On 19 April, Indians will begin choosing a new parliament for the next five years, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks a third consecutive term. Opinion polls put his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies ahead. They are up against the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (India), which groups more than two dozen opposition […]

Under the leadership of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, bilateral summits and discussions at political and official levels have increased, further strengthening the bond between the two nations. On Sept 6 in 2022, Indian PM Narendra Modi and Sheikh Hasina signed several significant agreements further strengthening the bilateral relationship between […]

… USD 5 mn paid to Iran a month By Shamindra Ferdinando Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera has confirmed that consumers of petrol and diesel have been made to pay Rs. 50 to Rs. 55 per litre since the middle of last year to settle what the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) owed its creditors. […]

… admits CEB-owned hydropower plant benefited from Samanalawewa leak By Shamindra Ferdinando Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera has disclosed that cash-strapped Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) arranged for bank loans to its employees at government’s expense. The SLPPer said that of the 15%-16% interest, the CEB paid 2/3 whereas the workers paid the balance. Minister […]

I write about the The Crown which depicted in six seasons and 60 episodes the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. The historical television series was written by Peter Morgan and produced by Left Bank Pictures and Sony Pictures Television for Netflix. Morgan developed the Crown series from his film The Queen (2006) and stage play […]

Today, the collective misery we experience as a society has nothing positive to show for the promotion of the so-called ‘positive thinking’, which encourages us to rise individually, and not collectively as people. Positive thinkers, who are dime a dozen, flourish in market-oriented, consumerist societies where ill-mannered rulers and their business cronies feed on millions […]

Monday 27th November, 2023 The SJB has commenced collecting signatures for a public petition as part of a campaign to have those who are responsible for the current economic crisis stripped of their civic rights. Given public resentment, which is palpable, the SJB may be able to obtain hundreds of thousands of signatures for its […]

by Amal de Chickera At the very centre of the catastrophe, are the people of Gaza themselves, caged in, bombed out, starved, parched, killed. Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the Palestinian diaspora, Israeli allies who are anti-occupation, anti-authoritarianism and pro-peace, citizens of the world with a conscience – all of us are […]

Militant group Hamas could very well have ‘bitten off more than it could chew.’ Hamas’ ongoing morbidly bloody and dramatic military onslaught on Israeli territory bordering the Gaza strip is by any standard daring but isn’t it more foolhardy than bold and courageous? The more seasoned Middle East commentator could not be faulted for raising […]

Friday 6th October, 2023 President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s recent interview with Deutsche Welle (DW), in Berlin, has been trending in the digital realm—not for all the right reasons, though. Thanks to it, the genre of interrogative interview has apparently taken on a whole new meaning, with the interviewee aggressively interrogating the interviewer! There was obviously much […]

Monday 21st August, 2023 Much is being talked about ‘pyramids’ and ‘islands’, of all things, these days. Another pyramid scheme has reportedly collapsed, and those who have lost their money are letting out howls of protests via social media. The Central Bank, from time to time, issues severe warnings to the public about such frauds, […]

Cassandra in her Friday Cry-s has often noted with deep gratitude that nature has been benevolent to suffering, down and almost out Sri Lanka. Forest fires due to intemperate temperature in usually cool climes; sudden floods due to torrential rains; erupting volcanoes and earthquakes have all assiduously avoided troubling poor little Sri Lanka struggling against […]

The muted, panicked voice came through the phone of a friend who croaked she was very confidentially warning Cassandra and advising her. Yours truly was immediately panic infected. With deep emphasis and concern the friend took her time to advise that Cass withdraws all money from banks. Cass was for once glad she was poor […]

A jury found a former New York City police sergeant and two Chinese citizens guilty on nine counts on Tuesday in a landmark federal trial involving a suspected Beijing-backed operation aimed at repatriating a Chinese fugitive living in New Jersey. Charged in the nearly three-week trial were former police officer-turned-private investigator Michael McMahon and two […]