- President Ranil Wickremesinghe says SL’s next country assessment on anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism will commence soon: asserts the assessment holds immense significance as it “directly impacts the country’s ease of doing business rating and its ability to attract foreign investments.”
- CPC records a profit of Rs. 29.7 billion in 1Q23: Its operating loss in 2022 was Rs. 6.2 billion, compared to the loss of Rs. 41.3 billion in 2021: CEB records a loss of Rs. 34.4 billion in 1Q23 as the cost-reflective pricing mechanism was implemented only in mid-February ’23: GOSL decides to restructure CPC’s balance sheet by transferring its outstanding balance of the govt-guaranteed foreign currency denominated debt stock to the central government debt stock.
- President Ranil Wickremesinghe hands over the letters of appointments to several new High Court Judges: The District Judges T.J. Prabhakaran, P.K. Parana Gamage, Assistant Secretary General of Parliament Tikiri K. Jayathilaka and Senior State Counsel K.D.Y.M. Nayani Nirmala Kasthuriratne appointed as High Court Judges.
- India’s Union Minister for Port, Shipping, Water Ways Sarbananda Sonowal flags off India’s first cruise ship “Cordelia Empress” to Sri Lanka from Chennai Port: The ship to reach the Hambantota Port on June 07, and is set to sail to Trincomalee and dock there for a day: Cordelia CEO Jurgen Bailom says the ship would carry 50,000 passengers from India to Sri Lanka in the next four months.
- Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella says considering the appreciation of the Sri Lankan Rupee against the US Dollar, there will be a 16% reduction in NMRA-registered drugs regulated by price controls, from June 15.
- The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce briefs key representatives of the IMF on recent economic developments in Sri Lanka, and their impact on the country’s economic trajectory: The meeting centres around interest rates, exchange rates, foreign trade, and the general political climate: CCC has been a strong advocate for the “debt default” and the subsequent IMF bailout which resulted in the sharp depreciation of the LKR, very high interest rates, high utility prices, massive negative growth, discontinuation of forex construction contracts, etc.
- The Environment Ministry and the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation sign an agreement on the ‘Green Climate Fund Readiness Initiative’: The proposal aims to enhance the technical capacity of the Ministry and its partners, including the private sector, for the implementation of necessary measures to address climate challenges: The Global Climate Risk Index reveals SL is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change, consistently ranking among the top ten nations at risk of extreme weather events.
- The Korean Government to provide Rs. 15,600 million in assistance to SL for the implementation of two floating solar projects by supporting the programme for the development of renewable energy in the island: These solar power plants to be located at Chandrika Lake and Kiriibban Lake in the southern region, and will contribute 2MW of electricity to the National Grid.
- Secretary General of the Joint Apparel Association Forum Sri Lanka Yohan Lawrence says with the current GSP+ regulation set to expire by the end 2023, it is imperative that SL takes measures to secure concessionary access to the European market; reminds securing GSP+ depends on SL upholding the already ratified conventions spanning human rights, labour, environment and governance; warns if SL is to lose GSP+, the combined loss for the apparel sector is estimated at US$494 million, which is 79% of the estimated trade loss.
- Sri Lanka Cricket team head coach Chris Silverwood after the victory in the second ODI at Mahinda Rajapaksa Int’l Stadium says they want to qualify for the World Cup and win the Afghanistan ODI series: adds the team has limited opportunities and time to prepare for the World Cup qualifier tournament and experience is vital at this stage: asserts he’s “very pleased with how the team has bounced back”: stresses Angelo Mathews’ experience is very important for the side.
Sri Lanka Original Narrative Summary: 06/06
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