President Ranil Wickremesinghe, addressing the 30th Annual General Meeting of the Lanka Confectionary Manufacturers Association (LCMA) yesterday (24) at Cinnamon Grand Hotel, Colombo emphasized the potential for Sri Lanka to become a global player in the confectionery industry. He encouraged Sri Lankan confectioners to expand their horizons and tap into international markets. The President emphasi...

A repressive new internet law that Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe is trying to rush through Parliament this week would create broad and vague new speech-related offenses punishable by lengthy prison terms, Human Rights Watch’s (HRC) Meenakshi Ganguly has said in a statement. The law would seriously threaten the right to freedom of expression as […]

By Prof. Amarasiri de Silva Sri Lanka, renowned for its rich cultural heritage and diverse landscapes, is grappling with an unprecedented macroeconomic crisis. This crisis has given rise to acute shortages and sharp increases in the prices of essential products, creating a complex web of challenges. At the heart of this multifaceted crisis lies a […]

2024 presidential contest: by Shamindra Ferdinando Chief Opposition Whip Lakshman Kiriella, MP, yesterday (21) said that the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) was having discussions with two dozen SLPP MPs who had indicated their willingness to close ranks with the main opposition party ahead of the forthcoming presidential election. The Kandy District lawmaker said that the SLPP parliamentary […...

China’s consumer price index (CPI) fell by 0.3 per cent year on year in December, marking a third consecutive monthly decline amid fears of deflationary risks Concerns have risen that China is facing similar issues to Japan’s so-called lost decades of stagnation China’s falling consumer prices in the fourth quarter have plunged full-year inflation to […]

by Dr Amali Wedagedara In Sri Lanka, public policy lost in the neoliberal haze treats the market as a cure for all ills. Not only is the market omnipresent, but it is also omniscient and omnipotent. The charm of the ‘market’ that research and advocacy lobbyists are creating is so alluring that only a few […]

Pakistan’s Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar met President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Tuesday at the sidelines of the World Economic Forum summit in Davos. A news story published by the Arab News said: Kakar arrived in Switzerland on Sunday to attend the 54th WEF summit, where he is scheduled to attend three thematic events and also […]

, but nothing will help revive the ailing economy and prevent […]

Sajith says govt.’s impending electoral defeat cannot be reversed through constitutional means By Shamindra Ferdinando The National Movement for Social Justice (NMSJ) has urged the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa government to put off the two-day debate on the proposed Online Safety Bill scheduled for January 23 and 24th. The NMSJ, led by former Yahapalana speaker Karu Jayasuriya, has […]

By M. Rodwan Abouharb Associate Professor in International Relations, UCL and Bernhard Reinsberg Reader in Politics, University of Glasgow Sri Lanka received a bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in March amid soaring inflation, debt and a sovereign default. In exchange for US$3 billion (£2.4 billion), the government committed to spending cuts and tax […]

by Susantha Hewa A Shramadana (collaborative work) in a village is a good example of participatory democracy in action, where it is “of the villagers, by the villagers, for the villagers”. Of course, a few would organize and lead but they don’t stand to benefit more than the others. The coordinators would get their due praise for […]

By Saman Indrajith Forty-eight-year-old Batticaloa District MP Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, popularly known as Pillayan, has been shaping the Eastern Province’s political narrative since he was a teenager. He was just 16-years old when he joined the LTTE in 1990 as a child soldier. Since then, he continued to rise in the ranks of the LTTE until […]

During a meeting between President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Sri Lankan authorities and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Thursday (11), the IMF congratulated the country on completing the first review under its program. The IMF highlighted the positive start of the program, recognizing the challenging reforms undertaken by Sri Lanka and their significant impact on the […]

By saman indrajith Opposition and SJB Leader Sajith Premadasa and Chief Government Whip Housing Minister Prasanna Ranatunga had a heated argument yesterday with the former revealing that 50 government MPs had had a cruise party while children were fainting in schools due to hunger. Premadasa said that while people were starving and undergoing tremendous hardships, […]

Friday 12th January, 2024 Chairman of the National Movement for Social Justice and former Speaker, Karu Jayasuriya, has called for reopening the Lasantha Wickrematunge murder probe. Lasantha was the editor of The Sunday Leader, when he was assassinated on 08 January 2009. Jayasuriya has flayed successive governments for doing precious little to bring the killers […]