President Gotabaya Rajapaksa says that Australia has pledged assistance for strategic investments and promotion in the education sector in the island nation. This comes after Australian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka David Holly met President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat on Monday. “Further the Australian High Commissioner pledged assistance for strategic investments & education sector promotion in Sri Lanka. Australian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka David Holly expressed these views when he called on the President, the PMD reported. Recalling the 75 years of friendly relations between Australia and Sri Lanka, High Commissioner Holly said that a plane carrying a consignment of medical equipment donated by the Australian Government for COVID treatment will arrive in Sri Lanka on June 3rd.

The government has decided to increase the allowance for preschool teachers from Rs. 2,500 with effect from today (June 01). The national policy framework Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour, recognizing preschool teachers as key players in human resource development, has paid special attention to provide a permanent allowance to them following a certain training, says the Department of Government Information. Peiris to increase the existing allowance for eligible preschool teachers under identified criteria has been approved by the Cabinet. Under first phase of the initiative, the allowance will be provided to 25,000 preschool teachers in total.

Global emerging consumer technology brand realme shipped 12.8 million smartphones globally in the first quarter of 2021, according to data from Counterpoint Research. Since expanding into the European market in 2019, realme has rapidly emerged to become the fastest growing smartphone brand in the region with 183% YoY growth in Q1 2021, says Counterpoint Research. realme is also fourth in Slovenia and retains its strong growth momentum in Russia as the fifth biggest player, growing 682% YoY. In Southeast Asia, realme regained its top spot in the Philippines with a 23% market share and a 95% annual YoY growth. As a relatively young company, realme accelerated its expansion during the past 12 months, delivering more than 45% YoY growth on average every quarter.

By Charlotte Karp For Daily Mail AustraliaPublished: 05:44 EDT, 1 June 2021 | Updated: 06:19 EDT, 1 June 2021Bonds has released a line of 'genderless' clothing as activists pressure brands to stop selling separate items for men and women. The garments are part of the brand's new Explorer range which was launched on Saturday under the slogan 'comfort for all'. Bonds said the unisex line was created to allow customers to pick and choose what they want from the collection and 'wear it their way'. Bonds also released a genderless line for tweens in 2018. Campaign ads for the Bonds Explorer range say: No matter who you are, where you're from or what you stand for, we believe everybody deserves to be comfy'Bonds also released a genderless line for tweens in 2018.

The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) has completed the initial inquiries and the recording of statements regarding the complaint filed on the fire on the container ship ‘X-Press Pearl’. The CID yesterday (May 31) recorded statements from the Captain, Chief Engineer, and the Deputy Chief Engineer of the ship. Reportedly, the Captain of the vessel was interrogated for nearly 14 hours while the Chief Engineer and the Deputy Chief Engineer were grilled for 13 and 12 hours respectively. The CID has recorded statements from 07 members of the ship’s crew so far. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Navy said that no fire or oil spill has been observed from the fire-ravaged ship so far.

One of the most reputed hardware merchants in Sri Lanka, Janatha Steels was established in 1986, as a partnership and celebrates 35 years of excellence this year. Janatha Steels has had many iconic moments within the past 35 years. Providing productive direct employment to over 700 workers and indirect employment to thousands, Janatha Steels is now a force to be reckoned with and has remained reliable for 35 years. In 2013, Janatha Steels was named as one of the ‘Most Respected Companies’ in the prestigious LMD magazine further boosting its image. Janatha Steels has also initiated multiple CSR projects as they believe in the importance of ensuring the welfare of the people.

June 1, 2021 by Mihi Perera No CommentsMinister of Trade Bandula Gunawardene today stated that there was no salt shortage in the country and the reports claiming that there is a shortage are false. He stated that he had discussed this matter with the Heads and Secretaries of the salt storages in Hambantota and Puttalam. “The Hambantota salt storage has enough salt for two oncoming years. In Puttalam, they can supply 60,000 consignments of salt weighing 30,000 metric tonnes,” he stated. He further said that private sector storages can also provide a further 100,000 metric tonnes of salt.

Solution offers added convenience for PickMe driver partners through real-time connectivity1 June, 2021, Colombo, Sri Lanka – Standard Chartered Sri Lanka announced the enhancement of its robust payment capabilities with the implementation of the country’s first ever interbank instant payment API (Application Programming Interface) connectivity solution. The interface was executed for the seamless payments of PickMe, a brand of Digital Mobility Solutions Lanka (Private) Limited. Commenting on the API solution, Roger Norton, Head of Transaction Banking Sri Lanka, said, “At Standard Chartered, we believe that innovative banking solutions are best proven when our clients are able to leap forward in their strategic business plans. The API solution also sends real-time payment updates directly to the company’s in-built payment tracking tool, allowing for a complete integration throughout the payment creation and fulfilment process. Commenting on the Bank’s real-time seamless connectivity solution for PickMe, Devaka Wijedoru, Head of Transaction Banking Implementation, Standard Chartered Sri Lanka said, “We’re delighted to be able to offer this real value addition to PickMe and their loyal driver partners.

During the quarter, Janashakthi Life honoured claims of LKR 526 Mn as at 31st March 2021. “This is the third year since we renewed our sole focus on Life Insurance in 2018, in a well-calculated strategic move. Over a span of 26 years, Janashakthi Life has continued to revolutionize the insurance industry and journeyed forward to become a leader in the Life insurance industry in Sri Lanka, delivering a service beyond Insurance to all its customers and stakeholders while remaining true to its purpose of uplifting lives and empowering dreams. Furthermore, Janashakthi Life has launched several innovative insurance solutions and pathbreaking products including Life Unlimited which provides lifelong hospitalization, Janashakthi COVID Guard – a world’s first in providing financial protection from COVID-19 among other products. Janashakthi Life offers a range of Life Insurance solutions and services that cater to different stages of the life cycle of an individual from childhood to retirement including educational needs, savings and investments, health requirements and mortgage protection.

London's Heathrow Airport will open a dedicated terminal for red list arrivals from today. Those from amber list countries can quarantine at home, and green list arrivals - nations with the least risk of exported Covid cases - don't need to isolate at all. Heathrow is the only UK airport which has dedicated a terminal to red list arrivals so far. Pictured: Heathrow AirportA Heathrow Airport spokeswoman said today: 'Red list routes will likely be a feature of UK travel for the foreseeable future as countries vaccinate their populations at different rates. However, people who are not British citizens or residents are allowed into Britain if they have been to an amber list country, which they aren't for red list nations.

Cabinet Spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella claims an expert committee has recommended to administer COVID-19 vaccines, even if it is just one dose, to the maximum number of people in Sri Lanka. He stated that this was recommended by the Head of the expert committee on Covid vaccines, Dr. S. M. Arnold. Meanwhile, Rambukwella stated that the expert committee is currently investigating the possibility of only administering one dose of the Sputnik V vaccine. He said that the decision to distribute forms to receive consent to obtain one jab from people who arrived to receive the Sputnik V vaccine in Kandy was taken following the recommendation of the expert committee. He added in comparison to several countries, Sri Lanka is at the forefront in vaccinating its citizens.

Opposition MP Harsha De Silva stated today (01) that despite the Sri Lankan Government’s claims that Bangladesh did not purchase the Sinopharm vaccine at US$10 per dose, a national Bangladeshi newspaper says otherwise. “Why is Sri Lanka paying US$15 per dose for 14m doses?,” he asked, adding that Sri Lanka is paying LKR14 Billion more to procure Sinopharm vaccines. He further noted in the said Facebook post that its price is still under discussion. He claimed that the Chinese Embassy in Colombo and the Beijing-based Bio-Institute of Biological Products Co. Ltd., which manufactures Sinopharm, have informed him that there is no agreement to provide the Sinopharm vaccine to Bangladesh for $ 10. He further noted in the said Facebook post that its price is still under discussion.

All licensed liquor sale outlets across the country will be remain sealed during the travel-restricted period as a precautionary measure, the Department of Excise announced today (June 01). Accordingly, the order will be in force until the travel restrictions are lifted on the 07th of June.

The iQOO Z3 announced in China in March was supposed to arrive in India in early May, but plans were changed due to the second COVID-19 wave in the country. However, with the situation getting better, the phone maker today announced it will introduce the Z3 in India on June 8. The iQOO Z3 will come with the Snapdragon 768G 5G SoC at the helm, making it India's first smartphone to be powered by Qualcomm's 7nm chipset. iQOO Z3For photography, the iQOO Z3 comes with a total of four cameras - a 16MP selfie shooter inside the notch and a triple camera setup on the back consisting of 64MP primary, 8MP ultrawide, and 2MP macro units. iQOO hasn't revealed the Z3's pricing in India, but the smartphone's base variant with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage costs CNY1,699 ($265/€220) in China, which translates to around INR19,400 at current exchange rates, so expect it to be priced in the same range in India.

A man was arrested with 129 kilograms of Kerala cannabis during a search operation carried out by the STF at a house in the Kolonnawa area in Colombo yesterday. Police Media Spokesman DIG Ajith Rohana stated that the arrested person is a 37 year old resident of Dematagoda, Veluwana Road. The stock of Kerala cannabis along with the suspect has been handed over to the Police Narcotics Bureau for further investigation. Meanwhile, STF personnel raided a cannabis field in the Sooriyawewa area and arrested a suspect with 3,000 cannabis plants. The suspect along with the cannabis plants were handed over to the Sevanagala Police and produced before the Embilipitiya Magistrate’s Court, the police spokesman said.