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Armed Forces among Mourners on the Death of Ms Lata Mangeshkar, the Iconic ‘Nightingale’

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Armed Forces among Mourners on the Death of Ms Lata Mangeshkar, the Iconic ‘Nightingale’

The Chief of Defence Staff and Commander of the Army, General Shavendra Silva in a message of condolence, sent to India’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Manoj Mukund Naravane on the death of India’s legendary songstress, Ms Lata Mangeshkar, affectionately referred to as the ‘Nightingale of India’ maintains that her cultural ambassadorial contribution to the music industry has left an indelible milestone in the hearts of all Sri Lankans, including those of the armed forces who closely interact with Indian counterparts for exchange of professional career projects for so many years.

Late Lata Mangeshkar who had sung in more than thirty six languages and recorded some 30,000 plus songs honoured Sri Lanka by singing a couple of Sinhala songs, too which turned to be popular hits after they were released in Sri Lanka late in1950s and 1960s. “It is her musical tradition that impacted the whole of Asia, and Sri Lanka remains no exception. Her soothing universal voice that penetrated the hearts and minds of Sri Lankan music-lovers mesmerized people and that melodious voice would continue to reverberate through for generations since her iconic voice had no boundaries,” General Shavendra Silva commented.

The condolence message has also been copied to His Excellency, Gopal Baglay, High Commissioner of India for Sri Lanka. The Indian government has declared two days of National Mourning from Sunday (6) during which the national flag would be flown at half-mast throughout the country. Her state funeral would take place in Mumbai on Sunday evening.

ARMY.LK

Public employees should consider the people as their employers – Gamini Senarath 

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Public employees should consider the people as their employers – Gamini Senarath 

Secretary to the President Gamini Senarath says that public employees should consider the people as their employers and ensure that they perform their duties efficiently as the people pay salaries to the officers who join the public service through free education.

“There are 1.4 million public servants in this country. There is one public servant for every 15 people. But the perception of the people about the public service has not changed. The public service is now physically advanced but needs to be further developed in terms of attitude. I do not accept the fact that the public service is inefficient. The public service is efficient. However, due to the actions of certain institutions and officials, people have a negative attitude towards public service.

Public servants are those who study in free education in our country and are paid by the people. Therefore, the people should be treated as employers of public servants. The majority of those who enter the public service are well versed in the rural environment and culture, so you have a responsibility to identify the problems of the people and solve them.

Although the working hours of public servants are from 8.30 am to 4.30 pm, we have to dedicate our time to the maximum for the country and the people. No matter where you are in Sri Lanka, serve honestly and sincerely, not only for friends, relatives, or acquaintances but also for everyone. I was never limited to eight hours of work.

When you go to an institution, work for the people, for the country, in collaboration with the mamager and the other officials, and work in a new way, not being a traditional public servant, subject to tradition. Many do not want to change the tradition. Try to work out of tradition without creating conflicts. Most of the time when I work I make a policy. That a person who comes to the institution for a problem will not be brought in more than twice. You have to work to solve that problem as much as possible. As public servants, you must be humane. You must be a good listener. It is also important to make the environment you work in a pleasant place.

Going beyond tradition, I was able to make the Department of Immigration and Emigration an efficient place to issue a passport in one day. Consider the issues that people bring as your own issues. People’s representatives are people who represent the people, so public servants have to work with people’s representatives. Commit to provide a fair service for the people and the country beyond your salary ”

Secretary to the President Gamini Senarath said this at an awareness program held at Temple Trees to educate the officers who have passed the open section examination of the Sri Lanka Administrative Service and are about to enter the Public Administration Service.

Secretary to the Prime Minister Anura Dissanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Public Service, Provincial Councils and Local Government JJ ​​Ratnasiri, Additional Secretaries to the Prime Minister Harsha Wijewardena, Attorney-at-Law Chaminda Kularatne, Nishantha Weerasinghe, Director General of the Sri Lanka Institute of Administrative Development Pradeepa Serasinghe, Councilors And officials from the Ministry of Local Government, the Institute of Administrative Development and officials from the Public Administration Service were also present at the event.

We are in a society where freedom of expression is being completely deprived – Fr. Cyril Gamini

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We are in a society where freedom of expression is being completely deprived – Fr. Cyril Gamini

We are living in a society where freedom of speech and expression is being completely deprived, says Fr. Cyril Gamini, Media Spokesman for the Archdiocese of Colombo.

“The CID had summoned for questioning a person who had commented on a video of my statement about the Easter attack that had been posted on the Internet. Freedom of speech and expression is an internationally recognized fundamental human right. We live in a society where a person completely loses the right to express his opinion, ideas and criticism.

When a person expresses his opinion, he is brought to the CID, taken to the police and interrogated, anyone could become nervous to express his opinion in public. It is our right to say that the victims of the Easter attack, deserve justice. If that does not happen then it is our right to express our views in public. Everyone should respect that right.

Therefore, I do not think it is appropriate for a democratic country to waste the time of the police and the CID by bringing in and harassing these innocent people. If people who leave a comment are brought to the police and started questioning, I think the police and the CID will have no time to do other work. So there is more important work. We keep calling for a proper investigation into this Easter attack. That is more important. ”

Father Cyril Gamini said this while commenting on a Facebook comment regarding the summoning of a person to the CID yesterday (05).

India’s venerated singer – Lata Mangeshkar passes away

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India’s venerated singer – Lata Mangeshkar passes away

Lata Mangeshkar, one of India’s most venerated singers who sang tens of thousands of songs in her lifetime, has died at the age of 92.

She had been admitted to a hospital in Mumbai city in January after testing positive for Covid-19.

Federal minister Nitin Gadkari confirmed the news on Sunday.

Mangeshkar had an extraordinary career spanning over half a century, singing more than 30,000 songs across 36 languages.

But it was her work in Bollywood, India’s Hindi film industry, that made her a national icon.

As news broke, tributes began pouring in for Mangeshkar, who was often called the “nightingale of Bollywood”.

President Ram Nath Kovind said the news was “heart-breaking” and added that her accomplishments would remain “incomparable”.

Mangeshkar was born in Indore city, in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, on 28 September 1929. She began learning music at the age of five from her father, Deenanath Mangeshkar, who was active in theatre.

After her father’s death, the family moved to Mumbai (then Bombay), where a teenaged Mangeshkar began singing for Marathi movies.

She also acted in small roles in a few films to support her family, but would say later that her heart wasn’t in it. “I was happiest singing.” she told interviewers.

She got a big break in 1949 – it was a haunting song called Aayega Aanewala for the movie Mahal.

Moroccan boy stuck in well dies before rescue

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Moroccan boy stuck in well dies before rescue

Workers retrieved the body of a young boy who was trapped for five days in a well in northern Morocco, a devastating end to a painstaking operation that gripped the nation.

The royal palace said in a statement carried by state media on Saturday that the boy had died before rescuers could save him.

Moroccan King Mohammed VI expressed his condolences to the boy’s parents.

“Following the tragic accident which cost the life of the child Rayan Oram, His Majesty King Mohammed VI called the parents of the boy who died after falling down the well,” the statement said.

An Associated Press reporter at the scene saw the boy wrapped in a yellow blanket after he was carried out from a tunnel dug specifically for the rescue.

His parents had been escorted to an ambulance before the body emerged. The ambulance reversed into the deep cut that rescue teams had excavated and took away the body.

The boy’s plight captured worldwide attention. Online messages of support and concern for Rayan poured in from around the world as the rescue efforts dragged on.

Footage posted on social media showed the scene after his body was recovered, with hundreds of distraught rescue workers and onlookers gathered at the site chanting and shining the flashlights of their phones into the air.

Workers with mechanical diggers worked around the clock to save the five-year-old child after he fell into a 32-metre (100-feet) deep well in the hills near Chefchaouen on Tuesday.

The well was just 45cm (18 inches) wide at the top and narrowed further to the bottom, making it impossible for rescuers to descend directly.

The effort was a delicate and dangerous operation, constantly delayed by heavy rocks and imperilled by the threat of landslides.

Across the country, Moroccans followed the saga on television in homes and cafes.

“I am so sad to learn Rayan has died. Sincere condolences to the parents,” said Abderrahim Sabihi, a resident of the capital Rabat who was following the rescue effort from a cafe.

Images on Moroccan media earlier had shown Rayan huddled at the bottom of the disused well.

Hundreds of villagers stood waiting nearby for news as the rescue operation continued on Saturday.

A male relative of the boy told Reuters TV the family first realised he was missing when they heard muffled cries and lowered a phone with its light and camera on to locate him.

“He was crying ‘lift me up’,” the relative said.

The hilly region around Chefchaouen is bitterly cold in winter. Food and water were lowered to the child, and he was also supplied with water and oxygen using a tube.

We have not even discussed about leaving the government – Maithri (VIDEO)

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We have not even discussed about leaving the government – Maithri (VIDEO)

Former President and SLFP leader Maithripala Sirisena has stated that the SLFP has not even held a discussion on leaving the government.

“We are currently in discussions with a number of parties to form a new alliance in the future. The hope is to contest the forthcoming elections. ”

Q. Does that mean you are planning to leave the government now?

“No, We have not discussed such thing”

Q. The government says that the electricity crisis, the gas crisis are conspiracies. What do you think about that?

“The government has to solve them”

Q: Are these conspiracies?

“There are different opinions on that”

The former President was speaking to the media after a meeting of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party at the Western Province Aesthetic Resort yesterday (05).

We will not let Arundika Fernando end his political career due to the Ragama Medical Faculty incident – Kotuwe Podi Hamuduruwo(VIDEO)

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We will not let Arundika Fernando end his political career due to the Ragama Medical Faculty incident – Kotuwe Podi Hamuduruwo(VIDEO)

One of the foremost monks who worked to bring the present government to power Attaragama Pannaloka Thero – ‘Kotuwe Podi Hamuduruwo’ says that the incident of assaulting a group of students at the Ragama Medical Faculty being attacked by thugs is not a big deal and he will not allow the Minister of State Arundika Fernando to end his political career due to this incident.

“They will sling mud at me for this and say I took money, I don’t care. Put Minister Arundika aside, if someone calls me in the middle of the night saying that someone’s beaten them and asks me to come to save them, I will go. That is the feeling – that is humanity. So let’s be quiet and hand over the case to the law. We will never allow Minister Arundika’s politics to end through this incident. He is a powerful figure who speaks on behalf of the government. Therefore, we kindly say that we are here to protect him. ”

‘Kotuwe Podi Hamuduruwo’ said this while expressing his views to the media yesterday (05).

It is doubtful whether the government is protecting the people who are responsible of the Easter Attack – Sanath Nishantha

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It is doubtful whether the government is protecting the people who are responsible of the Easter Attack – Sanath Nishantha

Minister of State Sanath Nishantha says that there is a doubt in his conscience as to whether the present government is taking steps to protect those who did not act to prevent the Easter attack.

“Our cardinal is a leader with a strong backbone. At first glance, his words may seem offensive to some. But whether he is angry or not, there is truth in what he says. I also have an opinion on this.

My heart speaks as a man of conscience as a Catholic, if the then IGP, the then-Defense Secretary, if the President Sirisena is not brought in to get a statement, it is doubtful whether the government is protecting them in any way.

Minister of State Sanath Nishantha said this while participating in the opening ceremony of the Elephant Fence constructed at a cost of Rs. 4.3 million covering several villages in the Mahakumbukkadawala area in the Puttalam District yesterday (04) which was officiated by Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, Archbishop of Colombo.

Hemas financial performance reflects resilience despite challenges

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Hemas financial performance reflects resilience despite challenges

Hemas Holdings PLC (HHL) said it delivered a strong and resilient first nine months amidst a challenging operating environment with Group revenue up 20.5% to Rs. 57.7 billion and underlying cumulative operating profit (excluding all disposed entities) up 4.3% to Rs. 4.9 billion.

Hemas noted the latter was in spite of profitability pressure experienced across most parts of the business due to input cost inflation and challenges around foreign exchange liquidity. 

Underlying Group earnings excluding dividend tax stood at Rs. 3.3 billion, up 7.2% from a year earlier.

 Pre-tax profit from continuing operations rose by 14.4% to Rs. 5 billion and after tax profit was up 45% to Rs. 2.4 billion. Bottom line was up 33% to Rs. 3.18 billion.

During the third quarter, Hemas Group revenue grew by 21.9% to Rs. 21.5 billion over last year. The Group underlying operating profit and earnings of Rs. 2.3 billion and Rs. 1.3 billion saw a year-on-year increase of 5.7% and 2.4% respectively. 

The Group’s Healthcare businesses, in particular, contributed to the improved performance. In 3Q Hemas divested its interest in Spectra Logistics for Rs. 1.3 billion and the gain realised in the sale amounted to Rs. 295.3 million.

Hemas Holdings Group CEO Kasturi C. Wilson said against a challenging operating environment, she was encouraged by the progress made in the first nine months into the year.

“In the near-term, the operating environment will continue to remain challenging. In this scenario, we will manage our business with agility, and continue to grow our footprint whilst maintaining our focus in managing margins,” she said. “

The company remains confident of the medium to long term potential of the Consumer and Healthcare sector in Sri Lanka and Hemas’ ability to deliver a consistent growth.

 Further,it  continues to invest in uplifting digital capability within the organisation. Further, we strengthened the focus in continuing to expand our footprint beyond Sri Lanka, as we drive our internationalisation strategy,” the Hemas Group CEO added. 

The Consumer Brands sector recorded cumulative revenue of Rs. 22.5 billion, a growth of 17.0% over last year. However, sector cumulative earnings of Rs. 1.6 billion witnessed a year-on-year decline of 14.8% due to profitability pressure. 

During the quarter, the Consumer Brands sector registered a revenue of Rs. 9.7 billion, an increase of 22.2% compared with the corresponding quarter in FY 2021. 

 HPC Bangladesh witnessed double digit cumulative revenue and profitability growth due to improved market conditions in the first two months. 

Atlas Axillia continued to gain market share across all key categories including books, school and colour products over last year with double digit volume growth through premiumisation by way of design and technology. 

The  He;ath care Sector reported a cumulative revenue of Rs. 33.7 billion, a growth of 23.7% over last year whilst sector profit of Rs. 2.7 billion was a 21.2% growth over last year. 

The Sector posted a revenue of Rs. 11.5 billion whilst operating profit and earnings stood at Rs. 886.7 million and Rs. 651.5 million respectively for the quarter. 

The growth in profitability was primarily driven by the robust performance in Hospitals. However, profit margins continued to be impacted due to challenges around forex liquidity.

 Pharmaceutical businesses delivered a stable revenue growth year to date. Price controls on medicine coupled with scarcity in foreign exchange reserves have hampered medicine imports into the country. 

Hospitals witnessed an average increase in admission volumes by 10.6% over last year for the first nine months.

The third quarter of the year saw robust growth as the focus on non-COVID-19 patients was increased, especially Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs), which pose a substantial risk to the health of the people. Further, an outbreak of dengue was another contributor to the increased admissions during the quarter. 

Thalawathugoda and Wattala hospitals recorded an overall occupancy of 66.7% and 61.3% respectively for the quarter. 

Sri Lanka  opens to discuss with all to restructure debt

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<strong>Sri Lanka  opens to discuss with all to restructure debt</strong>

The Government yesterday reiterated it was open for discussion with all multilateral and bilateral organisations to restructure debt, whilst confirming it has been in talks with the International Monetary Board (IMF) as well.

“The Government has been in discussion with the IMF for a certain period of time to restructure the debt of the country. We are open to all institutions and ideas,” Cabinet Co-Spokesman and Plantation Industries Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana said at the post-Cabinet meeting media briefing.

Although, there was no decision taken yet to seek support from the IMF, he said the option to seek support had been discussed at several cabinet meetings in recent weeks. 

“We keep our doors open. We speak to the World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB) and other agencies as well,” he added.

The Minister also pointed out that the $ 500 million International Sovereign Bond (ISB) was paid on time last month, while another $ 1 billion bond was due in July.

“We are in discussion with all the agencies. Hopefully we will be able to manage the current foreign reserves crisis within the six months’ time. We are trying to manage the situation, whilst taking efforts to restructure the debts,” Dr. Pathirana said.

Asked if the Government had appointed a Ministerial Committee to negotiate debt with the individual countries, he said there was nothing specific as such, adding that Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa and Central Bank Governor Nivard Cabraal are leading dialogue with relevant authorities.

“The Finance Minister is spearheading that campaign whilst speaking to different agencies. The Central Bank Governor is also actively involved,” Dr. Pathirana said.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s dollar bonds slipped with the nation’s $1bn 6.25% bonds due July 27, 2021 approaching redemption.

 The bonds have been stable, trading at 98.2 with the nation allaying concerns on the maturing bond saying that they will repay the amount. 

“Sri Lanka is clearly in a difficult situation, it is facing a major balance of payments crisis…It faces a weight of external debts falling due and has limited foreign exchange reserve coverage. 

The solution would appear to be to go to the IMF – that would likely be the least painful option.” said Tim Ash, strategist at BlueBay Asset Management

.

Sri Lanka’s dollar bonds fell – its 5.875% 2022s  and 6.35% 2024s are down over 4 points to 81.5 and 65.6 respectively. 

Sri Lanka itself should restructure its loans instead of seeking the assistance of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the government has been reducing sovereign debts in that strategy

Government is facing a risk of sovereign debt default, analysts say, as its expected foreign inflows are less than the expected foreign outflows amid a depleting foreign reserves after the central bank’s excess money printing resulted in unabated imports despite stringent regulations to cut imports.

In a debt restructuring or a distressed debt exchange (DDE) is done by negotiators between the sovereign and a representative committee of bond holders.

However the presence of an IMF program and a sign off on debt sustainability, give confidence to bond holders to accept the re-structuring.

A fully-financed IMF program also unlocks further budget support loans if the government is willing to do growth generating reforms as well as Paris club relief.

Analysts have also warned that Sri Lanka’s reduction of government debt has come from a run-down of foreign reserves and a increasing net indebtedness of the central bank due to liquidity injections.

Speculations over President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s administration going to the IMF are on the rise amid risk of sovereign debt default and possible collapse in the rupee currency.However, the government has strongly denied that it was going to the global lender.

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