Jun 27 (Island) Junior athletes who have already suffered setbacks due to cancelation of meets and postponements of int'l competitions are set to encounter further trouble as a number of athletes who have reached qualifying standards for the upcoming World Junior Championships face the axe due to the current economic crisis. Sri Lanka Athletics has dropped two athletes including Sithum Jayasundara who took part in the last World Junior Championships when more..

Jun 27 (FT) The rupee value of the country�s foreign debt has ballooned by near 50% in 1Q to Rs. 9.55 trillion following the sudden free flotation of the currency,. Sri Lanka ended 2021 with a foreign debt of Rs. 6.5 trillion and by February this year it was down to Rs. 6.4 trillion. In a highly contested move, the Govt in the first week of March all of sudden decided to let the exchange to float free plunging the rupee by over 50%. more..

Jun 27 (Island) The present economic crisis, and the associated energy crisis, has mightily affected the fisheries sector, reducing the number of boats at sea, dwindling market supply, soaring fish prices, all affecting food and nutritional security of the people in Sri Lanka. Being a highly fuel-dependent sector, there is a pressing need for the sector to find means of economising on fuel and continue to provide the most important animal protein to the people-the Fish. Yet, the tale of woe of fishers more..

Jun 27 (CT) Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera indicated to the Media in Colombo yesterday that because of a dearth of US dollars, they are unable to import fuel. According to him, presently, State-owned CPC and Indian Govt-owned LIOC have 19,000 metric tons (mts) of diesel and between 5,500-6,000 mts of petrol, only. The CPC refinery is shutdown because the Govt of SL/CPC has no dollars to import crude oil. The SLPP Govt, together with UNP Leader more..

Jun 27 (SO) The 44th Observer School Cricketers of the Year is gathering momentum with the key inter-school big matches to come within the next few weeks. Cricket was at its best after many moons with the Sri Lanka national team registering its first ODI series win over Australia after 30 years. The Observer SLT Mobitel School Cricketers of the Year too had its own share in those wins with former top award winners Charith Asalanka and Kusal Mendis proving their might. more..

Jun 27 (Island) After three weeks of eight exciting one-day games, the Australians will now move to the south coast where Galle will host them for two Test matches. On paper, SL, a team that had struggled in white-ball cricket for some seven years, had a snowball�s chance in hell. But cricket is such a funny game. One stunning run chance at Pallekele in the third T-20 scripted by Dasun Shanaka gave them confidence that there�s nothing impossible in sports and SL looked a different side from thereon. more..

Jun 27 (FT) A Parliamentary Committee that looked into electoral reforms has recommended that legislation be introduced to control election expenses, a code of conduct for candidates and steps to prevent misuse of state resources during election campaigns. Final Report of the Select Committee of Parliament to Identify Appropriate Reforms of the Election Laws and the Electoral System and to Recommend more..

Jun 27 (FT) The overall Budget deficit in the first quarter has expanded by 21% to Rs. 483.3 billion from a year ago. As per latest Central Bank data, during the three months ending March 2022, Govt revenue increased to Rs. 446.8 billion compared to Rs. 365.4 billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2021. Total expenditure and net lending increased to Rs. 931.2 billion compared to Rs. 765.5 billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2021. CBSL also said during the 3 months more..

Jun 27 (SO) More than 100 taekwondo, boxing and athletic coaches were awarded certificates after successfully completing the Level One course conducted by the National Institute of Sports Science (NISS) which comes under the aegis of the Sports Ministry. The coaches were urged to not only focus on teaching techniques of a particular discipline but to be a mentor to students and prepare them to face the challenges in life. The Secretary to the ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports more..

Jun 27 (ST) A national audit has found that the dollar deficit was just one reason for the national shortage of medical supplies. Others include computer systems not having being updated, lack of coordination among relevant medical sector offices and a sheer disregard for procurement schedules. AG�s special report regarding steps taken to avoid pharmaceutical shortages in Govt hospitals was published online this week. more..

Jun 27 (ST) Sri Lanka�s liquidity crisis is coming to a head with cheque returns tripling the usual amount during this month. All entities from large companies to small businesses are defaulting, a banker said noting that it will become worse by next month. He said they simply cannot pay. �There is no liquidity in the system. The economy is drying up.� A second banker told the Business Times that the small and medium enterprises are slowly losing business and their predicament is pretty bad. more..

Jun 27 (DN) Lasith Malinga the strategic bowling coach of SL white ball team gave a surprise gift to the youngest player of the side 19 year old Dunith Wellalage. the leg spinner and useful middle order batter who really performed well during his debut ODI series against Australia which ended in a historic 3-2 series win after 30 years for SL. Malinga the most experienced white ball format paceman said I promised to give a surprise gift to young Wellalage. who did really well in his debut more..

Jun 27 (CI) Steven Smith has dispelled doubts about his fitness ahead of Australia's first Test against Sri Lanka, but Mitchell Starc but still faces a crucial lead-in to overcome a finger injury. Two stars of Australia's last tour to SL, Smith and Starc, headline a long injury list for the tourists ahead of the opening Test in Galle on Wednesday. Travis Head is also battling to play after a hamstring strain with Glenn Maxwell waiting in the wings, while Ashton Agar's side strain has cost him potential Test recall. more..

Jun 27 (DM) Ministry of Education has issued the directive to close schools in the Colombo region of the Western Province and the suburban cities, as well as the schools in major cities in other provinces, until July 1. They said the decision was made after the Power and Energy Ministry informed them about the distribution of fuel in the country, which would not be possible during the week starting tomorrow. If there is no transportation issues for students and teachers during June 27 to July 1, more..

Jun 27 (Island) Two SLPP MPs, Dr. Nalaka Godahewa and Madura Vithanage have, at different forums, lashed out at the govt for the rapidly deteriorating status of the public sector finance. Godahewa has warned that economic recovery will not be possible unless the govt restructured nearly 400 loss making public sector enterprises or at least take tangible measures to cut down on recurring losses. more..

Jun 27 (EN) Private bus operators need an overall fare hike to account for currency depreciation and the rise in a consumer price index, Lanka Private Bus Owner�s Association (LPBOA) President Gemunu Wijeratne said after the latest diesel price hike. �We will have to go for the Annual Revision based on several different factors, including the Colombo Consumers Price Index and the dollar rate,� Wijeratne said on June 26. Recent price hikes were only based on fuel price hikes, he said. more..

Jun 27 (TM) Following the Dept of Zoology informing the Wildlife Ministry a few weeks ago that it had run out of funds to feed the animals it houses, Treasury has agreed to provide Rs. 20 million for this purpose for the next five months. This was following a request made by Minister Mahinda Amaraweera from the Treasury. Claiming that there was a shortage of funds to feed the animals at the Dehiwala Zoo, Amaraweera said that the court had also assigned the zoo the responsibility more..

Jun 27 (AD) The Southern Expressway Traffic Police have arrested a police constable for driving a motorcycle on the expressway and causing an accident. The suspect was also found to be under the influence of alcohol at the time of his arrest, police said. He had reportedly entered the expressway from the Kotelawala interchange and travelled in the direction of Kottawa while ignoring police orders before turning around and once again heading towards Kadawatha on wrong side more..

Jun 27 (AD) Ministry of Public Administration has issued a circular directing the heads of govt institutions to call only the minimum and essential staff for day-to-day services until further notice. The circular dated 26.06.2022 has been issued by the Secretary to the Ministry of Public Admin, Home Affairs, PCs and LG, M.M.P.K. Mayadunne. �In view of the difficulties faced by the public in getting the day-to-day transport facilities provided, it is informed to give priority until further notice more..

Jun 27 (FT) Govt yesterday increased fuel prices across the board, forcing further agony on people already suffering from severe shortages. As per the latest price revision of CPC, a litre of 92 Octane pet-rol has increased by Rs. 50 to Rs. 470, while 95 Octane petrol up by Rs. 100 to Rs. 550, auto die-sel up by Rs. 60 to Rs. 460 and super diesel up by Rs.75 to Rs.520. LIOC also announced that it has decided to increase fuel prices more..

Jun 27 (AD) Two ministers will be flying to Russia today and they will discuss matters including fuel imports during the visit, according to Minister Kanchana Wijesekara. He was responding to a question raised at the media briefing regarding Sri Lanka not seeking oil from Russia. Minister said that the misters are traveling on another diplomatic visit and hoped that the discussion would be held in due course during that visit and that a favorable answer would be forthcoming. more..

Jun 27 (AD) Police suspect that petrol stored in a container had cause of the fire in a house at Kahathuduwa that claimed the lives of a married couple while also injuring their two children. SSP Nihal Thalduwa said the fire had broken out at a residence located at Magammana in the Kahatuduwa police area last night (26). The fire which had erupted inside a room of the house had injured four members of the same family including the father, mother and their two daughters more..

Jun 27 (TM) With the petrol stocks of the CPC having reduced to approximately 6,000 MT and with no shipment scheduled to arrive in Sri Lanka, a tokenised system for fuel distribution will be implemented by the defense forces from today, according to Minister Kanchana Wijesekera. �CPC has 6,000 MT of petrol at the moment. LIOC has 8,000 MT of petrol. LIOC releases about 300 MT to the market everyday. 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..

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 (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 (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 (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 (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 (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 (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 (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 (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 (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 (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..