May 2 (DM) A women�s May Day rally with the participation of 15 women�s organisations headed by the Southern Shramiks Forum was held in Galle town yesterday. Garment workers, estate workers and employees in several other private sector institutions participated. Programme Organiser of the Women�s Centre Kanchana Abeysekara said it was the first ever May Day rally held in the country. The demonstration that set off from Galle town proceeded to Kaluwella and returned to more..

May 2 (EN) Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella has admitted that a govt-appointed committee was misled by a professional on the highly controversial issue of groundwater contamination from COVID-19 burials. Rambukwella, who was not health minister at the time but was involved in then Prez Rajapaksa administration�s pandemic containment efforts, said one academic in particular had put her foot down and more..

May 2 (AD) The petition filed by State Minister Diana Gamage seeking an order to annul the decision taken by the SJB is due to be heard on 08 May. Dates for the hearing of the petition were decided upon when the case was taken up before three-judge bench of the Supreme Court, comprising of Justices Priyantha Jayawardena, Kumudini Wickremasinghe and Achala Wengappuli, this morning. In her petition, the State Minister accused the party of attempting to revoke her more..

May 2 (DM) Bambalapitiya Police has arrested a young doctor attached to the Trincomalee Hospital over the attempted murder of his wife who was residing in Layards Road, Colombo 5, through an insulin overdose. The Police launched investigations based on information that a woman residing in Layards Road, Colombo 5 was admitted to the Colombo South Teaching Hospital in a critical condition and her illness was suspicious. Police said the doctors who examined the woman had more..

May 2 (EN) Shares ended at an over two-month low on Tuesday due to poor earnings performance by companies in the first quarter of 2023 and domestic debt restructuring fears, an analyst said. ASPI plunged 3.03%, or 271.75, to 8,711.46, the lowest since Feb 15, 2023. �The market is moving in the red due to several factors; domestic debt restructuring fears, poor earnings performance, and comments by the President on the potential closure of the stock market,� an analyst said. more..

May 2 (CT) Govt should introduce necessary Parliamentary Acts to ensure that the University Teachers� strike which has also affected the marking of GCE A/L Papers, does not continue to hamper the lives of students who have completed that exam, Govt Medical Officers� Forum (GMOF) said. GMOF President Dr. Rukshan Bellana urged the govt to ensure that the freedom given to University dons to cause an upheaval in the lives of students who had sat their A/L s and those who are to sit more..

May 2 (DM) SL's first organic sour banana harvest is to be exported to the Dubai market in the next few days. Arrangements had been made for harvesting and processing activities tomorrow. �Accordingly, 12,500 kg of sour bananas are exported to the Dubai market every Saturday from the Rajanganaya Sour Banana Project. Simultaneously, arrangements have been made to export 25,000 kg of organic sour bananas more..

May 2 (FT) The urgent need of the hour is to rebuild the CMU as a powerful, independent workers� organisation that it once was. Our members are facing enormous difficulties due to the unprecedented economic crisis that has been brought about by the failure of successive governments, and large scale corruption. There has been a massive increase in the cost of living, while our real wages have declined alarmingly. Further, the full weight of the brutal, more..

May 2 (EN) Profits at Seylan Bank Plc group grew 5.83% to 1.02 billion rupees in the March, 2023 quarter, interim accounts showed. The group reported earnings of 1.57 rupees for the quarter, and the shares were trading 1.67% down at 29/5 rupees. Interest income grew by a fast 116.94% to 28.8 billion during the quarter and interest expenses grew 171.37% to 17.4 billion rupees resulting a 66.4% increase in Net Interest income to 11.5 billion rupees. more..

May 2 (CT) Fish production, scarred by high fuel prices, fell for the third consecutive month to Feb 2023, with the fall in February being 1.5% (0.5 million kilos) year on year (YoY) to 34.2 million kg, latest Central Bank of SL (CBSL) data showed. Consequently, fish production in the three consecutive months to February as a whole declined by 7.9% (8.7 million kg) YoY to 101.4 million kg, CBSL�s last Friday�s (28) data showed. more..

May 2 (AD) A writ petition filed by the chief of the Vedda community, Uruwarige Wannila Aththo has been fixed for hearing for hearing on Sept 8, 2023 by the Court of Appeal. The petition has been filed against the Mahaweli Authority�s decision to deforest their traditional homelands in the Rambakan Oya area and hand them over to private companies for various cultivation purposes. The relevant petition was taken up before a bench of judges consisting of justices Sobhitha Rajakaruna and more..

May 2 (DM) SJB MP Vadivel Suresh who is on a collision course with the party is to decide on his political fate tomorrow after meeting a representative of Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe and also Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa. Mr. Suresh said he will be attending two meetings tomorrow, one with a representative of the President and the other with Mr. Premadasa. �I was approached by both leaders after I made some critical comments on the SJB leadership and the govt. more..

May 2 (CT) England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have confirmed a revised schedule for SL women�s upcoming tour to England due to the confirmation of the women�s cricket tournament at the 2023 Asian Games. Notably, the first T20I will be played in Hove on Aug 31, while the second and third T20I will be played on Sept 2 and 6 in Chelmsford and Derby, respectively. Meanwhile, the first ODI will be played on Sept 9 in Chester-le-Street followed by the second on Sept 12 in Northampton, more..

May 2 (BNN) Pakistan took the crown for Asia�s fastest inflation from SL as a weaker currency and rising food and energy costs drove price gains to a record in April. Consumer prices rose 36.4% in April from a year earlier, the highest since 1964. That compares with a median estimate for a 37.2% gain in a Bloomberg survey and a 35.4% increase in March. Pakistan�s inflation outpaced price gains in SL that eased to 35.3% in April is starting to show signs of recovery from an economic crisis. more..

May 2 (AD) Minister Ali Sabry has spoken on SL�s debt restructuring process, stating that encouraging signs have been seen thus far, although SL is not completely out of the woods. Minister said there is a glimmer of hope for us, but we are not out of the woods when inquired as to where SL�s optimism pertaining to economic recovery is coming from, despite ADB predicting that things will get worse later this year, before seeing more..

May 2 (AFP) A hoax warning purportedly issued by the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has been shared thousands of times on Facebook and WhatsApp in SL. It advises against completely filling up fuel tanks in vehicles, falsely claiming that warm weather could cause them to explode. IOC's SL subsidiary said it never issued the false warning and an automobile engineering lecturer told AFP the claim is baseless. The image of the false notice was shared here on Facebook on April 19, 2023, more..

May 2 (TM) Sri Lanka Police has stated that schools are required to discuss with the police and prepare a certain program when organising Big Match cricket events. SSP Nihal Thalduwa emphasized that the Big Match tournaments which are conducted in order to improve the friendship between the schools are needed to be carried out in a manner that maintains discipline and that the responsibility of the matter is assigned to the personnel who organise them. more..

May 2 (EN) Sri Lanka, still recovering from a series of financial, political and social crises that erupted in a singularly cataclysmic year, on Monday May 01 marked its first International Workers� Day since the South Asian nation entered a crucial reform programme backed by the IMF. Supporters of mainstream and fringe political parties new and old congregated in various parts of the capital Colombo and elsewhere more..

May 2 (AD) The prices of Litro domestic Liquefied Petroleum (LP) gas cylinders are set to be further reduced tomorrow. Chairman of Litro Gas Lanka, Muditha Peiris announced this while speaking at a press conference this morning. Accordingly, he noted that the price of the 12.5kg gas cylinder is expected to be reduced by around Rs. 100, while the prices of other cylinders will also be reduced proportionately. The price reduction is expected to be effective from midnight tomorrow more..

May 2 (TM) A date for the discussion between the FUTA and Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe is due to be decided today. FUTA media spokesman Senior Lecturer Charudatta Ilangasinghe stated that the Presidential Secretariat had notified the trade union that they will be told of a date for their discussion with the Head of State today. Accordingly, he assured that the FUTA intend on participating in the 2022 G.C.E. A/L exam answer sheet evaluation following the discussion. more..

May 3 (DM) In Nov 1947, the United Nations (UN) partitioned Palestine - a decision taken with no support from either the people of Palestine or the Arab countries in what it today commonly referred to as the Middle East. A day prior to its independence Israeli armed militant groups rampaged through Palestinian villages killing hundreds of Palestinian civilians, burning looting and pillage. Among the victims were women and children who were put to the sword. more..

May 3 (CT) The govt appears to be bent on creating a mood swing in anticipation of elections in the belief that better off people are key opinion formers. The second round of reducing the prices of a variety of fuels (2% for ordinary petrol to 29% for super diesel used by luxury vehicles) is an indication that the govt is seeking to improve its support base amongst the better off sections of the population. So far the govt has resisted calls for LG elections, which are overdue, to be held. more..

May 3 (TM) A recent study by the UNICEF SL has found that one out of every six (16%) people in SL are multidimensionally poor, while those above the age of 65 years were observed as being poorest in the Island. With SL trying to emerge out of an economic crisis, it is incumbent on the policymakers to use the data created by such agencies like UNICEF to better prioritize the social safety net and create policies which target more..

May 3 (DM) Last week, former president Mahinda Rajapaksa visited Kandy to receive blessings from the Maha Sangha. Interestingly, Ven. Omalpe Sobhita Thera, one of the most vocal monks, has recently been telling the public that Sri Lanka is the only country in the world where the crooks and looters in white are regularly blessed by the religious leaders. That may be a bit of an exaggeration, at least on the count of Sri Lanka�s this particular uniqueness, which is not unique at all. more..

May 3 (CT) Religion is a very sensitive topic in Sri Lanka due to which we don�t often even consider the need to look into the operation of religious institutions. The abuse of child monks at temples is the most common resultant effect of such ignorance, but has now, however, entered the limelight. Child rights are basic rights and are enshrined in international law, specifically, UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), which was adopted by the UNGA on 20 Nov 1989, more..

May 3 (SO) The world is in the midst of a hunger pandemic according to organisations such as the World Food Program (WFP), affecting nearly 49 million people worldwide. In such a situation the crop damage caused by animals in SL can have devastating effects. It is said the damage caused by animals to various crops is over Rs. 18 billion. HARTI recently said that SL loses around 40% of its crop production annually. more..

May 3 (TM) With certain adverse impacts of the economic crisis alleviating and certain aspects of the national economy stabilising, although slowly, many Sri Lankans appear to have started revelling in the little peace of mind that they have received. The tendency to live their normal day-to-day lives was displayed through the manner in which the public celebrated the Sinhala-Tamil New Year last month, where the usual New Year shopping, visiting friends and relatives and trips were a common sight. more..

May 3 (ST) In the 1960s during a grow-more-food campaign, schools were encouraged to take students to paddy fields, allow them to get into the mud and understand how farmers till the land. The farmer, then, was king. Not anymore. Today he is eking out a living, struggling to survive, amidst a mountain of debt. In terms of consumption, nothing has changed since the 1960s; rice is still the country�s staple food. Except for the use of fertiliser and new machines, nothing has changed more..

May 3 (Island) China has manoeuvred astutely to overshadow the IMF in SL. It is never tired of waiting until the time is opportune for action. When SL was left with no alternative but to go cap in hand to the IMF, last year, many thought that the western bloc and India had succeeded in removing it from China�s sphere of influence, and Beijing would have its work cut out to regain its hold on Colombo. Gotabaya Rajapaksa govt refused to seek IMF assistance because it was expecting a lifeline from China more..

May 3 (Island) SL govt is finding it hard to fulfil the regulations agreed upon with the IMF in the Houses of Parliament on April 28, 2023. However, there was no other option but to agree. According to Professor Vasanta Atukorale, the increases in taxes amount to a staggering 441%. The IMF�s experts fail to understand that implementing these regulations will cause untold hardships to the public and may even lead to a severe recession. Perhaps, this is the ulterior motive of the IMF. more..

May 3 (Island) Despite several highs for the national cricket team, Kumar Sangakkara�s was one of the shortest tenures of captaincy as it lasted for less than two years. But those two years had some special moments as SL reached two World Cup finals and won their first-ever ODI series in Australia while beating several opponents in Test match cricket. Despite the SL side going through some tough times in the last decade more..

May 3 (ST) As part of the Govt�s ongoing restructuring process of loss-making State-owned Enterprises (SoEs), two such bodies, Ceylon Fertiliser Company Ltd and Colombo Commercial Fertilisers Limited, are to be amalgamated into a single fully State-owned entity. Since both SoEs are engaged in identical businesses, it was proposed to amalgamate these two entities into a single company on the basis of a Cabinet decision made last year. more..

May 3 (ST) A Sri Lankan chef in the Seychelles has drowned at sea while trying to rescue two children, a family member said. The chef, W.A. Arunathissa, and some friends were at the beach on April 22 when the traegdy occured. His friends had gone for a dip but he remained on the beach as the tide was high. At this point a mother and two children had come to the beach and the children who were initially playing on the beach had followed their mother into the sea. more..

May 3 (FT) Lanka IOC Plc (LIOC) said yesterday it posted a robust performance with resilient approach throughout FY23 continuously striving to steer through the adversities and stiff challenges confronted due to dearth of foreign exchange, spiraling inflation, high volatility in international oil prices and country ratings down-gradation, to name a few. While the economic conditions remained seemingly uncontrollable, LIOC said it registered a remarkable performance more..

May 3 (Island) Sri Lanka are competing in the Asia/Oceania Billie Jean King Cup Juniors final qualifying which is now on in Shymkent, Kazakhstan. The tournament will conclude on May 7. Asia/Oceania Davis Cup Juniors� final qualifying will be held during the following week. Competing nations are Australia, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. more..