19 vaccine has been administered to 17,013,491 persons and the second dose has been administered to 14,426,930 persons. On Saturday, the first dose of Sinopharm was administered more..

Apr 4 (ST) This year marks a consequential year in the calendar and history of SL Athletics. Track and field sport turned 100-years-old in Jan 2022. To mark and celebrate the milestone, Sunday Times spoke to some medal winning athletes and Olympians, having entered and engraved their names in the history books, locally and globally. One of only two proudest products of the country as Olympic medallions more..

Apr 4 (FT) COVID-19 detections over the weekend totalled 210, with daily cases exceeding 100 on Saturday and yesterday. 106 persons tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday. The previous day, 104 COVID-19 patients were detected. 2,296 PCR tests and 1,934 rapid antigen tests were conducted on Saturday. A total of 661,991 COVID-19 cases have been detected in the country to date. This includes 74,313 detections this year. In addition to this, 483,090 patients from the New Year cluster, more..

Apr 4 (FT) Given the short-term uncertainty prevailing in the capital markets as well as the power outages expected to continue during the month of April, the Board of CL Synergy have decided to postpone its Initial Public Offering (IPO) which was scheduled to open on 7 April. The new dates will be notified once the short-term uncertainties prevailing in the market subside, CL Synergy said in a statement. It also said that the Board of Directors of CL Synergy are encouraged by more..

Apr 4 (FT) Indian has extended over $ 2.5 billion in facilities to help SL to get over its serious economic crisis. �In response to a separate and urgent request fromSL Govt, extension of a credit facility of $ 1 billion for supply of essential items including food and medicines has been finalised and the first shipments of rice under this facility is expected to reach SL soon. �Earlier in January this year, India had provided financial assistance to SL that included a credit swap of $ 400 million more..

Apr 4 (CT) Colts CC and Sebastianites C & AC advanced to the semi-finals of the Major Club emerging 3-Day Tournament on Saturday. Avishka Perera, right hand opener of Colts, scored 245 runs in 323 deliveries with 26 boundaries and a six against BRC. Avishka and fellow opener Shalin De Mel (172) put on a stand of 326 runs for the first wicket. Colts with 102.16 points topped Group �D� with 5 wins from 6 matches, while Sebastianites C & AC with 89.36 points topped Group �A� with more..

Apr 4 (Island) In England last year, a 12-year-old girl ran a 5 km road race in a time of 16 minutes and 40 seconds to establish the world record of her age category. In Australia athletes as young as 13 years of age run 1,500 metres events at Athletics Australia All Schools Championships. But in SL young children gifted with endurance abilities never see their talent being identified thanks to a stagnated competition structure persevered more..

Apr 4 (EN) SL�s stock market cut the trading time to two hours on a daily basis until further notice, the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) said on Sunday amid continuing daily power cuts and a political crisis that has led to the resignation of cabinet. ��.with effect from 4th April 2022, the trading hours will be from 10.30 am to 12.30 pm until further notice,� the CSE said in a statement. The move also comes after a political crisis resulted in a resignation of entire cabinet on Sunday. more..

Apr 4 (FT) Education Ministry yesterday instructed principals to refrain from summoning children of primary schools across the country till 18 April from today. �Children from grade six to 13 are not required to attend school in the Northern, Southern, North Western and Eastern Provinces as term examinations had ended. However, schools in the Western, Central, Uva, Sabaragamuwa and North Central Provinces can only call students who are scheduled to sit for term examinations,� more..

Apr 4 (FT) Telecommunication Regulatory Commission of SL (TRCSL) lifted a ban it had imposed on social media networks last afternoon after the Bar Association of SL (BASL), Human Rights Commission of SL (HRCSL) and members of the public slammed the move. The TRC announced the restrictions starting midnight on Sunday, saying it was acting on the advice of the Ministry of Defence. more..

Apr 4 (FT) Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) Chairman Oshada Senanayake announced that he has tendered resignation from the post last week, citing he stands by his principles and ethos. He apologised for not being able to contribute more, under circumstances which forced him to abide by his principles. Resignation from ICTA is following his stepping down from the Telecom Regulatory Commission of SL (TRCSL) Director-General last Dec, more..

Apr 4 (EN) Police on Sunday said a person died near President Gotabya Rajapaksa�s residences is believed to be intoxicated while he fell from a high-voltage power line with a transformer. Sources close to the area, however, have said the person had climbed a power post in the area to protest against the power cuts and fell down before taken to hospital. Police Spokesman said the man died on admission to Kalubowila hospital after falling from a high-voltage power line a transformer, more..

Apr 4 (ST) SL�s foreign currency crunch in the country is worse than before despite the depreciation in the rupee, further affecting businesses amidst the threat of wiping out industries. Banks are not opening letters of credit (LC) with importers and businesses in need of raw materials are struggling daily. LCs opening has gotten from bad to worse, an importer said noting that there�s no end in sight for this issue. On Wednesday, the Bank of Ceylon (BoC) more..

Apr 4 (EN) Prez Rajapaksa is likely to invite opposition members to the cabinet following the mass resignation of his ministers as street protests were staged against energy shortages and high inflation coming from two years of money printing. Ruling party member Dinesh Gunewardena said late Sunday that the entire cabinet had given their resignations to PM Rajapaksa to discuss with Prez and take the next steps. �What will happen next is the Prez will invite the opposition and more..

Apr 4 (TM) The SLFP, following its Central Committee meeting yesterday, informed the Prez in a letter that the 14 SLFP MPs would sit as independent MPs in Parliament if the Govt does not form an Interim Govt with the participation of all parties represented in Parliament within the next week. When inquired about this, SLFP Senior Vice President Prof. Rohana Piyadasa stated that the Prez should take action to find a solution to more..

Apr 4 (AD) Rumours circulated claiming that PM Rajapaksa is stepping down from his position are false, the PM�s Office says. �PM�s office categorically denies rumors now in circulation to the effect that the PM is going to resign,� a statement said. PM�s Office also says that new arrangements to address issues relating to the supply of fuel, electricity and gas are being discussed. Meanwhile, UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe has rebutted the rumours claiming that he is slated to take up position of PM. more..

Apr 4 (Island) SL expatriates conducted protests at several major cities worldwide against the SL govt�s failure to resolve the prevailing economic crisis. Several protests were held in Auckland, New Zealand, and in Perth, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, in Australia, condemning the deployment of the police and security forces to crush public protests in SL. In Auckland�s Mount Wellington, people gathered with signs reading #gotagohome, demanding the SL President quit. more..