Alleged presidential interference in judiciary: By Shamindra Ferdinando Declaring that the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) steadfastly protected the independence of the judiciary, its President Kaushalya Navaratne yesterday (22) said that senior members would be consulted to decide what he called,the best possible course of action. Navaratne said so when The Island sought his response […...

By Jehan Perera The situation in the country, particularly with regard to the economy and politics, can be described as stable but stagnant.  The economy is stable in that it has not experienced further collapse in comparison to the kind witnessed last year when international bankruptcy was admitted.  But the economy still continues to contract, […]

Thuesday 22nd August, 2023 No sooner had the Indian government announced its decision to impose a 40% tax on onion exports to overcome a shortfall in the domestic supply than Sri Lankan traders jacked up onion prices exponentially. They would not have reacted so swiftly to a drop in onion prices in the international market. […]

Looking back at the political history of post-independence Sri Lanka (or Ceylon) one can clearly see how the degradation, the disintegration and the death took place of the two main political parties, the UNP and the SLFP. Breaking News: “In the interior of the Tanamalwila Divisional Secretariat, a widow headed family lost the two eldest […]

A discourse on the economic crisis in Sri Lanka, under the theme ‘Reform and Social Justice,’ will be held at 4.00 p.m. on Thursday, 24 August 2023, at the Centre for Society and Religion (CSR) Auditorium, 281, Deans Road, Colombo 10, under the auspices of the Socialist Study Circle. The speakers will be Dr W.A. Wijewardena, Former Deputy […]

Possibility of communal riots over temple By Norman Palihawadane  Local intelligence services have issued orders to their operatives to collect and process information pertaining to all parties and individuals involved in creating disturbances and unrest over the Kurundimale temple in Mullaitivu. They have responded to the leak of Indian intelligence reports warning of imminent communal […]

By Hiran H.Senewiratne The speed at which young Chartered Accountants leave for other countries has increased during the last 18 months due to the prevailing economic crisis in Sri Lanka, president, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (CA Sri Lanka) Sanjaya Bandara said. “At present, out of 9000 members more than 40 percent has […]

Rebel group questions national security review By Shamindra Ferdinando Having elected UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe as the President, in July last year, the SLPP couldn’t keep silent as the UNP leader took decisions that would have far reaching implications, Prof. G. L. Peiris warned yesterday (21). Addressing the media at the rebel SLPP group’s Nawala Office, Prof. […]

by James Kynge Sly, Soviet-style jokes are enjoying a subtle revival on Chinese social media platforms. Their art resides in being too obscure for censors to understand yet clear enough for cynics to chuckle at their mockery. Some are so esoteric that their satire is confirmed only by the censors’ decision to delete them — […]

By Dr. Prasanna Cooray First, we should question whether the age-old notion of “Free Healthcare in Sri Lanka” is valid anymore. Going by the Total Health Expenditure statistics of the country, one would realise it is a misnomer.According to healthcare spending in Sri Lanka, from 1990 to 2019, published by the Institute for Health Policy, […]

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, […]

The National Movement for Social Justice (NMSJ) led by former Speaker Karu Jayasuriya has lauded the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) for recognising the responsibilities of Parliament and acting in the interest of the public. The NMSJ chief has appreciated the Acting Chairman COPF and all its members. “We are making this assessment taking into […]

Milinda Moragoda, who is scheduled to relinquish duties as Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner in New Delhi, has stressed the pivotal importance of the two countries developing the current relationship to a strategic level, on the basis of recently inked agreements. Moragoda said so addressing the students of the 63rd National Defence Course at the National Defence College (NDC) […]

Registered tax files 500,000, only 31,000 pay personal tax Proposed amendments to Sri Lanka’s Inland Revenue Act will serve to address purported under performance of Inland Revenue Department (IRD) officials in a bid to enhance income tax collection, Government MP Mahindananda Aluthgamage said, noting that there is only one person in the country who pays […]

Government authorities must consult vehicle importers when making decisions on relaxing an ongoing import ban, President of the Vehicle Importers’ Association Indika Sampath Merinchige said. Welcoming a recent announcement by the government that it will scrap an import ban on several types of commercial vehicles, Merinchige told reporters on Monday August 14 that the authorities […]

The Ministry of Education (MoE) and UNICEF spearhead a national initiative to help 1.6 million primary schoolchildren, impacted by prolonged school closures and sporadic disruptions to their education, over the past three years, due to Covid and the economic crisis, to catch up on their learning. According to an MoE-led national assessment, 85% of Grade […]

Any solution to the existential ethnic problems of the peoples of the Northern and Eastern Provinces, through the implementation of the 13th Amendment or otherwise, can never be a lasting sustainable solution without the equal and equitable process and participation of the Muslims and Sinhala communities of Sri Lanka, MP Naseer Ahmed, Deputy Leader, Sri […]