News
X-Press Pearl wreck cannot be moved for three months – Officials

By Ifham Nizam
It would not be possible to tow away the wreck of MVX-Press Pearl until the end of the monsoon season, Environment Ministry Secretary, Dr. Anil Jasinghe said during a discussion under the theme, Looking beyond X-Press Pearl, at the Information Department yesterday in Colombo.
Dr. Jasinghe added that representatives of X-Press Feeders, the operators of the ill-fated ship, were monitoring the wreck through a caretaker company and 10 thematic groups were studying various aspects of the disaster.
“The sea is very rough and we can’t do anything now. We have to wait till things settle down a bit,” Dr. Jasinhe said. None of the officials were willing to reveal the estimated cost of the removal of the wreck.
The plastic pellets that were released with the sire n the ship were being detected on beaches in seven districts, Central Environmental Authority (CEA) Chairman S. Amarasinghe said. The entire coastal stretch from Matara to Mannar has been affected, he said.
“We are keeping the collected pellets for legal purposes and will destroy them later,” he said.
Commenting on the impact the disaster would have on tourism, Sri Jayawardanapura, Economics Department and Forestry and Environment Science, Professor Prasanthi Gunawardena said that losses would be incalculable.
Prof. Gunawardena added that the incident would have a significant impact on the fisheries industry and deprive many Sri Lankans of their main source of protein.
“Children need protein and most of our kids get their protein from fish. How do we calculate the impact this will on their health?
Marine Environment Protection Authority Chairperson, Darshani Lahandapura said that a grey sheen continued to emanate from the vessel, and discolouration of the sea in and around the wreck remains.
“This has been apparent since the vessel’s stern became submerged, and the remnants of the cargo in the 1486 containers that were onboard were exposed to seawater,” she said.
News
Unsafe drinking water and poor sanitation plague most schools, say Principals

By Pradeep Prasanna Samarakkone and Chaminda Silva
Around 500 schools across the country lack access to safe drinking water for students, Piyasiri Fernando, Secretary of the Sri Lanka Principals’ Association, has said.
Fernando told The Island that a significant number of schools did not have facilities to store water properly. He said many schools lacked sanitary facilities.
Fernando also noted that in some schools in the Eastern, North Central, Uva, North Western, and Central provinces, as well as in approximately 20% of schools located near coastal areas, there are no proper toilet facilities. Despite the issuance of circulars specifying the number of toilets to be built, based on the number of students, some schools still did not have sanitary facilities as per those guidelines, the Secretary of the Principals’ Association said.
According to the School Census -2023 (2024) conducted by the Department of Census and Statistics there were 3,882,688 schoolchildren, 830,021 in National Schools and 3,052,667 in Provincial Schools.
Out of 10,096 schools, 1,506 have 1-50 students, 1,638 have 51-100 students and 2,128 have 101-200 students. Only 67 schools have 3,001-4,000 students, while only 33 have more than 4,000 students. 3,117 or 30.9 percent schools have fewer than 10 teachers.
News
Julie meets Namal at SLPP HQ

US Ambassador, Julie Chung, visited the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) office on Friday (14) for discussions with party representatives.
Ambassador Chung arrived at the SLPP Headquarters around 10:00 a.m. and engaged in talks for over an hour and a half. Her visit followed a request by the SLPP to meet her.
During the meeting, she held discussions with SLPP General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam, former Members of Parliament Sanjeewa Edirimanne, C.B. Ratnayake, and Jayantha Ketagoda, as well as current MP D.V. Chanaka. Milinda Rajapaksha, an advisor to former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, was also present.
The visit comes amid calls from SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa for an investigation into USAID fund recipients in Sri Lanka.
News
Speaker agrees to probe allegations of ‘unethical funding’ by USAID

By Saman Indrajith
Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne informed Parliament on Friday (14) that he intended to take necessary action regarding requests made by MPs concerning allegations over USAID funding in Sri Lanka.
He made this statement in response to a question raised by Opposition MP Dayasiri Jayasekara, who sought a clarification on the matter.
Jayasekara noted that SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa had sent a letter to the Speaker calling for the appointment of a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) to investigate reports about unethical USAID funding in the country. He questioned whether such a committee would be formed and the matter formally examined.
In response, Speaker Wickramaratne confirmed that he was planning to take appropriate action on the issue.
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