Jun 16 (ST) Thousands of people are flocking to the Immigration and Emigration Department to get their passports and go abroad to seek better prospects as SL’s economic crisis continues. People have been sleeping on the porticoes outside the buildings and camping out for days hoping to get their documents stamped. Mohammed Farhan had been there for five days as of Thursday night. “I am trying to leave because of economic crisis. more..

Jun 16 (FT) National Movement for Social Justice (NMSJ) Chairman and former Speaker Karu Jayasuriya yesterday urged President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to stop deceiving people and the international community and implement the 19th Amendment without further delay. Jayasuriya at a media briefing recalled the assurance the President gave the UN Secretary General and the international community, that he would protect Sri Lanka’s democracy and the people’s human rights. more..

Jun 16 (FT) Reinforcing recent strides and future potential SL has been highly ranked in the latest influential global start-up ecosystem report. The 2022 Global Startup Ecosystem Report (GSER) by Startup Genome launched at the London Tech Week, is the world’s most comprehensive, data-driven research on start-ups with over 280 entrepreneurial innovation ecosystems and three million start-ups analysed. Report includes a ranking of leading 140 ecosystems, more..

Jun 16 (EN) SL’s manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index recovered in May from the April holiday month, while services continued fall with wholesale and retail trade, restaurants, hotels declining, the central bank said. The manufacturing PMI improved to above 50.3 from 36.4 with employment recovering and also an increase in supplier’s delivery time. “Even though the lengthening of Suppliers’ Delivery Time more..

Jun 16 (FT) SL Economic Association (SLEA) unveiled nine short term measures for urgent implementation for recovery from the on-going crisis. The nine identified areas are External Sector, Fiscal and Monetary Policies, Resolving Supply Related Issues, Promoting Alternative Methods of Development, Financing Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Nets, Revival of the Tourism Sector, Revitalisation of State-Owned Enterprises, Sealing Seepages and Leakages of Public Resources more..

Jun 16 (FT) Kaleidoscope Ltd., has announced the launch of Lanka Accelerator brand in SL, powered by India Accelerator (IA) which was adjudged the Best Accelerator in India by Start Up India. Lanka Accelerator’s agreement with India Accelerator is to help support its design, development and success. India Accelerator is part of GAN (Global Accelerator Network). GAN is a By-Invite network of over 80 of the most highly respected accelerators on six continents & over 100 cities around the world. more..

Jun 16 (FT) In the backdrop of the support being provided by Govt of India to SL, Asian Palm Oil Alliance (APOA) led by India's Solvent Extractors Association (SEA) – premier association of the vegetable oil industry Solvent Extractor’s Association India Executive Director Dr. B.V. Mehtaand trade in India – has written to PM Ranil Wickremesinghe and other senior ministers and officials, offering support to the oil palm industry to achieve its fullest potential for the benefit of SL’s ailing economy. more..

Jun 16 (Island) Sri Lanka Schools Athletics Association has included the Under 22 age category to the Sir John Tarbat Senior Athletics Championship when the major track and field event makes a return after a lapse of two years. The higher age category is introduced to provide an opportunity to the athletes who could not compete in the Under 20 age category due to the absence of the meet during the last two years. One of the major schools track and field championships of the country, more..

Jun 16 (FT) Listed companies combined March quarter earnings saw a whopping 135% increase year on year to Rs. 262 billion largely on account of substantial forex gains. Quarter on Quarter up 51% to Rs. 173.2 billion. It said March earnings upsurge were influenced by the remarkable performance in Food, Beverage and Tobacco (303.3% YoY), Capital Goods (210.2% YoY), Diversified Financials (138.8% YoY), more..

Jun 16 (CI) Australia's injury woes have deepened on the tour of SL with Marcus Stoinis ruled out of the remainder of the ODI series with a side strain while Ashton Agar's future on the trip remains doubtful with a similar problem. Travis Head and the uncapped left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann have been called up from the ongoing Australia A four-day match against SL A in Hambantota ahead of the second ODI in Pallekele on Thursday. If Agar, who will remain with the tour for now, more..

Jun 16 (ST) Aldoris, the choon-paan karaya, had arrived down the lane and was engaged in a chat with the trio at the gate. Kussi Amma Sera had purchased a few tea-buns for breakfast and after leaving them on the kitchen table, joined the conversation. “Mage gamey, me davas wala kathawenney tharuna kattiya rassawal hoya ganna hadanawa kiyala meda peradiga, mokada godak denek ge rassawal nethi wena hinda lankawe (In my village, the talk these days is that more..

Jun 16 (TM) Against the backdrop of a claim by Railways Dept Station Masters that the number of train passengers has increased by nearly 50% amidst the nationwide fuel shortage, the Dept of Railways is hopeful that the Govt will approve an increase in train fares based on a policy decision. Railways Dept General Manager Dhammika Jayasundara said that the Govt would take a policy decision to allow an increase in train fares, more..

Jun 16 (DM) Colombo Fort Magistrate Thilina Gamage issued an order directing the Secretary to the Ministry of Law and Order to show cause as to why the Ministry failed to transfer Western Province Senior DIG Deshabandu Tennakoon, ignoring the AG’s instructions. On May 23, the AG had instructed the IGP to transfer WP Senior DIG Deshabandu Tennakoon with immediate effect to prevent unnecessary intervention into the investigations relating to the attacks on peaceful protesters. more..

Jun 16 (CT) In light of the impending food crisis, National Zoological Gardens does not have an immediate back-up plan to feed carnivorous animals in zoos across the island because there is no substitute for meat. Director-General of National Zoological Gardens, said that while supplies are adequate for the time being, feeding the carnivores may become a problem in the future. He highlighted that they are hoping to cover the cost of purchasing meat through zoological preservation fund. more..

Jun 16 (DN) We still have a good chance to win this Australia series and hope to win today's second game with better plans, said SL wicket keeper batter Kusal Mendis. Kusal is very happy about his personal batting performance during the first ODI and his fighting unbeaten knock of 86 paved the way to build up SL for challenging total of 300 for 7 wickets. "We had a good chance to win the first ODI but we made few mistakes and those have should be corrected after discussing with coaches more..

Jun 16 (Island) With the spike in policy interest rates, rupee liquidity in the banks is different from what is normal, Yvette Fernando, deputy governor of the Central Bank said at a webinar hosted by the Centre for Banking Studies of the CB. “According to the reports we have received, the current rupee liquidity in the banks has not caused any distress to their daily transactions. However, in an increased rate environment, sometimes customers switch banks to get higher rates and more..

Jun 16 (TM) CEBEU said that it would continue the fight for competitive bidding in private power purchases, despite Parliament having passed an amendment to the SL Electricity Act to eliminate competitive bidding last week. “We do not have anything against renewable energy or the Adani Group; we too support renewable energy projects. However, we are against removing the competitive bidding process from private more..

Jun 16 (PMD) Prez Rajapaksa has stated that there is a timely need to decentralize all public services at the district and divisional levels similar to the work-from-home concept. Dept of Registration of Persons, Dept of Immigration and Emigration, Dept of Motor Traffic and other state institutions can be further decentralized at the district and divisional levels in order to provide their respective services more efficiently. Prez pointed out the importance of linking such key institutions to each other. more..

Jun 16 (Xinhua) UN Population Fund (UNFPA), with support from the Chinese govt, donated essential medical equipment and supplies worth 800,000 U.S. dollars to SL's Ministry of Health on Wednesday. A total of 328,660 packs of supplies were handed over to the Family Health Bureau through the Ministry of Health, which will be used to equip public health staff actively working at the grassroot level. The UNFPA said that they aim to ensure that frontline health workers in SL have adequate means to more..

Jun 16 (CT) PHU Leader, MP Udaya Gammanpila proposed a ban on the use of all cars and jeeps with engine capacities greater than 2,000 CC to manage the fuel crisis. Some supercars, he claims, get four to five kilometres per litre of fuel, whereas a three-wheeler gets 25 to 30 kilometres. “In other words, the fuel used by a luxury car can only run for a day, whereas a three-wheeler can run for an entire week,” he explained. more..

Jun 16 (DM) SL is in engagement with China to amend the terms and conditions of the US 1.5 billion currency swap deal so that it can be used, a top source said. According to the terms and conditions stipulated in the agreement signed with China for the swap arrangement, it cannot be used unless SL has foreign reserves sufficient for three months. The deal is on hold because SL has run short of the required amount of reserves. The swap deal enables SL to borrow Yuan for payment of imports. more..

Jun 16 (CT) Norochcholai Power Plant will be shut down for two months from 18 June for routine maintenance. Ceylon Today reliably learns that the maintenance work, which needs to be carried out every five years, will take at least 75 days to complete. The power plant supplies 270 megawatts to the national grid daily and at a time when the country is going through a severe fuel crisis, shutting down the power plant would further aggravate the country’s power crisis, it is said. more..

Jun 16 (TM) Contradicting PM Wickremesinghe’s statement that liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tankers would begin arriving in Sri Lanka within 14 days from Tuesday, and that discussions are underway to bring in at least one shipment before then, newly appointed Litro Gas Lanka Ltd. Chairman Muditha Peiris said that no such shipments are scheduled to arrive beyond the one unloaded on Tuesday. more..

Jun 16 (FT) Kishore Mahbubani launched his new book of essays, The Asian 21st Century, at the NUS this week. It has already had over a million readers worldwide. He sourced Asia’s spectacular success to three factors: (1) The weight of historical fact—except for 200 of the last 2,000 years, the world’s two largest economies have been China and India. (2) The high cultural premium on education. (3) Pragmatism as perspective, policy and practice. The most brilliant of the stellar panel discussing more..

Jun 16 (FT) The country’s economic crisis erupted in January 2022 with electricity power cuts when thermal power plants ran short of oil. Central Bank former Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal floated the Rupee on 8 March, gradually climbed to Rs. 380 to a dollar. Finally Cabraal had to go and Nandalal Weerasinghe was appointed as Central Bank Governor. Also Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa was replaced by Ali Sabry. The new Minister and Governor wished to seek IMF assistance for the recovery. more..

Jun 16 (AD) The founder and President Emeritus of Ceylon Biscuits Ltd (CBL) Group, Mineka Wickramasingha has passed away at the age of 87. After almost 48 years at the helm of the organisation he founded in 1968, the visionary entrepreneur had retired from the position of Chairman of the CBL Group in 2015. Ramya Wickramasingha, who was CBL’s Deputy Chairman was later appointed as Chairman of the CBL Group. However, Mineka Wickramasingha had continued to mentor the group in his new role as President Emeritus. more..

Jun 16 (DM) Several roads in Colombo, its suburbs and other parts of the country have been blocked by devastated consumers who are demanding for fuel and gas. Several fuel stations in the country were seen deserted today due to the lack of fuel. However, the queues were seen getting longer as people demanded for fuel. Consumers expecting petrol and diesel, had claimed they were queuing up near filling stations for a few days but had not been able to fill the tanks. more..

Jun 16 (EN) Sri Lanka has decided to import 50,000 metric tons of rice using what remains of a one billion US dollar credit line signed in March 2022 for essential commodities, PM Ranil Wickremesinghe’s office said, amid warnings of an impending food crisis. The decision was taken at a discussion held at the Prime Minister’s office on Thursday, June 16, to allocate funds for this purpose to the State Trading Corporation under the the Indian loan assistance programme. more..

Jun 16 (SLN) A special operation mounted by SL Navy in the eastern seas this morning (15) led to the apprehension of 64 persons who were suspected to be attempting to illegally migrate from the country via sea routes. Accordingly, the Fast Attack Craft P 484 of the Fast Attack Flotilla attached to the Eastern Naval Command intercepted a suspicious local fishing trawler, during a patrol off Trincomalee this morning (15th June). Upon being searched, the Navy apprehended 64 persons, believed to be illegal immigrants more..

Jun 16 (AD) A woman who allegedly threw her five-year-old child into the Kelani River at the Kadirana Bridge in Wattala and attempted to commit suicide has been apprehended by residents in the area and handed over to the police. The woman who had arrived on crutches last night had thrown her child into the river and had attempted to jump into the river herself when she was rescued by persons in the vicinity. Police said that search operations were launched using fishing boats to locate more..

Jun 16 (Reuters) R.M.R Lenora stood in a snaking queue outside SL's Immigration and Emigration Department headquarters for two days last week, hoping to get a passport and, with it, a chance to leave a country wilting under an economic crisis. A garment worker, 33-year-old Lenora decided to apply for a job as a maid in Kuwait after her husband was laid off from a small restaurant where he worked as a cook. "My husband lost his job because there is no cooking gas and food costs have skyrocketed. more..

Jun 16 (AD) Minister Kanchana Wijesekera says that two new private international companies have been selected to supply petrol and diesel to Sri Lanka while another private company has been selected to supply jet fuel (aviation fuel). The minister made this observation during a press conference held today at the ministry premises to brief the media on the present fuel situation in the country. He stated that four suppliers have been given permission to import crude oil based on the proposals put forward by them more..

Jun 16 (Island) Sri Lanka is in a dire situation. Known as the Pearl of the Indian Ocean, the country is facing the worst economic crisis since independence in 1948. Western media has taken this opportunity to hype up the so-called Chinese debt trap, alleging that SL is on the verge of economic collapse because it was unable to repay its large loans from China. They add that the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has brought a heavy burden to the SL economy, and constantly pitting the SL govt more..

Jun 16 (EN) SL’s govt will present a draft roadmap to parliament for MPs to present their ideas on mitigating the effects of the country’s ongoing economic crisis, PM Ranil Wickremesinghe has told a group of MPs including prominent opposition legislators. Wickremesinghe had disclosed this at a meeting he held Wednesday (15) evening with a number of MPs including Former Finance Minister Ali Sabry, COPE Chairman Charitha Herath and COPF Chairman Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, and opposition MPs more..

Jun 16 (Island) The govt has nominated SL’s former Ambassador in Norway lawyer Godfrey Cooray, as SL’s Ambassador to Germany. Cooray will succeed Manori Unambuwa, another non-career head of SL mission. Corporate professional Unambuwa assumed duties in early July 2020. Cooray recently returned to Colombo following the closure of SL’s mission in Norway, in line with the cash-strapped govt decision to close down some of its overseas missions. Sources said that Cooray offered to move to a smaller and more..

Jun 16 (EN) SL is in the process to mend severed ties with Japan after the island nation unilaterally cancelled a US$ 1.5 b light rail transit (LRT) and East Container Terminal (ECT) projects as the crisis-hit South Asian nation is seeking int'l help to come out of its economic downturn amid a political crisis. Higher govt officials and ruling SLPP members have said that most foreign countries were hesitant to help SL unlike in the past because some harsh undiplomatic experiences in the past. more..