Approval has been granted at the Cabinet Meeting held on 30-03-2026 to provide relief by granting up to rupees 20/- per litre of 92 Octane Petrol, and up to rupees 100/- per litre of Auto Diesel utilized for public transport to minimize the impact on the day today life of the people and the entire economy as a result of escalation of fuel prices due to the war situation in the Middle East region.

Apart from that, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the resolution furnished by the President in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to grant the following relief for  low – income generators, electricity consumers, farmers, fisheries community, and small tea planters who have been exposed to the direct impact of the energy price hike:

(i) Provision of an additional special allowance for April 2026 to low-income generating categories registered under the ‘Aswesuma’ Programme, irrespective of family size: • Providing rupees 7,500/- to a family in the extremely poor category
Providing rupees 5,000/- to a family in the poor category
Providing rupees 2,500/- to a family in the transitional category

(ii) Instead of transferring  the additional cost borne for engaging thermal power plants for generating electricity due to the fuel price hike and prevailing dry weather circumstances to the electricity consumers, the additional cost is to be borne by the Government for a  period of 03 months so that a relief can be provided to the electricity consumers utilizing below 90 units.

(iii) Increasing the fertilizer subsidiary of rupees 25,000/- per hectare given at present up to rupees 30,000/- per hectare for the Yala season and increasing  the fertilizer subsidiary of rupees 15,000/- per hectare given for additional crops that are cultivated in the paddy fields up to rupees 18,000/- per hectare for the Yala season.

(iv) Provide a 50 kg sack of Urea required for the Yala season at a fixed price of Rupees 10,200/- for farmers through Agrarian Services Centres.

(v) Provide a subsidiary of Rupees 50/- per liter for up to 25 liters per day per single-day fishing vessel, for a maximum of 25 days per month, for a period of three (3) months.

(vi) Provide a one-time payment of Rupees 150,000/- per multi-day fishing vessel engaged in fishing activities during the next three (3) months.

(vii) Provide an additional one-time fertilizer allowance of Rs. 5,000 per 50 kg bag of fertilizer to small tea cultivators, in addition to the existing Rs. 4,000 fertilizer subsidy provided by the Sri Lanka Tea Board.

The Galle fort which has been declared as a World Heritage by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), attracts over three (3) hundred thousand local and foreign tourists per year.

Under the Greater Galle Development Plan (2021–2030), Galle Fort has been declared a World Heritage Tourism Zone. Further, having conserved the archaeologically valued buildings existing in the Galle Fort, the Urban Development Authority has planned an integrated development project programme, themed as the ‘Galle Regeneration Project’.

The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution furnished by the Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development to relocate the High Court and Magistrate’s Court, which are currently functioning within Galle Fort, to the newly constructed court complex at Beligaha, Galle and to assign the existing buildings to the Urban Development Authority for the implementation of a tourism promotion project under a Public–Private Partnership (PPP) mechanism under this programme.

Seven players from the Eritrean football squad that scored a historic victory in Eswatini last week have failed to return home, a source close to the team has told the BBC.

While some of their teammates flew back from Eswatini’s neighbour, South Africa, the seven are said to have absconded.

There have been several cases when Eritreans competing in various sports have not gone home after international fixtures in recent years.

Rights groups have described the government in Asmara as highly repressive – a charge which the authorities reject. Despite its small population, hundreds of thousands of Eritreans have sought asylum abroad.

The news of the players absconding will come as a blow to the team, which, following its 2-1 win in Eswatini and 4-1 victory on aggregate, was celebrating a return to the qualifying group stage for the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in 19 years.

Only 10 of the 24-man squad were based in Eritrea and just three of those players, including team captain Ablelom Teklezghi, have now returned, sources in Asmara told BBC Tigrinya

While it is unclear where the missing players have gone, reports say some of them have been seen in South Africa.

Those who have absconded include goalkeeper Kubrom Solomon and veteran winger Medhanie Redie.

Eritrea’s state-owned media outlets have been unusually quiet on the victorious team’s return, which have in the past been accompanied by a big fanfare.

Sources say preparations were made for a similar reception but was cancelled following news of the disappearance of the players.

The spokesperson of Eritrea’s Sport and Culture Commission, who has been providing updates on social media about the recent success of the team, posted pictures of some of the returning players and staff in Egypt, where the Eritrean embassy and community members organised a reception for them.

They stopped in Cairo on the way back to Eritrea.

But the only players seen in those pictures were the ones who then went on to fly to Asmara.

Many Eritrean fans had been hoping that the victory over Eswatini would lead to a renaissance of Eritrean football, but for many Eritreans the latest news has a familiar ring.

Over the last two decades, the national team at different levels has been scarred by a series of events in which players, and even almost entire squads, have disappeared either before or after games abroad.

In 2019, seven players from the Eritrean under-20 side went missing after playing in the East African regional championship in Uganda.

In 2015, 10 senior squad players refused to return home after playing a World Cup qualifying match in Botswana.

Two years earlier, 15 players and the team doctor were granted asylum in Uganda after they absconded.

And in 2009 the entire senior team, apart from the coach and an official, failed to return home from Kenya.

[BBC]