Connect with us

News

Nine-arch bridge, Demodara railway loop to be protected under new heritage management program

Published

on

A memorandum of understanding among the Ministry of Transport and Highways, Urban Development Authority, and the Central Cultural Fund regarding the tourism management project in the area around Ella Nine-Arch Bridge was signed yesterday at the Prime Minister’s Office under the patronage of Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena.

For the first time in Sri Lanka, an ambulance service is to be commenced adjoining to a national heritage site. As the second step of this project, it has been proposed to start a tourism management project in connection with Demodara railway station.

The Prime Minister commenting on this occasion stated that he wish to express his appreciation for developing tourism hubs through such projects and working to increase tourist attraction. Pointing out that 9-arch bridge in Ella was an engineering marvel in that era, the Prime Minister emphasized that while carrying out these projects, the existence and stability of the natural environment should be protected and the heritage of the future generations should also be taken into consideration.

Mr. Bandula Gunawardena, Minister of Transport, stated that Ella Odyssey, Dunhinda Odyssey and Calypso trains are important steps in promoting tourism. He further stated that the proposal to modernize and develop the railway service, which is very important in connection with these projects, has already been submitted to the President as the Minister of Transport.

Mr. Gamini Ranasinghe, Director General of the Central Cultural Fund, and Mr. S.S. Mudalige, General Manager of Sri Lanka Railway Department signed this agreement.

Minister of Buddha Sasana, Vidura Wickramanayake, Member of Parliament, Yadamini Gunawardena, Secretary to the Prime Minister Anura Dissanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Transport Ranjith Rubasinghe, Secretary to the Ministry of Buddha Sasana H.M.P.B. Herath and officials from the ministries participated in this event.


(dailynews.lk)

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

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