A discussion between the Iranian Ambassador and State Minister of Women and Child Development, Pre-schools and Primary Education, School Infrastructure and School Services, Piyal Nishantha De Silva took place recently. Accordingly, the State Minister highlighted that the long-lasting relationship between Sri Lanka and Iran should be strengthened. He also added that Sri Lanka has established enhanced relations with Iran in the fields of Investment, tourism promotion, and education. The Iranian Ambassador to Sri Lanka, pointed out that effective steps would be taken to uplift and promote relations with Sri Lanka in tourism and investments fields.

June 1, 2021 by Mihi Perera No CommentsUnder the country’s Covid-19 immunization program, 84,565 doses of vaccines were administered yesterday (31). Minister of State Prof. Channa Jayasumana stated that this is the highest number of vaccines given in a single day. The first dose of the Sinopharm vaccine was given to 72,887 people and the first dose of the Sputnik v vaccine was given to 10,157 people. In addition, the second dose of the AstraZeneca Covishield was given to 1,521 people yesterday. So far, 347,310 people have received both doses of the Covid vaccine.

June 1, 2021 by Mihi Perera No CommentsSri Lanka recorded a total of 2,912 COVID-19 infections on Monday (31), said the National Operations Centre for Prevention of COVID-19 Outbreak (NOCPCO). 2,882 of these cases were from the Post-New Year Cluster while the remaining 30 were those who tested positive for the virus after returning from overseas.

Sri Lanka Police has arrested 1,047 individuals on Monday (May 31) for violating quarantine regulations such as wearing face masks and maintaining social distancing in public places. According to Police Spokesperson DIG Ajith Rohana, this is the highest number of quarantine law violators arrested within a period of 24 hours. Reportedly, 160 of the arrests were made by Matale Police, 119 by Nikaweratiya Police and 98 others by Kandy Police. In addition, three suspects who violated quarantine rules and regulations have been apprehended in a special drone operation carried out in Katukurunda area, DIG Rohana stated. Police spokesperson said nearly 23,000 police officers have been deployed to apprehend people flouting movement restrictions and health protocols.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced a new naming system for variants of COVID-19. The UK variant for instance is labelled as Alpha, the South African Beta, and the Indian as Delta. Earlier this month the Indian government criticised the naming of variant B.1.617.2 - first detected in the country last October - as the “Indian variant”, though the WHO had never officially labelled it as such. “No country should be stigmatised for detecting and reporting variants,” the WHO’s COVID-19 technical lead, Maria Van Kerkhove, tweeted. — Maria Van Kerkhove (@mvankerkhove) May 31, 2021Letters will refer to both variants of concern, and variants of interest.

BBC World Service kept listeners around the globe informed during the Second World War. In fact, the deceit surrounding ‘The Diana interview’ is far worse than what is referred to in the editorial. Lord Dyson also queried the bizarre decision of the BBC, rehiring Bashir in 2016 as religious affairs correspondent, quickly promoting him to the post of BBC’s Religion Editor. After showing Spencer the fake bank statements, Bashir induced him to arrange a meeting with Diana. Bashir encouraged Diana to believe Tiggy had an affair with Charles and even aborted his baby.

Arthur, a stern advocate of fitness, during his previous stint with Pakistan axed Umar Akmal in 2017 for poor fitness levels. His fitness levels are not there where it has to be,” Arthur said. His fitness levels too are not at required standards. But at the moment his skin folds have gone up and he’s got to work on it,” Arthur explained. It was just sloppy cricket and I don’t like sloppy cricketers.

Cazoo joins the car subscription marketCazoo has rapidly grown since launch to become one of the UK's biggest overall used car dealers and its largest online one - and in December it bought subscription car service Drovers. With the deposit averaging out at £156.50 per month, monthly costs over 24 months would be £845.50. The boss of Cazoo says a subscription service like the one his company has launched offers customers 'flexibility and convenience'. 'This is another step forward in our mission to deliver the best and most comprehensive car subscription player in Europe with over 6,500 subscribers.' For anyone thinking about signing up to a car subscription service, it pays to do some research and work out whether the costs add up for your individual circumstances.

Sri Lanka then lost to the same opposition 2-1 in Antigua under an “ad-hoc Captain” in Angelo Mathews. Shanaka was officially appointed as Sri Lanka T20I Captain on 22 February this year before the team’s West Indies tour. On 9 April, former Sri Lanka fast bowler Pramodya Wickramasinghe was appointed as Head of a six-member selection committee to oversee selections. It can be recalled anyway that whoever is going to captain Sri Lanka, he needs to be a “team man” not a “lone man”. Then, is Kusal Perera appointed as Sri Lanka white-ball Captain purely on merit?

Bhanuka Rajapaksa (on left) answers journalist Danushka AravindaBhanuka Rajapaksa, the 29-year-old Sri Lanka T20I all-rounder, has criticised Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) authorities for their inconsistent policies. Speaking to journalist Danushka Aravinda in a Youtube interview, Rajapaksa highlighted several injustices meted out to him by the authorities. He is not amongst the preliminary 28-member Sri Lanka white-ball squad picked for the forthcoming England tour comprising three each of T20Is and ODI, to be held from 23 June to 4 July. Sri Lanka name 28-member preliminary squad for EnglandMeanwhile, national cricket selectors have picked a 28-member preliminary squad for the upcoming white-ball series in England. Selectors are expected to prune down the 28-member squad to 22 and the squad is scheduled to leave for United Kingdom on Tuesday, 8 June.

There is increasing evidence that taking such a supplement can improve digestive health and reduce stomach infections. ‘There is no evidence a gummy would have any added benefits over capsules or the liquid form of cod liver oil. Expert verdict: ‘Vitamin D, calcium and phosphorus are important nutrients for strong, healthy bones,’ says Lindsy Kass. Expert verdict: ‘CBD or cannabidiol oil, which comes from the hemp plant, has surged in popularity in the past few years, with claims it can help improve pain, glaucoma and anxiety,’ says Aidan Goggins. Recently, an otherwise healthy 56-year-old man was admitted to intensive care after eating two packets of CBD gummies [these were a different brand], suffering from vomiting, slurred speech and low oxygen levels.

The bite avulsed, or tore away a piece of cartilage of about one inch from the top of Holyfield’s ear. Holyfield’s ear was rapidly bleeding. This particular bite just scarred Holyfield’s ear this time. He earned the cover photo of the Sports Illustrated 39 times including the one where he graphically captured this “Bite Fight”. A book entitled “The Bite Fight” was written in 2013 by journalist George Willis illustrating the lives of Tyson and Holyfield before, during, and after the fight.

By Ishani UpatharithaBuddhika Amarasinghe is one of the three players who represent Sri Lanka in the Asian Zonal Chess Championship that will begin today (1 June)The Asian Zonal Chess Championship 2021, the preliminary event for FIDE World Chess Cup 2021 in the South Asia region, will get underway today (1 June) on the Tornelo virtual platform. Countries such as Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka will compete in the event, all seeking regional supremacy in the sport of chess. Sri Lanka has fielded a strong team headed by the current national chess champion Ranindu Dilshan Liyanage, still a student of Ananda College, Colombo. This year, the event is conducted by the Bangladesh Chess Federation. The Sri Lanka players will take part in the championship from the Sri Lanka Chess Federation headquarters at Gangodawila, Nugegoda.

First televised heavyweight boxing match, featuring Max Baer (seen here on right) vs. Lou Nova, about 82 years ago on 1 June 1939. Agonisingly, this spell did not include a hat-trick: worse still, the two sets of two wickets sandwiched a no-ball. He captained South Africa in 53 matches, including two World Cups, and would surely have done so in many more. 2008 – The first Indian Premier League (IPL) ended with a cliff-hanger of a final. Rajasthan Royals, the tournament’s most consistent side, and its most underrated too, beat Chennai Super Kings off the final ball in Mumbai

June 1, 2021 12:10 amThe Director-General of Health Services confirmed that Sri Lanka has reported 43 more deaths related to the COVID-19 pandemic on Monday (May 31). As per the Department of Government Information, the reported deaths had occurred between May 20 and May 31. Accordingly, the total number of deaths due to Covid-19 infection in Sri Lanka has risen to 1,484.