It was not long ago when we noted the absence of food will change things. While Dutch farmers are fighting the government and trying to keep producing food, in Sri Lanka the shortages of food and fuel have reached a boiling point. Angry citizens have taken control of the presidential palace, set fire to the Prime Minister’s house, and overwhelmed government offices.
Fearing for his life, “Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said he would resign after just two months in office after protesters stormed and occupied the president’s residence and office amid public anger over the country’s deepening sovereign-debt crisis.” (WSJ link)
The U.S. State Department and the ambassador to Sri Lanka, Julie Chung, are asking for protestors to remain peaceful as if their hunger is ‘transitory’. However, videos from the country highlight the futility of platitudes amid tens of thousands of angry citizens who are desperate. It is a hot mess that’s likely to surface in other nations quickly.
(Via WSJ) – Braving tear gas and water cannons in the capital, Colombo, protesters—many waving the national flag and wearing helmets—also entered the president’s office on Saturday, in one of the largest antigovernment demonstrations in the country this year.
The survey of businesses (BLS establishment report) shows job gains of 372k for the month of June, but the survey of households (BLS household report) shows that fewer people are working. The labor-force participation rate slipped to 62.2% from a previous high of 62.4%, fewer people are working.
Oil prices are showing a drop in price, and subsequently gasoline prices are starting to moderate. Unfortunately,
Joe Biden, NATO, the G7, the European Union, the World Bank, USAID, and every western leader in the United States and Europe has stated there will be food shortages.