Aug 1 (EN) SL’s fishing community has been advised to take precautionary measures as the monsoon rains begin on the island. The meteorology department issued a red warning on Monday August 01 for strong winds and rough seas in several areas. “Southwest monsoon flow is likely to strengthen from today onwards. Showery and windy conditions are likely to enhance in the western and southern sea areas during the next few days,” a statement from the meteorology department said. more..

Aug 1 (EN) SL has experienced the worst of its economic crisis and political stability will help the country turn a corner, starting with finalising negotiations for an IMF bailout, Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has told The Wall Street Journal. “I think we’ve already hit the bottom. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel; it’s how fast we can get to it,” the New York City-based business daily quoted Wickremesinghe as saying on Sunday. more..

Aug 1 (DM) In a letter addressed to Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, MP Patali Champika Ranawaka today laid out conditions to start up a dialogue with the former to set up an all party govt. “We urge you to abolish the cabinet which you have already appointed, abolish some of the appointments made by you which included those involved in corruption, to reveal what you intend to follow when dealing with IMF and what alternative steps are to be taken if SL fails to strike a deal with the IMF. more..

Aug 1 (AD) CPC has reduced the price of Auto Diesel by Rs. 10 with effect from 10 p.m. today. New price of a litre of Auto Diesel will be Rs. 430. However, prices of all other fuel types will remain unchanged. Fuel prices were expected to be revised today in line with the fuel pricing formula. However, only the price of Auto Diesel has been revised while the prices of Super Diesel (Rs. 510), Petrol Octane 92 (Rs. 450), Petrol Octane 95 (Rs. 540) and kerosene (Rs. 87) will remain the same. more..

Aug 1 (DM) Eleven lawyers today filed separate Fundamental Rights petitions in Supreme Court challenging the legality of the deployment of Army personnel to forcefully disperse a peaceful protest held at the ramparts of the Galle Fort on June 29. The Petitioners stated that this incident happened when the second day of the first test match was being played between Sri Lankan and Australian Cricket teams more..

Aug 1 (DM) The Department for Registration of Persons (DRP) has taken steps to issue birth certificates while including a Sri Lankan Identification Number (SLIN) for newborn babies from today. DRP Commissioner General Viyani Gunathilaka said the birth certificates are issued as a combination process by DRP and the Registrar General's Department (RGD) for babies born in Sri Lanka. The decision was announced during the cabinet meeting on December 14, 2021, he said. more..

Aug 1 (EN) The body of an unidentified man has washed ashore near the Galle Face Green in Colombo, Sri Lanka, the second such incident in 72 hours. Police said the Colombo Fort police station is investigating the latest incident, reported Monday August 01 morning. The deceased looked around 40 years of age and the body has been transferred to the National Hospital in Colombo, police said. Previously, the body of an 18-year-old residing in Pannipitiya was found by Galle Face beach. more..

Aug 1 (EN) SL’s low-grown Ceylon teas prices rose to 1,639.42 rupees a kg in July third week auction, from the previous week’s record 1,629.93 rupees a kg, as the currency collapsed steeply following mistargeted interest rates and a botched float with a surrender requirement. In the last week’s auction sale on July 20 low grown averaged US$ 4.54 a kg up from US$ 2.94 a year earlier. Global commodity prices have moved up due to US money printing, which tends to weaken the dollar. more..

Aug 1 (DM) Italy has decided to grant an emergency contribution to SL worth 300,000 euro with a view to improving food security, the Embassy of Italy in Colombo said. “The contribution will be channeled through the World Food Program (WFP) and will consist in the provision of food assistance as well as in targeted cash transfers and the distribution of vouchers to the most vulnerable,” the embassy said in a statement. It also stated; At a time when domestic and int'l factors are driving more..

Aug 1 (EN) President Ranil Wickremesinghe must see to it that at least five elderly MPs vacate their parliamentary seats to make way for representatives of Sri Lanka’s youth-led protest movement, Chairman of Lanka Private Bus Owners’ Association (LPBOA) Gemunu Wijeratne said. Speaking to reporters on Monday August 01, Wijearatne suggested that five key individuals from the Aragalaya (Struggle) protest movement more..

Aug 1 (DM) LITRO Gas Lanka has decided to reduce the selling prices of the domestic gas cylinder by Aug 5, LITRO Chairman Muditha Peiris said. The decision was taken considering the price reduction in the world market and that the company could be assured of granting the gas price reduction by Aug 5. However, the gas price will be reduced more than the amount of the recent price increase, he said. Selling price of a 12.5kg domestic gas cylinder was increased by Rs.50 recently, more..

Aug 1 (AD) Supreme Court has extended the travel ban imposed on former PM Mahinda Rajapaksa and former minister Basil Rajapaksa until Aug 4, as they were named as respondents in a case filed over the economic crisis. A motion had been filed on July 13, seeking an order prohibiting former PM Mahinda Rajapaksa, former Minister Basil Rajapaksa, former CB Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal and several others from leaving the country. The motion was submitted in relation to a FR petition more..

Aug 1 (AFP) SL issued an urgent appeal on Monday to tackle rapidly spreading malnutrition among children as its economic crisis leaves nine out of 10 people dependent on state handouts. Ministry for Women and Child Affairs said they were seeking private donations to feed possibly several hundred thousand children wasting due to insufficient food. The bankrupt state, grappling with SL’s worst economic crisis since more..

Aug 1 (Island) Embassy of SL in Turkey organized the second leg of the SL Batiks promotional event with the assistance of the Honorary Consul of SL to Antalya Ali Kamburoglu recently. Event was held at Beachpark, Konyaalti in the city of Antalya which is the tourism hub of Turkey. The visitors admired the glamour of SL batiks and handloom sarees, wrap-arounds, shawls and other dresses and showed keen interest in connecting with SL suppliers through e-commerce platforms. more..

Aug 1 (CT) TNA Spokesman, MP M.A. Sumanthiran said if the President is genuinely willing to form an All-Party Govt, the TNA will fully support it. The MP said at a media briefing held in Vavuniya that the only solution to all of the country’s problems, including the economic crisis, is an All-Party Govt. However, the MP added that forming an All-Party Govt should be done honestly, and that all-party govts should not be formed to maintain more political advantages or power in their hands. more..

Aug 1 (TM) Protestors at the aragalaya (struggle) have formed a united protestors front to demonstrate against the repression of the Govt, and as the first step, a people’s rally has been scheduled to be held on 6 Aug at an as yet unspecified venue. The venue and the time would be revealed later due to security reasons. Meanwhile, social media activist Pathum Kernar has requested international assistance and attention to stop the suppression of peaceful protestors by the Govt. more..

Aug 1 (CT) Minister Douglas Devananda renamed the Oluvil Fisheries Harbour in the Ampara District as the M.H.M. Ashraff Memorial Fisheries Harbour. “The harbour, which is a brainchild of late Minister M.H.M. Ashraff, was not functioning for various reasons and now that the Ministry of Fisheries has taken over the harbour, repairs were effected and necessary construction were carried out with the change of new administration to maximise benefit to local fishermen,” more..

Aug 1 (FT) SL Sustainable Energy Authority (SLSEA) has called for Expression of Interest (EOIs) from firms to establish solar-assisted charging stations, to boost electric mobility presenting several opportunities to overcome the ongoing energy crisis. The authority expects to set up at least 10 charging stations per province, located by the side of the “A” grade roads or highways with a minimum capacity of 100 KW solar plant, to charge at least 3 more..

Aug 1 (Island) National Peace Council has called on the govt to hold early elections to renew the mandate of Parliament. NPC said in a media statement: “SL has witnessed a political upheaval of a kind rarely seen in the world. An unarmed protest movement of the people, for the people, and by the people, forced the resignation of a Prez, PM and Cabinet of ministers. This protest movement captured the imagination of the international community due to its size, effectiveness more..

Aug 1 (TM) Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) hopes to file a Fundamental Rights (FR) petition regarding the raid of their offices by the Police last Friday (29). FSP Education Secretary Pubudu Jayagoda said that the party hopes to file a FR about the police searches of the FSP office last week. “In the morning at around 7.30 a.m, 10 officers dressed in civilian clothing came to the office with no search warrant and searched it. They did not disclose which police division they were from. more..

Aug 1 (AD) The draft of the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution has been approved by the Cabinet of Ministers, the Justice Ministry said. The draft constitutional amendment was presented to the Cabinet by Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe and subsequently approved by the Cabinet. The amendment, which had been referred to as the 21st Amendment so far, will in fact be 22nd Amd as another draft 21st Amd more..

Aug 1 (TM) Ministry of Education has decided that schools located in areas where students and teachers do not have transportation issues will be open five days a week as usual, while other schools will be open only three days a week as in previous weeks. An official of the Ministry of Education stated that a discussion was held on 30 July between Education Minister Susil Premajayantha, Education Ministry Secretary Nihal Ranasinghe, Education Ministry officials, and Provincial Education more..

Aug 1 (ANI) Indian PM Narendra Modi on Monday assured newly-elected PM of SL Dinesh Gunawardena of India's continued support to island nation in a congratulatory letter. He also expressed hope that SL will witness quick economic recovery, ensuring the prosperity and well-being of its people. "PM @narendramodi sent a congratulatory letter to PM H.E @DCRGunawardena. PM assured that as a dependable friend and close neighbour, India shall continue to support the people of Sri Lanka. more..

Aug 1 (Island) While many other state-sector professionals including medical specialists and other health workers are spending days and nights in fuel queues, engineers of the CEB are not feeling the pinch thanks to the govt giving priority to supplying fuel for power generation, a senior Power and Energy Ministry official said. Despite everyone else undergoing untold hardships trying to find fuel, CEB engineers have been happily tapping into more..

Aug 1 (Island) Federation of University Teachers (FUTA) says that the Wickremasinghe-Rajapaksa govt lacks any legitimacy and it should stop taking cover behind the Constitution. In a statement condemning what it termed as repression of aragalaya activists by the current regime the uni teachers have said that the tyrannical govts and illegitimate leaders throughout history have led their societies to destruction. “FUTA reservedly condemns the repression of aragalaya activists by more..

Aug 1 (AD) Time to dig deep for that island sense of joie de vivre and look for those silver linings… And despite the pessimistic economic forecast for the next 12 months, and the less than delightful long and short-term business outlook, a belief that change for the better is coming is our only hope. As the energy and drive of the push on 9 July dissipated into confusion, sporadic violence and a surreal sense of déjà vu, few would argue that political stability and economic recovery more..

Aug 1 (TM) A group claiming to include 1,640 Catholic Priests, Sisters, and Brothers from 23 congregations expressed serious concern yesterday about the potential arrest of Catholic Priest from the Diocese of Ratnapura (Sabaragamuwa Province), and human rights defender Fr. Jeevantha Peiris. This statement came after the Colombo Magistrate Court issued a travel ban on Fr. Jeevantha and several others more..

Aug 1 (TM) Issuing a statement on 30 July, a group of senior medical professionals demanded that the Govt withdraw the state of emergency imposed islandwide. “We demand, as a matter of extreme urgency, that the rulers immediately withdraw the state of emergency and apply the normal laws of the country, which are quite adequate to deal with any alleged offences. We dread to think of the repercussions including mass protests that could be triggered with possible bloodshed if the Govt more..

Aug 1 (TM) The new Covid-19 Omicron BA.5 sub-variant is fuelling one of the largest Covid waves seen in the world so far and thus the SL public too is advised to practice caution and follow health guidelines to prevent mass infections, remarked Dr. Chandima Jeewandara. He stated that the BA.5 sub variant possesses a similar mutation (L452R) as that present in the Delta variant, which can be elaborated as an intrinsic ability to evade immunity, increasing tendency for re-infection despite prior more..

Aug 2 (DM) Media reports say that the draft 22nd Amendment (21st Amendment if enacted) is to be debated in the Cabinet today. They also claim that the current draft is different from the 22nd Amendment prepared under the instructions of former Prez Rajapaksa. Interestingly, both drafts were prepared by the same Justice Minister and he who justified the earlier draft will also explain the basis for the new draft as well. It is ironic that the Gotabaya Rajapaksa govt that enacted more..

Aug 2 (DM) In May 2021, Bangladesh extended a US$ 200 million currency swap facility to Sri Lanka to help the latter face a severe foreign exchange shortage. But a year down the line, Bangladesh itself is seeking an IMF bailout package of US$ 4.5 billion for budgetary and balance of payment support. Although Bangladesh’s travails are not at all as dire as those of Sri Lanka, the emerging “Tiger” in the Indian subcontinent has problems generated by the pandemic, the rise in oil prices, more..

Aug 2 (DM) The global food and agricultural systems are in the midst of a perfect storm. Due to the unending overlapping crises, the UN defines the situation as the greatest cost-of-living crisis in a generation. Record high food prices have sparked a worldwide crisis that will push millions into severe poverty, exacerbate hunger and malnutrition, and threaten to reverse years of development progress. more..

Aug 2 (DM) The fact that Sri Lanka is faced with its worst economic crisis in the modern history is everybody’s knowledge today. Unfortunately, what is not perhaps anybody’s knowledge is how steep and rapid the downturn is, and the depths it is headed toward – for the latter would depend largely on the measures that would be adopted for containment and recovery. While the official statistics on the traditional indicators of the country’s economic performance during the 2nd quarter of 2022, more..

Aug 2 (GV) From all parts of the country, there are reports of arrests of people who participated in the protests that erupted against the hardships caused by the economic meltdown. For months people made their voices heard about the unbearable living conditions that they faced. Since the govt and the authorities were indifferent to their grievances, a spontaneous movement of protest arose, first from the farmers and agricultural workers, which spread into all sectors of society. more..

Aug 2 (TM) Sri Lanka recorded its first trade surplus after 20 years in June 2022, with a surplus of $ 21 million, but this victory may be short-lived, as exporters are expected to be hit hard by import problems in the coming months, warned key figures in the local business community. Advocata Institute Economic Researcher Rehana Thowfeek said that as the exports shipped out by SL exporters were probably produced a few months ago, more..

Aug 2 (CT) What is unfolding in the SL political arena seems rather deceptive and distorted. Fast changing scenes on stage make things so confusing and what is visible is not the ground truth. Country is, as it appears, learning to live with it. The developments unveiling indicate the dust is somewhat settling and the atmosphere is clearing. But is this the reality? The agitational trends are gradually diminishing, creating a hopefulness of an early resolution of the crisis centered on more..

Aug 2 (ST) Many years ago I remember Ranil Wickremesinghe used to be called Mr Clean. I don’t know whether that sobriquet is still being used or he has earned another appellation. But if Sri Lanka is to shed its badly tarnished image that some people and organisations are intent on parading before the world particularly as a corrupt country whose national motto is give and take, then a clean-up from top to bottom of our institutions and those who represent them is long overdue. more..