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Received letter of assurance from China’s Exim Bank last night – President

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Received letter of assurance from China’s Exim Bank last night – President

Delivering a special statement in Parliament, President Ranil Wickremesinghe has said that the Government has received the letter of assurance from China’s Exim Bank last night (06).

He added that the Letter of Intent signed by the Central Bank Governor and himself was sent to the IMF last night itself.

“We have fulfilled our duties…I hope the IMF duties will be done by the third or fourth week of this month,” he said.

Noting that the government took many extremely difficult economic measures to stabilize the economy and efforts are now being made to ensure economic growth, he noted that the suffering caused by this continues for everyone in society.

Strong action

While apologizing as a government for the hardships the people have had to undergo in meeting the IMF’s conditions for restructuring,  the President also sought cooperation from the opposition and warned that if the restructuring process is sabotaged, the government will not hesitate to take strong action.

In his address to parliament, the President further said that with the provision of fertilizer, the country achieved a successful harvest during Yala and Maha seasons, & the export of agricultural products has gained a fair degree of normalcy & economic problems since June 2022 have been resolved to some extent.

He also said that the government implemented various measures such as providing essential commodities, uninterrupted electricity supply, fertilizer to farmers, and additional funds for Samurdhi beneficiaries & restored tax policies implemented in 2019 to improve revenue as the emergency tax cuts implemented earlier led to a decrease in government revenue.

The President also noted that although the unfavourable conditions in the country in 2022 resulted in an unsuccessful tourism industry, there are indications that the situation is improving this year.

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Weather Alert: Showers to ease in Southwest, strong winds forecast in North

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Prevailing showery condition in the southwestern part of the island is expected to reduced gradually from today (01st)

Showers or thundershowers will occur at times in Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central and North-western provinces and in Galle and Matara districts.

Showers or thundershowers may occur at a few places in Uva province and in Ampara and Batticaloa districts during the afternoon or night.

Fairly strong winds of about (30-40) kmph can be expected at times over Western slopes of the central hills and in Northern, North-central and North-western provinces and in Hambantota and Trincomalee districts.

The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.

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Aluthgamage and Fernando assigned printing work in prison

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Former Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage and former Sathosa Chairman Nalin Fernando, sentenced this week to jail for 20 and 25 years, respectively, have been assigned duties in the printing section at the Welikada prison, sources said.

Both of them are being held together away from the main section of the prison’s ‘chapel’ section, where prisoners serving life sentences and those convicted of murder and rape are held. The prison’s printing section prints its own documentation.

Prison sources said that in placing them in relevant wards to serve their jail term, the authorities had taken into consideration the security of the two convicts, as they might have had political enemies.

Mr Aluthgamage was handed a 20-year term of rigorous imprisonment, while Mr Fernando was given a 25-year term of rigorous imprisonment by a High Court trial-at-bar after being found guilty of causing a Rs 53 million loss to the state.

They were accused of importing carrom boards and checkers boards through Sathosa during the 2015 presidential elections and distributing them to clubs.

Their lawyers said yesterday they were awaiting the certified copy of the judgement to prepare the appeal papers. The appeal will be considered by the Supreme Court.

(sundaytimes.lk)
(This story, originally published by sundaytimes.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)

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COVID subvariants spreading in Asia detected in Sri Lanka

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The Medical Research Institute of Sri Lanka has confirmed that the COVID-19 variant currently spreading in the Asian region has also been identified in the country.

Dr. Jude Jayamaha, a specialist in viral diseases at the Medical Research Institute, stated that patients infected with the Omicron subvariants LF.7 and XFG are being reported locally.

Dr. Jayamaha explained that this finding was confirmed through research conducted on biological samples collected from several hospitals across the island.

However, he emphasized that there is no need for undue fear regarding these COVID-19 variants.

Health authorities have also stressed the importance of vulnerable groups—such as pregnant mothers, the elderly, and those with chronic illnesses—following health guidelines, including wearing face masks and avoiding crowded places.

Dr. Jayamaha reiterated that new COVID-19 variants emerge periodically, and health authorities are continuously monitoring the situation, so the public should remain calm.

(newswire.lk)

(This story, originally published by newswire.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)

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