Jul 17 (Island) Thus, we may all Chortle in our joy on July 13 or 20 if everything goes as promised. The first step in the Sri Lankan Colour Revolution seems to have inched forward like a golden dream but I will remain on guard till both Gotabaya (GR) and Wickremesinghe (RW) have been seen off. The worst tricks are not beyond the former, the latter is untrustworthy and hungry for the presidency. If all goes well after July 20 new phases open but there are still no guarantees. more..

Jul 17 (Island) In the year 2006, SL were hosting the ICC Under-19 World Cup. The hosts were skippered by Angelo Mathews. There was a game at SSC between NZ and Pakistan and former Test captain Arjuna Ranantunga had come along to watch. Chatting to reporters, he said that he saw something special in Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed. It was a short game where Pakistan chased down a target less than 100 runs in ten overs. Not sure what had impressed Arjuna, but he was highly taken up more..

Jul 17 (Wisden) Dinesh Chandimal has seen much better days in Sri Lanka cricket. His first Test was a landmark one � Sri Lanka�s first-ever win in South Africa � achieved through a thumping 208-run knockout in Durban. The 22-year-old debutant made handsome contributions, scoring twin fifties from No.7, but it was overshadowed by centuries in either innings from the bigwigs, Kumar Sangakkara and Thilan Samaraweera. more..

Jul 17 (ST) South Asia�s fastest man, Yupun Abeykoon, failed to live up to his usual potential when he crashed down in the third heat of the Men�s 100m event, at the IAAF World Athletic Championship, currently taking place in Oregon, USA. Abeykoon, who became the first SL sprinter to run a sub 10 second in the Men�s 100m a fortnight ago, clocked 10.19secs and was placed fifth in the third of the seven heats, which determined the final 18 sprinters who would compete in more..

Jul 17 (SO) SL�s participation in table tennis at the XXII Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England has been cancelled after two of the four players selected flew to the US ostensibly for training without approval. The two paddlers Krishan Wickramaratne and Milinda Lakshitha had travelled to Texas without informing the Table Tennis Association of SL (TTASL) earlier this month putting authorities in a quandary. The Commonwealth Games Association (CGA) of SL announced more..

Jul 17 (Island) A combined ecosystem restoration and livelihood improvement project � Greening Batticaloa � was designed and initiated by Dilmah Conservation in 2010. It had the objective of partnering with local communities to restore some of the flora that was lost during the preceding conflict in the East of SL while eventually improving livelihoods. Nurseries were established and one million cashew plants prepared and distributed to families in the East with the promise that as more..

Jul 17 (ST) The third edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) could be put off to December after the event rights holder raised concerns over financial constraints tied to the economic crisis. The five-team tournament is scheduled to be played from Aug 1 to 21, in Colombo and Hambantota but Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is now considering putting it off. Sri Lanka is currently engulfed in its biggest economic and political crisis. This has discouraged potential investors from getting involved. more..

Jul 17 (BBC) In SL, huge queues of vehicles waiting for fuel have become a common sight, as the country reels from a deep economic crisis that has left it unable to import enough. One queue, beginning in the commercial heart of the capital Colombo, and snaking round alongside a seaside strip of road, continues for 5km. Close to the front, driving a minibus, is 43-year-old Pratheem. He has been waiting in line for 10 days. more..

Jul 17 (SO) The banning of open accounts and measures to track down Hawala and Undiyal operations have helped reduce the quantum of informal remittances said CB Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe at the last monetary policy media briefing this month. He said the interest rates of these informal settlement systems have come almost in line with the rates offered through the formal banking system which is a good sign for the economy and in encouraging foreign more..

Jul 17 (ST) A doctor at Peradeniya Sirimavo Bandaranaike Children�s Hospital has died while undergoing ECMO surgery at the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital amid suspicion that an incident of sucking petrol through a pipe may have contributed to his death. The 30-year-old deceased was Chintaka Amarasooriya. Postmortem tests had revealed that a shock resulting from the entrance of a germ into blood while in a pneumonia state, to be the cause of death. more..

Jul 17 (TM) The preparation of the Appropriation (Amendment) Bill proposed by Acting Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, in his capacity as Minister of Finance, Economic Stabilisation, and National Policies, has been completed and published in the gazette and the only step left is for the interim budget to be presented and passed in Parliament, Treasury sources revealed. Sources disclosed: �All necessary preparations related more..

Jul 17 (TM) Dubai-based budget carrier flydubai, which suspended flights to Sri Lanka citing recent local developments, is expected to resume its operations tomorrow. Civil Aviation Authority of SL confirmed the resumption of flights to SL. The Sunday Morning Business on Thursday (14), noting that the Russian airline Aeroflot was also expected to resume flights to SL soon, but was being delayed due to the jet fuel shortage. On Monday (11), Gulf News quoted a flydubai spokesperson more..

Jul 17 (SO) Valuable items and paintings of antique value have been stolen by gangs of thieves who had entered the President�s House, Presidential Secretariat, Temple Trees and the PM�s private residence in the guise of protestors. The value of the historic paintings and artefacts is millions of dollars. �There was a valuable painting of great antique value at Temple Trees and Sri Lanka could have bought about 10 fuel shipments by selling it. Its whereabouts are unknown.� more..

Jul 17 (PTI) The ministries of External Affairs and Finance will brief the floor leaders of various political parties in Parliament on the Sri Lanka situation on Tuesday, officials said. Citing an office memorandum, the officials said the briefing by the two ministries has been scheduled for the evening of 19 July, the second day of the monsoon session of Parliament. The briefing on the present situation in Sri Lanka will be attended by the floor leaders of various political parties, the officials added. more..

Jul 17 (ST) At least 50 people have been identified as those responsible for causing damages in the President�s House, Presidential Secretariat, Temple Trees, the PM�s office, for the burning of Ranil Wickremesinghe�s private residence in Colombo 05 and for causing violence near the Parliament. A senior Police officer said required evidence, including video and Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) footage, has already been collected and action would be filed in the courts shortly. more..

Jul 17 (Reuters) SL�s ousted Prez Rajapaksa, who fled overseas this week to escape a popular uprising against his govt, has said he took all possible steps to avert the economic crisis that has engulfed the island nation. Rajapaksa�s resignation was accepted by parliament on Friday. He flew to the Maldives and then to Singapore after hundreds of thousands of anti-govt protesters came out on the streets of Colombo a week ago and occupied more..

Jul 17 (TM) Local Licensed Commercial Banks and other financial institutions are no longer in a position to issue new credit and debit cards to customers amidst a shortage of imported plastics required for the cards. Several local banks said they were managing at present with whichever resources available. However, most of the banks noted that they faced delays in issuing cards as they were unable to issue the cards on the same day as requested by the customer. more..

Jul 17 (ST) The body of the seven-year-old school boy who was dragged away by a crocodile on Friday at Bindunuwewa in Kandalama was discovered in a hole more than twenty feet deep by the SL Navy. The search operation to find the young boy�s body was carried out for nearly 11 hours by the SL Navy diving crew. The child was Chanuth Sathsara who resided in Kumbukkandanwala. He was a student of D. S. Senanayake College in Dambulla. The boy went missing after he was attacked by more..

Jul 17 (ST) The historic President�s House, well over 200 years old, was at the centre of international attention this week after tens of thousands of protesters stormed the building last Saturday, occupied it and opened it for public view. The occupiers eventually left the stately building on Thursday evening, but a trail of destruction was evident with damaged carpets, broken electric fittings, television sets, and other equipment. more..

Jul 17 (TM) The Dept of Prisons will submit a report on the status of former SJB MP Ranjan Ramanayake � who is currently serving a four-year sentence for being in contempt of court � to the Ministry of Justice. According to Prisons Media Spokesperson and Commissioner Chandana Ekanayake, the report � which has been requested � is being compiled and will be submitted to the Justice Ministry this week. Responding to a question, Minister of Justice more..

Jul 17 (ST) From early 2020�just months after former Prez Rajapaksa�s election�Finance Ministry officials started informing the Cabinet about SL�s dire financial situation and warned it would worsen to at least a 50% decline in both exports and remittances, documents obtained by the Sunday Times show. In one Cabinet memorandum, dated May 13, 2020, the Finance Ministry predicts that, in view of the COVID-19 pandemic and predictions of an economic slowdown, Sri Lanka more..

Jul 17 (ST) For almost three months now, Sri Lankans of some means, hit by the nation�s worst economic crisis, fled the country to seek relief. Others queued up outside the Department of Immigration in their thousands for passports to follow suit. By a strange quirk of fate, this week, it became the turn of Prez Rajapaksa, the war hero turned fugitive, who was the cause of all the issues. He has been living in virtual seclusion since more..

Jul 18 (DM) Lankan society is at a critical juncture. A number of crucial issues have converged at the same time. Our Govt is indebted to the tune of US$51 billion to international financial institutions and is unable to make even interest payments. Our export earnings via tourism have been very limited, in the aftermath of the Easter Sunday bombings, and the Covid-19 pandemic. A serious blunder by the immediate past president in banning petroleum-based fertilizer, weedicides and pesticides, more..

Jul 18 (DM) Gotabaya resigned and fled the country for Singapore, Arjuna Mahendran�s safe haven, that, then Prez Sirisena�s plea in 2017 [remember 20,000 signatures] for the swindler�s extradition was disregarded. The famous 225, meeting in groups at multiple venues haven�t made any compromise resulting in all party interims rule a non-starter. They will never be able to suppress their greed for power, position and privileges; cast off their personal agendas and unite for the sake of the country. more..

Jul 18 (DM) SL is facing a crisis which is essentially a crisis of governance. It is mainly due to political and financial mismanagement. It has led to an economic crisis and if we are to come out of it we should resolve the crisis of governance. In resolving the crisis of governance, everybody wants to have a govt which he or she can trust and which is acceptable locally and to int'l markets. In actually doing so, rule of law and having a clean govt more..

Jul 18 (CT) SLPP is at a crossroads. If it takes the wrong turning there is no going back. The wrong turning leads to politico-electoral extinction. SLPP is being pushed into a disastrously wrong choice not once but twice over. One is voting for Ranil Wickremesinghe. The other is remaining with the Rajapaksa and indeed the Gotabaya brand. The two disastrous choices are merged into one: to vote for Ranil Wickremesinghe, the front person for and candidate of the Rajapaksas. more..

Jul 18 (ST) Carefully choreographed images of Acting Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe hovering solicitously over injured soldiers in the Army hospital on Friday following clashes with protestors on the road to Parliament, is telling at several levels. Widely televised as his first act in office, this followed the resignation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, SL�s grossly mis-named Terminator Prez, formally announced by a visibly quaking if not perspiring Speaker. That came after hours of breathless anticipation, more..

Jul 18 (TM) The peak of the Covid-19 pandemic was an era when the world adopted new technologies and adapted to new living conditions. Many aspects of life, including movement, education, and work changed significantly, resulting in the increased prevalence of concepts such as working from home and online learning. Online education, or education through various education tech products, was a hot topic in SL too. more..

Jul 18 (ST) Lankan Lion Flag proudly fluttered from the rooftop of the Prez�s House last Saturday but this time it was held by its true owners: the sovereign people of SL. It was the day SL came of age. The day the people finally won their battle colours and proved worthy to be the masters of their destiny. People power had successfully done what Parliament with its 225 members had failed to achieve with hollow chatter. It had shown that a Prez�s tenuous legal right to remain more..

Jul 18 (DM) Gotabaya Rajapaksa is already in the dustbin of history. The reason why he delayed handing over his letter of resignation? He�s not planning a dramatic comeback as some conspiracy theorists would have us believe. He�s desperately seeking a safe haven with immunity from prosecution. Instead of gloating over the once mighty Gota�s misfortunes, however, we should take stock of the equally desperate situation we are in as a people and country, and behave with more..

Jul 18 (Island) Acting Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe�s fidelity to his alma mater, Royal College, is very well known. He has long been accused of cronyism concerning his batch mates and schoolmates in the school where our fathers learned the way before us. In fact, it had been made public not very long ago that he and his wife, Maithree, who are childless, will leave their recently torched Kollupitiya home to Royal College. That venerable institution is but a stone�s throw away from RW home. more..

Jul 18 (Island) SL is facing perhaps the most difficult and challenging economic, political and socially decisive times in its peacetime history, marked by depletion of foreign exchange reserves and govt revenue, and a sovereign debt crisis. The crisis has had a devastating impact on the lives of the people, and its magnitude and potential demand immediate remedial action to ease the painful burden on the general public. The current crisis is principally due to the lack of a rational, consistent and more..

Jul 18 (CI) Prabath Jayasuriya terrorised Pakistan in the first session before Babar Azam struck a valiant 119, much of it in the company of No. 11 Naseem Shah, as the hosts surged back into the match either side of tea. Between Jayasuriya's 5 for 82, and Pakistan's 70-run last-wicket stand, the teams ended day two roughly even in the context of the match. SL, who at one stage seemed set to take a commanding more..

Jul 18 (TM) We, the citizens, have been assured through our Constitution that sovereignty is in the People and is inalienable. Sovereignty includes the powers of govt, fundamental rights & the franchise. Constitution guarantees that the executive power of the People, including the defence of SL, shall be exercised by the Prez of the Republic elected by the People. This is the guarantee � sentence that says elected by the People � that enables us to accept our Constitution, more..

Jul 18 (TM) The prevailing fuel shortage is one of the main factors that is exacerbating the unavailability and high prices of goods and services, and addressing it can help alleviate the burden of the economic crisis significantly. Even though the Govt has come up with various strategies to achieve that, the issue has not been resolved yet, and the fuel crisis remains a pressing issue. To address this, Minister Kanchana Wijesekara announced the launch of a website � fuelpass.gov.lk � more..

Jul 18 (FT) SL�s manufacturing and services sectors have shrunk to a new low in June due to the shortage of fuel and other essentials as well as political crisis. Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) of both Manufacturing and Services declined in June indicating a setback in activities on a month-on-month basis. Manufacturing PMI recorded an index value of 44.1 in June 2022, with a decline of 6.2 index points from the previous month. more..

Jul 18 (CI) Babar Azam is the top-ranked ODI batter, 77 rankings points ahead of the next guy (Imam-ul-Haq). He is also the top-ranked T20I batter but is ahead of the second by a slimmer margin (Mohammad Rizwan is 24 points back). In Tests, though, the format that matters, the purists' format, the thing that gets you into Wisden, he's ranked a paltry fourth. Above him Joe Root (obviously), Steven Smith (partially riding on past glories), and Marnus Labuschagne (originally a discounted more..