News

Defence Secretary stresses importance of senior officers acquiring new skills

Published

5 years ago

2021/08/4

A senior officer receiving a certificate

Defence Secretary Gen. (retd) Kamal Gunaratne on Monday said that tri-forces officers nearing the retirement age should acquire some new skills that would help them to work in the corporate sector after leaving their respective forces.

“They are experienced, knowledgeable, competent, disciplined and hardworking. They can add value to any organisation in the country”, he said at the M2C, Military to Corporate Entrepreneurship Batch 2, graduation ceremony. The M2C programme has been created to ready tri forces officers to join the private sector after retirement.

Defence Secretary welcomed

Gen. Gunaratne said: “I am immensely delighted to see this type of a synergistic approach towards transforming retiring military officers to potential leaders in the corporate sector.”

Gen. Daya Ratnayake (retd), Air Force Commander Air Marshal Sudarshana Pathirana, Army Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Priyantha Perera, Navy Deputy Chief of Staff Rear Admiral Nandana Jayaratne, Chairman ACCESS Engineering PLC Sumal Perera, Intercontinental Institute of Human Resource Management – Managing Director Ranjeewa Kulatunga, Ceylon Chamber of Commerce Vice Chairman Duminda Hulangamuwa, corporate sector key appointment holders and serving and retired military officers were present at the session.

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UN Delegation Meets Chief of Staff to the President

Published

7 hours ago

2026/09/8

Priyan

A meeting between UN Resident Coordinator Marc-André Franche and Chief of Staff to the President Prabath Chandrakeerthi was held on Monday (07) morning at the Presidential Secretariat.

Particular attention was given to the Government’s programme to resettle people who lost their homes due to Cyclone Ditwah.

The Government’s programme to address potential disasters that may arise in the future amid El Nino conditions was also discussed. The Chief of Staff to the President briefed the UN Resident Coordinator on the Government’s preparedness and plans to address such challenges.

Mr Franche stated that the United Nations was prepared to provide the necessary assistance to the Government to support the successful implementation of these programmes.

Partnerships and Development Finance Specialist at the United Nations Azam Bakeer Markar and UN Sri Lanka Humanitarian and Resilience Officer Wagisha Perera also participated in the discussion.

[President’s Media Division]

News

Afghanistan to host Zimbabwe, Bangladesh in ODI tri-series

Published

8 hours ago

2026/09/8

Priyan

Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe will lock horns in a tri-series [Cricbuzz]

Afghanistan will host Zimbabwe and Bangladesh in an ODI tri-series in UAE from October 17 to 23. This comes as a precursor to the T20I series and the two Tests between Afghanistan and Zimbabwe in the same country. The three T20Is will be played on October 27, 29 and November 1, and will be followed by the two Tests – the first commencing on November 5 and the second from November 13.

Zimbabwe and Bangladesh will get the tri-series going on October 17, with Zimbabwe then facing Afghanistan on October 19. The hosts will meet Bangladesh on October 21 before the summit clash on October 23.

Before Zimbabwe reach UAE for the tri-series and the subsequent bilateral matches, Afghanistan and Bangladesh will also contest in a one-off Test from October 9 to 13.

“This is an important tour for Zimbabwe, offering our players high-quality competition across all three formats,” Zimbabwe Cricket Managing Director Givemore Makoni said.

“The ODI tri-series will test us against two strong sides, while the two Tests are especially valuable as we continue seeking more regular opportunities in the longest format. We sincerely appreciate the Afghanistan Cricket Board for hosting this programme and the Bangladesh Cricket Board for their cooperation. We look forward to a competitive and exciting tour.”

The Afghanistan Cricket Board too welcomed the prospect of playing matches in all three formats in the series.

“Playing Bangladesh and Zimbabwe across different formats will provide our players with valuable competitive opportunities and offer our supporters an exciting period of international cricket,” Afghanistan Cricket Board Chief Executive Officer Naseeb Khan.

“The Afghanistan Cricket Board remains committed to providing our national team with regular, high-quality international cricket. We highly value our relationships with the Bangladesh Cricket Board and Zimbabwe Cricket and appreciate their cooperation in making these important assignments possible,” he added.

[ Cricbuzz]

Latest News

INS Udaygiri makes port call in Colombo

Published

13 hours ago

2026/09/8

Priyan

The Indian Naval Ship (INS) Udaygiri arrived at the Port of Colombo on an official visit today, 8 September 2026, where it was received by the Sri Lanka Navy in accordance with time-
honoured naval traditions.

INS Udaygiri is a 149.02m long Frigate, Commanded by Captain Vikas Sood. Meanwhile, the Commanding Officer of the visiting ship is scheduled to call on Commander Western Naval
Area, Rear Admiral Harsha De Silva at the Western Naval Command Headquarters.

Captain Sood served as the Defence Adviser at the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka from July 2020 to October 2023.
During their stay in the island, the crew of INS Udaygiri will participate in several goodwill events organized by the Sri Lanka Navy to enhance camaraderie between the two forces.

The visiting personnel are also scheduled to visit prominent tourist and cultural locations across the island.

Additionally, Sri Lanka Navy personnel are expected to visit the ship for capability observation and knowledge sharing, and will conduct onboard training during its stay.