Jun 11 (UNI) The SL Navy has seized 50 fighting cocks smuggled from India, a newspaper reported on Saturday. Some people involved in cock fighting, which is illegal in SL, had tied the birds and were getting ready to transport them to Mannar town in the island nation's northwest. They fled on seeing the Navy personnel. Seven roosters had already died due to congestion. The Navy handed them over to the Mannar Police and are searching for those who smuggled the birds from India. more..

Jun 11 (DM) Cricket legend Sanath Jayasuriya said that business tycoon Dhammika Perera had called him and apologize over the remarks he had made during a TV programme. During a recent TV programme, Dhammika Perera said Sanath Gunathilaka and Aravinda Perera were cricketers. A video of his remarks has gone viral on social media. "Just received a call from Dhammika Perera to apologize to me. I told it was just a slip of the tongue and not a fault of the brain. more..

Jun 11 (PTI) Top official of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) is planning to visit SL on the invitation of PM Ranil Wickremesinghe at a time when the crisis-hit island nation is grappling with an impending food shortage. PM’s request comes after experts have warned of a possible shortage of rice and other essential food items from September this year because of lower production due to the impact after Prez Rajapaksa had enforced a ban on more..

Jun 11 (AD) Prez Rajapaksa has given directives to conduct a formal study on the public service with the aim of providing quality public service in a short period of time and increasing employee satisfaction. Prez made these remarks at a special discussion held at President’s House, Fort yesterday on the role of the Ministry of Public Administration, Home Affairs and Local Govt and the accelerated home gardening programme. Prez pointed out the need to consolidate state institutions to provide more..

Jun 11 (EN) Sri Lanka will impose power cuts of 1 hour to 2 hours and 15 minutes on a daily basis from June 13 to 19 PUCSL Chairman Janaka Ratnayake said. On June 13, all areas (ABCDEFGHIJKLPQRSTUVW) will have power cuts of 2 hours and 15 minutes between 8.30 am and 9.45 pm. Between 6.00 am and 8.15 am, the Colombo City center could face a power cut of 2 hours and 15 minutes. On June 14 – one-hour power cut will be implemented in areas more..

Jun 11 (AD) COPE has revealed that 35 university lecturers who went abroad on study leave at the Uni of Moratuwa alone were found to be in arrears of nearly Rs. 52 million (Rs. 51,649,961) as at 31 Dec 2021 due to breach of contract and bonds. It was also revealed that the amount due from 16 lecturers who had breached contracts and bonds for 8 years was Rs. 23,190,595. more..

Jun 11 (CT) Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe reiterated that the Hambantota Port deal was corrupt and that he was outspoken about it at the time and still stand by it. “I have not changed my mind on that and still there are three pending cases at the Supreme Court, one of which is about the 25-year tax breaks granted to China Merchants Port Holdings (CMPH),” he said. On 3 Jan 2022, while in the Opposition Rajapakshe wrote to the Chinese President Xi Jinping stating that that more..

Jun 11 (NR) SJB says the Prez must be held responsible for transforming the market into a black market, by issuing numerous gazette notifications. Kandy SJB MP M Velu Kumar said all decisions taken by the President thus far have been incorrect. MP Velu Kumar said the dollar was floated only after being pegged that resulted in high fluctuations in foreign exchange markets. MP claimed all decisions taken by Prez Rajapaksa between the pandemic, including appointing a new PM, more..

Jun 11 (AD) Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa today responded to the remarks made by the chairman of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) pertaining to a wind power project in Mannar. Taking to his official Twitter handle, the President said he categorically denies authorizing to award this project to any specific person or entity. “I trust responsible communication in this regard will follow,” he added. The CEB chief had made the statement at the recent meeting of the COPE. more..

Jun 11 (CT) Although there was a shortage of essential medicinal drugs such as some used for treating patients with epilepsy, patients should not refrain from seeking medical attention, Dr. Susantha Perera said. He made this remark in a backdrop of the reducing numbers of patients who attended clinics at State-run hospitals. Dr. Perera said the medicinal drug brand that the patients were used to taking may not be available, but the doctor would prescribe a relevant substitute of the same more..

Jun 11 (ST) Sri Lankans will be asked to sponsor or take an animal into their homes from the national zoo, which is preparing for a challenging time in the wake of the unprecedented economic calamity in the country. National Zoological Gardens at Dehiwala is taking the measure to ease the burden of the costs of caring for the animals, which have risen. Annual operating costs run into millions. more..

Jun 11 (DM) Election Commission is getting ready for the conduct of the local authorities’ election within a period of 6 months starting from Sept 20, this year in keeping with the law, an official said. An official of the Commission said that the term of the local authorities- MCs, UCs and PSs- had been extended for one year, and their new term would begin on March 20, next year. He said the Commission is empowered to conduct the polls to these local bodies on a date within the 6 months’ period more..

Jun 11 (Hindu) Growing up in her village in Sri Lanka’s northern Kilinochchi district, Sadasivam Kalaiyarasi had one dream — to play cricket for Sri Lanka. It came true this week, when she made it to the country’s under-19 squad, becoming the first Tamil girl to enter the national cricket arena. “It’s my father who got me interested in cricket and supported me. I’m here because of him,” says the lanky teenager, attired in her dark blue and red training gear. more..

Jun 11 (PTI) The last of the fuel shipments due under the Indian Line of Credit are arriving in SL this month with no indications on the sustenance of future supplies which are dependent on India's assistance. SL is going through the worst economic crisis since its independence from Britain in 1948. The economic crisis has prompted an acute shortage of essential items like food, medicine, cooking gas and other fuel, toilet paper and more..

Jun 11 (FT) SJB MP S.M. Marikkar charged that the passing of the Electricity Amendment Bill marked another sad juncture in SL’s present predicament. He said that at a time the public is desperate for solutions for the ongoing power crisis, the Govt has resorted to pave the path for corruption under the guise of pursuing renewable energy. Marikkar said the PM Ranil Wickremesinghe had said SL cannot seek further support from India without offering the renewable energy deal to the Adani Group. more..

Jun 11 (ST) Basic food stuffs remain in short supply, retailers are restricting purchases, while prices are expected to rapidly tick ever higher following sharp increases in taxes this week. According to the Central Bank of SL, food inflation increased to 57.4% in May 2022 from 46.6% in April 2022. “Within the food category, increases were observed in prices of vegetables, fresh fish, rice, bread, dried fish, and dhal in May,” the bank said. Many retailer are limiting the sale of essentials more..

Jun 12 (CT) It is now a month after Ranil Wickremesinghe became PM. Apart from his plethora of statements, endless announcement of committees, and the eccentric suggestion for a whole new youth parliament, there is no change in the country’s day to day economic life. It is no exaggeration to say that without India’s almost daily shipment of supplies, SL will not be able to meet its daily requirements of essentials. Is India going to be the sole source for essential supplies more..

Jun 12 (CT) The huge crisis that the SL is confronting at the moment can be observed in the long queues for kerosene, petrol, diesel and gas. People are compelled to stand in the queues for long hours to get their basic needs. Already about seven people have fallen dead while standing in those queues. Also, we see the distressed parents going here and there looking for essential food and medicines for their children and elders. There was also a media report that a child has died more..

Jun 12 (TM) The upcoming months will be tough until SL has an IMF programme and bridging finance in place, says Economist and Uni of Colombo Dept of Economics Lecturer Umesh Moramudali. “We will have to be on a live by the day strategy to make sure we get essentials. We will have to cut down on all other expenses,” he asserted. As for ensuring matters progress smoothly with the IMF and other lenders, he emphasised on more..

Jun 12 (SO) One of the main slogans of protests held over the present economic conditions refers to SL’s Post-Independence history. They call it the 74-year curse, a reference to the wrong policies and decisions implemented by different Govts over the 74 years since 1948. All Govts are guilty over this issue to varying degrees. The genesis of today’s economic and even political crises lies in these wrong turns taken by various Govts. Moreover, correct decisions have not been taken more..

Jun 12 (SO) The term food security looks simple, but it is complex. According to Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the UN, a country is considered food secured “when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life,” said Senior Professor, Weed Science Dept of Crop Science, Fac of Agriculture, Uni of Peradeniya, Buddhi Marambe said. more..

Jun 12 (TM) The ongoing political chaos amidst the economic crisis continues to test PM Ranil Wickremesinghe and his Govt, with the Premier fighting battles on many fronts. Wickremesinghe’s biggest challenge is balancing Prez Rajapaksa – who is now increasing his engagement in governance – while also trying to keep the ruling party at bay and address the criticism levelled by detractors in Opposition. more..

Jun 12 (Island) SJB MP Hector Appuhamy noted in a parliamentary speech on Thursday that Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned on May 9 and Basil Rajapaksa quit exactly a month later on June 9. He then posed the rhetorical question: Will Gotabaya Rajapaksa step down on July 9? Apparently not. The president was very clear on this in what was described as a wide-ranging interview he granted the Bloomberg last week. This was the first such since the smelly stuff hit the fan several weeks ago, more..

Jun 12 (Island) On June 2, the Commercial High Court of Colombo issued an enjoining order against Flight SU-289 over a lease matter, preventing it from returning home. The flight had been handled by Aeroflot, the Russian airline at the centre of a controversy over Western sanctions. The order had been issued on a complaint by an Irish airplane leasing company, Celestial Aviating Trading 10, against two parties: Aeroflot, and the head of the Airport and Aviation Services of Sri Lanka. more..

Jun 12 (Island) We have been fortunate to witness some of the great fast bowlers on show in our shores in Test match cricket in the last 40 years. Sir Richard Hadlee, Dennis Lillee, Bob Willis, Kapil Dev, Allan Donald and Wasim Akram have all had their moments in our backyard, but no fast bowler has had the impact that Mitchell Starc had when Australia toured here in 2016. On tracks that were tailor-made for spin, Starc took 24 wts in 3 Tests, most by a fast bowler in a Test series in SL more..

Jun 12 (GV) In May 2022, over half a million 16 year old SL children sat their O’Level exam. Passing this exam is necessary for them to continue with their schooling. This batch (referred to as the 2021 O’Level batch, as their exam was meant to be held in Dec 2021) was only 14 years old and had just begun their first year preparing for the O’Levels when, in March 2020, Covid hit SL. First because of the pandemic and then, because of the political and economic collapse brought about by more..

Jun 12 (CI) Dasun Shanaka made a furious late charge at a total that always seemed beyond SL, crashing sixes over midwicket, smoking fours down the ground, and through cover, batting desperately to bring his team some joy out of the series. There was a bit of luck, but not that much. A wide that shouldn't have been called, maybe. Australia's bowlers missing their lengths a little more often than they usually would. more..

Jun 12 (TM) Today marks exactly one month since SL set a world record by appointing the member with the least number of seats in Parliament as the country’s PM. One month on, the obvious question on people’s minds is, have things improved from a month ago, for them as opposed to those in power? The answer is a big fat no. Have things improved for the political leadership that a month ago had no alternative but to get into their respective bunkers to avoid the wrath of the people? more..

Jun 12 (TM) I sometimes say, in a lighter vein, that Prez Kennedy’s above quote would have been partly motivated by a premonition he had of what would happen in SL in 2022! What else can one surmise when Prez Rajapaksa vows to finish the remaining two years in his term, despite months-long street protests calling for his ouster? True, no Prez with all the attached pomp and glory will depart the comfort zone only due to street protests. Yet, Prez declaring he will not recontest is realistic. more..

Jun 12 (ST) On Thursday, the UN made a flash appeal announcing to the world that it was responding to a call from the Govt of SL for emergency food and medicine assistance. It was the ultimate ignominy for a country long accustomed to living on foreign handouts, but almost never pleading for food and medicine to avoid famine and the collapse of its exemplary health care system. SL thus joined the ranks of 44 countries around the world requiring external assistance more..

Jun 12 (ST) My dear Gota maamey, I thought I must write to you again when I heard you saying in an interview that you won’t go as a failed Prez. Having heard that, many people are asking various questions. They wonder whether you really meant what you said and worry about what our plight would be if you do keep your word. Initially though, I felt a sense of relief hearing that. That is because it meant that, finally, even at this stage, you have realised that you have indeed failed so far. more..

Jun 12 (ST) China has praised India for helping SL at a time of crisis in what appeared to be a move to deflect growing theories that China is peeved that SL is moving away from China’s orbit and closer to the pro-West axis spearheaded by India in this part of the world. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Zhao Lijian this week told the media in Beijing that China had commended India for its efforts to mitigate the crisis in SL. more..

Jun 12 (SO) UNOPS (United Nations Office for Project Services) signed an agreement with the South Asia Co-operative Environment Program (SACEP), an intergovernmental organisation headquartered in SL, to support them in the implementation of the World Bank funded Plastic Free Rivers and Seas for South Asia Project (PLEASE). The PLEASE project catalyses actions to strengthen innovation and coordination of circular economy solutions to plastic pollution more..

Jun 12 (TM) SL’s restructuring process is yet to begin, with the agreement that the Govt is expected to enter with debt restructuring firms Lazard and Clifford Chance still pending approval from the Attorney General’s Dept, according to the Treasury. Treasury Deputy Secretary R.M.S. Ratnayake said that Cabinet approval had already been given to the appointment of these firms and that the agreement would be entered into as early as possible following the approval of the AG’s Dept. more..