Jun 15 (FT) Sri Lankans are being gradually, but surely, and unconsciously, dragged to a feeling of hopelessness and mental paralysis in the face of the incessant cacophony of gloom and doom news spewing forth from the mouths of our leaders. “It has just been one thing after another. We have been sitting with challenges that most of us have not faced in our lifetime. It is a lot to process, make sense and adapt to,” says my middle-aged colleague. more..

Jun 15 (AD) Litro Gas Lanka Ltd, one of the primary suppliers of domestic LP gas in the country, has resumed its distribution process after 11 days. PM Ranil Wickremesinghe said the priority in the distribution of the latest shipment of 3,500 metric tonnes of LP gas would be given to hospitals, hotels and crematoriums. Unloading of this LP gas shipment began yesterday at the Litro Gas terminal in Muthurajawela, after the payment of USD 2.5 million, which includes demurrage charges, more..

Jun 15 (NR) Mystery spinner Maheesh Theekshana who impressed during the recently concluded Twenty20 International series against Australia has climbed 16 places to eighth in the latest ICC Men’s T20I Bowler rankings. Although SL lost the series 2-1, Theekshana picked two wickets conceding just 79 runs. Wanindu Hasaranga who was the second leading wicket-taker in the series with five remains seventh in the rankings. Australian seamer Josh Hazlewood who picked up 6 wickets more..

Jun 15 (EN) Sri Lanka will continue to experience power cuts for at least three more years as the CEB will be compelled to continue load shedding until supply from power plants is enough to meet rising demand, a CEB engineers union leader said. CEBEU President Anil Ranjith said that, at present, CEB does not have enough electricity supply from power plants islandwide to cater to the country’s existing electricity demand. more..

Jun 15 (NR) Embassy of the US announced today that the U.S. Int'l Development Finance Corporation (DFC) Board of Directors has approved $120 million in new loans to grow and support the SL economy. “For seventy years, the United States has provided foreign assistance, loans, and trade opportunities to help grow the SL economy and support the SL people,” said U.S. Ambassador to SL Julie Chung. “Today’s announcement is good news for the private sector, as the DFC’s $120 million more..

Jun 15 (AD) 3 suspects including SLPP MP Sanath Nishantha and Moratuwa Mayor Samanlal Fernando have been granted bail by the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court over the incidents of violence at Kollupitiya and Galle Face on May 9. Magistrate Thilina Gamage ordered them released on two surety bails of Rs. 10 million each. They had been arrested and remanded in connection with the attacks on peaceful protesters at GotaGoGama in Galle Face and MinaGoGama near Temple Trees on May 9. more..

Jun 15 (AD) An official report on the possible mid-air collision avoided by UL 504 has been filed by the crew upon their return to the BIA yesterday which has confirmed that due to the vigilance and action taken by the crew, they had managed to avert one of the worst mid-air collisions. Sri Lankan Airlines however seem to be unaware of this report filed by its own crew and have released a statement saying UL 504 was not at risk of a mid-air collision with another aircraft at any point, more..

Jun 15 (NDTV) US' influential Senate Foreign Relations Committee has urged the Quad nations to take a more proactive role in addressing SL's political and economic crisis, while praising India's role in providing humanitarian assistance to the govt in the island nation to avoid a meltdown. Quad nations comprises the US, India, Australia and Japan. In a recent letter addressed to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar more..

Jun 15 (Island) The 4-day Junior National Athletics Championships helped athletes from Wickramabahu Central College, Gampola hog the limelight once again and prove that the promise they showed at last year’s trials was no fluke. The girls from Gampola trained by Buddhika Nuwan returned home with a rich haul of medals at the championship concluded at the Sugathadasa Stadium on Friday. Nirmali Wickramasinghe and Dulanjana Pradeepani made their debut at national junior level at the Youth Trial held in Nov 2021 more..

Jun 15 (CI) Australia claimed a 1-0 series lead thanks to some Glenn Maxwell magic, but SL exposed some vulnerabilities and will believe they can level the series although will have to do it without the injured Wanindu Hasaranga. Hasaranga has been ruled out of at least the second match in Pallekele with a groin strain with medical staff yet to determine the length of his lay-off. He starred with bat and ball in the opening game, almost carrying SL to victory, and will be a significant loss. more..

Jun 15 (EN) A woman from the Northern SL town of Puvarasankulam who was abducted by four men for a ransom of 500,000 rupees was rescued and her captivators taken into police custody on Tuesday (14), police said. Police had received a complaint on Monday (13) that the woman had gone missing and was being held in a house against her will, the police media division said. The abductors had telephoned the victim’s daughter and demanded 500,000 rupees in order to release the woman. more..

Jun 15 (EN) COPE Chairman Charitha Herath said a letter by former CEB Chairman M M C Ferdinando withdrawing a controversial statement he had made will be tabled for discussion at the next COPE meeting. In the letter, dated June 11, Ferdinando had withdrawn a statement he had made at a COPE meeting held on June 10. Ferdinando resigned as CEB chairman on Monday (13) after contradictory statements he had made about a renewable energy deal with India’s Adani group made headlines and more..

Jun 15 (DM) The drama caused by the Former Chairman of CEB will result in dire consequences especially if the Indian Govt gets offended and refuses assistance to SL, TPA Deputy Leader P. Digambaram said today. “India appears to be offended by the statement made by the Chairman of the CEB that the Indian head of state had pressurised his SL counterpart. The situation in SL is bound to get worse if India refuses to assist. SL has managed to survive to some extent because of Indian assistance. more..

Jun 15 (Island) Health Ministry has still not taken any practical and viable measures to ease the crippling effects of the current fuel crisis, affecting medical specialists and other healthcare workers, President of Association of Medical Specialists (AMS) Dr. LakKumar Fernando has reminded Health Minister, Keheliya Rambukwella. In his letter to the Health Minister, Dr. Fernando said that reaching the workplace has become a near impossible task for all the medical specialists, and other healthcare workers, more..

Jun 15 (MFA) Minister of Foreign Affairs G.L. Peiris, held meetings with the President of the Human Rights Council (HRC), the Coordinator of the Non-Aligned Movement (Geneva Chapter) and the Permanent Representative of Brazil in Geneva on 14 June, on the sidelines of the 50th Session of the HRC. During the meeting with the President of the Human Rights Council, and Permanent Representative of Argentina, Federico Villegas, the Foreign Minister briefed on the current more..

Jun 15 (EN) SL would introduce new laws to prevent hoarding of food stocks, PM Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Wednesday as the island nation is facing a looming food crisis amid a worsening economic crisis and skyrocketing food inflation. PM said this when he met with representatives of the commercial banks to discuss the loans requested by rice mill owners. “PM also stated that the govt would introduce new legislation that will govern rice mill owners and silo owners to prevent future hoarding of food stocks,” more..

Jun 15 (DM) Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) has filed a Fundamental Rights petition in Supreme Court challenging the appointment of businessman Dhammika Perera to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of former Minister Basil Rajapaksa, as a MP. In accordance with Article 99A of the Constitution, the CPA’s position is that a person is only entitled to be nominated to fill such a vacancy if their name was included in the district nomination papers or national list submitted by more..

Jun 15 (EN) Sri Lanka stocks slipped on Wednesday (15) for the second session to a one-week low as margin calls resulting in selling amid weak sentiments over political and economic uncertainties, dealers said. The All Share Price Index (ASPI) closed 1.48 percent or 116.61 points lower at 7,772.08, its lowest close since June 7. “At this point, there is no catalyst for the market to go up while there’s selling pressure due to margin calls,” a top market analyst said. more..

Jun 15 (DM) The drama caused by the Former Chairman of CEB will result in dire consequences especially if the Indian Govt gets offended and refuses assistance to SL, TPA Deputy Leader P. Digambaram said today. “India appears to be offended by the statement made by the Chairman of the CEB that the Indian head of state had pressurised his SL counterpart. The situation in SL is bound to get worse if India refuses to assist. SL has managed to survive to some extent because of Indian assistance. more..

Jun 15 (Island) NFF leader and MP Wimal Weerawansa has warned that the current politico-economic-social crisis could lead to foreign military interventions. The former industries Minister declared that Western powers could intervene on the basis of the responsibility to protect (R2P) doctrine. The Colombo District lawmaker said so when he dealt with possible scenarios in case the much touted IMF debt restructuring programme failed to materialize. more..

Jun 15 (DM) The final draft of National Policy for Tourism (NPT) was presented to the sector stakeholders for their input before moving the strategy set towards the implementation phase. The stakeholder meeting held in Colombo today included associations of the tourism sector, officials of Sri Lanka Tourism and Ministry of Tourism, the UNDP, and the EU in SL. SLTDA Chairman Priantha Fernando in a tweet shortly after the meeting said the document will be finalized in the coming days, more..

Jun 15 (AD) The newly appointed Chairman of Litro Gas Lanka Limited, the state-owned liquefied petroleum gas supplier in SL, says that the company has made a request for another increase in the prices of LP gas cylinders. Litro chairman Muditha Peiris said that the relevant suppliers are ready to supply stocks sufficient for the next 4 months in the country. He stated that they are currently unloading nearly 3,900 metric tons of gas from a ship. “This is a very small amount. more..

Jun 15 (AD) COPA during its recent meeting drew special attention to the quantity of ethanol imported for use in SL and the lack of proper regulation of importing institutions, according to the Communications Dept of Parliament. Import and Export Control Department officials were instructed to submit a report to the Committee within two weeks containing the procedure for issuing licenses for the importation of ethanol into the country by various companies, more..

Jun 15 (EN) SL’s commercial banks quoted the rupee at 366 against telegraphic transfers on Wednesday while the central bank interbank spot trade was at 359.85 under a daily guidance rate, up changed from Monday’s 359.83. The commercial banks’ rupee quote against telegraphic transfers was at 367 against the US dollar on June 13. The central bank guidance margin is set at plus 1.00 or minus 4.00 rupees. The central bank stopped quoting day rates on January 23 when the rupee was floated more..

Jun 15 (DM) The govt will take a policy decision and allow the Railway Department to increase train fares, Railway General Manager (GMR) Dhammika Jayasundara said. In an address to the media, he stated that several new trains will be added to the existing fleet from today to help ease the office workers crowd. Also, he said that steps have been taken to add new trains in the future. "At present, the railways charge only 20 to 24% of the bus fare. Therefore, our expenditure has increased significantly more..

Jun 16 (DM) The past couple of weeks have been significant judicially and politically when considering the number of related events that took place during that period. The most recent, was that of former finance minister Basil Rajapaksa’s resignation from his parliamentary membership on June 9, 2022. His entry into parliament was facilitated by the 20th Amendment which permitted dual citizens to enter Parliament. The ruling SLPP projected Basil Rajapaksa as an economic wizard, more..

Jun 16 (DM) Upasakamma ipaduna heena kule… (Translatable as [of] the devout mother who was born into a lower caste…) is one of the songs in Nanda Malini’s radical album Pawana (The wind). While most of the lyrics were penned by Prof. Sunil Ariyaratne, this was attributed to Ranchagoda Lamaya, the nom de guerre used by well-known journalist Sirilal Kodikara. Pawana was quite popular in the late eighties. Nanda Malini and Sunil Ariyaratne rode what they believed was more..

Jun 16 (DM) Be it Al Capone, Pablo Escobar, El Chapo or any other crime boss, violence in the form of shootings or any other crime that happens with the blessings of drug lords, politicians or businessmen, cannot be tolerated in a country that calls itself democratic. Five incidents of shootings were reported within a span of four days during June and in one of these shootings a state witness too was killed. Many who are being killed in these more..

Jun 16 (CT) The current protests in Sri Lanka are multitude. The most influential has been the Galle Face protests, Aragalaya (Struggle), now exceeding two months. After a halfhearted governmental change, some of the participants must be staying at home or going for work, carefully watching the situation. However, it is superficial to say that the protests are waning out. It is basically the Galle Face protests that could achieve (1) ousting of Mahinda Rajapaksa as the PM, more..

Jun 16 (GV) Thousands of women across SL are searching for missing their husbands, sons, daughters, brothers and sisters. The long and tragic history of enforced disappearances goes back to the first JVP insurrection in 1971, continuing to the second one in late 1980s and persisting to this day despite the end of the civil war in 2009. Many mothers, wives and sisters still spend their lives going from one protest to the other, making demands that fall on deaf ears and more..

Jun 16 (DM) At present reclamation activities are underway at an 80-acre paddy land close to Galwala Road in Mirihana and Pita Kotte Rajamaha Viharaya. As a result residents of the area who have been engaged in cultivation for years are unable to continue with cultivation activities. This paddy land was reclaimed on several times based on the requirements of politicians. However paddy cultivation was possible even then. more..

Jun 16 (TM) Govt is looking into implementing much-needed legal reforms to ensure the rights and wellbeing of people in the country suffering from various disabilities. This matter was discussed at a meeting between a group of activists representing the disabled community and Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe PC, which was held at the Justice Ministry, where the two groups discussed the necessary amendments to rectify the shortcomings of a draft Bill that was prepared in 2019 more..

Jun 16 (CT) PM said, only 50% of the total demand for fuel would be distributed for the next 5 months, after prioritising electricity generation, hospitals and other essential services. This was a clear indication of the continuity of another few days, weeks or even months of long queues circling fuel stations and the country would be lucky if the long lines for fuel and gas end by the end of the year. PM said fuel shipments have been secured for this month and the next month at present. more..

Jun 16 (Island) SL is facing the worst ever economic downturn in its recent history. An empty treasury can no longer provide sufficient funds, even to buy essentials, like fuel, medicine, and cooking gas. Desperate citizens, whose woes are unbearable, are on the streets, showing their anger. People point fingers at politicians and, especially the high-ups in the govt in power, for the sorry state of affairs. They also blame the public service and the public servants for the inherent weaknesses more..

Jun 16 (Island) Gnana Akka, a self-proclaimed clairvoyant, who was very popular among powerful politicians, high-ranking swordsmen, and business tycoons because of her prophesies, became a target of anti-govt protesters. But she is not alone in the business of making predictions. There are many others including politicians who prophesy almost on a daily basis. Nothing is so freely given as gloomy prophesies and ominous warnings, in this country. Earlier, we had doomsayers only in more..