By Capt. A.G.A. Barrie P.Eng., B.Sc (Hons)(Eng) A.M.A. Azeez’s 50th death anniversary fell on November 24, 2023. Aboobucker Mohamed Abdul Azeez, an eminent educationist, erudite learned scholar in English and Tamil, brilliant orator, efficient administrator, writer, visionary and dedicated community worker, was born on October 4, 1911 to a traditional elite family of Vannarpannai in […]

The Cabinet of Ministers has decided for the stocks of sugar which were imported when the import tax was 25 cents to be taken over by the government and sell them through Lanka Sathosa and other supermarkets at a controlled price.

By Uditha Devapriya Interactions are about connections. Connections are not always about commonalities. After all, it is not just commonalities that are celebrated, it is also differences. There are many ways of celebrating differences, many ways of affirming them. The Interact Movement in Sri Lanka is now almost 60 years old. The Interact Club of […]

Budget highlights Following are the highlights of Budget proposals made by President Ranil Wickremesinghe in Parliament yesterday: New economic and political system The President said in order not to fall back into a crisis, the economic and political system of Sri Lanka must be created anew.  He said that a new social consensus should be […]

* Tax revenue to be raised by 47.1% in 2024 * Rs 10,000 increase for public sector workers * Pensioners to get Rs 2,500 allowance * Rs. 450 bn reserved for bank recapitalization * Four new universities to be established * 20% of state banks to be given off by Saman Indrajith President Ranil Wickremesinghe, […]

As cricket in Sri Lanka is currently facing an institutional crisis and a shortage of talent Rs. 1.5 billion is to be allocated from the 2024 budget for the development of school cricket and for providing necessary facilities to cricket players at the provincial level. Schools and provinces with less facilities are to be given […]

‘2017 Foreign Exchange Act must be repealed’ By Shamindra Ferdinando President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s Director General on Trade unions Saman Ratnapriya yesterday (08) denied what he called the Opposition’s unsubstantiated claim that sugar importers had benefited from the latest increase in the Special Commodity Levy from 25 cents per kg of sugar to Rs 50 per […]

Close on the heels of humiliating battlefield defeats in the Jaffna peninsula, President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga declared her intention to establish full diplomatic ties with Israel. Sri Lanka opened a diplomatic mission in Tel Aviv in Oct 2000 after having established full diplomatic ties with the Jewish State in May 2000, just a few weeks […]

ECONOMYNEXT –Opposition and SJB leader Sajith Premadasa has accused the government of shrinking the economy through its proposal to increase value added tax (VAT) to 18 percent, claiming that it will reduce spending and investments. Speaking at an event on Friday November 03, Premadasa said Sri Lanka is experiencing a shortage in both dollars and […]

Several office trains which are scheduled for this evening (30) will be cancelled due to the shortage of railway guards, according to Sri Lanka Railways.

There was a shortage of 32,000 teachers in Sri Lanka and the government must take steps to fill these vacancies, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa told Parliament on Friday (06). There was a shortage of 7000 in the cadre of principals, he added. “We also lack 2171 teaching instructors. The Teacher Education Service Grade vacancies number […]

By Rathindra Kuruwita The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) central committee, on Wednesday (27), decided to take legal action against any unlawful attempts by the government to harass doctors who are leaving the country, Secretary of the GMOA, Dr. Haritha Aluthge said. Dr. Aluthge told The Island that the GMOA had been asking the government, […]

Thursday 28th September, 2023 Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera is reported to have said at a conference held by the Finance Ministry, on Tuesday (26), that there are more than 4,000 vacancies in the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) and the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC). According to media reports quoting him, the vacancies at the […]

By Shamindra Ferdinando Opposition MP Harshana Rajakaruna yesterday (25) said those who had defeated the no-confidence motion (NCM) against Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella should peruse the latest State audit report on the Health Ministry. The Gampaha District SJB MP said the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) at a recent meeting chaired by State Minister Lasantha Alagiyawanna had strongly [...

By Udari Abeyasinghe One of the principles of free education is to provide opportunities in higher education. In 2020, then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa issued directives to the University Grants Commission (UGC) to increase university admissions by an additional 12,000 students, in line with his election manifesto. Subsequently, student enrollments were increased with inadequate resources allocat...

Recent address by Dr. Sarath Gamini De Silva to the Galle Medical Association It is indeed my privilege and pleasure to be given this opportunity to address the members of the Galle Medical Association (GMA). I am grateful to the President and the Council of the GMA for inviting me as the guest of honour […]

By Sanath Nanayakkare The Global CEO Forum Sri Lanka held at the Galadari Hotel on Thursday showed a clear shift of discussion topics by Sri Lankan business leaders compared to what they were talking about just a year ago. Completely deviating from airing worries about how to run their businesses amid economic turmoil, business leaders […]