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A comprehensive and accurate data system for the public service by June. A fair and equitable basic salary increase for public officials. President Anura Kumara Disanayake emphasized that the government is taking steps to strengthen the public service as a right of the citizen and a responsibility of public officials. Highlighting the dissatisfaction among citizens regarding the current public service, the President stated that the government aims to deliver efficient services to citizens through the…

High Commission of India, Colombo, celebrated India’s 76th Republic Day in Colombo on 26 January 2025. It may be recalled that it was on 26 January 1950 that the Indian Constitution-the world's largest written Constitution- entered into force. The Preamble to the Constitution declares India to be a Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, Democratic Republic. On the occasion, Acting High Commissioner Dr. Satyanjal Pandey unfurled India’s national flag at India House – the residence of the High Commissioner of India – and…

• New Technology and Networking to Bring President’s Fund Services Closer to the People To provide more efficient services to the public, the President’s Fund is set to launch a new initiative to deliver services at the regional level through the offices of the Divisional Secretaries, under the leadership of President Anura Kumar Disanayake on Feb. 7 at the Temple Trees, Colombo. Previously, the official work of the President’s Fund was limited to the Colombo area. However, under the new plan, these services…

Sri Lanka’s Cabinet Spokesman, Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, has clarified that the Cabinet of Ministers has not decided to cancel the agreement with India’s Adani Group regarding wind energy projects in the country. Speaking at a special press conference, the Minister stated that the Cabinet has only decided to review the electricity tariffs proposed for the project. However, this does not imply that the project has been canceled, he said. Additionally, Minister Jayatissa noted that several court cases related to…

Tilak Varma anchored India's chase with an unbeaten 72 to lead the hosts to a thrilling two-wicket victory over England in the second T20 international. Chasing a tricky 166 for victory, India lost regular wickets, but Varma kept calm in his 55-ball knock to steer the team home with four balls to spare in Chennai and lead the five-match series 2-0. England fast bowler Brydon Carse returned figures of 3-29 to hurt the hosts, who slipped to 146-8, but Varma hung on with number 10 Ravi Bishnoi and hit the winning…

An awareness program to introduce the process and discuss issues related to the Electronic National Identity Card (e-NIC) was held today (24) at the Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA), Colombo. The event was conducted under the patronage of Deputy Minister of Digital Economy Eranga Weeraratne. The session aimed to address key challenges and operational aspects of the e-NIC project, providing a platform for stakeholders to exchange ideas and identify solutions. The Chief Advisor to the…

India's Adani Group affirmed on Friday that its power purchase agreement (PPA) with the Sri Lankan government remains intact, dismissing an AFP news agency report that claimed it had been revoked, citing a government official and a document. Sri Lanka has been reassessing the group's local projects following allegations by U.S. authorities in November that Gautam Adani, the billionaire founder, and other executives were involved in a bribery scheme to secure Indian power supply contracts. Adani has strongly denied these…

Indian and US diplomats are trying to arrange a February meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, two Indian sources familiar with the discussions told Reuters. India, a strategic partner of the US in its efforts to counter China, is keen to enhance trade relations with the US and make it easier for its citizens to get skilled worker visas, two topics that will be on the agenda if the leaders meet, the sources said. However, it's not clear if the leaders will…

Sithara Khan Azard assumed duties as Sri Lanka’s first female Ambassador to Qatar at the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Doha. In her address to the staff, she outlined the Government of Sri Lanka's priorities, focusing on strengthening bilateral relations, promoting trade and investment, and enhancing people-to-people ties between the two nations. A career diplomat, Khan Azard joined the Sri Lanka Foreign Service in 1998. She has held key positions in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment, and Tourism and at…

Emirates Airlines will resume flights to Beirut on Feb. 1 after a four-month suspension triggered by conflict, according to a statement. The statement said that the Middle East’s biggest airline will first offer a daily return flight and scale up to two services per day from April 1. Emirates will also resume a daily flight to the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, starting on Feb. 1. The Dubai-based, state-owned carrier was one of several regional airlines to suspend Beirut services in late September as tensions soared…

The Ambassador of Switzerland to Sri Lanka and Ambassador-designate to the Maldives, H.E. Dr. Siri Walt, has assured Switzerland’s support in recovering assets that have been moved out of Sri Lanka. During discussions, Ambassador Walt provided guidance on the international measures required for reclaiming such assets and expressed Switzerland's readiness to extend support whenever necessary by delivering essential resources and assistance. Ambassador Walt made these remarks during a meeting held today (24) at the…

The Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau (SLFEB) has announced its target of facilitating foreign employment opportunities for 340,000 Sri Lankan citizens this year. SLFEB Chairman Kosala Wickramasinghe made this statement while addressing an awareness program for newly licensed foreign employment agents at the Bureau of Foreign Employment. In 2024, a total of 311,000 people were provided with foreign employment, and the bureau has planned to increase this number by 12% this year. The chairman further emphasized the…

The High Commission of India in Colombo, with its cultural arm, Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre (SVCC) organized a live music concert, PAPON Live, to commemorate the 76th Republic Day of India falling on Jan. 26, 2025. The event held at the Nelum Pokuna Theatre was graced by Acting High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, Dr. Satyanjal Pandey, along with Sri Lanka’s Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security, and Cooperative Development, Hon. Wasantha Samarasinghe, Deputy Minister of Vocational Education Hon. Nalin…

Protecting and safeguarding the Buddhist tradition for future generations is everyone's responsibility — President President Anura Kumara Disanayake emphasized that a country cannot progress solely through laws and regulations and highlighted that tradition is a vital component of a nation. President Disanayake emphasized that Sri Lanka has accomplished a remarkable mission through the traditions built on Buddhism and that it is the responsibility of everyone to safeguard these Buddhist traditions and pass them down…

• Government Prioritizes Comprehensive Data System to Guarantee Food Security • Ensuring Rice Availability for Consumption and Essential Industries such as poultry, egg production and beer manufacturing To address policy decisions related to ensuring food security, the Food Policy and Security Committee, chaired by Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation K.D. Lal Kantha, along with Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Co-operative Development Wasantha Samarasinghe, convened a meeting for the first…

At least 12 train passengers were killed after being hit by another service on an adjacent track in western India after they jumped from their coaches in panic to escape a rumored fire incident, the Press Trust of India reported. At least six other people were injured and taken to nearby hospitals, the news agency cited police officer Dattatraya Karale as saying. The accident occurred in Maharashtra State, near the Pardhade railroad station, 410 km southwest of Mumbai, India’s financial capital. PTI said the victims…

Inspired bowling and a 34-ball 79 by opener Abhishek Sharma helped India to a crushing seven-wicket win over England in the first T20 international. Spinner Varun Chakravarthy and fast bowler Arshdeep Singh shared five wickets between them as India bowled out England for 132 after the hosts elected to field first in Kolkata. Left-hander Sharma then came out firing and despite losing two of his partners smashed a 20-ball fifty and ended with eight sixes and five fours to steer the team to victory in 12.5 overs and a 1-0…

Sri Lanka's foreign minister said that the South Asian island nation had signed an agreement with Chinese state energy giant Sinopec to fast-track a proposed $3.7 billion oil refinery in its southern port city of Hambantota. Sinopec and Sri Lanka will jointly decide the share of refined fuel that will be exported from the facility, said Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath. "This is one of the largest foreign investment projects Sri Lanka has received and we feel it will be important for us," Herath said. "This refinery…

Instagram has rolled out several updates in recent days that appear to be aimed at attracting TikTok users while the short-video app’s future remains in limbo. And on Sunday, Instagram's parent company, Meta went one step further. It announced the launch of a new video creation app on Sunday called Edits, which resembles CapCut, the app owned by TikTok parent company ByteDance that many creators use to make TikTok videos. Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, said on Friday that Instagram’s profile photo grids will now…

The US, Australia, India, and Japan recommitted to working together after the first meeting of the China-focused "Quad" grouping's top diplomats since President Donald Trump returned to the White House. In a joint statement after the talks in Washington, hosted by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on his first day in the job, the four nations said officials would meet regularly to prepare for an upcoming leaders' summit in India, expected this year. The four countries share concerns about China's growing power.…