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Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa told Parliament on Tuesday (03) that any constitutional amendment attempting to alter the retirement age of serving appellate judges must be submitted to a national referendum to avoid violating judicial independence.

Addressing the House under Standing Order 27(2), Premadasa cited a landmark 2022 Supreme Court ruling on the Inland Revenue Amendment Bill which affirmed that changing the tenure or retirement terms of incumbent Supreme Court and Court of Appeal judges directly infringes on Article 3 of the Constitution.

The Opposition Leader highlighted that the administration's proposed tenure extension has already drawn strong pushback from the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) alongside numerous domestic and international legal associations.

Premadasa challenged the government over its selective approach to legal sector reforms, pointing out that a comprehensive 2023 Ministry of Justice report backed by the Asian Development Bank had already laid out clear steps for systemic court efficiency that remain unaddressed.

He observed that simply increasing the retirement age of senior judges fails to offer a practical solution for the estimated 1.1 million cases currently backlogging Sri Lankan courts.

Urging the government to halt unilateral legislative steps, the Opposition Leader demanded that ministers consult legal stakeholders and prioritise structural reforms over constitutional shifts that alter the judiciary's terms.

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has called for the establishment of a Parliamentary Select Committee to resolve critical structural delays and rising case backlogs within the Sri Lankan judicial system.

Addressing the House regarding growing tensions over proposed judicial reforms, Premadasa urged the government to pause legislation until comprehensive consultations are conducted with key legal stakeholders.

The country currently faces an unprecedented judicial backlog of approximately 1.1 million pending cases, a situation the Opposition Leader says threatens democratic governance and fundamental legal rights.

In a proposal submitted directly to the Speaker, Premadasa urged all 225 Members of Parliament to attend a special briefing scheduled for Wednesday (05) at 3.00 p.m., where representatives from the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) will outline the severe ramifications of altering judicial service conditions without consensus.

The Opposition Leader stressed that recent executive attempts to amend the mandatory retirement age of judges have generated widespread uncertainty across the legal fraternity due to a complete absence of prior dialogue.

He said that by establishing a dedicated legislative committee, Parliament can conduct a holistic review of court administration, safeguard judicial independence, and introduce long-overdue efficiency measures to restore public trust in the rule of law.

The main opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) has submitted a proposal to Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne requesting the immediate establishment of a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) to resolve Sri Lanka's mounting judicial backlog and severe prison overcrowding.

Initiated by Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, the initiative aims to tackle a massive backlog of approximately 1.1 million court cases currently pending across the island's judicial system.

The proposed committee will also focus on finding urgent solutions for the acute crisis within the country's penal system, where the inmate population has surged past 40,000 despite facilities being built to accommodate only around 10,000 prisoners.

(Newstube.lk)

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake reaffirmed that it is the government's position that the Constitution should be reformed and that the Executive Presidency should be abolished.

However, he stressed that, rather than pursuing a hastily drafted constitutional amendment, the priority at this stage is to build a new national consensus.

The President made these remarks during a meeting at the Presidential Secretariat with representatives of a six-party alliance representing Tamil and Muslim political parties.

He emphasised the necessity of initiating a broad and inclusive national dialogue to ensure that any future constitutional framework is established on shared national agreement rather than unilateral political moves.

Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) General Secretary M.A. Sumanthiran noted during the discussions that drafting a new Constitution cannot be undertaken hastily.

He urged that the process be approached as a national dialogue capable of addressing the concerns of Sri Lanka's diverse communities, avoiding the mistake of introducing a Constitution unilaterally as occurred in 1948, 1972, and 1978.

President Dissanayake highlighted that his administration has already laid the groundwork for a unified national identity where citizens act collectively as Sri Lankans, noting that the country has remained free of ethnic unrest under the present administration.

He added that his long-term vision remains a system of governance strictly accountable to Parliament.

The meeting also addressed key regional and socioeconomic matters, including stalled Provincial Council elections and land rights for the Malayagam (Hill Country Tamil) community.

On the subject of elections, President Dissanayake pointed to the appointment of a Parliamentary Select Committee tasked with studying the conduct of Provincial Council polls, promising direct engagement with the panel to resolve pending issues.

Regarding the Malayagam community, the President announced plans to grant estate workers legal ownership of 10-perch residential land plots, with relevant provisions set to be written into state plantation lease renewals before 2042.

Further commitments were outlined to improve living standards in the Central Highlands and the North. In addition to establishing a dedicated authority to manage environmental sustainability and landslide risks in the Central Highlands, the government plans to increase funding for the Ministry of Plantation and Community Infrastructure in the 2027 Budget.

The President also confirmed that the 2027 and 2028 Budgets will allocate funds to build 13,000 houses in two phases for conflict-affected families who lost their homes.

Temporary housing and rental allowances will also be provided for those displaced by Cyclone Ditwah until permanent structures are completed. Addressing concerns raised over land disputes involving state departments in the North and East, President Dissanayake reaffirmed that land rightfully belongs to the people and urged the alliance to frame community issues within the broader national interest.

(Newstube.lk)

Morocco has named its 1,055-km. Tiznit-Dakhla expressway the “Donald J. Trump Highway” in recognition of the US president’s support for Rabat’s sovereignty claim over Western Sahara, the Moroccan state news agency MAP reported on Saturday.

King Mohammed VI informed US President Donald Trump of the decision in a letter dated July 2, saying relations between Morocco and the United States had become particularly strong and productive during Trump’s two presidential terms.

“Your historic recognition, in 2020, of Morocco’s sovereignty over its Sahara will forever be etched in the memory of Moroccans,” the king wrote.

Mohammed VI said the route was one of Morocco’s most important road projects and described it as the longest road infrastructure in Africa. The expressway connects northern and southern Morocco and forms part of an Atlantic transport corridor linking Europe with West Africa.

The roughly $1 billion route begins in Tiznit and passes through Guelmim, Tan-Tan and Laayoune before reaching Dakhla. Much of the southern section runs through Western Sahara, which Morocco considers part of its southern provinces.

Moroccan authorities say the road will shorten travel times, reduce disruptions caused by flooding and shifting sand, and improve the movement of people and goods between the country’s economic centers and its southern regions.

Trump publicly thanked the Moroccan monarch in a July 26 post on Truth Social.

“Such a Great Honor! I look forward to traveling the entire length of this Great Highway someday, hopefully soon!” Trump wrote.

The naming reflects the diplomatic relationship that developed during Trump’s first administration. In December 2020, Washington recognized Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara alongside a US-brokered agreement under which Morocco agreed to normalize relations with Israel.

Morocco subsequently became a member of the Abraham Accords framework, expanding diplomatic, economic and security ties with Israel.

Western Sahara has been disputed since Spain withdrew from the territory in 1975. Morocco controls most of the region, while the Algeria-backed Polisario Front seeks the establishment of an independent Sahrawi state.

Israel formally recognized Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara in 2023 and reaffirmed that position the following year.

The UN Security Council adopted a resolution in October 2025 that supported negotiations based on Morocco’s autonomy proposal, under which Western Sahara would receive limited self-government while remaining under Moroccan sovereignty.

In his letter to Trump, Mohammed VI presented the expressway as both an infrastructure project and a symbol of the two countries’ strategic partnership, saying it would strengthen Morocco’s position as a commercial link between Europe and Africa.

(THE JERUSALEM POST)

The Dinana Dakuna Collective has raised serious concerns over the due process behind a proposal to extend the retirement age of judges, alleging that the relevant Cabinet paper may have been bypassed by external interests without the knowledge of the subject ministry.

The civil society group highlighted the issue in a press release following recent comments made to a national newspaper by Ayesha Jinasena PC, Secretary to the Ministry of Justice and National Integration. The Secretary stated that she had neither received a concept paper nor prepared a Cabinet paper regarding an extension of the judicial retirement age.

According to the collective, the Justice Ministry Secretary’s admission creates reasonable suspicion that the proposal submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers was drafted and tabled independently of the line ministry responsible for legal and judicial affairs.

The group questioned the transparency and legitimacy of introducing major policy alterations in such a manner, warning that circumventing established ministerial procedures undermines institutional governance.

(Newstube.lk)

Opposition MP and Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) National Organiser Namal Rajapaksa has called on the government to immediately provide a fair price for paddy farmers' harvests, claiming that farmers are facing increasing hardships while the cost of living continues to rise.

Rajapaksa alleged that the government had failed to address farmers' concerns over paddy prices, fertiliser availability and rice imports.

He said farmers have been demanding a price of Rs. 140 per kilogram of paddy and accused the government of failing to honour promises made before the election regarding guaranteed purchase prices.

Rajapaksa also claimed that farmers were being intimidated for demanding higher prices and criticised the continued importation of rice despite earlier assurances that imports would be halted.

Referring to the previous SLPP government, he said a guaranteed price for paddy had been maintained through subsidised fertiliser and purchases by the Paddy Marketing Board, while acknowledging that the organic fertiliser policy introduced later had been a mistake.

He also alleged that despite the government's pledge to purchase paddy directly from farmers, the programme had failed to attract producers, while rice prices had ultimately increased.

Rajapaksa said the rising cost of living and increasing tax burden had made daily life unaffordable for many people and urged the government to immediately present its plan to address the concerns of farmers and the wider public.

Sri Lankan intelligence agencies have uncovered a coordinated plot involving politicians, prison officials, and inmates to incite violent clashes across five key penal facilities and trigger widespread national destabilization, according to a report published by the 'Divaina' newspaper.

The report states that security forces identified the plan after monitoring suspicious activities linked to recent unrest within Sri lanka's correctional facilities.

The syndicate behind the plot is preparing to target the Dumbara, Kalutara, Galle, Colombo Magazine, and Welikada Female prisons.

Authorities believe this nexus of powerful actors aims to manufacture artificial unrest without any legitimate grievances to exploit for political or criminal gain.

Investigators suspect that the network orchestrating this fresh conspiracy is the same organized group responsible for directing the recent violent outbreaks at both the Negombo and Mahara facilities.

The violence at the Mahara Prison alone led to property destruction valued at over Rs. 150 million, with probes failing to find any reasonable cause or catalyst for the outbreak.

Authorities note that high-ranking members of the Department of Prisons collaborated directly with incarcerated individuals and political figures to coordinate these incidents.

A comprehensive inquiry led by senior investigative teams is currently underway to identify all co-conspirators and dismantle the network before further disruptions take place.