Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Sri Lanka resumes International travel; Indian and Vietnamese flights stay shut

Sri Lanka resumes International travel; Indian and Vietnamese flights stay shut

SRI LANKA reopened its international airport for passengers on Tuesday (01) amid the current Covid-19 lockdown.

 The first flight with 53 passengers landed at Colombo airport from Qatar on Tuesday.


However, those with a travel record to India and Vietnam over the last 14 days would not be allowed to disembark at the Colombo airport, said a senior civil aviation official, P A Jayakantha.

The internal travel restrictions, which allow only essential services, have been in effect from mid-May and due to be lifted on June 7.

Jayakantha said, “The airport was re-opened at midnight for flights that are limited to 75 passengers. The first flight, carrying 53 passengers, landed at 2 am from Doha.”

The airport would still remain shut for Indian and Vietnamese passengers, the official said.

The ban also applies to Sri Lankans and other travellers who have stayed in India and Vietnam for the past 14 days or who have used their airports for transit.

“We have returned to the status before May 21 when the flight ban was announced,” Jayakantha said.

Dhammika Wijesinghe, a top tourism official, said that tourists are welcome with strict adherence to Covid-19 health guidelines.

“They will have to undergo a PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) test 3 weeks before arrival and do another on arrival here. They will have to remain in quarantine for 14 days before they could step out to travel inland,” the official said.

Chairman of Airport and Aviation Services, major general G A Chandrasiri told Colombo Gazette that six flights have arrived in Sri Lanka since the reopening of the airport at midnight. He said one flight arrived from Qatar, and the remaining flights were operated by national carrier SriLankan Airlines.

A total of 569 passengers arrived on the six flights.

Sri Lanka, which is grappling with the third wave of infections, has recorded over 80,000 new infections since April 15.

The death toll, which stood at 678 by April 30, increased by over 750, recording an over 100 per cent jump by the end of May, according to health officials.

The country is currently observing inter-provincial travel restrictions in its effort to contain the new surge.

More For You

Government launches urgent national maternity care probe

Black women nearly three times more likely to die during childbirth compared to white women, while Asian mothers face double the risk. (Photo for representation: iStock)

Government launches urgent national maternity care probe

HEALTH SECRETARY Wes Streeting has ordered an immediate nationwide probe into England's maternity services following a string of NHS scandals that have cost the lives of hundreds of mothers and babies.

The fast-track investigation will focus on the country's poorest-performing maternity and baby care units, with findings expected by December 2025, the BBC reported.

Keep ReadingShow less
 Hardeep Singh Puri

India's Hardeep Singh Puri, who is leading a 7-member delegation, meets Irish prime minister Micheal Martin. The delegation paid tribute to the victims of the Air India Kanishka bombing at the Ahakista Memorial, on the 40th anniversary of the incident, in County Cork, Ireland. (Photo: PTI Photo)

PTI Photo

On Kanishka bombing anniversary, India's Puri calls for end to terror financing

INDIAN minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Monday (23) called for ending funding channels to terrorists and separatists and urged collective action to counter global terrorism, as he paid tribute to the victims of the Air India Flight 182 Kanishka bombing on its 40th anniversary.

The Montreal–London–New Delhi Air India ‘Kanishka’ Flight 182 exploded mid-air on June 23, 1985, killing all 329 people on board. The flight was 45 minutes away from landing at London’s Heathrow Airport. Most of those killed were Canadians of Indian origin.

Keep ReadingShow less
International yoga day

International Day of Yoga stood as a powerful reminder of yoga’s enduring role in personal and collective transformation

Parmarth Niketan

Global leaders gather in Rishikesh for 11th International Day of Yoga

Key points

  • The 11th International Day of Yoga was celebrated at Parmarth Niketan, Rishikesh
  • Ambassadors, high commissioners, and guests from over 25 countries participated
  • The event followed the global theme: “Yoga for One Earth, One Health”
  • The Common Yoga Protocol was conducted by trained instructors with government audio
  • Swami Chidanand Saraswati Ji and Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati Ji led the spiritual programme
  • Celebrations concluded with a World Peace Yajna and the national anthem

A global gathering on the banks of the Ganga

Rishikesh, 21 June – The 11th International Day of Yoga was marked by a large-scale, spiritually uplifting gathering at Parmarth Niketan Ashram on the banks of the River Ganga. Diplomats, dignitaries, and yoga enthusiasts from over 25 countries participated in the celebration, which followed the global theme of “Yoga for One Earth, One Health”.

The event began with the lighting of the ceremonial lamp and the recitation of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. The session featured the Common Yoga Protocol conducted by trained instructors to the government-issued audio guide.

Keep ReadingShow less
Bangladesh's former election chief arrested over vote rigging claims

FILE PHOTO: Bangladesh's former prime minister Sheikh Hasina addresses the media at a vandalized metro station in Mirpur, after the anti-quota protests. (Photo by -/Bangladesh Prime Minister's Office/AFP via Getty Images)

Bangladesh's former election chief arrested over vote rigging claims

BANGLADESH's former chief election commissioner K M Nurul Huda has been arrested on charges of manipulating elections during his tenure, police said.

Dhaka metropolitan police’s deputy commissioner Mohidul Islam said Huda was arrested in the case filed by former prime minister Khaleda Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) against the former election commission chief and 18 others, including deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

Keep ReadingShow less
Trump

US president Donald Trump. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Pakistan under fire for nominating Trump for Nobel Peace prize

PAKISTANI politicians and citizens are demanding their government withdraw its nomination of US president Donald Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace prize, following American airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

Pakistan's deputy prime minister and foreign minister Ishaq Dar sent a formal letter to the Nobel Peace Prize committee in Norway last Friday (20), recommending Trump for the prestigious award.

Keep ReadingShow less