Sri Lanka doubles fuel quota for Three-wheelers from November

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Former Leader of the Ceylon Workers' Congress (CWC) Muthu Sivalingam has passed away.Sources said that he passed away at the age of 79 on Wednesday (23)He was a Member of Parliament for the Nuwara Eliya District.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The committee stage debate of the 2023 Appropriation Bill is scheduled to be held from November 23rd to December 8th, and the voting will be held on December 8th at 7.00 pm.The Parliament is scheduled to convene today (23) at 9.30 am presided over by Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana.The Budget 2023 Second reading was passed in Parliament on Tuesday (22):-Votes in Favor: 121-Votes Against: 84-Abstentions: 1

Ice Cube confirmed he missed out on a $9 million acting role after he refused to get the vaccination shot for COVID-19.The 53-year-old rapper-actor, appearing on the podcast Million Dollaz Worth of Game Monday, said, 'I turned down a movie because I didn’t want to get the motherf***ing jab.'He continued: 'I didn’t want get the jab - f*** that jab; f*** y'all for trying to make me get it. I don’t know how Hollywood feels about me right now.' The latest: Ice Cube, 53, confirmed he missed out on a $9 million acting role after he refused to get the vaccination shot for COVID-19The comments came more than a year after reports in October of 2021 that he had been passed over for a role in the Sony comedy Oh Hell No as producers wanted all cast vaccinated for the shoot.The entertainer, whose real name is O'Shea Jackson, said he 'turned down $9 million' in not getting vaccinated to appear in the film, which is slated to star Jack Black and be directed by Kitao Sakurai.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Department of Meteorology says that mainly fair weather will prevail over most parts of the island.Condition of Rain:A few showers are likely in sea areas off the coast extending from Galle to Matara.Winds:Winds will be north-westerly or south-westerly and speed will be (20-40) kmph. State of Sea:The sea areas off the coast extending from Kankasanturai to Trincomalee via Mullaitivu and from Colombo to Hambantota via Galle and Matara will be fairly rough at times. 

₹40,000. This happened because of the pandemic as rents were lower as people working remotely had still not returned to the city. Post-pandemic, rents have surged and this very apartment now commands a monthly rent of ₹50,000-55,000," she said.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lanka's Former Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal said that Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa simply let things happen during his tenure as the Head of State.Speaking to News 1st's 10 Questions program the Former Head of the Central Bank said he too believed that the Former President should have conducted himself differently, and that could have changed the fate of the country."An unexpected person is now the President.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Offshore Patrol Vessel P 627 the most recent addition to the Sri Lanka Navy fleet acquired from the United States (U.S.) Coast Guard was commissioned as Vijayabahu under the patronage of President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Tuesday (22) at the Colombo Port. The Vessel P 627 began her home-bound journey from the Port of Seattle on the 03rd September 2022 and arrived in Colombo on November 02 after about 10656 nautical miles (19734 km) of the sea passage.The President as the Chief Guest was accorded a Guard of Honour by the Sri Lanka Navy. The President boarded the SLNS Vijayabahu Vessel accompanied by Navy Commander Vice Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenna and unveiled the ship's name board.Following a tour onboard the President unveiled the plaque and a memento was presented to the President by the Navy Commander. P 627, the second ‘Hamilton Class High Endurance Cutter’, received by SL Navy, measures 115m in length and is capable of reaching a maximum speed of 29 knots with 14000 nautical miles of endurance at cruising speed. Further, she has been designed for 187 crew members and is equipped with modern weapons and machinery that suit SL Navy’s operational requirements. During her stint with the U.S.

By Tyrone DevottaThe digital chapter of FITIS on its internet day message says although Financial Technology (FinTech) is now a global phenomenon, in providing financial benefits to the elite and right down to the bottom of the pyramid, Sri Lanka has not cashed in on its full advantages.  This is because we lack the policy framework for Fintech companies to operate in their full capacity.

Corrie star Kym Marsh has had to pull out of Strictly Come Dancing this weekend after testing positive for Covid.

The second reading of the 2023 Budget was passed in Parliament on Tuesday (22) by a slim majority of 37 votes.Votes in Favor: 121Votes Against: 84Abstentions: 1The debate on the second reading of the Appropriation Bill began on November 15th, and the voting for the second reading took place on Tuesday (22) evening.The debate on the committee stage of the Appropriation Bill is scheduled to be held from November 23rd to December 8th, and the voting will be held on December 8th at 7.00 pm.Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said that all Sri Lanka Freedom Party MPs who are connected to the government decided to vote in favour of the second reading of the budget today (22).Meanwhile, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, the People's Freedom Congress, and the National People's Power have decided to vote against it.The Tamil National Alliance decided not to take part in the voting process for the Second Reading of the 2023 Appropriation Bill.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Department of Meteorology says that mainly fair weather will prevail over most parts of the island.Condition of Rain:A few showers are likely in sea areas off the coast extending from Galle to Matara.Winds:Winds will be north-westerly or south-westerly and speed will be (20-40) kmph. State of Sea:The sea areas off the coast extending from Kankasanturai to Trincomalee via Mullaitivu and from Colombo to Hambantota via Galle and Matara will be fairly rough at times. 

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Sri Lankan government has decided to release 50 fuel bowsers daily to meet the kerosene needs of the fishing community.Last week, the Petroleum Corporation had approved the release of 357 kerosene bowsers to meet the fishing community's needs. However, the fuel stations had only obtained 206 bowsers (58%).

People are being warned that a "highly contagious" respiratory virus could be on the rise during the winter.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Two more men arrested for their alleged link to the sex trafficking ring in Oman were remanded to the 1st of December 2023.The suspects were produced to the Colombo Chief Magistrate Nandana Amarasinghe by the Criminal Investigations Department on Tuesday (22).One suspect was arrested by the CID in Kurunegala, while the other was arrested in Colombo.Sri Lanka's Criminal Investigations Department arrested a woman with links to the sex trafficking ring in Oman, after she surrendered to the CID on Monday (21) morning. She was later released on two personal bails of Rs.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Indictments were served on Former Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, Former Operations Director of the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation Chandrapala Liyanage, and Former Chairman Wimal Rupasinghe at the Colombo High Court on Tuesday (22).The case was filed against them for using Rs. 990,000/- in funds owned by the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation during the run-up to the 2015 Presidential Election, and purchasing 600 GI pipes for various other uses.After the indictments were served, the three defendants were released on a cash bail of Rs.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Cabinet has granted approval to amend the Local Authorities Elections Ordinance to increase youth representation at Local Government Institutions.Acting Cabinet Spokesperson Shantha Bandara told reporters that Colombo District MP Premanath C.

The Scottish Parliament's COVID-19 Recovery Committee will meet with employees and service users of two Lanarkshire employment support organisations next week.

primary obstacles to luring them back in, but fear of being exposed to the coronavirus remains a factor for one in four workers, and that rate is even higher among some demographics.To stay up to date with the latest Gallup News insights and updates, follow us on Twitter.Learn more about how the Gallup Panel works.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lanka's Minister of Labour and Foreign Employment  Manusha Nanayakkara in Parliament informed today (22) that the law will be strictly enforced against those involved in trafficking women to Oman, where they are auctioned and sold to the highest bidder.Minister Manusha Nanayakkara revealed to the parliament that as per the data available with the Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau there are 12 Sri Lankan women at the Safe-House in Oman operated by the Sri Lankan Embassy who had registered themselves with the SLFEB, and another 65 who had used visit visa to travel to Oman citing other reasons to Sri Lankan authorities.He added that 70 Sri Lankan women registered with the Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau, and 7 Sri Lankan women have used visit visa and are currently held in Dubai.The Minister went on to note that Sri Lankans who registered with the Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau and face issues overseas can be brought back to the country without any issue, however, there is growing concern over the rise in numbers using visit visa for employment purposes.He added that legal action was instituted on over 100 incidents of abuse, and multiple suspects were arrested based on the investigations.He revealed to the house that only 40 Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau personnel are assigned to meet the needs of all countries, however, Cabinet has approved to recruit of another 50 personnel.Minister Manusha Nanayakkara individual at the Sri Lankan Embassy in Oman who is accused of committing sexual abuse towards Sri Lankan women over there has been interdicted and will be brought back to the country where he will be arrested on arrival, and will be investigated. 

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lanka's Cabinet of Ministers granted approval to the proposal to introduce a new Police Ordinance based on the new social norms and trends.According to the Cabinet Memorandum produced to the Minister of Public Security, the existing Police Ordinance No.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Consumers across the country have pointed out that there is a shortage of cooking gas in the local market, adding that most sellers do not have sufficient stocks of LP Gas.Litro Chairman Muditha Peiris speaking to News 1st said that most distributors are not delivering cooking gas cylinders to traders on credit, and they are currently engaged in cash-only business.Therefore, he added that many small-time traders are finding it difficult to procure gas.However, as a solution the distributors have been instructed to deliver gas to small-time traders on loan facilities, said the Litro Chairman.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – An Italian man and a Sri Lankan who were arrested over a foreign employment racket were remanded to the 5th of December.Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) arrested four people including an Italian from a hotel in Badulla for conducting interviews for employment opportunities in Romania, violating Sri Lankan laws.The two other Sri Lankans were released on personal bail of Rs. 500,000/- each.The Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment said that the men had published ads on Facebook for employment opportunities in Romania and conducted interviews, without any approval from the SLBFE.Around 30 people responded to the online ad and were presented for interviews in Baduall when the arrests were made.It was also reported that candidates were being charged around Rs.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Today’s exchange rates from the Central Bank of Sri Lanka:USD Buy 360.9919 Sell 371.8325GBP Buy 425.4912 Sell 442.0244EUR Buy 369.3487 Sell 384.6493JPY Buy 2.5529 Sell 2.6615AUD Buy 237.8336 Sell 249.1314

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Colombo North Crimes Division arrested a man from Dehiwala for the possession of 78,700 narcotic pills.The arrest was made following raids in Mutuwal and Kalubowila.Sri Lanka Police said that the suspect had illegally imported the drugs by and air and sea routes.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) says that raids will be conducted across the island from Wednesday (23) to identify traders selling food at high prices and unfit for consumption.The raids are to take place targeting the upcoming holiday season.The CAA also said that they will file lawsuits against traders selling food at high prices and unfit for consumption.The raids will continue until January 15th.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Minister of Health Keheliya Rambukwella says that the Treasury will provide Rs. 2 Billion to purchase essential medicines.The Minister said that the government is to make payments to the tune of Rs.

A Scots teacher has been left unable to read books after a crippling long covid battle. Melanie More, 28, struggles with a variety of cognitive and physical issues - leaving her 90 per cent housebound.

A Scots bride has opened up about how she managed to pull of her dream Disney wedding in just six months - despite Covid nearly ruining everything.

India's active cases have also declined to 6,209. Covid-19 cases in India have been declining for the past few days as the country is reporting single-day rise of less than 500 infections.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The vote on the second reading of the budget will be held today (22).The Parliament is scheduled to meet today at 9.30 am and the sessions will be presided over by Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena.Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said that all Sri Lanka Freedom Party MPs who are connected to the government have decided to vote in favour of the second reading of the budget today (22).Meanwhile, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, the People's Freedom Congress, and the National People's Power have decided to vote against it.

(Hindustan Times) – Sri Lanka will miss the December deadline for securing an IMF loan as the main bilateral debtor China was involved in the 20th party congress and had little time for holding debt restructuring talks with Colombo, reported the Hindustan Times.The next meeting of the IMF executive board is in March 2023.According to financial analysts based in Washington, Sri Lanka likely will miss the December IMF deadline and will have to wait for March 2023 to secure a USD 2.9 billion loan from the lending institution in eight equal tranches.In the meantime, the Sri Lankan debt has increased further due to forex depreciation, deep recession, and burgeoning fiscal deficit. Since the end of 2021, inflation has considerably eroded the real value of domestic debt.While debtors India and Japan have already initiated a dialogue with Colombo on debt reconciliation and restructuring, China is still to engage in the dialogue as Beijing was involved in the 20th National Party Congress and had little time for client state Sri Lanka. The total debt of the island nation was USD 36 billion at the end of 2021. Of this, Sri Lanka owes USD 7.1 billion to China or 20% of its debt.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lanka's Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena said that it impossible to activate the Sectoral Oversight Committees in Parliament in the absence of representatives from the Opposition.Speaking to News 1st the speaker said the leader in the opposition was repeatedly informed to make the appointments to those committees, however, a positive response is yet to be received.Recently, the Sri Lankan Parliament gave the green light to activate 17 Parliamentary Sectoral committees, and the speaker said he hopes to complete the appointment of representatives to the committee during the next parliament week.President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Thursday (3) pointed out that although the formation of the National Assembly has been concluded to bring far-reaching systematic changes, satisfactory progress has not been made with regard to other proposals.The President has indicated this in a letter to Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena.The establishment of a National Assembly and the appointment of three committees related to public finance and banking were proposed under far-reaching systematic changes.In addition, it was also proposed to appoint the Banking and Financial Services Committee, the Economic Stabilization Committee and the Committee on Ways and Means related to banking affairs, as well as to delegate five youth representatives for the Sectoral committees and to establish the Parliamentary Budget Office.President Ranil Wickremesinghe has expressed that although 17 Parliamentary Sectoral committees should be established as indicated by these proposals; the chairpersons have not been designated for them and the criteria for selecting the youth representatives to be appointed for this purpose has yet

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lanka's Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena said that it impossible to activate the Sectoral Oversight Committees in Parliament in the absence of representatives from the Opposition.Speaking to News 1st the speaker said the leader in the opposition was repeatedly informed to make the appointments to those committees, however, a positive response is yet to be received.Recently, the Sri Lankan Parliament gave the green light to activate 17 Parliamentary Sectoral committees, and the speaker said he hopes to complete the appointment of representatives to the committee during the next parliament week.President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Thursday (3) pointed out that although the formation of the National Assembly has been concluded to bring far-reaching systematic changes, satisfactory progress has not been made with regard to other proposals.The President has indicated this in a letter to Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena.The establishment of a National Assembly and the appointment of three committees related to public finance and banking were proposed under far-reaching systematic changes.In addition, it was also proposed to appoint the Banking and Financial Services Committee, the Economic Stabilization Committee and the Committee on Ways and Means related to banking affairs, as well as to delegate five youth representatives for the Sectoral committees and to establish the Parliamentary Budget Office.President Ranil Wickremesinghe has expressed that although 17 Parliamentary Sectoral committees should be established as indicated by these proposals; the chairpersons have not been designated for them and the criteria for selecting the youth representatives to be appointed for this purpose has yet

COLOMBO (News 1st) – President Ranil Wickremesinghe says that if the process to restructure debts with India and China is delayed, the process to reach an agreement with the IMF Executive Board could be further delayed till January. Speaking at the 32nd Annual General meeting of the Sri Lanka Tea Factory owners, the President said that Sri Lanka must first ensure that it can get out of bankruptancy, and negotiate with creditors."I went to the Paris Club first. Western countries and Japan are there. But we are in a special place.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lanka has decided to launch a website to register passenger transport three-wheelers in the Western Province for the increased fuel quota.State Minister Lasantha Alagiyawanna said that taxi operators can access www.wptaxi.lk and register for the service to obtain 10 liters of petrol, instead of the 5 liters offered.On the 24th of October 2022, President Ranil Wickremesinghe instructed to increase the weekly fuel quota of 5 litres issued for professional passenger transport three-wheelers to 10 litres.As the first phase, the registration of professional three-wheelers in the Western Province is scheduled to commence on November 1st.Accordingly, from November 6th, 10 litres of fuel per week will be issued to all three-wheeler passenger vehicles in the Western Province.Currently, there are 1.08 million three-wheelers in Sri Lanka, out of which 400,000 are passenger transport three-wheelers, according to the three-wheeler associations.Around 300,000 three-wheelers have been registered with the Sri Lanka Police, and if it is not possible to register the three-wheelers in the entire island by November 13, it was also decided to release the fuel quota for the three-wheelers registered with the police as an initial step.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – India and Sri Lanka are two sides of a coin. Both countries have their differences in culture and religion.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Government will appoint a committee to seek how best to integrate the Tamils of Hill Country Origin further into the Sri Lankan Society, said President Ranil Wickremesinghe.He said further that although some of the Tamils of Hill Country Origin had integrated successfully into the Sri Lankan society, some have failed and measures would be taken to assist them to do so.President Ranil Wickremesinghe made these observations addressing at the occasion of accepting a consignment of medicines donated by the Pondicherry Union Territory and people of India on the request of Ceylon Worker’s Congress (CWC) at the Presidential Secretariat this morning (30).The consignment of medicines was officially handed over to the President by Secretary General of the Ceylon Worker’s Congress (CWC) and Parliamentarian Jeewan Thondaman in memory of the late Mr. Saumyamoorthi Thondaman who passed away 23 years ago on October 30th.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – President Ranil Wickremesinghe said that measures have been taken to strengthen the 74-year-old ties between the United States and Sri Lanka, adding that the support rendered by the United States whenever Sri Lanka was in difficulty would never be forgotten.President Ranil Wickremesinghe made this statement while attending the official opening of the new building of the United States Embassy in Colombo on the 28th.Expressing his views on the diplomatic relations and mutual understanding between the United States and Sri Lanka during the war, the President also recalled with gratitude the support given by the United States under the leadership of George Bush in 2001 during President Wickremesinghe's tenure as Prime Minister.The President also recalled the support provided by the US government led by Bill Clinton to help Sri Lanka recover from the Tsunami disaster in 2004 and said that if not for the intervention of the US led by President Joe Biden, Sri Lanka would not have been able to make a success of the Maha Season.President Wickremesinghe, who further pointed out the 74 years of US-Sri Lanka friendship, partnership and bilateral relations, expressed his appreciation for the support rendered by the United States for the preparation of the first monetary law and the well-drafted legal system for the establishment of the Central Bank.Having experienced such a long and cordial relationship, Sri Lanka and the United States will work as close friends in the future as well, said the President, adding that the United States and Sri Lanka, as inseparable partners, will forge ahead with respect and confidence in each other to preserve peace and democracy.Following is the full speech made by President

COLOMBO (News 1st) – SJB Parliamentarian Dr. Harsha De Silva has questioned President Ranil Wickremesinghe saying as to whether the IMF Staff Level Agreement has been given out to various individuals in committees appointed by him.In a tweet, the MP said that if the IMF staff level agreement that has thus far been hidden even from the Sri Lanka Parliament Committee on Public Finance on purported Radio Silence has been given out, it is a serious breachPreviously, the Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka Dr.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Ministry of Agriculture has received the first stock of 13,000 tons of Urea fertilizer today (28) under the World Bank concessional emergency loan of 110 million US dollars and accordingly, the government has decided to provide a 50 kg bag of urea fertilizer to paddy farmers at Rs.10,000.This step was taken to protect household food security, farming and rural incomes based on the demands made during several discussions with the intervention of President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said.This World Bank support complements the support of other development partners such as the Asian Development Bank and the United States Agency for International Development.Sri Lanka requires approximately 150,000 tonnes of urea fertilizer for paddy cultivation during the Maha season. Mr.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Another crucial discussion between the International Monetary Fund and Sri Lanka's creditors is due be held on November 3rd.The Presidential Media Division stated that the discussion will focus on debt restructuring in Sri Lanka. This has been previously discussed during a meeting between the resident representative of the International Monetary Fund and a group of other officials who are leaving the country after completing their tenure.The President's Media Division stated that special attention was paid to the previous measures of debt restructuring as well as the creditor's conference.Meanwhile, the call for applications for the program to identify those who are eligible to receive welfare benefit payments ends on 28th October.The program, which is being implemented on the advice of President Ranil Wickremesinghe is being implemented under the theme "Do not leave anyone behind".Accordingly, the deadline was closed after the number of applicants who have registered with the Welfare Benefit Board for state welfare benefits reached 2.4 million.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – President Ranil Wickremesinghe issued an extraordinary gazette moving the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka and related institutions from the purview of the Defence Ministry to the Ministry of Technology. 

COLOMBO (News 1st) – While the SLPP General Secretary says that dual citizens should be allowed to make decisions on behalf of the people of Sri Lanka, the United National Party took a different stance.The Vice President of the UNP, Akila Viraj Kariyawasam said that he opposed dual citizens taking seats in the Parliament, and Sri Lanka should only be ruled by Sri Lankans who care and think about the country.Otherwise, he pointed out, any dual citizen has the right to go to a different country in the future and act in the way that they desire without facing repercussions of their actions. Meanwhile, SJB MP S.M.

COLOMBO (News 1st)- Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has instructed the security forces to conduct an investigation in an impartial manner in to the recent incident inside the Yala National Park where a fleet of Off-Road vehicles were seen performing doughnut inside the park premises.Cabinent Spokesperson & Minister Bandula Gunawardena said that the President also instructed to penalize those accountable.Nine people and seven jeeps that were involved in the Yala Fiasco over the weekend, that received widespread condemnation, were produced to the Tissamaharama District Court on Wednesday (26) after they surrendered to the Yala National Park Rangers Office earlier in the day.The Magistrate ordered for the suspects to be released on a personal bail of Rs. 500,000/- each.In the meantime, a three-member Committee was appointed to conduct further investigations on the Wildlife officials who have been temporarily suspended for failing to prevent incident from taking place.This committee will be chaired by an Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Wildlife and Forest Resource Conservation.A total of seven Park Rangers have been interdicted until the investigations are over, and they are charged with dereliction of duty and for their direct or indirect involvement in the incident.The matter was also raised during Wednesday's (26) cabinet briefing, and Minister Bandula Gunawardena.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – President Ranil Wickremesinghe has extended his felicitations on the appointment of Rishi Sunak as the UK's 57th Prime Minister.In a release, the President has stated that the vast experience which Sunak brings into the high office would be invaluable in discharging his responsibilities. Pointing out that Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom enjoy a shared traditional history, the President said that he is confident that under Sunak's leadership, the ties between the two nations will be further strengthened. "I look forward to enhancing this partnership particularly through the 'Global Britain' policy and the UK's new 'Platinum Partnership' scheme with Commonwealth countries," he added.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – President Ranil Wickremesinghe says the spirit of Deepavali let us all cast aside all differences and come together to collectively dispel the darkness that is currently shrouding our Motherland, with unprecedented challenges.President's Deepavali message:It is indeed a pleasure to extend my warm felicitation for Deepavali, being a colorful religious festival of lights celebrated with much reverence by Hindu devotees.For Deepavali, Hindus illuminate their temples and homes, be it mansions or huts, with light bulbs and lamps symbolizing the expelling of the darkness of ignorance and creating the radiance of knowledge.Only light can dispel darkness. Therefore, in the spirit of Deepavali let us all cast aside all differences and come together to collectively dispel the darkness that is currently shrouding our Motherland, with unprecedented challenges.Peace, brotherhood and unity are of significance in the celebration of Deepavali and I request all Sri Lankans irrespective of race, religion or political affiliation to unite around the light of Deepavali to rebuild the country.I am hopeful that this Deepavali celebration will be the beginning of a better future that will fulfill everyone’s wishes and make Sri Lanka a prosperous nation.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu has assured to support Sri Lanka during this difficult period. He is currently on an official visit to Sri Lanka, and met with President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Wednesday (19). While appreciating the President’s efforts in rebuilding Sri Lanka’s economy he said that President Ranil Wickremesinghe is the right person to get the country out of the present crisis and assured him that he has a force backing him.He also stated that the U.S.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe revealed that in 2020/2021 a total of Rs. 2.3 Trillion was printed paving the way for inflation to rise to 70% – 75%, while further increasing food inflation.In a special televised statement on Tax Policy, the President elaborated on the progress made with regard to debt restructuring. "An important step in Sri Lanka's debt restructuring program took place last week. A team under our Minister of state for Finance participated in the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund.