Sri Lanka was one of the first countries in the world to ratify the Framework Convention on Tobacco Contro (FCTC). • FCTC Project: Sri Lanka was one of 15 countries selected for the WHO FCTC Project, leading to several significant activities and policy changes. • Ban on Smokeless Tobacco: NATA issued a Gazette notification banning the import, distribution, and sale of all forms of smokeless tobacco in Sri Lanka in 2016, including ENDS. Through the achievements listed above, and countless others, Dr Abeykoon’s efforts significantly contributed to the drop in cigarette sales in Sri Lanka by approximately 15% during his tenure at NATA. Dr Abeykoon was instrumental in obtaining support from WHO to establish the Centre for Combating Tobacco, the WHO-affiliated tobacco industry observatory in the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka.

The Galaxy Tab S7 Plus might not be Samsung’s largest slate for long. Android Police spotted a since-deleted tweet showing a South Korean survey that hinted Samsung might launch a 14-inch tablet in the near future. The 14-inch tablet would likely be an “Ultra” version of the smaller models rather than a truly unique machine. However, the survey hints Samsung might charge a starting price of about $1,320 for the 14-inch tablet in its home country. This begs the question, though: would you buy a 14-inch tablet if Samsung made one?

May 31, 2021 by Aazam Ameen No CommentsOpposition MP Harsha De Silva today (31) alleged that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s appointment of members to the Colombo Port City Economic Commission was uninspiring with the exception of one or two appointments. The MP made these statements in a tweet today. He alleged that none of these members have experience in dealing with Special Economic Zones (SEZ) and the presence of a banker was absent, considering that this venture is an offshore financial centre. De Silva also claimed that none of the appointed members are internationally accepted to market this project beyond China.

A university has been scorned by MPs and its alumni have suggested withdrawing funding after it apologised for sending staff a photograph of Prince Philip opening a library. But King's College's apology has since caused its own wave of backlash, including from free speech campaigners and MPs. Brandon Lewis, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and a King's College alumni, tweeted: 'This is beyond silly. 'I don't think these people at King's College know what they are talking about, frankly.' King's College London said: 'As we previously highlighted in an official university statement, Prince Philip had a long and valued association with King's.'

The S & P SL 20 Index fared even better with YTD growth of 13% The market also saw record breaking YTD Market Turnover volume of Rs.414.5 Bn for the first 5 months of 2021. The YTD market turnover for 2021 exceeds the annual Market Turnover of Rs. Accordingly, 2021 YTD Market Turnover is already marked as the 3rd highest Market Turnover recorded in the history of CSE and the highest Market Turnover recorded within a shortest period of time. Since the electronic account openings were enabled in September 2020, the daily volume of new accounts have doubled and many new younger investors are entering the stock market. It is also noteworthy to mention that despite the significant increases in the market turnover, number of trades and the number of new accounts, the stock market is now operating remotely in view of the ongoing pandemic and the resultant travel restrictions.

State Minister of Aviation D. V. Chanaka stated today (31) that in addition to the opening of the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) tomorrow (01), two more airports in the country will open for operations as well. Despite this, the State Minister highlighted that the number of passengers arriving in the country per flight will be restricted to 75, citing safety concerns for other passengers and crew due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Other arrival procedures such as a mandatory 14-day quarantine period and PCR testing will be applicable to all international passenger arrivals. The reopening of the BIA comes after the Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) recent suspension of all arriving passenger flights to Sri Lanka for a period of 14 days.

Therefore, poorly-informed practices related to menstrual hygiene have continued to lead to serious ailments such as toxic shock syndrome or reproductive tract infections (RTI) in many women across the island. Further, many menstruating women are unaware of the scientific knowledge behind their monthly period and hygienic health practices to improve their quality of life. In recognition of this fact, the theme of World Menstrual Hygiene Day, set on the 28th of May, 2021 highlights the need to ‘step up action and investment in menstrual health and hygiene’. This disparity has grown during the COVID-19′ pandemic, with constant movement restrictions impacting both individual economic power and safe access to sanitary products. Maintaining proper menstrual hygiene is vital to the health, well-being, mobility and productivity of all women and girls.

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — May 31, 2021 — Microsoft will be the official technology partner for the upcoming Sri Lanka Investment Forum 2021 and Microsoft Teams will become the platform of choice to host the country’s first-ever virtual investor forum. The first-of-its-kind virtual investment forum will be powered by Microsoft Teams and led by the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka (BOI), Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE), and the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC). “We are happy to partner with BOI, CSE, and CCC in facilitating this unique virtual investment forum on Microsoft Teams,” said Hasitha Abeywardena, Country Manager, Microsoft Sri Lanka and Maldives. It is an honour to have this investment forum be hosted on Microsoft Teams. To learn more about Sri Lanka Investment Forum 2021, visit https://www.invest-srilanka.lk/Post Views: 3

Microsoft will be the official technology partner for the upcoming Sri Lanka Investment Forum 2021 and Microsoft Teams will become the platform of choice to host the country’s first-ever virtual investor forum. The first-of-its-kind virtual investment forum will be powered by Microsoft Teams and led by the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka (BOI), Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE), and the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC). Microsoft will be, extending its technology expertise by conducting exhibitor training sessions, setting-up and managing the Microsoft Teams live events from 7-9 June 2021. “We are happy to partner with BOI, CSE, and CCC in facilitating this unique virtual investment forum on Microsoft Teams,” said Hasitha Abeywardena, Country Manager, Microsoft Sri Lanka and Maldives. It is an honour to have this investment forum be hosted on Microsoft Teams.

Representatives from the Department of Agriculture in Sri Lanka, the FAW Task Force and the FAO Representation in Sri Lanka attended the meeting hosted virtually in Bangkok. The member countries submitted updates on the implementation of the national programmes and response actions that are taken to control the fall armyworm. “Since the inception of the outbreak, FAO has been a partner in FAW control and management. With the confirmation of fall armyworm infestation in Sri Lanka, the Government of Sri Lanka requested assistance from FAO which resulted in the launch of a fall armyworm emergency response programme in February 2019, the first such programme in South East Asia. The emergency response in Sri Lanka is aimed at mobilizing resources and expertise to enhance national capacities to tackle FAW.

The Working Committee of the United National Party (UNP) has decided to appoint party leader Ranil Wickremesinghe to the UNP’s National List seat in parliament. Chairman of the UNP Vajira Abeywardena stated that the Working Committee unanimously decided to appoint the former Prime Minister to the party’s sole National List MP seat. He said that the Working Committee meetings were held with the permission of the Divisional Secretary in accordance with the quarantine laws. After 43 years in parliament, he was defeated for the first time at the 2020 general election while the UNP failed to win a single seat in parliament. However, the party did manage to secure one National List seat.

May 31, 2021 by Aazam Ameen No CommentsThe Working Committee of the United National Party (UNP) today (31) agreed to nominate their Party Leader and former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as the Party’s National List Representative. Accordingly, this decision will be finalised at the next party meeting.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa today (May 31) appointed members to the Colombo Port City Economic Commission. President’s Counsel Gamini Marapana has been appointed as the Chairman of the Commission. Remaining members of the Commission are:- Secretary to the Treasury- Secretary to the Ministry of Water Supply and Drainage- Former Chairman of the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka- Chairman and Managing Director of Orel Corporation- Managing Director of Mercantile Investment & Finance- Chairman and Managing Director of McLarens Group

May 31, 2021 06:12 pmThe Ministry of Health reports that 1,915 more patients who were being treated for COVID-19 have recovered and have been discharged from hospital within the last 24 hours. This increases the total number of coronavirus recoveries in the country to 151,740. Sri Lanka has so far reported 183,452 positive cases of COVID-19 while presently a total of 30,271 infected patients are being treated at hospitals and treatment centers. The death toll due to the virus has risen to 1,441.

Jason Baird, of Stockport, was photographed performing a backflip while dressed up as the comic book character during lockdown last year. The image was one of the 100 images included in Kate Middleton's book Hold Still: A Portrait of Our Nation in 2020. He said he had been committed to performing 'every day for an hour', with an amazed Kate gasping: 'No!' Kate joked: 'Maybe when I'm in Stockport I might see you out and about in your er- costume. Hold Still: A Portrait of Our Nation in 2020 brings together the final 100 Hold Still portraits, providing a unique record of our shared and individual experiences as the COVID pandemic took hold.