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De Swardt resists after Ravindra’s triple strike
A fighting half-century from Ruan de Swardt revived South Africa on the opening day of the second Test against New Zealand after Rachin Ravindra’s triple strike put them in trouble. The visitors came up with a shoddy batting performance yet again and were reeling at 101/5 at one stage before going into stumps at 220/6.
Opting to bat first, South Africa made a poor start when Clyde Fortuin drove away from his body first ball, only to get an edge as Glenn Phillips took a stunning one-handed catch. That didn’t deter Raynard van Tonder from driving his first ball for a boundary to get going. After a brief resistance, South Africa lost skipper Neil Brand as the debutant William O’Rourke managed to pick up his first wicket in just his third over.
While the likes of Van Tonder and Zubayr Hamza got starts, they failed to capitalise and put up a substantial score. Van Tonder chased a wide short delivery from Neil Wagner to hand a catch to the fielder at gully whereas Hamza became Ravindra’s first victim. The left-arm spinner began his spell with four straight maiden overs and conceded only a single in his next over before opening his account. Keegan Petersen failed to get his eye in as he edged Ravindra behind to the slip fielder that reduced the visitors to 101/5.
A 49-run stand between de Swardt and David Bedingham kept South Africa afloat for a while. But Ravindra got the huge wicket of Bedingham, who had already smashed two fours in the over, only to get a bit unlucky as he jammed a yorker length delivery from the spinner straight to the short leg fielder. However, any hopes of running through the lower order were squashed as de Swardt held firm at one end. He had Shaun von Berg for company at the other end as the duo batted through the rest of the day.
Ravindra’s return to the bowling crease couldn’t break the partnership either as New Zealand wasted no time in taking the second new ball. While Tim Southee found the outside edge immediately, the ball flew for a boundary before de Swardt brought up his fifty with a drive through the covers. South Africa will now heavily rely on this pair to drag them past 300 on the second day.
Brief scores: (stumps day 1)
South Africa 220/6 in 89 overs (Neil Brand 25, Raynord van Tonder 32, Zubayr Hamza 20, Ruan de Swardt 55*, David Bedingham 39, Shaun von Berg 34*; Rachin Ravindra 3/33) vs New Zealand
In the recent past, factors such as population growth, expansion of development activities, and deforestation in Sri Lanka have resulted in the loss of traditional migratory routes and the destruction of habitats of wild elephants.
Consequently, a continuous and rapid escalation of the human-elephant conflict has been observed over a long period, spanning 19 out of the 25 districts and 134 out of the 341 Divisional Secretariat Divisions in the country.
According to the wild elephant census conducted in 2024, the wild elephant population in the country is estimated to be approximately 7,450. It is reported that the human-elephant
conflict accounts for a significant number of human fatalities and wild elephant deaths annually.
Furthermore, over a thousand incidents of property damage caused by wild elephants are recorded each year.
Although a ‘National Action Plan to Mitigate Human-Elephant Conflict in Sri Lanka’ was formulated in 2020, the dynamics of the current human-elephant conflict have evolved substantially since then, necessitating the formulation of a new national action plan.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Environment to take the necessary steps to draft a new National Action Plan for Human-Elephant Conflict Management.
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Cabinet green light to host 21st Steering Committee Meeting of the Cooperative Aviation Security Programme – Asia Pacific and the 14th Regional Aviation Security Coordination Forum – Asia and Pacific Regions from 23 – 26 June in Sri Lanka
Hosting the 21st Steering Committee Meeting of the Cooperative Aviation Security Programme – Asia Pacific and the 14th Regional Aviation Security Coordination Forum – Asia and Pacific Regions in Sri Lanka
An invitation has been extended to Sri Lanka to host two major regional aviation security summits: the 21st Steering Committee Meeting of the Cooperative Aviation Security Programme – Asia Pacific (CASP-AP) and the 14th Regional Aviation Security Coordination Forum (RASCF).
The Steering Committee of the Cooperative Aviation Security Programme – Asia Pacific serves as the primary decision-making body for the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) cooperative aviation security program in the Asia-Pacific region.
Sri Lanka is scheduled to assume the chairmanship of the said Steering Committee for the 2026-2027 term during this summit.
The Regional Aviation Security Coordination Forum for the Asia and Pacific regions serves as a regional platform to deliberate on emerging threats, the implementation of ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs), capacity-building activities, and coordination among member states and international
organizations.
Approximately 80 delegates, including representatives from 41 member states, international organizations, and observers, are expected to participate in these two summits.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Ports and Civil Aviation to host the 21st Steering Committee Meeting of the Cooperative Aviation Security Programme – Asia Pacific on the 23rd and 24th of June 2026, and the 14th Regional Aviation Security Coordination Forum – Asia and Pacific Regions on the 25th and 26th of June 2026 in Sri Lanka.
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Committee to examine the feasibility of operating all functions related to the Employees’ Provident Fund and the Employees’ Trust Fund under an integrated governance framework
The Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Labour to appoint a Committee comprising Senior Officials to examine the feasibility and submit recommendations on bringing all operations of the Employees’
Provident Fund and the Employees’ Trust Fund under an integrated governance framework managed by a tripartite board representing the Government, employers, and employees.
This initiative aims to align with international best practices while ensuring comprehensive legal and financial security for the assets of the members
Report on the Final Budgetary Condition (Annual Report) – 2025 submited to parliament
Cabinet nod to accept increased Loan Grant provided by the Asian Development Bank under Policy Based Loan Facilities – 2026
Submission of Revenue Protection Order Prepared under the Provisions of the Revenue Protection Act No. 19 of 1962 to the Parliament for its approval.
Resettlement of unauthorized settlers affected by the Land Acquisition process for the implementation of Phase III of the Baseline Road Extension Project
Cabinet approves project to modernize school hostel facilities during the 2026–2028 period at an estimated cost of Rs. 1,008 million
New National Action Plan for Human-Elephant Conflict Management to be drafted
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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