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State Minister of Tourism Ruwan Ranasinghe says that newly appointed local representatives, including chairpersons and mayors, are facing serious practical difficulties in carrying out their duties due to the lack of transport facilities.

He pointed out that after assuming office, many of the new representatives have realised the real challenge lies in how to perform their duties effectively without the necessary resources.

“The problem begins after assuming duties as chairpersons or mayors. There are no vehicles for them to travel for official work—neither for the chairperson nor the secretary. We must find solutions for these issues. Now we can clearly see the results of the hasty appointments made in the past,” Ranasinghe said.

(Source - Asianmirror)

Sri Lanka is moving closer to a next-generation telecommunications revolution with SLT-Mobitel and Japan’s Rakuten Symphony joining forces to introduce the country’s first Open Radio Access Network (Open RAN) pilot project. The initiative, which integrates both 4G and 5G Non-Standalone (NSA) and Standalone (SA) networks, is expected to transform Sri Lanka’s connectivity landscape, enhance competition, and accelerate the growth of its digital economy.

Under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), SLT-Mobitel will deploy Rakuten Symphony’s advanced Open RAN solutions, including virtualised Centralised Units (CUs) and Distributed Units (DUs), along with pre-certified third-party 4G and 5G Radio Units (RUs). This marks a key milestone in Sri Lanka’s telecom modernization efforts, as Open RAN technology enables interoperability between different network equipment providers—reducing dependence on a single vendor and cutting long-term costs.

The project forms part of a broader global initiative spearheaded by Rakuten Mobile, Rakuten Symphony’s parent company, and supported by the Japanese Government, to promote Open RAN adoption across emerging markets. Similar projects have already been rolled out in India, Vietnam, Kuwait, and Kenya, making Sri Lanka among the first in South Asia to test this transformative model.

According to Rakuten Symphony President Sharad Sriwastawa, the partnership will help SLT-Mobitel achieve a leaner, more efficient network operation while reducing total cost of ownership and accelerating service delivery. “Adopting open network principles enables faster innovation and improved network outcomes, ultimately enhancing customer experience,” he said.

SLT-Mobitel Chief Operating Officer Sudharshana Geeganage described the partnership as a strategic step in strengthening Sri Lanka’s digital competitiveness. “This collaboration underscores SLT-Mobitel’s commitment to implementing next-generation technologies. The Open RAN trial will bring unprecedented flexibility, improved network performance, and greater innovation capability supporting our mission to advance Sri Lanka’s digital economy,” he noted.

Open RAN allows mobile networks to be built using hardware and software from multiple suppliers, rather than relying on proprietary systems from a single vendor. This open and modular approach is expected to reduce network rollout costs, enhance scalability, and stimulate local innovation. It also provides a pathway for Sri Lankan engineers and technology firms to participate in future telecom infrastructure development.

Rakuten Symphony’s collaboration is backed by achievements derived from Japan’s NEDO (New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organisation) program, focusing on network automation and cloud-edge capabilities. The Sri Lankan pilot could pave the way for a nationwide Open RAN deployment, driving faster 5G adoption and enabling new digital services in sectors like education, healthcare, logistics, and manufacturing.

With this pioneering initiative, Sri Lanka stands poised to become a regional frontrunner in telecom innovation, ensuring wider connectivity, better affordability, and enhanced resilience in its national communications network.

Sri Lanka’s decision to double the Withholding Tax (WHT) on interest income to 10 percent has dealt a severe blow to thousands of senior citizens who depend entirely on their bank deposits to survive. For many retirees, the interest earned on years of careful savings is their only source of income used to buy medicine, pay rent, and meet daily needs.

But with the recent hike in WHT, their monthly income has begun to shrink, leaving them struggling to make ends meet. As the 2026 Budget nears, elderly depositors are appealing to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and the Ministry of Finance to offer urgent relief not as a privilege, but as an act of fairness and compassion toward those who built the nation’s economy through a lifetime of work.

Under the Inland Revenue (Amendment) Act No. 2 of 2025, banks and financial institutions must deduct 10 percent of all interest income at source, regardless of the depositor’s total earnings. Although individuals with annual incomes below Rs. 1.8 million can file declarations to avoid the deduction, many retirees fall just above this threshold earning between Rs. 1.8 million and Rs. 4 million and now find themselves trapped in a rigid system that taxes them far beyond their true liability.

For example, a retiree with Rs. 3 million in fixed deposits may earn Rs. 300,000 a year in interest. Despite their effective tax being under Rs. 10,000 after allowances, they now face a mandatory Rs. 30,000 deduction three times higher than what they actually owe. Reclaiming this overpayment requires filing refund claims and enduring months of bureaucratic delays, a task most elderly citizens find overwhelming.

“This system takes more than what we owe and forces us to beg for our own money back,” said Senaka Samaraweera, a 72-year-old retiree from Galle. “We can’t spend hours filling forms or visiting tax offices. Many just give up and bear the loss.”

For elderly savers living on fixed incomes, this policy is not just a tax it’s a cut into their daily survival. The money lost could cover essential medicine, food, or utility bills. Economists warn that if the government fails to act, the policy could push thousands of seniors into poverty and erode faith in the fairness of Sri Lanka’s tax system.

The Inland Revenue Department has been under mounting pressure to raise state revenue, with total tax collection surpassing Rs. 3,400 billion by September. Yet, experts caution that relying on taxes from vulnerable groups undermines social trust and violates the principle of equity in taxation.

Inland Revenue Department

A collective of retired public servants recently urged the Finance Ministry to introduce an automatic exemption system for low-income seniors and ensure refunds of excess WHT within 60 days. “Fiscal targets must not come at the cost of humanity,” the group said in a joint appeal.

Sri Lanka’s aging population now exceeds 2.7 million, nearly 18 percent of the total population, and around one million depend on interest income from deposits, finance ministry data shows.

While the government has launched a special fixed-deposit scheme offering an additional three percent interest for citizens over 60 with deposits up to Rs. 1 million, critics argue that it does little to assist those already penalized by the 10 percent WHT.

The landmark Colombo Lotus Tower, known locally as Nelum Kuluna, has entered a new phase of growth as its management company reports strong financial results for 2025. Once criticised as a costly vanity project, the tower has now emerged as one of Sri Lanka’s most profitable entertainment and tourism ventures.

According to Colombo Lotus Tower Management Private Limited (CLTMC), revenue for the first eight months of 2025 reached Rs. 1.43 billion, up 31 percent compared with the same period last year. Gross profit increased by 77 percent to Rs. 786.86 million, while profit before tax surged 192 percent to Rs. 539.93 million. Profit margins improved from 18 to 38 percent, indicating a significant turnaround in the tower’s operations.

The results mark a major recovery for a project once labelled a “white elephant.” Built mainly with Chinese financing, the Lotus Tower faced years of delays and criticism over high costs and limited returns. When it opened in 2022, it generated only Rs. 268 million in its first three months. Now, stronger management, cost control, and diversified operations are driving sustained profitability.

CLTMC Chairman Shirantha Pieris attributed the turnaround to disciplined financial management and new revenue streams. The tower’s management has expanded beyond observation deck ticket sales to include events, restaurants, and retail leasing, along with plans for digital entertainment and innovation zones.

A key highlight is the planned bungee-jump facility from the tower’s upper deck, set to be the tallest such attraction in the world. The new feature aims to position the Lotus Tower as an international adventure tourism destination. Additional upgrades include an expanded food court, rooftop events space, and digital exhibitions designed to attract both local and foreign visitors.

The partnership between CLTMC and Citrus Leisure PLC to manage hospitality operations on the 25th to 28th floors has drawn scrutiny. The agreement provides for a 3.5 percent management fee and 10 percent of gross revenue (excluding salaries), plus 20 percent of operating profit. However, even when Citrus Leisure incurred losses of Rs. 20.3 million in late 2023, CLTMC still paid management and staff fees, raising questions about the contract’s risk-sharing structure.

Further, auditors noted weak oversight in staff hiring and salary decisions, with Citrus having full discretion while CLTMC bore all salary costs. There was also an unapproved payment of Rs. 1.01 million for mobile phones and additional spending of Rs. 1.08 million to repair vandalism damage at the observation deck.

Despite these concerns, CLTMC’s strong financial rebound demonstrates improved governance and operational focus. The company says increased security measures, new visitor attractions, and better asset management have all contributed to profitability.

For Sri Lanka, the Lotus Tower’s revival offers both financial and symbolic value—showing that disciplined management and innovation can turn a once-criticised state asset into a viable, revenue-generating venture that supports tourism and the national economy.

Red tape within the bureaucracy contributes to the physical aggravations. Importers of perishables and agri-products often experience clearance delays because local authorities refuse to accept international lab certifications, forcing retesting at local facilities such as Sri Lanka Standards Institute, already operating at maximum capacity.

The result: higher demurrage charges, congestion, and rotting foodstuffs. Industry experts argue that accepting internationally recognized certifications would tilt safety and efficiency.

Terminal performance differences persist as well. State-owned terminals such as SAGT and CICT consistently lag behind privately owned terminals such as SAGT and CICT in productivity. The new West Container Terminal, with computerised handling systems, holds promise but is underused due to a lack of operational integration.

Industry leaders warned that Colombo Port is currently at a crossroads. Despite its prime location and expanding facilities, bureaucratic complacency and outdated rituals threaten to unravel its regional dominance.

Colombo Port

 Simply increasing capacity will not solve the crisis. Exporters underline the need for predictability timely vessel scheduling, fast clearance, and transparent regulation.

Experts call for across the board reform, from harmonised berth allocation, digital pre-clearing, and simplified customs to total operating system overhaul. With much delay, Sri Lanka may turn its prized maritime gateway into a costly chokepoint losing trade and investment to faster, better-manage colombo Port Struggles Threaten Sri Lanka’s Export Competitiveness.

Sri Lanka’s exporters are once again facing mounting challenges as long-standing congestion and procedural bottlenecks at the Port of Colombo disrupt trade flows, forcing major global shipping lines to reroute around the nation’s key maritime gateway. The disruptions have exposed structural weaknesses in port administration and customs coordination, highlighting obstacles to Sri Lanka’s long-held goal of becoming South Asia’s premier transshipment and logistics hub.

For sectors such as garments, rubber, and electronics, which rely on precise delivery schedules, the impact has been severe. Ships bypassing Colombo or arriving weeks late are driving up costs, triggering contract penalties, and eroding customer confidence. At the heart of the crisis are terminal congestion, inefficient inter-terminal transfers, and coordination gaps. Exporters note that transshipment containers still require manual movement between terminals using prime movers—a time-consuming method ill-suited for modern logistics.

In comparison, India’s newly commissioned Vizhinjam Port, with its single-basin design, enables faster vessel turnaround and smoother internal container movement, drawing shipping traffic away from Colombo. While the port handled 4.7 million TEUs from January to July 2025a 4% increase over last year industry participants warn that these numbers mask growing operational strain.

Vizhinjam Port

The financial burden on Sri Lankan exporters is significant. Container shunting costs between Rs. 100,000 and Rs. 300,000 per shipment for haulage, demurrage, and labor, heavily impacting small-scale exporters with narrow margins. Official estimates project total container handling at 7.76 million TEUs in 2025, of which 6.2 million are transshipments. Yet berth waits of 48–72 hours persist due to congestion, incomplete infrastructure integration, and weak terminal coordination.

Bureaucratic red tape further aggravates delays. Importers of perishables and agricultural products often face clearance problems as local authorities reject internationally recognized laboratory certifications, forcing costly retesting at the overburdened Sri Lanka Standards Institute. The result is rising demurrage charges, increased congestion, and wasted produce.

Sri Lanka’s power sector is inching toward digital transformation, but progress remains slow and uneven, constrained by funding shortages, weak coordination, and the absence of a comprehensive national roadmap. The Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), in its State of the Economy 2025 report, reveals that while the National Energy Policy (NEP) 2019 laid out a vision for a digital energy ecosystem, its implementation has been fragmented amid the country’s recent economic turmoil.

According to IPS, the multiple crises that followed 2019 from import restrictions to foreign exchange shortages — severely disrupted the energy sector’s modernization efforts. Despite this, a few pilot projects and international partnerships have pushed the sector toward limited digital adoption.

One of the most notable developments is the $200 million Asian Development Bank (ADB) loan aimed at strengthening the national grid and introducing battery storage and smart-grid technologies. This initiative includes a smart-grid pilot project at the University of Moratuwa, which is enhancing local research capacity and building a skilled workforce for future grid management.

The Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority (SLSEA), Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), and Lanka Electricity Company (LECO) are also advancing renewable-energy digitalization through pilot projects. Feasibility studies are underway for establishing renewable energy control centres capable of monitoring power generation in real time through digital platforms. “The digital monitoring system will be extended to wind power plants with ADB assistance,” the IPS report states.

LECO has been at the forefront of operational digitalization. It has introduced an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system and over 5,600 smart metering pilot projects. Out of approximately 38,000 consumer accounts, about 25% now use smart meters, enabling remote billing and consumption tracking. In addition, LECO has installed weather-monitoring stations at major transformers to facilitate predictive maintenance and quicker fault detection within 10–15 kilometres.

Meanwhile, the CEB, which serves 7.2 million customers, has developed its own customer service platforms. The CEB Care app and SMS service allow consumers to access billing data, report outages, and manage accounts through GPS and GIS-integrated tools. Similarly, LECO’s MyLECO app provides real-time usage data, multi-language support, and customer alerts. Both apps were locally developed and have been integrated to enhance consumer engagement.

The IPS identifies these digital efforts as the foundation for a broader energy transformation. However, it warns that targets under the 2020–2024 energy policy remain only partially achieved. Resource limitations, lack of data governance, and poor coordination have prevented Sri Lanka from realizing the full potential of digitalisation.

Although LECO is developing GIS-based automation and renewable forecasting tools, and the CEB is digitizing its operations, many structural gaps persist. Proposed data-governance policies and mandatory building-management systems under the Urban Development Authority (UDA) have yet to be implemented.

The IPS stresses that a national digitalisation framework is crucial for sustained progress. “Implementing data-governance systems, enforcing building-management regulations, and executing a full digital transformation plan for the energy value chain are prerequisites for long-term success,” it concludes

In a bold move, the Urban Development Authority (UDA) has begun proceedings to blacklist construction companies amid mounting concerns that the Ministry of Finance is unable to discharge billions of rupees owed to contractors engaged in ongoing development works. The decision places a harsh spotlight on a sector already stretched by stalled payments and unfinished infrastructure.

According to reports, the government currently owes around Rs 150 billion for completed public construction work including road and building projects accrued since 2019. In response, Treasury officials have flagged plans to roll out allocations running to tens of billions of rupees and to raise funds via treasury bonds to begin addressing arrears.

While the UDA’s sanctioning of blacklists is framed as a deterrent against shoddy contractor performance, analysts warn the timing is fraught: many firms are already financially fragile due to payment delays and remain central to the delivery of key public projects.

Crucially, large-scale road and highway schemes under the oversight of the Road Development Authority (RDA) and other agencies remain dependent on these contractors. The RDA remains the principal body responsible for the national highway network under the Ministry of Highways.

A review of major development projects through the Ministry of Finance shows significant under-execution in recent years, raising doubts over whether the government is in a position to clear dues while sustaining new rollouts.

Ahead of the 2026 budget, the UDA and the Ministry of Urban Development, Construction and Housing held pre-budget discussions in August 2025. The review flagged numerous unfinished housing, sanitation and bridge projects and emphasised the need to expedite disbursements and payment flows.

The collision of obligations is stark: on one hand, the UDA is moving to curb contractor malpractices through blacklisting; on the other, the contracting base is under pressure as unpaid dues undermine cash flows, threaten project continuity and risk a wave of contractor defaults.

The dues problem extends beyond the UDA’s purview government-led road rehabilitation programmes, for example, were noted in 2024 to face overdue payments nearing the hundred-billion-rupee mark.

For roads and highways specifically, the stalled contractor payments inject uncertainty into sub-contracts and maintenance works, indirectly affecting the UDA’s urban infrastructure portfolio. The fiscal squeeze means that even when allocations are made, the rate of release and actual progress lag behind.

Going into the 2026 budget, several dynamics will matter: whether the government creates a formal repayment schedule for outstanding dues, whether contractor blacklisting comes with safeguards for small and medium-sized firms, and how the UDA aligns its enforcement drive with the wider fiscal constraints facing the finance ministry.

Without a credible plan to clear dues, the blacklist strategy while symbolically strongrisks targeting under-capitalised firms already reeling from payment delays.

In summary, the UDA’s intervention to discipline the contracting sector arrives against a backdrop of billions in unpaid state obligations, stalled infrastructure deliveries and mounting pressure on the public finances.

The 2026 budget will be closely watched for whether it addresses the payment backlog and how it balances regulatory enforcement with the need to preserve the contracting ecosystem critical for infrastructure delivery.

The Department of Examinations says that conducting tuition classes, lectures, and seminars related to the upcoming G.C.E. Advanced Level Examination will be prohibited starting after midnight on the 4th of November.

Commissioner General of Examinations, Indika Kumari Gamage, says that this ban will remain in effect until the examination concludes.

The G.C.E. Advanced Level Examination is scheduled to be held from the 10th of November to the 5th of December at 2,362 examination centers.

Four decades after it built the landmark Unity Plaza, On’ally Holdings PLC is once again in the spotlight this time for reasons that reach far beyond its real-estate portfolio. The appointment of Eng. Kumudu Lal, the Chairman of the Urban Development Authority (UDA) and Secretary to the Ministry of Housing, Construction & Water Supply, as Chairman of On’ally Holdings has ignited a fierce governance debate and revived allegations of a serious conflict of interest at the heart of the company.

Founded in 1982 by Onally Gulam Hussain, On’ally grew from a private property venture into one of Colombo’s most visible real-estate firms. Its flagship project, Unity Plaza, launched in 1987, remains Sri Lanka’s most recognized IT and commercial complex. But beneath its polished façade, a long-running ownership struggle continues to cloud its boardroom.

The company’s shareholding is split between two major players: Lanka Realty Investments PLC (LRI), which controls around 50.9 percent, and the UDA, which holds 44.8 percent. What should be a strategic partnership has turned into a bitter legal rivalry.

In 2021, the UDA filed a civil case in the Colombo Commercial High Court, accusing LRI of oppression and mismanagement of shareholder rights after it acquired its majority stake in 2020. The court initially restricted LRI’s voting rights, but the Court of Appeal in March 2024 suspended that order, allowing LRI to exercise control until the final judgment is delivered.

Against this volatile backdrop, the appointment of the UDA’s own chairman to head On’ally Holdings has alarmed investors and legal observers alike. Corporate governance experts point out that Lal now sits on both sides of the conflict representing the litigant UDA while chairing the very company involved in the dispute. 

Under Sri Lanka’s Corporate Governance Code and OECD principles for state-owned enterprises, such dual positions create an “unmanageable conflict” that threatens board independence and market confidence.

Financially, On’ally’s latest performance adds further tension. For the nine months ending December 2024, cash and cash equivalents dropped 25.7 percent, while net operating cash flow plunged over 56 percent, signalling liquidity pressure. 

The current ratio weakened from 4.83× to 3.31×, and despite a modest revenue increase from rental income at Unity Plaza, profit margins remain under strain due to rising costs and fair-value losses on property assets.

 At the Colombo Stock Exchange, the company’s share price has fluctuated sharply within a Rs 23–37 band over the past year, reflecting investor uncertainty. Analysts warn that unresolved governance issues could continue to depress sentiment even as the Unity Plaza refurbishment nears completion.

Market sources suggest that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) may review whether the appointment complies with conflict-of-interest and disclosure rules applicable to listed entities. Legal professionals say that unless Lal recuses himself from matters involving the UDA, or the board appoints an independent chairperson, On’ally risks breaching basic fiduciary obligations.

For now, On’ally Holdings stands at a crossroads its balance sheet weakened, its leadership questioned, and its founding legacy overshadowed by an intensifying power struggle. What began as a proud Colombo real-estate story has become a case study in how corporate control, public influence, and governance lapses can collide under the same roof.

A woman has been arrested for defying traffic police orders, obstructing officers on duty, and falsely claiming to be the sister of a Senior DIG.

According to police, a viral video shows the suspect arguing with traffic officers in Udugampola after refusing to stop her vehicle when instructed to do so.

She was subsequently taken into custody and charged with dangerous and negligent driving, disobeying police orders, and obstructing law enforcement duties.

The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) is undergoing one of the most ambitious institutional restructurings in Sri Lanka’s power sector history. Under the amendments introduced by the Sri Lanka Electricity Act, No. 36 of 2024, the Board is to be unbundled into six separate entities, with four already established and their chairpersons and boards appointed through internal sources. At the same time, the utility has offered a voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) to staff unwilling to be absorbed into the successor companies.

So far, approximately 2,174 applications have been made for voluntary retirement at headquarters alone including 78 engineers, 18 accountants, and dozens of technical officers, clerks, and drivers. The Generation Division alone reportedly sees some 400 employees among the applicants.

 With the approved engineer cadre standing at 1,004 but only around 680 presently in service and roughly 70 working abroad, the retirement of 78 more would reduce the active engineering pool to about 532  an almost 50 percent reduction. The total approved staff number is 26,783, with roughly 21,800 currently employed. A further 2,200 departing would bring the workforce down to about 19,600  roughly a 10 percent cut.

 The VRS is governed by regulations gazetted on 26 August 2025. Permanent employees with over ten years of service are eligible for compensation calculated at two months’ salary for each year completed, plus 1.5 months for each year of service foregone  subject to a minimum of Rs 900,000 and a maximum of Rs 5 million. Those with under ten years of service receive five months’ salary per year served. Contractual employees and those under disciplinary inquiry are excluded. Importantly, employees who opt for VRS cannot join any of the successor companies.

From a financial standpoint, the CEB reported robust profit figures for the first ten months of 2024: revenue from electricity sales fell 5.1 percent to Rs 472.8 billion, but a steep 31.4 percent fall in direct generation cost to Rs 260.7 billion lifted gross profit to Rs 112 billion (vs. Rs 41.1 billion in 2023). 

Net profit before tax was Rs 139.4 billion compared to a loss of Rs 0.36 billion previously. Outstanding payables to major suppliers and IPPs fell to around Rs 20.5 billion by end-October 2024. 

However, for the first half of 2025 the Board posted a loss of Rs 9.525 billion on revenue of Rs 201.509 billion (38 percent lower year-on-year) with finance costs still at Rs 7.78 billion. For the last three months of 2025 the company estimates a deficit of Rs 7.694 billion with revenue of Rs 112.372 billion and cost of Rs 125.3 billion.

The workforce reduction and structural transformation aim to make the power utility leaner and more competitive, shifting legacy generation, transmission, and distribution functions into dedicated units with clearer mandates. 

The government’s target is to ultimately reduce the cadre from 26,000 down to as few as 5,000 core staff, while successor companies recruit only for essential functions. Critics warn, however, that the loss of experience especially in maintenance, generation control, and system operations  poses major risks. Union leaders say some plants may be left with just one engineer on duty.

For employees, the picture is mixed: those opting for VRS receive generous packages but give up rights to join successor firms and must forego potential future progression. Those transferring face uncertainty over roles, places of work, and promotion pathways  a challenge confirmed when the Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers’ Union lost a court petition challenging assignation letters that lacked detail on new roles.

Looking ahead, the restructuring may help the CEB shed legacy cost burdens and become more flexible in procurement, generation planning, and distribution. The 2025–2044 Long-Term Generation Expansion Plan already outlines a pivot to renewables (targeting 70 percent by 2030) and LNG/hydrogen thermal backup. 

Nevertheless, successful transition depends on maintaining operational stability during the cutover phase, retaining key technical talent, and ensuring that successor companies are properly capitalised, governed, and accountable. The next 12–24 months will be critical as much for the national grid’s reliability as for the livelihoods of thousands of CEB employees.

Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera, General Secretary of the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), stated that Muslim women should be allowed to access health services while wearing the hijab, but opposed the wearing of the niqab and burqa.

Addressing the media, the Thera said that as Sinhalese nationals, it is wrong to oppose the hijab, which allows women to be identified, but garments covering the entire face, such as the niqab and burqa, should be discouraged.

He explained that while the hijab does not conceal identity, the burqa can make identification difficult, adding that some Muslim women wearing the burqa have obtained driving licenses and identity cards.

The Thera further argued that there is no need to adopt such foreign cultural practices in the country, and claimed that some criminals have used the burqa and niqab to carry out illegal activities.

He urged the Muslim community not to dispute this position, noting that wearing the hijab is permitted and should continue, while the burqa and niqab should be opposed.

(Source - Dailymirror)