Aug 20 (Island) SL will experience periodic power cuts until 2027 if the govt did not take steps to increase electricity production, CEB Engineers Union (CEBEU) said. Due to electricity shortages, the Norochcholai Power Plant had been operational non-stop, sometimes even without scheduled maintenance, CEBEU President, Saumya Kumarawadu said. “A generator is down. We will get it back online within 14 days. We had started maintenance on another plant in June and more..

Aug 20 (NPR) It all began 20 years ago, when China loaned SL more than $1 billion to build a fancy new port — what would become its second-largest — on its southern coast. The Hambantota port, with its strategic location near busy Indian Ocean shipping routes, was touted as good for SL commerce. But it wasn't profitable, and govt defaulted on those Chinese loans. Then China foreclosed, taking over port's operations more..

Aug 20 (FT) SL has become a bankrupt State. SL has stated that it is impossible to repay the foreign debts obtained and therefore suspended the repayments. There is a shortage of essential services and goods such as electricity, gas and fuel. There were spontaneous protests by the people throughout the island without any political leadership. These protests were peaceful and nonviolent. The main protest site Gota Go Gama at Galle Face Green was attacked on 9 May more..

Aug 20 (FT) Last week saw the celebration of International Youth Day, which has taken place every year on 12 August since the United Nations first declared it an awareness day in 2000. International Youth Day aims to highlight the specific issues faced by youth around the world in different sectors or aspects of their life, for example related to civic engagement, eradicating poverty, transforming education, transforming food systems, or youth engagement for global action. more..

Aug 20 (AD) SL para-athlete Janani Dananjana has clinched the gold medal in Women’s Long Jump at the 4th Indian Open National Para-Athletics Championship 2022 in Bangalore, India. Her impairment falls under the T47 classification, which is for athletes with movement affected at a low to moderate degree in one arm or the absence of limbs. Dananjana secured the gold medal by jumping the best distance of 5.01 meters and 690 points. more..

Aug 20 (EN) SL police is seeking the assistance of the public to identify 34 protestors that police said are suspected of damaging the Presidential Secretariat building on July 09. On July 09, a mass gathering of anti-govt protesters stormed the President’s House, the Presidential Secretariat and Temple trees, the prime minister’s official residence. Police released pictures of the suspects asking members of the public to call if they have any information about their whereabouts, more..

Aug 20 (EN) Staff at Sri Lanka’s Ayurveda Teaching Hospital in Borella held a demonstration to bring attention to several issues including medicine shortages faced by Ayurvedic practitioners around the island and to protest systemic corruption. The protest, held on Friday (19) was on behalf of several groups including the SL Govt Ayurveda Medical Officers’ Association, the All Ceylon Nurses’ Union and more..

Aug 20 (ST) While expressing its continued support to the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL), Law Association for Asia and the Pacific (LAWASIA) acknowledged its role in safeguarding and promoting the rule of law in Sri Lanka. In a recent statement, LAWSIA reiterated its concern relating to reports of intimidation against protesters and incidents where there had been a use of force to disperse those who had occupied the Presidential Secretariat and immediate surrounding area. more..

Aug 20 (DM) Four more int'l flights from Sri Lanka had a stopover at Thiruvananthapuram airport for refuelling on Friday. Of them, three flights, operated by SriLankan Airlines, then proceeded to Melbourne, Sydney and Paris, while the fourth, an AirArabia flight, left for Sharjah. Since May 27, 204 flights from the crisis-hit island nation have made technical landing at Thiruvananthapuram airport owing to the scarcity of fuel back home. Most of the arriving flights are the ones operated by SriLankan more..

Aug 20 (CI) Left-arm quick Dilshan Madushanka has been named in a SL men's T20 squad for the first time, while Dinesh Chandimal, seamer Asitha Fernando and middle-order batter Ashen Bandara make their return to the squad for the Asia Cup. Also making comebacks are allrounder Dhananjaya de Silva and legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay who was not part of the squad that played Australia in June. more..

Aug 20 (DM) Due to the limited number of PCR and RAT kits, tests are carried out under a selected method to detect COVID-19 virus infections among people. Deputy Director General of Health Services, Dr. Hemantha Herath said a decision was taken to conduct PCR and RAT tests only for situations where it is considered very important to conduct tests. We have limited resources, so we should make the maximum effort to control the spread of the virus among people again. more..

Aug 20 (ST) Baby talcum powder made by Johnson & Johnson, suspected to cause cancer and which had led to multi-billion-dollar lawsuits in the US, will no longer be available worldwide from next year. Mothers in SL who are drawn to the scent, still use the talc-based powder in the belief it prevents nappy rash. American healthcare heavyweight announced that talc-based Johnson’s Baby Powder will be discontinued globally in 2023 and an all cornstarch-based baby powder portfolio will be launched. more..

Aug 20 (AD) The CPC resumed operations at the Sapugaskanda Oil Refinery today, Minister Kanchana Wijesekera says. The refinery remained closed for several months due to crude oil shortges. Taking to his official Twitter handle, the lawmaker said 100,000 metric tons of crude oil is being discharged at present, and that the CPC expects to receive the second crude oil cargo of 120,000 metric tons next week. With these two cargos, the refinery will be able to operate at full capacity for more..

Aug 20 (CT) Army recently launched a mega agricultural drive by cultivating Kirby cucumber on 1,500 acres of abandoned govt-owned lands in Kandakadu. Human resources and agricultural experts of the Army in the Kandakadu farm engaged in this endeavour. The project was launched recently by joining hands with HJS Condiments Limited of the Hayleys Group of Companies with technical aid to enable the Army to succeed in this mega drive. Army Commander, Lt Gen Vikum Liyanage directed more..

Aug 20 (ST) People in the hill country plantations should be prevented from encroaching on forest land, setting up snares to trap wildlife, and from continuing to raise farm animals, so that tragedies involving leopards can be avoided, environmentalists say. A video clip of a botched rescue attempt in Vanaraja Estate in Hatton where a leopard — wounded and bleeding — was seen hanging in a tree with a snare tightened more..

Aug 20 (AD) Amnesty International has urged the Sri Lankan govt to not use the draconian anti-terror law, the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) against protesters for their acts of civil disobedience. In a Twitter thread, the international rights organization said it is “deeply concerned by reports that Wasantha Mudalige, the Convener of the Inter-University Students’ Federation, is currently being held at the Terrorism Investigation Division by the authorities.” more..

Aug 20 (CT) In response to Minister Prasanna Ranatunga’s statement that the cost incurred due to the alleged damages to the Galle Face Green by Aragalaya would be reclaimed from everyone who engaged in protests, National organizer of the Socialist Youth Union (SYU) Eranga Gunasekara said the protesters only have their lives as compensation. Gunasekara said that as the Minister said, the protesters did not harm the land and always worked with common good in mind. more..

Aug 20 (DM) The Cabinet and State ministers will be sworn in next week, an informed source said. 30 Cabinet ministers will be appointed. Most ministers who currently hold two or more portfolios each will lose one of them for the accommodation of new comers to the Cabinet. There will be MPs from the Opposition joining the govt in their individual capacities regardless of the positions of their parties. Around 40 state ministers will be appointed. more..

Aug 20 (DN) Speedy action will be taken to recover the Rs.10 billion in loans granted by the National Housing Development Authority (NHDA) for the housing programmes,” Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said. He has instructed the relevant officials of the Authority to immediately implement the targeted programme to recover Rs.300 million loans monthly from the loan recipients. It has been reported that nearly Rs.563 million in loans have to be recovered by the NHDA monthly. more..

Aug 20 (Island) SL’s tourism officials, conscious of the dire need to shore up their country’s economy, plan to woo a greater number of Indian tourists, who constitute the single largest segment of foreign tourists, through new packages such as the Murugan-Shiva Shakthi trails. Their optimism stems from the fact that there is a proposal to resume air passenger services from the Palaly airport, in Jaffna, to destinations in the southern part of India. As part of the Murugan trail, two important places more..

Aug 20 (Island) Women bear the brunt of the current economic crisis, Dilka Surangani, a national committee member of the Free Women Movement says. Surangani said due to the current economic crisis, a large number of children are already shifting to informal work. “People are also angry because they can’t figure out how to make ends meet. Instances of domestic violence have increased because of this,” she said. Surangani indicated that the estate sector, garment, more..

Aug 20 (EN) SL has agreed to sign the Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2023- 2027 by the UN, in hopes of accelerating actions towards the achievement of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development, PM’s office said. During the meeting between the UN Development Coordination Office (UNDCO) Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific David McLachlan-Karr and PM Dinesh Gunawardena, the former had assured the PM that the UNDCO more..

Aug 20 (CT) The further breakdown of the 900 mW (3X300 mW) Norochcholai Coal Fired Power Plant (NCFPP) on Monday (15) will have had cost the taxpayer an additional Rs 798 million in the four consecutive days to Thursday (18), CEB data showed. All costs are based on CBSL’s electricity estimates as at last year. This additional cost to the taxpayer is despite increased power cuts effective from Tuesday (16) due to more..

Aug 20 (DN) Former MP Ranjan Ramanayake who is currently serving a prison sentence in Welikada Prison, went to the Gold Class Theatre at Scope Cinema at the Colombo City Center yesterday to watch the movie The Game in which he acted. Ranjan Ramanayake was taken by the prison officers to the theatre at around 2.30 pm yesterday under strict security and a limited number of people attended the scene. Film Director had made a written request to the Minister of Justice to more..

Aug 20 (DM) Tea exports for the month of July saw a decrease of 7.8 MnKgs when compared with the corresponding month of the previous year. The exports of Ceylon Tea for July totalled 22.76 MnKgs, where all the main categories showed a negative variance compared to July 2021. The cumulative analysis of the Jan to July 2022 period showed that the exports totalled 148.05 MnKgs for the seven months. Here again a decrease of 14.47 MnKgs is observed when compared with more..

Aug 20 (ST) Higher electricity costs will burn a hole in the budgets of households already struggling with unprecedented costs of living. From this week, users will have to pay 75% more on average a month. For Kalyani, a mother of two young children, who has been maintaining a monthly electricity bill of about Rs 2,000, higher charges will stretch her financial resources. “The prices of all goods have skyrocketed. more..

Aug 20 (EN) Newly imposed maximum retail prices on eggs sold in crisis-hit SL may demotivate producers resulting in further shortages in poultry products in the market, the All Island Poultry Association said. The association said that farmers may stop raising new chicks for egg production due to higher costs. On August 19, the Consumer Affairs Authority introduced new maximum retail prices for eggs effective immediately. The maximum retail price for a white egg is now 43 rupees while more..

Aug 20 (DN) National Transport Commission (NTC) has initiated the pilot project introducing a pre-paid travel card that can be used to pay bus fares when traveling in buses. The prepaid card system was initially implemented in private buses plying from the Makumbura Multimodal Transport Center in Kottawa to Galle on the Southern Expressway under the patronage of Minister Bandula Gunawardena yesterday. A prepaid credit card functions like a regular debit card and allows passengers to more..

Aug 21 (ST) A staff-level team from the IMF is scheduled to arrive next week to sign a reform programme as the country entertains mixed feelings in going, belatedly as it is, for a bailout from the lending agency. Why mixed feelings – because on the one side there seems to be no other option to come out of the hole the economy is in and further borrowed money is immediately needed for sheer survival; on the other, IMF programmes come with conditions, economic pills that are bitter and more..

Aug 21 (SO) Last week, we commented editorially on Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe’s speech in Parliament, where he mentioned a 25-year development plan. Now, in an interview with the prestigious international magazine The Economist, Prez Wickremesinghe has outlined his plans in detail and given Sri Lankans a further glimpse into what the future might hold for the country. One of the recurring themes in this wide-ranging interview was the acute need to reduce State expenditure more..

Aug 21 (ST) It is a common feature in Lankan politics where to get something done or secure a govt job, you have to go behind politicians to get recommendation letters or as some say pull some strings to make things happen. Unfortunately, even some learned academics have resorted to following this pattern to secure posts. The latest in this sort of recommendation letter saga came from SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa who wrote to more..

Aug 21 (CT) Wasantha Mudalige has been detained initially for 7 days, but for up to 90 days, under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. Nothing he has done warrants even remotely the use of the PTA against him. The deployment of the PTA against this student leader is the shape of things to come: the deployment of the heaviest legal artillery of the State against unarmed activists and participants in unarmed demonstrations. What is used against the most prominent student leader today will be more..

Aug 21 (ST) My Dear Uncle Ranil, I thought I should write to you again today because it is exactly a month ago that you assumed office as the big boss of our troubled Paradise. For some reason, that day, July 21, has been an auspicious day for you. That was also the day you were first elected to Parliament 45 years ago. You didn’t take on your new job amidst celebration in the way most others before you did, after winning an election. In fact, it was quite the opposite. more..

Aug 21 (TM) Govt of Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe is stepping into a decisive week that will decide on SL’s economic recovery is a definite understatement given the many areas that require attention before commencing discussions with the IMF delegation that is to arrive in the country this week. It is evident that Wickremesinghe is making all efforts to put forward a united front in a politically-stable environment for the IMF, more..

Aug 21 (TM) Minister of Urban Development came out with a gem last week. In all seriousness, he said that the cost of the damage caused to the grass at Galle Face due to the recent protests must be recovered from the protesters. Rich indeed, coming from a man recently convicted by a court of law for extortion and sentenced to two years’ rigorous imprisonment suspended for 5 years and a fine of Rs. 25 million. In any other self-respecting democracy, likes of the Minister concerned more..

Aug 21 (SO) Tourism is the talk of the town today. It is also a key source of income to the country which is now cash-strapped. However, there is lot that could be done to develop the industry. The country has the potential to attract more travellers due to its vast diversity and climate which should be exploited strategically to woo in more visitors both local and foreign. However, the lucrative industry faced many setbacks in the recent past which has also been the case for many tourism-dependent countries. more..