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The prorogation of Parliament has no negative impact on the functioning and operation of the Government, the Government Information Department said issuing a communique yesterday.

By Gazette notification (Gazette Extraordinary 2066/43 of April 12, 2018), with effect from Thursday April 12 2018, the Parliament was prorogued by the President.

Issuing a statement, Director General of Government Information Sudarshana Gunawardana said the next Parliament session will commence on May 8.

“The prorogation is the period between the end of a Parliament session and the opening of the next Parliament session.”

Under Article 70(4) of the Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka “All matters which, having being brought before Parliament, have not been disposed of at the prorogation of Parliament, may be proceeded with during the next session”

”Therefore, the prorogation of Parliament has no negative impact on the functioning and operation of the Government.” Sudarshana Gunawardana said.

President Maithripala Sirisena prorogued the current session of Parliament with effect from midnight yesterday (12).

The Gazette notification issued by the Secretary to the President further states that the next session of Parliament will commence on May, 2018.

In line with the government's policy of releasing civilians' land used by Jaffna Security Forces, the Sri Lanka Army without compromising national security interests released a record 683 acres of land in Jaffna to the original owners.

The Army handed over 683 acres of land in Tellippalai Divisional Secretariat area to 964 legal owners during a ceremony, held on Friday under the auspices of the Commander of the Army, Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake, District Secretary for Jaffna, Nagalingam Vedanayagam and Jaffna Security Forces Commander Major General Darshana Hettiarachchi.

According to the Army, the release of those lands continuing for the last couple of months, following an initiative taken by the Army itself, has however not necessitated either the removal or shifting of any security formation operating in the said portion of the land in Tellippalai, Palaly.

Friday's release of 683 more acres of the Palali Army camp area, the biggest chunk of land released to the Jaffna public on a single day, adds a historic chapter to the government's ongoing projects of reconciliation and ethnic harmony, the Army said.

The event was organized jointly by Ministry of National Integration and Reconciliation, Ministry of Prison Reforms, Rehabilitation, Resettlement and Hindu Religious Affairs, District Secretariat for Jaffna and the SFHQ-J as a New Year gift on the eve of the Sinhala & Tamil New Year- 2018.

Commander of the Army formally gave away documents pertaining to the release of lands symbolically to the District Secretary who was present there.

Source : Colombo Page

Showers or thundershowers will occur over most provinces of the island today after 2.00 p.m, the Department of Meteorology announced.

Showers or thundershowers will occur over most provinces of the island after 2.00 p.m.

Showers or thundershowers will occur in the Eastern and Southern provinces during the morning too.

Heavy falls about 100mm can be expected at some places, particularly in the Western, North-western Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Central, Eastern and Uva provinces.

Misty conditions can be expected at some places in the Sabaragamuwa and Central provinces during the morning.

There may be temporary localized strong winds during thundershowers.

The Department of Meteorology request general public to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by lightning activity.

Kenyan elephant conservationist Daphne Sheldrick has died of cancer aged 83.

She helped save the lives of more than 230 elephants - many of which had lost their mothers to poachers or drought - by developing a milk formula and successfully rearing them. Her Kenyan charity is world-renowned for its care of orphaned elephants.

Born and raised in Kenya, Dame Daphne spent the first half of her career working alongside her British husband David, who founded Kenya's biggest national park, Tsavo East.

After his death in 1977, she founded the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (DSWT), which is best known for rescuing and reintegrating orphaned elephants into the wild. It took her 28 years to develop the special milk formula to bottle-feed baby elephants.

She warned in 2016 that if the rate of ivory poaching continued, African forest elephants - the smallest of the three elephant species - could be extinct as early as 2025.

Dame Daphne published several books and was featured in many television programmes and films, including the 2011 documentary Born to be Wild. In 2006, Queen Elizabeth made her a dame.

Source : BBC

Four acting Ministers were sworn in before President Maithripala Sirisena at the Presidential Secretariat today.

Accordingly, Dr. Sarath Amunugama was sworn in as the acting Minister of Vocational Training and Skills Development and Science, Technology and Research in addition to his present portfolio of Special Assignments.

Fazier Musthapa as the acting Minister of Sports in addition to his portfolio of Local Government and Provincial Councils while Malik Samarawickrama was sworn in as the acting Minister of Social Empowerment, Welfare and Kandyan Heritage and Labour and Labour Relations in addition to his portfolio of Development Strategies and International Trade.

Ranjith Siyambalapitiya was sworn in as acting Minister of Disaster Management in addition to his portfolio of Renewable Energy and Petroleum Resources.

The President has decided to come to a new agreement with the UNP in order to continue with the consensus government.

Accordingly SLFP Chairperson, President Maithripala Sirisena has appointed a committee of five headed by Minister Sarath Amunugama in order to coordinate these efforts.

The President is said to have asked Anunugaa to draft a MoU after holding discussions with the leaders of the UNP, while he will be away abroad attending the Commonwealth heads meeting.

Accordingly, a new consensus government along with a new cabinet will be formed after the Sinhala - Tamil New year, a senior Minister of the UNP said.

Mullaitivu District Government Agent Rupawthi Ketheeswaran has said that the district has received Rs. 68 million as an initial step to initiate 156 development projects in the district.

The officials said 65 percent of the projects are agricultural projects while 18 percent of the remaining are fisheries projects and all these projects will receive Rs. 318 million.

The progress of these projects is to be received in four stages this year, the Government Agent said.

Out of the total funding, Rs. 162 million will be received from the Ministry of Rehabilitation and Resettlement while the other monies will be received from the respective ministries.

According to the official, 55 projects will be implemented in the Karadian Aru Divisional Secretariat Division, 21 projects in Manthai East, 29 in Puthukudiyiruppu and 16 in Thunukkai while 35 projects will be launched in the Mullaitivu city.

Source : ilanka news

The dawn of spring brings the flourish of nature and nourishes the human spirit as we meditate on the ideas of cooperation, forgiveness and empathy for all life, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said in his New Year message.

“Sinhala and Tamil New Year is the foremost national festivity celebrated across the country in the splendour of spring. It provides the ideal setting to deepen relationships with each other and share our rich cultural heritage”.

“This New Year we will celebrate with our traditional customs to convey their importance to the next generation. This will ensure future generations are proud of our traditions and our nation”.

“I wish all Sri Lankans a joyful Sinhala and Tamil New Year that inspires our commitment in achieving sustained peace and prosperity”, the Prime Minister said.

Source : Daily News

Seven Governors were sworn in before President Maithripala Sirisena today (12).

The new Governors are as follows:

Hemakumara Nanayakkara – Western Province

K.C. Logeswaran – North Western Province

Niluka Ekanayake – Sabaragamuwa Province

Reginald Coorey – Central Province

Marshal Perera – Southern Province

M.P. Jayasinghe – North Central Province

P.B. Dissanayake – Uva Province

The evolution of human civilisation has taken place from era to era enriching the people as cultured entities. The unique cultural events celebrated by various people around the world indicate the affinity and utmost dedication towards their traditional heritages, President Maithripala Sirisena said in his New Year message.

“The Sinhala and Tamil New Year showcases the traditional riches of the Eastern people.‘Aluth Avurudda’ is indeed an introduction of a new human with a new vision and a new attitude to the society. By conforming to a study of oneself during the transitional time of the inauspicious period, this advanced person performs New Year rituals, enters the society as a close relative carrying the message of peaceful co-existence and social reconciliation,” the President said.

“The New Year binds with the traditional customs which blooms interrelations and family relationships and showers the human thoughts with refreshing fragrance which flows to the future with our deep understanding and respect we have for the traditions of the New Year.

“By deeply studying this glorious cultural event, which harvests progressive values and ethics to the whole society and celebrating it, we can surely collect a bountiful harvest of peace and prosperity.

“Another invaluable aspect of New Year celebrations is that they depict the lively bond which the humans share historically with nature and how this occasion is utilised to express gratitude to nature, thus exhibiting the great virtues of our ancestors that carried forth for generations.

“Sharing such great values with everybody, I wish all the Sri Lankans who are living in the country and outside, a Sinhala and Tamil New Year filled with peace and prosperity, the President said in his New Year message.

Soure : Daily News

Sri Lanka’s state-owned Ceylon Petroleum Corp (CPC) is under pressure to raise fuel prices as the refiner incurred huge losses this year, cabinet spokesman Rajitha Senaratne said on Wednesday.

The CPC incurred a loss of 9.9 billion rupees ($63.5 million) in the first two months of the year, a government document showed.

“It (CPC) is under pressure to raise prices because of such losses,” Senaratne told Reuters after the weekly cabinet press briefing, adding it is not a “good time” to raise fuel rates ahead of the traditional Sinhala-Tamil New Year, which is celebrated by 90 percent of the 21-million population.

Lanka IOC Plc, the only other local fuel retailer and a subsidiary of Indian Oil Corp, had raised retail prices for gasoline and diesel on March 24, after the government failed to implement a pricing formula.

This has put the government under scrutiny to raise prices at fuel stations, which are normally decided during talks between the government and retailers. Lanka IOC, however, is allowed to set fuel prices at its own will.

The fuel pricing formula is under consideration and a final decision is yet to be taken, Senaratne added.

Despite several measures to reduce rates of essential goods, the public is still wary of higher food prices amid new income tax slabs.

The new taxes will hardly affect the lower-income group, President Maithripala Sirisena’s coalition government said.

A price hike could make the coalition government more unpopular among the voters ahead of the potential provincial council elections this year, analysts said.

Under pressure from the International Monetary Fund to boost the island nation’s revenue, the government had increased the excise duty on diesel to 13 rupees per litre in August last year, but had asked fuel retailers to retain the old rates.