Sri Lankan mountaineer Johann Peries returned to the island this morning (08) after successfully summiting Mount Denali in Alaska, completing his remarkable journey to conquer the highest peaks on all seven continents.

Starting with Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa in 2014, Johann has now achieved the prestigious Seven Summits challenge — scaling the tallest mountain on each continent. His journey includes Mount Everest (Asia), Mount Elbrus (Europe), Aconcagua (South America), Mount Vinson (Antarctica), Mount Kosciuszko (Australia), and now, Mount Denali (North America).

Johann, a professional hairdresser and entrepreneur with salons in Colombo, London, and Australia, proudly planted the Sri Lankan flag atop each summit, earning international recognition and bringing pride to the nation.

Speaking at the Katunayake Airport, he announced plans to publish a book based on his mountaineering experiences and expressed hopes of promoting Sri Lanka as a premier destination for adventure tourism.

(dailynews.lk)

(Except for the headline, this story, originally published by dailynews.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)

The Presidential Secretariat has informed social activist Anuruddha Bandara that the names of officials attached to the President’s Media Division (PMD) cannot be disclosed.

Senior Assistant Secretary to the President G.P.H.M. Kumarasinghe has conveyed the decision in a written response to an appeal filed by Bandara, who had sought details regarding all designations at the Presidential Secretariat, along with the names of appointees, their salaries, allowances and other benefits.

The Presidential Secretariat invoked Section 5(1)(a) of the RTI Act. Section 5(1)(a) of the Right to Information (RTI) Act No. 12 of 2016 of Sri Lanka relates to the exemptions under which a public authority may refuse to disclose information.

The Supreme Court (SC) has ruled that police violated the fundamental rights of two farmers who were arrested and remanded following a protest in 2018 along the Polonnaruwa-Mahiyanganaya road.

The protest was held to demand action to prevent wild elephants from entering villages.

Delivering the verdict yesterday (July 07), the court ordered Mr. S.M.L.R. Bandara – the then OIC of the Aralaganwila Police to personally pay compensation of Rs. 30,000 each to petitioners R.A. Gamini Jayaratna and H.R. Eranda, both residents of Polonnaruwa.

The judgment, delivered by Justice – Yasantha Kodagoda with Chief Justice – Murdhu Fernando and Justice – S. Thurairaja concurring, stressed that magistrates must not remand individuals solely on police requests and should make careful, informed decisions.

The bench emphasized that bail should be the norm under the Bail Act, while denying bail should be exceptional, and that the judiciary must protect people’s fundamental rights.

The SC also ruled that protests should be handled without violating citizens’ rights and directed the Director General of Wildlife to develop a proper plan to prevent wild elephant intrusions.

Copies of the judgment have been sent to the Attorney General, Inspector General of Police, Director General of Wildlife, Director General of Forest Conservation, the Mahaweli Authority, and the OIC of Aralaganwila Police for further action.