01. President Ranil Wickremesinghe says SL’s access to the growing Indian and African markets should not be disrupted by any ‘big power rivalry’ or conflict; asserts Sri Lanka supports ASEAN’s vision of the Indo-Pacific region and is committed to ensuring the freedom of navigation in the Indian Ocean and the security of undersea cables, as it is essential for the future of the country.
02. Finance State Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya says Sri Lanka is due to receive US$ 7 billion more as a debt from two foreign banks, ADB and WB; stresses the international trust lost to the ‘debt default’ announced in April last year was restored following the IMF’s EFF.
03. Auditor General W.P.C. Wickramaratna warns many govt agencies have not yet handed over their financial statements on time, and in the backdrop the fulfillment of the conditions imposed by the IMF in the granting of loans to Sri Lanka may also be hindered; laments some public bodies tend to submit their statements of five years at once beyond the ‘correct procedure,’ and such reports cannot be accepted.
04. A Parliament Select Committee appointed to probe the levels of child malnutrition in Sri Lanka: Expected to inquiry into whether the child malnutrition issue in Sri Lanka is aggravating, to identify short-term, medium-term and long-term solutions to be implemented, and to oversee the speedy implementation of the measures due on establishment.
05. Senior Director of the global human rights watch dog Amnesty International Deprose Muchena arrives in Sri Lanka for the launch of Amnesty’s global annual report: Set to address the event as the key speaker: Aims to use his presence to highlight and stress on the urgent necessity to protect and promote human rights in Sri Lanka.
06. A Cabinet paper presented on the salaries of the public servants expecting nominations to contest the LG Polls: About 3,000 public servants expecting nominations and deprived of their salaries are suffering due to the incessant delay in the holding of the Polls: Subject Minister Janaka Wakkumbura said the aforementioned Cabinet paper will resolve the matter.
07. Drug trafficker ‘Army Sanath’ believed to be the weapons mule to underworld gangster Nandun Chinthaka alias ‘Harak Kata’ arrested by the Police STF: Suspect wanted for a series of crimes and arrested for the possession of 15 g of heroin: Sanath at the behest of Kata said to have had delivered arms used to commit shooting, and wiped them clean after the crimes were committed, later to be handed over to various other individuals.
08. IOC Chief Shrikant Madhav Vaidya called on President Ranil Wickremesinghe over the weekend: Vaidya presents 500 IOC-produced indoor solar cooking systems to Sri Lanka, and a unique jacket made of sustainable threads retrieved by recycling PET bottles under India’s ‘Unbottled Initiative’.
09. Finance State Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya says the sale of alcohol and cigarettes has dropped by 30 – 40 per cent, due to the imposition of a higher tax on them; adds most low-income earners are unable to afford alcohol and cigarettes.
10. The Sri Lanka Rupee on Monday indicates another slight depreciation against the US Dollar: Buy price Rs. 314.82; Sell price Rs. 332.58: The US Dollar said to be sold for higher prices in the black market.
