Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa was an invitee panellist at the prestigious India Today Conclave 2012 held in New Delhi from 16-17 March 2012. The India Today Conclave, which is held annually, has seen the participation of leading Indian and international personalities such as Shah Rukh Khan, Mohamed El Baradei, Sarah Palin, Dominique De Villepin, Union Minister ...

Can clothes, fashion accessories and makeup make a country look democratic?Dictators have begun to dress up their autocratic regimes in the manner of democracies with all the mod cons that help to pass off a system of government, which is for all purposes a dictatorship, as a five-star democracy. This in the manner that a ...

Edited by Santasilan Kadirgamar published by Kumaran Book HouseBy Sydney Knight The book was launched on 4 March and is a revised version of that published in Jaffna in 1980. It carries a Foreword by Ashok K. Kantha the High Commissioner of India in Colombo today. In the preface Kadirgamar states that the republishing of ...

The gap between the rich and poor used to be the province of Third World countries. Why is it an issue in developed countries these days? INSEAD Knowledge: Gaping disparity between the rich and the poor used to be the hallmark of Third World or developing countries – places without a “middle class” or an ...

By C. Bryson Hull MALE (Reuters): It was an ordinary blue felt pen, and not a bullet, that killed Mohamed Nasheed’s term as the first democratically elected president of the Maldives. After rising to acclaim as a champion of democracy and action against climate change, Nasheed is now back on the streets where he led ...

By Dr. Laksiri Fernando Sri Lanka’s independence on 4 February 1948 was never a final act, but a major landmark in a process of evolution from colonialism to independence and underdevelopment to development. It is truly a process of internal emancipation. It is the 63rd anniversary of this landmark or the 64th Independence Day that ...

Most of us are struggling for time. We have more to achieve than the available time. Having a purpose is a pleasure with regard to clarity on the way forward. Yet, it creates immense pressure in getting the best out of time. Today’s column will investigate the pressure and pleasure of purposefulness. Professors Heike Bruch ...

Following are some responses from three economists to the guest column by Chandra Jayaratne titled ‘Important issues’ for Sri Lankan legislators, the Executive, policymakers, Central Bankers, economists and thought leaders to ponder over published on 2 February 1) I disagree with the Stiglitz-Krugman line. My diagnosis is that Europe is in this mess for two ...

Some important issues for Sri Lankan legislators, the Executive, policymakers, Central Bankers, economists and thought leaders to ponder over: Stiglitz believes that the austerity plans in the EU nations, especially by the debt ridden poorer nations of the group is akin to a collective suicide pact and is an act madness promoted and enforced by ...

Text and pic by Harsha Udayakantha Peiris Malaka Dewapriya a young cinematographer with a determined  mission  towards a cinema with  a richer conception  to uplift the social bases of the communities has launched fieldwork for his first  feature on  silver screen for the local and international audience, namely, ‘Bahuchithavadiya’  which narrate...

Following is the address delivered by The Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL) President Anura Lokuhetty at the National Conference on ‘The Role of the Business Community in Reconciliation’ organised by Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute for International Relations and Strategic Studies (LKIIRSS):   Ladies and gentlemen, throughout the history of mankind, humankind has searched for ...

Unlike in many life pursuits, it is said that sports is the great leveller. Sport is where you walk the talk or more precisely, run, sprint, jump, throw, shoot, bat, bowl, field, kick, pass and speed the talk. It is also where superfluous claims and extreme flatulence lose its appeal and action is the key ...

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka recently unveiled its pioneering Sixth Strategic Plan – communicating in all transparency its plans for the forthcoming financial period – based on the theme ‘Raising the Bar’. The Sixth Strategic Plan, like its predecessors, takes root from the policy measures underscored in the ‘Mahinda Chinthana,’ and is formulated to ...

Colombo, (AFP): The Sri Lankan government has ordered a probe into the national cricket team’s “crisis situation” after they fell to another defeat in their one-day series in South Africa, an official said on Wednesday. Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage asked the country’s cricket governing body to investigate and recommend remedial action to end the side’s ...

COLOMBO: A Sri Lankan minister slammed the country’s cricket team on Thursday, blaming poor team spirit for its humiliating 258-run thrashing by South Africa, the island’s worst one-day international defeat. Government spokesman and Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said he was “horrified” when Sri Lanka were dismissed for 43 runs at Boland Park in Paarl on ...

“Our sense is that if we do not act boldly and if we do not act together, the economy around the world runs the risk of a downward spiral of uncertainty, financial instability and potential collapse of global demand… we could run the risk of what some commentators are already calling the lost decade” – ...

A survey conducted last week on the health of the Sri Lankan economy revealed that almost 64% said that the Government had done its task but only 43% had said that there had been growth in the economy. Whilst some can say that this data is strange, a similar set of information was shared at ...

Brief analysis of corrupt public expenditure in Sri Lanka Lessons from China or Tunisia? Just few months ago, in response to a public outcry for more accountability and transparency in the use of public funds, the State Council, which is the Cabinet in the Chinese Government, directed 98 public institutions including ministries to make public ...

The South Asian Corruption Barometer released by Transparency International Secretariat in Katmandu on Thursday indicates findings that suggest that corruption is still perceived a problem in Sri Lanka, with some 49% of Sri Lankan respondents claiming corruption was on the increase while only 19% thought there was no change. The new survey covers six South ...

President Mahinda Rajapaksa says the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), the major Tamil party of the country, needs to move away from the war mentality of the Tamil Tiger terrorist group LTTE. Addressing the media personnel at the Temple Trees yesterday, the President said instead, the TNA must appear on behalf of the needs of people ...

Range of sectors discussed for investments during meeting between Qatar Premier and Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa Range of sectors discussed for investments during meeting between Qatar Premier and Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa (strap) Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al-Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs in Qatar   together with Yousf K...

We are still stuck in the winter of our discontent! By Jude Fernando Groundviews.org: “Nearly all children nowadays were horrible. What was worst of all was that by means of such organisations as the Spies they were systematically turned into ungovernable little savages, and yet this produced in them no tendency whatever to rebel against ...

By Cassandra Mascarenhas The Sri Lanka Institute of Directors (SLID), as part of its ‘Power Evening’ series of events, presented an eclectic combination of chairmen from leading organisations in the country last week and at the occasion delved into the subject ‘Performing While Conforming – What the Textbooks Don’t Teach You’ by sharing experiences from ...

Last week my phone beeped and the text message read ‘The Chairperson of the Security and Exchange Commission Indrani Sugathadasa had resigned citing reasons of values and principles for her resignation’. My mind went back to the time when this lady when she was the Board Director at EDB. Whenever tough decisions had be taken ...

IN 2010, the boost for Sri Lanka tourism was being named the top travel destination by the New York Times. As the dawn of 2012 emerges the plus point is being among the top six of National Geographic’s best global destinations. Upbeat on tourism, the Government is considering a target of 950,000 arrivals for 2012 ...

Attention to human resources In the management and organisational literature, as well as in practice, increasing attention has recently been paid to the importance of human resources in organisations. There seems to be a growing consensus that in many organisations these are the most critical of all resources. The purpose of this article is to ...

UNP Co-Deputy Leader Karu Jayasuriya The Budget lacks direction and is neither here or there. For the consumer, it is inflationary; nor does it instil investor confidence. It has a political aim but lacks an economic aim. Furthermore, it does not address the productivity of employment; nor does it address the salaries of professionals and ...

Having being involved actively in the last seven years of Sri Lanka’s economic development agenda, the last two years in particular have been dramatic in nature. Private sector thinking has now come into the public sector which is interesting but needs to be careful managed so that we do not lose the democratic spirit of ...

By Chamitha Kuruppu The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna claims spending Rs. 265 billion on an 11-day extravaganza is intolerable for an economically ailing country like Sri Lanka. Addressing a media briefing the JVP warned that the aftermath of hosting the 2018 Commonwealth Games would not be rosy as the Rajapaksa administration predicts According to JVP Propaganda ...

By Sanath Weerasuriya in London The curtain rises at the World Travel Mart in London yesterday with a new hope for Sri Lanka Tourism to go beyond its target of 800,000 tourist arrivals to the country by the end of this year. The business for the Sri Lanka Tourism at the modern architecturally designed Sri ...