Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa on Saturday made an inspection visit to the coastal area in Uswetakeiyawa on the outskirts of capital Colombo which is affected by the debris washed up from the fire-ravaged container ship X-Press Pearl, the Prime Minister’s Office said.

The COVID-19 death toll in Sri Lanka climbed to 1,405 with 42 more deaths being confirmed by the Director-General of Health Services today (29), the Government Information Department said.

The Inspector-General of Police (IGP) has directed the police officers not to inconvenience the public when implementing quarantine rules and regulations.

The Public Health inspectors Union warns that the country could experience a rise in cases of dengue, diarrhea and leptospirosis, due to the inclement weather.

National Movement for a Just Society Chairman and former Speaker Karu Jayasuriya has saluted a lady medical officer for standing up against injustice.

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa yesterday (28) demanded an independent inquiry on granting permission to the MV X-Press Pearl container ship to enter Sri Lankan waters off the vicinity of Colombo Port.

Former Northern Province Chief Minister and present Parliamentarian C.V. Wigneswaran has requested the deputy Indian High Commissioner in Jaffna, S. Balachandran to ask his government to donate AstraZeneca vaccines to the Northern and Eastern Provinces as vaccination has been slow in these two areas.

The COVID-19 death toll in Sri Lanka climbed to 1,363 with 38 more deaths being confirmed by the Director-General of Health Services today (28), the Government Information Department said.

Police say it is mandatory for all individuals engaged in providing essential services to be in possession of a letter validated by the respective head of the institution or an online document, at all times.

The government has decided to grant the Rs.5,000 allowance from June 02 to low-income families, State Minister Shehan Semasinghe said.

The Sri Lanka government has decided to continue the strict travel restrictions islandwide until 4:00 AM on 7th June.

Moratuwa Mayor Samanlal Fernando has been arrested by Mount Lavinia Police today (28) for obstructing the duties of state officers.

A quarter of the consignment of 500,000 doses of Sinopharm the island received from China on Wednesday has been allocated for the vaccination of select persons out of the Western Province, with the remaining set aside to administer the second dose.

The Central Environmental Authority (CEA) warned that Sri Lanka can expect acid rainfall, if the distressed ship MV X-Press Pearl continues to burn.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Wednesday instructed officials to provide organic fertiliser required by paddy farmers for the ‘Maha’ Season without any shortage.

Environmentalist Dr. Ajantha Perera yesterday questioned why the MV X-Press Pearl vessel that was refused entry into the waters of India and Qatar was given permission by local authorities to enter Sri Lankan waters.