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Foreign Ministers to gather in Colombo next week

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A number of Foreign Ministers are scheduled to arrive in Sri Lanka next week to attend the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) hosted by Sri Lanka.

Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the IORA as well as other senior Ministers of IORA Member States and Dialogue Partners will arrive in Sri Lanka next week for the 23rd IORA Council of Ministers which Sri Lanka is hosting on October 11 in Colombo.

The Council of Ministers meeting in Colombo will see the participation of 16 Ministers including the Foreign Ministers of Bangladesh, India, Iran, Mauritius, Malaysia and South Africa.

Meanwhile, other ministers and senior level delegates will participate from Australia, Comoros, France, Indonesia, Kenya, Madagascar, Maldives, Mozambique, Oman, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Somalia, Tanzania, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Yemen (member countries) and from China, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Türkiye, United Kingdom and United States of America (dialogue partners).

Foreign Minister Ali Sabry will chair the Council when the current Chair, Foreign Minister of Bangladesh will hand over the chairmanship to the Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka.

The Council of Ministers is the highest decision making body of IORA.

The Council will be preceded by the 25th meeting of the Committee of IORA Senior Officials (October 9-10) which will be chaired by Foreign Secretary Aruni Wijewardane.

Today, IORA’s membership has expanded to 23 Member States and 11 Dialogue Partners. Sri Lanka will assume the chairmanship of IORA for the period 2023 to 2025 at the 23rd Council of Ministers’ Meeting.

The Secretary General of the Indian Ocean Rim Association Dr. Salman Al Farisi and the directors of the IORA Secretariat in Mauritius will also participate in the meeting.

The visiting Ministers will also make a collective call on President Ranil Wickremesinghe and hold bilateral discussions with their Sri Lankan counterpart Foreign Minister Ali Sabry as well as with other Ministers, during their stay in Sri Lanka.

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No vehicles or vehicle permits for MPs – President

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Parliamentarians will not receive vehicles or vehicle permits this year, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said.

He said this while delivering the 2025 Budget speech in Parliament today (Feb. 17).

The President also added that measures will be taken to auction off all luxury vehicles in the state sector in March 2025.

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Human Immunoglobulin case : Lab reports from India & Germany received

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Sri Lanka has received laboratory reports from India and Germany regarding the human immunoglobulin drug.

The police confirmed that a team of officers had traveled to those countries to obtain the reports.

The Attorney General’s Department stated that the reports will be used as evidence, and a final decision on the case will be made after they are thoroughly examined.

(News1st)

(Except for the headline, this story, originally published by News1st has not been edited by SLM staff)

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Train numbers in daily operations to be upped to reduce delays

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Deputy Minister of Transport and Highways, Dr. Prasanna Gunasena, announced that steps are being taken to increase the number of locomotives in daily operations to reduce train delays ahead of the introduction of electric trains in Sri Lanka

He emphasized the importance of improving train punctuality, stating that the government is actively addressing service cancellations. Currently, Sri Lanka operates around 217 to 220 daily train services, with 17 to 20 cancellations on average. The goal is to minimize cancellations and maintain consistent operations.

Dr. Gunasena noted that while the country typically requires 60 to 70 locomotives for smooth daily operations, only 45 to 50 have been available in recent times. However, efforts are underway to increase this number, with the expectation that over 60 locomotives will be in service by the end of February.

Additionally, he highlighted that currently, 52% of trains operate on schedule, while 17% experience delays exceeding 10 minutes, and 10% are delayed by more than 30 minutes. The government aims to improve these figures by enhancing locomotive availability and efficiency.

(dailynews.lk)

(Except for the headline, this story, originally published by dailynews.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)

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