News

The Department of Examinations says that the results of the Advanced Level examination will be released after April 20th.

The results were initially scheduled to be released before April 20th. However, due to several practical issues, the Department said that the release has been delayed.

A total of 333,185 candidates sat for the Advanced Level examination this year.

The Court of Appeal has lifted the interim injunction that prevented the local government elections for 18 local authorities, including the Colombo Municipal Council, from being held on May 6.

The decision was made by a bench comprising Acting President of the Court of Appeal, Mohamed Laffar Thahir, and Judge Priyantha Fernando, following a motion submitted by the Attorney General.

The court also issued an order to accept the previously rejected nomination papers for these local authorities.

The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has requested rooftop solar system owners to voluntarily switch off their systems during daytime hours, up to 3:00 PM each day, from April 13 to April 21.

In a statement issued on April 12, the CEB said the request is due to a drop in national electricity demand during the extended holiday period combined with high solar power generation, which is placing stress on the national grid.

The CEB stated that the resulting reduction in grid inertia has increased the risk of sudden disruptions and potential outages.

The request aims to support the stability and reliability of the national power grid during this period.

Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe has been summoned to appear before the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) in connection with an ongoing probe involving former Chief Minister and Member of Parliament Chamara Samapath Dassanayake.

Dassanayake has been in remand custody since March 27, following allegations that he caused a loss of Rs. 17.3 million to the government by withdrawing funds from six fixed deposit accounts belonging to the Uva Provincial Council before their maturity.

According to the Commission, Wickremesinghe recently provided a special statement regarding the matter, indicating that he had knowledge of the incident and may have been involved at a certain stage.

Noting that this information is relevant to the ongoing investigation, Wickremesinghe has been instructed to appear before the Commission on April 17 at 9:30 a.m., along with any relevant documents, to verify the claims made in his statement.

The Criminal Investigation Department has obtained approval to detain and interrogate Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, alias Pillayan, for a period of 90 days.

He was arrested in Batticaloa on April 8 in connection with an abduction and missing persons case.

Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala, speaking in Parliament recently, stated that significant information has emerged suggesting Pillayan’s involvement in the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks.

Pillayan previously served as the Chief Minister of the Eastern Province and later held the position of State Minister under former administrations.

The Government of Sri Lanka has extended financial assistance amounting to USD 01 Million to provide relief to the people of Myanmar affected by the recent earthquake.

The relevant cheque was officially handed over today (10) at the Presidential Secretariat by the Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, to the Ambassador of Myanmar to Sri Lanka, Her Excellency Marlar Than Htaik.

Despite the prevailing economic challenges in Sri Lanka, the Ambassador of Myanmar expressed her deep appreciation to President Anura Kumara Disanayake and the Government of Sri Lanka for this gesture of solidarity and support towards the disaster-stricken people of Myanmar.

Furthermore, the Ambassador extended her gratitude for Sri Lanka’s decision to deploy relief teams and medical personnel during this difficult time. She also noted that such acts of compassion further strengthen the longstanding religious and cultural friendship between Sri Lanka and Myanmar.

The Ambassador also briefed the Secretary to the President on the current situation in Myanmar following the earthquake.

Senior Additional Secretary to the President, Mr. Roshan Gamage, along with officials from the Embassy of Myanmar, Mr. Winh Wint Khaus Tun and Ms. Lei Yi Win, were also present at this occasion. (PMD)

Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation, Bimal Rathnayake, has announced a new e-payment system for expressway users, introduced as an "Awurudu Gift" by the Road Development Authority (RDA).

Expressway users will be able to make payments via credit and debit cards at Kadawatha and Kottawa.

Starting from May 1st, all exit points will be equipped with the e-payment model.

The Court of Appeal has ordered the reinstatement of 31 previously rejected nominations for the upcoming local government elections.

The court's ruling quashes the decisions made by returning officers across several districts, including Kandy, Colombo, Jaffna, Vavuniya, Batticaloa, and Mannar.

Nizam Kariapper, PC, representing the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (MP), expressed gratitude for the court's intervention. "Today, the Court of Appeal quashed the decision of the returning officers in many districts, including Kandy, Colombo, Jaffna, Vavuniya, Batticaloa, and Mannar, and gave a writ of mandamus compelling the returning officers to accept those nomination papers which were filed by me. We are very thankful. My client will now be able to face the elections," he stated.

Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe has issued a special statement after being summoned by the Bribery Commission to appear before it on April 17.

The former President noted that the summons had been issued during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year holiday period, when he and his legal team are not in Colombo. He has requested for a new date citing his unavailability.

In his statement, Wickremesinghe also drew attention to the “World record speed” at which the Bribery Commission acted, summoning him soon after he made a public statement regarding the arrest of MP Chamara Sampath Dassanayake.

He noted that the comment in question was first made at 6 p.m. on April 10. “It is evident that Bribery Commission officials did not work until office hours the following day,” Wickremesinghe said in a statement.

The letter summoning him to appear before the Commission was received around 12:30 p.m. on Friday, less than 18 hours after the comment was made.

Wickremesinghe said this indicated that officials had acted within a window of roughly three working hours.

A case file had been compiled and presented to the Director General of the Commission within that time, and the Commission had convened during the process, the statement said.

The statement described the Commission’s actions as unprecedented, claiming it had “never acted in this manner before.”

The Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) of Parliament, chaired by Member of Parliament (Dr.) Nishantha Samaraweera, conducted a field investigation at the Bandaranaike International Airport

The COPE recently (2025.04.02) reviewed the Bandaranaike International Airport Development Project in connection with the Auditor General’s Reports for the years 2022 and 2023 and the current performance of the Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) (Private) Limited (AASL), and accordingly conducted this field investigation.

It was expected that the number of aircraft stands at Bandaranaike International Airport would be increased through the construction of a Remote Apron and Taxiways as part of the Bandaranaike International Airport Development Project.

However, it was observed that both the AASL and the Japanese joint venture company hired for design and consultancy services had undertaken these activities without proper technical or operational analysis. As a result, achieving the project’s objectives proved challenging.

Despite several weaknesses and practical challenges identified at the planning stage, the Committee noted that steps were taken to complete the project. Accordingly, the solutions already proposed by AASL to achieve the desired objectives of the project were also observed.

The COPE members held extensive discussions with local representatives from the Japanese joint venture and senior officials from relevant institutions. During these discussions, the Committee expressed displeasure over the financial losses incurred by the government due to these oversight issues and poor planning. The Committee recommended that, to prevent further misuse of public funds in future development activities, attention must be given to the issues arising during planning stages.

The Committee decided to reconvene with the officials from AASL in the near future to continue discussions on the matter.

The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has announced the signing of a power purchase agreement for the 'Sahasdhanavi' power plant.

In a statement, the CEB noted that the construction, ownership, and operation of the power plant will be undertaken by Sahasdhanavi Limited. After 25 years, ownership of the plant will be transferred to the CEB.

The project aims to provide reliable and affordable electricity to residential and commercial consumers in Sri Lanka.

The Public Utilities Commission has approved the construction of the 350 MW Sahasdhanavi combined cycle power plant, which will be expedited.

The CEB stated that the plant will initially supply electricity to the national grid through open cycle operations within 30 months.

Subsequently, it will commence full combined cycle operations within an additional 12 months.

In response to the new tariff policy imposed by the United States and its impact on Sri Lanka's economy, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake convened a meeting with party leaders today (10) at the Presidential Secretariat.

The meeting aimed to discuss the necessary steps to mitigate the economic repercussions of the new tariffs.

The President called this meeting following a request from a group of opposition MPs who emphasized the need for a thorough discussion on the matter.

During the meeting, the President briefed the party leaders on the findings of the committee appointed to investigate the impact of the new US tariff policy and the measures taken by the government thus far.

Extensive discussions were held on the recommendations presented by the committee and the proposals put forward by the opposition parties.

The meeting also covered strategies for diversifying export destinations and formulating proposals for discussions with the US government.

The party leaders agreed to consolidate the recommendations from the committee and the proposals from the opposition for further discussion.

The meeting was attended by prominent political figures including Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, MPs Harsha de Silva, S. Rasamanickam, Ravi Karunanayake, D.V. Chanaka, Mano Ganesan, Palani Digambaram, M.L.A.M. Hizbullah, Rishad Bathiudeen, Dilith Jayaweera, Jeevan Thondaman, Dayasiri Jayasekara, and A. Archuna.

MPs Gayantha Karunatileka, Kavinda Jayawardena, S.M. Marikkar, and Kader Masthan also participated in the discussions.