Former US President Donald Trump  has taken aim at Australian beef imports , announcing a 10% tariff  as part of his "Liberation Day" trade plan. Speaking at a news conference  from the White House, Trump questioned why the US was importing $3 billion worth of Australian beef  each year while Australia refuses to take American beef . "They won’t take any of our beef,"  he said. "They don’t want it because they don’t want it to affect their farmers—and you know, I don’t blame them. Bute’re doing the same thing right now, starting at midnight tonight." While other countries like China face much steeper tariffs , Australia will still be hit with the new 10% baseline tariff on all exports  to the US. Trump justified the move by claiming trade deficits  were no longer just an economic issue, but a national security threat . "Chronic trade deficits threaten our security and our very way of life,"  he said, adding that medicine, technology, and ship manufacturing  were also areas where the US had become too reliant on imports. Why Doesn’t Australia Import American Beef? Trump's frustration with Australian beef policy isn’t new. The country has had a ban on uncooked American beef for over 20 years  due to concerns over mad cow disease  (bovine spongiform encephalopathy). This disease, which can be fatal to both cattle and humans , spreads when cows consume infected tissue—something that can happen in the US , where cattle feed sometimes contains ground-up parts of other cows . Given the serious health risks , Australia has kept the ban in place  despite pressure from US trade officials over the years. A Blow to the Burger Industry? The Australian meat industry  isn’t happy. John McKillop, chair of the Red Meat Advisory Council , pointed out that one-third of Australia's red meat exports  go to the US. And it turns out that Australian beef plays a major role in American hamburgers . "Australian beef is in an estimated 6 billion hamburgers  consumed each year in the US,"  McKillop said. According to him, Trump’s tariff could cost US consumers an extra $180 billion (A$287 billion) per year . Why? Because American beef is fattier , and US burger producers rely on lean Australian beef  to blend into their patties. Without it, they’d have to grind up more expensive cuts of meat  just to keep the same burger texture. Markets React—And It’s Not Pretty Trump’s announcement spooked investors , sending US stock futures tumbling  in after-hours trading: Dow Jones futures  dropped 256 points  (-0.61%). S&P 500 futures  slid 1.69% . Nasdaq 100 futures  took the biggest hit, falling 2.54% . Gold, meanwhile, hit a record high of over $3,200 per ounce , as investors sought a safe haven  amid growing economic uncertainty. What’s Next? For now, Australian beef exporters  will have to brace for impact , while American consumers might soon see pricier burgers  at their favorite fast-food chains. And with Trump leaning heavily into trade policies  as part of his campaign, this could be just the beginning  of a major shake-up in US-Australia trade relations .

Myanmar's military has announced a temporary ceasefire  in the country’s ongoing civil war to allow much-needed relief efforts following a catastrophic 7.7 magnitude earthquake  that has claimed more than 3,000 lives . The surprise announcement came late Wednesday  on state television, with military leaders saying the ceasefire will last until April 22  as a show of compassion for those affected. This follows similar unilateral ceasefires  declared by resistance groups earlier in the week. However, the military warned these groups not to use the pause to regroup or attack —or else they’d take "necessary measures." Resistance fighters, in turn, have made it clear they reserve the right to defend themselves if needed. Rescuers Still Finding Survivors—But Mostly Bodies Despite the overwhelming devastation, miraculous rescues  have continued. In Naypyitaw , a 26-year-old hotel worker  was pulled out alive  after being trapped for nearly 108 hours  under the rubble. Another survivor  was found in the same hotel , pulled out more than 121 hours  after the quake. In Sagaing , near the epicenter, a 47-year-old primary school principal  was rescued from a collapsed guesthouse by a Malaysian and local team. A fourth rescue was reported in Mandalay , Myanmar’s second-largest city. But for most rescue teams, the grim reality is finding bodies instead of survivors . The quake, which struck last Friday , toppled thousands of buildings, collapsed bridges, and buckled roads . Alongside the 3,000+ dead, more than 4,500 people have been injured , according to Myanmar’s state media. Local reports suggest the real numbers could be much higher. A Crisis on Top of a Crisis Even before the earthquake, Myanmar was already facing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises  due to the ongoing civil war. Over 3 million people were already displaced  from their homes. Nearly 20 million  were in urgent need  of assistance. Now, the situation is even more desperate . Resistance Groups Pressured the Military to Pause Fighting Myanmar’s military seized power in 2021 , overthrowing the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi  and triggering a nationwide armed resistance . This week, two major anti-military groups announced temporary ceasefires : The People’s Defence Force (PDF) , the armed wing of Myanmar’s shadow opposition government . The Three Brotherhood Alliance , a powerful trio of ethnic minority armed groups . According to analysts, this put pressure on the military  to follow suit. But could this ceasefire lead to something more permanent ? "It would require very deft and active diplomacy to transform a humanitarian pause into something more lasting. And that's not guaranteed," said Morgan Michaels , an expert at the International Institute of Strategic Studies. Global Aid Efforts Ramping Up The international community  is rushing to help, pledging millions of dollars and sending search-and-rescue teams, medical aid, and field hospitals . Among the biggest contributors: India & China —Myanmar’s two powerful neighbors—have been especially quick with aid. Turkey, Vietnam, Singapore, and Malaysia  have all sent teams. The US has pledged $2 million in emergency assistance  and sent an expert team to assess further needs. But ongoing aftershocks  are complicating rescue and aid efforts . In Mandalay City , thousands remain without electricity or clean water . "People affected continue to need urgent healthcare and medical supplies, safe drinking water, food, and other critical items,"  said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric . The biggest priorities  right now? Temporary shelter —tents and latrines are needed to prevent disease outbreaks. Medical care  for the thousands injured. Basic supplies —food, clean water, and hygiene products. What’s Next? For now, all eyes are on the April 22 ceasefire deadline . Will this humanitarian pause open the door for real peace talks ? Or will the fighting resume as soon as the deadline passes ? Either way, for the millions of people in Myanmar, the earthquake was just the latest chapter in a long, devastating crisis —and they’ll need help long after the world moves on.

නව වාහන ලියාපදිංචි කිරීම සහ ඒ ආශ්‍රිත සේවාවන් සඳහා බදු ගෙවන්නන් හඳුනාගැනීමේ අංකය (TIN) අනිවාර්ය වන බව මෝටර් රථ ප්‍රවාහන දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව (DMT) නිවේදනය කරයි. නව වාහන ලියාපදිංචි කිරීම සඳහා බදු ගෙවන්නන්ගේ හැඳුනුම්පත් අංකය (TIN) අනිවාර්ය වන බව මෝටර් රථ ප්‍රවාහන දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව (DMT) පැහැදිලි කරයි. කෙසේ වෙතත්, ඇතැම් වාහන වර්ග නිදහස් කර ඇත. යතුරුපැදි, ත්‍රිරෝද රථ, ට්‍රැක්ටර්, අත්ට්‍රැක්ටර් සහ ට්‍රැක්ටර් ට්‍රේලර් ලියාපදිංචි කිරීම හෝ පැවරීම සඳහා TIN අංකය අනිවාර්ය නොවන බව දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව පවසයි. වාහන ආනයන සීමා ඉවත් කිරීමෙන් පසු වාහන ලියාපදිංචි කිරීම සඳහා TIN අංකය අනිවාර්ය කරන බවට රජය පසුගිය මාසයේ නිවේදනය කර තිබීමත් සමඟ මෙම පැහැදිලි කිරීම සිදු වේ.

Gold has just smashed through the $5000 an ounce  barrier for the first time ever, hitting a high of $5020  yesterday before dipping slightly today. This latest surge is part of a months-long rally, with gold prices now sitting about 20% higher  than they were this time last year. A big reason behind the jump? Market jitters caused by US President Donald Trump's  economic policies—especially his upcoming expansion of tariffs . "Investors worldwide are turning to gold as the ultimate safe-haven asset," said Sean Hoey , managing director at IBV International Vaults London. He added that demand for secure gold storage  has been "unprecedented" as people look for ways to protect their wealth. And it’s not slowing down anytime soon. Trump is set to make his big ‘Liberation Day’  tariff announcements tomorrow at 7 AM AEDT , which could bring a fresh wave of market uncertainty. Australian exports—including beef, sheep, pharmaceuticals, and even media—could all be hit, based on a list of trade grievances from the US. There’s also growing speculation that Trump might scrap his ‘reciprocal tariffs’ approach  (where he matches fees charged by foreign countries on US imports) in favor of broader, blanket tariffs. With so much uncertainty ahead, it looks like gold’s moment in the spotlight isn’t over just yet.

ආහාර සුරක්ෂිතතාව තහවුරු කිරීම සහ මහජනතාවට පෝෂ්‍යදායි ආහාර දැරිය හැකි මිලකට ලබාදීමේ අරමුණින් රජයේ නව වැඩපිළිවෙළක් ඊයේ නාරාහේන්පිට ජාතික ආහාර ප්‍රවර්ධන මණ්ඩලයේ "පැලැස්ස" අවන්හලේදී නිල වශයෙන් එළිදැක්විණි. ජාතික ආහාර ප්‍රවර්ධන මණ්ඩලය, සෞඛ්‍ය අමාත්‍යාංශය සහ කෘෂිකර්ම අමාත්‍යාංශයේ සහයෝගයෙන් මෙම ව්‍යාපෘතිය ක්‍රියාත්මක කරන බව ජනාධිපති මාධ්‍ය අංශය පවසයි. දැනට පවතින ආපනශාලා ව්‍යාපාරවල සහයෝගය ද ඊට ඇතුළත් වන අතර එය "Clean Sri Lanka" වැඩසටහන සමඟ ඒකාබද්ධ වේ. මෙම මුලපිරීම හරහා, මිනිසුන්ට දැන් විශේෂයෙන් සකස් කරන ලද පෝෂ්‍යදායී ආහාර රු. 200 ලබා ගත හැකි අතර මෙම සමබර ආහාර පැකේජය නුදුරු අනාගතයේ දී රජයේ සහ පෞද්ගලික ආපනශාලා සඳහා හඳුන්වා දීමට ද රජය සැලසුම් කර ඇත. පිසූ ආහාරවලට අමතරව විවිධ පැකට් කරන ලද දේශීය ආහාර නිෂ්පාදන සහ පෝෂ්‍යදායී කෙටි ආහාර ද ජනතාවට දැරිය හැකි මිලකට ලබාදීමට නියමිතය. උත්සවයේ විශේෂ ආරාධිත අමුත්තා වූ කෘෂිකර්ම, පශු සම්පත්, ඉඩම් හා වාරිමාර්ග අමාත්‍ය කේ.ඩී. ලාල්කාන්ත මහතා මහජනතාවට උසස් තත්ත්වයේ, සෞඛ්‍ය සම්පන්න සහ ප්‍රමාණවත් ආහාර වේලක් ලබා දීමේ වැදගත්කම අවධාරණය කළේය. "Clean Sri Lanka" වැඩසටහන සමඟ එක්ව මහජනතාවට මග පෙන්වීම සහ වාණිජ ආහාර අංශයේ ධනාත්මක වෙනසක් ප්‍රවර්ධනය කිරීම සඳහා මෙම ව්‍යාපෘතිය දියත් කළ බව ඔහු ප්‍රකාශ කළේය.

Starting in 2026, school logos will be banned from certain uniform items in Victorian government schools—specifically, shorts, pants, skirts, and socks. The goal? To make uniforms more affordable for parents. Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan  and Education Minister Ben Carroll  made the announcement, explaining that while logos will still be required on blazers, shirts, t-shirts, and hats, schools will no longer be able to force families to pay extra for branded bottoms. "Parents are doing it tough right now—we're making sure they have one less thing to worry about," Allan said. Carroll added, "School costs can add up, and that's why we're helping with uniform costs and saying goodbye to expensive branded shorts, skirts, trackies, and socks." Right now, many government schools require students to wear branded uniforms, and in some cases, those items cost nearly $60 more  than generic versions. The government wants to ease that financial burden while still keeping school pride intact. "Schools can continue to have branding on hats, tops, shirts, dresses, and jackets—everything from the waist up," Allan said. "This helps with school pride, making sure all kids walk into school as equals, and recognizing students in a crowd." The Department of Education  will be working with schools to review and update their uniform policies, ensuring a smooth transition. And for students who already own branded shorts, skirts, and socks? No worries—they'll still be able to wear them during a transition period. For families struggling with school costs, this should bring some welcome relief!

සඳුදා (31) සවස කොළඹ කොටුවේ සිට බදුල්ල බලා ධාවනය වූ Odyssey ශීඝ්‍රගාමී දුම්රියේ ගමන් ගත් ඕස්ට්‍රේලියානු ජාතික කාන්තාවක් නානුඔය සහ අඹේවෙල දුම්රිය ස්ථාන අතර දුම්රිය මාර්ගය අසලදී පා පුවරුවේ සිට සෙල්ෆි ඡායාරූපයක් ගැනීමට යාමේදී ඇයගේ හිස යකඩ කණුවක වැදීමෙන් බරපතළ තුවාල ලබා තිබේ. ඇය නුවරඑළිය මහ රෝහලට ඇතුළත් කෙරුණා. ශ්‍රී ලංකාවට පැමිණෙමින් සිටි 27 හැවිරිදි සංචාරක තරුණිය ඇල්ල ප්‍රදේශයට යමින් සිටියදී මෙම අනතුරට මුහුණ දී ඇත. ඇයගේ හිස යකඩ කණුවේ වැදී දුම්රියෙන් වැටී ඇති බවයි දුම්රිය නිලධාරීන් සඳහන් කළේ. ඇය අසාධ්‍ය තත්ත්වයේ පසුවන බව රෝහල් ප්‍රකාශකයෙකු තහවුරු කළා. හපුතලේ පොලිසිය වැඩිදුර පරීක්ෂණ පවත්වයි.

Huge waves are still pounding the NSW coast today, with hazardous surf warnings stretching across a massive section of the shoreline. Meanwhile, residents are starting the clean-up after some seriously wild conditions. A low-pressure system in the southern Tasman Sea is churning up massive waves, with the Bureau of Meteorology warning that the heavy surf could cause local damage and coastal erosion between Jervis Bay (just south of Sydney) and Seal Rocks on the Mid North Coast. Yesterday, waves as high as six meters  were recorded off Eden on the South Coast, smashing into beaches and catching plenty of people off guard. Despite warnings, some Sydney locals ignored closed beaches and coastal walk signs, venturing out anyway. At Dolls Point in the city's south, the rough waters were so intense they tore up pavements and dumped sand into people’s front yards. SES crews were called in to help sandbag properties. Right now, the Bureau has issued hazardous surf warnings for the Sydney, Byron, Coffs, Macquarie, Hunter, Illawarra, Batemans, and Eden coasts , along with a marine wind warning  for Illawarra, Batemans, and Eden. Authorities are urging everyone to stay out of the water and away from exposed coastal areas. Rock fishing, boating, and swimming are especially risky. If you’re out on the water, Marine Rescue advises carrying proper safety gear, including lifejackets, and logging your journey with a local radio base. The good news? Conditions should start easing this afternoon. But until then, it's best to stay safe and steer clear of the waves!

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese isn’t backing down after US President Donald Trump took aim at Australia in his latest trade report. Ahead of tomorrow’s expected tariff announcement, Trump’s administration has flagged several grievances with Australia, including our strict bans on importing uncooked American beef, pork, and poultry. Now, Australia is bracing for what could be its biggest tariffs yet. But Albanese made it clear—he’s not budging. “I have seen this report, and there are at least three key issues of concern: the news bargaining code, pharmaceuticals, and biosecurity,” he told the media. “Those issues are not up for negotiation. We will defend Australia's interests.” The PM was firm in saying that Australia won’t weaken its biosecurity laws just to dodge Trump’s tariffs. He described the US trade approach as “cutting off your nose to spite your face” and said that, under his leadership, Australia’s biosecurity system remains a top priority. “Not on my watch,” he declared. “We will negotiate sensibly, but we will not undermine our biosecurity system.” Despite the growing trade tensions, Albanese insisted his relationship with Trump remains “constructive.” But when it comes to things like the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), the news bargaining code, and biosecurity, he’s standing his ground. “We are not negotiating over the PBS. We are not negotiating over the news bargaining code. We will not undermine our biosecurity.” Australia isn’t the only country in Trump’s sights. The Office of the US Trade Representative released a list of 21 nations under review for “unfair trade practices,” including the UK, China, the EU, India, Japan, and more. Trump has threatened to slap reciprocal tariffs on any country that taxes American imports, calling it part of his “liberation day of America” plan. He claims these tariffs will be “far more generous” than what those countries imposed on the US. Even under past trade disputes, Australia hasn’t been able to escape Trump’s tariffs—his steel and aluminum duties still stand despite heavy lobbying. And with tomorrow’s announcement looming, it looks like the trade battle is just getting started.

තරුණ තරුණියන් 30,000ක් රාජ්‍ය සේවයට බඳවා ගන්නා බවත් ඒ සඳහා අවශ්‍ය මුදල් මේ වන විටත් වෙන් කර ඇති බවත් ජනාධිපති අනුර කුමාර දිසානායක මහතා පවසයි. පළාත් පාලන මැතිවරණයට පෙර බුත්තල ප්‍රදේශයේ පැවති ජන හමුවකට එක්වෙමින් ජනාධිපතිවරයා තරුණ තරුණියන්ට රැකියා අවස්ථා ලබාදීමට රජයේ කැපවීම අවධාරණය කළේය. "දක්ෂතා ඇති තරුණ තරුණියන් 30,000ක් අලුතින් බඳවා ගන්නවා.දැන් මුදල් වෙන්කර තිබෙනවා.මම දැක්කා පත්තරවල දැන්වීම් රාශියක් පළවෙනවා.අයදුම් කරන අයට රැකියා ලබාදෙනවා." ඔහු පැවසීය. රැකියා අවස්ථා වලට අමතරව, අවශ්‍යතා ඇති අය සඳහා සුබසාධන ආධාර පුළුල් කිරීමේ උත්සාහයන් අවධාරණය කළ ජනාධිපති දිසානායක, “‘අස්වැසුම’ සුබසාධන ප්‍රතිලාභ ලැබිය යුතු නමුත් නොලැබෙන පිරිසක් සිටිති. අපි අයදුම්පත් කැඳවා ඇති අතර, දැන්, තේරීම් මණ්ඩල හරහා, ජුනි මාසය වන විට, පවුල් 400,000 කට නව සුබසාධන ප්‍රතිලාභ ලබා දීමට අපි කටයුතු කරමින් සිටිමු. "කිසිවක් නොලැබුණු පුද්ගලයින් ලක්ෂ 8ක් පමණ සිටිනවා. ඔවුන්ට සහන සැලසීම සඳහා සතොස හරහා රුපියල් 5,000ක ආහාර මල්ලක් රුපියල් 2500කට ලබාදීමට අපි විශේෂ ආහාර සහන වැඩසටහනක් හඳුන්වා දෙනවා," ඔහු වැඩිදුරටත් පැවසීය. රාජ්‍ය අංශයේ මූල්‍යාධාරවල විෂමතා ද පිළිගත් ජනාධිපතිතුමා, ඇතැම් සේවකයන්ට වැටුප් වැඩිවීම් සහ විශ්‍රාම වැටුප් ගැලපීම් ලැබී ඇතත්, ජනගහනයෙන් සැලකිය යුතු කොටසක් එම ප්‍රතිලාභ නොමැතිව අරගල කරන බව සඳහන් කළේය.

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) decided to keep the cash rate on hold for now, avoiding any April Fools' surprises. They’re sticking with a rate of 4.10%, which is where it was after they made a long-awaited cut back in February. The decision comes with some positive signs on inflation, and the fact that housing prices in Australia hit a new record high in March—just a month after that interest rate drop. The RBA’s monetary statement pointed out that they’re keeping a close eye on global events, particularly the ongoing situation with US tariffs and their potential to disrupt global confidence. They also highlighted some geopolitical uncertainties that could weigh on the global economy. If countries start retaliating or if tariffs expand, it could lead to more hesitation from households and businesses about spending. Despite holding off on a rate cut this time, a lot of economists expect the RBA to drop rates again in 2025. CoreLogic’s Tim Lawless mentioned that inflation data, set to come out on April 30, will play a key role in determining the RBA’s next move. If inflation stays below 3%, which seems likely, a second rate cut might be on the cards. Big banks like CBA, Westpac, and NAB are predicting up to three rate cuts this year, while ANZ expects just one more in August. But some experts, like Geoffrey Kingston from Macquarie University, think the RBA might be holding back to avoid making waves with the federal election coming up soon. In other words, they’re taking a "wait and see" approach, not rushing into any drastic moves just yet. It's all a bit of a balancing act at the moment.

The devastation from last week's massive earthquake in Myanmar  is becoming clearer—and the numbers are heartbreaking. According to state media, the death toll has now climbed past 2,000 , and it could rise even higher as rescuers reach remote areas. The 7.7 magnitude quake  struck on Friday , with its epicenter near Mandalay , Myanmar’s second-largest city. It buckled roads, collapsed buildings, and even damaged the city's airport . The situation is dire, with power outages, fuel shortages, and barely functioning communications  making rescue efforts even more difficult. Hundreds Killed in Religious Sites Among the victims were 270 Buddhist monks , crushed when their monastery collapsed , and at least 700 Muslim worshippers , who were killed as mosques crumbled during Friday prayers  in Ramadan . Tun Kyi , from the Spring Revolution Myanmar Muslim Network , said at least 60 mosques were damaged or destroyed , and videos online show buildings toppling like dominoes . It’s unclear if these numbers are already included in the official death toll. A Country Already in Crisis Even before this disaster, Myanmar was struggling . Years of civil war  had already displaced over 3 million people , and now the earthquake has made things even worse. Aid groups, including the United Nations , are warning of hunger, disease outbreaks, and a desperate need for medical care . Rescuers in Mandalay  are still searching through the rubble of U Hla Thein monastery , where 150 monks  remain missing. But with limited heavy machinery , many dig with their bare hands —all while battling 40-degree heat . Access to many areas has been cut off by landslides , and the World Health Organization  says at least three hospitals  were destroyed, with 22 others damaged . How Bad Is It? No One Knows Yet. With communications down , no one really knows the full scale of the disaster. Lauren Ellery , from the International Rescue Committee , said reports from a town near Mandalay suggest 80% of buildings have collapsed , but it's barely been covered in the news because it's impossible to get information out . A Microsoft AI  analysis of satellite images from Mandalay found 515 buildings completely destroyed  and over 1,500 heavily damaged —but that’s just one city. International Aid Is Arriving Despite the challenges, help is starting to arrive. Teams from Russia, China, India, and Southeast Asian nations  are on the ground. On Monday , an Indian rescue team  was seen jackhammering through concrete  in Mandalay, pulling out bodies. Countries like the EU, UK, Australia, and South Korea  have pledged millions in aid , and the U.S.  is sending a team of experts and up to $2 million  in assistance. Bangkok Hit Too The earthquake wasn’t just felt in Myanmar—it also caused damage in Bangkok, Thailand , where at least 18 people  died, many at a collapsed construction site  near the famous Chatuchak Market . Rescuers there have been forced to pause heavy equipment  while they listen for signs of life. On Sunday night, they picked up possible signals—but couldn’t confirm if they were from survivors. Among those waiting for news is Naruemon Thonglek , whose partner and five friends were working at the site. “A part of me still hopes they will survive,”  she said, watching rescuers dig through the rubble. With the monsoon season just around the corner, finding shelter for survivors  will be a major challenge. For now, the priority remains rescuing those still trapped —before time runs out.