Srilanka

Showers or thundershowers will occur in Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces and in Kandy, Nuwara-Eliya, Galle and Matara districts. Several spells of showers will occur in North-western province and in Matale and Hambanthota districts.Showers or thundershowers will occur at a few places in Uva province and in Ampara and Batticaloa districts after 2.00p.m.Fairly heavy falls above 50 mm can be expected at some places, in Sabaragamuwa province and in Kaluthara, Galle and Matara districts. Fairly strong gusty winds up to 50 kmph are likely over the island particularly in western slope of the Central hilly areas, Southern province and western coastal areas. There may be temporary localized strong winds during thundershowers. General public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by lightning activity.

WEATHER FORECAST FOR SEA AREAS AROUND THE ISLAND

Showers or thundershowers will occur at several places in the sea area off the coast extending from Puttalam to Hambantota via Colombo and Galle. Winds will be South-westerly and speed will be 30-40 kmph in the sea areas around the island. The sea area off the coast extending from Mannar to Pottuvil via Colombo and Galle will be rough at times as the wind speed can increase up to (50-60) kmph. The sea area off the coast extending from Trincomalee to Kankasanturai via Mullaitivu will be fairly rough at times as the wind speed can increase up to 50 kmph. Naval and fishing communities are requested to be vigilant in this regards.

WEATHER FORECAST FOR NEXT 36 HOURS

Showers or thundershowers will occur in Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces and in Kandy, Nuwara-Eliya, Galle and Matara districts. Several spells of showers will occur in North-western province and in Matale and Hambanthota districts. Showers or thundershowers will occur at a few places in Uva province and in Ampara and Batticaloa districts after 2.00p.m. Fairly heavy falls above 50 mm can be expected at some places, in Sabaragamuwa province and in Kaluthara, Galle and Matara districts. Fairly strong gusty winds up to 50 kmph are likely over the island particularly in western slope of the Central hilly areas, Northern, North-central and North-western provinces and in Trincomalee and Hambantota districts. There may be temporary localized strong winds during thundershowers. General public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by lightning activity.

Weather Forecast for Main Cities Date : 19-Jun-2019

City Temperature (0C) Relative Humidity (%) Weather

Max Min Max Min

Anuradhapura 35 27 90 55 Mainly fair

Batticaloa 36 27 90 60 Showers or thundershowers are likely after 2.00p.m

Colombo 31 27 90 70 Showers or thundershowers

Galle 30 27 90 75 Showers or thundershowers

Jaffna 34 28 90 55 Mainly fair

Kandy 30 23 90 65 Showers or thundershowers

Nuwara-Eliya 20 14 90 75 Showers or thundershowers

Ratnapura 31 25 95 70 Showers or thundershowers at times

Trincomalee 37 28 80 40 Mainly fair

Mannar 32 28 85 70 Mainly fair

Vehicle registrations across the board slowed except for 2 wheelers, mini and light trucks - the turmoil in the country during that month has significantly contributed to the slowdown in May according to J. B. Securities monthly review.Total motor car registrations recorded 1,816 units in May down from 2,120 units in April and significantly down from 7,226 units 12 months ago. Brand new motor car registrations recorded 291 units in May down from 309 units in April and significantly down from 1,267 units 12 months ago. Small cars with engines less than 1,000 cc have a segment share of 74.2%.

*Deficit in trade account narrows to USD 797 mn from USD 999 mn in April 2018.* Earnings from tourism in April records a decline of 7.5 per cent (year-on-year),*Workers& remittances amounts to USD 554 mn in April 2019, recording a growth of 2.3 per cent*Exchange rate stable during the latter part of April 2019.* Gross official reserves ends at USD 7.2 billion, equivalent to 4.1 months of imports at end April 2019.

The deficit in the trade account narrowed significantly in April 2019 in comparison to the corresponding month of the previous year due to a considerable reduction in imports. Meanwhile, on a cumulative basis, the deficit in the trade account contracted noticeably to USD 2,458 million during the first four months of 2019 in comparison to USD 3,981 million recorded in the corresponding period of 2018.

The government is presently holding discussions with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) for an additional aid of USD 1000 million for development purposes, Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera yesterday said.The Minister observing that the government has already received foreign aid in large amounts stated that all such generous aid were granted not based on personal connections but because they are satisfied with Sri Lankaeconomic policies.

Finance Minister Samaraweera made these observations participating in the debate on the amendments to Excise Ordinance and the Act on regulating the insurance sector. &I would like to point out that, despite many difficulties, this country is now on the way towards long term development. Eventhough some politicians suffering from political bankruptcy claim otherwise, we have established a solid economic foundation for this country. Many international institutes now see Sri Lanka in a positive light. The World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Asian Development Bank, AIIB, USAID are among such institutions,& Minister Samaraweera said.