Jun 8 (TM) Cabinet approval has been granted to import 150,000 metric tonnes (MT) of urea, 45,000 MT of muriate of potash (MOP), and 36,000 MT of triple superphosphate (TSP) fertiliser required for paddy cultivation during the 2022-2023 Maha cultivation season. The Department of Government Information stated that the Cabinet had granted its approval to the said proposal presented by Minister of Agriculture Mahinda Amaraweera. Accordingly, the relevant quantities of fertiliser would be more..

Jun 8 (DM) Ratata Hetak CSR programme requested the speaker to take action to uplift the grade of the SL Passport while enabling people to travel to at least 190 countries without a VISA. The organiser of the Ratata Hetak programme, Sarath Kalugamage, said a letter in this regard was sent to the speaker. "According to the Int'l Ratings on Passports, SL's passport stands at the lowest position. "As an Asian country, Japanese can travel to 190 countries without a visa, but, more..

Jun 8 (EN) Minister Kanchana Wijesekera has said power tariffs will not be hiked, as key trade union protested plans to entertain unsolicited proposals from private investors without competitive bidding. CEB Engineers Union has said its members will walkout at 1200 midnight on June 08 if the Electricity Act is changed on June 09 to end competitive bidding. “I will not take CEB request to increase tariff rates to the cabinet since more..

Jun 8 (TM) The Supplementary Estimate of Rs. 695 billion for Govt expenditure was passed in Parliament today. The debate on the Supplementary Estimate of Rs. 695 billion, presented by PM Ranil Wickremesinghe, was taken up for debate until the evening. The Committee on Public Finance, chaired by MP Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, gave its approval to the said Supplementary Estimate yesterday. Out of this estimate of Rs. 695 billion, Rs. 395 billion is for recurrent expenditure. more..

Jun 8 (DM) SJB MP Thushara Indunil asked how could PM Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was called Mr. Clean, sit in the House alongside someone who was convicted by the court. He told Parliament that the Chief Govt Whip was convicted by the court for wrongdoing and asked how the PM was sitting with a wrongdoer when he is standing against wrongdoings. PM said Chief Govt Whip was convicted by the court and that he had the right to appeal in SC/AC against the sentence. more..

Jun 8 (TM) The local construction sector, which has been facing financial difficulties for several years, is expected to face more issues, as PM Ranil Wickremesinghe announced that about Rs. 50 billion due to contractors for State projects will be delayed. Wickremesinghe, who is also Minister of Finance, Economic Stabilisation, and National Policies, made this remark in Parliament yesterday responding to questions raised more..

Jun 8 (AD) Business tycoon Dhammika Perera is tipped to enter the parliament through the National List of SLPP, sources said. According to sources, Mr. Perera is also expected to take up a ministerial portfolio involving the investment sector. Reportedly, Mr. Perera will fill the National List parliamentary seat likely to be vacated by former Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa. It was reported earlier today, that the former minister is planning to step down from his parliamentary seat. more..

Jun 8 (TM) The installation of a zipline by the Talawakelle Tea Estate to transport tea leaves has led to the estate saving over Rs. 600,000 per month expenses related to transport, amidst the energy crisis in the country. Talawakelle Tea Estates CEO Senaka Alawattegama said that the zip line located in its Bearwell Estate is used to transport tea leaves to its factory over the Agra Oya, saving on daily costs of transporting the tea over over 60 km. According to him, a tractor from tea factory more..

Jun 9 (DM) Left in internet parlance refers, apparently, to an individual who has withdrawn from a group, for example one on WhatsApp created for like-minded people or those who share some common attribute (for example being a member of a particular sports team or a political collective). It can also be used, by extension, to refer to something that was but is no more. It is in this sense that we need to discuss the proposition, #aragalayaleft? In other words, what happened to more..

Jun 9 (Island) The current economic crisis has hit the country’s education sector severely. From pre-school children to undergraduates, students, teachers and non-academic staff attached to our educational system, have been affected in unprecedented ways. Our educational institutions are struggling to run academic activities due to frequent power-cuts and shortages of supplies, such as stationery and chemicals. Hostellers, and students boarded in private houses, more..

Jun 9 (DM) Today marks two months since the Galle Face protest began and a month since peaceful protesters in front of Temple Trees and at the Galle Face Green were attacked. Much has happened since the attacks took place, but the protesters continue to work towards the common objective of putting an end to a corrupt governance structure. Their primary demand is the demand for Prez Rajapaksa to step down. more..

Jun 9 (CT) On June 6th when Parliament met, PM Ranil Wickremesinghe made a relatively lengthy but utterly uninspiring speech. His address lacked severity; it was devoid of any feel for the common man and his delivery, as usual, atrocious. He was never known for his oratorical skills nor was he ever reckoned as an average parliamentary speaker. He was well below that landmark of being average. Yet sometimes he manages to create some laughter with his dry and dull humor. more..

Jun 9 (GV) In May this year, a Sri Lankan living in Australia was seen tearing up a flyer on the Tamil genocide commemorations at a #GotaGoHome protest. He said, “Do you think there was a genocide? Why don’t you go to court? This is not a thing to talk about here,” before declaring that there was no genocide in Sri Lanka. He then requested the Tamil congregation to move from the location, almost threatening to remove them if they did not leave. This was all caught on camera for more..

Jun 9 (CT) They say “Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did.” What better country than this to teach us perseverance defined that way? When it is not a choice but a must, there is little else we can do. The GCE O/L Exam was underway during the height of the monsoon. The latest was to see how students answered papers with umbrellas open. more..

Jun 9 (TM) After a spate of arrests of illegal migrants during the past few months, the Navy arrested 91 persons on Tuesday for allegedly attempting to leave the country via sea. This was during two separate raids over which 15 and 76 persons, including children, were arrested. Challenges pertaining to illegal migrants are not a new development in SL. However, during the past few months, there has been a marked increase in the number of people leaving the country through more..

Jun 9 (CT) UNP Leader and Prez Rajapaksa’s Premier, Ranil Wickremesinghe responding to a question asked by SJB MP Lakshman Kiriella in Parliament said, that he hoped to clinch an IMF deal in another three months time in September. Previously he told the media that he hopes to get this IMF deal by the middle of this month, casting doubts on Wickremesinghe’s timelines, when comparing to what he said a few days ago, to what he said yesterday. more..

Jun 9 (DM) Lest we forget to remember, we begin today’s column by once again highlighting the fact that those most affected by SL’s unprecedented economic and political crises are those in no way responsible for causing it. In that case who is? Without doubt the crises ensnaring this country and the people have resulted from the cumulative effects of the arbitrary and capricious decisions taken by Prez Rajapaksa while the then Cabinet ministers, most of whom are continuing to hold more..

Jun 9 (FT) In a bid to boost foreign exchange inflows, the Govt has decided to send public sector workers abroad. “Public Administration Ministry will issue a circular on this soon,” Minister Bandula Gunawardena told journalists on Tuesday. The immediate opportunities are for the health sector workers particularly for nurses. “There are some issues that needs to be looked into such as seniority. The new regulations will be issued shortly, as the Health Ministry is working on it,” more..

Jun 9 (Island) Despite the uncertainty surrounding their participation in the World Junior Athletics C'ships the two hurdlers who had already qualified for the major event showcased their readiness with some noteworthy performances on day two of the Junior National Athletics Championships at the Sugathadasa Stadium on Wednesday. Top on the list was the record breaking feat of Dhanuka Dharshana more..

Jun 9 (Island) SJB MP Lakshman Kiriella said a mouthful in Parliament, on Tuesday; the govt leaders were speaking ad nauseam about problems instead of taking necessary action to solve them. He asked them to reveal how they proposed to resolve the economic crisis. One cannot but agree with him on this score. The govt grandees are all mouth and no action. People are aware of the country’s problems as well as the causes thereof. They do not want either Prez or PM or any other politician more..

Jun 9 (ST) National Shooting Sport Federation of SL (NSSF), one of the key sport entities that have produced Olympians and Commonwealth Games medialists, have been forced to withhold its intended calendar events. According to sources, the main reason is the unavailability of ammunition, pellets and other important material that goes along with the medal prospective, yet fairly expensive sport. Rated as one of the best sports to increase the level of focus and mindset, with its ability to improve more..

Jun 9 (CI) Richardsons - Kane and Jhye - shared seven wickets between them to clean out SL's middle and lower orders. Glenn Maxwell took two as well, and Josh Hazlewood bowled four overs for just 14 runs. All this meant that on either side of a 66-run stand for the third wicket, SL's batting fell to pieces again, and the hosts limped their way to 124. This should have made for another straightforward chase, but Wanindu Hasaranga magicked more..

Jun 9 (ST) The Govt is seriously considering the possibility of forming joint ventures for Mattala and Ratmalana int'l airports separately due to heavy losses in revenue, dwindling traffic and a passenger slump in the present social unrest and economic crises. Both these airports are not generating income even to meet the operating expenses including the payment of salaries of its staff, transport costs and maintenance expenditure, a senior official of Ports/Aviation Ministry said. more..

Jun 9 (FT) UN Environment’s Global Resources Outlook 2019 revealed that resource extraction and processing was the cause of 90% of biodiversity loss and water stress and contributed to approximately 50% of total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. UN Environment Programme Acting Executive Director Joyce Msuya remarked, “Economic growth which comes at the expense of our planet is simply not sustainable. Our challenge is to meet the needs of all people within the means of our planet. more..

Jun 9 (Island) The people of India irrespective of their income levels are deeply concerned over the current situation in SL and have come forward to help the people of Sri Lanka by way of donating humanitarian assistance material, such as, rice, sugar, wheat flour, edible oil, dhal and lifesaving medicine said the Dr. D. Venkateshwaran, Deputy High Commissioner for SL in Chennai. He said at a special meeting at his office in Chennai that another six batches are on the way, while more..

Jun 9 (TM) A total of 13 suspects remanded in connection with the peaceful protestors being attacked in Colombo on 9 May, including SLPP MP Milan Jayathilake, were released on bail, while four other suspects including SLPP MP Sanath Nishantha were further remanded by the Colombo Fort Chief Magistrate Thilina Gamage yesterday. The suspects were produced before Chief Magistrate Gamage. Out of the suspects, 13 suspects, including Jayathilake, more..

Jun 9 (SCMP) Is SL the canary in the coal mine or the elephant in the room? The erstwhile tourist magnet of 22 million people, off India’s southern tip, is struggling through its worst economic crisis since independence from Britain, in 1948. SL “has a long history of rising foreign obligations, driven partly by incessant govt deficits, and this has been worsened by a loss of tourism revenue in the pandemic & this year, by surging fuel costs”, more..

Jun 9 (FT) An Extraordinary Gazette notification was issued last night declaring supply of electricity, services, work or labour, of any description whatsoever, necessary or required to be done in connection with the maintenance and the reception, care feeding, and treatment, of patients in hospitals, nursing homes, dispensaries and other similar institutions as an essential service. Prez issued the new Gazette No. 2283/33 by virtue of the powers vested in him by Section 2 of the Essential more..

Jun 9 (FT) Women’s Development Federation of Hambantota has recently signed a Letter of Cooperation with USAID Partnership for Accelerating Results in Trade, National Expenditure and Revenue (PARTNER) project to increase the trade and market access capabilities of women entrepreneurs. The capacity building program will support up to 30 women-owned micro and small enterprises in Southern Province with training & coaching on business development, more..

Jun 9 (FT) The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) has launched an Emergency Appeal for 28 million Swiss francs (approximately Rs. 10.4 billion) to provide immediate critical relief and for longer recovery efforts for an estimated 500,000 people. The IFRC today warned that the economic crisis in Sri Lanka is spiralling into a humanitarian emergency as millions of people face acute shortages of food, fuel, cooking gas, and medicine. more..

Jun 9 (DM) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe this week disclosed how the former officials at the front seats of driving the economy into the current abyss continuously held back the truth about the Chinese swap and took the press and entire public for a ride for nearly a year. Wickremesinghe in a detailed speech made to Parliament on June 7 said that US$ 1.5b equivalent Chinese yuan-denominated swap line was granted under the condition that the country could only utilise the funds, more..

Jun 9 (TM) The draft Bill to amend the Electricity Act, No. 20 of 2009 is due to be presented to Parliament today, despite the CEB Engineers’ Union’s (CEBEU) strike action against it, which could lead to an orchestrated islandwide blackout cum power failure from today morning, while Prez Rajapaksa declared electricity supply an essential service via a Gazette notification issued last night (8). “The amendment to the Act, more..

Jun 9 (Island) The IGP, who was in office in April 2019, upon receiving Indian Intelligence reports, had passed over the unverified information to the Senior DIG of the Western Province and 4 other DIGs of the province, Counsel Viran Corea told SC. He appeared for the retired IGP Pujith Jayasundara a respondent in the petitions filed on behalf of victims of the Easter Sunday suicide bomb attacks of 21 April 2019. Then IGP had told his junior officers not to frighten the general public. more..

Jun 9 (Island) SJB told Parliament on Tuesday Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa govt would not receive any international assistance and there would be no solution to the present crisis. Participating in a debate on the country’s current economic crisis, Chief Opposition Whip, MP Lakshman Kiriella, said: “Lankan expatriates publish advertisements in newspapers in foreign countries calling on the international community not to grant aid to SL as long as Gotabaya Rajapaksa remained Prez. more..

Jun 9 (ST) Agriculture sector authorities are currently working on reversing a ban on Glyphosate following a request from the Plantation Ministry. Agriculture Dept Director General said that they have already submitted a technical paper to a Parliamentary sub-committee in a bid to commence the process of reversing a ban on the much needed weedicide Glyphosate. It was pointed out that there is a “big request from the Plantation Ministry seeking approval for tea and coconut” more..