Jun 24 (EN) Sri Lanka will impose power cuts up to 2.5 hours on June 22, 23, and 24 from 9.30 am. All areas (ABCDEFGHIJKLPQRSTUVW) will have power cuts for 2 hours and 30 minutes between 12 noon and 10 pm on June 24 and between 9.30 am to 10 pm on June 25. The duration will be reduced to 2 hours in all the areas on June 26 from 2 pm to 10 pm. Sri Lanka will maintain a 2.5 hour power cut until the 300 MW Norachcholai coal-fired unit power plant is back in operation. more..

Jun 24 (TM) CAA is to file cases against 479 traders for selling rice in excess of the maximum retail price (MRP), not displaying the prices of rice and refusing to sell rice. When contacted, an official of the CAA Raids Unit said that the CAA is currently conducting raids islandwide to find traders selling rice in excess of the MRP. During such raids, he said that 479 traders have been arrested for selling rice in excess of the MRP, not displaying the prices of rice and refusing to sell the rice, more..

Jun 24 (TM) Following numerous clashes between police officers and fuel consumers, Police clarified that police officers are permitted to fill fuel into cans at filling stations islandwide, as fuel is needed to power generators at police stations amidst the ongoing daily power cuts, while police officers are not encouraged to stay in queues owing to the nature of their work. SSP Nihal Thalduwa said that police officers can be authorised to pump more..

Jun 24 (FT) Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) announced the appointment of Dilshan Wirasekara as the Chairman of the Board of Directors with effect from today. Wirasekara has served on the Board of the CSE since 21 Nov 2017 and succeeds Dumith Fernando, who steps down as the Chairman after completing his two-year tenure. Wirasekara is the Director/CEO of one of the leading investment banking firms, First Capital Holdings, offering a diverse range of financial services in more..

Jun 24 (Island) The govt has approved the handover of 1,215 hectares of underutilised land on the Kandakadu farm to the Army and 500 acres to the Department of Rehabilitation for maize cultivation. Ministry has also decided to use Polonnaruwa Kandakadu farm belonging to National Livestock Development Board for cultivation in the forthcoming Maha season. Accordingly, the Cabinet had approved the handover of 1,215 hectares of Kandakadu Farm to the SL Army and more..

Jun 24 (TM) SL Govt, in its official accounts of external debt, has not included the loans obtained from China, amounting to $ 1.89 billion in principal and interest, to construct the Hambantota Port, revealed Auditor General (AG) W.P.C. Wickramaratne at the meeting of the COPE. At the meeting held between COPE & SLPA on Wednesday, AG had said that none of the Govt balance sheets contain the loan obtained more..

Jun 24 (TM) Despite a recent incident where a 16-year-old boy in Anuradhapura had died after being stung by a viper in his garden due to the unavailability of antivenom, National Poisons Information Centre said that there is no shortage of antivenom for snake bite victims. Centre said that drugs are still available for snake bites, adding however that they are not aware of the current storage statistics. Colombo National Hospital also said that they are treating snake bites, more..

Jun 24 (DM) Even though the Power and Energy Minister claimed that the cargo shipment carrying 40,000 MT of Petrol 92 scheduled to arrive yesterday had been delayed by another day, Samagi United Trade Union Force (SUTUF) convener and media spokesman Ananda Palitha said that there are no diesel or petrol shipments expected to arrive in the country. He said that there was no diesel shipment arriving today. Crude oil shipment to be received on Tuesday was also not coming in. more..

Jun 24 (Island) The COPE has decided to further examine the controversial Adani Wind and Solar power project in the Northern Sri Lanka when the CEB comes up for investigation. The COPE said so after former Chairman of CEB M.M.C. Ferdinando appeared before COPE yesterday over a statement he made at the proceedings on June 10. The COPE has made available Ferdinando’s explanation dated June 06, 2011 addressed to the Chairman, and members of the COPE. more..

Jun 24 (DN) Despite the current economic crisis in SL, Indonesia is still keen to enter into a preferential trade agreement (PTA) with Sri Lanka, Indonesian Ambassador to SL Dewi Gustina Tobbing said at the National Chamber of Commerce organised ‘Bilateral Trade Discussion event yesterday. She said that some progress has been made in this regard and they are very keen to follow this up further. “This is because we see tremendous trade potential between the two countries.” more..

Jun 24 (DM) The nation is yet to hear an apology from any leader for their mistakes. On March 16, when Prez Rajapaksa addressed the nation while the Treasury was scraping to find foreign exchange and at the peak of the power crisis, what stuck to mind was his refusal to take responsibility for any of his weak decisions. Then we had another Rajapaksa - the one dubbed as a Kaputa who political sources said took over more..

Jun 24 (FT) The crisis facing Sri Lanka is now at a critical juncture. At this stage if it is not managed properly, the country is in danger of falling into a deeper and worse abyss than it is now. If, for some reason, it falls into the next stage of the abyss, SL may even be compelled to live in a primitive stage for a long time. What SL should consider important at the moment is not to find fault with those who alleged to have plummeted the country into this situation and punish them, more..

Jun 24 (FT) SL, until COVID, was mismanaged in late 2021 due to overconfident Govt dignitaries under the illusions that they were on the right track. Tourism by late 2018 was booming and making headlines worldwide. Until a senseless attack on churches and hotels stopped the momentum in its tracks. Tourism however began to pick up once again by mid-2019, albeit dented by the pandemic. The economy began to tank by late 2021 due to poor policy options of the Govt. more..

Jun 24 (SLN) SL Navy apprehended a local multiday fishing trawler with 35 individuals, suspected to be on an illegal migration attempt to Australia via sea, during a search operation carried out in the western seas of the island on 23rd June 2022. In the search operation mounted in seas off Panadura, in the evening of 23rd June, the Navy intercepted a suspicious local multiday fishing trawler carrying 35 persons who were suspected to be attempting to illegally migrate from the island to Australia. more..

Jun 24 (EN) SL plans to legally grant land and house ownership to millions of people who do not have a deed to their own lands and homes, PM’s office said. Quoting Tourism Minister Harin Fernando, the statement said that between 1,000 and 3,000 deeds will be issued to land owners every week under a newly launched programme with the objective of giving legal rights to those who have lost their land. The programme, titled Land for All, began Friday at the PM’s office in Colombo, it said. more..

Jun 24 (AD) India today delivered a humanitarian consignment containing 15,000 metric tons of essential items including rice, milk powder and pharmaceuticals to SL. Indian High Commissioner to SL Gopal Baglay, Minister of Health Keheliya Rambukwella, Minister of Trade Nalin Fernando, MPs M.A Sumanthiran, V. Radhakrishnan, M. Udaya Kumar, Angajan Ramanathan, and several others including more..

Jun 24 (FT) Facets of Sri Lanka, an event showcasing the many lures that SL offers to its visitors, was held at the premises of the SL Mission to the UN in New York on 14 June. Welcoming the gathering, Ambassador and Permanent Representative to SL in New York, Mohan Peiris, spoke of the various sights and sounds of SL to travellers from the time of Marco Polo, including the eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites, pristine beaches, cool climates of the mountains, more..

Jun 24 (Island) Minister Prasanna Ranatunga, in Parliament, asked for two weeks to respond to a question by SLPP MP Lalith Ellawala on the mysterious death of JVP founder leader Rohana Wijeweera. MP Ellawela’s question listed on Wednesday’s Order Paper was addressed to the Minister of Public Security. MP has demanded to know whether the Minister was aware that on 12.11.1989, the then govt had got Wijeweera arrested, and published that fact in media, more..

Jun 24 (TM) Former CB Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal stated that the decision to float the rupee against the US dollar from 7 March 2022 was taken by the Monetary Board, and was not a unilateral decision by him. Cabraal responded to allegations that he had decided on the floating of the rupee by issuing a statement that said the decision to allow flexibility in the exchange rate was taken by the Monetary Board of the CBSL based more..

Jun 24 (FT) PM’s office in a statement said that Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF) and the SL Association of Manufacturers and Exporters of Rubber Products (SLAMERP) have been closely engaging with the PM’s office, Finance Ministry and the Ministry of Power and Energy to help resolve the current issues relating to energy and transport sectors. As the country is going through a serious crisis of shortage of foreign exchange, the two large export sectors of the country have more..

Jun 24 (Island) The JVP, called on people to take to the streets to chase away the govt that could not solve their problems. JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said people were dying in fuel queues. They died in that manner no fault of theirs. It is the govt that had caused the present crisis. That govt could not solve it. The longer the govt stayed in power, the higher the number of people dying in queues would be, Dissanayake said, asking, “How many people must die before this govt more..

Jun 24 (AD) Four out of the anti-govt activists, who were under remand custody, have been granted bail. Accordingly, Jagath Manuwarna, Jehan Appuhamy, Dhammika Munasinghe and Eranga Gunasekara are among the four activists who were released on bail by the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court. Meanwhile, the remaining three activists, namely YouTuber Rathindu Senaratne alias ‘Ratta’, Lahiru Weerasekara and Ven. Rathkarawwe Jinarathana Thero were remanded further. more..

Jun 24 (AD) CPC has been informed by the supplier that the petrol shipment which was scheduled to arrive on the island today would be delayed further, Minister Kanchana Wijesekara says. A new date of arrival will be confirmed later today, lawmaker added taking to his official Twitter account. Minister Wijesekara, giving an update on the arrival of the shipment of 92,000 MT of petrol yesterday, had stated that it would experience a delay of one day. The fuel consignment was expected today. more..

Jun 24 (EN) A former SL leftist leader has blamed the IMF for causing Russia’s war on Ukraine. Former Minister and now independent MP Vasudeva Nanayakkara claimed that the IMF represents US interests and it was the organisation’s interventions in Ukraine that led to Russia’s invasion of that country. “The IMF is the tail of US foreign foreign policy. That is the truth. There is a war in Ukraine today after the IMF intervened there. more..

Jun 24 (DM) With the current economic crisis situation in the country, acute nutritional problems and a situation of malnutrition among children have arisen, Govt Medical Officers' Association (GMOA) media committee member Dr. Prasad Kolabage said. Addressing the media, he said according to the survey reports received, getting food and the supply of food is getting increasingly difficult. He said if the issue of nutrition is not resolved properly, the future generation will suffer from malnutrition. more..

Jun 24 (DM) Australian captain welcomed the prospect of fans wearing yellow to support Australia today. The fifth ODI of the ongoing Australia’s tour of SL will be played at the R Premdasa Stadium this afternoon. With the hosts already claiming an unassailable 3-1 lead in a five-match series, the last white-ball match of the series will primarily be a dead-rubber. Having last won a bilateral ODI series against Australia at home in 1992, the current lot of SL players dominating the Aussies more..

Jun 24 (NR) SLPP MP Dhammika Perera has been sworn in as the Minister of Investment Promotion. Perera took oath before Prez Rajapaksa at the President’s House this evening. Dhammika Perera was sworn in as a Member of Parliament from the National List of the SLPP on Tuesday. Perera’s name was handed over to the National Election Commission as a replacement following the seat left vacant with the resignation of more..

Jun 24 (DM) Britain said that the current very challenging economic situation in SL does not distract from efforts to improve human rights there. UK's Parliamentary Under-Secretary Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Vicky Ford informed the UK Parliament that although the articles of the IMF do allow for conditionality linked to economic policy or to tackle the balance of payments, there is no provision to impose political-linked or human rights-linked conditionality more..

Jun 24 (AD) SLPP MP Johnston Fernando has left the CID premises after providing a statement on the violent incidents on May 09. The CID today recorded a statement from former minister Johnston Fernando regarding the attacks on protesters at GotaGoGama in Galle Face and MynahGoGama outside Temple Trees by a group of SLPP supporters. Earlier this month, the CID named MP Fernando, Municipal Councillor Mahinda Kahandagama and two others as suspects more..

Jun 24 (DM) Even though the Power and Energy Minister claimed that the cargo shipment carrying 40,000 MT of Petrol 92 scheduled to arrive yesterday had been delayed by another day, Samagi United Trade Union Force (SUTUF) convener Ananda Palitha said that there are no diesel or petrol shipments expected to arrive in the country. He said that there was no diesel shipment arriving today (24). The crude oil shipment to be received on Tuesday (28) was also not coming in. more..

Jun 24 (AD) Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena yesterday endorsed the certificate on the Industrial Disputes (Special Provisions), Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment), Civil Procedure Code (Amendment) Bills which were passed in Parliament recently. The purpose of the Industrial Disputes (Special Provisions) Bill is to reduce the congestion at magistrates’ courts in resolving labour disputes and to delegate the powers of prosecution to the Chairmen of Labour Tribunals. more..

Jun 24 (DM) An informant of the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pullikal (TMVP), the breakaway faction of the LTTE, has made explosive revelations to the UN in Geneva. Diplomatic sources said that the informant had revealed sensitive information related to the Easter Sunday attacks and a number of murders and enforced disappearances. The informant had written to some key diplomatic missions in Colombo and overseas giving more..

Jun 24 (EN) The death of a 19-year-old male in a fuel queue in Pandulugama, Anuradhapura has brought the estimated number of deaths in Sri Lanka’s fuel queues to 12. The youth had been waiting on his motorbike in a fuel line that was blocking a greater part of the road, when a tipper collided with the bike, leaving him dead, the police media division said on Friday June 24. The eleventh death was that of a 63-year-old man who passed away inside his vehicle on Thursday (23). more..

Jun 24 (AD) Leave of the staff members of all departments under the purview of the Agriculture Ministry will be cancelled effective from July 06. According to the Agriculture Ministry, the decision was taken to facilitate efficient distribution of urea fertilizer arriving in SL from India. The decision was reached upon the instructions of the Agriculture Ministry. Earlier this month, SL today inked a Line of Credit (LOC) agreement with the Export-Import (EXIM) Bank of India for the purchase of more..

Jun 24 (DM) Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA), the oldest national professional organisation of medical professionals in Australasia, has written to PM Ranil Wickremesinghe urging him to go by the guidelines of WB and WHO when determining taxation for tobacco and alcohol. While commending the efforts made by the PM to mitigate the damage done by the ongoing economic crisis, the SLMA has requested him to increase more..

Jun 24 (DM) Ambassadors of the European Countries have assured the continuous support to Sri Lanka at this challenging time. These remarks were made by European Ambassadors when they met with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the President’s House in Colombo, today. The delegation members pointed out that a firm message about the future plans of building the country’s economy will certainly pave the way for the international community to assist SL. more..