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Russia-Ukraine war: Russia rejected proposal for Easter truce
Russia rejects proposal for Easter truce
Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he is still hopeful for peace even after Moscow rejected a proposed truce this weekend over the Orthodox Christian Easter period.
Russia had rejected a similar request earlier this week after the UN secretary-general, Antonio Guterres, called for a truce through Easter Sunday to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid and safe passage for civilians attempting to flee the war zone. “The four-day Easter period should be a moment to unite around saving lives and furthering dialogue to end the suffering in Ukraine,” he said.
Russia’s deputy UN ambassador, Dmitry Polyanskiy, said the request was not “sincere” and would give Ukrainian fighters more time to arm themselves.
Diesel shortage affects Katunayake Airport : Employees to work from home
Employees attached to the Katunayake International Airport have been instructed to work from home from Thursday (7).
Vice-Chairman of Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) (Pvt) Ltd, Rajeev Sooriyaarachchi speaking to News 1st said the decision was made as AASL does not have sufficient stocks of fuel to provide transport for the employees.
Therefore, employees who are involved in essential duties will be called into work, he added.
Vice-Chairman of Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) (Pvt) Ltd, Rajeev Sooriyaarachchi said although orders were placed for Diesel for AASL, they are yet to receive these orders.
He went on to note that the essential services by AASL including operating the airport radar systems will be carried out without any issue.
At the same time, the Chairman of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation Sumith Wijesinghe told News 1st that Sri Lanka has sufficient stocks of jet fuel to deliver to aircraft.
Sri Lankan Cabinet decides to resign; Mahinda Rajapaksa to remain as PM
The Sri Lankan Cabinet of Ministers have decided to resign and have submitted their letters of resignation to Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.
However, Rajapaksa will continue to function as the Prime Minister, said Dinesh Gunwardena who was the Minister of Education until today
Special Notice from CPC : Do NOT queue for Diesel; NO shortage of Petrol
The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation has requested the general public NOT to remain in queues at filling stations for Diesel on Wednesday (30) & Thursday (31).
CPC Chairman said that the ship carrying 37,500 MT of diesel was unable to unload on Tuesday (29) as planned.
However, diesel will be supplied continuously to essential services
He also added that the distribution of Petrol will proceed as usual without any shortages.
BIMSTEC opens in Colombo on Monday
The Bay of Bengal Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation or BIMSTEC — the regional organisation exclusive to the Bay, will open in Colombo on Monday (28).
The Ministry of External Affairs noted that the conference will be held until the 30th of March 2022.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will preside over the BIMSTEC Summit on 30th of March 2022.
Senior officials and Foreign Ministers from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Thailand are expected to attend the BIMSTEC Senior Officials Meeting and Cabinet Meeting to be held on Monday (28) and Tuesday (29).
Meanwhile, Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jayashankar arrived on the island on Sunday (27) night.
During that visit, he will attend the BIMSTEC Summit and hold discussions with the Sri Lankan Authorities.
The Indian External Affairs Minister is in Sri Lanka following an unannounced visit by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to New Delhi.
Meanwhile, the is scheduled to open a cultural center in Jaffna on Monday (28) through online technology.
Fire rips through neighbourhood in Thotalanga
Around 20 unauthorized homes built in an area known as Kajimawatte located down Ferguson Road in Thotalanga, were destroyed in a fire.
According to the Colombo Fire Brigade, around 40 firefighters were dispatched to douse the fire, which erupted at around 12:37 AM on Friday (Mar. 25).
The Fire Brigade had dispatched two fire trucks, four water browsers, and an ambulance to the location.
No casualties were reported and the fire was doused at around 1:50 AM.
Around 85 people are residing in the houses destroyed due to the fire, the Colombo Fire Brigade noted.
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