Mar 27 (Island) Lanka Petroleum Private Tanker Owners’ Association has called for a 25% increase in fuel transportation charges, citing rising operational costs following recent fuel price hikes. Co-Secretary Shantha Silva said the association has formally notified the govt of its proposal, warning that failure to respond favourably could result in trade union action. Association President A.M.H. Adhikari said that fuel distribution had continued without interruption despite mounting challenges, more..

Mar 27 (NW) A 48-year-old man was sentenced to 21 days’ imprisonment and fined Rs. 1,500 by the Nikaweratiya Magistrate’s Court after pleading guilty to unlawfully possessing 4 litres of petrol. The accused was produced before court by Kobeigane Police under Petroleum Products (Regulation and Control of Supplies) Act, No. 34 of 1979, which during proceedings, the suspect admitted to the charge. The attorney appearing for the defence told court that the petrol had been kept for use more..

Mar 27 (ST) Children as young as five years old are being pulled into the narcotics trade, and authorities warn that traffickers are targeting children aged 5 to 14 years to move dangerous drugs and also as drug users, raising serious concerns about youngsters. Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) director, SSP H.M.C.P. Herath, said: “The most disturbing aspect of the current crisis is the involvement of minors. more..

Mar 27 (DN) British High Commissioner in Colombo Andrew Patrick yesterday visited the Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd (Lake House) and met and interacted with ANCL Chairman Gamini Warushamana, members of the senior management and editors of the Sinhala, Tamil & English dailies. His visit to the Daily News editorial was particularly symbolic. As the oldest English daily in SL, the paper has recorded the country’s history from the time of British colonial times. more..

Mar 27 (Island) SLC will convene an Extraordinary General Meeting in April, with a clutch of resolutions set to be tabled before the membership for approval. SLC Secretary Bandula Dissanayake said that the EGM is pencilled in for April 6. According to Dissanayake, a seasoned hand in cricket administration, while a few tweaks to the constitution will be up for discussion, the headline act on the agenda is the introduction of new playing conditions for SLC-conducted domestic tournaments. more..

Mar 27 (NW) Shani Abeysekara, Director of the CID, came under focus in court today as the defence for former State Intelligence Service chief Suresh Sallay sought to have the Easter Sunday attack investigation removed from his supervision. However, Colombo Fort Magistrate Isuru Neththi Kumara rejected the request, ruling that no strong grounds had been presented to transfer the probe to another police unit. The order was made when the case concerning former SIS chief Suresh more..

Mar 27 (NW) Galle National Hospital has introduced a smart token system to streamline the issuing of medicines to clinic patients, aiming to reduce long queues and improve efficiency. Under the new system, patients present their prescriptions at the medicine counter, where details are registered, and a token is issued. Patients can then wait comfortably and receive their medicines according to their assigned number, eliminating confusion and congestion. Hospital officials confirmed that more..

Mar 27 (DN) 19th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will commence tomorrow, with defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) taking on Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in the tournament opener. SL all-rounder Kamindu Mendis and paceman Eshan Malinga are included in the Sunrisers Hyderabad squad, led by Indian wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan. This season promises to be the more..

Mar 27 (FT) The India-Sri Lanka Defence Industry Seminar, held on 25 March at the Taj Samudra Hotel in Colombo, welcomed Defence Secretary Air Vice Marshal (Retd.) Sampath Thuyacontha as the Chief Guest. Upon his arrival, the Defence Secretary was warmly received by the Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha. The third edition of this seminar is being organised by the Indian High Commission under the theme Identifying new opportunities and forging new bonds. more..

Mar 27 (DN) In accordance with the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), the country’s preliminary measures to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing, which are expected to be adopted at the annual general meeting of the Asia-Pacific Anti-Money Laundering Group (APG) to be held in July next year, have been implemented according to the scheduled dates and planed. Commenting on this, Director of the FIU, Dr. Subhani Keerthirathna stated that SL has already passed thee major more..

Mar 27 (NW) Court of Appeal has ordered a retrial in the assassination case of former TNA MP Nadarajah Raviraj, setting aside the earlier acquittal of the accused, including three Navy intelligence officers. The judgment was delivered by a bench comprising Justices Sasi Mahendran and Amal Ranaraja on March 26, 2026, following an appeal filed by the Attorney General challenging the High Court verdict. more..

Mar 27 (NW) Global gold prices continued to slide on Tuesday, extending a sharp downturn that has persisted for days as markets grapple with a strong U.S. dollar and fading hopes for near‑term interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve. Spot gold in international markets fell again, with prices dipping around 1.5% and remaining under pressure from a firm dollar and investors favouring interest‑bearing assets over non‑yielding bullion. Other precious metals silver & platinum also weakened, more..

Mar 27 (DM) SL’s shift to a market-linked fuel pricing mechanism has fundamentally altered how global oil shocks feed into domestic inflation, with the latest surge in crude prices expected to transmit more rapidly and broadly across the economy, a new analysis by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) shows. Crude oil prices have climbed sharply from around US$ 65 per barrel before the onset of the current conflict to about US$ 102, a 59% increase, raising fresh concerns over more..

Mar 27 (FT) Home Lands has officially begun development of Canterbury Crest Resort Apartments following the ceremonial groundbreaking and foundation stone laying. This occasion marks the launch of one of four brand-new resort apartment developments by Home Lands in Greater Colombo. Canterbury Crest is the last stage of development at Canterbury Golf City - Piliyandala Kahaththuduwa, the largest residential development project in Sri Lanka comprising 1,200 units already. more..

Mar 27 (FT) Healthguard Distribution has significantly strengthened the pharmaceutical logistics landscape in Sri Lanka following a major upgrade to its Western Regional Distribution Centre (WRDC). The facility, located in Colombo 15, now serves as the primary hub for an integrated port to pharmacy network designed to enhance the availability and safety of essential medicines across the island. While widely recognised as a premier pharmacy retail chain, more..

Mar 27 (FT) EDB Chairman Mangala Wijesinghe warned that SL’s exports are likely to contract by between 5% and 8% in March, as escalating geopolitical tensions in the ME disrupt trade flows and logistics. He said the region remains a critical export destination, accounting for around 8% of SL’s total exports. Of that, UAE absorbs 32%, followed by Iraq with 18% and Saudi Arabia with 12%, collectively making up nearly 80% of exports to ME. more..

Mar 27 (Island) Vegetable prices have plummeted at the special economic centres, which serve as collection hubs in predominantly agricultural areas, such as Dambulla, because most trucks cannot operate for want of diesel. Farmers are unable to dispose of their produce due to transport problems. Usually, it is in February, March and early April that farmers save some money for the traditional New Year. However, vegetable prices have increased elsewhere due to high transport costs and more..

Mar 27 (Island) The long standing foreign policy of Sri Lanka was Non-Alignment. However, in the context of emerging geopolitical rivalries, there was a need to question the adequacy of Non-Alignment as a policy to meet developing challenges. Neutrality as being a more effective Policy was first presented in an article titled Independence: its meaning and a direction for the future (The Island, Feb 14, 2019). The switch over from Non-Alignment to Neutrality was first adopted by more..

Mar 27 (TM) SL’s prisons are running at nearly 280 per cent overcapacity, with women making up around 6-8% of the inmate population. Many of them are jailed for poverty-driven petty crimes or drug-related offences. In the first in the series of the Kaleidoscope Women’s Month Special, Prison Observation Committee (POC) member and Infinite Grace Foundation founder Chairperson Stephanie Siriwardhana discusses the realities of life in prison for women in Sri Lanka. more..

Mar 27 (TM) As the ongoing conflict in the Middle East sends ripples across the Indian Ocean, most notably with the attack on the Iranian warship IRIS Dena, fresh geopolitical concerns are emerging for the region. Against this backdrop of rising tensions and shifting global dynamics, The Daily Morning spoke with geopolitical analyst Asanga Abeyagoonasekera on the wider implications for South Asia and SL. Abeyagoonasekera is a SL geopolitics and international security analyst, more..

Mar 27 (TM) SL’s legal landscape will undergo a fundamental transformation in the coming months, with the Govt having outlined specific timelines for the introduction of new national security and public order legislation. Minister of Justice Harshana Nanayakkara said that Protection of the State from Terrorism Bill (PSTB) was currently undergoing its final revisions. Drafting committee is targeting completion of more..

Mar 27 (TM) The geopolitical landscape of March 2026 is no longer shaped by cautious diplomacy, but by hard-edged ultimatums that resemble terms of capitulation more than negotiated settlement. In the aftermath of the recent escalation between the US and Iran, Washington presented a sweeping 15-point framework to Tehran through intermediaries, while Iran has responded with a sharply condensed 5-point counter. What has emerged is not a conventional negotiation, but a confrontation more..

Mar 27 (DN) The Philippines earlier this week became the first country to declare an Energy Emergency in the wake of hostilities between Iran and Israel/US. Philippine Prez Ferdinand Marcos Jr declared the national energy emergency in response to what he called the imminent danger posed to the country’s energy supply. “The declaration of a state of national energy emergency will enable the Govt to implement ‌responsive and coordinated measures under existing laws to address more..

Mar 27 (SO) Across the world, women are bearing the heaviest cost of a crisis they did the least to create. The numbers are hard to ignore. Women make up 80% of people displaced by climate-related disasters. They are more likely to die in extreme weather events. As the world marks World Meteorological Day 2026 tomorrow (23) under the theme Observing Today, Protecting Tomorrow, data we gather on climate change reveals more..

Mar 27 (CT) Political trajectories across nations are often influenced less by ideology than by the weight of global crises and their farreaching consequences. For SL, a small island nation situated at the crossroads of the Indian Ocean, this reality is particularly pronounced. The challenge ahead is whether its political leadership will remain reactive—responding only when crises erupt—or whether it can cultivate foresight to anticipate risks 7 seize opportunities before they become urgent. more..

Mar 27 (DM) The world is still witnessing a dangerous escalation of conflict in the Middle East. The confrontation involving major global powers and regional actors has pushed the int'l system into a phase of deep uncertainty. Oil prices have surged, global shipping routes face disruption, and financial markets are reacting nervously. For countries like Sri Lanka—still recovering from an unprecedented economic crisis—the implications are far from abstract. They are immediate and tangible. more..

Mar 26 (NW) Fast bowler Nuwan Thushara is set to miss the Indian Premier League after SLC refused to grant a No Objection Certificate (NOC) following the introduction of a strict new fitness policy. SLC recently made it mandatory for players to pass newly introduced physical performance tests before being granted clearance to participate in franchise leagues such as the IPL and PSL. Thushara’s eligibility for the IPL was made subject to the outcome of this fitness test, with SLC confirming that more..

Mar 26 (EN) There could be significant changes to the conditions with regard to Sri Lanka’s reform programme with the IMF during the upcoming review due to the external shocks from the escalation in the Middle East, CB Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe said. An IMF staff ream will be in Colombo from March 26-April 9 to hold discussions on the island nation’s fifth and sixth reviews of Sri Lanka’s reform programme. The reviews come after a Cyclone Ditwah hit natural disaster and more..

Mar 26 (AD) Colombo Fort Magistrate has ordered the CID to produce the former Head of the State Intelligence Service, Suresh Sallay, who is currently in CID custody under detention orders, before the court on April 22. The order was issued by Colombo Fort Magistrate Isuru Neththi Kumara when the case was taken up before court today. Magistrate informed the court that although the suspect is currently being detained & interrogated more..

Mar 26 (AD) A special discussion was held today in a bid to address the challenges faced by those in the tourism sector owing to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Presidential Task Force on the Implementation of the SL Tourism Development Programme met today at the Presidential Secretariat under the patronage of the Minister Vijitha Herath. Attention was drawn to the challenges faced by those engaged in the tourism industry in SL in the context of the prevailing global energy crisis, more..

Mar 26 (TM) Deputy Health Minister Dr. Hansaka Wijemuni yesterday assured that the Health Ministry is not considering the increase of medicinal drug prices, despite the increase in the cost of raw materials (ingredients). Speaking to The Daily Morning in response to a question regarding the impact of the increased fuel costs globally on medicine costs, Dr. Wijemuni said there is a maximum ceiling price slapped on 600 medicinal drugs. “These prices cannot be breached”. more..