The Sri Lanka Tea Board, with the assistance of the Sri Lanka Embassy in Japan, showcased ‘Ceylon Tea’ at the 48th International Food and Beverage Exhibition FOODEX 2023 in Tokyo, which is the leading food and beverage tradeshow in Asia.

Government Printer Gangani Kalpana Liyanage informed the Election Commission yesterday that since there is no sign of receiving money from the Treasury, they cannot start printing ballot papers for the forthcoming Local Government elections.

Failure to submit audited statements of accounts for the year 2021 within 14 days will result in the termination of the right to be treated as a recognized political party, the Election Commission informed political parties today.

In an open letter to Sri Lanka’s official bilateral creditors, President Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday assured that safeguards will be put in place to ensure equitable burden sharing and comparability of treatment.

The Professionals Trade Union Collective has decided to call off the 24-hour general strike at 8.00 am tomorrow.

China’s Sinopec has offered to fully finance the construction of a refinery in Hambantota, the President’s Media Division said.

The Examination Department has planned to conduct examinations to recruit graduates for Government Service as teachers, the Education Ministry said.

While seeking presidential intervention, the Sri Lanka Shippers’ Council (SLSC) warned that the recent decision by Ports, Shipping and Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva to remove the regulations on freight charges is likely to hurt the competitiveness of Sri Lanka’s exports and result in higher import costs, fuelling inflation.

While urging Sri Lanka’s legal community to be a strong and steady force for the rule of law and justice for all, US Ambassador Julie Chung yesterday said that the Local Government elections are so ‘critical’ for Sri Lanka.