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World Sanskrit Day to be celebrated in SL today

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The cultural arm of the High Commission of India in Colombo, Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre (SVCC), will observe the World Sanskrit Day for the first time in Colombo today (Aug. 31).

An academic and cultural event will be held at the Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies, BMICH, Colombo on 31 August at 2 pm. 

On the occasion of the silver jubilee of SVCC, the event is being organised in collaboration with University of Kelaniya, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Faculty of Indigenous Medicine of the University of Colombo, Buddhist and Pali University, Gampaha Wickramarachchi University of Indigenous Medicine, Bhiksu University, Units of Pirivena, National Institute of Education, University of Jaffna, University of Peradeniya, Eastern University and Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies.

The event will be inaugurated by the High Commissioner of India – Mr. Gopal Baglay and the State Minister for Higher Education Dr. Suren Raghavan will attend as the Chief Guest. 

The students and scholars of Sanskrit from across the country will participate in the event. Veteran Sanskrit scholars of Sri Lanka will also be felicitated on the occasion of World Sanskrit Day.

Sanskrit is among the oldest surviving languages and is a sacred language in several traditions. It is a repository of ancient knowledge including the Vedas and other renowned literary works such as the Yoga Shastra. Sanskrit is also known as the mother of many present day languages such as Hindi and Sinhala. The celebration of World Sanskrit Day will underscore the centuries old shared heritage of India and Sri Lanka.

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UK’s relaxed trade rules to boost SL exports

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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.”

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

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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)

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Milk tea price upped by Rs. 10

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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.

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