Navy, Police seize 368 kg of foreign cannabis in Kayts

The Navy, in a joint operation with the Kayts Police, seized a consignment of foreign-origin cannabis, weighing about 368 kilos, at the Suruvil beach area, on Kayts Island, Jaffna.

The operation, conducted on Wednesday (04), also led to the arrest of a suspect and the seizure of a dinghy used to transport the contraband.

The Navy said the search had been carried out by personnel attached to SLNS Kanchadewa of the Northern Naval Command, in coordination with the Kayts Police Station.

During the operation, naval personnel searched a suspicious dinghy found at the beach and recovered the stock of cannabis packed in 175 parcels.

The street value of the seized foreign cannabis is estimated to exceed Rs. 73 million.

The suspect arrested in connection with the incident has been identified as a 35-year-old resident of Velanai in Kayts Island.

The suspect, along with the dinghy and the stock of cannabis, was handed over to the Kayts Police for further investigations and legal action.

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India hammer New Zealand to retain T20 World Cup crown

Rex Clementine in Ahmedabad

India produced a ruthless, near-flawless performance to retain the T20 World Cup title they won in the Caribbean two years ago, steamrolling New Zealand by 96 runs in Sunday’s final in Ahmedabad.

The Kiwis, who had marched into the final after ending South Africa’s unbeaten run in the Calcutta semi-final, ran into a blue wall. India piled up a daunting 255 for five after being asked to bat and then bundled New Zealand out for 159 with an over to spare, sealing one of the most emphatic wins in a World Cup final.

India had been given a wake-up call earlier in the tournament when South Africa handed them a heavy defeat in the Super Eight stage, leaving them needing four straight wins to lift the trophy. From that point on, Surya Kumar Yadav’s men put their foot on the accelerator and never looked back, playing like a side on a mission and delivering the knockout punch when it mattered most.

It was a triumph built not just on star power but on depth and system. India’s conveyor belt of talent keeps churning out match-winners, and their bench strength is the envy of the cricketing world. You may grumble about their strong-arm tactics in the corridors of power, but there is no denying the machine they have built. The result is domination across formats – men’s, women’s and Under-19 – echoing the era of Australian supremacy. At the moment, India are the team everyone else is chasing.

The victory was India’s biggest in T20 World Cup history and made them the first team to win the title three times. Former captains Rohit Sharma, who led the side to the 2024 crown and M.S. Dhoni, the architect of the inaugural triumph in 2007, were present at the venue to witness another chapter of Indian cricketing glory.

New Zealand, however, got their sums wrong. Their seamers stuck to predictable pace and failed to mix things up, allowing India’s openers to cash in during the powerplay.

Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson came out all guns blazing, racing to 98 for the first wicket in just 7.1 overs and putting the Kiwis immediately on the back foot. Abhishek set the tone with a blistering 52 off 22 balls, while Samson anchored the charge with a sparkling 89 off 46 deliveries, peppered with five fours and eight towering sixes.

Samson had been India’s banker throughout the tournament, striking three consecutive half-centuries during the campaign and walking away with the Player of the Series award.

The fireworks did not stop there. Ishan Kishan chipped in with a breezy 54 off 25 balls at number three as India threatened to push past the 270 mark. New Zealand managed to drag things back slightly at the death, but chasing 256 in a World Cup final was always going to be a bridge too far.

India’s bowlers then applied the squeeze. Jasprit Bumrah led the charge with a masterclass in fast bowling, finishing with figures of four for 15 and walking away with the Man of the Match award as New Zealand’s chase fizzled out quickly.

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Vision Care Hearing Solutions donates 40 hearing aids to 22 children

Vision Care Hearing Solutions marked World Hearing Day with a donation of 40 hearing aids to 22 children, concluding its community outreach campaign under the theme “From Communities to Classrooms – Hearing Care for All Children.”

The award ceremony was held at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute with the participation of parents, children, media personnel and well-wishers.

The campaign, aligned with the global initiative of the World Health Organization, began months earlier through school screening programmes covering more than 15 schools. Over 1,500 children were screened to identify undiagnosed hearing difficulties.

Speaking at the event, representatives of Vision Care Hearing Solutions emphasised that the initiative was part of the company’s long-term corporate social responsibility commitment to ensure hearing care reaches classrooms and supports children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Medical experts highlighted the importance of early detection and proper pediatric hearing technology. The donated devices included advanced hearing aids featuring BrainHearing technology, designed to improve speech clarity, noise reduction and auditory development for children.

Children with hearing loss in both ears received bilateral hearing aid fittings to support speech development and academic performance.

The highlight of the ceremony was an emotional address by one of the beneficiary students, who expressed gratitude on behalf of all recipients, reminding the audience that the donation represented not just devices but opportunities for education, confidence and future growth.

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Donald Trump looks ashen-faced as he welcomes home bodies of six dead soldiers

The US President described the six soldiers, who were killed in Kuwait, as 'great heroes'.

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Mujibur Rahuman questions delay over berthing of IRIS Dena

Colombo District SJB MP Mujibur Rahuman told Parliament on Thursday that the Iranian naval vessel that sank off Sri Lanka’s southern coast had sought permission to dock at the Port of Galle, but the government had failed to respond in time.

Rahuman said the Iranian Navy ship had participated in a multinational naval training exercise in India along with representatives from 74 countries, including Sri Lanka.

He said the vessel had left India, after the exercise, but altered its course due to escalating Middle East tensions and remained in waters, about 40 nautical miles off Sri Lanka, for nearly 11 hours, while awaiting permission to berth.

“The ship had requested permission to dock at Galle Harbour, but the government did not respond,” he said.

The MP further alleged that a US submarine, operating in the Gulf, had received information about the Iranian vessel and subsequently targeted the ship near Sri Lanka’s maritime zone.

He questioned why the authorities allowed the Iranian ship to remain at sea for 11 hours without a response and whether the delay was consistent with Sri Lanka’s obligations under international maritime conventions.

“We are bound by international law. Why was the Iranian vessel not allowed to berth at Galle Port? Why was there such a delay?” he asked.

Rahuman made the remarks in Parliament while commenting on the attack on the Iranian Navy ship IRIS Dena, off Sri Lanka’s southern coast, on Wednesday.

by Saman Indrajith

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When the self-righteous turn unspeakably brutal

Friday 6th March, 2026

Only about 35 crew members of an Iranian frigate survived a torpedo attack by the US, off Galle, on Wednesday. More than 100 Iranians are believed to be dead. The Sri Lanka Navy and Air Force rescued the survivors and brought ashore about 85 bodies of the victims of the US attack. The sinking of the Iranian naval vessel, the IRIS Dena, which was on a non-combat mission, and the brutal act of killing so many naval personnel, thousands of kilometres away from the conflict zone, must be condemned unreservedly.

The NPP government led by the JVP, which would condemn the US and the western bloc at the drop of a hat during its Opposition days, has not explicitly criticised Wednesday’s incident. The Opposition yesterday asked in Parliament whether the Iranian vessel had come under attack while waiting for permission to reach the Galle harbour. Its question went unanswered. The government resorted to prevarication.

It is believed that the US did not inform India of its move to launch Wednesday’s attack in the Indian Ocean. The sinking of the IRIS Dena, which was Indian Navy’s guest, has become not only a huge embarrassment but also as a strategic concern to New Delhi, for the attack was carried out in an area where India projects its dominance as a regional leader. Has a Quad member got short shrift from the US?

Most of all, the IRIS Dena was returning from India, where it took part in an international fleet review, together with vessels from 40 other nations including the US and Russia. The naval exercise was conducted in Visakhapatnam, where the Indian Navy’s Eastern Naval Command is headquartered. This has made the sinking of the IRIS Dena and the killing of its crew members even more unacceptable. Strangely, India has refrained from explicitly condemning the incident.

If the US thinks Iranian assets anywhere in the world are legitimate targets, can Iran be blamed for adopting a similar approach, in dealing with the US and its interests? The Middle East conflict is not going to end in a few weeks or months with the conclusion of the ongoing US-Israeli bombing spree. Iran has vowed to take revenge.

Much has been spoken about the Indian Ocean as a Zone of Peace during the past five decades or so, but it is fast becoming a conflict zone for all intents and purposes. The peace-zone doctrine is based on several core principles such as demilitarisation, non-aggression, freedom of navigation, removal of foreign bases, regional cooperation, and the promotion of international peace and security. It was intended to prevent smaller states from being dragged into conflicts that are not of their own making and preserve regional stability. Wednesday’s US submarine attack in Sri Lanka’s exclusive economic zone should be viewed against the backdrop of the Indian Ocean peace zone concept.

The expansion by the US of the theatre of its current military operations against Iran beyond the Gulf region and the presence of a US submarine in Sri Lanka’s exclusive economic zone pose a serious threat to international trade routes in this part of the world. This is why India’s position on the issue of offensive US military action in the Indian Ocean matters.

The NPP government also gave evasive answers when the Opposition demanded to know whether another Iranian naval ship in Sri Lanka’s exclusive economic zone was also in danger, and whether it would be given permission to enter Sri Lanka’s territorial waters. The civilised world must help Sri Lanka ensure that another Iranian vessel in imminent danger is not left to its fate and condemn the brutality of the self-righteous unequivocally.

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Embedding human rights, equity and integrity into business leadership

At its 2026 Social Sustainability Programme Kick-Off, the UN Global Compact Network Sri Lanka convened business leaders to advance the translation of global ambition into practical corporate action on inclusion, integrity and human rights.

On 24 February 2026, the UN Global Compact Network Sri Lanka (Network Sri Lanka) convened business leaders at Barefoot Garden Café for its 2026 Social Sustainability Programme Kick-Off, delivered in collaboration with Good Life X.

The gathering did more than introduce a calendar of events. It positioned Sri Lanka’s corporate community within the broader direction of the UN Global Compact’s 2026–2030 global strategy — a strategy anchored in three imperatives: equipping companies to act, catalyzing collective action, and advancing the business case for responsible leadership.

At its core, the 2026 Social Sustainability agenda is designed to move companies from commitment to capability.

Within the Diversity & Inclusion Working Group, this means building practical pathways toward equal pay for equal work and strengthening male allyship as a governance issue rather than a cultural afterthought. It means examining sexual and reproductive health, disability inclusion, and mental health not as employee benefits, but as structural determinants of productivity and retention. It means sharpening strategic communications so inclusion is embedded in brand integrity. It also means applying science-based behavioural change approaches to shift organizational culture in measurable ways.

Across the Business & Human Rights Working Group, equipping companies takes the form of deepened engagement on decent work and living wage implementation, strengthening human rights due diligence processes, and addressing emerging risk areas such as AI and digital rights. It extends to reinforcing business integrity and anti-corruption frameworks, understanding the social dimensions of a just transition, and recognizing the link between child rights, nutrition, and workforce productivity.

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