High drama at Bangalore summit; Prabhakaran gives Rajiv a slip View(s):Veteran civil servant, diplomat and politician Sarath Amunugama has published volume two of his autobiography ‘Paris and Back’. The Bangalore Oberoi was completed but had not been declared open. In Bangalore, Rajiv shifted the Indian position by suggesting two Provincial Councils — North and East — which as two entities could evolve a system of cooperation at the ground level. However, he was forced to be in attendance in Bangalore but reportedly refused to meet the Sri Lankan President. Some years later both Rajiv and Prabhakaran had premature and violent deaths as a consequence of the Bangalore impasse.

The end of contemporary history View(s):By Joschka Fischer, exclusively for the Sunday Times in Sri LankaI cannot recall a time during the past 75 years when there has been such a massive accumulation of major and minor shocks. The world today is dealing with intensifying climate change, a pandemic, major wars, surging inflation, disruptions to international trade and supply chains, and acute food and energy shortages. In short, we are witnessing the denouement of the Pax Americana that underpinned international relations for more than 70 years following World War II. And US leaders mistakenly believed China’s inclusion in the World Trade Organisation and other multilateral arrangements would inevitably lead to its democratisation. COVID-19 and climate change have fundamentally altered the global economic and political calculus and will continue to do so.

If you are unhappy with Uncle Ranil now, the blame for that rests on you too. Some say that even though he is not there, Uncle Ranil has to dance to his tune. You speak of laying down conditions to join Uncle Ranil. Now, the tables have turned: If it suits him, Uncle Ranil might even appoint you as PM! That is to keep Uncle Ranil on the straight and narrow.

32 Sri Lankans leaving for overseas jobs every hour View(s):By Kapila BandaraFaced with vistas of bankruptcy and hunger, 32 Sri Lankans boarded a flight every hour, every day, the numbers having more than quadrupled in the first 181 days of this year, external sector data from the Central Bank have revealed. Most Sri Lankans are now leaving by themselves without the intervention of the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment, or job agents. Sri Lankans working overseas remain the single largest net foreign exchange earners of Sri Lanka and by working offshore they also keep the national unemployment rate artificially low. In the six month to June, Sri Lankans overseas sent in US$ 1.61 billion (Rs 576.02 billion). The CBSL data show that in June this year, overseas workers contributed US$ 274 million to the national coffers.

Sunday Times Newspaper report on How President Gotabaya Rajapaksa escaped on 9th JulyPresident Rajapaksa heeded the advice of the security chiefs to make a quick getaway and thus prevent a bloodbath. This is an Advance Offshore Patrol Vessel (AOPV) from the United States Coast Guard and gifted to Sri Lanka. It is not immediately clear whether President Rajapaksa and party disembarked in Trincomalee and flew to the airport in SLAF helicopters or took off from onboard the frigate. With the mobile phones operational, this was how President Rajapaksa telephoned Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, to inform him that he would send in his resignation on July 13. He also kept in touch with an immediate circle using his mobile telephone from the AOPV.

All this while, President Rajapaksa, a source revealed, was near the BIA weighing options to make a hurried getaway from Sri Lanka. Hence, how permission for a military aircraft to land in Male was sought by the Sri Lanka government remains a critical question. Before he became a cabinet minister in Sri Lanka, his mode of travel to Los Angeles has been via Economy Class. The saga of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fleeing Sri Lanka did not originate at the Bandaranaike International Airport that Tuesday night. This is an Advance Offshore Patrol Vessel (AOPV) from the United States Coast Guard and gifted to Sri Lanka.

UAL in Top 10 in Corporate Reporting Transparency View(s):Union Assurance PLC (UAL) has become the first insurer to reach the Top 10 in Transparency in Corporate Reporting, according to Transparency International Sri Lanka’s (TISL) 2022 report. This achievement is a testament to the rigorous transparent reporting practices followed by the company, UAL said in a media release. It is an independent assessment of corporate disclosure practices, which ranks companies based on three areas crucial to prevent and combat corruption – reporting on anti-corruption programmes, transparency in organisational holdings, and key financial information on domestic operations. UAL Chief Financial Officer, Asha Perera, noted that the company has a strong culture of corporate accountability. Known for its strong ethical values, JKH was ranked number one in Transparency in Corporate Reporting in TISL’s 2022 report.

Oh, what a fall was there my countrymen! View(s):Quoted above are Mark Antony’s words to the citizens of Rome at the fall of the mighty Caesar. True enough Gotabaya Rajapaksa played an important role as defence secretary to defeat a secessionist enemy and end the war. Among many epitaphs that would surely be written about Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s brief presidency one could well be “From grace to disgrace”. They do not need the desire for political change and a new political cultured to be tainted by internal dissension, instability and chaos.

The second round of the Gallup-style ‘Mood of the Nation’ poll conducted by Colombo-based economic think tank Verité Research shows within the first six months of the year, the sentiments of the public have dampened significantly. When compared with the January 2022 poll, the June 2022 poll shows that the country is less satisfied and has lower confidence in the management of the economy than it did at the beginning of the year. In terms of economic confidence, the score was a negative 96, while in January, the rating was negative 83. The economic confidence was assessed with multiple-choice questions on the condition and trajectory of the economy. The poll is based on an islandwide nationally representative sample of responses from 1,052 Sri Lankan adults, conducted in June 2022.

“What?” the reality star repeatedly asked Atkins in the video as she continued to hold the curling iron the wrong way. By the way, still can’t do it.”Khloé Kardashian's attempts to curl her own hair have sparked comparisons to Kendall Jenner's cucumber fail. jenatkinhair/Instagram Khloé Kardashian's attempts to curl her own hair have sparked comparisons to Kendall Jenner's cucumber fail. jenatkinhair/Instagram Up Next The "Real Housewives of Atlanta" star proved she's the queen...Atkins’ social media followers hilariously compared the “Kardashians” star’s styling mishap to Jenner’s vegetable-slicing struggles. “I was just confused why it was positioned this way,” Kardashian said.

Realme TechLife brand Dizo launched its latest wireless earbuds today with the Dizo Buds P. These bring 13mm dynamic Bass Boost+ drivers, 40 hours of total playback and noise cancelation for calls. Dizo Buds P bring touch controls that are integrated into the top half of the stems. Each earbud weighs just 3.5 grams while the case comes in at 31.5 grams. Pairing is done via Bluetooth 5.3 and the Realme Link app which is available on both Android and iOS gives you added controls over the buds. Dizo Buds PDizo Buds P come in black, blue and white colors and retail for INR 1,299 ($16).

The two activists are calling on President Biden to take 'decisive action' to save lives and protect a women's right to an abortion. WASHINGTON — A pair of Women's March activists scaled a crane Tuesday morning in D.C. to place a banner following the decision of the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, according to a press release. The banner will be revealed at the North Capitol St NE & T St NE Washington, D.C. 20002. In a press release, the group wrote "Biden needs to secure the reelection, will scale a crane in Washington D.C. to send the President a clear message: we will not go back." The activists that will be climbing the crane are Rachel O'Leary Carmona, Women's March Executive Director, and Tamika Middleton, Women's March Managing Director.

Asus will launch the ROG (Republic of Gamers) Phone 6 on July 5, and we expect it to be one of the first devices with a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset on the market. We already saw the design on TENAA, but today a new leak essentially confirmed it. There are more important features on this phone, including the extra keys on the back that come with the AeroActive cooler. The accessory is a lot more different than the predecessor that was designated to the ROG Phone 5 and 5s series but retains the most important feature - two clickable buttons on both sides of the fan. The protective case has plenty of buttons uncovered, as well as the back panel, so we assume it is there for better grip during gaming and not protecting the ROG Phone 6 at all costs.

Motorola is currently busy working on the third generation of its foldable smartphone, which we're tentatively calling Razr 3. A new rumor today coming from a usually reliable source claims that the Razr 3 will cost €1,149 in the EU. This means the Razr 3 will be cheaper than the Razr 5G was when it launched in Europe for €1,399. The original Motorola Razr foldableNot just that, but the Razr 3 has also long been rumored to be a proper high-end foldable, so it's cheaper than its predecessor while sporting better specs! Again that will most likely be in stark contrast to Samsung's Z Flip4, which will probably have multiple color choices.

Yesterday we got official confirmation that Poco F4 5G is launching on June 23 but that won’t be the only device at the keynote. The long-rumored Xiaomi Poco X4 GT will also be unveiled on stage. The event is scheduled to start at 5:30PM India time (12PM UTC) and will be livestreamed on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. Poco X4 GT launch posterBased on speculations, Poco X4 GT will be a rebranded Redmi Note 11T Pro meaning it should bring a 6.6-inch FHD+ LCD with 144Hz refresh rate alongside the Dimensity 8100 chipset and a 5,080 mAh battery with 67W charging. We’ll likely get more teasers in the days leading up to next week’s event so stay tuned.