Rev. Fr. Cyril Gamini Fernando arrived at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) premises this morning (19) to record a statement on the Easter Sunday terror attacks. Two days ago, the CID issued a summons to the Catholic priest who is also a spokesperson of the Colombo Archdiocese.

Fr. Cyril Gamini arrives at CID

The final rites of former Deputy Minister and UNP parliamentarian Palitha Thewarapperuma are scheduled to be held today (19). The funeral procession will begin after religious ceremonies at his residence in Yatadolawatta, Mathugama, and he will be laid to rest at the gravesite he had prepared himself. Thewarapperuma, the former Kalutara District MP, tragically passed away on 16 April at the age of 64.

Former MP Palitha Thewarapperuma’s final rites to be performed today

Polls opened today (19)for the first and largest phase of India’s marathon general election, kicking off a vote in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking to win a rare third consecutive term. About 969 million people are eligible to vote in the biggest election in human history, with polling taking place in seven phases over the next six weeks in the world’s most populous country. The nationwide vote is considered among the most consequential in decades as Modi’s powerful right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) aims for an outright majority and a mandate to widen its development and Hindu-nationalist policies established during its 10-year rule. Those policies have transformed India economically and culturally, and BJP rule has been defined by a pull away from India’s secular foundation, toward Hindu majoritarianism. Under Modi’s leadership, the country of 1.4 billion people has become the world’s fastest-growing major economy and a modern global power. The 73-year-old’s transformational rule has been marked by infrastructure and welfare projects, fervent Hindu nationalism, rapid economic expansion and an increasing presence on the world stage. But it has also been plagued by soaring youth unemployment and inequality, particularly in rural areas, and critics say Modi has driven religious polarization, which has included rising Islamophobia and persecution of the country’s 230 million Muslims. Still, Modi’s popularity is unparalleled for a two-term incumbent and his rallies have consistently drawn tens of thousands of supporters. As polls opened Friday, the leader had a message for voters. “I urge all those voting in these seats to exercise their franchise in record numbers,” he wrote on X. “I particularly call upon the young and first-time voters to vote in large numbers. After all, every vote counts and every voice matters!” Development and democracy The BJP’s campaign manifesto centres on job creation, anti-poverty programs such as expanding food handouts and housing schemes, and national development with a particular focus on women, the poor, farmers and young people. Modi wants to turn the country into a global manufacturing hub, continue its massive infrastructure transformation, and achieve energy independence by 2047. On the world stage, Modi wants India to become a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, will push to bid for the 2036 Summer Olympics and aims to land an astronaut on the moon. The BJP has also pledged to implement a uniform civil code, which would replace a sprawl of religious and customary laws with a standard rule that everyone, regardless of faith, would be required to follow. The BJP says it will protect the rights of women, though some communities say it will interfere with their freedom of religion and customs. Challenging the BJP is India’s main opposition party, the Indian National Congress, and its newly formed INDIA alliance of parties. But the once-formidable force in Indian politics has been languishing since Modi rose to power a decade ago. And the INDIA alliance is already starting to show cracks, with defections and infighting. The opposition bloc is banking on a unified approach to counter the BJP’s dominance over the past decade. The Congress party’s campaign is promising “freedom from fear” and vowing to protect democratic values such as freedom of speech, expression and religious belief espoused in the constitution. Its manifesto also emphasizes justice, equity and welfare, promising recognition of civil unions between LGBTQ+ couples, protection of religious minorities, and safety and empowerment of women, among other pledges such as apprenticeship for young graduates. It speaks directly to critiques from rights groups that the BJP is eroding democratic values, by promising to restore freedom of the media, to strengthen the autonomy of the Election Commission and other state agencies, and review laws passed by the BJP “without proper parliamentary scrutiny and debate.” India’s Election Commission has imposed restrictions on media, including CNN, that limit the publication of reporting and analysis in the run-up to and during polling days. Who is voting? Voters are casting their ballots for 543 seats in the lower house of parliament, or Lok Sabha, with a further two seats nominated by the country’s president. The party with the majority will form a government and appoint one of its winning candidates as prime minister. On Friday, voters from constituencies in 21 states and union territories across India will cast their ballots electronically. Some states are so big that voting is spread out over the seven phases, while others vote on one day. Among the most politically important states is Uttar Pradesh, home to 240 million people who vote in all seven phases. India’s largest state is a crucial battleground with 80 seats in the Lok Sabha up for grabs. Also voting Friday is the southern state of Tamil Nadu and its capital Chennai, where the regional Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party and INDIA alliance will be vying to prevent the BJP from making inroads into a corner of India it has historically struggled to penetrate. West Bengal, a state of 102 million people and 42 Lok Sabha seats, will also vote in all seven phases, starting Friday. The BJP has struggled to crack the state, which has been long ruled by the All India Trinamool Congress and headed by political heavyweight Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Indian movie icon Rajinikanth was filmed casting his vote in Chennai, at a polling station decorated with pink balloons and blue drapes. The actor, synonymous with South Indian cinema, has starred in more than 160 movies in a decades-long career. In the northern city of Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, a bride arrived at a polling station early Friday to cast her vote. Dressed in a red lehenga (a traditional wedding dress) and draped in diamond jewelry, she said she wanted to support her uncle, who was standing for election. “It is the right of every citizen to cast their votes in elections,” she told Indian news agency ANI. Voters in the northeast state of Arunachal Pradesh, nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas, are also heading to the polls Friday. Video shared by the Election Commission shows workers trekking through forests, carrying election equipment on horses to reach a remote polling station. In the state of Meghalaya, also in the northeast, election workers carrying large boxes were filmed walking through lakes to reach polling booths. The remote Indian Ocean archipelago of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, home to indigenous tribes from among the world’s most isolated communities, will also vote on Friday. So too will the northeast states, including Mizoram, Nagaland on the border with Myanmar, as well as parts of Manipur, which has been gripped by ethnic violence over the past year, and the western state of Rajasthan. India’s Meteorological Department has predicted heat wave conditions in some of the places voting Friday, including parts of West Bengal and Puducherry. It also forecast severe rain for parts of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. Source : CNN

India heads to the polls in world’s biggest election

Police have arrested the suspect related to the incident of misleading a foreigner and selling an Ulundu Wadey and a cup of tea for an exorbitant price at a restaurant in the Kalutara area.&nbsp; Following a series of footage circulating on social media, and in response to a complaint received through email, Moragalla Tourism Police conducted an investigation resulting in the arrest of the suspect yesterday (18). The arrested individual has been identified as a 60-year-old resident of the Palatota area of Kalutara.&nbsp; Police investigations have revealed that the suspect has been consistently employing deceitful tactics to obtain money from foreign tourists. The arrested suspect is scheduled to be produced before the Kalutara Magistrate’s Court today (19). Meanwhile, officials of the Consumer Affairs Authority and Moragalla Tourist Police visited the premises today to further scrutinize the matter.&nbsp;

Suspect arrested for price-gouging incident involving tourist in Kalutara

The Department of Meteorology&nbsp;stated that showers or thundershowers will occur at several places in Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces and Galle and Matara districts today (19) Showers or thundershowers may occur at a few places in the North-central, Central and northwestern provinces and Mannar District during the afternoon or night. Misty conditions can be expected at some places in Western, Sabaragamuwa and Central provinces and Galle and Matara districts during the morning. The general public is advised to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.

Showers or thundershowers expected in several areas

<ul><li> Cite lack of distribution limits/potential ‘full’ privatisation/price hikes/ inadequate provisions</li><li> Questions on Minister being empowered to change long-term generation plan&nbsp;</li></ul>In the wake of the proposed Electricity Sector Reforms Bill being published in the Government gazette on Wednesday (17) as the ‘Sri Lanka Electricity Bill’, energy expert Dr. Tilak Siyambalapitiya claimed that the electricity consumers will not have the expected benefits from this particular Bill since certain long-term issues in the sector have not been addressed by the Bill.Posting on the social media platform X yesterday (18), the Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera said that the Bill will be presented to Parliament in the next sitting week, claiming that the amendments suggested by the stakeholders in January have been drafted into the revised Bill. Wijesekera also mentioned that the public will have two weeks from the day of the presenting of the Bill to the Parliament to challenge its legality in the Supreme Court (SC).Against this backdrop, speaking to The Daily Morning yesterday, Dr. Siyambalapitiya claimed that the Bill is not capable of addressing the existing issues in the energy sector and that therefore, it will leave no significant impact on the consumers as was expected.&nbsp;Stating that a similar piece of legislation was brought in 2002 as well, he said that there will be no use in bringing plenty of new laws without implementing them correctly. He also said that the proposed Bill will not include any limits for the four distribution companies, which could lead to a full privatisation of the electricity sector and high utility prices.&nbsp;“As per this new Bill, 50% of the transmission will be owned by the Government. But, no such limitations have been mentioned regarding the distribution. This could lead to a full privatisation and an increase in prices,” he observed.&nbsp;He further noted that the proposed Bill does not include enough provisions for competitive energy procurement. Highlighting that politicians and officials blocking the establishment of power plants and a lack of competitiveness in the procurement system have caused high generation costs, Dr. Siyambalapitiya said that the stakeholders were hopeful that this Bill could address the particular issues. He also added that the Bill would grant the subject Minister the power to change the long term plan drafted by the Ceylon Electricity Board's (CEB) generation planning team, and that such provisions could cause many issues, such as maintaining power-related stability.Meanwhile, CEB Workers’ Union (CEBWU) General Secretary Ranjan Jayalal told The Daily Morning that the CEBWU would challenge the Bill before the SC once it is tabled in the Parliament and also claimed that the Minister and the authorities have misled the public by claiming that the Bill has been revised according to the stakeholders' opinions. He also alleged that the Minister has consulted only a few unions attached to CEB that are loyal to the incumbent Government and opined that this proposed Act would be repealed if the incumbent Government lost its power in a future election.According to the CEB Engineers' Union (CEBEU), this Bill would grant authority for the companies to increase the electricity bill arbitrarily, if the CEB was privatised in any case. Speaking to the media at a press conference held yesterday, the CEBEU President Dhanushka Parakramasinghe said that according to the proposed Bill, the electricity price will be calculated according to the ‘economic cost', instead of the 'minimum cost' that is currently being used. He said that it would pave the way for the authorities to increase prices arbitrarily under the guise of their costs.However, Chief Government Whip, Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said that the Government is not in a hurry to get the Bill passed in the Parliament, as some parties claimed, and also said that enough time will be given to debate the Bill.

New Electricity Bill: Experts query consumer benefits, unaddressed issues

<ul><li>Decry ‘insufficient’ productivity/attendance-based wage hike proposals&nbsp;</li></ul>Estate sector workers are planning to intensify union action starting from next week, demanding solutions to long drawn-out wage-related issues.Even though they have been conducting various activities including protests, awareness raising campaigns, and discussions with the relevant authorities for some time, according to the All Ceylon Estate Workers’ Union Secretary J.M.A. Premaratne, those attempts have not yielded satisfactory outcomes. He further told The Daily Morning that even the ongoing process, especially discussions with the authorities, seems to be dragging out.“We have been protesting demanding that the estate sector workers’ daily wage be increased to Rs. 2,000. The last wage hike took place in 2021. It has been three years since that. However, the prices of goods have increased by around 300%. Even the last discussion with the Wages Board on 10 April of this year ended without an agreement being reached. The Labour Department said that another discussion would be held within two weeks,” he said, opining that even if these discussions were held as planned, in their experience, plantation sector employers are unlikely to reach a progressive solution.According to him, it is in this uncertain situation that the estate sector workers are planning to intensify their union actions, especially protests, starting next week.“The previous struggle that sought a daily wage hike up to Rs. 1,000 involved collaborating with various other trade unions. In this case too, we are considering such a collaboration, and we have already held preliminary discussions in that regard,” he added.In addition, with regard to recent wage-related proposals which focused on productivity and attendance-based wage hikes, Premaratne said that the proposed rates are insufficient and that these wage related proposals do not benefit estate sector workers.

Demand for Rs. 2K wage hike: Estate workers to step up union action

The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP) of the Parliamentary Opposition yesterday (18) handed over its seven point action plan made to bring justice to the victims of the Easter Sunday attacks that took place in 2019, to Colombo Archbishop, Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith.&nbsp;Following an audience held with the Archbishop yesterday (18), NPP Executive Committee Member, attorney, Sunil Watagala told The Daily Morning that the discussion was mainly focused on the issues related to the probes conducted into the Easter Sunday attacks and the lack of implementation of the recommendations presented by those investigation reports. He also noted that no political matters were brought into discussion, which is an inappropriate thing to do at this juncture.The NPP's Executive Committee Members, attorneys Watagala, Upul Kumarapperuma and Harshana Nanayakkara, and several others were met by the Archbishop.Stating that the Archbishop stressed the importance of an administration with the will to bring justice to the victims of the said attacks, Watagala said that he (the Archbishop) blessed the NPP’s seven point manifesto regarding the Easter Sunday attacks. He also claimed that the NPP is the only political force that has the will to carry out a proper investigation into the matter, claiming further that they will execute the law to bring all the perpetrators to justice. He also claimed that the NPP did not meet the Archbishop seeking the support of him and his community in the upcoming Elections, but with the true intention of serving the victims and all other human beings. He said that as per the Archbishop, the investigations conducted into the incident were ‘unfinished’ and ‘incomplete’, and that therefore, the NPP had clearly stated and promised him to conduct a special investigation to disclose the truth behind the attacks.Meanwhile, when contacted, the Catholic Church’s Jude Chrishantha Fernando told The Daily Morning that the NPP delegates met only the Archbishop, and that therefore, the Archdiocesan Media Centre cannot comment further on the matter and its decision on the content of the manifesto.In the seven point manifesto, the NPP pledges that it would file criminal charges against the political authorities and government officials who&nbsp;are&nbsp;responsible for the attacks. According to the manifesto, the NPP will also request the relevant departments to hear and complete the pending cases related to these attacks as soon as possible on a priority basis and provide the necessary facilities for the same, taking necessary measures to bring back all the criminals who have escaped from the country in connection with these attacks and to investigate through them as to who are the planners and conspirators of these attacks and to punish the planners and conspirators who are thus discovered.&nbsp;The NPP also pledges to introduce a proper form of compensation for the lives and properties of the victims of these attacks, and to introduce a psychological programme that can aid them in overcoming the mental distress that they have been in. Further, it stated that the NPP will establish a special commission of inquiry with full jurisdiction to investigate and bring justice to the aggrieved parties.

Easter justice: JVP-NPP hands over plan to Archbishop  

<ul><li>Claims delay in receipt of IMF EFF next tranche&nbsp;&nbsp;</li></ul>The main Parliamentary Opposition Party, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) alleged that Sri Lanka is facing a delay in the receipt of the next tranche of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and the finalisation of the debt restructuring process due to the Government’s unwillingness to agree to certain conditions put forward by international bondholders in order for them to consider an interest rate cut on Sri Lanka’s debts.SJB Parliamentarian S.M. Marikkar claimed during a media briefing held yesterday (18) that one condition is that Sri Lanka devises a recognised, systematic, and swift mechanism to eradicate corruption and waste. He said that the Government has not agreed to this condition. Questioning as to why the Government is afraid to formulate an effective and systematic anti-corruption programme, he further alleged that the present Government is a corrupt one which has engaged in many incidents of corruption.“It is not necessary to sell State assets and the country’s properties to make money. If an anti-corruption programme is properly implemented, it will instil confidence in investors that this country is an investment friendly one and will in turn attract investments,” he added, expressing concerns about the lack of foreign direct investments to Sri Lanka.The Daily Morning’s attempts to contact the State Ministers of Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya and Shehan Semasinghe to discuss these claims proved futile.For its part, the Government enacted the Anti-Corruption Act last year.

Fr. Cyril Gamini arrives at CID

Former MP Palitha Thewarapperuma’s final rites to be performed today

Former MP Palitha Thewarapperu ...

India heads to the polls in world’s biggest election

India heads to the polls in wo ...

Suspect arrested for price-gouging incident involving tourist in Kalut ...

Suspect arrested for price-gou ...

Showers or thundershowers expected in several areas

Showers or thundershowers expe ...

New Electricity Bill: Experts query consumer benefits, unaddressed iss ...

New Electricity Bill: Experts ...

Demand for Rs. 2K wage hike: Estate workers to step up union action

Demand for Rs. 2K wage hike: E ...

Easter justice: JVP-NPP hands over plan to Archbishop

Easter justice: JVP-NPP hands ...

GoSL-ISBs negotiations: SJB alleges Govt. ‘unwillingness’ on anti-co ...

GoSL-ISBs negotiations: SJB al ...

Former MP Palitha Thewarapperuma’s final rites to be performed today

Former MP Palitha Thewarapperu ...

India heads to the polls in world’s biggest election

India heads to the polls in wo ...

Suspect arrested for price-gouging incident involving tourist in Kalut ...

Suspect arrested for price-gou ...

Showers or thundershowers expected in several areas

Showers or thundershowers expe ...

New Electricity Bill: Experts query consumer benefits, unaddressed iss ...

New Electricity Bill: Experts ...

Demand for Rs. 2K wage hike: Estate workers to step up union action

Demand for Rs. 2K wage hike: E ...

Easter justice: JVP-NPP hands over plan to Archbishop

Easter justice: JVP-NPP hands ...

GoSL-ISBs negotiations: SJB alleges Govt. ‘unwillingness’ on anti-co ...

GoSL-ISBs negotiations: SJB al ...

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Former MP Palitha Thewarapperuma’s final rites to be performed today

Former MP Palitha Thewarapperu ...

India heads to the polls in world’s biggest election

India heads to the polls in wo ...

Bringing the news paper to your fingertips

Suspect arrested for price-gouging incident involving tourist in Kalut ...

Suspect arrested for price-gou ...

Showers or thundershowers expected in several areas

Showers or thundershowers expe ...

New Electricity Bill: Experts query consumer benefits, unaddressed iss ...

New Electricity Bill: Experts ...

Demand for Rs. 2K wage hike: Estate workers to step up union action

Demand for Rs. 2K wage hike: E ...