A meeting of the heads of state of the Commonwealth of Nations was convened in London yesterday (05), with the presence of King Charles III and President Ranil Wickremesinghe.
During the event, President Wickremesinghe extended his congratulations to King Charles III and engaged in a cordial conversation. Prof. Maithrie Wickramasinghe was also in attendance.
During the gathering, President Wickremesinghe emphasized the importance of the Commonwealth playing a more significant role in supporting education reforms that encourage youth involvement. He also called on the Commonwealth to bolster connectivity through digitization.
In addition to this, President Wickremesinghe held a bilateral meeting with H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana, to discuss ways of strengthening relations between their countries.
Meanwhile, Prof. Wickramasinghe participated in the Fireside Chat program, which was organized as a parallel event to the Leaders Meeting. The Fireside Chat program provided a platform for discussions on various topics and issues related to the Commonwealth and its members.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe also met with Rwandan President Paul Kagame in London to discuss potential areas of cooperation between their countries. The meeting was held yesterday (05), and both presidents expressed their interest in exploring opportunities for collaboration, particularly in the agriculture and healthcare sectors.
President Wickremesinghe proposed an exchange of visits by relevant ministers, which would enable officials from both countries to explore potential avenues for cooperation. The two leaders also discussed the possibility of further military cooperation, with President Wickremesinghe offering to provide training by Sri Lanka’s defence forces for rapid responses to natural disasters.
The meeting was attended by Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to London, Ms. Saroja Sirisena, and the President’s Director of International Affairs, Mr. Dinouk Colombage.
The government has recommended to import 40,000 MT of substitute rice to address the shortage of Keeri Samba in the local market.
Following the notification by the Consumer Affairs Authority that sufficient stocks of Keeri Samba are not available, the Food Security and Cost of Living Committee, which met at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday (June 25) made the above recommendation.
Accordingly, around 5,000 MT of rice will be imported through state institutions while the remaining will be imported by the private sector, the PMD said.
A decision was also made to continue purchasing Keeri Samba paddy at a price of Rs. 120 per kilogram through the Paddy Marketing Board and Sathosa in order to safeguard local farmers.
Discussions were also held regarding the provision of storage facilities for Corn required for Thriposha production and the importation of rice or broken rice or else alternative raw materials for beer and animal feed production.
Attention was drawn during the discussions to the production of corn based on consumer demand, as well as the production of canned fish, eggs and meat and importation of salt.
Fertiliser importation, stock maintenance, supply and distribution were also discussed. The progress of fertiliser distribution for the Yala season, the progress of issuing “Odapana” loans and the overall success of cultivation activities during the Yala season were reviewed as well.
The Commission to investigate allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) has filed indictments under 43 charges against former Media, Health and Environment Minister – Keheliya Rambukwella and five other members of his family.
The indictments have been filed against the following accused, the first accused Keheliya Bandara Rambukwella, the second accused Priyadarshani Epa, the third accused Chamithri Jananika Rambukwella, the fourth accused Ramalee Rambukwella, the fifth accused Amali Rambukwella and the sixth accused – Isuru Bandara Polgasdeniya.
They were previously arrested over an investigation conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and were subsequently released on bail by the Colombo Magistrate’s Court.
The National Transport Commission (NTC) has said that the annual bus fare revision will be announced after considering the fuel price revision scheduled for July 01.
Yesterday, transport authorities decided to reduce bus fares by 2.5% with effect from July 01.