- As per the instructions of President Ranil Wickremesinghe, the President’s Fund has initiated two additional scholarship programs alongside the on-going scholarship initiatives. These scholarships will be extended to monks, nuns, and lay students enrolled in Piriven and Seelamatha Educational Institutions, as well as those pursuing Information and Communication Technology (ICT) at G.C.E. (Advanced Level), effective from May 2024.
- Sri Lanka’s Official Reserve Assets increased by 9.6% to USD 5.43 billion in April 2024, according to the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL). The figures reported for April is an increase from the USD 4.96 billion recorded in March 2024.
- Sri Lanka’s Cabinet of Ministers has approved the combined proposal presented by the President and the Minister of Education to instruct the Legal Draftsman to prepare a bill for the establishment of a National Teachers’ Council.
- The Court of Appeal dismissed the petition filed by Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe seeking to suspend the interim injunction issued by the Colombo District Court preventing him from functioning as the Acting Chairman of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP).
- Sri Lanka Banks’ Association, LankaPay and FinCSIRT says they have been alerted regarding several incidents of financial fraud, both globally and in Sri Lanka, disguised as attractive online offers, leading to mobile device users inadvertently clicking on unknown links and downloading malicious apps and files.
- Health Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana said that a Cabinet paper was submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers to increase the retirement age of certain healthcare services including nursing staff to 61 years. The minister revealed this in response to a question raised by MP Gamini Waleboda in Parliament.
- Ambassador of Japan, handed over three “Health on Wheels” trucks to the Ministry of Health. The project has been implemented by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), with financial support from the Government of
Japan. - The Central Bank of Sri Lanka announced that it would initiate public consultations on amending the Finance Leasing Act, No. 56 of 2000. To have wider stakeholder consultation, the CBSL is inviting the general public to submit observations/ suggestions/ comments on the draft amendments.
- Former Minister Mervyn Silva accused of threatening and assaulting a former journalist of the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation, was ordered to be released on bail today by the Colombo Additional Magistrate Tharanga Mahawatta.
- Sri Lanka win ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifiers match against Scotland. With the win, Sri Lanka will now join Australia, New Zealand, India and Pakistan in Group A of the Women’s T20 World Cup. Meanwhile, Scotland join hosts Bangladesh, England, South Africa and West Indies.
