News Room : Hudson Samarasinghe sues Premakeerthi de Alwis’ wife for defamation
Ex-chairman of the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC), Hudson Samarasinghe, has filed a defamation lawsuit against the wife of late media personality Premakeerthi de Alwis, seeking Rs 500 million in damages. The case, heard before Colombo District Judge Sandun Vithana on Tuesday (18 March), alleges that Nirmala de Alwis’ public statements falsely implicated Samarasinghe in de Alwis’s death, causing reputational...
News Room : Supreme Court dismisses Mahinda Rajapaksa’s petition on security personnel reduction
Former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s fundamental rights petition, challenging the government’s decision to reduce the number of security personnel assigned to him to 60 without proper consideration, was dismissed by the Supreme Court today (March 19) without a hearing. After thoroughly reviewing the details of the petition presented by Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Supreme Court issued this ruling.
News Room : Breaking: Supreme Court Dismisses Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Petition on Security Reduction
The Supreme Court has dismissed without hearing the fundamental rights (FR) petition filed by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, challenging the reduction of his security detail. Rajapaksa had sought a court order to reinstate his security, which he claimed was reduced to 60 personnel without a proper security assessment. The petition named Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya and other Cabinet ministers...
News Room : Sri Lanka’s Economy Grows by 5.0% in 2024, Rebounding from Crisis
Sri Lanka’s economy grew by 5.0% in 2024 despite concerns that elections could further strain the crisis-hit nation, official data showed on Tuesday. The Department of Census and Statistics announced that the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) expanded by 5.0% for the year. Sri Lanka held two crucial elections in September and November 2024, which led to the country’s first...
News Room : Putin Agrees to Halt Attacks on Ukraine’s Energy Infrastructure, Rejects Full Ceasefire
In a phone call on March 19, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to halt attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure but stopped short of endorsing a full ceasefire. Putin rejected a proposed month-long ceasefire negotiated by the United States with Ukraine in Saudi Arabia, citing conditions that would require an end to foreign military...
News Room : Showers above 75 mm can be expected at some places in Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces and in Galle and Matara districts after 2pm –
The Aswasuma Welfare Benefit payment Scheme has been implementing from 01-07-2023 and this scheme has been finally amended by the Extra Ordinary Gazette No 2415/66 dated 21-12-2024. Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the proposal presented by the President, in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, to publish the following through a Gazette Notification,...
News Room : Understanding the basics and getting started – Part I – The Island
Former Commander-in-Chief and ex-President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s inadequate defence of the war-winning armed forces underscores the failure on the part of successive governments to address war crimes allegations. Wickremesinghe’s responses highlighted Sri Lanka’s collective and pathetic failure to defend its armed forces. The country missed an opportunity to question the absurdity of UN war crimes accusations based on claims by...
News Room : IGP Deshabandu Still Missing as President AKD Vows Crackdown on Crime
Sri Lankan police are still searching for their own chief, while President Anura Kumara Dissanayake held discussions with top officers from the Western Province today (18 March), his office said. During the meeting at the Presidential Secretariat, Dissanayake pledged to provide the necessary resources to combat organized crime and drug trafficking while introducing new legislation, according to a statement from...
News Room : SC Holds State Liable for Illegal PTA Detention Order Issued by Gota
The Supreme Court has ruled that a detention order issued by then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) against a woman arrested for alleged drug possession in 2020 was unlawful. The court ordered the State to pay Rs. 100,000 in compensation to the petitioner for violating her fundamental rights. The judgment was delivered today (18) by Justice...
News Room : Peru declares state of emergency, deploys army as violence surges in capital
Amid widespread protests a day after the killing of a popular singer, Peru’s president on Monday declared a state of emergency in the capital, ordering the deployment of soldiers to assist police in quelling a surge in violence. President Dina Boluarte’s government issued a decree saying the state of emergency would last for 30 days and that authorities would restrict...