News
USAID top official assesses food needs of affected people here
Stephanie Wilcock, Director for Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) recently undertook a visit to Sri Lanka to ascertain food and nutrition needs of the communities. Wilcock also studies how WFP’s US-funded programmes would help them overcome challenges brought on by the economic crisis, a spokesperson for the WFP said.
A US media release said: As part of the visit, Wilcock travelled to Rathnapura, where she spoke with food-insecure families faced with high food prices and unemployment. The community will soon receive US-funded cash assistance through WFP worth LKR 20,000 (approximately US$55) per family for four consecutive months which will empower them with the choice to meet their essential needs in local markets, while also helping to boost the economy.
“Sri Lanka continues to experience significantly high levels of food insecurity, affecting over 30 percent of the population, most notably among the poor” said Gerard Rebello, Acting Country Director for WFP Sri Lanka. “We are extremely grateful for the invaluable support from the Government and people of the United States, which has been critical in enabling WFP to expand its emergency assistance. The funding from USAID will help WFP address humanitarian needs and prevent food insecurity from deteriorating further.”
The United States has funded nearly one-third of Sri Lanka’s emergency operation requirement, with a contribution of US$20 million (LKR 7.3 billion) in 2022. The funds allow WFP to provide cash, food assistance and value vouchers to food-insecure families, and to support national food and nutrition programmes, including school meals and Thriposha, a fortified blended food product for pregnant and nursing mothers and young children.
USAID’s long-time support for the Government of Sri Lanka through WFP has helped improve the country’s capacity in disaster risk management, particularly against natural hazards. During the trip, Wilcock also visited an emergency operations centre in Rathnapura to observe how US funding has enabled district-level emergency coordination systems development. Wilcock was given an overview of how the centre provides timely information to safeguard communities from natural hazards such as floods and landslides.
WFP, with funding from donors like the US, has reached two million people since June 2022 through its emergency operation, with plans to reach 3.4 million people with food and nutrition assistance in the coming months.
COPF final report on USD 2.5 mn cyber fraud recommends action against all responsible
The US$2.5 million loss incurred during Sri Lanka’s foreign debt repayment to Australia was a clear case of a cybercrime and theft, Committee on Public Finance (COPF) Chairman Dr. Harsha de Silva told Parliament yesterday.
Presenting the COPF final report on the cyber fraud, Dr. de Silva said the incident amounted to a serious financial crime and called for a comprehensive investigation, by law enforcement authorities, to identify and prosecute all those responsible.
The report revealed serious governance, procedural and operational failures that enabled the fraudulent transfer of public funds, while recommending sweeping reforms to strengthen cybersecurity, financial controls and public debt management systems.
According to the report, officials of the Treasury and the Central Bank bore responsibility for governance lapses that contributed to the failures. It also highlighted the fact that the Ministry of Finance was operating an outdated Microsoft Exchange Server after security support had ended, while basic safeguards, such as multi-factor authentication, had not been implemented.
The COPF said suspicious payment instructions linked to debt repayments involving India, the United Kingdom, Germany and Belgium had also been detected, preventing further losses. However, the US$ 2.5 million fraud materialised only in the repayment transaction involving Australia.
The report has noted that officials had failed to verify lender email domains, relied on unverified email communications and lacked adequate internal controls, allowing the fraud to continue for months.
Although the investigation uncovered system-wide weaknesses across several institutions, only four mid-level Finance Ministry officials had been suspended so far, the report said.
The COPF has recommended a special audit of the foreign debt repayment process, strengthened cybersecurity measures across state institutions, updated financial regulations and improvements to public debt management systems.
by Saman Indrajith
News
Opposition signs no-confidence motion against Justice Minister for dereliction of duty over Negombo Prison deaths
Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, together with Opposition MPs, yesterday signed a No-Confidence Motion (NCM) in Parliament against Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara.The move comes in response to the unrest at the Negombo Prison, where both prison officers and inmates were killed.
Opposition members said the Minister had failed to fulfill his responsibility and accountability regarding their safety.According to the Opposition group, the NCM seeks to hold the Minister directly accountable for lapses in ensuring protection within the prison system.
The Attorney General yesterday informed the Supreme Court that the government has decided to review the legality of agreements entered into by the previous administration to hand over the country’s electronic visa issuance operations to private companies.
Additional Solicitor General Viveka Siriwardena, appearing for the Attorney General, made the submission when the Supreme Court took up the fundamental rights petitions filed by former MPs President’s Counsel M.A. Sumanthiran, Patali Champika Ranawaka, and Rauff Hakeem, challenging the previous Cabinet’s decision to outsource the e-visa system.
The petitions were heard before a three-judge bench, comprising Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena and Justices Achala Wengappuli and Arjuna Obeyesekere.
The Additional Solicitor General informed court that the current Cabinet had appointed a subcommittee to examine the legality of the agreements with the private companies and requested time to report on its findings, stating that the review was still underway.
President’s Counsel Sumanthiran, appearing as one of the petitioners, told the court that although the present government had indicated its intention to cancel the transaction, the petitioners wished to proceed with the case.
He noted that members of the current Cabinet had been named as respondents in the petitions.The Supreme Court directed the petitioners to issue notice on the members of the current Cabinet, named as respondents, and fixed September 29 for further proceedings.
Spain leave it late to book semifinal date with France
Showers will occur in the Sabaragamuwa, Western and North-western provinces and in Galle, Matara, Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya districts
US$ 2.5 mn cyber heist exposes system failures
Opposition signs no-confidence motion against Justice Minister for dereliction of duty over Negombo Prison deaths
AG informs SC of e-visa agreement review
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