News
Daily two-hour power cuts till May
By Ifham Nizam
The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) would be forced be go for two-hour power daily cuts until May, a top official warned.
“When the third plant (300 MW) coal fired power plant at Norochchoalai is added to the system later this month, the situation may be much better,” he added.
About 115MW from the Sapugaskanda Power Plant and 60MW from the Colombo Port Barge was added to the system yesterday after the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) released fuel on Saturday.
Power sector regulator, the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) has approved scheduled the power cut, from today.
PUCSL Chairman, Janaka Rathnayake stated that power cuts lasting for one to two hours will take place from today. The CEB had requested the PUCSL’s permission for effecting the power cut, he said.
The 300 MW of power from the third unit of the Norochcholai Power Plant which has been closed for maintenance work for one month, will be restored shortly.
The Yugadanavi Plant in Kerawalapitiya 300MW Power Plant has not been operational since last month due to scheduled maintenance. It adds 150MW to the national grid.
The Island
learns that to minimise present power cuts, the CEB’s former AGM Janaka Aluthge has made arrangements to extend power purchase contracts.
The Otter Aquatic Club, Colombo 7 will host its annual Bak Maha Ulela on April 25, 2026, with a full day of festivities to mark the Sinhala and Tamil New Year.
The celebration will feature traditional games, cultural activities, creating a vibrant atmosphere for families and friends to enjoy together. Organisers invite everyone to take part in this joyous occasion.
Three Sri Lankan leopard cubs that were born at the Singapore Zoo on Jan 1 have now made their public debut at the facility.
The two males and one female, born to mother Yala and father Asanka, are the first of their species yo be born at the Singapore Zoo. The last successful birth in Singapore was recorded at the Night Safari three decades ago.
The triplets, which are the pair’s first litter, are among around 80 Sri Lankan leopards in zoos worldwide.
The species is listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, with fewer than 800 individuals estimated to remain in the wild.
Visitors can now see the triplets at the Wild Africa exhibit, said the Mandai Wildlife Group in a statement on April 16.
The cubs can be found in the exhibit with their mother daily until mid-May and, subsequently, every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.
Yala with her cubs in their nest box, a month after their birth on Jan 1. (Straits Times)
A leopard cub investigating a piece of meat suspended from a tree – one of the several enrichment items in the Wild Africa exhibit designed to keep the cats mentally and physically stimulated. (Straits Times)
Mandai Wildlife Group curator Anand Kumar said it took nearly three years and close collaboration across continents to bring together a compatible pair of Sri Lankan leopards.
(Straits Times)
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/singapore-zoos-first-sri-lankan-leopard-cubs-make-their-public-debut?ref=top-stories
The Sri Lanka Navy has seized a local multi- day fishing trawler, it’s four man crew together with a consignment suspected to be narcotics off the Southern Coast of the island.
The vessel is presently being escorted to the Dikowita fisheries harbour for further investigations and legal proceedings.
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