News
PM Harini meets Commonwealth Secy-General in London
Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya met with the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, at Marlborough House, in London, on Thursday (21).According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the meeting took place during the official visit of PM Amarasuriya to London, for the 43rd Commonwealth of Learning (COL) Board of Governors Meeting 2026.
PM Amarasuriya met with the Secretary-General to discuss areas of mutual cooperation and shared priorities within the Commonwealth framework.
During the meeting, the Prime Minister expressed appreciation for the Commonwealth’s engagement with Sri Lanka and commended the Secretary-General’s leadership in enhancing the relevance and effectiveness of the Commonwealth.
Discussions focused on climate change, climate finance, democratic governance, women’s political participation, and ongoing Commonwealth support for member states.
PM Amarasuriya highlighted Sri Lanka’s commitment to resilience-building, sustainable development, and inclusive governance, while appreciating the continued engagement and support extended by the Commonwealth Secretariat.
The Secretary-General reaffirmed the Commonwealth’s readiness to continue supporting Sri Lanka through technical assistance, capacity-building initiatives, and collaboration in areas including climate finance and electoral governance.
Both sides also exchanged views on upcoming Commonwealth engagements and underscored the importance of strengthening cooperation among member states to address shared global challenges.
High Commissioner Nimal Senadeera and senior officers of the High Commission of Sri Lanka accompanied the Prime Minister to the meeting.
News
Cabinet nod to increase the number of new automated passenger clearance gates at the Bandaranayake International Airport to 12
Approval of the Cabinet of Ministers was granted at their meeting held on 19.05.2025 to purchase four (04) automated passenger clearance gates for Bandaranayake International Airport.
In addition, it is expected to extend the automated passenger clearance gates facility so far given only to the Sri Lankans
parallel to the e – passport issuance system to be introduced in the year 2027 also to the foreigners who travel to and from this country.
Furthermore, considering also the number of air passengers rapidly increasing with the fast – forwarding business and tourism field, the appropriateness to increase the total automated passenger clearance gates up to twelve (12) in number has been recognized.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers, approved the resolution furnished by the Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs to initiate the procurement and installation of 12
automated passenger clearance gates altogether with the already approved four (04) and another eight (08) automated passenger clearance gates adhering to the formal procurement procedure
News
Draft Bill for amending the Trust Ordinance
Based on the observations submitted by the Task Force on Prevention of Money Laundering and Financing for Terrorism, approval of the Cabinet of Ministers was granted at their meeting held on 18.12.2024 to amend the Trust Ordinance No. 9 of 1917 including amendments proposed by the Financial
Intelligence Unit of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.
Accordingly, clearance of the Attorney General has been granted for the Trust (Amendment) Draft Bill formulated by the Legal Draftsman.
Therefore, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the resolution furnished by the Minister of Justice and National Integration
to publish the said draft bill in the government gazette notification and thereby, submit the same to the Parliament for its concurrence.
News
Implementing further relief programme to Public sffected by the Middle East conflict situation
Action was taken to provide a fuel relief for the fuel consumers during the months of April, May and June of 2026 to redress by minimizing the impact caused to the day today life of the citizens of this country as well as the entire economy due to the price hike of petroleum fuel in the global market resulting from the war situation in the Middle East.
Government mediation is essential for minimizing the impact on the day to today life of citizens in this country due to that war situation not being ended further. Therefore, it has been planned to redress on the sale price for Auto Diesel and Industrial Diesel for a period of 03 months by the Government to provide relief to the public as well as to maintain the prices at a bearable level to the consumers without escalating the fuel prices in this country compared to the escalation of fuel prices
in the international market.
Therefore, the Cabinet of Ministers granted approval for the resolution furnished by the President in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to
allocate provisions subject to the monthly limitations respectively as rupees 15 billion for the month of October, rupees 13.5 billion for the month of November and rupees 12.15 billion for the month of December to provide the said relief
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