On arrival visa issues, daunting challenge for Sri Lanka – By Sunimalee Dias Source:- sundaytimes Sri Lanka’s visa crisis has triggered many concerns for foreign visitors as some have been turned away at the airport while there is still absolute confusion faced by visitors over the procedure to enter the country. After the Supreme Court temporarily suspended the VFS-led online visa process, all travellers to Sri Lanka are now eligible for on-arrival visas, the only way to enter the country as the immigration authorities are yet to restore the old online visa platform, as directed by the Court. There is another process for ‘restricted countries’ where those nationals have to apply to the Immigration Department here through a Sri Lankan representative for a visa. Afghanistan, Syria, Pakistan, Ghana, Nigeria, Camaroon, Ivory Coast, North Korea and Myanmar are on the ‘restricted’ countries list. According to Dharshana Cabraal, Joint Managing Director at ...

Beyond Red Tape: How Digitalization Can Save Sri Lanka’s Economy Source:- bizenglish.adaderana.lk In the high-stakes world of trade and logistics, corruption at Sri Lanka’s customs, IRD, ports, and airports is not just an inconvenience—it’s a crisis that’s crippling the nation’s export sector. Outdated, manual systems have become breeding grounds for corruption, where bribery and inefficiency rule, bleeding exporters dry and stifling economic growth. The country stands at a critical juncture, where the only viable path forward is the digitalization of customs and trade operations. These antiquated, paper-based customs processes are no match for the demands of the modern global economy, where speed, accuracy, and transparency are paramount. Instead, they are plagued by errors, deliberate delays, and a lack of accountability, allowing corrupt practices to thrive unchecked. As global trade standards become stricter, the need for transparent, secure, and efficient customs operations has never been more urgent. Digitizing Sri Lanka’s customs ...

Sri Lankan national on board luxury yacht that sank off Sicily coast – reports source:-adaderana Several British tourists are feared missing after a boat sank off the coast of Sicily. The UK-flagged sailboat’s sinking has left seven individuals unaccounted for following a rescue operation. The Italian Coastguard and firefighters managed to rescue 15 people, among them a one-year-old child. It is believed the vessel succumbed to a tornado that hit the region. The majority of those on board were British, along with a New Zealander, a Sri Lankan national, two Anglo-French individuals, and an Irish citizen. According to the Italian news outlet Il Fatto Quotidiano, the boat went down near Porticello around 5am local time (4am GMT) on Monday (August 19). Dive teams have reached the sunken hull, located 49 meters underwater and roughly half a mile from shore, as reported by the same source, reports the Express. Those rescued ...

Sri Lanka begins counting its elephants Source:-economynext ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka began counting its elephants in the wild in an island-wide census on Saturday (17) with a focus on conservation efforts. The census is being conducted by the Department of Wildlife Conservation after a hiatus of 13 years. The last elephant census in 2011 showed that there were 5,879 wild elephants in Sri Lanka. Since then Sri Lanka has lost many elephants due to gun shot wounds, electrocution and being struck by trains. Government data show that the highest number of tuskers have been killed in the Anuradhapura District. 1,310 officers will be involved in the Anuradhapura Wildlife Zone for the census, Deputy Commissioner of Wildlife in charge of Anuradhapura Zone Keerthy Chandraratne was quoted in a government statement. Officers will be placed in forests and near water bodies where elephants hang out. 3,130 survey centers have been established across ...

‘Atta’ is back! – Women’s Big Bash League Source:- thepapare Sydney Thunder have scored a massive coup just two weeks out from the Weber WBBL|10 Draft, with last year’s WBBL Player of the Tournament Chamari Athapaththu committing to the Western Sydney club for the next three seasons. Athapaththu signed with Thunder last season as an un-drafted free agent, filling the fourth overseas player slot on Thunder’s list before proving herself to be far more than a substitute when the club’s drafted players were unavailable. >>Chamari Athapaththu wins ICC Women’s Player of the Month award for July 2024<< The Sri Lankan captain finished the regular season as the second highest run scorer with 511 runs at 42.58, striking at 129.69 and including five half centuries. She also claimed nine wickets, including 3-20 against the Sixers, and maintained an economy rate of 6.79. Those contributions led to four Player of the Match ...

Sri Lanka-Australia-New Zealand Business Council hosts AGM Source:-dailymirror The 29th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Sri Lanka-Australia-New Zealand Business Council (SLANZBC) of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce was held recently, with High Commissioner of Australia to Sri Lanka Paul Stephens and High Commissioner of New Zealand to Sri Lanka and the Maldives David Pine in attendance as chief guests.  South Asia Gateway Terminals (Pvt.) Ltd Senior Manager Commercial and Marketing Udara Cumaratunga was re-elected as President of the Council for 2024/25. Vice Presidents elected for 2024/25 include Island Leisure Lanka (Pvt.) Ltd Managing Director Chandana Amaradasa, Spillburg Holdings (Pvt.) Ltd Managing Director M.H.K.M. Hameez, Lidechsi Group of Companies Chairman Lionel D.C. Silva and Hayleys Agriculture Holdings Ltd Managing Director Jayanthi Dharmasena. Jiffy Products SL Managing Director Ruwan Rajapakse will continue to serve the committee as immediate past president.  The newly appointed committee for the year 2024/25 consists of representatives ...