News

The ‘‘National War Heroes’ Commemoration Ceremony,’’ is scheduled to be held today (19) at the Parliamentary Grounds in front of the National War Hero’s Monument in Battaramulla, under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.  

The police have announced a special traffic management plan to be implemented during the event.

Accordingly, vehicular traffic will be limited along Parliament Road from Polduwa (Diyatha Uyana) junction to Keangnam junction Battaramulla from 3.30 pm today till conclusion of the National War Heroes’ commemoration. 

Alternative routes:

• Vehicles exiting Colombo via the Parliamentary Road may proceed through Polduwa Junction, Battaramulla, Palanthuna, and Keangnam Junction.    
• Vehicles entering Colombo from Keangnam Junction may travel via Palanthuna and Battaramulla.  
• Vehicles arriving from Rajamalwatta via Bodhiraja Mawatha may proceed to Battaramulla Road and continue along their required routes.

Parking arrangements for buses and trucks:

• From Japan Sri Lanka Friendship Road Junction to Kimbulāwala Junction.    
• From the Ceylon Electricity Board area along Japan Sri Lanka Friendship Road up to Pelawatta.

(Adaderana.lk)

Meta Platforms is rolling out a new “Incognito Chat” feature for its artificial intelligence assistant on WhatsApp messaging service, the company said on Wednesday, as it looks to address data privacy concerns.

Meta said incognito chats will be powered by its private processing technology, ensuring conversations remain invisible to anyone, including the company itself.

“Your conversations are not saved and by default, your messages disappear — giving you a space to think and explore ideas without anyone ⁠watching,” the company said in a blog post.

The move comes as people often share sensitive personal, financial, health or work-related information with AI assistants, despite privacy concerns about how their data could be stored or used by the companies.

“We’re starting to ask a lot of meaningful questions about our lives with AI systems. It doesn’t always feel like you should have to share the information behind those questions with the companies that run those AI systems,” Head ⁠of WhatsApp Will Cathcart said in a media briefing.

According to a company website, messages people share with Meta AI may be used by the social media company to improve its AI models, but personal chats on WhatsApp remain protected by end-to-end encryption ⁠and are not accessible for that purpose.

For now, incognito chat is text-only, meaning users will not be able to upload images, Cathcart said.

He added that the AI will ⁠also have built-in safety guardrails, refusing to answer problematic questions or steering conversations in different directions.

Meta said it also plans to introduce “Side Chat” with ⁠Meta AI in the coming months, a feature that will allow users to get private assistance within any chat on WhatsApp.

Source: Reuters

Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando has informed Parliament that a total of 178,000 vehicles were imported into the country by the end of April this year.

The Deputy Minister stated that the figure includes motorcycles and three-wheelers, reflecting the overall volume of vehicle imports during the period.

Responding to a question raised by Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa on vehicle imports, Dr. Fernando explained that a 50 percent surcharge on Customs duty had been imposed on vehicle imports for a three-month period.

He noted that the measure was introduced to limit imports in response to external economic conditions affecting the country.

The statement was made during proceedings in Parliament, where vehicle imports and related fiscal measures were under discussion.

A foreign national was arrested in Kollupitiya after police uncovered a stock of allegedly smuggled foreign cigarettes during a targeted raid near Nimalka Gardens.

The operation was carried out by officers attached to the Colombo South Divisional Criminal Investigation Unit, who conducted the raid as part of an ongoing effort to crack down on illegal trade activities in the area.

Police said the suspect was found in possession of 540 sticks of foreign cigarettes believed to have been brought into Sri Lanka unlawfully.

The arrested individual has been identified as a 35-year-old Chinese national, according to police.

Authorities stated that the cigarettes were suspected to have been imported illegally, and investigations are now underway to determine the source and intended distribution of the contraband.

Kollupitiya Police are conducting further investigations into the incident.

The government has introduced a new circular aimed at regulating all programmes organised for the upcoming Vesak season, including Vesak zones and Dansals, with authorities moving to prohibit activities deemed inappropriate for the religious festival.

Speaking at a media briefing at the Department of Government Information, Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs Hiniduma Sunil Senevi said that events such as head-banging programmes and haunted houses will not be allowed during Vesak celebrations.

He further announced that organisers of Dansals have been instructed to use yellow flags instead of Buddhist flags, as part of the new regulatory framework.

According to the Minister, the programme will be implemented jointly by the All Ceylon Shasanarakshaka Bala Mandalaya and relevant state institutions, with special guidelines issued covering Dansals, Vesak decorations, road safety, and public safety.

Authorities will also take steps to prevent inappropriate decorations and displays, while strengthening coordination with security forces throughout the Vesak period.

The State Vesak Festival will be held under the theme “Let’s rally together for the common good”, focusing on social responsibility through Amisa and Prathipatti Pooja programmes, he said.

The main festival is scheduled to commence on May 27 at the Midellawala Purana Viharaya, with the participation of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

A series of islandwide programmes will then continue across the Matara District for one week until June 2.

Chief Secretary of the All Ceylon Shasanarakshaka Bala Mandalaya, Venerable Mugunuwela Anuruddha, said several religious and community development initiatives will also be carried out alongside this year’s Vesak celebrations, including the development of temples and monasteries in the Matara District.

He also noted that a delegation from Vietnam is expected to take part in this year’s Vesak festivities, adding an international dimension to the religious observances.

Relentless adverse weather conditions continuing across the island have left hundreds of homes damaged and thousands of residents affected, according to the latest update from the Disaster Management Centre (DMC).

The DMC reported that 200 houses have suffered partial damage due to the ongoing inclement weather, with the worst impact recorded in the Kalutara District, where 90 homes were damaged.

Several other districts have also reported damaged properties. Authorities confirmed that 25 houses were partially damaged in both Batticaloa District and Gampaha District, while 22 houses were affected in Ratnapura District.

Meanwhile, 14 damaged houses were reported from Galle District. Additional incidents of property damage were recorded in Monaragala District, Colombo District, Jaffna District, Hambantota District, Anuradhapura District, Mannar District and Trincomalee District.

The DMC further stated that one house was completely destroyed in the Ratnapura District as severe weather conditions continued to batter several regions.

Overall, the disaster situation has affected 1,582 families across the country. According to officials, 5,267 individuals belonging to those families have been impacted by the prevailing weather conditions.

The affected residents have been reported from 66 Divisional Secretariat divisions islandwide, as authorities continue to monitor the evolving situation.