May 6 (DM) At present SL is expecting a severe food shortage. The authorities are yet to find solutions to the upcoming food shortage and cite the dollar crisis as the reason behind not being able to find a solution to the issue. Very soon there will be no food items in the market for people to buy. Even now there are some essential food items which are not found in the market because of the lack of dollars more..

May 6 (CT) Today, after 69 years, Sri Lanka will hold its second hartal or strike or work stoppage with the participation of the working class and small business under the theme, the Rajapaksas must go. Here, the Rajapaksas mean Prez Rajapaksa and his elder brother, present PM and two times President Mahinda Rajapaksa in particular. The first hartal was held on 12 August 1953 after the then Govt raised the price of a subsidised measure of rice from 25 cents to 70 cents. more..

May 6 (TM) Since the beginning of the protests against the Govt and Prez Rajapaksa, they have been blamed by the Govt and the authorities for inconveniencing the public and breaking various laws, despite the fact that most protestors have been extremely peaceful and have respected lawful orders issued by the Police and the courts. The latest chapter of this blame game comes from the SLTDA Chairperson Kimarli Fernando and Minister Prasanna Ranatunga, who claimed that more..

May 6 (Island) The so-called lawmakers do not seem to have realised the magnitude of the crisis the country is beset with. Perhaps, they are intellectually challenged despite being horizontally gifted. People are out there in the streets, calling for action to save the economy and ameliorate their suffering, but their MPs are busy playing different political games instead of making a concerted effort to clean up the mess they have created jointly and severally over the past several decades. more..

May 6 (Island) SL has been positioned in the third place of the weekly global inflation dashboard by John Hopkins University (US), above Turkey, Sudan and Venezuela as at 21st April 2022. As measured by the US university, inflation is as high as 119% a year. It surged to 30% in April. As for food items and medicine, the inflation is over 50%. Our total public debt has increased up to 100 % of the GDP whereas it remained as 25% in the year 1960. Our per capita income was USD 200 in 1960, more..

May 6 (FT) Airlines scaling down services to SL is a fresh blow to tourism and air-freighted exports, industry sources warned yesterday. Among airlines which have reduced frequencies are world’s biggest airline, Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Air Arabia & Saudia. Qatar Airways had stopped selling low fare tickets. Emirates has reduced from four flights per day to two, but analysts said it is virtually a single flight more..

May 6 (Island) On Monday, those in Gogotagama peacefully succeeded in repulsing two onslaughts by the police: one to dismantle a stage they erected bang in front of the president’s office and the other sending combat STF officers in a large police vehicle to GFG. Wise that the police withdrew. However, those in Mynagama have had to face adversity. Their tents were torn down and their voices of protest nearly drowned by loud speakered pirith chanting emanating from within the grounds more..

May 6 (CT) Barricading the roads leading to parliament is a desperate act of a regime that has lost its capacity for reason. A barricade has two sides. Truth has only one side. Every social rebellion is driven by an overarching unity of the people. Semi-permanent barricades have been put up on all approaches to parliament. A regime that survives purely on its capacity for brute force to contain public discontent has grudgingly acknowledged that it is fast running out of options. more..

May 6 (FT) The long-awaited integrated five-year Global Communication Campaign (GCC) is at the final stages and it will soon seek Cabinet approval to be able to launch at the appropriate time. “We have reached the final stages of the integrated global promotions campaign. The hard work of over one and a half years through COVID and lockdowns is finally done. However, the launch of the campaign will be done at more..

May 6 (TM) CHEC Port City Colombo (Pvt) Ltd, in partnership with the SL High Commission in London and the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC), expects to attract investors in the education and finance sectors. Accordingly, a presentation was organised on investment opportunities in the aforesaid sectors in the Port City Colombo project at the High Commission premises for UK investors on 26 April. Delivering the welcome address, High Commissioner for SL to UK more..

May 6 (Island) The book published by Sri Lanka Athletics to recall memories of its rich history is a treasure trove of statistics which cannot be found anywhere else. 100 Years of SL Athletics compiled by G.G.U. Saman Kumara, the recorder of the track and field governing body was launched at a ceremony prior to 100th National Athletics Championships in April. The book chronicles the history of the sport in the island with a series of articles, written by former athletes and more..

May 6 (DN) SL Emerging cricket team will play their tour opening four-day cricket match against Kent today in Canterbury commencing at 3.30 pm (SL time). The first four-day match of the 3-match series is more important to the SL cricket team to adjust to the conditions in their month-long England tour. SL National Selection committee named two captains Nupun Dhananjaya for the four-day games while Dhananjaya Lakshan for the 3 T-20 Games and 18 member squad for this England series. more..

May 6 (ST) Australia will be at close to full strength for all three legs of their SL campaign in June-July as 34 players were named for an all-format tour also featuring an ‘A’ team. Marcus Harris was the biggest casualty in the 16-man Test squad that will play two matches in Galle to cap a seven-week long tour, but the opener has the chance along with a host of other fringe players to push their cases in the ‘A’ series. Big guns Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, David Warner, Steve Smith, Matthew Wade and more..

May 6 (CI) Chris Silverwood is no stranger to SL's foibles. After all, it was only a little over a year ago that he brought his England side to Lankan shores and swept the home team 2-0 in a Test series. But now, some 15 months later, he's at the other end, charged with patching up the same weaknesses he had so brutally exploited. Sure, in the intervening year, Silverwood's predecessor Mickey Arthur improved the team's fitness more..

May 6 (TM) A group of professional organisations, headed by the Chamber of Young Lankan Entrepreneurs (COYLE) and comprising several chambers across the island, urged the Govt to enhance industrialisation through an accelerated drive towards export-led real gross domestic product (GDP) growth. COYLE stated that this would mean bringing about certain fiscal reforms, while also bringing in a structure that encourages foreign direct investment (FDI). more..

May 6 (FT) SL’s COVID-19 detections went up by 34 following yesterday’s detections, with the total case count currently standing at 663,503. This includes 43 COVID-19 patients detected on Wednesday, when 1,088 PCR tests and 423 rapid antigen tests were conducted. 75,897 COVID-19 patients have been detected this year. 483,090 persons from the New Year cluster, 82,785 persons from the Peliyagoda cluster, 9,154 persons from the Prisons cluster and 3,059 persons from more..

May 6 (Island) POTENZA, the SL-based global business technology consultancy group, recently announced a landmark partnership with Hatton National Bank (HNB), as its official implementation partner, to facilitate and support the bank on its journey of robotic process automation. As a first step, POTENZA is managing the implementation of HNB’s SWIFT Messages Extraction and Integration process, which is a critical process for HNB’s import/export trade transactions. more..

May 6 (FT) Former Minister Rohitha Abeygunawardena yesterday told Parliament that he would put the first signature on a resolution for Parliament to dissolve itself to facilitate an early election. “The President can dissolve Parliament at earliest in April next year. If we want to hold elections before that we have to pass a resolution to dissolve the Parliament. I will be the first to place my signature on such a resolution,” he said. He also said Executive Presidency must be abolished more..

May 6 (CI) The inclusions of uncapped wicketkeeper-batter Kamil Mishara, spin-bowling allrounder Kamindu Mendis, left-arm quick Dilshan Madushanka and legspinner Suminda Lakshan are among eight changes to Sri Lanka's Test squad for their tour of Bangladesh this month. Returning to the Test fold alongside them are batter Oshada Fernando, allrounder Ramesh Mendis, and fast bowlers Kasun Rajitha and Asitha Fernando. more..

May 6 (FT) Exporters are losing confidence in the industry’s outlook as firms face mounting challenges posed by increasing local and global economic risks as per the results the bi-annual Export Barometer Survey made public yesterday. This survey was designed and conducted by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)’s Partnership for Accelerating Results in Trade, National Expenditure and Revenue (PARTNER) project. more..

May 6 (DN) Sri Lanka is likely to face an acute shortage of housing and luxury apartment units by next year and the future of the construction industry looks bleak, Nalin Herath, Chairman and Managing Director -Home Lands said. He said, overall there are about 3,000-4000 housing units under construction as of now. “With the completion of these units hopefully by the end of this year, we will not see any single housing or luxury apartment development project taking place in SL. more..

May 6 (TM) Reacting to the election of Govt MP Ranjith Siyambalapitiya as Deputy Speaker of Parliament yesterday, main Parliamentary Opposition, SJB, as well as the TNA, claimed that the MPs formerly of the SLPP Govt camp and who now sit independently in Parliament are still secretly supporting Prez Rajapaksa whilst fooling the public. SJB and Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa said in Parliament yesterday that the façade of more..

May 6 (Hindu) PM Mahinda Rajapaksa has thanked Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin for his initiative to provide humanitarian aid to Sri Lanka, which is in the grip of a grave economic crisis. In a letter dated May 4, 2022 and addressed to Mr. Stalin, Mr. Rajapaksa said the passage of a resolution to send food, essential items and live-saving drugs was indicative of the Chief Minister’s good intentions. “I wish to thank you and the Tamil Nadu govt on behalf of the people of SL, more..

May 6 (FT) Advocata’s Bath Curry Indicator (BCI), which tracks the monthly changes in the retail price of food, recorded an increase of 14% from March to April. This is a year on year increase of 49% for this basket of food. The independent policy think tank said this is driven primarily by prices of dhal and samba rice being the highest recorded by the BCI. A kilo of Dhal in April 2021 was Rs. 178, a year later it cost Rs. 466. A kilo of samba in April 2021 was close to Rs. 130, a year later this cost Rs. 210. more..

May 6 (TM) NFF Leader MP Wimal Weerawansa alleged that SJB Leader Sajith Premadasa had reneged on an agreement that had been brokered during a meeting between the latter’s mother – former first lady Hema Premadasa – and one of the leaders of the SLPP; a deal that would see the SJB Leader supporting SLFP nominee MP Ranjith Siyambalapitiya for the post of Deputy Speaker. While alleging that the said deal had been struck at a meeting that was facilitated by more..

May 6 (Island) The GMOA too had decided to support the hartal organised by over 1,000 unions and civil society organizations, GMOA Secretary Dr. Senal Fernando said yesterday. GMOA members will hold demonstrations opposite all hospitals across the country between 12 noon and 2 pm. “Meanwhile, all doctors will work wearing black bands and will carry out outreach initiatives to educate religious and community leaders about the current crisis and the way out,” he said. more..

May 6 (AD) With a large number of trade unions expected to join in support, organisers of today’s island wide Hartal promise to bring SL to a standstill while demanding the govt to go home. Meanwhile SL Police has said they would take legal action against those who forced others to participate in the hartal. Police media spokesman stated that the police respect the right of the people to enjoy the various rights and freedoms guaranteed by more..

May 6 (FT) Produced below is a document prepared by me to be used as a guiding document at a discussion to be held in a forthcoming forum of people’s representatives on the mass uprising led by the youth, their aspirations and how their aspirations could be put to a constitutional framework. At this crucial moment, the country is in an extremely precarious and chaotic situation. The economic and political crisis has reached an explosive height. Conducting the affairs of the country more..

May 6 (DM) Leader of the House Dinesh Gunawardena today requested Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeygunawardhane to intervene to provide security to former PM Ranil Wickremesinghe. He told Parliament that Mr. Wickremesinghe stated that there were plans to surround his house and if that is so, intervene to provide him with security in consultation with relevant authorities. He said it was not the democratic practice for any political party to intimidate any MP over statements made more..

May 6 (DM) MPs are unable to leave the Parliament premises as hundreds of protestors remain gathered outside despite being hit with tear gas and water cannons. SJB MP Harin Fernando said that all entrance and exits to the Parliament premises had been blocked by the protestors and MPs were stuck inside and would take some time to leave. A video later surfaced on social media showing Fernando and Manusha Nanayakkara getting into a confrontation with the protestors as they tried more..

May 6 (FT) Tourism Ministry Secretary S. Hettiarachchi yesterday sent a warning letter to SL Tourism Chairperson and the industry associations for their public tussle via media over the past two years, whilst urging them to focus on their responsibilities to overcome economic challenges. In a common letter addressed to SL Tourism Chairperson Kimarli Fernando and SL Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) President Thilak Weerasinghe, Ministry Secretary said more..

May 6 (EN) SJB MPs stormed the parliament speaker’s office to complain to the speaker about alleged police attacks on protestors gathered outside the parliament complex and to also urge him to take up a no confidence motion against the govt. SJB MPs Harin Fernando, Manusha Nanayakkara, Rohini Wijeratne, Hector Appuhami and Mujibur Rahuman and others were seen inside the speaker’s office, pleading with him to more..

May 6 (AD) Parliament has been adjourned until May 17 by Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, following heating arguments in the House. MPs representing the Samagi Jana Balawegaya had raised objections to the dispersing of protesters near the parliament entry road, using tear gas and water cannons. Earlier, the parliament session had been adjourned for 10 minutes following heated arguments over the police using tear gas on protesters near Diyatha Uyana, more..

May 6 (EN) SL has held discussions with many countries including Russia to import oil, Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said as the country reels from forex shortages due to money printed by an intermediate regime central bank. “Some people suggested that we talk to Russia,” Minister told parliament. “We also started discussions (with Russia). We taken all the proposals made into consideration.” Though there are no specific sanctions on petroleum more..

May 6 (DM) Former PM Ranil Wickremesinghe said he is under threat following the remarks made by TNA MP Shanikyan Rasamanikkam in Parliament that he sided with the govt during the vote of the Deputy Speaker. "It is not fair to enforce threats on MPs after remarks are made in the House," he told Parliament. He said there is a move to surround his house at 5th Lane Colombo today. “ I am not scared of protests but more..