Watching the World T20 matches on TV – currently being played in Sri Lanka, I noticed a Tourist Board commercial on the theme ‘Refreshingly Sri Lanka – Wonder of Asia.’ Immediately I recalled last year’s stamp released to mark World Tourism Day. Sri Lanka issued ten stamps with an attractive souvenir sheet carrying all the ...

The academics are marching. The students are marching. The Muslims are marching. Every day hundreds images of throngs of people shouting slogans and demonstrating blare across television screens, newspapers and of course, the internet. SMS news alerts about road closures and barricades abound as popular discontent rises to the surface through trade union agitation and ...

I wonder if you can remember the famous World Cup Soccer final some years back where the fourth referee intervened after the great Zinedine Zidane head-butted Italian defender Marco Materazzi in the World Cup final. It would have perhaps gone unnoticed if not the TV referral. In my view, if this had gone unnoticed, it ...

The global escalation of commodity prices in the latter part of last decade impacted Sri Lanka’s rice market, with retail prices showing sharp increases for the consumer. The regulatory forces with a ceiling on consumer prices and guaranteed price for paddy did alleviate this problem to some extent. Today it has taken a different turn ...

A goat’s best friend is Mervyn! The populace has been cruel to him. Ok, to the goat too, but I am talking about a man willing to be incarcerated just to liberate a hapless animal. Thankfully, the President interceded and saved the day for both. The Minister had promised to defy a Court order and ...

The ‘Yes-Man’ Parasite, a.k.a. HMV The dictionary definition of a ‘pun’: ‘the clever or humorous use of a word that has more than one meaning, or words that have different meanings but sound the same’. The second word of the headline of today’s column is not exactly a pun, but somewhat akin to one, as ...

Playing off India against China and vice versa‘The Great Game’ was the name given to a diplomatic and military tussle between the British and Russian empires during the time of the British Raj in India for influence over what constitutes today’s central Asian states. Commonly known as the ‘Stan states,’ they were located along the ...

I still remember the day when the brand Rishad Bathiudeen called me from Temple Trees saying that he had been made the Minister of Industry and Commerce and the challenge he had in his hand. My first thoughts to him were that this was going to be the birth of a strong brand in Sri ...

Politically-motivated violence or a riot is a form of civil disorder characterised often by what is thought of as disorganised groups lashing out in a sudden and intense rash of violence against authority, property or people. A riot could also be due to a perceived grievance or out of dissent. Political violence was seen in ...

‘Shakthi’ fundraiser by Emerge Lanka Foundation today   ‘Shakthi, a Celebration of Femininity,’ a fundraiser for Emerge Lanka Foundation to spread awareness about sexual assault/abuse through artistic avenues, will be held at Barefoot Café today, 21 July, from 6 to 10 p.m. Emerge Global is dedicated to empowering young women around the world who have ...

The United National Party (UNP) is the single largest political party in Sri Lanka and has had the good fortune of maintaining this position since it was formed in 1946. The founder of UNP was D.S. Senanayake, who was at the forefront of securing independence for Ceylon. The ideals he cherished were carried forward by ...

By R.M.B. Senanayake The recent episode regarding the Z Score has led to demands that the Ministers of Education and Higher Education should resign. In their defence they say that the decisions were taken not by them but by experts. Yes, but didn’t they appoint these experts? How did they appoint such nincompoops? Not for ...

Poor rainfall throughout Sri Lanka during the past few months has caused a drought unheard of during recent history. Particularly affected Districts are Kurunegala, Puttalam, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Batticaloa, Ampara, Nuwara Eliya and Badulla. Farmers complain that their crops are being ruined or are on the verge of being ruined. Some villages complain of the shortage ...

Performers will have copyright protection for their audiovisual works as a result of the successful conclusion of 12 years negotiations by the members of the World intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), which has resulted in the finalisation of the Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances on 26 June. The treaty will enter into force when ratified by ...

Rio+20 has come and gone. For some, with June gone, the task may be looking at the flavour of the month for July to prop up different hoardings. The conference was concluded successfully and most of the final photos and comments indicated it was well attended and well run and perhaps well concluded. For sure, ...

A solution for loss-making SOEs? In the USA, a new corporate entity referred to as a Benefit Corporation (B-Corp) has been brought into being. The states of Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia, California and Vermont have legislation which permits companies to combine the profit motive with the purpose of making a positive impact on society and ...

Reuters: A court has issued an arrest warrant for the ruling party veteran poised to replace Pakistan’s ousted prime minister, local television stations reported on Thursday, deepening political uncertainty in the strategic U.S. ally. Pakistan’s president had nominated Makhdoom Shahabuddin as the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) candidate in an apparent bid for continuity ahead of ....

As Sri Lanka-Japan bilateral discourse completes 60 memorable events, Japan has become our seventh largest international trade partner. “The total bilateral trade turnover between the two nations has grown to $ 1,250 m in 2011. Japan, our seventh largest trade partner in 2011, has always been a key trading nation as well as a generous ...

Political parties supporting Greece’s international bailout begin forging a government on Monday after an election victory over radical leftists staved off the prospect of the debt-laden country leaving the euro and brought relief to global markets.  Conservative New Democracy leader Antonis Samaras called for broad support after winning Sunday’s election over the Syriza party, wh...

Reuters: Authorities in the world’s major economies are preparing for a possible market storm or public panic after cliffhanger Greek elections this weekend, officials said on Thursday, should radical leftists win and cast doubt on the nation’s future in the euro zone . Britain announced on Thursday it would flood its banking system with cash ...

Peter Kropotkin is a Russian revolutionist who has commented in his book ‘The Conquest of Bread’ what he considers to be the weaknesses of the economic systems of capitalism and how poverty and scarcity thrives on. However, Kropotkin did not believe in the theory of state and is known as an anarchist. The issue of ...

Historically, capital markets have played an important role in the development of market economies and therefore the development of efficient regulation of securities too has become increasingly important. While fostering the development of the economy, the capital markets also play an important equalising role. Viz – it attracts the participation of a large number of ...

By Damien The Secretary to the treasury Dr. P.B Jayasundera recently made statement that the country is wasting the foreign currency on things that can be made in this country. I would like to add to this by stating that as a country we should have clear targets and policies that are aimed at both ...

E.A. Dayawathie (56), a year teacher from Matugama recently won the top prize of Rs. 1 million in Seylan Bank’s (February) ‘Thagi Pita Thagi’ draw, becoming the fourth millionaire to date. “I never expected to win the top prize. And yes of course I am very happy,” she says. With 24 years teaching experience, Dayawathie ...

n The Scholar who has refused to changeHumanistic approach Dr. Gunadasa Amarasekera, scholar, writer, poet, novelist, social activist and many more, in a special contribution to Professor Buddhadasa Hewavitharana Felicitation Volume Two released last month, has tried to analyse the most recent history of Sri Lanka in the context of the onset of the process ...

Reuters: Socialist Francois Hollande swept to victory in France’s presidential election on Sunday in a swing to the left at the heart of Europe that could start a pushback against German-led austerity. Hollande was set to beat conservative incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy by a decisive 51.9 per cent to 48.1 per cent margin, the TNS-Sofres polling ...