Mohan Samaranayake appointed as the Director General of Government Information Department
Mohan Samaranayake has been appointed as the new Director-General of the Government Information Department. Previously he was serving as the Director-General of the President’s Media Division.
April 12 declared as a special government holiday
Secretary to the Ministry of Public Administration stated that 12th of April (Monday) has been declared a special government holiday. The decision was taken because of the upcoming Sinhala and Tamil New Year.
Mrs. World 2020 ready to return the crown
Mrs. World Caroline Jurie issues a video statement responding to the incident that occurred on April 4 and states “If we have to lose something to give an opportunity to another woman to compete on stage that is equal and fair to all”. Also noted “Rules are not there for us to find loopholes so we can win at any cost.”
A/L, O/L and Grade 5 Scholarship exams postponed
G.C.E. Advanced Level Examination for the year 2021 was scheduled for August and it has been postponed to October, the Minister of Education Prof. G.L. Peiris said during a press briefing held at the Education Ministry today (April 09). Accordingly, the examination will be held between October 04 and 30 and the Grade 5 Scholarship Examination which was also used to conduct in August will put off to the 3rd of October, the Education Minister said further. Also the G.C.E. Ordinary Level Examination has been postponed to the final week of January next year.
Prince Philip has died ; Buckingham Palace announced
Queen Elizabeth II’s husband, Prince Philip, has died aged 99 today morning, Buckingham Palace has announced. “It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen has announced the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle.” Buckingham Palace said. BBC Prince Philip and the Queen had four children, eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. Many people including Britain prime minister Boris Johnson conveyed their sadness.
Mayor of Jaffna Vishvalingam Manivannan arrested
Jaffna Police has arrested Mayor of Jaffna Municipal Council, Vishvalingam Manivannan for allegedly aiding to propagate the LTTE today morning (April 9). The mayor had deployed five people to perform duties of the municipal council and they were guided to wear uniforms similar to the uniform of LTTE ‘police’. They were recruited to the Jaffna Municipal Council on the instructions of the mayor on temporary basis. Police and Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) conducted a special investigation under the instructions of Minister of Public Security Sarath Weerasekara, the police spokesperson said. Further investigations will be carried out under the provisions of Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).
Writer of the “Oshin drama died” ; Sugako Hashida
Sugako Hashida the writer who wrote the Oshin drama had died few days ago and She was ninety-five years old when she died. It is amazing that she had died April 4, 2021 in the day which the 38th anniversary of the airing of the first Oshin episode. Oshin was produced by NHK Japan and It was Presented to the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation with the sponsorship of the Japan Foundation.The story line reflects a mother’s humanity, compassion, self-sacrifice, courage and unconditional love for her child. In 1973, she wrote her first teleplay. Its name is Ai to Shi o Mitsumete and Oshin was written during the period 1983-84. The background to writing this series is provided by some unknown letter that the author recieved. The letters were written by a woman in the Meiji era.
US blacklisted Chinese supercomputer groups
What is a supercomputer? Super computers can make billions of calculations per second. Also their performance level is higher when compared to normal computers. Supercomputers are developed using thousands of connected processors. They are used for functions like forecasting weather and climate trends, simulating nuclear tests , pharmaceutical research and also for the development of advanced weapons such as hypersonic missiles. Why US is worrying? US is worried about China will gain access to American technology and also fear that the China will use that knowledge to close the gap with the US military. “Do you think China is waiting around to invest in its digital infrastructure or research and development? I promise you, they are not waiting,” Mr Biden said in a speech in this week.Also Mr Biden said China and the rest of the world “are racing ahead of us in the investments they have in the future”. BBC Why blacklisted? Three companies and four branches of China’s National Supercomputing Center were added to the US blacklist yesterday for building supercomputers to help its military. It is the first move by the Biden administration to make it harder for China to obtain US technology This will stop American companies from exporting technology to the Chinese groups without proper approval.
Prepare for a “difficult” crisis and a Arduous March ; North Korean leader Kim Jong-un
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has warned citizens to prepare for a “difficult” crisis as North Korea has shut its borders due to the coronavirus pandemic. He said these during a a party conference and noted about the human rights groups warnings that the country will faces food shortages and economic instability. Also he compare the situation to an infamous deadly famine happened in the 1990s. Earlier this week, Mr Kim had warned the country faced the “worst-ever situation” and “unprecedentedly numerous challenges”.BBC Not only the border closing also the Pyongyang’s nuclear programme affecting the results. So leader yesterday called on party officials to “wage another more difficult “Arduous March” in order to relieve our people of the difficulty, even a little”.
Sri Lanka Cricket selection committee appointed
Sri lanka cricket board releeased a Media Statement on appointing members of the selection commete.Media statement reads as follows, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) wishes to announce the appointment of the following members to the Selection Committee of Sri Lanka Cricket, with immediate effect. The 06 member panel was ratified by Honorable Namal Rajapaksa, the Minister of Youth and Sports. Mr. Pramodya Wickramasinghe – ChairmanMr. Romesh Kaluwitharana – MemberMr. Hemantha Wickramaratne – MemberMr. Varuna Waragoda – MemberMr. S. H. U Karnain – MemberMrs. B.A. Thilaka Nilmini Gunarathne – Member