A progress review meeting on the implementation of the circular issued to address the prevailing dengue epidemic threat was held this afternoon (03) at the Presidential Secretariat under the chairmanship of Secretary to the President Dr Nandika Sanath Kumanayake.

The discussion examined the progress of programmes implemented by all State institutions in accordance with the circular issued on 23 June 2026 on dengue prevention, as well as measures taken thus far to control the current dengue situation and the plans and strategies to be pursued in the future.

Attention was also focused on sustainable solutions that could be adopted through greater coordination among all State institutions to prevent the spread of dengue in high-risk areas, while discussions were held on further intensifying fumigation activities in such locations.

The meeting further reviewed the action taken in response to information received by the Dengue Control Operations Centre.

Pointing out that high-risk areas could only be freed from dengue through innovative approaches that move beyond conventional methods, the President’s Secretary stressed that controlling the disease could not be achieved by the Government alone and that the public also bore a significant responsibility in this regard.

The importance of strengthening the contribution of Public Health Inspectors, continuing household cleaning initiatives on a sustained basis, and implementing programmes based on accurate data to eliminate high-risk zones was also emphasised.

Those present at the meeting included Chief of Staff to the President Prabath Chandrakeerthi; Secretary to the Ministry of Health and Mass Media Dr Anil Jasinghe; Senior Additional Secretary to the President Russell Aponsu; Additional Secretary to the President (Clean Sri Lanka) Engineer S. P. C. Sugeeshwara; Additional Secretary (Provincial Councils and Local Government) M. Kodippiliarachchi; Director of the National Dengue Control Unit Dr Kapila Kannangara; Additional Director General (Information Technology and Media) P. G. I. Gamage; Director (Social Affairs) Kapila Senarath; Director (Volunteer Services) H. P. S. Shantha; officials of the Clean Sri Lanka Secretariat; heads of the health sector; public officials; senior representatives of the security forces; and several others.

President’s Media Division (PMD)

Right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori has been declared the winner of Peru’s presidential race by the country’s electoral court, the National Jury of Elections (JNE).

Friday’s announcement comes weeks after the June 7 run-offtion against her left-wing rival, Congress member Roberto Sanchez.

Fujimori had a slight lead after the vote count ended earlier this week, and the official tally released on Friday shows a razor-thin victory. She took 9,223,000 votes to Sanchez’s 9,173,000.

“A new stage begins,” Fujimori wrote on the social media platform X on Friday.

“We assume it with responsibility, humility, and a deep sense of duty. Each day of this transition process is an opportunity to listen, engage in dialogue, and arrive prepared at the start of the new government.”

Fujimori is the daughter of the late former President Alberto Fujimori,    who had been jailed for human rights abuses.

After running on a platform of cracking down on crime, she has promised to “unite the country”, which has dealt with years of political turmoil and a stagnating economy.

Fujimori and Sanchez reached the run-off vote after defeating 33 other candidates, a record-large field, in April’s general election.

But delays in April’s ballot distributions — and lengthy vote counts after both rounds of voting — have dogged the election, prompting different political interests to cry foul.

Sanchez, who had strong support among rural and Indigenous voters, alleged irregularities and fraud in the vote count, but he has not provided any evidence.

Instead, he has pointed to a change in election procedures as a sign of malfeasance. A new policy came into effect during the election that loosened the mandates around digitising overseas vote tallies.

Election monitors, however, caution that no proof of vote irregularities has emerged so far.

Reporting from the Peruvian capital Lima, Al Jazeera correspondent Mariana Sanchez pointed out that Fujimori’s victory was aided by a boost of overseas support.

“He [Roberto Sanchez] won the most amount of votes in Peru, but the votes from abroad took the balance in favour of Fujimori,” Al Jazeera’s Sanchez said.

She added that Sanchez may seek to rally his base in the coming weeks to have Fujimori swiftly impeached once she is sworn in.

Such impeachments have been common in Peru, where the constitution permits removing a president on broad grounds like “moral incapacity”.

Fujimori is set to become Peru’s ninth president in 10 years when she takes office in late July, on Peru’s independence day.

(Aljazeera)

A fast-moving wildfire burning southwest of Denver has forced thousands of people to flee, as strong winds continue to drive flames across southern Colorado.

The blaze is one of about 40 large fires currently burning across the western United States.

Dubbed the Aspen Acres Fire, the conflagration exploded in size, growing by 44 square kilometres (17 square miles) overnight to reach a total of 272sq kilometres (105sq miles) by Friday.

More than 160 structures have been destroyed in the fire. Experts say that months of dry weather and record-low snowfall in parts of the region – exacerbated by climate change – have created dangerous wildfire conditions.

Authorities have ordered the evacuation of about 2,200 people in Colorado City, along with residents of the nearby communities of Beulah, Rye and San Isabel.

Smoke from the fire has also disrupted travel, with Colorado emergency officials warning that visibility in parts along Interstate 25 has dropped to as little as a half a mile – or 0.8 kilometres.

As the fire continues to spread, about 50 Colorado National Guard soldiers were deployed to staff road checkpoints in Pueblo and Custer counties and help keep boats away from the Pueblo Reservoir, where crews were scooping water to battle the blaze.

Investigators have said the Aspen Acres Fire was caused by humans, but they have not yet released any other details.

The Aspen Acres Fire is only one of the blazes currently ravaging Colorado and its neighbouring states.

Firefighters, for instance, have contained only about 65 percent of the Snyder Fire on the western side of the Rocky Mountains, along the border between Colorado and Utah.

As the fire continues to spread, about 50 Colorado National Guard soldiers were deployed to staff road checkpoints in Pueblo and Custer counties and help keep boats away from the Pueblo Reservoir, where crews were scooping water to battle the blaze.

Investigators have said the Aspen Acres Fire was caused by humans, but they have not yet released any other details.

The Aspen Acres Fire is only one of the blazes currently ravaging Colorado and its neighbouring states.

Firefighters, for instance, have contained only about 65 percent of the Snyder Fire on the western side of the Rocky Mountains, along the border between Colorado and Utah.

As the fire continues to spread, about 50 Colorado National Guard soldiers were deployed to staff road checkpoints in Pueblo and Custer counties and help keep boats away from the Pueblo Reservoir, where crews were scooping water to battle the blaze.

Investigators have said the Aspen Acres Fire was caused by humans, but they have not yet released any other details.

The Aspen Acres Fire is only one of the blazes currently ravaging Colorado and its neighbouring states.

Firefighters, for instance, have contained only about 65 percent of the Snyder Fire on the western side of the Rocky Mountains, along the border between Colorado and Utah.

In Utah itself, another blaze — the Cottonwood Fire — had grown to more than 380sq kilometres (147sq miles) by Friday, while the Babylon Fire had reached 344sq kilometres (133sq miles).

The latest fires come less than a week after three firefighters were killed, and two others were injured after they were overtaken by flames while battling two fires, part of the Snyder complex.

Wildfire smoke advisories are in effect  for parts of Colorado, and concerns about wildfires are also beginning to reshape local Fourth of July celebrations.

Colorado’s Division of Fire Prevention and Control said several professional firework displays have already been cancelled because of the extreme fire risk, with many counties now under fire restrictions.

The National Weather Service kept Red Flag Warnings  in place across much of the state on Friday, saying that hot, dry conditions, low humidity and gusty winds would continue to create critical fire conditions.

While forecasters said moister weather over the weekend should help lessen the risks, they also warned that heavier rain could increase the possibility of flash flooding in recently burned areas.

(Aljazeera)