Jun 25 (FT) SL Trade Development Council (SLTDC) recently demanded immediate action from the Govt to protect the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with a plan to Cabinet paper, warning they would otherwise bring all engaged in the sector to the streets. The SME sector has been the worst hit by back-to-back blows since 2019, and the economic crisis has worsened the situation with most unable to operate more..

Jun 25 (Island) Former Prez Maithripala Sirisena said that Russian Ambassador to SL Yury Materiy had informed him that Russia could play a critical role in solving the fertiliser and fuel shortages here. However, SL had not evinced a keen interest in obtaining Russian help, Sirisena said. “The Ambassador told me that if SL showed a keen interest and made the necessary interventions, Russia could play a big role,” he said. Former Prez said that when SL unwisely stopped more..

Jun 25 (CT) Former PM Mahinda Rajapaksa claimed that the country must opt for a General Election only after the present Govt is able to resolve the ongoing crises. He stated that though most of those in the current Opposition, have spoken about a snap General Election as a way of overcoming the country’s present economic and political upheaval, but his view is that it would not be apt to hold polls at this juncture. Former PM made these remarks during a recent discussion more..

Jun 25 (EN) Prez Rajapaksa has met a team from the IMF who are in the island to negotiate a bailout involving tighter monetary and fiscal policies and a debt re-structuring. IMF mission was led Deputy Director of IMF’s Asia Pacific Department Anne-Marie Gulde. IMF has also appointed senior mission chief Peter Breuer, who is Chief of the Debt Capital Markets Division, Monetary and Capital Market Department of the IMF. more..

Jun 25 (FT) When Adolf Hitler founded his Third Reich in January of 1933 there was a decisive quickening of history towards the cataclysmic Second World War. In the form of Nationalist Socialism of the Nazi Party, a strong capable race had embraced an assertive philosophy, as events would show a portentous development for the rest of the world. Despite their mighty efforts in the First World War, the defeat in 1918 left the Germans humbled, confused and embittered, more..

Jun 25 (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, Sri Lanka 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 25 (EN) Some 15 newcomer MPs in Sri Lanka have applied for a personal firearm. These new MPs, who hadn’t voluntarily obtained a firearm, have applied for a pistol taking into consideration the prevailing situation, the Sunday Lankadeepa reported in its June 26 edition citing parliamentary sources. The Members’ Service Office has already issued the relevant application forms which, once filled, will be directed to the Ministry of Defence that is supposed to release the weapons. more..

Jun 25 (CT) In a strange move, the COPE has decided to postpone releasing the full video of the special committee meeting yesterday (23) in which former CEB Chairman M.M.C. Ferdinando has testified. The video footage of the meeting will be released next Monday (27). COPE failed to provide a logical explanation behind this move. It is unclear whether the video footage that will be released on 27 June will be unedited. Ferdinando was summoned before the committee again more..

Jun 25 (USE) A high-level delegation representing the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the U.S. Department of State will visit Sri Lanka from June 26 – 29. Members of the delegation include Robert Kaproth, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Treasury for Asia, and Ambassador Kelly Keiderling, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia. The visitors will meet with a wide range of political representatives, more..

Jun 25 (EN) Sri Lanka’s Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) has prohibited the use of paddy or rice in the manufacture of animal feed. An extraordinary gazette issued by the CAA dated June 24 states that no importer, manufacturer, trader or distributor shall import, sell, expose or offer for sale, store, transport, distribute or buy or purchase any rice or paddy directly for the manufacture of animal feed or otherwise as an ingredient for the manufacture of animal feed. more..

Jun 25 (ST) While the state-sponsored cultivation drive has begun experts believe there is a need to cut down on the troubling scale of food wastage in the country. According to the UN Food Waste Index 2021, in Sri Lanka the per capita food waste is 76 kg annually. Every year over 1.6 million tonnes of food waste is generated in households. “64% of our solid waste consists of food waste mainly from households, restaurants, meat and vegetable markets. more..

Jun 25 (DM) Education Ministry has planned to conduct academic activities in schools for three days in a week in urban areas where there the schools were closed last week. Accordingly, schools will function on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 7.30 am to 1.30 pm. These days are not considered as private holidays for teachers who were not present for teaching duties due to transport issues. Principal of the respective schools more..

Jun 25 (AD) A delegation led by Australia’s Minister for Home Affairs Clare O’Neill met the SL delegation headed by Defence Secretary General Kamal Gunaratne at the Defence Headquarters recently. The Defence Secretary warmly received the visiting delegation accompanied by Australian High Commissioner for SL David Holly, on their arrival and a round table discussion commenced afterwards where matters relating to strengthening the existing bilateral ties between 2 countries more..

Jun 25 (DM) Media Law Forum (MLF) has requested the police Chief to welcome the rights of the social and new media activists and refrain from influencing and interfering with their work which amounts to violation of freedom of speech and expression. The MLF which advocates the freedom of speech of the media activists both locally and internationally has observed that police are engaged in a practice of ‘summoning media activists for questioning without informing them of the reasons, more..

Jun 25 (Island) Executive Director of the Institute of Democratic Reforms and Electoral Studies Manjula Gajanayaka says that SLPP National List MP Dhammika Perera should disclose his assets and liabilities to the public. Gajanayake said that after being sworn in as a MP on Monday the lawmaker had told the media that he had handed over his declaration of assets and liabilities to the Secretary General of Parliament. He even informed the Speaker of it before he was sworn in. more..

Jun 25 (CT) National Gem and Jewellery Authority (NGJA) has seized nine different types of precious stones, valued at 21,096 carats, scheduled to be transported to Thailand by an exporter, who undervalued them by a 10-fold. NGJA CEO Thilak Weerasinghe said, the exporter, whose name was withheld, had made a single invoice for the precious stones, quoting USD 70,817, even though their actual value was more than 10 times higher and should have been USD 778,987. more..

Jun 25 (EN) SL’s soft-pegged central bank said it is tightening legal tender framework limiting the possession of foreign currency notes to 10,000 US dollars from 15,000 amid the worst currency crisis in the history of the institution. However holders can deposit foreign currency in a bank and escape the monetary expropriation through depreciation. deposited money is only returned to bank customers in domestic more..

Jun 25 (CI) When it started to look like SL would post a strong total after their brisk 87-run opening stand and make India work hard to win the second match of the series, the hosts lost six wickets for just 14 runs in the last 3.1 overs of their innings to end with a below-par 125 that didn't prove to be enough. India were made to work slightly in the chase but their deep batting line-up, led by Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur, chased down the target easily to clinch the series 2-0 and more..

Jun 25 (Island) By accepting the post of PM, UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe had prevented the Rajapaksa clan from being banished from politics, SJB MP Mujibur Rahman, said.The MP said that Wickremesinghe continued to protect the Rajapaksa family at the expense of the country. Rahman said that Wickremesinghe had not offered any solutions to the problems faced by SL. “Prices of all essential items have gone through the roof. People can’t even buy fuel or gas even if they have money. more..

Jun 25 (CI) Legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay has broken into SL's Test squad for the upcoming series against Australia on the back of his performances in the ODIs. Having missed the Bangladesh Tests through injury, opener Pathum Nissanka also returns to the Test fold, and is expected to slot back into the starting XI. Allrounders Kamindu Mendis and Chamika Karunaratne have also been retained, more..

Jun 25 (Island) More than 500 containers carrying essential items have been stuck in the Colombo Port since the banning of open accounts in May to reduce illegal underground Undiyal and Havala payments for imports. Essential Food Importers and Traders Association (EFITA) Spokesperson Nihal Seneviratne said that Trade Minister Nalin Fernando told them that the govt might relax the ban for some food imports. “They were to issue a gazette on this on 20 June. However, nothing has happened. more..

Jun 25 (Island) Ceylon Petroleum Corporation is perturbed by the failure of Lanka Indian Oil Corporation (LIOC) to play a bigger role in resolving SL’s fuel shortages. A senior CPC official said that LIOC controlled one third of the retail fuel distribution and it could import larger quantities of oil through the Trincomalee terminal. However, the company had shown little interest in expanding retail fuel distribution, official said. “In fact, they have been limiting retail operations for some time,” more..

Jun 25 (ST) If remote Salalihini-gama close to Bogaswewa, about 22km from Vavuniya town, is a microcosm reflecting SL’s tragedy as it falls deeper into an economic morass exacerbated by a food and fuel crisis, it is obvious that the country’s children are starving. Single-parent Chandra Kanthi (31) is toiling to bring up three children – two daughters aged 11 and 6 years and a son who is 5. To maintain the family’s less than hand-to-mouth existence, she goes around the village looking for more..

Jun 25 (AD) The shipments of petrol, diesel and crude oil, which were scheduled to arrive in SL earlier this week and next week, would be further delayed, Minister Kanchana Wijesekara tweeted today. The suppliers have communicated the inability to fulfill the deliveries on time for banking and logistic reasons, CPC has informed the lawmaker. In his tweet, Minister noted that public transportation, power generation and industries would be given priority until next shipments more..

Jun 25 (ST) It was mid-noon Tuesday when Nipun Perera, 23, came out from a nearby ATM booth of a private bank in Elakanda, Wattala after visiting the gym earlier as usual. Two motorcyclists wearing full-face helmets and face masks ambushed him and the pillion rider shot him with a T-56 rifle. The youth fell to the ground, but then the pillion rider got down and opened fire again at close range. Killers then fled in less than a minute. more..

Jun 25 (CT) President of All Ceylon Lottery Representatives’ Association (ACLRA) Krishantha Marambe says that commencing next Wednesday (29) all lottery sellers and their sales assistants will opt out of the business. He stated that a total of 48,000 lottery representatives along with 36,000 sales assistants countrywide will stop selling lottery tickets from next week. Marambe charged that due to the escalating cost of living it had become impossible for them to continue with more..

Jun 25 (ST) The Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pullikal (TMVP) has denied allegations that it was involved in several kidnappings and murders as alleged by a former member who had fled the country. TMVP Leader and MP Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan told Daily Mirror that the allegations appearing in the newspaper yesterday were baseless. The MP said that anyone can leave Sri Lanka and seek asylum by making false allegations. He said that the alleged claims made by more..

Jun 25 (AFP) SL has virtually run out of petrol and diesel after several expected shipments were delayed indefinitely, the energy minister said Saturday while apologising to motorists for the worsening fuel crisis. Kanchana Wijesekera said oil cargoes that were due last week did not turn up while those scheduled to arrive next week will also not reach SL due to banking reasons. SL is facing a serious shortage of foreign exchange to more..

Jun 25 (NR) The govt has decided to allow the importation of 10 essential food items under the open account system from the 1st of July once again. Cabinet granted approval once again for the importation of 10 essential food items, including rice, flour, white sugar, red lentils, milk powder, big onions, potatoes, dried chillies, dried sprats and Watana dhal, in limited quantities, from the 1st of July due to rising prices of essential commodities. Cabinet approval is valid for a period of more..

Jun 25 (TM) Lakshadweep MP Mohammed Faizal has come under India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) scanner in connection with alleged irregularities in the export of tuna fish to SL. The central agency is also investigating Faizal’s nephew Abdul Razzak and a Colombo-based company identified as SRT General Merchants Importer and Exporter. A CBI team of about 25 officials and the Lakshadweep administration’s vigilance officials have been engaged in more..

Jun 26 (SO) Sri Lanka is one of the few countries in the developing world that provides free education from Year One to University level. This is complemented by the provision of free textbooks and uniform materials. The Govt spends billions of rupees on education every year, along with the heavy expenditure on healthcare, also provided free to every citizen. Sri Lanka thus has very impressive indices in terms of literacy, education and human development. more..

Jun 26 (CT) Sri Lanka is a rich country; only most of the economically people are poor. The current system prevents the middle-class and the underprivileged from escaping the poverty trap. Politicians have no incentives to break this vicious cycle. They are happy when people struggle to live and remain poor, partly because it is easier to fool them all the time to get votes: how they behave in the parliament is a vivid example of their priorities. The dependency on unnecessary loans and more..

Jun 26 (TM) With schools once again operating in limited capacity and the ongoing fuel and food crises compounding Sri Lanka’s woes, the country’s students are being dealt blow upon blow, with no break in sight. Education authorities meanwhile seem to be flailing about, resorting to stopgap measures, yet to take the lessons of the Covid lockdown experience and plan a path to ensure SL's students are not left behind. more..

Jun 26 (ST) Amid a parliamentary boycott by the main Opposition parties, PM Ranil Wickremesinghe on Wednesday (22) defended his Govt’s efforts to manage the country’s economic crisis, while also renewing his call for all to come together to rebuild the nation. Giving a detailed briefing on the state of the nation, the Premier renewed his appeal for unity. Since taking office, Mr Wickremesinghe has been giving a fortnightly update on the economic crisis and measures being taken to address it. more..

Jun 26 (ST) My dear Dasun and the cricket team, I thought I should write to you because the whole country is talking about you these days following your historic series win this week over Australia after 30 long years. You made us forget, at least for the moment, the other historic events that are occurring in the country. There was a time, especially while the war raged, when cricket was the only reason for us to smile. At that time cricket was also what united the country. more..

Jun 26 (SO) Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said that at this juncture everybody should extend their support to the incumbent Govt without dragging its feet. If they don’t disturb and attempt to take political advantage, some sort of program can be implemented to overcome the current crisis. Minister said at present there is no major issue with regard to political instability in the country. more..