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A team of US medical experts from Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre in Bethesda met their counterparts of the Sri Lanka Army Medical Corps (SLAMC) on Friday (17) at the Colombo Army Hospital to share knowledge on 'Military Medical Experiences in Battle-Related Surgical Management' between two nations as a programme of goodwill and mutual understanding.

For Muslims, Hajj is the fifth and final pillar of Islam. It occurs in the month of Dhul Hajj which is the twelfth month in the Islamic lunar calendar. It is the journey that every sane adult Muslim must undertake at least once in their lives if they can afford it and are physically fit. Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) has performed one and only Hajj and four Umrahs in his lifetime. Hajj is different from the other four pillars of Islam. The first pillar of Islam is Khalima, i.e. faith in Allah, the second pillar is Salath (5 times daily prayer), the third is fasting, and fourth Zakat, which is obligatory on the wealthy only. Hajj, the last pillar of Islam is unique, in that, to perform Hajj one has to visit Holy Makkah, during the month of Dhul Hajj.

This indirectly paves the way for the manifestation of world Muslim solidarity and universal brotherhood every year. Hajj is compulsory on the wealthy and healthy Muslims. In order to perform Hajj the pilgrim should be an adult, sane, independent, physically and mentally healthy, and should be able to afford the journey, through means earned through a righteous and honest manner.

Makkah is a holy land for Muslims, where millions of Muslims of every ethnic group, colour, social status, and culture annually gather to perform the pilgrimage. Hajj basically is a reminder of the great scarifices of Prophet Ibrahim (PBUH), His wife Hajar and son Ismael who underwent many hardships for the absolute satisfaction of Almighty Allah.

Kofi Annan, a charismatic global diplomat and the first black African to become United Nations secretary-general who led the world body through one of its most turbulent periods, died early Saturday at age 80.

Ambassador A.L.A. Azeez, Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in Geneva, met with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Mr. Filippo Grandi, at the UNHCR Headquarters, on 15 August 2018.Recalling the long-standing, productive partnership between Sri Lanka and the UNHCR, High Commissioner Grandi remarked that at a time when there were many challenges around the world, Sri Lanka stood out as a country, which has achieved significant progress in resettlement of returning refugees and IDPs as well as in addressing issues of statelessness.

Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who had been admitted to the AIIMS hospital in New Delhi for the past few weeks, died on Thursday. He was 93. “It is with profound grief that we inform about the sad demise of former Prime Minister of India, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee at 05:05 pm on August 16, 2018,” a statement released by the AIIMS read.

Since, it has been observed that the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention is a subject which is directly related to the National security, the need has arisen to amend the Chemical Weapons Convention Act No.58 of 2007, for the Minister of Defence, to function as the Minister entrusted with the duty of implementing the convention. Accordingly, the proposal made by H.E. the President Maithripala Sirisena, in his capacity as the Minister of Defence, to publish the bill drafted to amend the above Act, in the Government Gazette and subsequently to present the same in Parliament, was approved by the Cabinet.

The 15th Exporters’ Forum chaired by State Minister of International Trade, Sujeewa Senasinghe was held on August 14, 2018 at the EDB Auditorium.The session provided a platform for the exporters representing a cross-section of industries to interact with relevant Government institutions and seek responses to their trade issues.

Sri Lankan Airlines has decided to suspend Flights from Katunayake to Cochin, India until further notice. The Media Spokesperson of the Airline, Deepal Perera stated that there is one flight which travels to Cochin daily.Due to the prevailing weather condition, the Cochin airport has been closed until Saturday (August 18).For further details regarding the flights, the Cochin Airport Office in India can be contacted through 00914842611313 or the Sri Lankan Office at Cochin city can be contacted through 00914842362042.