Jun 17 (BS) For R. Daranagama, a 70-year-old rice farmer, the past year ranks among the most difficult of his life. As SL battles its worst economic crisis in decades, Daranagama has barely touched his four-acre field this season. Without access to fertilizer, he and other farmers expect crop yields to slump, threatening food supplies across a nation already pushed to the brink. �I do not know what the harvest will be,� said Daranagama,, more..

Jun 17 (NR) PM Wickremesinghe has appointed a committee headed by MP Nimal Lanza to look into mitigating a food crisis. Committee has been instructed to table a plan within two weeks. PM Wickremesinghe said it is his policy to ensure no one is in hunger amidst a possible food crisis. Speaking at a meeting of the Committee on Food Security at the PM�s Office this morning, PM said although the food crisis could directly affect 4-5 million Sri Lankans, steps will be taken to more..

Jun 17 (ANI) SL bowling all-rounder Chamika Karunaratne, who scalped three wickets in the second ODI against Australia, revealed that he thinks like a batter while he is bowing. Three-wicket haul by Karunaratne, which was followed by two wickets each by Dushmantha Chameera, Dhananjaya de Silva, and Dunith Wellalage, helped Sri Lanka to restrict Australia at 189 and register a victory by 26 runs, in the second ODI, here at Pallekele Int'l Cricket Stadium on Thursday. more..

Jun 17 (ANI) Australia skipper Aaron Finch said that his team could not capitalize on the good start they had got against SL during the second ODI of the five-match series, which ended up in a 26-run loss for them. Three-wicket haul by Karunaratne, which was followed by two wickets each by Dushmantha Chameera, Dhananjaya de Silva, and Dunith Wellalage, helped SL to restrict Australia at 189 and register a victory by 26 runs, in the second ODI, at Pallekele Cricket Stadium on Thursday. more..

Jun 17 (EN) A sergeant attached to the Tangalle police station, in Sri Lanka�s deep south, took his own life on Friday with a service weapon outside the Tangalle DIG�s office, police said. The sergeant had been on duty covering for a police officer who had had to attend to a personal matter. The victim had been provided a firearm and other equipment related to surveillance duties. He had shot himself with the same gun, police said. The victim was a resident of Weeraketiya, Hambantota. more..

Jun 17 (EN) SL�s security establishment nabbed eight boats with a total of 351 illegal migrants on board in May 2022, mainly in the country�s eastern coast, attempting to leave the island nation�s shores as a worsening economic crisis led to a political crisis, a dearth of essentials and a sharp increase in food prices. Human-smuggling has become a booming business once again as many Sri Lankans want to leave more..

Jun 17 (DM) If there is no additional stock of diesel is supplied to maintain the system once the Norochcholai power plant which will be shutdown at 12:00 midnight today, power cut will have to be extended to around four hours, CEB Engineering Association Secretary Eranga Kudahewa said. Operations of the Norochcholai coal power plant will be shut down for maintenance for 70 days. Norochcholai power plant contributes 270MW to the national grid. Due to the shortage of diesel more..

Jun 17 (AD) The govt has introduced a two-week working from home period for the public sector employees starting from Monday (20), to limit them reporting to work. The decision was reached after taking into account the issues emerged in transportation services caused by the shortages of fuel as a result of the ongoing economic crisis in the country. The circular on the matter was issued by the Ministry of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Govt. more..

Jun 17 (CT) Consumers, including State and commercial enterprises, owed the National Water Supply & Drainage Board (NWSDB) a staggering Rs 7.5 billion, by April this year. This came to light at a progress review meeting of Ministry of Water Supply and Drainage chaired by Prez Rajapaksa at Prez�s House, Fort. Meanwhile, plans are afoot to complete work on large and small-scale water supply projects which are in final more..

Jun 17 (CT) Despite prior instructions to formulate a proper procedure in coordination with Dept of Motor Traffic (DMT) to issue licences to import vehicles and spare parts to SL, the authorities have failed to do so. This came to light at a recent sitting of the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA). This was revealed when officials of the Import and Export Control Department were summoned before COPA. The Committee expressed its displeasure that no action had been taken in this regard. more..

Jun 17 (NF) High Commissioner of Pakistan, Umar Farooq Burki states that the Pakistani Govt extends its full support to resolve the SL economic crisis. High Commissioner Umar Burki assured this with the Prez during a meeting held today at the Prez�s Office. HC also stated that the diplomatic relations between the two countries should be enhanced along the lines of politics, industrial, cultural and security ties. Prez Rajapaksa expressed his gratitude towards the HC for humanitarian more..

Jun 18 (CT) Due to the lack of fuel situation generated by the economic crisis in SL, the govt has decided to give the day off every Friday for next three months. At a time when employers and citizens should put extra effort to help build the economy, govt has decided to give a day off to every govt worker during an upcoming pivotal time. What the govt plan to achieve by yet another tap-dancing around a problem is not quite graspable to my mind. Some of the SL media assumes the day off more..

Jun 18 (DM) With the main Aragalaya or public revolt continuing for the third month against what the Rajapaksas wanted to build up as a family-government, and with SL facing its worst socio-economic and political crisis since independence in 1948, one of the critical areas worst affected is the public health sector. In other words, this vital area is sick and authoritative sources say that within a week the country may even run short of blood for transfusions. In addition, SPC appears more..

Jun 18 (DM) Let me rewind back to my boyhood when I first read the fable about the scorpion and frog which I believe is of Russian origin. The scorpion, which cannot swim, wanted to cross the river. So the scorpion begged the frog to carry him across. The frog refused to say the scorpion may sting while he was ferrying him across. The scorpion replies that he won�t do that because the frog would then die resulting in the drowning more..

Jun 18 (DM) The remark by former Finance Minister and the National Organiser of the SLPP at his farewell press briefing that those who voted for Prez Rajapaksa and the present govt was also responsible for the current political and economic crisis gives much interesting food for thought. Despite the fact that his speech after the resignation as a MP and his answers to journalists at the briefing on June 10 was seen as an occasion for lack of empathy towards the people of this country more..

Jun 18 (GV) There is a lot of blood; faces grotesquely distorted, hands dripping red, bared fangs and dismembered body parts. Disgraceful alliances are mocked, leaders are lampooned and ridiculed and suffering and repression are starkly portrayed. The profusion of protest art in the form of paintings, drawings, cartoons and memes are fearless and unrelenting, flooding social media and reflected physically at the art gallery at GotaGoGama. more..

Jun 18 (DM) In the midst of an unprecedented economic and political crisis, the NPP�s approach has resonated with many who blame the wrong policies followed by the two main political parties for the last 74 years for the country�s present predicament. In this light, the NPP and its leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake have managed to broaden their appeal, possibly with a view to increasing their representation in Parliament more..

Jun 18 (Island) The ongoing Parliamentary debate on the 21st Amendment has precipitated a series of Amendments from individuals, public institutions, political parties and even the PM. The feature that is common to a majority of these Amendments is the need to reduce the powers assigned to the Prez under the 20th Amendment and in the process strengthen the powers of Parliament. The unknown factor in this eternal tug-o-war between the Executive and the Legislature is which more..

Jun 18 (CT) Friday was the first day that Govt of SL (GoSL) implemented its first weekly Friday off day for public servants employed in non-essential work, in a bid to conserve fuel, a record! The reason is that Sri Lanka lacks US dollars to import even essential goods and services like fuel, cooking gas, medicines, food, including rice and powdered milk, coal, resulting in daily power cuts and the list of misery goes on. An Indian news channel, quoting Minister Kanchana Wijesekera on Friday, more..

Jun 18 (TM) Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is quickly becoming a major public health concern, attracting increased global attention because of the disease�s rapid rate of incidence and grave impact on patients and their quality of life. In SL alone, there are over 164,000 identified CKD patients today, with another staggering 11,000 annually diagnosed with the condition, and 10,500 eventually succumbing to the complications caused by it. So what is CKD & how does it come about? more..

Jun 18 (Island) Some stimulation for the hapless Sri Lankans� sagging morale has come from an unexpected quarter�the much-maligned national cricket team. An occasional win means a lot for a nation in the depths of despair. The youth who supported Gotabaya Rajapaksa in the 2019 presidential race and painted outdoor murals following his victory to welcome what they thought was a new beginning��only to be disillusioned��are now painting themselves in support of more..

Jun 18 (CT) The country is now in the midst of the most difficult three weeks in terms of fuel supplies. Following PM Ranil Wickremesinghe�s warning about a coupon system, Minister Kanchana Wijesekara announced last Sunday that the Govt has been forced to implement a quota system for fuel purchases beginning July. His excuse was that motorists were hoarding fuel. But, internal Govt sources claimed that more..

Jun 18 (ST) Rakuten Viber does it again this cricket season by elevating the entire cricket experience for its users with the launch of even better activities and exciting features on its popular messaging platform. Coming from last year�s celebration of the Cricket Fiesta, Viber continues with the trend of delighting its users with an experience that�s even more intense and engaging for its cricket loving fans. As a result a dedicated Cricket Vibes channel has been launched where fans not only will receive more..

Jun 18 (CT) A fighting century from Sadeera Samarawickrama went in vain as an inspired bowling performance by mid-match replacement Tanveer Sangha spun Australia A to a 68-run win in the first of two four-day games against Sri Lanka A. Leg-spinner Sangha was only parachuted into the match late on day two along with Jimmy Pierson after Matt Kuhnemann and Travis Head were called up to the senior side as injury cover for Marcus Stoinis and Ashton Agar. more..

Jun 18 (CT) Between Dec 2019 and 15 June 2022, Litro Gas Company has had four Chairmen, which, in itself, shows the magnitude of the institution�s destiny, state of affairs and the current plight of its customers. Muditha Peiris, new Litro Chairman, has taken over the reins on 15 June. However, Litro Gas is one of the enterprises where consumers do not have the benefit of obtaining supplies of cooking gas on credit more..

Jun 18 (FT) In its June edition, business magazine LMD says there�s �no hope of respite from floating rupees, fiscal storms and wolves at the door�, noting that the May LMD-NielsenIQ Business Confidence Index (BCI) survey provides some valuable insights. �The newly appointed prime minister brought in mixed feelings along with mistrust and speculation. The worsening economic situation� and the PM announcing to the nation to tighten belts even further in the next three months has led to more..

Jun 18 (FT) A series of gruelling field tests commissioned by CEAT Kelani Holdings for some of its top-selling motorcycle tyres has concluded that they hold their own against those of the two biggest competing brands, one from SL and the other from India. The benchmarking exercise was conducted at India�s state-of-the-art National Automotive Test Tracks (NATRAX) of National Automotive Testing and R&D Infrastructure Project (NATRiP) in Indore and at CEAT India�s corporate R&D facility more..

Jun 18 (FT) Minister of Education Susil Premajayantha led the SL delegation to the second Asia-Pacific Regional Education Minister�s Conference (APREMC-II), from 5 to 7 June, in Bangkok. The conference, held in hybrid mode under the theme of Education Recovery and Transformation towards more Responsive, Relevant and Resilient Education Systems: Accelerating Progress towards SDG 4 � Education 2030, was attended by Ministers of Education from more..

Jun 18 (FT) The country�s manufacturing and services sectors reported mixed results in May but the duo�s outlook remains bleak as per the latest Purchasing Managers Index (PMI). The Manufacturing PMI recorded an index value of 50.3 in May 2022, with an increase of 13.9 index points from the seasonally low value in the month of April. �The slight edging up of the PMI was mainly due to the recovery of Employment and the lengthening of Suppliers� Delivery Time,� Central Bank said. more..

Jun 18 (FT) Ministry of Education Secretary M.N. Ranasinghe told the COPA recently that the education sector as a whole has entered a very serious and complex position and managing it in the current economic crisis is more challenging than during the pandemic situation. He made the remarks at a special meeting of the COPA chaired by MP Tissa Vitarana to examine the future plans in the education sector to overcome the setbacks more..

Jun 18 (Island) 16 year old Minagi Rupasinghe set a new Sri Lanka national record in the women�s 1500-meter freestyle event at the 46th National Age Group Aquatic Championships 2022 held recently.Minagi, who represented Killer Whale Aquatics and coached by Manoj Abeysinghe, clocked an impressive timing of 19:14.97 minutes to bag her first national record. She holds the junior national records for 100-meter and 200-meter backstroke events and 400-meter Individual medley. more..

Jun 18 (FT) Transparency International SL (TISL) and three individuals yesterday filed a fundamental rights petition in the Supreme Court calling for action against persons responsible for the current economic crisis in SL. Attorney General, former PM Mahinda Rajapaksa, former Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa, former Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal, former Secretary to the Treasury S.R. Attygala and PM Ranil Wickremesinghe are among 13 respondents named in the petition. more..

Jun 18 (FT) South Korean Ambassador to Sri Lanka Jeong Woonjin has said that the South Korean Govt will extend its fullest support to Sri Lanka�s in its efforts to overcome the current economic crisis. The Ambassador made these remarks when he called on President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Thursday. The President conveyed congratulations to the newly elected President Yoon Suk-Yeol and his party People Power Party for its resounding victory at the recent elections. more..

Jun 18 (DN) Senura Silva the 16-year-old National TT champion from Ananda College is performing well these days in USA during his training period. As soon as he finished the O/L exam Senura went to USA for higher training which is coordinated by former National TT champion Thilina Piyadasa who is presently based in California with his family doing TT coaching as well. Senura is training at Samson Dubina Educational TT Academy under chief coach Samson Dubina. more..

Jun 18 (CT) Worker remittances, SL�s largest foreign-exchange earner, posted a decline, for the 12th consecutive month in May this year, as migrant workers only sent home USD 304.1 million during the month, down 33.9% from USD 460.1 million a year earlier. During the first five months of this year, migrant workers sent home USD 1,335.6 million, down 53.1% from USD 2,845.9 million sent during the same period last year. more..