President Ranil Wickremesinghe in his New Year Message to the nation says that it is the responsibility of every Sri Lankan to contribute towards the resurgence of the nation from its current state of crisis President Wickremesinghe’s New Year Message: As we step into the year 2024, we find ourselves facing both challenges and the […]

by Amal Jayasinghe The controversial arrest of Sri Lanka’s senior most Kapuwa, or the intermediary between devotee and deity, has renewed a debate over who should benefit from the valuable offerings to the gods. Somipala Ratnayake, the chief “Kapuwa” at the Kataragama Maha Devale was taken into custody on Wednesday over a missing gold tray […]

Sri Lanka’s inflation rose to 4.0 percent in December, the third consecutive monthly rise as the cash-strapped nation was set to increase taxes from the New Year.The benchmark Colombo Consumer Price Index jumped by 1.7 points to reach 195.1, or a 4.0 percent increase compared to a year ago when inflation was 57.2 percent. The […]

The strained balance sheets of the household and the corporate sectors in the backdrop of the severe economic crisis which resulted in an erosion of real income levels amid elevated price levels, hindered the debt repayment capacities of households and corporates, the Central Bank said in its Financial Stability Review for the Year 2023. Households […]

The Pathfinder Foundation has formed a Study Group of Experts to develop a blueprint and framework aimed at doubling Sri Lanka’s economic growth rate through accelerated economic integration and infrastructural connectivity with India. The framework document is expected to be formally launched in March 2024. Most economic forecasts place Sri Lanka on an average growth trajectory of 3% per […...

One of the key factors that contributed to the exodus of medical specialists from the state sector is the disparity of the total remuneration received by the state medical specialists when compared to parallel grades in the government sector, the Association of Medical Specialists (AMS) says. There was always a shortage of medical specialists in […]

Saturday 30th December, 2023 Sri Lankans are gripped by an anticipatory dread of another surge in the cost of living owing to the crippling effect of enhanced VAT and the expansion of its application. Hardly a day passes without people being shown on television cursing the government for the untold suffering it has inflicted on […]

Education of about 54.9 percent of Sri Lankan students has been affected by the economic crisis since March 2022, the latest Household Survey on Impact of Economic Crisis – 2023 by the Department of Census and Statistics reveals. Out of the respondents surveyed 93.5 percent have adopted at least one strategy to counter the impact […]

Friday 29th December, 2023 The police are all out to eradicate the scourge of narcotics, and their efforts must not go unappreciated. But it needs to be added that they would not have had to exert themselves in this manner if they had carried out their duties and functions properly over the years. Having let […]

Outgoing New Zealand High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Michael Appleton yesterday (27 Dec.), met with TNA leader R. Sampanthan. Taking to ‘X’ (formerly Twitter), Appleton said that several matters of concern were discussed at the meeting, including political developments in the North and East. They also discussed the approaches adopted by both New Zealand and […]

President Ranil Wickremesinghe addressing those present at the centenary celebration of Badulla Guruthalawa Muslim Central College this morning (27), extended an open invitation to all political parties again, urging them to join hands in achieving a prosperous and united Sri Lanka, irrespective of party affiliations. The President emphasized his commitment to safeguarding the rights of […]

In a significant announcement at the centenary celebration of Badulla Guruthalawa Muslim Central College this morning (27 Dec.), President Ranil Wickremesinghe highlighted two critical challenges facing the nation, building a stable economy and addressing the ethnic problem.

‘Ministry cooperating with CID on Immunoglobulin probe’ By Shamindra Ferdinando Health Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana yesterday (26) said that in case the government had to make emergency purchases, his Ministry would adhere to procedures laid down by the World Health Organization (WHO). Dr. Pathirana said so when The Island asked him whether he intended to […]

Procurement of fake Immunoglobulin: Dr. Bellana: Keheliya should be either State witness or suspect in the case by Shamindra Ferdinando The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) yesterday (26) recorded a statement from Environment Minister Keheliya Rambukwella regarding the procurement of fake Immunoglobulin during his tenure as the Health Minister. President of the Government Medical Officers F...

by Dr Upul Wijayawardhana Reading “From heyday to ‘hay day’”, the hard-hitting editorial laced with sarcasm (The Island, 18 December) and “Declining power and challenges before SLPP” by Shamindra Ferdinando in the Midweek Review of 20th December, I began wondering whether the recently concluded SLPP convention was the final flicker before the flame was extinguished […...

Wednesday 27th December, 2023 Perhaps, nothing represents Sri Lankans’ resentment towards the new tax regime and the aggravation of their economic woes better than the title of today’s comment; it is a literal translation of a slogan written on the rear of a tuk-tuk. It however is relevant only to the ordinary people who pay […]