- Rotterdam University Senior Lecturer and Economist Dr Howard Nicholas says Sri Lanka’s commercial borrowing of over USD 14 billion from the International Bond Market from 2015 to 2019 had a severe impact on debt sustainability.
- LKR and interest rates on topsy-turvy and uncertain paths: LKR loses 2.4% of value in just 20 days to reach Rs.321.88 per USD by 13th July: Interest rates rise rise sharply after a brief respite at this week’s auction: 3 month T-Bills rate rises from 17.79% in the previous week to 19.08% this week: 6-month T-Bills rate from 15.93% to 16.95%: 12 months T-Bills rate from 13.86% to 14.04%.
- Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles says the CID has not stopped the investigations on self-proclaimed Prophet Jerome Fernando: asserts the investigation will continue, and it is still in the initial stages.
- SJB MP Harsha Silva says the SJB will present an amendment to the EPF Act to “ensure an equitable treatment in restructuring of domestic debt”: analysts point out that the Monetary Board has paid a staggering 29% in interest in the year 2022 to the Central Bank’s own Provident Fund, whereas it has paid only 9% to the EPF Members in the same year: previously, Harsha Silva had advocated an IMF programme and Debt Re-structuring which has now led to the massive economic contraction of over 10% in GDP and nearly a million livelihood losses.
- Former Health Minister and SJB MP Dr Rajitha Senaratne says that the Health Ministry is controlled by a mafia: points out that when a registered Danish company offered to provide Insulin at USD 1.55, the ministry selected an unregistered Ukrainian company, which offered the same drug at USD 4.00.
- Former President Maithripala Sirisena informs Supreme Court that his decision to grant a Presidential Pardon to murder convict Jude Jayamaha was done after following all provisions under the Constitution.
- State Finance Minister Shehan Semasinghe says the Govt expects to spend Rs.206 billion annually on the “Aswesuma” program despite only Rs.144 billion being spent on welfare benefits in 2022: also says as per the agreement with the IMF, the Govt had promised to spend only Rs.187 billion annually to uplift the poor in the country, but has now gone beyond that stipulated amount.
- CID informs Colombo Chief Magistrate that it is presently probing the accounts of 6 officials from OnmaxDT who had allegedly withdrawn a sum of Rs.790 mn and deposited such sums into their own accounts: CID also informs Court that OnmaxDT had been involved in a pyramid scheme and that it will produce further submissions following investigations.
- Nadeesha Ramamayake wins the Gold medal in the 400m women’s event with a timing of 52.61 seconds at the Asian Athletics Championship 2023 in Bangkok, Thailand.
- Sri Lanka Cricket sources say Test captain and opening batter Dimuth Karunaratne is doubtful for the first Test match against Pakistan: Karunaratne will undergo fitness tests in Colombo over the next 48 hours, before travelling to Galle, the venue of the Test beginning on July 16: if Karunaratne is unavailable, the team to be led by all rounder and Vice Captain Dhananjaya de Silva, 31.
