The Order under the Convention Against Doping in Sports Act, scheduled to be taken up for debate in Parliament on June 17 for the purpose of being passed, has received the approval of the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Youth Affairs and Sports.
This approval was granted at the meeting of the said Committee held today (June 13) at Parliament, chaired by the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Sunil Kumara Gamage.
Deputy Minister of Sports, Sugath Thilakaratne was also present at this Committee meeting held.
At the meeting, officials stated that, in relation to sports, Sri Lanka is legally updating the relevant regulations through this Gazette notification in accordance with the list published annually by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). It was further pointed out by the officials that certain substances are newly added to the list while some are removed from it. For instance, the substance “Caffeine” has now been removed from the list.
In addition, matters such as the possibility of obtaining the assistance of the Ministry of Sports for inter-university sports competitions, challenges related to establishing youth societies across the island, the shortage of youth service officers, and the need to develop sports including cricket at the rural level were raised by the MPs present at the meeting. Accordingly, the Minister instructed the relevant officials to take prompt action regarding these matters.Members of the Committee, Members of Parliament who are non-member members, and a group of officials including the Secretary to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports were present at this committee meeting held.
The Department of Meteorology says that showers will occur at times in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, Southern, and North-western provinces today (June 14).
Heavy rains of about 100 mm are likely in some places in the Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces and in the Nuwara Eliya, Kandy, Galle, Matara, and Puttalam districts.
Several spells of showers will occur in the Northern Province and in the Anuradhapura district.
Strong winds of about 50–60 km/h can be expected at times over the western slopes of the central hills and in the Northern, North-central, Sabaragamuwa, North-western, and Southern provinces, and in the Trincomalee district.
The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damage caused by temporary localized strong winds.
President Anura Kumara Disanayake, currently on an official visit to the Federal Republic of Germany, met this afternoon (June 13) with the German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Ms. Reem Alabali-Radovan, at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Berlin.
The discussion focused on the shared economic challenges both countries face in the context of emerging global economic trends. The two sides engaged in a comprehensive dialogue on potential areas for further strengthening economic cooperation between Sri Lanka and Germany.
The President acknowledged the longstanding history of bilateral cooperation between Sri Lanka and Germany, highlighting Germany’s significant contributions to vocational training institutions such as the Ceylon German Technical Training Institute (CGTTI), as well as to sectors like healthcare. The President conveyed his profound gratitude for this assistance. The discussion also focused on the importance of enhancing such contributions into mutually beneficial partnerships in the future.
Joining the meeting were Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Vijitha Herath, Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Germany Varuni Muthukumarana and Director General for Europe and North America at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sugeeshwara Gunaratna along with other officials..
A statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment, and Tourism in Sri Lanka has urged both Israel and Iran to ‘exercise restraint, engage in dialogue and pursue diplomatic initiatives to de-escalate the tense situation.’
“Sri Lanka is deeply concerned by the recent developments between Israel and Iran. We urge both countries to exercise restraint, engage in dialogue and pursue diplomatic initiatives to de-escalate the tense situation,” the statement notes.
“The Sri Lanka Missions in both countries are closely monitoring the situation and remain in contact with the Sri Lankan nationals in the respective countries. They are advised to exercise utmost caution and remain vigilant, the statement adds.