News
UK seeks closer ties with Sri Lanka
A cross-party delegation of UK parliamentarians concluded a five-day official visit to Colombo on 25 July. The group participated in workshops, alongside members of the Sri Lanka Parliament, and engaged with local stakeholders in civil society, business and education. The visit focused on deepening parliamentary co-operation and shared learning between the United Kingdom and Sri Lanka, according to a press release issued by the British HC in Colombo.
The visit, facilitated by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association UK Branch (CPA UK) and Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD), saw the delegation engage in cross-party knowledge-sharing sessions with members of the Sri Lankan Parliament. These exchanges focused on legislative affairs and allowed newly elected MPs from both parliaments to share experience and expertise, strengthening democratic practices and parliamentary governance through mutual learning between both sets of parliamentarians. The programme also included a call on Deputy Foreign Minister Arun Hemachandra, where government priorities were discussed and the UK’s and Sri Lanka’s shared heritage of parliamentary democracy was reaffirmed.
During the visit, British High Commissioner Andrew Patrick hosted a reception at Westminster House, celebrating the growing ties between the two Parliaments. The event was attended by a range of dignitaries, including the guest of honour, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament Dr. Rizvie Salih.
Noting the significance of the visit, British High Commissioner Andrew Patrick said: “I am grateful to the UK Parliamentary delegation for their visit, and to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and Westminster Foundation for Democracy for facilitating this important exchange.
“The visit presents an opportunity for us to reaffirm the enduring strength of the UK–Sri Lanka relationship, which is founded on a deep-rooted parliamentary tradition that continues to shape the democratic institutions of our nations.
“We are proud to play a part in supporting dialogue and democratic exchange to further strengthen ties, benefiting both the UK and Sri Lanka.
“The 5-day programme included engagements with civil society and Sri Lanka’s Chevening alumni. The delegation also toured the British Council’s Colombo office, the Presidential Secretariat, and paid their respects at the Liveramentu Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery (CWGC).
“This visit demonstrates the UK’s continued support for democratic development and interparliamentary collaboration within the Commonwealth through shared knowledge and mutual learning”, the HC said.
A specialists committee has been appointed by the Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation adhering to the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers dated 29.12.2025 for submitting appropriate recommendations analyzing the provisions of the draft bill formulation in regard to Animal Welfare.
Based on the recommendations of the said Committee, the Legal Draftsman has been instructed at the meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers held on 18.05.2026 to prepare the final bill on the animal welfare.
Wherefore, the Legal Draftsman has formulated the draft bill and the clearance of the Attorney General has been received in the connection.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers granted approval to the resolution furnished by the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation to publish the said draft bill in the
Government Gazette Notification and subsequently forward the same to the Parliament for its concurrence.
Under the legal provisions for elections in this country since 2004, it is mandatory for voters who come to mark their votes to verify their identity through a valid identity card, and it is also mandatory for all such voters to be marked with an appropriate mark using indelible ink. The dual purpose of these two functions is to prevent a voter from voting more than once in a single election.
It has been observed that having to follow two different
methods at the same time to achieve the same objective hinders the efficiency of the duties performed at the polling stations and also incurs additional costs to the government.
Therefore, it has been deemed appropriate to remove the legal provisions regarding the use of indelible ink and marking the voter with the appropriate mark from all election acts.
Accordingly, the development activities of the province, as well as national security, will benefit. Therefore, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution furnished by the
President to take necessary steps to remove the legal provisions
• Section 36 of the presidential Election Act, No 15 of 1981
• Section 38 of the Parliamentary Election Act, No 01 of 1981
• Section 36 of the Provincial Council Election Act, No 02 of 1988
• Section 53 A of the Local Government Elections Ordinance (262 Authority)
• Section 21 of the Referendum Act No 7 of 1981
News
Showers will occur in the Western, Sabaragamuwa and North-western provinces and in Galle, Matara, Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya districts
WEATHER FORECAST FOR 24 JUNE 2026
Issued at 05.30 a.m. on 24 June 2026 by the Department of Meteorology
Several spells of showers will occur in the Western, Sabaragamuwa and North-western provinces and in Galle, Matara, Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya districts. Showers or thundershowers may occur at a few places in the Uva province and in Ampara and Batticaloa districts after 2.00 p.m.
Fairly strong winds about (30-40) kmph can be expectedat times over the Western slopes of the central hills, the Northern, North-central, North-western and Southern provinces and in Trincomalee district.
The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damage caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.
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Legal provisions on marking voters using indelible ink during elections removed
Showers will occur in the Western, Sabaragamuwa and North-western provinces and in Galle, Matara, Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya districts
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