United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has congratulated President Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Issuing a special congratulatory message to the President last evening (03), the General Secretary has said that the leadership of President Ranil Wickremesinghe will be crucial for building a favorable environment and stability to overcome the current challenges that the country is facing.

The UN Secretary-General has acknowledged the President’s commitment to forge a consensus among all political parties in formulating a national strategy to address these challenges. He also encouraged dialogue among all stakeholders, including consultation with the public, while ensuring a respect for the rule of law and basic human rights principles.

Furthermore, support has been expressed in recognizing Sri Lanka’s efforts towards women’s political participation and encouraging the President’s leadership to accelerate progress.

The United Nations is ready to support the government and people of Sri Lanka in meeting their immediate and long-term needs and is looking forward to continuing the cooperation of the United Nations in building peace, sustainable development and promoting human rights for all Sri Lankans.

Presidential Media Division
2022- 08- 06

A young man has been shot dead this morning in Kehelbaddara area of ​​Gampaha.

A 22-year-old youth has died in this shooting and the police have stated that the cause of the shooting was a conflict between two parties.

The All Ceylon Restaurant Owners Association says that they hope to reduce the price of a packet of rice and a cup of tea after next Monday (08).

Asela Sampath, the president of the association, said that this decision was reached as the price of essential food items has decreased and the price of gas is also expected to decrease next Monday.

Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera says that the registration to the QR code for issuing fuel has been stopped for 48 hours.

He states that the registration will be hindered due to the maintenance work of the motor transport department’s computer system.

However, he also stated that after the completion of the relevant maintenance work, the opportunity to register to the QR code will be available again.

The National Transport Commission says that fuel will not be provided for buses that are not added to the running. The director general of the said commission Nilan Miranda says that priority should be given to the interests of the passengers.

The Director General also says that facilities have been provided for all inter-provincial buses to get fuel from the Bastion Mawatha Bus Terminal in Pettah.

A special program has been prepared for the safety of buses and employees and relevant instructions have been given to all institutions including the police. Therefore, Nilan Miranda requests the bus owners to add all the buses to the service for the convenience of the passengers.

The meteorological department says that the adverse weather conditions that have been affected will gradually decrease from today. Accordingly, the department says that the heavy rains that have affected the south-western parts of the island will subside.

However, the Department of Meteorology states that there may be rain from time to time in West Nahira, Sabaragamuwa, Central provinces and Galle and Matara districts, and rainfall exceeding 50 mm can be expected in some places.

In addition to this, it is also mentioned that several rainy seasons may occur in the North, North-Central and North-West provinces.