Visa facilities for foreigners arriving in the country will be expanded – On Arival Visa For more Countries
The Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CASL) says that foreign travelers will be able to obtain visas after arriving in Sri Lanka due to the deactivation of electronic payment cards from their home countries. The Chairman of the Authority Upul Dharmadasa stated that the relevant facility has been activated at the airport. Several countries including Austria, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Poland, Italy, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Spain, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and the United States have been notified about the decision. Passengers arriving in Sri Lanka from those countries have been barred from boarding a flight to Sri Lanka unless they have obtained a visa at the airport.
The Police arrest that heated the court premises
When a group of Ragama Medical Faculty students arrived at the Wattala Courts Complex yesterday (03), a heated situation arose when the police tried to take them away. Amidst the heat, the police took a group of students in a police jeep. When media inquired about this, the police stated that two students were arrested on suspicion of assaulting a third year student of the Ragama Medical Faculty. The group had brought the group to the Ragama Police Station to take statements regarding a complaint lodged by a fourth year medical student who had been hospitalized after being assaulted, police said. He also said that another person involved in the incident was arrested after surrendering to the police. They were later produced before the Wattala Magistrate’s Court where they were released on personal bail of Rs. 500,000 and cash bail of Rs. 2,000 each.
A special message to GCE Advanced Level students
The University Grants Commission (UGC) says that the cut-off marks for the GCE Advanced Level Examination 2020 will be released online. A spokesman said about 40,000 people had qualified for university admission. He added that more people will be eligible for university admission after the re-survey results are released.
Today is the 74th Independence Day
The 74th National Independence Day falls today (04). Independence Day celebrations will be held at Independence Square in Colombo this morning. The theme of this year’s celebrations is ‘Prosperous Tomorrow – Prosperous Motherland Overcoming Challenges’. During Independence Day celebrations, 21 lanes around Independence Square will be closed to vehicles and a special road plan will be implemented. Senior DIG in charge of the Western Province Deshabandu Tennakoon said that around 3,000 police and members of the Armed Forces have been deployed to provide security for the event. The public will not be allowed to enter the premises to participate in the Independence Day celebrations this year and the ceremony will be held in accordance with health guidelines, said Defense Secretary, retired General Kamal Gunaratne. In line with the 74th Independence Day, 480 Army officers and 8,034 other ranks have been promoted to their next ranks. The promotions were made by the Commander of the Army, General Shavendra Silva, subject to the approval of the President. 2,513 Sri Lanka Air Force personnel have also been promoted. Accordingly, 175 officers and 2,338 other ranks have been promoted to their next ranks, the Sri Lanka Air Force said. Meanwhile, the Prisons Department stated that 197 prisoners will be released under a presidential pardon to coincide with Independence Day today.
The trouble the Indian team suddenly faced
The India-West Indies ODI series is scheduled to begin in four days. Despite this, the Indian cricket authorities have revealed an unexpected news. Four players and three members of the staff have been diagnosed with the covid virus. Those players are Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Ruturaj Gaikwad and extra bowler Navdeep Saini.
Traffickers dump 200 kilos of narcotics into the sea
The nine suspects arrested in connection with the dumping of heroin in a foreign multi-day fishing trawler have been taken to the Port of Colombo for further investigations. During a special operation on January 26, a foreign multi-day fishing vessel was preparing to inspect a shipment of heroin in the international waters south of Sri Lanka, ready to be transferred to a Sri Lankan fishing vessel. At the time, the people in the vessel had dumped about 200 kilograms of narcotics into the sea, and the navy boarded the vessel and seized about 250 grams of heroin and satellite phones. Although the Navy deployed a special team to search the area for the narcotics dumped in the vessel by the suspicious vessel, the Navy said that due to the rough seas and a depth of about 3,800 meters, none of the shoulders were thrown by the suspects into the sea was observed. The Sri Lanka Navy, Sri Lanka Police and the Intelligence Service have launched a joint operation to prevent large quantities of narcotics from entering the country.
The cardinals make a tough decision
Archbishop Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith has decided not to attend the National Independence Day celebrations tomorrow. The Archbishop of Colombo said that he had taken this decision in protest of the continued detention of innocent people in connection with the grenade incident at the Borella Church. This was stated by Fr. Cyril Gamini addressing a media briefing convened in Colombo this morning.
Why Chamika did not go to Australia
The Sri Lanka Cricket team left for Australia this morning (03). That is to participate in 5 Twenty20 Internationals. One of the Sri Lankan players who were about to leave for Australia was missing. It was Chamika Karunaratne who “won the love” of the team. Investigations into his deficiency revealed that he had been quarantined on suspicion of covid infection.
Indian fishermen had killed two Sri Lankan Fishermen and thrown them into the sea
The bodies of two fishermen who had been missing for five days have been dumped at the Adiyawalai beach in the Maradankeni Police Division in Kilinochchi, police said. Meanwhile, local fishermen say that when the Indian trawler capsized the Indian fishermen had attacked the two fishermen and thrown them into the sea and the two fishermen had drowned to death. As a result, a large number of Maradankeni fishermen blocked the road in front of the Maradankeni Divisional Secretariat on the 1st and staged a protest demanding a solution to the problem of Indian fishermen responsible for the deaths of the two fishermen. The Marundankendani police investigated the scene and discussed with the authorities who are responsible for the protesters.
Beauty in Sri Lanka exhibited in a foreign country
Various steps are being taken to promote the tourism industry in Sri Lanka. As a result, several billboards published in foreign countries reflecting the beauty of our country are being shared on social media. Sources say the boards are on display in Ankara, Turkey. Following are the relevant Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Boards displayed in Turkey by Kimali Fernando, Chairperson of the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, who shared them on her social media account.