News Lanka, Uzbekistan hold first political consultations Published 2 mins agoon 2026/07/12 Uzbek and Sri Lankan delegations led by First Deputy Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan Bakhromjon Aloyev and Foreign Secretary Aruni Ranaraja at the first round of political consultations be…
News Lanka, Uzbekistan hold first political consultations
Published 2 mins agoon 2026/07/12
Uzbek and Sri Lankan delegations led by First Deputy Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan Bakhromjon Aloyev and Foreign Secretary Aruni Ranaraja at the first round of political consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan and Sri Lanka held in Tashkent Sri Lanka and Uzbekistan have held their first round of political consultations between their foreign ministries in Tashkent, focusing on strengthening bilateral relations and expanding cooperation in key areas, said a report published by Dunyo IA. The discussions were led by First Deputy Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan Bakhromjon Aloyev and Foreign Affairs Secretary Aruni Ranaraja. The two sides exchanged views on the current status of bilateral ties and explored avenues for further cooperation, with particular emphasis on economic diplomacy. During the consultations, both countries agreed to pursue measures to increase and diversify bilateral trade and promote joint investment projects. The discussions also covered the expansion of cultural and humanitarian relations, as well as cooperation in education, scientific research and tourism. At the conclusion of the talks, Sri Lanka and Uzbekistan signed a Memorandum of Understanding establishing a mechanism for regular bilateral consultations between the two countries.
News Historic recognition opens new chapter for Adventist Church in Lanka
Published 3 mins agoon 2026/07/12
The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Sri Lanka has received official recognition as a Christian denomination on June 19. [Photo: Northern Asia-Pacific Division News] (Adventist Today)After more than a century of ministry in Sri Lanka, the Seventh-day Adventist Church has received official government recognition as a Christian denomination, a milestone leaders say will strengthen the church’s legal standing and expand opportunities for mission. According to an article in the NSD page, the recognition was granted June 19 by the Department of Christian Religious Affairs under the Ministry of Buddhism, Religious and Cultural Affairs, ending decades of efforts to secure official denominational status. The Adventist Church has served Sri Lanka since 1904 through evangelism, education, health ministry, and humanitarian work. Despite its 122-year presence, the church previously operated under company registration rather than as a government-recognized Christian denomination, a distinction that complicated the establishment of new churches, limited access to legal protections and benefits available to recognized religious institutions, and at times prompted questions about its status from other Christian groups. The formal registration process began in 2025. Ceylon Mission Public Affairs and Religious Liberty Director E. M. Bandara coordinated the application and worked closely with government officials throughout the review process, with support from the Northern Asia-Pacific Division. “For 122 years our church leaders repeatedly tried to register the Seventh-day Adventist Church as a separate Christian denomination, but every attempt was unsuccessful. This lack of recognition affected many areas of our ministry,” Bandara said. Bandara said the process gained momentum after a property dispute involving the Deniyaya Seventh-day Adventist Church in 2014. While seeking legal assistance, he established relationships with leaders in the Christian community and officials from the Department of Christian Religious Affairs, creating an avenue for continued dialogue about the church’s legal status. “At first it was a process of seeking help to address the immediate problem. Through that experience, however, the church gained a way to continue dialogue with government officials,” he said. Bandara said conversations with department officials eventually led to an invitation to submit a new application that met all government requirements. “When I spoke about the possibility of registering our church, the director explained that many applications had not been approved because they failed to meet the required qualifications. She said, however, that if we submitted a complete application with all the necessary requirements, she would present it to the High Committee,” he said. Following approval by the Ceylon Mission Executive Committee, the application was reviewed by the High Committee, the Ministry of Religious Affairs, and other government agencies before receiving final approval. “We thank God for opening a door that had remained closed for more than a century. This recognition is the result of the efforts of the entire church and a testimony to God’s leading,” Bandara said. Church leaders said the recognition provides a stronger legal foundation for worship, church administration, evangelism, education, health ministry, humanitarian service, and media outreach. They added that it will also help the church establish new places of worship, strengthen cooperation with government agencies and community organizations, and support the expansion of Hope Channel Sri Lanka, Adventist World Radio, educational institutions, and health ministries as the church carries out its 2026–2030 Strategic Plan.
News US$ 2.5 mn cyber heist exposes system failures
Published 24 hours agoon 2026/07/11
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