- The Health Ministry and the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) have successfully reached a consensus to resolve the issue of unpaid electricity bills amounting to Rs. 160 million for seven state hospitals. Among the hospitals with outstanding bills, the Colombo National Hospital’s unpaid electricity charges total Rs. 120 million; the National Dental Hospital, De Soysa Maternity Hospital, Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children, National Eye Hospital, National Institute for Nephrology Dialysis & Transplantation in Maligawatta, and Castle Street Hospital for Women owe a combined sum of Rs. 40 million.
- Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to India Milinda Moragoda attended a closed-door panel discussion organized by the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA), New Delhi on Wednesday (July 26), as the lead speaker. The discussion was themed ‘Economic Recovery of Sri Lanka & Visit of the President of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe to India’.
- A Gazette notification has been issued, lifting the ban that was imposed on five organizations following the Easter Sunday terror attacks in 2019. As per the Gazette, the proscription of the United Thowheeth Jama’ath (UTJ), Ceylon Thowheeth Jama’ath (CTJ), Sri Lanka Thowheeth Jama’ath (SLTJ), All Ceylon Thowheeth Jama’ath (ACTJ), and Jamiyathul Ansaari Sunnathul Mohomadiya (JSM) has been lifted.
- Kuwait said it executed five prisoners, including a convicted drug dealer from Sri Lanka and an inmate convicted over the bombing of a Shiite mosque in 2015 that killed 27 people and was claimed by the Islamic State group, foreign media reported.
- Highlighting the significance of establishing a Truth-Seeking Commission to address the ethnic problem’s impact on affected communities, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry has stressed that the commission should operate independently, with the government’s role limited to providing necessary support and facilities; Noted that previous commissions’ proposals on this matter were not adequately implemented, leading to the consideration of models from countries like South Africa to devise a suitable mechanism for Sri Lanka.
- Two Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) were signed between the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) of Sri Lanka and the FIUs of Timor Leste and Lao PDR, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) reported.
- The new board of officers elected for the year 2023/2024 of the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) met President Ranil Wickremesinghe. They presented their ideas to the President about the introduction of a new salary structure based on market value and performance, the revision of the salaries of doctors undergoing internship training to prevent brain drain, and the revision of allowances for doctors.
- The Government will be expediting the implementation of Sri Lanka’s first Information and Cyber Security Strategy with a partnership-based approach to protect cyberspace from multinational cyber threats. The Defense Cyber Commands Bill covers all sectors related to electronic communication to protect national security interests, a senior official of the ministry said.
- The Colombo Lotus Tower plans to launch a new bungee jumping programme by December this year. This will reportedly be the world’s highest bungee jumping event, and will be initiated as per a contract entered by the Colombo Lotus Tower and Singapore Go Bungy Company.
- Pakistan seal a dominant innings victory over Sri Lanka, completing a 2-0 series triumph and earning crucial points in the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 standings. Pakistan commenced their WTC25 campaign on a solid note, having registered an away series victory against Sri Lanka in the two-match series.
