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17 Lankans allowed to leave Gaza via Rafah border crossing

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The group of 17 Sri Lankans who are trapped in the Gaza Strip have been permitted to enter Egypt via the Rafah border crossing.

The Sri Lankan Embassy in Tel Aviv has communicated this officially to the Foreign Employment Bureau (SLBFE).

Accordingly, 15 of these Sri Lankans are expected to reach Egypt this afternoon, SLBFE media spokesman Gamini Senarath had said, speaking at a special media briefing this morning (Nov. 02).

Mr. Senarath has added that the Sri Lankan Embassy in Israel and the Representative Office of Sri Lanka in Palestine are working in tandem to facilitate the evacuation of Sri Lankans trapped in Gaza.According to international media, the Gaza Borders and Crossings Authority has released a list of 596 foreign and dual nationals from 15 countries who will be allowed to leave Gaza on Thursday.

The 596 foreign and dual nationals on the list are from the following countries:

Azerbaijan: 8
Belgium: 50
Bahrain: 6
Chad: 2
Croatia: 23
Greece: 24
Hungary: 20
Italy/United Nations: 4
North Macedonia: 4
Mexico: 2
Netherlands: 20
South Korea: 5
Sri Lanka: 17
Switzerland: 11
United States: 400

The Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt was opened for the first time yesterday (01) since the Israel-Hamas war erupted.

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IMF grants waivers despite obligation breach & erred reporting

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The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reviewed non complying purchases made by Sri Lanka under the 2023 Extended Arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) as well as inaccuracies of information reported to the IMF.

However, the IMF has decided to grant waivers and not pursue further action, citing corrective measures and a commitment to reform by Sri Lankan authorities.

Following the Executive Board’s discussion, Deputy Managing Director and Acting Chair – Mr. Kenji Okamura, has issued the following statement:

“The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reviewed non complying purchases made by Sri Lanka under the 2023 Extended Arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (“EFF”), as well as a breach of obligations under Article VIII, Section 5. The noncomplying purchases arose as a result of the provision of inaccurate information by the authorities on the stock of expenditure arrears at the first, second, and third reviews under the EFF.

“The inaccuracies in information provided to the IMF were inadvertent and arose because of weaknesses in the timely reporting of arrears by line ministries to the Ministry of Finance, as well as a misunderstanding by the authorities of the definition of “arrears” under the Technical Memorandum of Understanding. 

“The Executive Board positively considered the authorities’ corrective actions, the fact that arrears repayments will be accommodated within the existing fiscal envelope, and the authorities’ commitment to improving public financial management procedures in line with the new PFM law, to reduce the risk of accruing arrears or inaccurate reporting of information going forward. In view of the above, the Executive Board agreed to grant waivers for the nonobservances of the quantitative performance criterion that gave rise to the noncomplying purchases and decided not to require further action in connection with the breach of obligations under Article VIII, Section 5.”

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Abdul Wazeeth appointed to Parliament from SLMC national list

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Abdul Wazeeth of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) has been appointed as a Member of Parliament, the National Election Commission has announced.

His appointment comes following the resignation of former MP M. S. Naleem, who had entered Parliament through the SLMC National List after the 2024 parliamentary election.

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Tense situation in Kahawatta as residents clash with police

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Police had been compelled to use tear gas to control a tense situation that erupted between residents and police in Kahawatta following the funeral of a youth who was shot dead recently.

The funeral was held today (July 03) and the clash had broken out shortly afterwards.

Residents had expressed anger over the handling of the and had hurled stones at the police, reports say.

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