The Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) has decided to lodge complaints with the Bribery Commission and the Criminal Investigation Department over Avant-Garde’s involvement in maritime security operations. COPE Chairman Dr Nishantha Samaraweera stated that the arrangement had caused significant financial losses to the Government. COPE will also examine recovering the alleged losses and terminating agreements linked to the company.

COPE to probe alleged government losses over Avant-Garde deal

The Irrigation Department has extended flood warnings for the Nilwala and Gin rivers for another 24 hours. The warnings remain in effect due to prevailing rainy weather, with motorists and residents in affected areas urged to remain vigilant and exercise caution.

Flood warnings extended for Nilwala and Gin rivers

Several spells of showers are expected in the Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces and in Galle, Matara, Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya districts today (27), the Department of Meteorology stated. Showers or thundershowers are also expected in parts of the Uva and Eastern provinces and several districts after 2.00 p.m. The public has been advised to take precautions against strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.

Showers expected in several parts of the island

The Sri Lanka Navy has seized a vessel carrying suspected narcotic drugs during an operation at Kusumanthurai Beach in Madagal, Jaffna, early this morning (27). One suspect was arrested, while the vessel suspected of being used for drug trafficking was taken into Navy custody. Further investigations into the seized consignment are underway.

Navy seizes vessel carrying suspected narcotics in Jaffna

Two people, including a woman, have died following a shooting in Halpathota, Baddegama, this morning (27). Police stated that three people travelling in a three-wheeler were shot after gunmen blocked their vehicle. Another woman remains in critical condition at Galle National Hospital. Preliminary investigations indicate that a T-56 rifle was used in the shooting. Two police teams are investigating.

Two killed, woman critically injured in Baddegama shooting

<ul><li>Official-level discussions underway on cross-border electricity network</li><li>Govt. yet to make policy decision</li><li>Grid plan eyes Myanmar link, excludes Pakistan</li></ul>&nbsp;Sri Lanka has entered official-level discussions on connecting its electricity grid to a wider regional power network under an Asian Development Bank (ADB)-backed regional initiative, although the Government is yet to take a policy decision on joining the proposed cross-border electricity system, The Sunday Morning learns.&nbsp;Ministry of Energy Secretary G.M.R.D. Aponsu confirmed that Sri Lanka was participating in the ongoing discussions on the proposed regional electricity connectivity initiative, which seeks to explore greater integration among South Asian electricity grids, with connectivity extending towards Myanmar in Southeast Asia while excluding Pakistan.&nbsp;However, Aponsu stressed that Sri Lanka’s participation in the discussions did not amount to a final commitment to join the proposed network, with a policy-level decision still required from the Government.&nbsp;The development marks a potentially significant expansion of Sri Lanka’s discussions on cross-border electricity connectivity, which have thus far largely centred on the long-proposed bilateral grid interconnection with India.&nbsp;Sri Lanka and India are now participating in the wider regional discussions despite earlier negotiations over their bilateral grid interconnection having stalled.&nbsp;The latest discussions take place against the backdrop of the ADB’s Pan-Asia Power Grid Initiative (PAGI), a flagship regional programme aimed at strengthening energy security and facilitating cross-border electricity trade through greater integration of electricity systems.&nbsp;The ADB envisages the initiative being developed around four key areas – infrastructure development, regulatory harmonisation, innovative financing, and institutional readiness – with approximately $ 50 billion expected to be mobilised to expand affordable, reliable, and cleaner energy connectivity across the region.Regional electricity integration has increasingly emerged as a key element of the ADB’s energy strategy for South Asia, with existing electricity trade between India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Bhutan providing a basis for expanding cross-border cooperation. The ADB has also specifically identified potential grid connectivity involving Sri Lanka as part of the region’s future integration.&nbsp;For Sri Lanka, however, the proposed regional initiative comes amid long-standing discussions over establishing an electricity interconnection with India.&nbsp;The two countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in 2010 to conduct a feasibility study for connecting their electricity grids. The study was subsequently undertaken jointly by the then Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) and Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd., initially examining a 1,000 MW High-Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) interconnection.&nbsp;Successive technical studies have since examined different routes and configurations for the proposed connection.&nbsp;At the time, the CEB’s long-term planning had also highlighted the potential benefits of cross-border electricity interconnections, particularly due to differences in natural resources as well as daily and seasonal electricity demand patterns among South Asian countries.&nbsp;Nevertheless, the India-Sri Lanka interconnection has faced questions over its financial viability and implementation costs.&nbsp;Earlier feasibility assessments found that the project, under the configurations considered at the time, was not economically or financially viable, with the cost of submarine cables and HVDC technology among the major factors affecting the economics of the project. Further economic and financial assessments have therefore been envisaged as technical studies progress.&nbsp;There has also been opposition to the proposed interconnection from sections within the new iteration of the CEB.&nbsp;A senior electrical engineer attached to the National System Operator (NSO), who spoke to The Sunday Morning on condition of anonymity, cautioned that any agreement to connect Sri Lanka’s electricity system with a substantially larger regional grid should be preceded by comprehensive technical, economic, and financial studies.&nbsp;The engineer raised concerns over the considerable difference in the sizes of the Sri Lankan and Indian electricity systems and the possibility of Sri Lanka becoming increasingly dependent on electricity imports if adequate safeguards were not incorporated into future agreements.

Energy: Govt. enters talks on regional power grid 

Parliament on Friday (25) passed the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution by 95 votes, extending the retirement age of superior court judges amid protests by the main Opposition, which claimed the measure undermined judicial independence.The bill received 158 votes in favour and 63 votes against.&nbsp;The ruling National People’s Power (NPP) voted in favour of the bill while the Opposition, including the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK), Sarvajana Balaya, National Democratic Front (NDF), and Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) voted against.&nbsp;The amendment raises the mandatory retirement age of Supreme Court judges from 65 to 67 years and of Court of Appeal judges from 63 to 65 years. The Judicature (Amendment) Bill, debated alongside it, raises the retirement age of lower court judges to 62 years, increases the number of Court of Appeal judges by five, and increases the number of High Court judges from 110 to 120, measures the Government has said are intended to alleviate severe case backlogs.The vote took place at 7 p.m. following a two-day debate, which began on Thursday (24) when Minister of Justice and National Integration Harshana Nanayakkara presented the bills for their second reading.Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne announced in Parliament on Tuesday (22) the Supreme Court’s determination that the amendment could be passed by a special two-thirds majority in Parliament without requiring a public referendum.&nbsp;The bill sparked heavy criticism from several parties and a total of 67 petitions, including one by&nbsp; the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL), had been filed challenging its constitutionality.Presenting the bills on Thursday (24), Minister Nanayakkara said the amendments were not intended “to establish authoritarianism or to suppress anyone,” but “to hear cases expeditiously and ensure justice and fairness for the people”.He said Sri Lanka had approximately 19 judges per million people, significantly fewer than the figures he cited for several other countries. He said the retirement age extension was intended to retain experienced judicial officers while broader reforms were implemented. He also emphasised that it alone would not resolve delays but formed part of a comprehensive judicial reform programme.Outlining measures already undertaken, the Minister said the Government had increased the number of courtrooms by 29 and was recruiting approximately 1,700 court employees. Electronic filing has been introduced in the superior courts and is gradually being extended to lower courts, while voice-to-text technology has been planned for approximately 350 courts.&nbsp;He said a limited number of officers at the Attorney General’s Department were handling 15,000–20,000 cases, noting that recruitment was underway there and at the Government Analyst’s Department. He added that the Government was examining the possibility of holding Court of Appeal sittings outside Colombo.On Thursday, the SJB staged a protest at the Polduwa Junction in Battaramulla under the theme ‘No to 22, which destroys democracy’. Protesters wore black armbands and Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa joined them along with several other politicians. On Friday, SJB members arrived in Parliament dressed in black.Addressing the House on Friday, Premadasa said that however the Government presented it, the measure was “inherently anti-democratic”. Citing Montesquieu’s principle of the separation of powers, he argued that it would “shatter judicial independence” and turn the Judiciary into “a tool and puppet of the Executive”.&nbsp;&nbsp;Premadasa said a three-judge Supreme Court bench had previously affirmed that altering the retirement age of judges required a referendum. Rejecting Government claims that critics of the amendment were aligned with his party, he pointed to the BASL, Colombo High Court Lawyers’ Association, Judicial Service Association, Commonwealth Lawyers Association, French National Bar Council, and the UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, asking whether all of them were SJB members.&nbsp;He warned that the Government risked establishing a one-party state and said governance should not serve “the partisan motives of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)”.Speaking after Premadasa, Leader of the House Bimal Rathnayake said the amendment was designed to modernise the judicial framework and that the Government held a clear public mandate. “We do not need the 22nd Amendment at all to maintain our Government power,” he said.Rathnayake rejected Opposition claims that the retirement age extension amounted to a legislative bribe, stating that it originated from broader State reform policies rather than requests from individual judges. He said the Government had complete confidence in all sitting judges and had not handpicked anyone.Contrasting the amendment with past constitutional changes used to extend presidential terms or dismiss senior judges, he said true judicial independence required freedom from commercial interests, media campaigns, and political pressure groups. He cautioned the Opposition against spreading what he called false narratives to the UN and religious leaders.

22A passed with 158 votes in favour 

<ul><li>Says free healthcare ‘merely in name’ not enough</li><li>25,000 units of filgrastim have arrived: NMRA&nbsp;</li><li>MSD points to delays, procedural shortcomings</li></ul>&nbsp;The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) on Friday (25) criticised the handling of recent shortages of cancer medicines in the State health sector, warning that having free healthcare “merely in name” was insufficient if patients could not obtain essential treatment when required.Speaking at a media briefing, GMOA Executive Committee Member Dr. Prasad Colombage said the association viewed the shortages with serious concern and called on the Ministry of Health and the Government to work closely with medical professionals to prevent similar disruptions in the future.“Through free healthcare, patients should be able to receive necessary treatments in required quantities, within appropriate timeframes, and with high service quality,” Dr. Colombage said.He said that procurement-related problems or other shortcomings had resulted in certain medicines not reaching the health system as required, creating shortages that affected patients.“What we observe here – whether due to procurement issues or other oversights – is that there was a trend where these medications were not received, leading to shortages of certain medicines,” he said.Dr. Colombage stressed that the existence of a free healthcare system alone was insufficient unless patients were able to access the medicines and treatment they required without interruption.Meanwhile, the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) told The Sunday Morning that there had been a shortage of filgrastim, a medicine used to support certain cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, but said that fresh stocks were now available.NMRA Chairman Dr. Ananda Wijewickrama said that approximately 25,000 units of filgrastim had arrived in the country and had already been cleared through Customs.“Around 25,000 units have already arrived and were cleared through Customs,” Dr. Wijewickrama said, adding that further consignments were expected to arrive.However, Medical Supplies Division (MSD) Director General Dr. Sampath Ranaweera offered a different explanation for the disruptions, maintaining that the problem was not simply one of stocks being completely unavailable.According to Dr. Ranaweera, delays and shortcomings in the requisition and procurement process have contributed to interruptions in supplies.“The issue is that it is not actually a stock shortage, but rather the concept of not doing the necessary requisition and publicity properly,” he said.Dr. Ranaweera said that the MSD had authorised local purchases where possible to maintain supplies and was also exploring alternative avenues, including donations, to bridge gaps.He added that several companies that had been approached were now supplying medicines, with quantities arriving periodically. However, he was unable to provide exact quantities expected to be supplied over the coming weeks.The GMOA has urged health authorities to address the underlying procurement and supply chain shortcomings to ensure that cancer patients do not face further interruptions to essential treatment.

GMOA hits out at cancer meds shortages 

<ul><li>Subsidy seen as most practical option to cushion rising fuel prices</li><li>Amount, implementation date yet to be finalised</li><li>Existing IMF framework envisages end-Sept. phase-out of temporary subsidies</li></ul> The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has not rejected President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s proposal to provide a fresh fuel subsidy to cushion consumers against rising global fuel prices during its latest discussions with the Government, according to Ministry of Energy Secretary G.M.R.D. Aponsu.&nbsp;Speaking to The Sunday Morning, Aponsu said that several possible measures to address the impact of rising fuel prices had been discussed, with a subsidy emerging as the most practical option at present.&nbsp;“The IMF did not reject the President’s suggestion to provide a fuel subsidy,” he said, referring to the latest discussions. He added that while the proposal remained under consideration, the amount of the subsidy and the date from which it would take effect had yet to be finalised.According to Aponsu, several options have been considered in response to the pressure created by rising international fuel prices, but the subsidy appears to be the most workable solution at present.&nbsp;The development comes as the Government considers measures to prevent the full impact of higher international fuel prices being passed on to consumers.President Dissanayake previously stated that the Government expected to provide a subsidy to cushion consumers from a possible increase in domestic fuel prices from 1 October, with global market movements indicating that prices would otherwise have to rise under the existing pricing mechanism.&nbsp;The latest proposal is significant in the context of Sri Lanka’s commitments under the IMF-supported Extended Fund Facility (EFF).&nbsp;Under the existing programme framework, temporary fuel, electricity, and fertiliser subsidies and additional Aswesuma support introduced in response to the Middle East-related energy shock were to be maintained within an overall ceiling of Rs. 100 billion and fully phased out by the end of September or earlier if the allocation was exhausted.&nbsp;The IMF programme also envisages the restoration of cost-recovery fuel pricing, while allowing targeted assistance to vulnerable groups subject to the Government meeting its fiscal targets.&nbsp;During an IMF press conference in May, Mission Chief for Sri Lanka Evan Papageorgiou confirmed that the fund had discussed the temporary subsidy package with the authorities and noted its Rs. 100 billion ceiling and end-September expiry.&nbsp;The proposed fresh subsidy therefore comes as the Government weighs how to cushion consumers against renewed fuel-price pressures while continuing to meet fiscal and cost-recovery commitments under the IMF programme.&nbsp;Details of the proposed subsidy, including its value, duration, eligibility, and implementation mechanism, are yet to be finalised, according to the Energy Ministry.&nbsp;Meanwhile, Sri Lanka remains under the IMF’s EFF, with Papageorgiou stating last week that the fund’s economic projections continue to assume that Sri Lanka will regain access to international capital markets “in 2027 or thereabouts”.&nbsp;He said that Sri Lanka would need access to both domestic and international sources of financing to build longer-term economic resilience, while rebuilding foreign exchange reserves would remain important as external debt repayments increased.

COPE to probe alleged government losses over Avant-Garde dea ...

Flood warnings extended for Nilwala and Gin rivers

Flood warnings extended for Ni ...

Showers expected in several parts of the island

Showers expected in several pa ...

Navy seizes vessel carrying suspected narcotics in Jaffna

Navy seizes vessel carrying su ...

Two killed, woman critically injured in Baddegama shooting

Two killed, woman critically i ...

Energy: Govt. enters talks on regional power grid

Energy: Govt. enters talks on ...

22A passed with 158 votes in favour

22A passed with 158 votes in f ...

GMOA hits out at cancer meds shortages

GMOA hits out at cancer meds s ...

Fuel subsidy: IMF did not reject fresh proposal: Energy Min.

Fuel subsidy: IMF did not reje ...

Flood warnings extended for Nilwala and Gin rivers

Flood warnings extended for Ni ...

Showers expected in several parts of the island

Showers expected in several pa ...

Navy seizes vessel carrying suspected narcotics in Jaffna

Navy seizes vessel carrying su ...

Two killed, woman critically injured in Baddegama shooting

Two killed, woman critically i ...

Energy: Govt. enters talks on regional power grid

Energy: Govt. enters talks on ...

22A passed with 158 votes in favour

22A passed with 158 votes in f ...

GMOA hits out at cancer meds shortages

GMOA hits out at cancer meds s ...

Fuel subsidy: IMF did not reject fresh proposal: Energy Min.

Fuel subsidy: IMF did not reje ...

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Flood warnings extended for Nilwala and Gin rivers

Flood warnings extended for Ni ...

Showers expected in several parts of the island

Showers expected in several pa ...

Bringing the news paper to your fingertips

Navy seizes vessel carrying suspected narcotics in Jaffna

Navy seizes vessel carrying su ...

Two killed, woman critically injured in Baddegama shooting

Two killed, woman critically i ...

Energy: Govt. enters talks on regional power grid

Energy: Govt. enters talks on ...

22A passed with 158 votes in favour

22A passed with 158 votes in f ...