Parliament to undergo tight security sweep ahead of Vietnamese President’s address

The Parliamentary complex is to be subjected to a special security inspection in the coming days in view of the official visit of the President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and General Secretary of the Communist Party, To Lam, who is scheduled to address the House on May 8, parliamentary sources said.

Sources said that the inspection would cover the entire Parliamentary complex, including Members’ lounges and wardrobes, as part of heightened security arrangements for the high-level visit. The high-security zone within Parliament will also be inspected, while access to the public galleries will be restricted to invited guests only.

The arrangements come as Parliament is set to convene from May 5 to 8, following decisions taken at the Committee on Parliamentary Business meeting held recently under the chairmanship of Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne, Parliament Media Division said quoting Secretary General Kushani Rohanadeera.

According to the approved schedule, the House will meet daily from May 5 to May 8, with time allocated for oral questions, ministerial questions, legislative business and multiple debates on financial and regulatory matters.

On May 5, Parliament will take up a series of Orders and Regulations under the Colombo Port City Economic Commission Act, followed by adjournment-time questions. On May 6, Members will debate the Second Reading of the Rescue, Rehabilitation and Insolvency (Corporate and Personal) Bill.

On May 7, the House is scheduled to consider regulations under the National Transport Commission Act, the Motor Traffic Act, and the Immigration and Emigration Act, followed by debates on resolutions under the Public Security Ordinance and the Essential Public Services Act.

The highlight of the sittings will take place on May 8, when President To Lam is scheduled to arrive at Parliament at around 11.05 am and address the House.

Following the address, Parliament will resume proceedings in the afternoon with a series of Private Members’ Motions covering issues including sports education pathways, vocational training awareness, migrant worker welfare, local government governance, misuse of professional titles, and regulatory oversight of utilities and petroleum-related industries.

Security authorities are expected to implement additional access controls and screening procedures throughout the visit period, given the presence of a foreign head of state within the Parliamentary precincts, sources added.

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Heat Index at ‘Caution level’ at some places in the Northern, North-central, Eastern, Sabaragamuwa, North-western provinces and in Colombo, Gampaha and Monaragala districts during the day time

Warm Weather Advisory
Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre
Issued at 3.30 p.m. on 02 May 2026, valid for 03 May 2026

The Heat index, the temperature felt on human body is likely to increase up to ‘Caution level’ at some places in the Northern, North-central, Eastern, Sabaragamuwa, North-western provinces and in Colombo, Gampaha and Monaragala districts during the day time.

The Heat Index Forecast is calculated by using relative humidity and maximum temperature and this is the condition that is felt on your body. This is not the forecast of maximum temperature. It is generated by the Department of Meteorology for the next day period and prepared by using global numerical weather prediction model data.

Effect of the heat index on the human body is mentioned in the above table and it is prepared on the advice of the Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medical Services.

ACTION REQUIRED

Job sites: Stay hydrated and takes breaks in the shade as often as possible.
Indoors: Check up on the elderly and the sick.
Vehicles: Never leave children unattended.
Outdoors: Limit strenuous outdoor activities, find shade and stay hydrated.
Dress: Wear lightweight and white or light-colored clothing.

Note:
In addition, please refer to advisories issued by the Disaster Preparedness & Response Division, Ministry of Health in this regard as well. For further clarifications please contact 011-7446491.

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Gaikwad, Kartik and bowlers help Chennai Super Kings complete double against Mumbai Indians

Chennai Super Kings  (CSK) outplayed Mumbai Indians (MI) for the second time this season, leaving Hardik Pandya’s men on the brink of elimination.

After misreading pitch No. 6 against Gujarat Titans (GT) last weekend, CSK used pitch No .5 to their advantage on Saturday, limiting MI to 159 for 7. Their attack kept banging the ball away on good lengths and hard lengths to make life difficult for MI.Rutraj Gaikwad and Kartik Sharma made light work of the middling target with unbeaten half-centuries. They now rise to sixth on the points table, with their fourth win in nine games.

After opting to bat first, MI crashed seven sixes in the powerplay – five of those came from Ryan Rickelton – but some of that big-hitting was offset by the 19 dots they played out during this phase.

Mukesh Choudhary had missed CSK’s previous game against GT, after they had brought Sarfaraz Khan in as Impact Sub as early as the fourth over. Here, he conceded 25 runs in three powerplay overs.

Prashant Veer, the rookie left-arm spinner, had a rough initiation into the IPL with the ball. Rickelton smacked him for three sixes in his first over. Gaikwad tossed him the ball in the fifth over because Akeal Hosein, who had bagged a four-wicket haul against MI at the Wankhede in the reverse fixture, was out of the team at Chepauk for this one. So, Prashant bowled despite the presence of the left-handed Rickelton at the crease. It released the pressure that Choudhary and Anshul Kamboj had built up.

Rickelton and Naman Dhir took MI to 57 for 1 in six overs.

Six of the first ten overs were bowled by uncapped CSK bowlers. While Veer came back well after the powerplay, it was seamer Ramakrishna Ghosh who was more impressive. He claimed the big scalp of Suryakumar Yadav when he banged a hard-length delivery, and had the batter slicing a catch to Dewald Brevis at sweeper cover for 21 off 12 balls.

Before the start of IPL 2025, Gaikwad had name-checked Ghosh as a player to watch out, but it took a while for him to get a game. He showed glimpses of what he’s capable of on Saturday, returning 1 for 24 in his three overs. Left-arm wristspinner Noor Ahamad gave him excellent support, taking out two left-handers in Rickelton and Tilak Varma.

Suryakumar has struggled through the season, and his numbers against pace have been especially wretched: seven dismissals in nine innings, an average of 10.71 and a strike rate of 133.92. Tilak was dropped by Shivam Dube when he was on 1, but added only 4 to his tally before he mis-hit Noor to Gaikwad at cover.

Naman Dhir top-scored for MI with 57 off 37 balls, but could not find a higher tempo that would hurt CSK. He started quickly – he moved to 19 off nine balls – but slowed down drastically against spin. Along the way, he was also reprieved by Dube, on 19.

Captain Hardik Pandya laboured to 18 off 23 balls before Kamboj had him holing out in the final over of the innings. After hitting seven sixes in the first six overs, MI could manage only three in the next 14.

CSK had a shaky start, losing Sanju Samson to Jasprit Bumrah in the second over. At the start of that over, Bumrah got one to angle in at Samson and then veer away late to kiss the outside edge, but Jacks dropped a sitter at slip. At the end of that over, Bumrah found Samson’s outside edge once again, with Rickelton holding onto the catch this time.

After Samson departed for 11 off nine balls, Gaikwad controlled the chase along with Kartik. He picked away Trent Boult for two fours and a six in the third over and went on to bring up back-to-back half-centuries.

At the other end, Kartik targeted the mystery spin of AM Ghazanfar, taking him for 23 off 13 balls. He closed out the game with an eye-catching reverse-scoop off Boult, and sent 34,940 fans at Chepauk into frenzy.

Brief scores:
Chennai Super Kings 160 for 2 in 18.1 overs  (Sanju Samson 11, Rutraj Gaikwad 67*, Urvil Patel 24, Kartik Sharma 54*; Jasprit  Bumrah 1-20, A M Ghazanfar 1-40) beat Mumbai Indians 159 for 7 in 20 overs (Ryan Rickelton 37, Banab Dhir 57,  Suryakumar Yadav 21, Hardik Pandya 18; Anshul Kamboj 3-32, Noor Ahmad  2-26, Ramakrishna Ghosh 1-24, Jamie Overton 1-23) by eight wickets

[Cricinfo]

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NCC rolls out ‘Clean Sri Lanka’ pilot to tackle school drug threat

The National Cadet Corps (NCC) has launched a targeted drug prevention training programme for its officers, aiming to shield schoolchildren from rising narcotics use.

The initiative leverages the close rapport NCC officers maintain with students, amid growing concern over drug abuse among school-aged youth. It forms part of the wider “Clean Sri Lanka” national drive to promote a healthier society.

Under the direction of NCC Director Major General A.P.R. Premathilake, a two-day pilot workshop was held at the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board (NDDCB), focusing on the Western Province. Fifty selected officers received intensive training in prevention and early intervention strategies.

A certificate-awarding ceremony marked the conclusion of the programme, attended by senior officials, including NDDCB Director Major General (Retd.) K.M. Kothalawala and other key training and provincial representatives.

Organised by the NCC Media Unit, the initiative highlights the Corps’ stepped-up efforts to counter the spread of illegal drugs among the country’s youth.

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Business, healthcare and civic leadership unite to drive Sri Lanka’s fight against cervical cancer

In a powerful demonstration of how responsible business, public healthcare and civic leadership can work together for national good, Sri Lanka this week renewed its commitment to eliminating cervical cancer through an expanded screening programme backed by corporate funding, Rotary leadership and the Ministry of Health.

The initiative, supported by Dilmah, the Rotary Club of Colombo, the Family Health Bureau and the Sri Lanka Cancer Society, aims to strengthen nationwide HPV DNA screening, public awareness and prevention efforts at a time when cervical cancer continues to claim hundreds of lives annually despite being one of the most preventable forms of cancer.

Dilmah Chairman/CEO Dilhan C. Fernando said the programme reflects the values of his late father, Merrill J. Fernando, who believed companies exist not merely to generate profit, but to create lasting value for society.

He added:”Businesses do not exist to make profit. Businesses exist to create value. Value begins with people and livelihoods, continues through nature, and only then earns the right to secure economic value.”

Fernando announced a fresh commitment of Rs. 50 million this year, which will fund 20,160 screenings, following an earlier Rs. 75 million pledge made in January 2024 under a Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Ministry of Health and Rotary.

“That value may seem like a big number, but it is insignificant when you consider that it has saved thousands of women from the scourge of cancer,” he said.

He described the continued deaths from a preventable disease as deeply troubling.

“Learning that so many women were losing their lives annually to cervical cancer was something really quite abhorrent to us,” Fernando said.

Representing the Rotary Club of Colombo, K.R. Ravindran said the campaign is proof that strategic partnerships can change national health outcomes.

“This is not a discussion. This is a promise of early detection,” Ravindran said. “Cancer, especially cervical cancer, does not arrive with a bell ringing or a warning. It whispers, and so often by the time it is heard, it is too late.”

He said Rotary’s own experience operating early detection centres for breast, cervical and oral cancer had shown the life-saving value of screening.

“Early detection is not just saving lives. It transforms fear into hope, into possibility,” he said.

Ravindran noted that Sri Lanka’s economic crisis had once threatened to halt testing services because of shortages in funding for diagnostic kits, but private sector intervention prevented disruption.

“Without the money, the whole thing would have gone awry. That is when Dilmah stepped in,” he said.

“They did something far greater than simply giving money. They made scale possible. They made continuation possible. They made impact possible.”

Ravindran expressed confidence that Sri Lanka can become one of the first countries in the world to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health threat by 2030, citing the nation’s literacy, public health network, school vaccination system and midwife service.

“I think this country can become one of the first countries to be rid of this disease,” he said.

Consultant Community Physician Dr. Nadija Herath of the Family Health Bureau said cervical cancer is caused mainly by persistent infection with the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), but can be prevented through vaccination and early detection.

She said Sri Lanka’s Well Woman Clinic programme, launched in 1996, screens women primarily in the 35 and 45 age groups, and is now expanding the use of HPV DNA testing, which is more accurate than conventional cytology methods.

“The most important thing about this cancer is that it is preventable,” Dr. Herath said. “If pre-cancerous changes are identified early, they can be fully treated and women can live normal lives.”

She said new funding would also support outreach clinics, especially in workplaces and underserved areas.

President of the Sri Lanka Cancer Society Anoja Karunaratne said awareness remains a major challenge, with stigma and fear discouraging many women from seeking screening.

“We need to take this message beyond hospitals and clinics—into schools, workplaces, religious institutions and community groups,” she said.

She stressed that women should view screening as a routine part of healthcare rather than something to fear.

Speakers at the event said the collaboration stands as a model for corporate Sri Lanka, showing how businesses can contribute meaningfully to national wellbeing.

Fernando praised Sri Lanka’s healthcare system for continuing to innovate despite adversity.

“Whatever anyone may say about systems or governance, the fact is Sri Lanka’s healthcare system has an enviable track record,” he said.

By Ifham Nizam

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Jeffrey Epstein's 'secret suicide note' in prison had chilling four-word message

Jeffrey Epstein reportedly wrote a private suicide note that has been sealed in a New York courthouse vault for nearly seven years, according to his former cellmate

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Tacoma mass stabbing: Multiple students and security guard hurt in attack at high school

Police confirm one person is in custody following the Foss High School stabbing in Tacoma, Washington state

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