A Foreign Ministry delegation is currently in New Zealand to discuss the opening of a new diplomatic mission there.A spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry said that an official delegation, led by Director General, Overseas Assets Management and Development Division of the Ministry, Pradeepa Saram, was there to discuss matters related to the opening of the […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 – […]

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 […]

Women in Pakistan now face a new, more terrifying threat–violence and threats caused by AI content sent by malicious sexual predators and gangs. Last year, over 2500 cases of harassing and victimising female children and women were reported. The state pays little attention to prosecuting the culprits. Only 12 FIRs have made any progress in […]

Two foreign women, who were attempting to smuggle in 500 grams of cocaine by ingesting them have been arrested at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake.

Police have arrested a foreign woman and a local who were in possession of drugs in the Toppass area of Nuwara Eliya.

An official delegation of the Foreign Affairs Ministry will visit New Zealand from 22-25 April to attend to the matters related to the opening of the Sri Lankan High Commission in Wellington.

As a collective body of exporters, we have been at the forefront of sustaining employment and ensuring a steady flow of foreign exchange, even amidst the most severe economic downturns faced by our nation. Our membership covers the majority of merchandise exports, which account for some 13% of Sri Lanka’s GDP. Today, we stand united […]

Apropos our news items (in The Island of 18 April) “Australia-based doc alleges her flat illegally occupied by diplomatic mission employee”, the High Commission for the People’s Republic of Bangladesh in Colombo has sent us the following response: “We draw your kind attention to the publication of the news item titled “Australia-based doc alleges her […]

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in coordination with Sri Lanka Missions in Myanmar and Thailand has facilitated the repatriation of eight Sri Lankans who were trafficked for forced criminal activities in cyber scamming compounds in Myanmar, a Ministry communique said yesterday. Myanmar law enforcement authorities rescued these Sri Lankans on 4 April 2024, following the […]

Dialog Axiata PLC (“Dialog”), Axiata Group Berhad (“Axiata”) and Bharti Airtel Limited (“Bharti Airtel”) (collectively “the Parties”), signed a Definitive Agreement to combine their operations in Sri Lanka. Under this agreement, Dialog will acquire 100% of the issued shares in Airtel Lanka, in consideration of which Dialog will issue to Bharti Airtel...

by Dr. Santhushya Fernando, Dr. Laleen Jayamanne and Professor Sumathy Sivamohan We, three academics, coming from three different intellectual disciplines (Medicine, English Literature, Theatre and Film Studies) worked alongside each other here so as to understand this mysterious process of a ‘will to abstraction’ or non-objective art, evident in Sarath’s work. None of us are […]

By Uditha Devapriya and Pasindu Nimsara No Avurudu would be complete without an Avurudu Ulela. It has become part of our national social calendar, an event that must be organised, a tradition that must be kept. Practically every institution, from nurseries to universities to companies to Rotaract Societies, has a shot at holding one. The […]

So, the Sinhala and Tamil New Year came and went. Cassandra has used a Sri Lankan colloquial manner of pronouncing that an anticipated event was marked and ended. The high temperatures however prevail, though mercifully tempered by afternoon showers. Everyone except drug dealers and politicians were struggling against strangulating pecuniary difficulties, but of course last […]