Terror attacks have surged in Pakistan in tandem with the resurgence of the Taliban in neighbouring Afghanistan, writes Dr. Sakariya Kareem Pakistan’s relationship with Afghanistan, a complex and turbulent one, is driven by its geopolitical ambitions and strategic concerns. Historically, Pakistan has pursued policies aimed at diminishing India’s influence in the region, often at the […]

In a landmark study published recently in the journal Mitochondrion, 10 researchers from five institutions -- including Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi; University of Colombo, Sri Lanka; CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad;

The IMF s (International Monetary Fund) First Deputy Managing Director, Gita Gopinath has congratulated the Sri Lankan authorities on the steady progress made on several fronts, including inflation reduction, revenue enhancement and governance reforms.

All the churches across the island observed a two-minutes silence to mark the fifth anniversary of the deadly terror attacks on Easter Sunday (April 21) in 2019.

The House of Representatives has finally approved billions of dollars in new US military aid for Ukraine as it struggles to resist Russia’s invasion. The much-delayed measure had vocal opponents in Congress and it took a fragile bipartisan deal to get the $61bn (£49bn) package through. Now the focus shifts from “whether” to “when” lethal […]

The Meteorology Department says showers or thundershowers will occur at several places in Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central and North-western provinces and in Galle and Matara districts after 2.00 p.m.

Two contrasting T20 innings were played on the two sides of the border on Thursday evening. One where the ball seemed to hit the sweet spot of the bat virtually each time. The other where the ball didn’t seem to find the middle of the bat at all. In Delhi, in an IPL game between […]

Weather forecast issued at 05.30 a.m. on 21 April 2024 by the Department of Meteorology Misty conditions can be expected at some places in Western, Sabaragamuwa and Central provinces and in Galle and Matara districts during the morning. Showers will occur in the western coastal areas during the morning. Showers or thundershowers will occur at […]

Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma were protagonists in a record-breaking PowerPlay performance as Sunrisers Hyderabad breached the 250 run mark for the third time this season, making most of the benevolent batting conditions that Delhi threw up in its first game of IPL 2024. The pair put on a 131 run stand in just 6.2overs […]

ECONOMYNEXT –The government is expecting to conclude all the transactions related to divestiture of State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) by August this year under an ambitious reform process, the government-led State-Owned Enterprises Restructuring Unit (SOERU) said. However, the divestiture of loss-making Srilankan Airlines is likely to be concluded by September, it said. The SOERU has already called [&...

Staff of the head office of Ceylinco Life and their families took a shocking 732 kilograms of harmful pollutants and trash off a stretch of beach at Mattakuliya recently at a beach cleanup organised by the Company’s Green Club. The initiative was supported by the non-governmental organisation Clean Ocean Force, which undertook the responsible disposal […]

The Russian Embassy in Colombo, on Friday (19) stated that it possesses no information regarding the involvement of Sri Lankan citizens in the Ukrainian conflict on the Russian side, as well as any data on potential numbers of such individuals. Commenting on recent newspaper articles, the embassy said they are not aware of a local […]

By Norman Palihawadane Uncovering the truth behind the Easter Sunday attacks hinges on a change in the political system, Fr. Cyril Gamini Fernando, the spokesperson of the Archdiocese of Colombo said following his visit to the CID on Friday (19) morning. Fr. Cyril was summoned to the CID to provide his account regarding the Easter […]

ECONOMYNEXT –The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank’s investment arm emphasized the importance of the private sector engagement in the recovery of the crisis-hit Sri Lanka’s economic growth. Riccardo Puliti, the IFC’s Vice President for Asia and the Pacific said this when he met State Finance Minister Shehan Semasinghe and the island nation’s Central […]

By Rathindra Kuruwita  It is virtually impossible to remove Maithripala Sirisena as the head of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), given the party’s constitution, and the “illegal attempts” made a section of the politburo to remove Sirisena will only paralyze the party, former general secretary of the SLFP Dayasiri Jayasekera said. He also denied […]

Gift from Portuguese king to the pope (Excerpted from Selected Journalism by HAJ Hulugalle) We have heard of a Papal Bull. But a Papal Elephant’? What could that be? The Papal elephant about which I have some information, was without doubt a native of Ceylon; probably the first Ceylon or Indian elephant to arrive in […]

by Rajan Philips As Sri Lankans took time off to mark the national New Year last week, Iran launched a spectacle of drone and missile attacks against Israel. This was the first direct attack by Iran on Israel after the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Until now Iran has been using proxies to harass Israel – […]

by ACB Pethiyagoda In spite of its technological advancement, perhaps as in no other Asian country, modern Japan still maintains close links with simple things of its past in several enduring forms. The commonest, to mention a few, are the tatami mat-covered floors in homes, tiny goblets of hot sake in winter, cold sake in […]

H.G. Wells (1866–1946). A Short History of the World. 1922 BUT now we must go back three centuries in our story to tell of a great teacher who came near to revolutionizing the religious thought and feeling of all Asia. This was Gautama Buddha, who taught his disciples at Benares in India about the same […]

The International Institute of Health Sciences (IIHS) recently opened an XR Lab and High-Fidelity Simulation Lab, showcasing their commitment to delivering a leading experience that transcends traditional boundaries. The newly opened XR lab of IIHS, which is equipped with cutting-edge virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR) technologies. “We believe that the [...

ECONOMYNEXT – Two parliamentary groups have called for sensitivity training for staff at public spaces after a woman with disabilities was harassed at a government office, adding that the Government is obliged to ensure persons with disabilities have comfortable access to all public buildings. “We strongly condemn the incident that took place on 5th April […]

by Rex Clementine Young fast bowling sensation Mathesha Pathirana is rocking India. His deadly death over bowling efforts for Chennai Super Kings had made him an overnight sensation last season. Madras fans are beginning to love him even more this season after he blew away arch-rivals Mumbai Indians with a four-wicket haul during Sunday’s double […]

Compiled and written by Dr. Harold Gunatillake (Order of Australia (OAM), FRCS, FICS, FIACS, AM(Sing), MBBS(Cey) Sri Lankan cashews are highly sought after for their milky flavour, and the market for Rancrisp cashews continues to grow. The cashew, Anacardium occidentale L., belongs to the Anacardiaceae or cashew family. Two related plants in this family are […]

Pakistan has made formal request to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for seeking next bailout package in the range of $6 to $8 billion under Extended Fund Facility (EFF) with possibility of augmentation through climate financing, The News reported on Saturday.

Sri Lanka has decided to import big onions from India through Lanka Sathosa.

Having hit a roadblock with international bondholders, uncertainty looms over the economy of crisis-hit Sri Lanka and an upcoming review by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), experts warn.

SriLankan Airlines says it is currently modifying its flight paths for European destinations as a precautionary measure amidst the current tensions between Israel and Iran.