An International Monetary Fund (IMF) team arrives in Sri Lanka on Monday for talks on a bailout programme, but time is short for a country just days from running out of fuel and likely months from getting any relief money.

Letter of Credit (LCs) amounting to USD 90 million have been opened for a shipment of petrol and diesel, Sri Lanka’s Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera said.

Veteran actress Liyoni Kotelawala passed away this morning (June 19) at the age of 78.

With existing fuel stocks almost exhausted, the website indicating fuel availability at filling stations, which was made and was being managed by the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) and Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA), has been temporarily shut down.

India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Saturday chaired a parliamentary consultative committee meeting on the situation in Sri Lanka and said there was “unanimous support” on the need to stand with the neighbouring country in this difficult time.

The Ministry of Public Security has instructed Sri Lanka Police to use Minimum Force to control unruly situations at filling stations that arise due to the fuel crisis.

A 30-year-old person was killed when a firearm of a police officer was discharged during a drug raid in Neluwa, Police Spokesman SSP Nihal Thalduwa said.

Licences of three fuel trucks have been suspended with immediate effect, Minister of Energy Kanchana Wijesekera said.

A 23-year old young man died after falling off from a moving train at the Matara railway station last night (June 18).

The Ministry of Education states that all Government and Government-approved private schools in Colombo city limits will remain closed for the next week starting from Monday (June 20), says the Secretary to the Ministry of Education, Nihal Ranasinghe.

Sri Lanka’s economic activity is coming to a near standstill as the island nation, facing its worst financial crisis, runs out of fuel for transport with little sign of fresh supplies arriving.

Nine persons including a woman have been arrested following a clash between the public and Police at a filling station in Athurugiriya last night (June 17).

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said that although the food crisis could directly affect four to five million Sri Lankans in the future, steps would be taken to control it.

The Sri Lanka Army is set to embark upon another project of national and timely importance established its Green Agriculture Steering Committee of the Army (GASC) on Thursday (June 16) in order to supplement and promote the island’s food security program by cultivating more than 1500 acres of barren or abandoned state lands across the country.

Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Public Administration has issued a circular announcing a two-week, work-from-home period for public sector workers from Monday (June 20).