Mar 15 (DM) SL is increasingly vulnerable to cyberattacks targeting businesses’ financial transactions, with 9,218 incidents of financial phishing detected in 2024 alone, according to the latest Kaspersky Security Bulletin. The figure highlights the growing sophistication of cybercriminals, who are targeting businesses with deceptive online tactics designed to steal sensitive financial information, it said. Financial phishing attacks, which involve fraudulent notifications more..

Mar 15 (FT) The impact of GRACE is profound, benefiting 227,815 individuals in total and the project’s close involvement of local administration and communities will secure sustainability. 156,992 individuals strengthened through conflict resolution and social cohesion. 60,417 individuals trained on violence prevention and rapid response mechanisms. 10,406 individuals were able to improve their income opportunities through income generation activities, and savings groups. more..

Mar 15 (EN) An inclusive support center has been opened at the Makumbura multi modal centre to facilitate differently-abled passengers in public transportation. “Employees with special needs have been employed for the service of this Help Desk,” a government statement said. The support centre will provide passengers with many services such as an emergency notification number, ease of communication for hearing-impaired passengers and ease of access to information. more..

Mar 15 (ST) Constitutional Council (CC) has approved the names of three senior High Court Judges to fill the vacancies in the Court of Appeal (CA). Three judges are Kandy HC judge Sumudu Premachandra, Commercial HC (Colombo) judge Priyantha Fernando, and Trincomalee HC judge A. Premashankar. Their names were proposed by Chief Justice Murdu Fernando and were forwarded to the CC by Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake. The CC approved the names of the three judges more..

Mar 15 (FT) The long-awaited Batalanda Commission Report was tabled in Parliament yesterday by Leader of the House Bimal Rathnayake, marking the first time the document has been officially presented in the legislature since its completion decades ago. The report, which investigated allegations of unlawful detention, torture and extrajudicial killings at the Batalanda Housing Scheme between 1988 and 1990 during more..

Mar 15 (DN) SL will introduce a novel and practical business event calendar to host local and international events which will benefit the local industries and others scooters said Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe. He said this at the opening of the 3-day CEMS-Global USA’s highly anticipated 14th SL Edition of the Textile Series of Exhibitions. “Many local & int'l trade events are held in various parts of the month and the govt’s idea is to host these exhibitions at appropriate times” more..

Mar 15 (DM) A key witness who had been evading court warrants in the High Court case concerning the illegal acquisition of assets worth Rs. 1.5 billion linked to Dematagoda Ruwan was remanded by Colombo Chief Magistrate Tanuja Lakmali until March 17. The suspect, Inoka Lakmali, an accountant, was allegedly responsible for handling financial records related to the case. The CID informed the court that she is a key witness in the ongoing legal proceedings at High Court more..

Mar 15 (CT) Nearly 7 million people are expected to take part in the census scheduled to be conducted on the wild animal population on 15 March, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:05 a.m. The required sheets have already been distributed to almost every household across all Grama Niladhari divisions in the country, said G.G.V. Shyamali, Additional Director General of Development at the Dept of Agriculture, on Friday (14). more..

Mar 16 (SO) Jaffna, the capital of the Northern Province, is once again in the limelight thanks to a slew of Govt initiatives to develop the Province whilst addressing the grievances of the Northern Tamil community. Jaffna had undergone many trials and tribulations, having experienced a devastating war that lasted almost 30 years. There is no doubt that the war scarred the North beyond any tangible measure. Jaffna itself, under Govt control since the mid-1990s, remained relatively intact but more..

Mar 16 (GV) Constitutional reform has been a consistent demand of the citizens of SL, most of whom firmly oppose an all-powerful president who is free of the checks and balances imposed by a strong parliament. Successive presidents have pledged to abolish the executive presidency only to renege on that promise once they were elected to power. However, since the presidential system was introduced by J.R. Jayewardene in 1978, it has consistently failed to deliver political stability, more..

Mar 16 (TM) That Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) and his JVP-led NPP do not seem to be able to catch a break is evident by the latest controversy to put pressure on the administration – the call for action on the controversial Batalanda Commission report as well as on the assassination of the Founder of the JVP, the late Rohana Wijeweera. The call for action on the Batalanda Commission report and other atrocities more..

Mar 16 (TM) Sri Lanka’s tax collection mechanism is widely criticised for its mismanagement and misconduct, which directly contributes to the decline in the country’s expected public revenue. To address this issue, every govt has taken measures that are sometimes criticised for being unfavourable to the general public. Many parties have also raised concerns about the latest tax policy amendments proposed in the NPP Govt’s maiden Budget in light of their potential impact on taxpayers. more..

Mar 16 (ST) My dear Uncle Ranil, I thought I must write to you because everyone is talking about you once again, although you say you are not in active politics. This is after that controversial interview you had with a journalist from a foreign network. Many thought you had come off second best – though I am sure you would disagree! It is true that you were asked some difficult questions. It did seem as if the interviewer was briefed, well prepared and armed with a variety of statements from different more..

Mar 16 (ST) With the return of Donald Trump to the US presidency, American foreign policy has been turned upside down and downside up. It has sent even its own diplomats into a spin, not knowing what to do, and some of them looking rather, well, shall we say, witless for once upon a time pursuing what they thought was to follow the so-called Northern Star of US foreign policy, i.e., promoting human rights, democracy, more..

Mar 16 (TM) It all started a couple of weeks ago when former Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe was confronted by Al Jazeera journalist Mehdi Hasan about his role in the infamous Batalanda saga. During the course of the heated TV interview, when questioned about the report of the Batalanda Prez Commission of Inquiry, Wickremesinghe in customary style dismissed the existence of such a report, but when former BBC journalist Frances Harrison who was part of the studio audience more..

Mar 16 (ST) Right to Information (RTI) Act has been a rare victory for Sri Lankans, who are more often mutely subjected to bad laws passed upon them by govts indifferent to their collective woes. RTI Act was rated third in the global ranking of sunshine laws across the world when it was unanimously passed in Parliament in 2016 after a 14-year struggle by media bodies and civil society. Since then, the high point of the law has been its use by citizens from remote villages and towns to the capital, more..

Mar 16 (Island) The ongoing Committee Stage of the Budget 2025 debate due to end on March 25 has elicited some, if we may call it that, salacious information of the spending habits of functionaries of the previous regime. While the public was not unaware of the fact that the political hierarchies of successive govts in office lavished tax rupees on themselves, a trend that unfortunately kept growing from regime to regime post-Independence, there was no focus of how badly the situation had more..

Mar 16 (Island) Donald Trump is sucking almost all of the world’s political oxygen. Daily he is stealing the headline thunder in all of the western media. The coverage in other countries may not be as extensive but would still be significant. There is universal curiosity over the systemic chaos that Trump is unleashing in America. There is also the no less universal apprehension about what Trump’s disruptive tariffs will do to the lives of people in reciprocal countries. more..

Mar 16 (CT) Election Commission has extended several key deadlines concerning the upcoming Local Govt Elections, although the official polling date is yet to be determined, pending the completion of the nomination process. Elections Commissioner General Saman Sri Ratnayake announced that the deadline for accepting postal vote applications, initially set to close at midnight on 12 March, has been extended until midnight on 17 March. more..

Mar 16 (TM) Left-handed opener Hirun Liyanarachchi cracked a superb 105 off 123 balls, as Royal romped to a morale-boosting four-wicket win over traditional rivals S. Thomas’ in their 48th limited overs match at SSC grounds yesterday. Set a target of 220 off 50 overs, the lads from Reid Avenue coasted home with 20 deliveries to spare to regain the Mustangs Trophy after 2023, having controlled the game from start to finish. Liyanarachchi thus became only the first centurion for Royal on more..

Mar 16 (SO) The interview of former Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe conducted with Al Jazeera recently did not serve any purpose and he is perplexed by the decision to accept the interview, NDF MP Ravi Karunanayake said. “I don’t understand why the former President agreed to the interview,” he said. Karunanayake said he feels that the interview was unwarranted. “Wickremesinghe achieved nothing from the interview, and it seemed the interview was conducted like a public whipping. more..

Mar 16 (ST) With the current Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) administration, led by Shammi Silva, all but certain to secure a third consecutive term in office at the election of office bearers scheduled for March 31, serious questions have been raised regarding the validity of the proposed election. The controversy stems from the fact that the regulations governing these elections, though gazetted, are yet to be passed in Parliament, casting doubt over their legal standing. more..

Mar 16 (TM) National Shooting Sport Federation of SL (NSSF) will conduct its Skeet Open and Trap Open Championships for 2025 during the latter part of March at the Payagala Range of the Clay Target Shooting Club of Colombo. The first of the two events, NSSF Skeet Open Championship 2025, commenced yesterday and will continue today, while the NSSF Trap Open Championship 2025 will be held from 27-30 March. SL’s top clay target shooting athletes of all categories are expected to more..

Mar 16 (AD) SL-born Gary Anandasangaree has been sworn in as Minister of Justice & Attorney General of Canada, as well as the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs, during a swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Friday. The ceremony marked the appointment of new PM Mark Carney and a streamlined cabinet, with the Indigenous affairs ministers remaining unchanged. more..

Mar 16 (NW) Sexual Assault of a doctor in Anuradhapura hospital has once again sparked a discussion on our collective failure to combat violent crimes against women. While we express our solidarity and empathy with the survivor of this particular incident we also stress that regardless of the social category or the identity of the victim, our mission should be to dismantle the culture of violence against women. Every day we hear of one crime or the other against women, more..

Mar 16 (AD) Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath informed Parliament that an action task force will be established to address the challenges posed by the evolving global tariff structures resulting from the policies of newly elected US Prez Donald Trump. “We are facing significant challenges due to the tax policies introduced by Prez Donald Trump. Currently, SL exports approximately $3 billion worth of goods to the US, while our imports from the U.S. stand at around $368 million. more..

Mar 16 (AD) Attorney General’s (AG) Dept is awaiting the Batalanda Commission report, which was recently tabled in Parliament, in order to take the necessary legal steps. When contacted, AG Parinda Ranasinghe stated that his office was awaiting the formal submission of the report. “The report was tabled in Parliament, but there has to be a covering direction from the relevant authorities before it is sent to me,” he explained. more..

Mar 16 (EN) New active credit cards in Sri Lanka increased by 10,540 in January this year, the central bank data showed, amid economic recovery and local banks promoting them along with the key fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) vendors backed by falling interest rates. The number of active credit cards recorded 2,018,996 by end January, compared to 2,008,456 by end December last year, showing an increase of 0.5%. Active credit cards in Sri Lanka rose by 4.8% or 91,371 in 2024, more..

Mar 16 (DM) Officers from the CID have recorded statements from the wife and son of former IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon, who is currently evading court proceedings. According to sources, the CID visited Tennakoon’s residence in Hokandara to gather information from his family members. Earlier, an open arrest warrant was issued by the Matara Magistrate’s Court, directing authorities to immediately arrest Tennakoon wherever he is found and to produce him before court. more..

Mar 16 (Island) The CCTV surveillance system installed for the security of Anuradhapura city is currently inactive, raising concerns among residents, officials, and legal professionals. Although 47 cameras were installed under this system, none are currently operational, significantly affecting crime detection and law enforcement efforts, officials said. North Central Provincial Council had initially installed CCTV systems in A'pura, Habarana, and Polonnaruwa in 2017 at a cost of Rs. 7 mil. more..

Mar 16 (DM) Minister Bimal Rathnayake revealed today that former President Ranil Wickremesinghe had used public funds of Sterling Pounds 40,000 (Over Rs. 16 million) for a private visit with his wife to the UK in 2023. The Minister told Parliament that it is a criminal offence to use public funds for a private visit and urged the Foreign Ministry to conduct an investigation into the incident. He said a delegation of ten people had accompanied Wickremesinghe and his wife. more..

Mar 16 (SO) In a passionate address to a gathering of Catholic media personnel yesterday, Archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith called upon the Govt to take immediate action in fulfilling its promises to the people, stressing the importance of protecting media freedom, human dignity, and the independence of the nation. Asserting that the people voted for the current Govt with the expectation of change, Cardinal more..

Mar 16 (Island) We have just witnessed a fiercely contested First-Class season culminate in Bloomfield being crowned champions – a long-awaited triumph after 15 years in the wilderness. The tournament had all the hallmarks of a riveting contest, but as the dust settles, a significant shake-up has taken center stage. In a bold yet ruthless move, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) wielded the axe to trim down the number of First-Class teams, aiming to restore quality over quantity. more..

Mar 16 (AD) TNA MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam says that SL’s problem is that regardless of who is in power, the state always protects the state. Referring to former Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe’s recent Al Jazeera interview, MP said he does not understand why the ex-president is defending the previous govt. He charged that former Prez, who sat in the opposition at the time, “who seemed to be a champion of human rights, has gone on Al Jazeera & defended govt he himself was opposed to.” more..

Mar 16 (SO) The 2024 (2025) GCE O/L exam will begin tomorrow (17) at 3,663 exam centres islandwide. Commissioner General of Examinations Amith Jayasundara said that 474,147 students are eligible to sit the exam this year. Of them 398,192 are school students while 75,965 are private candidates. The exam, conducted in Sinhala, Tamil and English according to the candidates’ preference, will continue until March 26, with coordination activities conducted at 534 centres. more..