May 7 (Island) Watching the opulence of the May Day celebrations, one found it hard to imagine that Sri Lanka was in the midst of the worst financial crisis ever. Whilst the masses continue to suffer with progressively increasing prices, made worse with the continuing shortages of essentials like food and drugs, trade unionists and political leaders had a grand party, demonstrating their strength; except the guilt-laden governing party which opted for a low-key event. more..

May 7 (CT) Many services across the island were disrupted due to the national level hartal that was conducted after 69 years. Several protests were also launched in a number of areas. Railway trade unions and private bus owners withdrew from services at midnight on 5 May in support of the hartal. More than 2,000 trade unions and civil society organisations, including hundreds of unions in the health, transportation, railways, more..

May 7 (FT) SL�s COVID-19 case count rose to 663,520, following the detection of 17 COVID-19 detections yesterday. The previous day, 34 COVID-19 patients were detected. Total of 75,931 persons have tested positive for COVID-19 since 1 January. The country�s COVID-19 detections include 483,090 persons from the New Year cluster, 82,785 persons from the Peliyagoda cluster, 9,154 persons from the Prisons cluster, and 3,059 persons from the Divulapitiya cluster. more..

May 7 (FT) BOI Chairman Raja Edirisuriya called on all Export Processing Zone (EPZ) employees to support to protect the only foreign exchange earning sector and investors to safeguard the economy of all Sri Lankans. �We need to safeguard the foreign investors that have kept their trust in SL and created employment for thousands of people in this country. Exports are the only sector that has continued to keep the economy afloat from COVID to-date. Therefore, I call on all concerned parties to more..

May 7 (Island) Javelin thrower Sumedha Ranasinghe and triple jumper Chamal Kumarasiri have given SL�s track and field fraternity something to celebrate after they made notable gains in the World Athletics Road to Oregon 2022 rankings. Their notable performances at the centenary National Athletics Championships have given them rich dividends. Ranasinghe has further improved his position to be in the 20th quota position making him the most eligible male athlete from SL more..

May 7 (ICC) SL�s Test record against Bangladesh is one of near-complete dominance, but could that be about to change in the World Test Championship? The WTC returns on May 15 with Bangladesh targeting a first-ever series win over SL. Tigers will host back-to-back Tests, the first at Chattogram and the second in Mirpur, and will need to make history if they are to pull away from England at the foot of the WTC Standings. Since SL and Bangladesh first met in the longest format in 2001 it has been more..

May 7 (FT) SL lost over $ 22 million or Rs. 8.25 billion industrial export income yesterday, as tens of thousands of workers of EPZ came out of their factories and staged protests demanding the Gotabaya-led Govt to quit over the worst-ever economic crisis. The national level hartal yesterday was being carried out after 69 years, bringing the entire economy to a standstill since the demonstrations began, with both State, more..

May 7 (FT) The Colombo stock market ended another negative week with indices dipping sharply yesterday as countrywide hartal impacted investor sentiment. The active S&P SL20 index declined by over 3% and the benchmark ASPI dipped by nearly 2%. For the week ASPI was down 196.78 points (2.58%) and S&P SL20 by 108.03 points (4.31%). Turnover yesterday was Rs. 974 million involving 40.8 million shares. Average daily turnover for the shortened trading week was Rs. 953 million. more..

May 7 (Island) SL Institute of Marketing, the apex body for SL Marketers, mandated to uplift the Marketing profession in SL, empathizes with all Sri Lankans who are bravely facing the present difficulties that the country is navigating through. While this is indeed a challenging phase in the country�s history where citizens are even compelled to face severe shortages of essentials and often forego them, SLIM also observes the resilient way many are engaging with this period of more..

May 7 (ST) Dehiwala zoo�s baby orangutan, aged about five years, drowned last week in the moat that surrounds its den. It was alone in its den on the night of April 21. Its mother, too, died last December. As a rule, animals that spend the day in larger, open enclosures are caged at night for safety reasons, but this baby orangutan had refused to go into the cage. The curator had let the orangutan stay in the open enclosure and had asked a zookeeper to watch over it. more..

May 7 (DM) The Institute of Chartered Accountants of SL (CA Sri Lanka) on Thursday submitted a comprehensive set of proposals to the Finance Ministry focusing on reviving the country�s economy from the ongoing crisis. A high-level delegation from CA Sri Lanka led by the institute�s President Sanjaya Bandara met Treasury Secretary K.M.M. Siriwardana, where wide-ranging recommendations developed by CA SL were handed over. CA SL Vice President Heshana Kuruppu, more..

May 7 (AD) Former minister Namal Rajapaksa says that economic decisions cannot be taken by politicians and that the incumbent govt and the Finance Ministers had always acted on the advice given by certain officials. In an interview with the BBC, MP was questioned about the huge tax relief given by the govt as soon as it came to power and whether it was the right decision given the country did not have enough revenue. more..

May 7 (DM) Supreme Court on May 5 granted leave to proceed with a fundamental rights petition filed challenging the authorities� decision to reopen liquor shops, violating the quarantine laws that prevailed in Sept 2021. Accordingly, a majority of a divided 3-judge-Supreme Court bench decided to grant leave to proceed with the petition under Article 12(1) of the constitution. The SC three-judge bench, comprising Justice Preethi Padman Susena, Justice Janak de Silva and Justice Mahinda Samayawardena, more..

May 7 (Island) Trade unions, which held yesterday�s strike, warned they would launch a continuous strike unless the President and the govt resigned immediately. The country came to a standstill yesterday after employees of govt, semi-govt and private institutes went on strike. Shops in all towns were closed in support of the hartal. Ravi Kumudesh, Convener of the Trade Unions and Mass Organisation, said yesterday, that all regional traders� associations had supported hartal. more..

May 7 (EN) SL and IMF would begin the next round of technical discussions from May 09 to 23, in the lead up to a program, Mission Chief Masahiro Nozaki said. �We remain committed to assisting Sri Lanka, in line with the IMF�s policies,� Nozaki said. �Because SL�s debt is assessed as unsustainable, approval of IMF financing, including through a Rapid Financing Instrument, would require adequate assurances that more..

May 7 (AD) Professor G.H. Peiris has been appointed as the Chancellor of the Uni of Peradeniya. He received his letter of appointment from Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the President�s House today (06). Mr. G.H. Peiris received his Degree of Bachelor of Arts in Geography with a First Class Honours from the University of Peradeniya in 1960 and he received his doctoral degree (Economic Geography) from the University of Cambridge, UK in 1965. more..

May 7 (Island) Veteran Communist Party politician DEW Gunasekera says the developing economic-political-social crisis cannot be resolved by exploiting the parliamentary system. He warned the ruling SLPP govt of dire consequences unless it addressed the issues at hand immediately. The one-time General Secretary of the CP said so referring to what he called a clandestine operation that thwarted a joint Opposition bid on Thursday (5) to elect Ranjith Siyambalapitiya as Deputy Speaker more..

May 7 (DM) The Bar Association of SL (BASL) has requested the President to revoke the proclamation declaring a state of emergency to ensure that the fundamental rights of the people such as the freedom of expression, freedom of speech, publication and the freedom of peaceful assembly are protected. The BASL re-iterated that the state of emergency must not be used to stifle peaceful protests and dissent or to make arbitrary arrests and detentions. more..

May 7 (EN) PM Rajapaksa has made no decision to resign, his spokesman said as a hartal brought the country to as standstill Friday and Prez Rajapaksa called an emergency cabinet meeting. �PM has not decided to resign yet,� spokesman Rohan Weliwita said. The emergency cabinet meeting was called as protesting university students surrounded the Parliament and Speaker Mahinda Abeywardene promised to call a party leaders meeting Monday after opposition members demanded that more..

May 7 (AD) A state of emergency will be declared by the Prez with effect from midnight today (6). The PMD states that the state of emergency will be declared in accordance with the powers vested in the Prez by the Constitution to safeguard the well-being of the country and to maintain the essential supplies and services to the people. Prez invoked the tough laws after trade unions staged a nationwide strike Friday demanding more..

May 7 (FT) We have a major economic crisis. It affects the whole nation. It needs the urgent attention of the Govt. The causes of the crisis are very clear, and what needs to be done in overall terms is equally clear. The knotty problem is to wade through the difficult consequences that arise when taking steps to address the crisis. There are three parts to it. 1. Govt expenditure exceeds revenue. 2. Dire shortage of foreign exchange. 3. Large debt and the inability to repay it. more..

May 7 (FT) SJB MP Eran Wickremaratne on Thursday urged the Govt to introduce the 21st Amendment to the Constitution to abolish the Executive Presidency and let the people decide its fate at a referendum. �This is the demand of your voters also. Let the people decide at a referendum if they want the executive presidency or not. The Rajapaksas will be sent home by such a referendum,� Wickramaratne said in Parliament. He said the SJB has handed over the 21st more..

May 7 (DM) A protest broke out, outside UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe's house in 5th Lane in Colombo this morning, with protestors calling on the former prime minister to Go Home and Stay Home. The protestors gathered outside after a statement made by TNA MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam in Parliament this week, saying that Ranil was seen persuading opposition MPs to vote for SLFP's Ranjith Siyambalapitiya in the Deputy Speaker election. more..

May 7 (FT) Whose expertise counts? is the question that underruns current discourse on addressing SL�s ever spiralling economic crisis. For much of the country�s intellectual establishment�its academics, policymakers, think tanks, civil society organisations and so on�the resounding answer to this question is that it is the experts. Qualified and well-credentialed economic experts, so this answer goes, are best placed to resolve the crisis, and correct the disastrous economic policies of Rajapaksa more..

May 7 (AD) PM Rajapaksa has decided to resign from his post during the special cabinet meeting held yesterday, according to political sources. The source claimed that the resignation of the Prime Minister is scheduled to take place next Monday. A special cabinet meeting chaired by Prez Rajapaksa was held at the Prez�s House yesterday. Prez had pointed out that in the face of the economic and political crisis that has arisen more..

May 7 (DM) The report this week by ABC's leading investigative journalism programme, Four Corners, on questionable payments by Australia�s Aspen Medical into the bank accounts of a British Virgin Islands-registered company owned by SL businessman Nimal Perera created waves here and abroad. The Sunday Times, which collaborated with Four Corners on the SL segment of its expose, will this week probe deeper into the details--including what other transactions took place through more..

May 7 (NR) The Public Utilities Commission of SL has expressed its objection on the proclamation declaring a public emergency in Sri Lanka, under the Public Security Ordinance. Chairman of the PUCSL Janaka Ratnayake said he believes scheduled power cuts is the main reason and cause that leads to public and consumer upheaval and the current level of agitation and unrest among the public. PUCSL issuing a statement said a state of emergency has been declared for 2nd time more..

May 7 (AD) Diplomats and rights groups expressed concern Saturday after Prez Rajapaksa declared a state of emergency and police used force against peaceful protesters amid the country�s worst economic crisis in recent memory. The economic and political situation in the Indian Ocean island nation has triggered countrywide protests demanding the resignation of Rajapaksa and his powerful ruling family. more..

May 7 (Island) Opposition Leader, Sajith Premadasa stated that the 148 votes cast in favour of Ranjith Siyambalapitiya, electing him as Deputy Speaker, had proved that most MPs had no wish to change the country�s failed political system. �In fact, they will do anything to maintain the status quo,� he said, issuing a statement. Full statement: �What we are up against, as Opposition, is a media that is owned, politicians that are owned, and the independents were bought over long ago. more..

May 7 (CT) National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS) has run further into trouble owing to equipment running out. Director NBTS, Dr. Lakshman Edirisinghe on Friday, lamented that the shortage in Triple Blood Bags (TBB) is contributing to the depletion of Double and Quadruple Blood Bags (QBB). TBB are designed to separate whole blood into three blood components: red blood cells, platelets and plasma. QBB are designed to collect whole blood to be separated into four more..

May 7 (DM) The govt should either resign allowing for an interim govt or go for a Parliamentary election if the govt and opposition MPs are not ready for an interim govt, Former Prez Chandrika Kumaratunge said today. She said that the peole's representatives could remain in power as long as they have people's mandate and that they should be ready to relinquish power soon after people rejected them. "People give power to people's representatives to get their aspirations fulfilled. more..

May 7 (DM) JVP today urged the govt to revoke the state of emergency claiming that suppressing people's protests would result in more serious repercussions. JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva told a news conference that several organisations including the Bar Association and Human Rights Commission of SL have condemned the declaration of the state of emergency. He said the Govt must listen to the people's voice rather than suppressing it and trying to remain in power using various more..

May 7 (Reuters) Streets in SL's commercial capital Colombo were calm on Saturday after the Prez declared a state of emergency following escalating anti-govt protests. Details of the latest emergency regulations were not yet made public, but previous emergency laws have given greater powers to the president to deploy the military, detain people without charge and break up protests. "Prez has taken this decision due to more..

May 7 (CT) Colombo High Court Judge Damith Thotawatta, on Friday (6) ordered the Police Department to probe an incident, where the second accused in the Rajagiriya hit and run case against SJB MP Patali Ranawaka, Dilum Thusitha Kumara, had been allegedly threatened by the Director and the OIC of the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD). He also ordered the Police to make submissions to him promptly. The Judge ordered the second accused, to lodge a complaint with any Police Station more..

May 7 (AD) The signing ceremony of the Joint Communiqu� on establishing diplomatic elations between Sri Lanka and Timor-Leste was held Wednesday, 04 May 2022, at the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in New York. On behalf of the respective Govts, the Joint Communiqu� was signed by Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations, Mohan Pieris, and Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Timor-Leste more..