Indian VP calls for lenient policy towards poaching Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena has thanked Indian Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. S. Jaishankar for giving Sri Lanka two more years to pay back INR 550 mn loan given at the onset of the economic crisis that was to be paid

The United Nations (UN) recalled the lessons it learnt from the war in Sri Lanka where it was accused of failing to prevent the deaths of thousands of civilians. UNICEF Spokesperson James Elder told reporters in Geneva that he learnt a lot when he was in Sri Lanka in 2007-2008. He recalled that the UN […]

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has secured a third term as leader of the Middle East’s most populous nation, officials said, after the counting of votes in the election held between December 10 and 12 was finalised. Sisi won 89.6 percent of the vote, the National Elections Authority said on Monday. Turnout reached an “unprecedented” […]

In actual fact the foundation for the current economic chaos was laid under the Yahapalana rule when they borrowed as much as USD 12 billion from the international bond market, at high interest rates, with them not even undertaking any developmental works, like the Rajapaksas, or, for that matter, any worthwhile economic activity. We certainly […]

[An article based on the Keynote Address delivered by Dr. P. Nandalal Weerasinghe, Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, recently at the Annual Research Symposium 2023 of the University of Colombo] Introduction Inflation affects every aspect of our lives; it is a force that shapes our purchasing power, influences our financial decisions, and […]

The Civil Society Initiative on Anti-Corruption Reform for Economic Recovery, comprising Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL), Verité Research, the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA), Sarvodaya, People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL) and the National Peace Council (NPC) (the CSI Core Group) has reiterateed its view that governance and anti-corruption priorities that have be...

… many face severe difficulties abroad By Shamindra Ferdinando The Sectoral Oversight Committee on State Financial Strategy (aka Committee on Ways and Means), tasked with inquiring into affected sectors, has revealed that since January 1, 2022, at least 1,198 doctors have migrated. Among them were 348 specialists, the committee chaired by MP Patali Champika Ranawaka, the leader […]

Yemen’s Houthi rebels say they launched a drone attack targeting two cargo vessels in the Red Sea, the latest in a series of assaults that have disrupted maritime trade as freight companies seek to avoid the area. Houthi spokesperson Yahya Sarea on Monday identified the vessels as the MSC Clara and Norwegian-owned Swan Atlantic, and […]

A huge explosion at the main oil refinery in Guinea’s capital Conakry has killed at least eight people and wounded dozens, officials say. The explosion blew out the windows of nearby houses in downtown Conakry, and hundreds of residents fled the area, eyewitnesses said. The authorities have ordered schools in the city to close and […]

By Uditha Devapriya On Tuesday, December 12, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution demanding a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. The United States was one of 10 countries to oppose, the others including Guatemala, Nauru, and Paraguay, and of course Israel. New Zealand, Canada, and Australia were among the 153 countries to vote in favour, […]

By MEERA SRINIVASAN As Sri Lanka tries to rebuild its battered economy after last year’s devastating crisis, the country’s political scene is gradually heating up, in the run up to two national elections scheduled next year — parliamentary and presidential — that will give citizens

The main opposition has voiced concerns about the imminent transfer of the burdens arising from corruption, fraud, financial misappropriations, and flawed politics of the Rajapaksas onto the general public, effective January 1 next year. During a press conference at the Opposition Leader’s Office in Colombo on Thursday, SJB MP Mayantha Dissanayake asserted that the recently […]

Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah has died at 86. “With great sadness and sorrow, we – the Kuwaiti people, the Arab and Islamic nations, and the friendly peoples of the world – mourn the late His Highness the emir, Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, who passed away to his Lord […]

… explains how Parliament enacted harmful laws By Shamindra Ferdinando Veteran lawyer Kalyananda Thiranagama said that the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peremuna (SLPP) should be held responsible for backing President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s economic strategy meant to privatise the remaining state enterprises. Addressing a public gathering in Colombo, the liberal civil society activist emphasised that ...

Saturday 16th December, 2023 The SLPP held its second national convention yesterday in Colombo. It spared no expense in putting on a grand show by bussing people from all parts of the country to the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium, the way all political parties do. Speakers thundered, spewing out streams of rhetoric, and held out hope […]