Aug 1 (ST) The sullen growling of the SL populace looking resentfully on as the nation�s political establishment consolidates itself once more, in the wake of an unparalleled surge of people power leading to the fleeing of former Prez Rajapaksa amidst the tactical retreat of the Rajapaksa family, must not be mistaken for weakness. We have a new President in place, no doubt. But a Prez chosen by a Rajapaksa Parliament, while perfectly within the confines of the subversive Constitution that more..

Aug 1 (DM) The liberal democratic order in Sri Lanka is collapsing, and the problem is one of legitimacy. Sri Lanka is going through the most severe political and economic crisis in its post-colonial history. Its liberal democratic state, under stress for many decades with two major insurrections and a civil war, is now being shaken by a crisis of legitimacy. The liberal democratic order in any country is a fragile one, where those in power ensure their hegemony through a combination of leadership more..

Aug 1 (SO) Education Minister Dr. Susil Premajayantha said that forming an All-Party Govt would pave the way to strengthen parliamentary democracy. Minister said at present the whole world is looking at us so that it would be a very good message for the international community and the financial institutions such as WB, IMF, ADB and donor countries to reconsider their stance towards Sri Lanka. more..

Aug 1 (DM) For the past few months, vehicle owners (including farmers, fishermen, persons involved in essential services and transportation) in our country have been forced to park their vehicles in front of petrol sheds for days on end, to avail themselves of their fuel requirements. When the precious liquid does arrive at petrol sheds, law-abiding citizens have to watch helplessly as gaggles of raucous trishaw drivers and friends of petrol station owners strong-arm their way to the petrol pumps, more..

Aug 1 (ST) India showed the world last week how she has transcended her entrenched social barriers and let a tribal flower from the mire bloom in a new Indian sun. Last Sunday afternoon, 64 year old Draupadi Murmu took her oaths as the 15th Prez of India and became the First Citizen of 1.4 billion people and the Commander in Chief of her Armed Forces after being elected to the highest office by an Electoral College representing both Houses of Parliament and the legislative assemblies of more..

Aug 1 (TM) Although the prevailing economic decline is viewed as a mere economic crisis, it entails a large number of diverse social issues too, and those willing to assist Sri Lanka should be informed of these issues. According to a survey conducted by child rights organisation Save the Children, these issues range from lack of nutritious meals to long-term disruption to education and access to healthcare services. more..

Aug 1 (TM) There have recently been several media reports of Sri Lankan women, particularly those engaged the apparel sector, shifting to sex work due to the economic hardships posed by the prevailing economic crisis. The Morning too recently reported the same, emphasising that some women are resorting to this in fear of being laid off by their employers due to the economic crisis. The number of women engaged in this profession due to the said circumstances may be low for the time being. more..

Aug 1 (CT) UNP Leader and Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe addressing the nation from President�s House, Kandy on Sunday said to forget about the wrongs of the past and look at the future. But if SL doesn�t look at the wrongs of the past that has led to the worst socioeconomic crisis that is facing the country since independence and doesn�t take steps not only to rectify the same, but also to punish the offenders responsible for plunging the island into this crisis, how may the country more..

Aug 1 (CT) Information handed over by the PM�s Office to RTI Commission on 26th July 2022 has revealed that 26.6 million of public funds had been spent by the Govt for the travel, accommodation, food and other expenses of former PM Rajapaksa, his wife Shiranthi Rajapaksa, his son, Yoshitha Rajapaksa who was also his Chief of Staff, his Secretary Gamini Senerath, his Chief Coordinating Officer Malaka Chandradasa and other officials to travel to Italy in Sept 2021. more..

Aug 1 (SLN) SL Navy rescued 06 distressed Indian fishermen drifted to the Sri Lankan waters north of Talaimannar, with their defunct trawler. The rescued Indian fishermen were provided humanitarian assistance and handed over to another Indian fishing trawler at the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL). The Indian trawler (Reg No. IND/TN/10/MM/ 1032) drifting in island waters north of Talaimannar, was spotted by SLNS Ranajaya patrolling in the sea area this morning (31). more..

Aug 1 (ST) Sri Lanka Squash�s (SLS) selection process for the ongoing Commonwealth Games (CWG) at Birmingham, England, has not been all in good order, but only a problem and a controversy-marred process, where, eventually, a team of four � two boys and girls � were dispatched, but missing out the three-time national champion, Fathoum Issadeen. Yet Issadeen, who now cries unemotionally, more..

Aug 1 (TM) Prorogation has a history. All our Prezs have prorogued Parliament. A prorogation was proclaimed by Prez R. Premadasa after his impeachment and the chilling austere address by him in the Parliament afterwards is vividly remembered. It was a great example of how to use prorogation to eliminate political instability. Recently, the prorogations were connected to concealing the CB bond scam, the duty reduction scam in sugar importation, and so on, and these have more..

Aug 1 (Island) Politics continues to occupy centre stage although the country�s focus should be on the economy and how to revive it. Having taken over the reins of govt on a wing and a prayer, Prez Wickremesinghe is now calling on all political parties with parliamentary representation to sink their differences and form a national govt. But the SJB has reportedly rejected his call, and SLFP, which is part of SLPP, is blowing hot and cold. Former Prez Sirisena, true to form, is speaking in riddles. more..

Aug 1 (DN) A 26-year-old Corporal from SL Army Service Corps hailing from Kurunegala Dilanka Isuru Kumara Yodage won SL�s first medal at the XXII Commonwealth Games in Birmingham when he was placed third in the men�s 55kg weightlifting event on Saturday. �I always had hopes of winning a medal and was confident because of the training I underwent,� said an elated Dilanka Kumara after adorning himself with more..

Aug 1 (FT) Expolanka Holdings PLC, on Friday reported impressive financial performance in the 1Q of FY23 maintaining its growth momentum over the last several years. Backed by strong strategy execution and focus on fundamentals, Expolanka Holdings was able to post a Revenue of Rs. 235.1 billion (YoY +146%), a Gross Profit of 36.9 billion (YoY +156%) and a Profit after tax of Rs. 20.1 billion (YoY +220%) for the quarter. Expolanka Holdings Group CEO Hanif Yusoof stated: more..

Aug 1 (FT) Overseas Realty (Ceylon) PLC has surpassed the full FY22 financial results in the first half of the current financial year. The company said it has recorded a steady growth in revenue and profitability, primarily driven by the Havelock City Residential sales, to record a Group Revenue of Rs. 10.53 billion as against Rs. 3 billion a year ago, and a Group Profit Before Tax of Rs. 4.36 billion as against Rs. 904.5 million. In FY22, the revenue amounted to Rs. 7.7 b and more..

Aug 1 (MFA) Ambassador of the Russian Federation to SL Yury Materiy called on the newly appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry on Thursday (28) at the Foreign Ministry. Congratulating Minister Sabry on his appointment, Ambassador Materiy handed over a message of felicitation from the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov addressed to the new Foreign Minister. Russian Ambassador apprised the Foreign Minister of significant aspects of the traditionally strong partnership between more..

Aug 1 (FT) Central Bank has admitted an increase in grey market forex activity despite multiple measures to curb it, including the pursuit of a realistic exchange rate. CBSL�s admission was contained in the release of external sector performance. It said workers� remittances moderated in June 2022, compared to May 2022, reflecting an increase of grey market activity of foreign exchange transactions. Workers� remittances in June amounted to $ 274 mil in comparison to more..

Aug 1 (TM) Due to the severe economic difficulties faced by many families, as well as schools not conducting lessons in a proper manner, there is a tendency of certain students in senior grades discontinuing their education to engage in various forms of employment. Sources said that that in the current situation, many families are facing severe economic difficulties and the students from such families are unable to more..

Aug 1 (ST) Several opposition parties representing minority communities are considering joining an all-party govt proposed by President Ranil Wickremesinghe. The DPF led by Mano Ganesan, ACMC under Rishad Bathiudeen and the SLMC led by Rauff Hakeem are considering the proposal, party representatives confirmed. President Wickremesinghe wrote to MPs on Friday requesting them to join a national all-party programme to �create economic and social stability.� more..

Aug 1 (Reuters) Foreign mutual funds which have exposure to Sri Lankan equities have posted steep losses in their net asset values this year, prompting their fund managers to look for ways to trim their holdings and switch to alternative markets. According to Refinitiv Lipper, the top eight overseas funds that have exposure to Sri Lanka have dropped 14.8 percent this year on average. That�s a lot better than the Sri Lanka�s CSE All-Share index�s decline of 38 percent so far in 2022. more..

Aug 1 (FT) Sri Lanka achieved its first trade surplus in two decades in June thanks to a sharp rise in exports and a dip in imports. The surplus was a modest $ 21 million but significant as the country saw such an achievement way back in August 2002. In June exports grew Year-on-Year (YoY) by 24% to $ 1.248 billion and imports dipped by 26% to $ 1.226 billion. However, in the first half the trade deficit amounted to $ 3.5 billion, more..

Aug 1 (ST) SL�s apparel orders are facing a 10-15 per cent drop as a result of the instability at home and the rising inflation in its buying markets like Europe and US. �We could see a reduction in orders and it varies from company to company but approximately there is a 10-15% drop,� JAAF Spokesman Yohan Lawrence said. He pointed out that this was mainly due to external factors like inflation in Europe and that there were extra stocks of products in markets still available and more..

Aug 1 (AD) Minister Manusha Nanayakkara says that the incumbent govt will continue permanently for the next two and a half years and another election will only be held after that. He stated that the political stability demanded by the world has been provided today through the country�s parliament. �This stable govt will continue to operate permanently for the next two and a half years. After two and a half years, elections will be held,� he said. �Because if the state is not stable, economy cannot be built. more..

Aug 1 (SO) National Olympic Committee (NOC) president Suresh Subramaniam is positive SL�s athletes at the XXII Commonwealth Games will perform to their best despite undergoing much economic hardship. �All the athletes are upbeat and they are very grateful to the respective federations for choosing them, particularly since the crisis SL is going through. At one time we were even very worried that we could be here. Now all are here. It is up to the athletes to keep the flag flying,� more..

Aug 1 (Reuters) SL's new Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Sunday it was not the right time for former Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa to return to the country as it could inflame political tensions, the Wall Street Journal reported. "I don't believe it's the time for him to return," Wickremesinghe said in an interview with WSJ. "I have no indication of him returning soon." Rajapaksa, after facing calls to resign over his handling of the country, fled on July 13 and stepped down from his position. more..

Aug 1 (FT) President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Saturday stated that his objective is to form an all-party Govt by bringing together all political parties and to commence a new journey in order to overcome the social, economic and political challenges facing the country. This he said after paying homage to the Maha Sangha including Ven. Thibbatuwawe Sri Sumangala Mahanayaka Thero of Malwathu Chapter. more..

Aug 1 (EN) SL�s credit from commercial banks to private borrowers fell 21 billion rupees in June 2022 with dollar denominated loans falling, while 189 billion rupees had been printed by the central bank, as forex shortages continued to persist. Credit to private sector from rupee banking units went by 16 billion rupees to 6,959 billion rupees, while dollar denominated loans fell from 794.6 billion rupees to 738.1 billion rupees. SL is facing steep inflation which requires more working capital for more..

Aug 1 (ANI) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe on Sunday said that there is no point in demanding that he goes home as he has no home to go to while referring to the threats received from the protestors. Speaking in Kandy, Wickremesinghe said that some people have threatened to stage protests, demanding that he goes home. In response, Wickremesinghe said, "I am appealing to you not to do that as I have no home to go to." He said that demanding him to go home is just a waste of time more..

Aug 1 (DM) Those who set off bombs on Easter Sunday in 2019 are still engaged in politics and work as police officers to date, Archbishop of Colombo His Eminence Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith said today. Delivering a sermon at the festive mass held to mark the annual feast of St. James Church, Mutuwal, Cardinal Ranjith said the truth behind the Easter Sunday attacks have been swept under the carpet as powerful people in the country more..

Aug 1 (FT) GMOA claimed the sudden rise in COVID deaths and the number of daily cases detected does not bear a correlation, implying it is suspicious. �The daily number of persons detected with COVID are between 100 to 150, but the actual number is much higher. Around four or five deaths from the coronavirus are being reported on a daily basis now. The difference between the mortality rate and the daily infections would only suggest that all patients are not being diagnosed through more..

Aug 1 (AD) The report of the committee appointed to investigate into the bribery allegations against former Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva has been handed over to the Secretary to the Prez. A 3-member committee of inquiry was appointed according to a request made by former minister Nimal Siripala de Silva to carry out an impartial investigation into the allegations published on social media, print and electronic media accusing him of seeking a bribe from Japan�s Taisei Corp. more..

Aug 1 (AD) National Fuel Pass or QR Code system will be applied in all fuel stations island-wide with effect from today (1), says Minister Kanchana Wijesekera. He requested all fuel station owners and management to dispense fuel only with the QR code system and to check the QR code vehicle number on the device with the number plate of the vehicle to verify details. QR fuel quota system will be updated at midnight (31). more..

Aug 1 (FT) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe had very high hopes for the country�s dead economy when he assumed premiership in early May, acting presidency in early July and being elected as Prez by Parliament later in the month. He wanted to make a quick turnaround of the economy whose paralysis had paved way for his predecessor to flee the country without informing anyone in the middle of the night and for him to fill the vacuum, the most cost-effective way of becoming President, more..

Aug 1 (FT) The suffering from a devastating planetary pandemic is not yet over. We Sri Lankans are experiencing chaotic crises with disappointment and desperation in the common masses. Whilst an insensitive group of so called leaders carry on their priorities, the country is on an agonising path. Some superficially blame it on lack of Dollars in calling it a Dollar crisis. I would rather go beyond in boldly call it a leadership lacuna. That is why I opted to revisit my most-discussed topic in sharing more..

Aug 1 (SLN) A special operation carried out by the Navy and Wennappuwa Police in the town area of Wennappuwa on the night of 31st July 2022, led to the apprehension of 47 individuals suspected to be on an illegal migration attempt to a foreign country via sea. The coordinated operation was mounted by the Western Naval Command and Wennappuwa Police, based on information received by SL Navy. Group of individuals, suspected to be on an illegal migration attempt to a foreign country more..