by Eng Parakrama Jayasinghe parajayasinghe@gmail.com  Electricity consumers reeling from the massive increase in tariff in February (adjusted somewhat in July 2023) were naturally appalled by the request for a further increase by the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB).  A public consultation was held on 18 October 2023 by the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) […]

IMF staff and the Sri Lankan authorities have reached a staff-level agreement on economic policies to conclude the first review of the 48-month EFF-supported programme. Sri Lanka will have access to SDR 254 million (about 330 million U.S Dollars) in financing once the review is approved by the IMF Management and IMF Executive Board. Macroeconomic […]

By Jehan Perera The government has allocated Rs 11 billion in the provisional budget for next year for the presidential elections due in September. This is a positive indication that the government intends to hold those elections.  Free and fair elections being held when due is a core concept of a functioning democracy. This was […]

“Our focus is on achieving 70% renewable energy by 2023. This includes 25% from solar panels, 15% from wind power, and 10% from natural gas. However, transitioning the energy mix is a gradual process, requiring meticulous planning and execution. We aim to reach 60% renewable energy by 2026 and eliminate fossil fuel-based electricity generation by […]

Monday 18th September, 2023 Some henchmen of the Rajapaksa family, which is responsible for ruining the economy, have taken upon themselves the task of investigating the causes of the country’s bankruptcy! They are all out to absolve their political masters of wrongdoing in a bid to shore

By Jayantha Somasundaram When Dr Salvador Allende was elected President of Chile in 1970 at the head of a coalition that included the Socialist and Communist Parties, and with a mandate to nationalise foreign capital, carry out land reform and implement sweeping welfare measures, his government was targeted by Washington and opposed by Chile’s business […]

by Jehan Perera The increase in the price of petrol and diesel has been accompanied by the removal of the QR Code quota system for the purchase of fuel.  The elimination of long lines of vehicles, and people, outside of the fuel stations that existed a year ago is one of the signs of normalisation […]

Beijing [China], August 19 (ANI): Raising concerns regarding the financial crisis triggered by the downturn in China’s real estate market, Chinese investment firm Zhongrong Trust , which managed USD 87 billion worth of funds for corporate clients and wealthy individuals as of the end of 2022, had failed to pay the interest and principal on […]

Tuesday 1st August, 2023 The QR code-based rationing mechanism introduced one year ago has helped halve the national fuel consumption, the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) has said, according to media reports. In fact, it helped bring order out of chaos and thereby saved current dispensation. Ideally, fuel should be available sans any restrictions, but the […]

Monday 24th July, 2023 President Ranil Wickremesinghe has returned from New Delhi with a to-do list given by the Modi government. He will have Big Brother breathing down his neck hereafter. It has been reported that the SLPP-UNP government is planning to hold an all-party conference on the ethnic issue. Some of India’s dictates have […]

Sri Lanka born international economist Dr. Howard Nicholas of Erasmus University, Netherlands has categorically stated that Sri Lanka must not adopt the IMF recommendations on monetary policy for it has no rational basis and evidence of success anywhere in the world. Coming from a Western based economist that provides a lot of food for thought […]

BEIJING, June 28 (Reuters) – Annual profits at China’s industrial firms extended a double-digit decline in the first five months as softening demand squeezed margins, reinforcing hopes of more policy support to bolster a stuttering post-COVID economic recovery. The 18.8% year-on-year slump in profits came on top of the 20.6% contraction in January-April, and added […]