- A total of 24 candidates have so far placed cash deposits for the upcoming Presidential Election, says the Election Commission of Sri Lanka. This includes 11 candidates representing recognised political parties, 12 Independent candidates whose names have been nominated by a voter and one candidate from other political parties.
- Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Presidential candidate Namal Rajapaksa will be the first national leader to gain youth support in the North and East, as his engagement and understanding of local issues have resonated with the citizens there, SLPP politburo member representing the Northern Province Geethanath Cassilingham said.
- Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Ali Sabry is scheduled to undertake an official visit to Egypt from 07 to 09 August 2024, on an invitation extended by the Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty. During the visit, Minister Ali Sabry will engage in bilateral discussions with his counterpart at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Cairo and also meet with Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade of Egypt, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
- Former DIG Vass Gunawardena, his son Ravindu Gunawardena and three other police officers, who were convicted of several charges including the abduction and unlawful detention of Nipuna Ramanayake, a student of an IT Institute in Malabe in 2009, have been sentenced to 04 years of rigorous imprisonment by the Colombo High Court.
- Former Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella and 03 other suspects implicated in the alleged importation of substandard immunoglobulin vials have been further remanded until August 22. The order was issued after the defendants were produced before the Maligakanda Magistrate’s Court
- Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi has decided to support President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who is contesting the upcoming Presidential Election as an independent candidate.
- The ‘Tamil National Common Structure’, an alliance of Tamil political parties, has announced its decision to nominate former MP P. Ariyanenthiran as their common candidate for the upcoming Presidential Election. Several Tamil political parties and a group of civil society representatives had reached an agreement to nominate a common candidate for the forthcoming Presidential Election.
- Minister of Health Ramesh Pathirana says there is a shortage of 52 essential medicines in Sri Lanka at present. Addressing the Parliament, Minister Pathirana said the Health Ministry had identified 862 essential medicines, stating that there was a shortage of 250 medicines last year.
- The International Cricket Council (ICC) have confirmed that Sri Lanka player Praveen Jayawickrama has been charged with three counts of breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code. Jayawickrama allegedly failed to report to the Anti-Corruption Unit, without delay, that he was approached to carry out fixing during International matches and in the 2021 Lanka Premier League.
- Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has raised concerns over the safety of its Test team ahead of the three-match series against England, starting on August 21 in Manchester, due to anti-immigrant riots that have erupted in various cities of the United Kingdom.
