Connect with us

News

“SL’s infrastructure, HR & other facilities are in place to attract foreign investments”

Published

on

Sri Lanka’s infrastructure facilities, human resources and other required facilities are in place and now what is needed to attract foreign investments is to enact necessary legal reforms President of the Chinese Peoples’ Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, (CPAFFC) – Mr. Lin Songtian said.

Mr. Songtian, who called on Speaker – Mahinda Yapa Abeywardene together with the Chinese Ambassador in Sri Lanka – Mr. Qi Zhenhong in Parliament recently (15) said Hambantota and other economic Zones as well as the Colombo Port City could attract global investors, if necessary, reforms are enacted and investor-friendly atmosphere is quickly established. He also said that China will provide the highest possible support to Sri Lanka for investments.

Appreciating China’s support as a long-term friend of this country, the speaker said that he expects to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries in the future as well. Secretary General of Parliament Mr. Dhammika Dassanayake was also present on the occasion.

Subsequently, Mr. Lin also participated in a special meeting of the Sri Lanka – China Parliamentary Friendship Association.

While addressing the Parliamentary Friendship Association, he said that the country has all the ingredients such as a strategic location in the centre of the Indian Ocean, highways, ports and also skilled youth resources needed for leap forward in industrial and agricultural development.

Chairman of the Association – Namal Rajapaksa said that the two countries are looking forward to further enhancing bilateral relations through parliamentary friendship associations.

Mr. Lin also engaged in a cordial discussion with the members of parliament and later, the delegation engaged in a tour of parliament and witnessed the parliamentary debate from the Speaker’s VIP gallery.

BIZ

UK’s relaxed trade rules to boost SL exports

Published

on

By

The Government of the United Kingdom (UK) has unveiled a package of reforms to simplify imports from developing countries like Sri Lanka after upgrades to the Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS).

The changes, announced as part of the UK’s wider Trade for Development offer, aim to support economic growth in partner countries, including Sri Lanka, while helping UK businesses and consumers access high-quality, affordable goods.

New measures include simplifying rules of origin, enabling more goods from countries such as Sri Lanka, Nigeria, and the Philippines can enter the UK tariff-free, even when using components from across Asia and Africa.

These changes are expected to be in place by early 2026.

This move strengthens Sri Lanka’s position in its second-largest apparel market, supporting exports, jobs, and economic growth.

The British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Andrew Patrick, said: “This is a win for the Sri Lankan garment sector, and for UK consumers. With the UK being the second largest export market and garments making up over 60% of that trade, we know manufacturers here will welcome this announcement.

“We want Sri Lanka to improve the utilisation of the UK’s Developing Countries Trading Scheme for a wider range of goods, not just garments. With the Sri Lankan government’s ambition to grow exports, and with the simplification of rules of origin for other sectors too, we strongly encourage more exporters to explore how they can benefit from the preferences offered by the DCTS. The UK remains committed to working towards creating shared prosperity for both our countries.”

Continue Reading

News

Pakistan police arrest 149 including 2 Lankans in ‘scam call centre’ raid

Published

on

By

Pakistan police have arrested 149 people in a raid on a scam call centre, the country’s National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) said on Thursday.

The agency told the BBC it acted after a tip-off about the network, which was operating in the city of Faisalabad.

It said the centre was involved in Ponzi schemes and tricked people into handing over vast sums of money in the name of fake investments.

Those arrested included 78 Pakistanis, 48 Chinese nationals, eight Nigerians, four Filipinos, two Sri Lankans, six Bangladeshis, two Myanmar nationals and one Zimbabwean national.
Eighteen of the 149 were women, the agency added.

A copy of a police report said victims of the alleged scam would initially receive a small return on their first investments, before being persuaded to hand over larger sums of money.

“The charged individuals ran WhatsApp groups where they lured ordinary people by assigning small investment tasks like subscribing to different TikTok and YouTube channels,” the agency said.

“Later, they shifted them to Telegram links for further online tasks requiring larger investments.”

Pakistani citizen Muhammad Sajid told BBC Urdu that he was added to a Telegram channel with tens of thousands of members and was impressed by the company’s work. He said he gave them more than 3.138 million rupees ($36,600) in various instalments.

The raid, which took place on Tuesday, saw authorities seize hundreds of computers, servers, cryptocurrency exchanges and foreign SIM cards from the site.

On Wednesday, 149 suspects appeared in court, 87 of whom were handed over to the NCCIA on a five-day physical remand.

A further 62 suspects have been transferred to the district jail on judicial remand until 23 July.

The agency said the raid was at the residence of Malik Tehseen Awan, the former head of Faisalabad’s power grid, who has not been arrested.

(BBC News)

Continue Reading

BIZ

Milk tea price upped by Rs. 10

Published

on

By

The All Island Canteen and Restaurant Owners’ Association has announced a Rs. 10 increase in the price of a cup of milk tea.

Association President Harshana Rukshan stated that the decision was made in response to the recent rise in the price of imported milk powder.

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2024 Sri Lanka Mirror. All Rights Reserved