Sugeeshwara said that due to the recent rains, some parts of the country had been flooded. The Deduru Oya and the Udawalawe and Inginimitiya reservoirs were brimful and their sluice gates would have to be opened anytime. According to the Department, forecast showers or thundershowers will occur at times in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, North-western, and Southern provinces. Fairly heavy falls of about 75mm could be expected at some places in Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces and in Galle and Matara districts. Showers or thundershowers will occur at a few places in Eastern and Uva provinces during the evening or night.

The Education Minister, Prof. G. L. Peiris said, in accordance with the Government's Digitization Policy, "Exams Sri Lanka-DOE", a student-friendly mobile-app (in three languages) has been introduced to make it easier for the general public to access all services related to the Department of Examinations via a mobile phone. The Minister said this at the launching of the mobile app in Colombo. All these services are accessible online via a mobile phone so that the public do not necessarily have to visit the Examination Department to gain these services. Secretary to the Ministry of Education, Kapila C.K. Perera, Commissioner of Examinations, Sanath B. Pujitha as well as Media Secretary of the Education Ministry BuddhikaWickramadara were also present at this occasion.

By Henry Martin For MailonlinePublished: 13:50 EDT, 23 May 2021 | Updated: 16:37 EDT, 23 May 2021A BBC journalist who tweeted '#HitlerWasRight' seven years ago has sparked an investigation after the post was unearthed. Tala Halawa had claimed 'Israel is more Nazi than Hitler' and told the Israeli Defence Force to 'go to hell' in an online post dated July 20, 2014, before she was a digital reporter at the BBC. Halawa, whose Twitter biography identifies her as located in Ramallah, Palestine, had used the hashtag '#PrayForGaza', along with '#HitlerWasRight' in the tweet. A screenshot of the historic post was today uploaded online by the Honest Reporting Twitter account, which describes itself as promoting 'fairness and accuracy in media coverage of Israel'. A BBC Spokesperson told MailOnline: 'These tweets predate the individual's employment with the BBC but we are nevertheless taking this very seriously and are investigating.'

“At present, we are trying to refer every patient to a hospital or treatment centre as much as possible. In addition, efforts are being made to increase the capacity of hospitals and treatment centres to the fullest extent possible,” Deputy Director General of Public Health Services and Health Ministry Disaster Preparedness and Response Division Head Dr. Hemantha Herath said, speaking to The Morning yesterday (23). We also learnt that the guidelines required to be issued by the Director General of Health Services (DGHS) to officially commence home treatment have not been issued yet. “Some patients in different areas are currently being treated at their homes, as they prefer not to go to the hospital. But they are being observed in the same way as a patient in a hospital,” he said.

May 24, 2021 12:39 amSri Lanka has registered 32 more victims of COVID-19, Director-General of Health Services confirmed Sunday (May 23). Official data showed that latest fatalities have moved the country’s death toll to 1,210. Five of the deaths took place today and the 27 other victims have succumbed to the virus infection today while the rest between the period of April 23 – May 22, the Department of Government Information stated. Please avoid outside hyperlinks inside the comment and avoid typing all capitalized comments. Help us delete comments that do not follow these guidelines by flagging them(mouse over a comment and click the flag icon on the right side).

Britain hit the 'huge' milestone of 60 million vaccinations today, as health officials said the possibility of all coronavirus restrictions being lifted next month is 'looking good'. Health Secretary Matt Hancock hailed the success of the vaccine rollout, tweeting: 'HUGE day for vaccinations yesterday - 762,361 given across UK. The comments come after a study by Public Health England (PHE) found that the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine is 88 per cent effective against the Indian variant after two doses. Meanwhile, Downing Street said it was looking at ways to publish data on cases transmitted in different settings in a 'robust and clear way'. Latest figures show that more than 50 million doses of coronavirus vaccine have now been given in England.

Dr Anthony Fauci revealed he is 'not convinced' that COVID-19 developed naturally and called for an open investigation into its origins as China faces mounting pressure to provide transparency on the issue. 'Will you in front of this group categorically say that the COVID-19 virus could not have occurred by serial passage in a laboratory?' The project involved collaborating with researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology to study coronaviruses in bats and the risk of potential transfer to humans. In the second grant approved in 2019, about $76,000 was budgeted for the Wuhan Institute, though no money was sent before the grant's termination. But again, we have not funded gain of function research on this virus in the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

A fresh witness has gone public with claims supporting Craig McLachlan's denials that he touched a co-star's genitals while performing in a musical live on stage. Police had alleged McLachlan either indecently assaulted or assaulted four complainants while performing in Melbourne between April 26, 2014 and July 13, 2014. The interview prompted a stage crew member to come forward with new information about one of the allegations raised during McLachlan's recent criminal trial. Elsewhere in the interview, McLachlan claimed he remained friends with one of his accusers for years after the alleged assault. Allegations: Police had alleged McLachlan either indecently assaulted or assaulted four complainants in Melbourne between April 26, 2014 and July 13, 2014.

May 23, 2021 by Mihi Perera No CommentsThe Chairman of the Puttalam Urban Council Abdul Baiz has been reported dead following an accident which occurred today (23). Puttalam Hospital sources confirmed his death today. Baiz was 52 years of age at the time of his demise. He was a national organizer of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) Party, a registered political party in Sri Lanka during M. H. M. Ashraff’s leadership. Baiz was a Member of Parliament (MP) from the Puttalam Electoral District from April 2004 to 2010.

May 23, 2021 by Mihi Perera No CommentsVideo evidence of police officers using unorthodox measures to punish those who violated the ongoing travel restrictions has surfaced on social media today (23). The evidence displays police officers addressing numerous individuals in crude language while verbally abusing them for violating travel restrictions. Another drastic example of such actions made to humiliate offenders was when a three-wheeler driver transporting a carrom board was asked to run back and forth with the board placed on his head as a punishment for ignoring travel restrictions.

May 23, 2021 10:09 pmDaily COVID-19 cases count moved to 2,945 on Sunday (May 23) as 691 more people were tested positive for the virus in Sri Lanka. Disclaimer: All the comments will be moderated by the AD editorial. Please avoid outside hyperlinks inside the comment and avoid typing all capitalized comments. Help us delete comments that do not follow these guidelines by flagging them(mouse over a comment and click the flag icon on the right side). Do use these forums to voice your opinions and create healthy discourse.

COVID-19 certificates for international travel must be free, universally available and non-discriminatory. They must also be limited in time and use, the World Committee on Tourism Ethics has recommended. As some countries work to welcome back visitors and restart tourism, the Committee met to assess the implications health certificates might have on tourism ethics. As an independent and impartial body of the General Assembly of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), it concluded that such certificates can be compatible with ethical tourism, though their use needs to be proportionate, measured and responsible. The Committee members, drawn from tourism sector leadership, academia and international organizations, adopted the Recommendation on COVID-19 Certificates for International Travel, the product of a series of consultations with experts and stakeholders from around the world.

May 23, 2021 07:06 pmThe Ministry of Health reports that another 2,254 persons have tested positive for coronavirus today (May 23). 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 163,496. Presently 33,711 infected patients are being treated at hospitals and treatment centers across the island. Meanwhile, the number of total recoveries has reached 128,607.

May 23, 2021 by Aazam Ameen No CommentsThe Health Ministry stated today (23) that 50 Ayurveda hospitals islandwide will be converted into Covid-19 intermediate treatment centres. Once converted, these hospitals will have a combined bed capacity of 3,500 beds. The Ministry stated that this decision was made following the advice of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, May 2021: A significant number of over 40 of Sadaharitha Plantations’ staff were recently accredited with professional marketing qualifications at the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM) graduation ceremony held at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH). Executive Director and CEO of Sadaharitha Group of Companies Dr Pradeep Edward was also recognised as a Fellow Life Member of SLIM at the event. Several staff members of Sadaharitha Plantations have further enhanced their professional qualifications with the National Diploma in Marketing Management and Professional Marketing courses, developing their forte while strengthening the company’s reputation and value. Sadaharitha was recognised as the company with the highest number of qualified personnel at this year’s graduation ceremony. It is great to see our teams progress in their careers through professional qualifications.