Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s son – Yoshitha Rajapaksa, and his grandmother – Daisy Forrest have been formally indicted today (July 02) before the Colombo High Court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

The indictment was presented before High Court Judge Pradeep Abeyratne, who subsequently ordered both defendants to be released on two surety bonds of Rs. 01 million each.

The judge further ordered to obtain fingerprints of the accused and relevant records be summoned as part of the judicial process.

Billionaire businessman Elon Musk has announced that the Starlinksatellite internet service is now available in Sri Lanka.

“Starlink now available in Sri Lanka!” Elon Musk said in a post on ‘X’.

Starlink now available in Sri Lanka! 🇱🇰 https://t.co/37X5hNOEfL

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 2, 2025

The procurement of paddy for the Yala season will begin tomorrow (July 03).

The paddy purchasing initiative will be rolled out in Ampara, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Trincomalee, Batticaloa, and parts of the Northwestern and Southern regions.

The announcement was made by Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock – Namal Karunaratne, in a statement to media.

The Deputy Minister also said that the Paddy Marketing Board currently has Rs. 06 billion for the procurement process.

As per the announced prices:

• Nadu paddy will be purchased at Rs. 120 per kilo
• Samba paddy at Rs. 125 per kilo
• Keeri Samba at Rs. 132 per kilo

Prices for wet paddy have also been fixed:

• Wet Nadu at Rs. 102 per kilo
• Wet Samba at Rs. 105 per kilo
• Wet Keeri Samba at Rs. 112 per kilo

However, the Deputy Minister has noted that only properly dried and standardized paddy will be accepted by government warehouses and urged all stakeholders to ensure fair treatment for farmers. He also highlighted that wet paddy cannot be accepted by the government warehouses, emphasizing the importance of proper drying to maintain quality standards.