Rumesh Tharanga will head to the Doha Diamond League as the athlete to beat following a commanding victory at the Ostrava Golden Spike on Tuesday.

‎Fresh from his recent record-breaking exploits, Tharanga once again stamped his authority on the world stage, dominating the competition with three throws beyond the 85-metre mark. Remarkably, any one of those efforts would have been enough to secure victory.

‎The 23-year-old produced his best throw of 86.57 metres in the third round to claim top honours ahead of two-time world champion Anderson Peters, who finished second with a best effort of 84.27 metres.

‎Tharanga’s consistency throughout the competition underlined his status as one of the world’s leading javelin throwers. His latest triumph further strengthens his credentials ahead of the Doha Diamond League, where he is expected to be among the favourites alongside World champion Keshorn Walcott, two-time world champion Anderson Peters and world bronze medallist Curtis Thompson.

‎Tuesday’s victory continues a remarkable season for the former Peterite, who has emerged as a genuine contender on the international circuit with a string of world-class performances. [RF]

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.

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.