- Communist Party General Secretary Dr G Weerasinghe says the announcement of bankruptcy on 12th April’22 is the biggest and most treacherous conspiracy in 100 years: also says that action has led to a massive social explosion in the country.
- The US-based National Democratic Institute with USAID funding organises a 10-day visit for Chairman of all Oversight Committees of Parliament, numbering nearly 20, to make a visit to the USA: controversy surrounds an alleged suggestion by the US authorities that Parliament name a member of the minority community to represent the Parliamentary Oversight Committee on National Security, as the incumbent Chairman of the Committee Rear Admiral (retd) Sarath Weerasekera MP can’t be issued a visa in time for him to join the Parliamentary delegation.
- Minister of Justice Dr Wijeyadasa Rajapakse says Sri Lanka has received USD 890,000 and Rs.16 mn as interim payments for the X-Press Pearl disaster: according to Govt sources, the damages claimed was over USD 6,000 mn.
- State Finance Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya expresses hope of avoiding a repeated default once the foreign debt repayment starts due to a “practical debt restructuring process”: boasts of an “economic recovery”: analysts however point out that the GDP has sharply contracted by 8.4%, 11.8%, 12.4%, 7.8%, 11.5%, & 3.1% in the past 6 quarters, unpaid forex debt since April’22 has risen to almost USD 7,000 mn, and job losses well exceed 1 mn.
- A senior Power & Energy Ministry official says US-based RM Parks Company will start fuel distribution next month through 150 fuel stations allocated by the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation: RM Parks, which operates under Shell PLC, will become the 4th retailer to enter the country’s fuel market after CPC, LIOC & Sinopec.
- Planters’ Association of Ceylon Chairman Senaka Alawattegama urges Plantation companies to engage in an open dialogue & collaborate purposefully to navigate the challenges and secure a sustainable future for the entire sector.
- Police arrest 7 staff members of the Cargills supermarket in Borella, over an incident of the brutal assault of a female customer: Police launch the investigations after a video showing the assault, went viral on social media.
- Police say a 61-year-old entrepreneur and father-in-law of State Minister D V Chanaka, Lalith Wasantha Mendis, was killed by unidentified gunmen while travelling in a car in Galle: no suspects arrested so far.
- The People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections says the decision to cancel the Local Govt polls nominations will cause a loss of more than Rs.1 billion to the state.
- Sri Lanka Women beat Pakistan Women by 6 wickets to book a place in the Final against India, in the Women’s Cricket Competition in the Asian Games currently being worked off in China: the Final to be played today (25).
