Jun 18 (ST) The monsoonal rains over the past several weeks is raising fears of dengue, prompting advice to homeowners to eliminate mosquito breeding sites. In the first 10 days of this month the number of dengue patients seeking treatment in hospitals countrywide was a record 3,088 triggering alarm bells among health authorities. Of this, Colombo District reported the highest at 941 patients. Gampaha had 430 patients and Kalutara 300. Patients from Colombo District in May more..

Jun 18 (EN) SL Army will cultivate over 1,500 acre barren state land across the country to support the national food program to avoid a looming food crisis expected by September. The Army established a new committee, Green Agriculture Steering Committee of the Army (GASC), on Thursday in order to supplement and promote the island’s food security programme by cultivating more than 1,500 acres of barren or abandoned more..

Jun 18 (ST) The sandy beaches look like barren wastelands, but as you enter the water in the ocean and start to go deeper, a world rich in biodiversity opens up. This space is home to a wide array of creatures ranging from tiny algae to the blue whale, but how many of us got the chance to experience this, asks Alosha Samaraarachchi, nine-year-old young marine biologist who addressed a World Ocean Day event in SL on June 8. Oceans provide half of the world’s oxygen and also absorb more..

Jun 18 (AD) Colombo Port City Special Economic Zone is set to be under the spotlight at the Commonwealth Heads of Govt Meeting’s business forum in Kigali, Rwanda, from June 21 to 23. Port City Colombo Deputy Managing Director Thulci Aluwihare explained that Colombo Port City Economic Commission and CHEC Port City, are expecting to clear out existing misconceptions about the project, and answer any difficult question at the event. more..

Jun 18 (TM) Bar Association in SL (BASL) has released a statement today on the law and order in the country, noting that those who impose the law are also facing the same pressures of the general public in a volatile country. “The recent images of a pistol wielding police officer assaulting a member of the public at a petrol shed at Maspotha, in Kurunegala and the ensuing exchange of words & violent scenes at a fuel station more..

Jun 18 (TM) Virtusa Corporation, a global provider of digital strategy, digital engineering, IT services, and solutions that help clients change and disrupt markets through innovation engineering, announced the appointment of Naresha Supramaniam as its new Country Head for SL. “Naresha’s global exposure, industry acumen, and deep understanding of the region’s capacity for growth will contribute greatly towards our expansion plans for SL,” said Virtusa CEO Santosh Thomas. more..

Jun 18 (TM) Visa Inc, announced the launch of Person-to-Person (P2P) payments in SL, enabling consumers to both make and receive payments digitally, from one person to another in real-time. In the post-pandemic world, digital transactions are growing through multiple platforms, value of which is projected to reach $ 5317 million in 2022. Cashless service delivery levels are being transformed through enabling real time digital access across payment gateways & smart devices. more..

Jun 19 (CT) “Men make their own history, but they do not make it just as they please; they do not make it under circumstances chosen by themselves, but under circumstances directly encountered, given and transmitted from the past. The tradition of dead generations weighs like a nightmare on the brains of the living”. Likewise Prime Minister RW is not a slave to the past, nor is he a free agent. What he can do is restrained by economic and political inheritances. By far the weightiest are economic conditions, more..

Jun 19 (CT) Sri Lanka’s problems long predate the arrival of the Rajapaksas. Widely touted as an export-dependent economy, its tendency to import everything, from intermediate capital goods to bathroom ware, has been its distinguishing feature for the last 70 years. Sri Lanka’s shift to neoliberal globalisation in 1977 served to reinforce this dependency, making it vulnerable to external shocks. The ineptitude of the Rajapaksas is thus a symptom of a bigger malaise, more..

Jun 19 (SO) Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said that the Govt is doing its best to address the current economic issue and ensure that there won’t be any shortage and queues for gas, fuel and foods. Minister said the crisis of this nature cannot be solved within two to three weeks but every arm of the Govt is trying hard to overcome the situation. Minister said we have to restructure our debt to win the confidence of the IMF. more..

Jun 19 (SO) It would not be incorrect to say that fuel makes the world go around. Ever since the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) was invented more than a century ago, we have been relying heavily on fossil fuel derivatives such as petrol, diesel and kerosene, otherwise known as jet fuel. The ICE is one reason for the rapid industrialisation and development of the world. Fossil fuels are also used to generate energy for household and industrial use. This is indeed how much of the world runs now. more..

Jun 19 (TM) SL’s descent to economic Armageddon appears to be unravelling much faster than anticipated, with a disturbing turn for the worse in the past week. The only progress seems to be in the number of meetings between officials, with a race between the Prez and the PM to hog the limelight, and hopefully take ownership of the monumental crisis in the making with the same level of enthusiasm. The not-so-secret battle of attrition between the two appears to be heating up more..

Jun 19 (TM) Sri Lanka is bracing for long power cuts as the national grid will be short of 300 MW of power with one unit at the Lakvijaya Coal Power Plant in Norochcholai taken offline for compulsory maintenance. It is learnt that the existing power resources such as hydro, mini-hydro, solar, and diesel will not be sufficient to meet the deficit, especially due to the uncertainty over receiving furnace oil or diesel to generate electricity more..

Jun 19 (Island) The decision of the SLPP to nominate business tycoon Dhammika Perera to Parliament to fill the National List vacancy created by former Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa’s resignation took most observers by surprise. Following his gazetting as an MP, Perera was named Minister of Technology and Investment Promotion in the govt and the subjects under this new ministry were gazetted last week. He has not yet taken his oaths as an MP but will do so more..

Jun 19 (CT) In a brief statement at the 50th Session, Foreign Minister G.L. Peiris sought the understanding of the UNHRC on the ‘challenging social and economic situation’ facing the nation. Detailing the twin crises without going into the specifics, he also outlined what the Govt had done in the context of the war crimes probe and accountability issues, which have since taken monstrous propositions to include every day law-and-order situation, so to say. more..

Jun 19 (Island) To those who believe in God – no explanation is necessary To those who do not believe God – no explanation is possible. That perhaps is all one can say to those seeking logical explanations to the wondrous happenings at the Ruhunu Maha Kataragama Devale. From time to time some pilgrims have had the most strange experiences on their way to the temple, at the temple or on their return from the temple. Those who have not shown sufficient respect to warrior more..

Jun 19 (CI) The upcoming tour of SL will be the ideal platform and the right time for the young quick bowlers to grab their opportunities in the absence of the experienced Jhulan Goswami and Shikha Pandey. Harmanpreet Kaur, India's newly-appointed ODI captain, and head coach Ramesh Powar, laid out the plans for the team before departing for the Sri Lanka tour, as they look to fine-tune their plans for the Commonwealth Games starting next month and T20 World Cup next year in South Africa. more..

Jun 19 (ST) The debt-ridden national carrier, Sri Lankan Airlines (UL), was in the news this week not on the usual focus of how many billions of rupees it is losing every year but on the conduct of two of its pilots who, according to the pilots themselves, narrowly averted a mid-air disaster. Media reports indicated how the UL504 pilots flying an Airbus A330-300 registered as 4R-ALM, ignored Turkish air traffic control’s (ATC) request to more..

Jun 19 (ST) Hardly a fortnight after the Tamil Nadu state govt made a much-publicised donation of humanitarian assistance to the suffering people of SL, including kerosene for the fishermen of the Northern Jaffna peninsula, the familiar armadas of bottom trawlers have come charging from the state’s coastline illegally into SL’s territorial waters to take away the catch for its multimillion US dollar fisheries industry. What the right hand giveth the suffering Sri Lankans, the left hand taketh away. more..

Jun 19 (ST) My dear (A)Prasanna, I thought of writing to you because you are making history, being a cabinet minister while at the same time being a person convicted in a court of law. Of course, we have had ministers being convicted of offences, but I cannot remember someone who was convicted and still continued to remain a minister! Making history is not something new to your family. Your brother Arjuna made history by leading us to the Cricket World Cup over twenty-five years ago. more..

Jun 19 (Island) Respected Indian cricket writer R. Kaushik, who has authored several cricket books including autobiographies of VVS Laxman, 281 and Beyond and Gundappa Vishwanath Wrist Assured is a wise man in the game. He also happens to be a keen follower of Sri Lanka cricket. For the 2003 World Cup, when Sri Lanka travelled to South Africa leaving T.M. Dilshan out, he commented that it was a blunder. more..

Jun 19 (ST) Hosts Sri Lanka will definitely come out as a confident lot at the third ODI against Australia at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo today, after pulling off a stunning 26-run win in the second game. The emphatic win, which came in the absence of star allrounder Wanindu Hasaranga, who is likely to miss the rest of the series on medical advice, would put an extra bit of courage, as Australia are having their own woes within the camp. more..

Jun 19 (SO) SL's troubled rugby administration has sought Pakistan's help to take the sport forward and hopefully stave off a group of subversive elements that also includes a rebel faction who are working behind the scenes to sabotage the sport in whatever possible way. The shadowy group is said to be headed by an ex-SL Rugby president well known for his political frolics and colour changing tactics while his second in command is said to be a former referee now turned businessman. more..

Jun 19 (ST) After a long delay, Kusal Janith Perera may finally travel to Britan for surgery to fix a troubled shoulder. But his chances at getting ready for the T20 World Cup later this year hang in the balance. Perera injured his shoulder during a practice session ahead of the Indian limited over series in July last year. While he returned to play the subsequent series against South Africa and the T20 World Cup in UAE, it was obvious the left-handed wicketkeeper/batter had pain and discomfort. more..

Jun 19 (ST) In an era where a professional racquet costs Rs. 90,000 and a tin of tennis ball is prized at Rs. 2,500, an image of a cheque received by a pre-quarter-finalist earned at a national event posted on social, media paints a contrastingly different picture of Sri Lanka tennis. Tennis, considered one of the richest sports in the world, depicts an entire opposite reflection after this cheque, valued Rs. 2,000, which apparently is the prize money the pre-quarter-finalists were awarded. more..

Jun 19 (TM) Several steps are to be taken in relation to addressing SL’s ongoing economic crisis with international assistance from this week onwards. One of the key steps will be the commencement of discussions with China on rescheduling SL’s debt to the same. A highly-placed source said that following China’s agreement to negotiate Chinese debt to the country, SL Govt would be commencing the discussion more..

Jun 19 (Island) SL born French citizen Lalani Ruberoe said that she would fight to get justice done against all those responsible by either commission or omission of their duties for destroying her house and property during the riots took place after SLPP goons attacked protesters at the Galle Face Gotagogama on May 09. Mobs had set a house belonging to Chairman of the Kesbewa UC Lakshman Perera on fire on May 09 together with the neighbouring house belonging to Lalani more..

Jun 19 (Island) The economic crisis that is affecting SL has reached massive proportions and acquired novel social dimensions that threatens the very fabric of our society. Forex Reserve, which averaged around USD 7 to 8 Billion before the crisis, has dropped to a mere USD 50 Million, the lowest figure in our history, as revealed by then Finance Minister Ali Sabry. The resulting dollar scarcity has led to a sharp drop in the import of essentials like fuel, LP gas, medicines and food items. more..

Jun 19 (ST) State-owned Litro Gas Lanka Ltd with a market share of 75% of liquified petroleum gas (LPG) is to make a costly change by replacing the present selected LP gas supplier, company sources said, adding that an influential party is behind this deal. Newly-appointed Litro Chairman Muditha Peiris said that a decision has been taken to purchase gas from the long-term distributor in Oman for next 4 months. more..

Jun 19 (ST) The crisis-hit coconut industry is set to see a spike in the price of coconuts reaching Rs.200 with farm gate prices pushing towards Rs.100 in a bid to overcome the rising cost of production. Emeritus Prof. of Bio Chemistry Deepal Mathew, an Executive Member of the Coconut Growers Association, said that the prices of coconuts cannot be held down for long and by December prices are likely to reach Rs.200. The farm gate prices need to reach Rs.100 to become sustainable, more..

Jun 19 (ST) More and more Sri Lankans are opting for substitutes to power their electricity requirements in the wake of a crippling power crisis. Solar panels, net metering, and generators have now taken a back seat due to a more cost-effective option which is inverters. Nabeel Nular, Proprietor Lunar Engineers said that inverters save about 60 per cent power compared with other options such as generators. He said that a 1 kilowatt generator consumes about 3 litres of petrol. more..

Jun 19 (SO) Ashton Agar, currently touring Sri Lanka with the Australian cricket team, visited the residence of his maternal grandfather in Kandy and recalled memories of relatives living in the island. Agar’s mother Sonia is the daughter of Nala Hewawissa who played cricket for Dharmaraja College. Sonia migrated to Australia in 1974 and later married John Agar. Ashton Agar, a left arm spin bowler played against Sri Lanka in the three-match T20 series and was injured with a side tear more..

Jun 19 (ST) The Govt has opted to consider unsolicited proposals for fuel supplies amid delays over financial commitments from India and China to buy diesel and petrol for the upcoming weeks, senior officials said. Accordingly, Cabinet approval has been sought to pursue at least six unsolicited proposals for fuel purchases as the crisis deepened with kilometres-long queues lasting for days. The Govt is looking at the option of buying fuel on a 180-day credit basis. more..

Jun 19 (ST) India’s Adani Group intends to expand still further in SL through Adani Green Energy Ltd (AGEL) which has secured a total 500MW of wind and solar plants in Mannar and Pooneryn, documents show. A letter sent in November last year by Vneet Jaain, AGEL CEO, to former Treasury Secretary S.R. Attygalle states that the company proposes to increase its footprints by setting up 1000MW of RE projects more..

Jun 19 (ICC) SL remain hopeful that star spinner Wanindu Hasaranga will be fit to take on Australia in the third ODI in Colombo on Sunday. Hasaranga sat out SL's narrow 26-run victory over Australia in the 2nd match of the 5-game series on Thursday due to a groin complaint, but has remained with the team in an attempt to feature later in the series. SL know how vital Hasaranga is to their team structure and medical staff are doing everything they can to ensure he will take the field more..

Jun 19 (Island) The Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus is determined to initiate a policy dialogue in order to formulate strategies to identify, address and counter hate speech in SL, its chairperson, MP Dr. Sudarshini Fernandopulle said. In a statement issued to mark the inaugural International Day for Countering Hate Speech on June 18, Dr Fernandopulle said that there were ample examples attesting to the fact that lewd, suggestive and violative comments are often directed at more..