Qatar has underscored its commitment to continuing its humanitarian role and supporting its partners in Sri Lanka to ensure an effective and sustainable response to communities affected by Cyclone Ditwah.

The assurance was given when Minister of State for International Cooperation, Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad, met the Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando.

Their discussion, during the meeting, focused on advancing cooperation between the two countries, addressing the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah and exploring possible areas of support from the State of Qatar, including humanitarian aid, early recovery assistance, rehabilitation of critical infrastructure and livelihood protection programmes.

State Minister Al Misnad underscored Qatar’s commitment to continuing its humanitarian role and supporting its partners in Sri Lanka, as well as working with them to identify urgent intervention priorities to ensure an effective and sustainable response.

Meanwhile, Minister Fernando has expressed Sri Lanka’s gratitude to Qatar for its solidarity and enduring readiness to support Sri Lankan citizens in times of crises and natural disasters.

Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) says that it has not licensed an entity, called ‘Gladius South Asia,’ to operate as a market participant within or outside the country.

Contrary to claims made by ‘Gladius South Asia’, the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority has confirmed that it has not registered the firm either, the SEC said.

“The Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka wishes to inform the public that “Gladius South Asia” is not licensed by the SEC to operate as a Market Participant within or outside Sri Lanka,” the Sri Lanka market watchdog said in an x.com message.

“The SEC does not regulate, nor does it grant licenses for entities to operate in foreign jurisdictions,”

“It has come to the attention of the SEC that Gladius South Asia, in some instances, informs clients that it is licensed by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the United Kingdom.

“However, the FCA has officially confirmed to the SEC that Gladius South Asia is not a registered entity with the FCA. Please note that in the United Kingdom, all financial services activities must be authorised or registered by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).”

The Court of Appeal, on Monday, heard a writ petition challenging the Defence Ministry’s decision to issue 13,207 firearms to farmers in December 2024, with the State revealing that fewer than half of the weapons have been legally licensed.

Deputy Solicitor General Dr. Avanti Perera told the bench that licences had been issued for only 5,000 of the firearms distributed under the crop-protection programme.

The petition, filed by the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society of Sri Lanka, was taken up before Justices Rohantha Abeysuriya and K. Priyantha Fernando. The petitioners argue that the weapons distributed “indiscriminately” are being used to kill elephants, a strictly protected species under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance (FFPO).

President’s Counsel Sanjeeva Jayawardena, appearing for the petitioner, said the organisation was satisfied that the Minister would honour the Attorney General’s earlier undertaking to implement the National Action Plan for Human-Elephant Conflict mitigation as required under Section 68A of the FFPO.

However, he stressed that the core concerns remained unresolved, especially the “uncontrolled circulation of firearms” resulting from the mass distribution. Citing the DSG’s disclosure, he said several thousand unlicensed weapons were now “unaccounted for,” posing severe risks.

Jayawardena PC urged the authorities to halt further distribution, trace and recover already issued firearms, and prosecute individuals unlawfully in possession of them. The petitioner seeks orders to stop what it describes as the “wanton, en masse issuance” of guns and to replace it with a scientifically grounded strategy to manage the human-elephant conflict.

The Court of Appeal directed the Attorney General to report on further measures to address the concerns raised. The case was fixed for mention on 06 February, 2026.

Sanjeeva Jayawardena PC appeared for the petitioner with Counsel Prashanthi Mahindraratne, Dilumi de Alwis and Lakmini Warusevitane.

DSG Dr. Avanti Perera appeared for the respondents.

By A.J.A. Abeynayake