- President Ranil Wickremesinghe as the Minister of Finance, Economic Stabilisation and National Policies takes over Sahasya Investment Limited and National Equipment and Machinery Organisation under the Ministry of Transport and Highways and the Ministry of Urban Development.
- China’s leading energy and chemical company Sinopec commences discharging their first cargo from Mt. SI CHOU ZHI LU, petrol and diesel 4950MT: The second cargo to be discharged today: 12 fuel stations to start operations immediately and up to 150 island wide will operate as planned.
- Public Security Minister Tiran Alles suspends the notice calling for EOIs for e-passports and proceeds with a regular tender process, after receiving a series of complaints on technical errors in the notice: The Cabinet approves the paper put forward by Alles proposing the appointment of a technical assessment committee to assess the affairs pertaining to the matter and calling of tenders in consideration of the country’s economic situation.
- The Agriculture Ministry announces the local poultry producers have agreed to slash the price of chicken by Rs. 100 per kilogram.
- Veteran Journalist, Actor and Dubbing Artist Lal Sarath Kumara has passed away aged 69: Kumara was well known for dubbing Julius Caesar in Sinhala in the hit cartoon classic ‘Astreix and Obelix,’ which aired on Sirasa TV as ‘Soora Pappa.’
- The Foreign Employment Bureau announces dates for the 2023 Skill tests for Japan Specified Skilled Jobs (SSW): Skill tests will be held in August and September 2023, and include basic language tests, nursing care workers, the food service industry, and agriculture: Applicants are requested to register through prometric website – http://ac.prometric-jp.com/testlist/ssw/index.html
- CB data reveals cumulative export earnings during January to June 2023 registered a 10% decrease YoY to $5.87 billion, whilst import expenditure during the same period saw a substantial decline of 18.6% YoY to $ 8.16 billion: adds the deficit in the trade account from January to June 2023 narrowed to $ 2.89 billion, a considerable improvement from the $ 3.5 billion recorded during the same period in 2022.
- The Epidemiology Unit says all inmates at the Vavuniya Prison who had not received the measles vaccine were vaccinated: asserts all necessary instructions have been given to control the spread of measles within the prison: The Prison was temporarily closed after four inmates were diagnosed with measles and is off-limits since July 25.
- The Welfare Benefits Board says plans are in place to provide the first instalment of the ‘Aswesuma’ welfare benefit for selected beneficiaries within the first week of August: adds around 95% of the beneficiaries bank accounts have been opened, and it will be prioritised at state banks: The instalments to be provided to the beneficiaries under the values of Rs.15,000, Rs.8,500 and Rs.5,000.
- SL Chess sensation Susal De Silva writes history by progressing to the Second Round of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan: The 17-year-old to face a formidable opponent, Polish grandmaster Radoslaw Wojtaszek, in a highly anticipated two-day match, scheduled for today and tomorrow.
