INS Sarvekshak, a Survey Ship of Indian Navy arrived in Colombo for Survey Assistance yesterday (24), the Indian High Commission said today (25). The ship, equipped with the state of the art survey equipment including the Side Scan Sonar, would assist in the Survey efforts being undertaken in vicinity of the ill fated MV X-Press Pearl and off Colombo. INS Sarvekshak was deployed upon a formal request from the Government of Sri Lanka to ensure safety of navigation in area outside the Colombo harbour. The joint survey operations would have the coordinated participation of the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA), Sri Lanka Navy and Indian Navy. Kithsiri, Director General NARA, Captain Vikas Sood, Defence Adviser at High Commission of India in Sri Lanka and Capt Wijesooriya from the Sri Lanka Navy.

June 25, 2021 04:04 pmAs many as 1, 843 more novel coronavirus patients were discharged from medical care within the last 24 hours as they have returned to health, the Ministry of Health says. This brings the total number of recoveries from COVID-19 in the country to 214,668. Sri Lanka has so far reported 248,050 positive cases of COVID-19 and more than 30,600 of them are still being treated at designated hospitals and treatment centres. The death toll from the outbreak of the pandemic meanwhile stands at 2, 814.

The Joint Front to Protect Open University (JFPOU) today commended the reversal of the decision of the President to reject the legitimate shortlist for the Vice Chancellor position of the Open University of Sri Lanka. “We see this as a victory not just for the Open University of Sri Lanka but for the entire university system in the country. They noted that this victory was the outcome of the solidarity of a broad range of stakeholders – academics, non-academics and students. They expressed their belief in the autonomy and independence of public institutions that need to stay constantly vigilant to the ever present threat of political interference in this country. “We conclude with solidarity and gratitude towards all stakeholders who came together in this historic struggle,” they said.

The Department of Immigration and Emigration, in a media release published today, stated that passports will be issued to a limited number of applicants at its Head Office in Battaramulla as well as at regional offices in Matara, Vavuniya, Kandy and Kurunegala. The services will be rendered in compliance with all health protocols set in place by the authorities, the Controller General of Immigration and Emigration added. The Department says only the applicants who have essential service requirements should visit the office closest to their place of residence after making an appointment through the contact numbers mentioned below:To make an appointment for obtaining one-day and normal service passports from Battaramulla Head Office:Service Working hours To reserve a date Submission of passport applications 9.00 am to 1.00 pm 070 710 1060 / 070 710 1070To make an appointment for obtaining normal service passports from regional offices:Branch Contct Number Matara Branch 041 541 2212 / 041 510 4444 Kandy Branch 081 562 4509 / 081 5624470 Vavuniya Branch 025 567 6344 / 025 567 6345 Kurunegala Branch 037 555 0562 / 037 555 0563Applicants without such reservation will not be allowed to enter the office premises, the Controller-General noted. In addition, people living in areas where travel restrictions are in effect are requested to refrain from visiting the offices for the time being. Media Release - Department of Immigration and Emigration 2021-06-25 by Adaderana Online on Scribd

June 25, 2021 by Mihi Perera No CommentsTwo persons were killed in an accident in the Dikkandayaya area on the Mahiyanganaya – Keselpotha road, the Dikkandayaya Police said. The motorcycle had skidded off the road and collided with a tree, police said. Both the motorcyclist and the passenger who were seriously injured in the accident were admitted to the Mahiyanganaya Hospital and later succumbed to their injuries. The deceased have been identified as two residents of the Mapakadawewa area in Mahiyanganaya. Mahiyanganaya police are conducting further investigations.

COLOMBO (News 1st): More than 700,000 children within Sri Lanka’s school system LACK the necessary infrastructure required for online education, according to the Ministry of Education. Currently, 4.3 million students are receiving their education at 10,155 schools across Sri Lanka; of these, over 3000 schools do NOT have proper network signal to conduct studies online, Prof. Kapila Perera, the Secretary to the Education Ministry told News 1st on Friday (Jun. “There are Mahindodaya Technological Laboratories in the country, where students could be provided with the required internet facilities for online studies. Assuming that they live close to these IT labs, this is the most immediate solution that can be provided,” the Education Secretary said. Thereby, students can continue online studies from 7:30 AM to 3:30 PM under the supervision of an officer assigned for this matter, he noted.

New research has uncovered the UK's illegal vehicle modification hotspots, based on the number of offences reported in the last year. Most common illegal vehicle modifications: Altered numberplate, such as this example of incorrectly spaced characters, are the number one type of modification offence in the UKDrivers in the county - which has a population of 637,100 - racked up 925 illegal modification offences in 2020. The Welsh county, which has a population of 594,200, saw only four illegal car modifications in 2020, equivalent to seven cases per one million people. Incorrect lights (5,723 offences), illegally tinted windows (4,183 offences) and modified exhausts (776 offences) were the remaining common illegal vehicle modification offence types in the UK behind altered numberplates. Currently, drivers displaying illegal plates are slapped with a fine of £100.

The team say dementia risk can be offset through physical activity, healthy eating, reducing alcohol and tobacco use and managing diabetes and high blood pressure. 'What sets this dementia risk calculator apart is that you don't need to visit a doctor for any tests,' said Dr. Stacey Fisher, the lead author of the study. Factors in the Dementia Population Risk Tool (DemPoRT) include age, smoking status and exposure, alcohol consumption, physical activity levels, stress and diet. The calculator can be used by individuals to assess their dementia risk and help them modify their lifestyle, according to the researchers. Through this research, the team has developed the first predictive tool designed to predict dementia at a population level.

June 25, 2021 01:24 pmA fire has erupted in the engine room of a Liberia-flagged container ship on route to Singapore from Sri Lanka, the navy spokesman confirmed today. According to Captain Indika de Silva, the fire has broken out aboard ‘MSC Messina’ nearly 480 nautical miles off Great Basses Reef Light House in off Kirinda, Sri Lanka. The Matirime Bulletin reported that the incident took place at around 1930 UTC yesterday (June 24). “The ship was disabled, and as of 0415 UTC June 25 remained disabled, adrift.”

June 25, 2021 by Mihi Perera No CommentsThe government has decided to suspend the import of organic fertilizer. This was stated by the Director General of the Ministry of Agriculture. It is further reported that despite the Cabinet approval to import organic fertilizer, it has been decided to suspend the importation considering the possible impact it could have on local organic fertilizer production.

Meanwhile, John Keells Foundation together with Ceylon Cold Stores (Elephant House) had initiated John Keells Praja Shakthi in Ranala. John Keells Praja Shakthi is a sustainable community empowerment initiative centred around locations of identified businesses of the John Keells Group, led by John Keells Foundation and powered by active and sustained engagement of the respective businesses. However, John Keells Foundation supported us once again by promoting sales through their channels and we managed to sell 1,883 lanterns. John Keells Foundation also handed over seed capital to the Ranliya Women’s Society to support them procure raw materials for their planned activities. Gender empowerment has always been an integral and cross-cutting theme of development initiatives undertaken by John Keells Foundation.

Britney Spears is apologizing for 'pretending like I've been ok the past two years' on social media in wake of her recent bombshell testimony, where she admitted to being 'traumatized' by the conditions of her ongoing conservatorship. In a series of filtered videos, Sam and Britney looked to be in great spirits as they sat next to one another on a private jet. ET's insider further stressed that Britney is 'beyond exhausted' under the constraints of her conservatorship and is 'ready to live her life.' On Wednesday, Spears admitted her bizarre social media posts 'are a lie' in shocking testimony from her conservatorship battle. #FreeBritney: Britney Spears admitted her bizarre social media posts 'are a lie' in shocking testimony from her conservatorship battle (seen in 2018)She spoke to judge Brenda Penny via telephone where she revealed the severity of her health and well-being under the court-ordered conservatorship.

Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, in a telephone conversation held (21 June) with the Indian External Affairs Minister said that the steps that both countries have taken so far to enhance bilateral relations between Sri Lanka and India have been fruitful. Foreign Minister Gunawardena thanked the Indian External Affairs Minister for the financial assistance and COVID relief support extended by the government of India to combat the pandemic. During the discussion, the two Ministers agreed to work in collaboration with the regional organizations such as BIMSTEC and IORA. Plans were also exchanged to continue cooperation especially through common platforms like Colombo Plan and Commonwealth. A number of important matters of mutual interest for both countries were also discussed during this conversation which lasted for almost half an hour.

By Pamodi WaravitaThe Sri Lanka College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (SLCOG) stressed that the Covid-19 vaccination programme for pregnant women needs to be expedited in order to ensure that the necessary inoculation is received by all eligible expectant mothers by at least mid-August. Speaking to The Morning, SLCOG President Dr. Pradeep de Silva raised concerns about the slow pace of the vaccination of pregnant women, noting a serious lack of a centralised system to ensure that pregnant women are prioritised, despite the Health Ministry’s decision to vaccinate them being taken at the beginning of this month. “Expectant mothers need to be made aware of when the vaccination programme for them will occur in their area,” added Dr. de Silva. Family Health Bureau (FHB) Director Dr. Chithramalee de Silva told The Morning that statistics on how many high-risk pregnant women have so far been administered the first dose of such vaccines is not with the Bureau yet. On 9 June, the vaccination of pregnant women over 30 years of age and with non-communicable diseases began in the Western Province.

The estimate is included in a report, which is to be discussed on Thursday at a board meeting of Gavi, a vaccine alliance that co-leads the WHO’s COVID-19 vaccine programme COVAX. The document shows that the WHO considers annual boosters for high-risk individuals as its “indicative” baseline scenario, and boosters every two years for the general population. This gap could widen next year under the WHO’s most pessimistic forecast, as the need for annual boosters could once again push poorer nations to the back of the queue. That could be compounded by the need for annual boosters for the entire world, and not just the most vulnerable, to combat variants and limited duration of protection. There would be no need for boosters as vaccines would show strong efficacy against variants and long protection.