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The Deputy Minister of Defence, Aruna Jayasekara accompanied by the Commanders of the Army and Navy, visited Mihindu Seth Medura in Attidiya today (19 May) in conjunction with the National War Heroes’ Day.

During the visit, the Deputy Minister interacted with inmates of the facility, many of whom were injured and rendered differently abled during the country’s decades-long armed conflict.

He reviewed ongoing medical, rehabilitation and welfare services, and listened to the concerns of residents. The Deputy Minister expressed gratitude for their service and sacrifice, and assured continued government support to enhance their quality of life.

He also commended the staff of Mihindu Seth Medura for their commitment to caring for and rehabilitating differently abled veterans, noting that their work upholds dignity and respect for the residents.

Senior tri-forces officers, including the Army Chief of Staff, and officials of the institution were also present during the visit.

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for a two-day visit during which he will hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The visit comes a week after US President Donald Trump paid a state visit to China.

Putin was welcomed by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi before heading to the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse.

This marks the first time China has hosted leaders of Russia and the US in the same month outside a multilateral setting.

The last Putin-Xi meeting took place in February via video link.

The two leaders are scheduled to meet Wednesday.

Putin is leading a larger delegation of officials and business leaders.

Topics on the agenda include bilateral relations, the US-Iran war, and energy.

Alongside their delegations, Putin and Xi will discuss hydrocarbons, gas supplies, and the proposed Power of Siberia 2 pipeline, according to the Kremlin.

The two leaders are also expected to sign a joint statement following the talks and other agreements.

Putin will later meet Chinese Premier Li Qiang to discuss trade and economic cooperation.

Ahead of Putin’s arrival, Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang also met Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov on Tuesday.

‘Longtime, good friend’

Ahead of the trip, Putin said relations between Moscow and Beijing had reached an “unprecedented level” and stressed that the partnership was “not directed against anyone.”

In a video address released before departing for Beijing, Putin described Xi as a “longtime, good friend.”

The Russian leader also praised economic ties, noting that bilateral trade between the two countries exceeded $200 billion, and that settlements were now conducted “almost entirely in rubles and yuan.”

The trip coincides with the 25th anniversary of the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation between the two countries. The Sino-Russian friendship treaty was signed in 2001 by then-Chinese President Jiang Zemin with Putin.

Putin and Xi will participate in the opening ceremony of the Russia-China Years of Education 2026-2027.

Hosting all 4 UN bigwigs

With Putin’s visit, China will have hosted all four leaders of the other permanent members of the UN Security Council within months of each other.

The Council has five permanent members: China, Russia, the US, the UK, and France.

French President Emmanuel Macron visited China in December, while British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited in January.

Trump concluded a three-day visit last Friday, meeting Xi to discuss trade, Taiwan, the Middle East conflict, and other issues.

On Ukraine

Separately, China on Tuesday rejected a Financial Times report that claimed that Xi told Trump during their meeting last week that Putin “might end up regretting his invasion of Ukraine.”

The claim by the UK-based newspaper “is completely false,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told reporters when asked about the report.

-Agencies

The National Steering Council of the “A Nation United” National Programme aimed at eradicating the dangerous drug menace, together with the Cabinet-appointed Committee on the prompt destruction of seized narcotic substances, convened today (19) at the Presidential Secretariat.

The meeting was held under the patronage of the Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs, Ananda Wijepala. 

Primary attention during the meeting was focused on the proposed legal amendments required to facilitate the prompt destruction of seized narcotic drugs, while discussions were also held on expediting the completion of the final stage of the relevant legal reforms, the President’s Media Division said in a statement. 

The proposed amendments and the related legal framework prepared by the Cabinet-appointed Committee on legal reforms were also presented before the National Steering Council for consideration. 

The importance of ensuring the timely destruction of seized narcotic substances, along with the views and proposals of the National Steering Council on the matter, were also discussed extensively during the meeting. 

The relevant draft amendments are scheduled to be submitted in due course to the Legal Draftsman’s Department and the Attorney General’s Department, according to the PMD. 

Among those present at the occasion were Most Rev. Nishantha Fernando, Siva Sri Velu Suresh Sharma Kurukkal, Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government S. Aloka Bandara, Secretary to the Ministry of Justice and National Integration Ayesha Jinasena, Senior Additional Secretary to the President Roshan Gamage, ministry secretaries and heads of relevant institutions, Commander of the Navy Vice Admiral Kanchana Banagoda, Inspector General of Police Priyantha Weerasooriya, senior officers of the security forces and representatives of the “A Nation United” National Steering Council.

A bilateral discussion was held in Singapore alongside the “Asia Tech 2026” conference, focusing on accelerating Sri Lanka’s digital transformation in partnership with the Gates Foundation.

The Sri Lankan delegation, led by Deputy Minister of Digital Economy Eranga Weeraratne, participated in talks aimed at strengthening cooperation on artificial intelligence (AI), digital governance and data-driven development initiatives.

During the meeting, both sides discussed technical and advisory support for Sri Lanka’s national AI strategy and the “AI for Public Good” programme. It was agreed that Sri Lanka’s draft AI policy framework would be reviewed by the Gates Foundation, while further technical dialogue would be initiated to enhance digital government infrastructure.

The discussions also covered the next phase of the “Inclusive Digital Agriculture Transformation (IDAT 2)” project, with an emphasis on improving farmer productivity, expanding market access, increasing climate resilience, and introducing AI-based advisory services.

Cooperation with digital public goods initiatives, including AI Singapore and EkStep Foundation, was also explored during the talks.

In addition, the Chief Executive Officer of GovTech Sri Lanka was invited for a knowledge-sharing visit to Bangalore to study global developments in digital identity systems.

Representatives from the Gates Foundation, including Hari Menon, also took part in the discussions.

Two-time champion Carlos Alcaraz will miss this year's Wimbledon because of an ongoing wrist injury.

The world number two withdrew from last month's Barcelona Open after sustaining the injury to his right wrist in the first round.

The Spaniard subsequently pulled out of the French Open, where he is the two-time defending champion, to recover.

"My recovery is going well and I'm feeling much better, but unfortunately I'm still not ready to compete, which is why I have to withdraw from the grass-court swing at Queen's and Wimbledon," Alcaraz wrote on Instagram on Tuesday.

"They are two truly special tournaments for me and I will miss them a lot.

“We'll keep working to come back as soon as possible.”

Alcaraz was the two-time defending champion at last year's Wimbledon but lost in the final to rival Jannik Sinner.

Alcaraz began the year by winning his first Australian Open title and becoming the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam.

He would have been looking to kick on further in 2026, but will now miss the entire grass court season along with the majority of the clay court swing.

Alcaraz lost the world number one ranking to Sinner last month and he is set to lose even more ground in the rankings to the Italian, who has won three clay-court Master 1000 tournaments in the last five weeks.

Source: BBC

– Agencies