Speaking at the 125th anniversary celebration of the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) at the Shangri-La Hotel Colombo on Thursday (28), President Ranil Wickremesinghe expressed his aspirations for Sri Lanka to reclaim its position as the champion of cricket, highlighting the government’s commitment to providing all necessary support to achieve this goal.

The President also emphasized the importance of maintaining a separation between politics and sports. He suggested that preventing politicians from assuming high positions in sports clubs could contribute to a healthier sporting environment.

A commemorative book documenting the 125-year history of the Sinhalese Sports Club was launched, accompanied by the release of a postage stamp and a first-day cover.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe took the opportunity to commend SSC players who had represented Sri Lanka at international cricket, expressing appreciation for their contributions.

Professor Maithree Wickramasinghe, Minister of Tourism, Lands, Sports and Youth Affairs Harin Fernando, along with notable figures such as Chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket Shammi Silva, Chairman of Sinhalese Sports Club Indunil De Silva, Secretary Wasantha Wijesekera, Treasurer Nilanka Peiris and members of the executive committee of the Sinhalese Sports Club graced the occasion. The event also saw the presence of former presidents, distinguished past and present cricketers, including former captain of the England cricket team Nasser Hussain and ICC referee Ranjan Madugalle, among other esteemed guests.

The launch of an online platform enabling the swift removal of websites, photos, and videos containing or potentially containing instances of child sexual abuse took place  on Thursday  (28) at the Presidential secretariat under the patronage of President Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Recognizing the urgency of addressing child abuse in cyberspace, this initiative targets the dissemination of nude photos and indecent videos of children through internet and social media channels. Implemented by the National Child Protection Authority in collaboration with the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), renowned for its expertise in internet child safety enforcement, this program receives financial support from Save the Children Fund.

Following the implementation of this online system, individuals can now visit the website of the National Child Protection Authority at www.childprotection.gov.lk to report incidents of indecent photos and videos of children exchanged online. These reports will be handled by the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) in collaboration with the National Child Protection Authority. Subsequently, the offending videos will be promptly removed from the internet, and legal action will be pursued against the perpetrators.

Heat Index advisory issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre At 4.00 p.m. 28 March 2024, valid for 29 March 2024

The Natural hazards Early Warning Centre has warned that the Heat Index, the temperature felt on the human body is expected to increase up to ‘Caution level’ at some places in Western, North-western, North-Central, Northern, Eastern and Southern provinces and Ratnapura and Monaragala districts.

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 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