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Meetings to further fast track flagship grant projects

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High Commissioner Gopal Baglay held two separate meetings with Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs – Vidura Wickramanayaka, on the implementation of USD 15 million grant by Government of India for the promotion of Buddhist ties and functioning of Jaffna Cultural Center (JCC) on 1 November 2022 in Colombo.

Secretary, Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs Mr. Somarathna Vidanapathirana, First Secretary (Development Cooperation), Mr. Eldos Mathew Punnoose and other officials representing the Governments of India and Sri Lanka attended these meetings.

It may be recalled that Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a special grant of USD 15 million for the promotion of bilateral Buddhist ties at the Virtual Bilateral Summit on 26 September 2020 and the MOU governing the grant was signed on 28 March 2022, during the visit of External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar to Colombo.

High Commissioner and Hon’ble Minister Wickramanayaka agreed to immediately undertake steps for the quick implementation of jointly-identified priority projects under the grant in numerous areas pertaining to Buddhism. Specific action points regarding installation of solar power facilities in places of worship and Pirivenas, spread across different parts of Sri Lanka were also identified.

The meeting on JCC focused on the establishment of an enabling joint-framework to make the state-of-the-art facility available for regular use by common public. This glowing example of India-Sri Lanka development partnership, which has been constructed under a Government of India grant of more than USD 11 million, consists of multiple facilities such as a museum of two floors, a latest theatre style auditorium for more than 600 people, a 11-storeyed learning tower, and a public square which could also act as an amphitheater, among others.

The two meetings underscore Government of India’s abiding commitment to bring about a palpable impact to the daily lives of the people of Sri Lanka through the implementation of people-centric grant projects. These projects are guided by the demands and needs of all sections of Sri Lankan society and the priorities of the Government of Sri Lanka. Till date, India has been associated with the implementation of more than 85 grant projects in Sri Lanka and the latest endeavours include the Sri Lanka Unique Digital Identity Project.

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Norochcholai generator to shut down for 25 days

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The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) announced that the generator No. 01 at the Norochcholai Power Plant will be deactivated from midnight today (June 13) for scheduled maintenance lasting 25 days.

This will result in a temporary reduction of 300 megawatts from the national grid.

However, the Kelanitissa Combined Cycle Power Plant, which had been deactivated for around one and a half months for maintenance, will also be reactivated from midnight, contributing 165 megawatts back to the system.

CEB Media Spokesman – Dhammika Wimalaratne noted that the timing of the maintenance aligns with increased hydroelectric generation capacity due to current rainfall.

(Source: Aruna)

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Global oil prices soar after Israel attacks Iran

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Global oil prices jumped after Israel said it had struck Iran, in a dramatic escalation of tensions in the Middle East.

Benchmark oil contracts Brent Crude and Nymex light sweet were up by more than 10% after the news emerged.

Traders are concerned that a conflict between Iran and Israel could disrupt supplies coming from the energy-rich region.

The cost of crude oil affects everything from the price of food at the supermarket to how much it costs to fill up your car.

Analysts have told the BBC that energy traders will now be watching to see whether Iran retaliates in the coming days.

“It’s an explosive situation, albeit one that could be defused quickly as we saw in April and October last year, when Israel and Iran struck each other directly,” Vandana Hari of Vandana Insights told the BBC.

“It could also spiral out into a bigger war that disrupts Mideast oil supply,” she added.

In an extreme scenario, Iran could disrupt supplies of millions of barrels of oil a day if it targets infrastructure or shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

The strait is one of the world’s most important shipping routes, with about a fifth of the world’s oil passing through it.

At any one time, there are several dozen tankers on their way to the Strait of Hormuz, or leaving it, as major oil and gas producers in the Middle East and their customers transport energy from the region.

Bounded to the north by Iran and to the south by Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Strait of Hormuz connects the Gulf with the Arabian Sea.

“What we see now is very initial risk-on reaction. But over the next day or two, the market will need to factor in where this could escalate to,” Saul Kavonic, head of energy research at MST Financial said.

(BBC News)

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CID teams conduct prison inspections islandwide

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The Ministry of Public Security says that 28 Criminal Investigation Department (CID) teams have begun inspections at all prisons across the country yesterday (June 12), with the operation continuing today (June 13) due to its scale.

These inspections focus particularly on reviewing prison documents, as part of the ongoing investigation into the alleged misuse of presidential pardons to unlawfully release inmates.

Commissioner General of Prisons – Thushara Upuldeniya, who was arrested over the unauthorized release of an Anuradhapura Prison inmate on Vesak Poya Day, remains in custody at a Colombo prison under special protection.

Meanwhile, Anuradhapura Prison Superintendent – Mohan Karunaratne, who has also been remanded, is to be produced before court again today.

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