Arrestees confessed to acting on instructions: KeheliyaSpeaks of technologies to monitor social mediaBASL concerned over Police misuse of circular, cognisable offenceWeb journos highlight N-E suppression, coverup of Government’s sinsFMM seeks clarity on ‘fake news’ definitionBy Yoshita PereraBy sharing fake news on social media networks, some people are pushing the country towards re-enacting the criminal defamation law which was repealed in 2002, the Cabinet Spokesman and Mass Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said. He said this on Friday (11) while responding to The Sunday Morning’s query on the conflict which would arise with the exercise of the freedom of expression when arrests are made for the purported cognisable offence of sharing fake news on social media. “We can see that within this censorship, the Government is trying to suppress social media that is a social platform for criticism. However, through this restriction, the Government is trying to put the law forward and control the rising surge of social media against the offences committed by the Government,” he said. Sharing her views on the Government’s move to criminalise fake news, the Free Media Movement Convenor Seetha Ranjani said that the problem lies in how to define fake news and on what basis something would be considered fake news.

“The Alpha variant is 50% more transmissible than the naturally occurring non-mutated wild type strain of the virus. In terms of the Delta variant, it has been shown to be more transmissible than the Alpha variant. Supporting this with an example, he highlighted the case of Sri Lanka’s own B.1.411 variant, which was a mutation of the Covid-19 virus first detected in Tissamaharama. According to Dr. Jeewandara, the current surge in cases can be attributed to the B.1.1.7 Alpha variant of Covid-19. When questioned about certain media reports which were circulating recently about the identification of a new airborne Covid-19 variant, Dr. Jeewandara dismissed such claims as false.

SPC General Manager Dinusha Dassanayake told The Sunday Morning that although Sri Lanka has been included in the list of countries to receive Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine doses from the US, they have yet to confirm any delivery dates. Last week, US President Joe Biden had pledged to share 80 million vaccine doses with other countries, with most of those to be distributed by Covax, a global alliance of multilateral agencies. At present, Sri Lanka is struggling to secure at least 600,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covishield vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India to administer as the second dose. It has already administered over 900,000 with Covishield, but only around 350,000 people have received both the vaccine doses. On 9 June, the President’s office announced that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had requested Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to provide 600,000 doses of the Covishield vaccine.

By Matt Verri For MailonlinePublished: 12:38 EDT, 12 June 2021 | Updated: 12:57 EDT, 12 June 2021Tottenham have officially announced the appointment of Fabio Paratici as their new Managing Director of Football. Fabio Paratici has been announced by Tottenham as their new Managing Director of FootballDaniel Levy will be hoping the 48-year-old can help in the club's search for a new manager“I am so happy. I hope to give Spurs my passion, my work, my time and to build something better.” 👔 The first interview with Fabio Paratici, our new Managing Director, Football. I hope to give Spurs my passion, my work, my time and to build something better,' Paratici told Tottenham's official website. In his 11 years at Juventus, Paratici was known for his smart recruitment, often bringing in big-name players on free transfers.

By Hayley Richardson For MailonlinePublished: 12:41 EDT, 12 June 2021 | Updated: 12:52 EDT, 12 June 2021Carrie Johnson swapped her floral frocks for business chic today, sporting a stylish cobalt blue suit for day two of the G7 summit in Cornwall. The new wife of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, 33, showed off her style prowess in the sculpted slim fitting £595 jacket and £395 flared trousers, both by Amanda Wakeley. Both are currently listed on My Wardrobe HQ, the clothing rental site which Carrie used to hire her stunning Christos Costarellos wedding dress, priced at £80 apiece. Jill said it was 'wonderful' to spend time with Carrie, insisting the 'special relationship' between the US and the UK 'continues'. Carrie Johnson (pictured with her husband) showcased her style prowess in a floral gown by The Vampire's Wife

June 12, 2021 09:07 pmThe Epidemiology Unit of the Health Ministry reports that another 707 persons have tested positive for COVID-19 in Sri Lanka, moving the daily total of new cases to 2,340. This brings the total number of confirmed cases of coronavirus reported in the country to 221,277. As many as 186,516 recoveries and 2,073 deaths have been confirmed in Sri Lanka since the outbreak of the pandemic. The Epidemiology Unit’s data showed that 32,688 active cases are currently under medical care.

Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) says that the Minister of Energy must resign from his post over the increase in fuel prices. Issuing a statement the General Secretary of SLPP MP Sagara Kariyawasam says that the subject minister must take complete responsibility for pushing the people into more difficulties with a fuel price hike amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The statement reads that the government has been put into a difficult position of increasing the fuel prices by the subject minister due to his failure to make the necessary decisions by realizing that such a situation could arise. Kariyawasam says that they have a suspicion as to whether this situation was created on purpose to create displeasure among the public regarding the leaders who are committed to the development of the country amidst various challenges. Thereby, the subject minister is directly responsible for this situation and should take responsibility and resign from his post, SLPP said.

Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) has urged the government to extend the current travel restrictions for a period of two weeks from the 14th of June. In a letter directed to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the SLMA said the number of COVID-19 infections would exponentially start to increase again if the restrictions on movement are lifted at this point of time. It will take 2-3 weeks for the ‘lockdown’ to have an impact on case numbers and even longer on deaths. • To increase the number of PCR tests done randomly to detect the true number of cases in the community. The SLMA also emphasized the need for Health Ministry to use a format of data reporting that will enable the epidemic to be tracked more clearly.

June 12, 2021 07:08 pmAs many as 1,633 persons have tested positive for the novel coronavirus today (June 12), the Ministry of Health reported. All new cases are associated with the New Year COVID-19 cluster. This brings the total number of COVID-19 cases confirmed in the country thus far to 220,556. As per official data, 31,967 virus-infected people are currently being treated at designated hospitals and treatment centres across the island. Meanwhile, the number of total recoveries has reached 186,516 and the death toll stands at 2,073.

With the distribution of this QR Code to all personnel of the SLAF who have been vaccinated, these personnel will be able to provide their employment information, vaccination information including the vaccination brand, dates of receiving 1st and 2nd doses. The first copy of the QR code was presented to the Commander by Air Commodore Arosha Vithana, the Director Information Technology. Following the presentation, the Commander scanned his QR Code and his vaccination information was displayed. Following this presentation QR Codes were distributed to members of the Air Force Board of Management as well. This Project Team was led by the Commanding Officer of the No 1 ITW, Squadron Leader KDC Krishantha.

Three Ukrainian-built Antonov-32 transport aircraft belonging to the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) which were sent to Ukraine for overhaul purposes, have been brought back to Sri Lanka yesterday (11), Air Force media said. SLAF Spokesman Group Captain Dushan Wijesinghe said the three AN-32B aircraft belonging to the Sri Lanka Air Force were sent to Ukraine in August last year to undergo repairs and a life extension. Prior to this, six Ukrainian aviation engineers visited Sri Lanka in May 2020 to inspect the aircraft and recommend a complete overhaul. AN 32B was inducted to the SLAF in 1995 to replace the Avro HS 748 aircraft. SLAF purchased four AN 32B aircraft and all of them were grounded.

By Richard Gibson For MailonlinePublished: 08:00 EDT, 12 June 2021 | Updated: 08:41 EDT, 12 June 2021The absence of Ben Stokes has led to recalls for fellow all-rounders Chris Woakes and David Willey in England’s Twenty20 squad to face Sri Lanka later this month. In the interim, that provides a first chance for Woakes in this format for six years and a return for Yorkshire captain Willey, who last played in 2019. ‘The likes of Chris Woakes and David Willey are very experienced cricketers, and to have them both in the mix is exciting and shows the depth of squad we have available. Chris Woakes gets his first chance in the format for six years after also making the squad‘I want our team to play an attacking form of the game. England squad: Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler (wkt), Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

The deadline to accept applications for competitive examinations for recruitments in the public sector has been extended due to the current COVID-19 situation and travel restrictions. Secretary of Public Service Commission M.A.B. Daya Senarath stated this issuing a communiqué in this regard. Thereby, the candidates are allowed to submit their applications for the following examinations until the 15th of July, the statement read further. • Open Competitive Examination for Recruitment to Grade III of the Sri Lanka Foreign Service – 2020 (2021)• Limited Examination for Recruitment of Departmental Assistant Director (District Land Use) Grade III Executive Service Category of Land Use Policy Planning Department 2018 (2021)• Open Competitive Examination for Recruitment of Assistant Director of Commerce of Grade III 2021 – Department of Commerce• Competitive Examination for Promotion to the Supra Grade of Management Services Officers Service on Merit 2019 (2020)• Limited Competitive Examination for Promotion to Supra Grade of Management Service Officers Service 2019 (2020)

By Antony Thrower For MailonlinePublished: 05:55 EDT, 12 June 2021 | Updated: 07:56 EDT, 12 June 2021Boris Johnson went for an early morning jog and a swim off the Cornish coast ahead of the second day of the G7 Summit, with leaders set to discuss a declaration aimed at preventing future pandemics. The Prime Minister rose early to ensure he made the most of the Carbis Bay location by going for a dip in the sea. And he later acclaimed a "historic" action plan by G7 nations to prevent future pandemics, after Covid-19 wrecked economies and claimed millions of lives around the world. Prime Minister Boris Johnson meets with French President Emmanuel Macron earlier todayIt comes after the world leaders from USA, Japan, Germany, France, Italy and Canada arrived in Cornwall yesterday. Later the Queen sent G7 leaders into fits of laughter when she quipped 'are you supposed to look as if you're enjoying yourself' while posing for a photograph.

Extinction Rebellion protesters have set sail on a flotilla of paddleboards, boats and kayaks to demand action on climate change on the second day of the G7 summit. A RNLI lifeboat kept watch over the group, but was not called into use during the event organised by the ‘Surfers Against Sewage’ protest group. She said: ‘I think it is important that the G7 leaders understand that we want change. Earlier, members of the climate change activists from Extinction Rebellion kicked off their protests with a football match between one team wearing masks of the G7 leaders against the rest of the world. The sand football match was deliberately rigged with the G7 team scoring into a large goal while the other team attempted to score in a mini goal.