The Rajapaksa brothers, Basil and Gotabhaya, have both shown a keen sense of likened thinking with regard to the conduct of the war in Sri Lanka. In a leaked US embassy cable Basil Rajapaksa is quoted as having told members of the US Senate Foreign Relations that, ‘I’m not saying we’re clean; we could not ...

The Koswatta Police  have arrested the father and a friend in connection with the kidnapping of the 15-year-old who was returning  to the Haldanduwana Catholic Church recently. The Police said the kidnappers who were arrested yesterday during the exchange for the boy turned out to be his parents. The Police  commenced investigations after Fr. Don Francis Laus had lodged a ...

Foreign minister GL Peiris  on Sunday condemned the "preposterous" UN-commissioned report alleging war crimes and revealing he stopped Canada raising it at a Commonwealth meeting, AFP reported Foreign Minister Gamini Peiris also confirmed Sri Lanka will host the next Commonwealth leaders' meeting in 2013, saying that none of the 54-nation bloc raised the prospect of moving it during t...

British Prime Minister David Cameron urged Sri Lanka on Sunday to make progress on human rights before it hosts the next Commonwealth leaders meeting in 2013 to prevent the likelihood of boycotts, AFP reported. Cameron said he pressed President Mahendra Rajapaske during this year's Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Australia to show that Colombo did not "have things to hide" fol...

Last week’s My View talked about six popular fallacies of currency or exchange rate appreciation which both the authorities and the public have tended to harbour in themselves. Of them, the following three were discussed in detail: Fallacy One: The government can fix the external value of a currency at any level it wishes. Fallacy ...

Gives comprehensive address highlighting issues of developing countries Shoots down discriminatory practices by developed countries Outlines post-war development, reiterates stance against terrorism Backs Palestine, Cuba and Africa By Nisthar Cassim in New York In his much-anticipated address to the UN, President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday took a comprehensive local, regional and world view, with...

By Dinali Goonewardene As stock markets the world over strongly slid downwards on fears of slowing economic growth, foreigners took their money out of the Colombo stock market yesterday, contributing to a seven-week low. Foreign sales were Rs. 70 million and net foreign outflows Rs. 21.8 million, albeit a relatively low component of total turnover. ...

Stock broking firms yesterday clarified issues with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over the latters’ action with regard to suspending 12 broking houses extending credit to clients due to lack of liquid capital. Leading stock broking houses complained they had niggling issues with the SEC which had been resolved on Thursday but said these ...

The report of the UN Advisory Panel was finally released and the government moved into top gear to get the country behind the regime. The government informed the state media of a press conference on Thursday last week. The Ambassador for Russia in Sri Lanka was agreeable to grant an interview against the Ban panel ...

by Prof Michael Roberts Many Sri Lankan fans expected the cricket team to win the World Cup and even stocked up with firecrackers to mark the celebratory moment. The disappointment has been commensurate with this high expectation. It has generated...

by Amarnath Amarasingam The recent revelation that members of the federal and provincial Conservative Party have been getting into bed with former members of the World Tamil Movement (WTM), banned as a terrorist organization in Canada since 2008, was not...

A decade ago, having recently begun Buddhist meditation practice, I attended a lecture/Q&A with a Tibetan master at a Buddhist center in Hollywood. The warm vibes and the stunning icons and paintings suggested a sacred, healing space. The speaker -- I knew so little at the time, I thought his name was "Sri" -- seemed the embodiment of enlightenment. He described how we can foster spiritua...

Two weeks ago, Dr Dayan Jayatilleka alleged that I had drafted a constitutional amendment in the 1970s in an abortive attempt to enable Mrs Bandaranaike to extend her term of office. Last week, in an article in which he transported...

Foreign news reports quoting an official source have stated that a group of 76 undocumented immigrants from Central America and Sri Lanka were rescued with signs of dehydration from inside a semi-trailer left abandoned in the southeastern state of Chiapas in Mexico. The Latin America Herald Tribune has quoted the Chiapas delegation of the federal ...

by Frederica Jansz Since the bloody 30 year war ended in a shoot-out in a remote mangrove in the North, in Colombo we have all been enjoying a semblance of peace. Of course there are yet no strong institutions which would boost Sri Lanka’s democracy. Good discipline is sadly lacking at all levels for peace ...