A German woman who has obtained Sri Lankan citizenship has entered the race for the upcoming Local Government Elections in the Matale District.
The woman has placed her deposit and is set to contest for a seat in the Galewala Pradeshiya Sabha under an independent group.
Speaking to the media after submitting her deposit, she stated that she hopes to bring positive change to Sri Lanka through her political involvement.
The Supreme Court today (19) dismissed a fundamental rights petition filed by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, challenging the government’s decision to reduce his security detail to 60 personnel without proper evaluation.
The Court issued this order after considering the details of the petition filed on behalf of Mahinda Rajapaksa.
The case was initially taken up for consideration on February 6, with the Supreme Court deciding to reconvene on March 19, 2025, to review the petition.
The petition sought the redeployment of his security detail, which had been reduced.
President’s Counsel Ali Sabry, representing Rajapaksa, presented facts and argued that the reduction in security had been made without a proper security assessment.
The President’s Counsel further stated that decisions about reducing or increasing security should be made based on a formal evaluation of security needs.
The petition, filed by Rajapaksa’s attorneys on January 24, claimed that the reduction of his security personnel violated his fundamental rights.
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya and other members of the Cabinet of Ministers had been named as respondents in the petition.
The petition alleged that the security detail had been reduced to 60 personnel, with no armed forces personnel assigned for his protection, leaving only police officers for his security.
Rajapaksa, who played a key role in ending the country’s nearly three-decade-long civil war, expressed concerns about ongoing threats to his life, including potential terrorist threats.
He requested the Court to determine that his fundamental human rights were violated by the arbitrary reduction of his security detail.
Accordingly, despite these claims, the Supreme Court dismissed the petition without taking it up for hearing.
With a delegation from the European Union expected at the end of next month, the government is hard-pressed for the fulfilment of obligations including the repeal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act and the amendment of the Online Safety Act to qualify for the Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) under the new guidelines being worked out, Daily Mirror learns from diplomatic sources.
The government is also required to improve anti-corruption measures.
European Union is revising the criterion for beneficiary countries to qualify for GSP+ starting from 2027.
GSP+ is a special incentive arrangement for sustainable development and good governance. GSP+ slashes the tariffs to zero for vulnerable low- and lower-middle income countries that implement 27 international conventions related to labour and human rights, environmental and climate protection, and good governance under the current system.
Compliance with the principles of all including environmental and good governance conventions will become mandatory for the beneficiaries, according to sources. Also, a procedure has been laid down for the rapid withdrawal of the facility in case obligations are not fulfilled.
For GSP+ beneficiaries, a two-year transitional period will be given to ratify newly added conventions. They will have to submit a detailed implementation plan for all conventions to be included in the system.
European Union has already informed that the PTA in its current form is unacceptable.
In the new system, good governance aspects include fight against corruption- introduction of meaningful measures preventing corruption, bribes and a reliable transparent public tender procedures.
Sri Lanka once lost the GSP+ . The country received it back in 2017 with the promise to repeal the PTA.
Sri Lanka- European Union trade volume stands at US $ 3.2 billion. The trade balance is in favour of Sri Lanka.
Former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Deshabandu Tennakoon has surrendered to the Matara Magistrate’s Court this morning.
The Court had previously issued arrest warrants for eight former officers of the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD), including Tennakoon, in connection with a shooting incident that took place in front of the W15 Hotel in the Pelena area of Weligama, Matara, on December 31, 2023.
On Monday, the Court of Appeal dismissed the writ petition filed by Deshabandu Tennakoon, seeking an interim injunction to prevent the execution of the arrest order issued by the Matara Magistrate’s Court against him in connection with the shooting incident.
The Speaker of Parliament, Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne, has announced a ban on the live broadcast of Jaffna District MP Ramanathan Archchuna’s statements on audiovisual and social media for the next eight parliamentary sessions, starting tomorrow (20).
Accordingly, MP Archuna’s speeches in Parliament on March 20, 21, April 8, 9, 10, May 6, 7 and 8 will be barred from being broadcast live due to the controversial speeches made by him, Speaker announced in Parliament today.
This decision was made in response to derogatory and insulting statements made by the MP, which the Speaker deemed detrimental to national unity and reconciliation.
Additionally, the Speaker stated that any occasional derogatory, indecent, and vulgar remarks made by Archchuna will be removed from the Hansard records.
Furthermore, the Speaker informed Parliament that he will assess whether to lift this temporary suspension based on the MP’s conduct during the restricted period.
A former army major was arrested today (18) after allegedly behaving in a disorderly manner and verbally abusing hospital staff at the Nuwara Eliya District General Hospital, according to the Nuwara Eliya Police.
The incident occurred when the former major, who had come to Nuwara Eliya for a holiday, fell and injured himself. Upon arriving at the hospital for treatment, the suspect reportedly had a disagreement with a hospital staff member during the admission process. In response, the major stripped naked and verbally assaulted the hospital’s director and staff.
The Director of the Nuwara Eliya District General Hospital, Dr. Mahendra Seneviratne, confirmed that the altercation occurred between the major and a junior staff member. When Dr. Seneviratne went to investigate the matter, the major further verbally abused him.
Following a formal complaint from the hospital director, the Nuwara Eliya Police took action, arresting the former major and providing him with medical treatment under police protection.
Sri Lanka’s Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) marks its 12th anniversary today, but the underutilized facility is struggling with financial losses and minimal flight traffic, renewing calls for a strategic overhaul.
Opened on March 18, 2013, MRIA was intended to be the country’s second international gateway. However, despite its modern infrastructure, it has failed to attract sustainable air operations, with major airlines pulling out due to low passenger demand.
Former Civil Aviation Authority Chairman Upul Dharmadasa, who facilitated the landing of MRIA’s first commercial flight, said the airport still has potential if effectively positioned. Continued. Page 11
“Having a secondary airport is an advantage – it helps reduce insurance costs for airlines, including SriLankan Airlines,” said Dharmadasa, adding that MRIA could be repurposed as a maintenance and cargo hub to generate revenue.
Efforts to revive the loss-making airport include a potential management takeover.
Despite these efforts, the National Audit Office revealed in January that the US$247.7 million (Rs. 36.56 billion) spent on MRIA construction had not been used effectively. In 2023, the airport reported an operating loss of Rs. 2.12 billion (Rs. 6.8 million) and a revenue of Rs. 288 million.
Built to handle one million passengers annually, MRIA has handled only 190,750 passengers in the past six years, with only 2,182 flights recorded between 2018 and 2023. The cumulative net loss after tax for the period was Rs. 38.49 billion (Rs. 123 million).
The Supreme Court ruled that the detention order issued by then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) against a woman, who was arrested over the charges of drug possession in 2020, is in violation of the law.
Accordingly, the Supreme Court ordered the government to pay Rs. 100,000 in compensation to the petitioner, for the violation of her fundamental human rights.
This verdict was issued by the Supreme Court today (18), after considering a petition filed by the woman in question, who was arrested by Peliyagoda Special Investigation Unit in 2020 over drug possession.
Imthiaz Bakeer Markar has resigned from his position as Chairman of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB).
His resignation letter was reportedly submitted to party leader Sajith Premadasa and General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara.
When contacted, SJB General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara confirmed that party leader Sajith Premadasa did not accept Bakeer Markar’s resignation letter.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking on American scientist Lex Fridman’s podcast on Sunday (16), slammed the United Nations and other international organisations as irrelevant amid rising global conflicts – referring to the ongoing Middle East wars and China – US tensions.
According to PM Modi, the organisations have become “almost irrelevant” as there is “no reform” left in them.
“The international organisations that were created have become almost irrelevant, there is no reform in them. Institutions like the UN cannot play their role. People in the world who do not care about laws and rules are doing everything, no one is able to stop them,” the Prime Minister said.
The PM reflected on lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic, which exposed the vulnerabilities of every nation, and underscored the need for unity amid raging global tensions.
“Covid-19 has exposed the limitations of all of us. No matter how much we consider ourselves a great nation, very progressive, very scientifically advanced, whatever it may be, everyone in their own way, but in the times of Covid-19, we all came down to earth, every country of the world. And then it seemed that the world would learn something from it, and we would move towards a new world order. But unfortunately, the situation was such that instead of moving towards peace, the world disintegrated, a period of uncertainty came, and the war put it in more trouble,” PM Modi told Fridman.
PM Modi called for a shift from conflict to cooperation, advocating a development-driven approach as the way forward. Expansionism will not work in an interconnected and interdependent world, he asserted, stressing on the need for nations to support one another.
“As I said earlier, the world is interdependent, interconnected…Everyone needs everyone, no one can do anything alone. And I see that in all the different forums I have to go to, everyone is worried about conflict. We hope to get relief from it very soon,” the PM added.
Last year, PM Modi, in his address to the UN’s ‘Summit of the Future’, made a clarion call for change from the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) lectern, noting that reform is the key to relevance. He added that global action “must match” global ambition.
Source: NDTV
