Economic crisis in Sri Lanka-Troops have been called in near the Ceypetco petrol stations in Sri Lanka
Troops have been called in near the Ceypetco petrol station. An Army spokesman said that troops were deployed at Cipetco petrol stations. The spokesman said that the Army personnel were deployed to monitor the distribution of fuel to the customers.
Ukraine Russia war- Putin and Selensky finally meeting each other for a peace talk
Vladimir Putin has reportedly finally agreed to meet with Ukrainian President Selensky in person for peace talks. Ukrainian leader accuses Russia of ‘war crimes’ amid bombing of an art school and theatre in Mariupol where civilians were staying The Express reported that Selensky would meet the Russian tyrant ‘at some point’. Since the conflict began on February 24, to no avail, the two leaders have allowed their diplomatic corps to hold peace talks on neutral ground. But today a BBC correspondent confirmed that the two will meet in person. Putin has agreed that he will have to lead the talks at some point in the future, according to the BBC. ‘Diplomats speak, negotiators speak. , Putin has finally agreed to meet with President Selensky, who has been calling for a meeting since January at some point. ‘But he did not say it in public, but in public it was quite different.’ Selensky said yesterday that Russia would “go down in history as responsible for war crimes” and expressed regret over the bombing and siege of the southern port city of Mariupol, which has been hit by weeks of airstrikes and missiles. “Doing this to a peaceful city … a terror that will be remembered for centuries,” the Ukrainian leader said. He said peace talks with Russia were ‘not easy and pleasant. Mariupol, a key link to the Black Sea, has been a target since the beginning of the war on February 24, when Putin launched a “special military operation” to militarize and ‘denazify’ Ukraine. They say Putin has waged an unprovoked war of aggression. The United Nations Human Rights Council says 847 civilians have been killed and 1,399 wounded in Ukraine since Friday. The Ukrainian Attorney General’s Office said 112 children had died.
Sri Lanka is in an economically dangerous state- The Guardian
The Guardian reports that Sri Lanka has requested China to defer its loan instalments. The report also states that Sri Lanka is currently facing a severe economic crisis due to the depletion of foreign exchange reserves. Electricity is cut off from time to time and long queues have been created across the country for essential items, the report said. It also states that it is currently seeking the assistance of the International Monetary Fund to restructure Sri Lanka’s existing debt. The report also said that the supply of essential commodities, including food, medicine and fuel, had declined due to a shortage of foreign exchange reserves to finance the importation of essential commodities. The report further states that due to the shortage of dollars in paper imports, the country has become unable to print even the examination papers for millions of students.
Economic Crisis in Sri Lanka- A man has been killed in a clash at a fuel queue.
A man has been killed in a clash at a fuel queue. According to the police, the clash had taken place at a fuel queue in the Nittambuwa area. A 29-year-old man has been killed in an attack with a sharp weapon. The attacker was a three-wheeler driver. The man was hospitalized after the attack and died while receiving treatment there. Police are investigating to arrest the suspect.
Economic Crisis in Sri Lanka-Sri Lankan embassies in foreign countries are closing down due to dollar shortage
It has been decided to close two Sri Lankan embassies and a consulate general abroad due to the shortage of dollars. The Sri Lankan Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Oslo, Norway and the Consulate General in Sydney, Australia will be closed from the 31st of this month. The Ministry of External Affairs has taken this step due to the serious foreign exchange crisis faced by Sri Lanka. Diplomatic missions to those embassies in those countries have been handed over to embassies and consulates in nearby countries. Sri Lanka currently has sixty three foreign missions and will be reduced to 60 with the closure of these offices. Sources in the Ministry of External Affairs say that the operation of the 60 embassies has become a serious problem due to the shortage of dollars.
Today’s power cut schedule
Areas in P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W categories will experience power cuts today (21) from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm for 2 hours and 40 minutes and from 5.00 pm to 10.30 pm for 1 hour and 50 minutes. Says the Public Utilities Commission. Meanwhile, areas A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L will be held from 8 am to 6 pm for 3 hours and 20 minutes and from 6 pm to 11.00 pm for 1 hour. Power cuts for 40 minutes
Putin calls for six conditions to be met if war is to end
With the official launch of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, the world condemned it as unjust and the various sanctions imposed have put Russia in a difficult position internally. During the Russian military offensive in Kiev, Putin presented six conditions for ending the war, which political commentators described as a set of conditions that could not be negotiated. According to the ABC, Putin’s terms for ending the war are as follows: 1) Ukraine should not enter NATO and maintain a neutral position. 2) Crimea should be recognized as a territory of Russia. 3) Independence of the People’s Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. 4) Ukraine must abandon any weapons that pose a threat to Russia and stop militarization. 5) There must be a change in the leadership of Ukraine or a change of government. 6) Russian should be made the second official language of Ukraine and any law prohibiting its use should be repealed.
The price of a cup of milk tea will be increased to Rs. 100
The All Ceylon Restaurant Owners’ Association says that the price of a cup of milk tea will have to be increased to Rs. 100 due to the prevailing conditions. The President of the Association Asela Sampath stated that the supply of milk tea in restaurants will also have to be suspended. He further stated that this situation has arisen due to the increase in the price of milk powder and the shortage of gas.
International telephone call rates have been increased
International telephone call rates have been increased. Secretary to the Ministry of Technology Jayantha de Silva stated that the telephone companies have informed the Ministry about this. Telephone companies have increased international call charges in the wake of the rupee depreciating by about 30 percent against the dollar. However, no approval has been given to increase local call or internet charges, the technology ministry secretary said.
Economic Crisis in Sri Lanka -Permission to obtain assistance from private commercial banks to open letters of credit for fuel
The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) has been allowed to seek the assistance of private commercial banks to obtain the required dollars from state-owned banks to open letters of credit for the purchase of fuel. A spokesman for the Ministry of Energy stated that the permission was granted during a discussion held at the Ministry of Finance recently. Accordingly, in the future, the Petroleum Corporation will be able to assist state-owned banks in opening letters of credit for the purchase of fuel by purchasing dollars from private commercial banks at daily exchange rates, a ministry spokesman said. A ministry spokesman added that the situation was due to the fact that state banks did not have enough dollars to pay for fuel tankers due to the appreciation of the dollar against the rupee. In that situation, it has not been possible to release a fuel tanker that arrived in the country on the 14th. According to the Ministry of Energy, the ship, which arrived from Singapore, had 20,000 metric tons of jet fuel and 20,000 metric tons of diesel. The Ministry of Energy stated that the ship had to pay $ 42.7 million and $ 18,000 per day as delay charges.