Jun 27 (AD) The visiting high-level delegation representing the US State Dept and US Treasury Dept has met with Prez Rajapaksa. Members of the delegation include Deputy Assistant Secretary of Treasury for Asia Robert Kaproth and Ambassador Kelly Keiderling, who is also the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia. The US Treasury’s Robert Kaproth, US State Dept’s Kelly Keiderling and the US Ambassador to SL Julie Chung had met with Prez Rajapaksa to more..

Jun 27 (AD) President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has instructed the Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) and relevant authorities to use available funds to import fuel immediately. The Governor of the Central Bank has agreed to pay the money due to the relevant companies for the fuel supply with a certain plan, the President’s Media Division reported. President Rajapaksa had instructed officials to take immediate action to import fuel using the money available until then. more..

Jun 27 (Reuters) SL expects to run out of fuel in days, prompting the govt to close schools in Colombo and order govt employees to work from home, while troops handed tokens to people lining up for petrol to keep their places in the queue. SL is suffering its worst economic crisis in seven decades, with foreign exchange reserves at a record low and the island of 22 million struggling to pay for essential imports of food, medicine and, more..

Jun 27 (DM) The recent fuel price revision was not done according to any formula or any scientific manner but was based on a report released on estimated cost of imported refined petroleum products, the Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL) chairman Janaka Rathnayake said. In a statement to the media, he denied all allegations of raising fuel prices and stated that the calculations were done based on the costs to import per barrel of fuel, which stood at US$176 at that time. more..

Jun 27 (IANS) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is set to give a fitting salute to late spin wizard Shane Warne when the opening Test against Australia gets underway at the Galle Stadium on June 29. Warne died at the age of 52 due to a suspected heart attack on March 4 this year while holidaying in Thailand. SLC's gesture is one of recognising Warne as a true friend of SL who came to the country's aid during the 2004 tsunami devastation by flying over and visiting affected areas & making generous donations, more..

Jun 27 (TM) Former President Maithripala Sirisena clarified that he never mentioned the name of Ven. Athureliya Rathana Thera as having taken money in exchange for working to obtain a presidential pardon for Royal Park murder convict Shramantha Jayamaha. Sirisena’s Personal Secretary said the former Prez only said he felt someone took the money, and never alleged that Rathana Thera was this person. However, MP Ven. Athureliya Rathana Thera yesterday said that Sirisena had more..

Jun 27 (Xinhua) SL's central bank has blocked a proposal to sell fuel at selected gas stations for foreign currency, local media reported on Monday quoting Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera. The minister told the media that there was a suggestion that a few gas stations should be allowed to sell fuel for U.S. dollars. However, the central bank authorities told the ministry that dollars can not be used for internal retail transactions according to Sri Lankan regulations. more..

Jun 27 (AFP) Sri Lanka's heavily loss-making state-run electricity monopoly asked for a shocking price rise of over 800 percent for its poorest customers with the bankrupt nation out of fuel, regulators said Monday. South Asian nation has been hammered by a foreign exchange crisis, leaving it woefully short of dollars for imports, including fuel to generate electricity and for transport. more..

Jun 27 (TOI) An elderly man and an elderly woman who fled the economic crisis-hit Sri Lanka using an illegal ferry to India were found unconscious on the seashore in Dhanushkodi. Around 7am, local fishermen spotted the duo on the shore near Kothandaramar temple. The Coastal Security Group (Marine) police in Rameswaram were informed. The police managed to reach the spot around 8am and found 81-year-old Sivan from Mannar and 71-year-old Parameswari from Trinco unconscious. more..

Jun 27 (AD) SL’s Ministry of Defence has approved the launch of a cargo ferry service between Kankesanturai (KKS) and Pondichery in Tamil Nadu. According to Minister of Fisheries Douglas Devananda, the ferry service is to commence from July 01, 2022. The minister had previously said that once launched, Indian goods can directly reach SL’s Northern Province through the ferry service, which would be operated between KKS and Karaikal Port in Pondichery as it is also called. more..

Jun 27 (TM) The Bar Association in SL (BASL) has expressed concern about the manner in which the present economic crisis and the resultant shortages, especially of fuel are being handled by Govt of SL adversely affecting the lives of the people, the administration of the country and running of businesses and ultimately the stability of the community, further noting that the crisis has led to the deterioration of law and order in SL. more..

Jun 27 (FT) Minister Manusha Nanayakkara this week met with Romanian Ambassador to SL Dr. Victor Chiujdea to discuss new employment opportunities in Romania for Sri Lankans. There was a lengthy exchange of views on the provision of employment opportunities to SL workers in Romania and the Romanian Ambassador said that Romania had opened 100,000 foreign jobs earlier this year. Ambassador said that the Romanian Govt would not intervene in provision of such employment more..

Jun 27 (CI) Sri Lanka had lost their last 12 T20Is against India, and had never beaten them in a home game. But all that was put to rest as their captain Chamari Athapaththu led them to a seven-wicket win in the final match of the three-match T20I series in Dambulla. The hosts managed to salvage pride after conceding the series with back-to-back defeats. Athapaththu averages 22.57 in T20Is, but when she's captained SL to victory, she averages 42.61 and strikes at 142.41. more..

Jun 27 (FT) Govt has reduced the cap on the maximum foreign exchange one can have in possession to $ 10,000 or its equivalent in other currencies from $ 15,000 earlier. Central Bank said, with the intention of attracting foreign currency in the hands of the public into the formal banking system, the Finance Minister has issued an Order under Section 8 of the Foreign Exchange Act No. 12 of 2017 to this effect. The order is as follows: (1) Reducing the amount of foreign currency more..

Jun 27 (Island) The JVP women wing, Women for Rights, says that anyone who props up the Gotabaya-Wickremesinghe govt is an enemy of the public. WfR Chairperson Sarojini Savithri Paulraj called on the people to leave the queues, which led to mortuaries, and join the progressive forces to overthrow the govt. “What is the use of this govt that cannot keep schools open for five days a week. There is no use of ministers and MPs coming to Parliament, while schools remain closed. more..

Jun 27 (AD) The visiting high-level delegation of officials representing US State Dept and the Treasury Dept met with PM Ranil Wickremesinghe, a short while ago, for a discussion, PM’s Office said. The delegation including officials from the U.S. Dept of the Treasury and the U.S. Dept of State had arrived in SL yesterday morning for a three-day visit. Members of the delegation include Dy Assistant Secretary of Treasury more..

Jun 27 (EN) Sri Lanka stocks closed at one-week low on Monday (27), reversing a four straight session winning streak as the country’s fuel shortage weighed in on the market sentiments, brokers said. Power and Energy Minister on Sunday asked the public to use fuel sparingly as there was no fuel shipment scheduled to arrive into Colombo in the foreseeable future. The main All Share Price Index (ASPI) closed 2.6% or 199.3 points lower at 7,451.91, its lowest close since June 20. more..

Jun 27 (EN) State-run fuel retailer Ceylon Petroleum Corporation will need the help of the island nation’s Treasury when the repayment of $700 million Indian credit line starts, Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said. SL has already borrowed $700 million from India to finance its fuel requirement from March and the last shipment arrived in on June 16 under the two credit line – $500 million fuel credit time and $200 million essential commodity credit line. The credit lines for one year and more..

Jun 27 (Island) Islamic Republic of Iran has pledged urgently needed medical assistance to Sri Lanka, the SL Embassy, in Tehran said.It said: Lankan Ambassador to Iran, G.M. Vipulatheja Aponsu, met several key dignitaries, including Health Deputy Minister Dr. Mohammed Hossein Niknam, Foreign Ministry of Iran Director General (West Asia) Dr. Seyyed Mousavi and Head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) Dr. Pir Hossein Kolivandon, recently, at their offices in Tehran. more..

Jun 27 (Island) Professor Rangita De Silva De Alwis has been elected to the UN Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women for the term 2023-2026 representing SL at the elections conducted during the 22nd Meeting of the State Parties to the CEDAW Convention at the UN in New York. At this election, State Parties to the Convention elected 12 members, out of 23 candidates, to the Committee of the Convention. SL obtained 124 votes obtaining the 5th highest more..

Jun 27 (TM) The final report of the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) to Identify Appropriate Reforms of the Election Laws and the Electoral System and to Recommend Necessary Amendments, headed by Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, was presented to the Parliament on 22 June. The committee has made several recommendations with regard to the election system, female & youth representation in more..

Jun 27 (AD) A final decision is expected to be reached tomorrow (28) regarding the bus fares to be implemented from the 1st of July. The bus operators’ trade unions stated yesterday (26) that the bus fares should be increased in line with the increase in fuel prices. Accordingly, a final decision on the revision of bus fares will be taken after a discussion with the Minister of Transport tomorrow, said the Director General of the National Transport Commission, Dr. Nilan Miranda. more..

Jun 27 (CI) Reverse swing proved Australia's key weapon on the docile pitches in Pakistan, with Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc able to do decisive damage in key moments in Karachi and Lahore to put Australia in the ascendency in both Tests. Starc took 10 wickets in the last Test Australia played in Galle in 2016 and will hope to have similar success if he is cleared to play after a lacerated finger kept him out of the last two T20Is and all five ODIs. SL may consider the bold move of playing more..

Jun 27 (FT) Diamond Cutters Ltd. is investing over $ 10 million to further expand its production via a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Panadura. Diamond Cutters is an export oriented company and is the largest supplier of diamonds to the luxury watch industry in Switzerland. The company, which is a fully export oriented or-ganisation, has been contributing immensely towards the national economy of SL by earning foreign exchange for the past 33 years, deploying a workforce of 1,300 more..

Jun 27 (DM) It is not possible to purchase fuel from any nation without restoring Sri Lanka's image in the world which is tarnished badly, an opposition MP said today. MP Champika Ranawaka made this remark responding to reports which came in yesterday that Sri Lanka is to purchase fuel from Russia. “Sri Lanka will not be able to purchase fuel from anywhere in the world until its image in the international arena is restored. The image has been tarnished because of corruption. more..

Jun 27 (EN) JVP-led NPP is ready to form a government by inviting 15 to 20 members of the current parliament for a new cabinet, NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said. Speaking at a public rally, Dissanayake said if Prez Rajapaksa and PM Wickremesinghe were to make way for the NPP, the party was ready to take over. “Gotabaya and Ranil, if you hand this over tomorrow, we’re ready to accept it and build this country,” more..

Jun 27 (FT) The peoples’ protest at Galle Face Green, in Colombo, has gone beyond 60 days and there appears to be little appetite by its organisers to call it a day. There is also – very surprisingly, little or no move by the strongman President – a former military man – to evict the protestors. Indeed the new – month-old – PM now serving his sixth term in office is on record stating that the protestors can carry on. If it is frustrating then hundreds of protestors can carry on. more..

Jun 27 (SLN) SL Navy apprehended a local multiday fishing trawler with 54 individuals, suspected to be on an illegal migration attempt to Australia via sea, during a search operation carried out in the eastern seas of the island in the wee hours of today. In the search operation mounted in seas east of Batticaloa this morning, SLNS Rathnadeepa intercepted a suspicious local multiday fishing trawler carrying 54 persons who were suspected to be attempting to illegally migrate from the island to Australia. more..

Jun 27 (EN) Niraj de Mel, a veteran of SL’s tea sector with over 45 years of experience, has been appointed Chairman of Sri Lanka Tea Board. Having worked at SL and multinational tea firms he was also a past chairman of the Tea Exporter’s Association and the Colombo Brokers Association and a Vice Chairman of the Colombo Tea Traders Association. He was Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tea Board from June 2004 to November 2005. “I am privileged to take on this role at such a crucial time more..

Jun 27 (FT) Aseni, whiz kid in economics, has been intrigued by three pieces of hot news that had hit the media last week. One was the arrival of the legal and financial advisors hired by the Govt to initiate work on planned restructuring of some selected foreign debt contracted by the Govt. Second was fielding of a staff-team by IMF to arrive at a staff-level agreement for a bailout package for SL which in the opinion of the PM Ranil Wickremesinghe, is saddled with a collapsed economy. more..