slams colleague over criticism of US envoy’s conduct By Shamindra Ferdinando SLPP MP Chandima Weerakkody has lashed out at fellow ruling party MP and Chairman of Sectoral Oversight Committee on National Security Sarath Weerasekera for the latter’s recent comment on US Ambassador Julie Chung’s conduct in respect of last year’s popular uprising which led to […]

The Lawyers’ Collective (LC) has strongly condemned what it calls President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s attempt to intimidate the Constitutional Council of Sri Lanka.LC has said in a media statement: “The Lawyers’ Collective strongly condemns the recent attempt by President Wickremesinghe to intimidate the Constitutional Council of Sri Lanka. In an authoritarian move, on 23 November 2023, […...

by Rex Clementine Many attempts had been made by the cricket hierarchy since they stayed the appointment of an Interim Committee through an injunction that cricket is in good hands. We are made to buy into the theory that the ten-year plan will eventually pay dividends and Sri Lanka will before long become a force […]

Monday 27th November, 2023 The SJB has commenced collecting signatures for a public petition as part of a campaign to have those who are responsible for the current economic crisis stripped of their civic rights. Given public resentment, which is palpable, the SJB may be able to obtain hundreds of thousands of signatures for its […]

by G. T. Dharmasena Former Director General of Irrigation and currently the Consultant to the Metallurgical Corporation of China  The Nilwala Ganga has a drainage area of 1043.0 sq.km and its annual average run off to sea is estimated as 1167.0 Million Cubic Meters (mcm).  The only major infrastructure facility available in the basin for […]

By GUWAN SEEYA  First, there was the China Bay airport nominated as a possible alternative to the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA). The advantage was that since Sri Lanka was mainly affected by two Monsoons namely the South West and the North East, during that time the opposite coast has generally had good weather. For example, […]

Sri Lanka’s rights abuses flout EU trade benefits requirements By Claudio Francavilla (from Human Rights Watch website) Sri Lanka’s economy has contracted every year since 2019, but exports to the European Union have increased, providing vital income in desperate economic times. This has largely been due to the EU’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+), which […]

Only one third of those surveyed knew about the bill A survey commissioned by Verité Research has revealed that 56% of those who are aware of the Online Safety Bill believe that it will curtail the freedom of using social media.To the question ‘the government introduced a bill to parliament on regulating behavior on social […]

Hela Apparel Holdings PLC walked away with the prestigious Overall Award for Best Exporter in Product Diversification and Sectoral Award for Best Exporter – Medium Category, at the 25th Presidential Export Awards Ceremony, held on the 23rd of November at the Bandaranayake Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) with the patronage of Ranil Wickremasinghe – President […]

Govt. denies claim as baseless by Saman Indrajith SLMC leader and SJB Kandy District MP Rauff Hakeem told Parliament on Saturday that Sri Lankan expatriate workers planning to go to Israel were to be given military training in that country. Hakeem said numerous war crimes and crimes against humanity had taken place in and around […]

In a historic move to empower the agricultural sector and strengthen the export economy, President Ranil Wickremesinghe unveiled the ÂUrumaya Freehold Deed Program during the first phase of the public awareness campaign for the 2024 budget proposal.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe unveiled the “Urumaya” Freehold Deed Program during the first phase of the public awareness campaign on the 2024 budget proposals held in Nochchiyagama, Anuradhapura today (26). The President reiterated that this program is a tribute to the farmers who have been the backbone of the nation for generations. President Wickremesinghe outlined the […]

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by Sujeeva Nivunhella reporting from London Rohitha Bogollagama, the newly appointed High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to the United Kingdom, last week formally assumed duties at the High Commission at a modest ceremony.He was received on arrival at Heathrow Airport by Mrs Kathryn Colvin, Special Representative of the UK Foreign Secretary. Addressing the High Commission […]

By Amal JAYASINGHE Malé (Maldives) AFP: Rising sea levels threaten to swamp the Maldives and the Indian Ocean archipelago is already out of drinking water, but the new president says he has scrapped plans to relocate citizens. Instead, President Mohamed Muizzu promises the low-lying nation will beat back the waves through ambitious land reclamation and building […]

The Monetary Policy Board of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, at its meeting held on Thursday, decided to reduce the Standing Deposit Facility Rate (SDFR) and the Standing Lending Facility Rate (SLFR) of the Central Bank by 100 basis points (bps) to 9.00 per cent and 10.00 per cent, respectively, CBSL said in a […]

RIOCOCO Lanka Private Limited, a globally-known coconut-based growing media manufacturer based in Sri Lanka, recently donated a high-tech computer laboratory to Nalanda College in Colombo, at a cost of more than Rs. 20 million. The laboratory with more than 50 computers, which was built on the concept of RIOCOCO’s Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) […]

Demonstrating its commitment to fostering knowledge sharing and networking within the global technology community, Rootcode AI, the Artificial Intelligence arm of Rootcode, a leading global software engineering firm based in Colombo, Sri Lanka, recently held the AI Community Meetup in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The event drew over 100 participants, not only from the local community but […]

By Sujeeva Nivunhella Last week in Vienna, Ambassador M.R.K Lenagala, Sri Lanka’s representative to the UNO and other international organizations in Vienna, officially became the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Sri Lanka, following the presenting of Letters of Credence to President Alexander Van der Bellen at the Hofburg Palace. The ceremonial event marked the initiation […]

ECONOMYNEXT –Former minister, MP Rauff Hakeem has opposed Sri Lanka’s plans to send 10,000 workers to belligerent Israel.Cabinet spokesman minister Bandula Gunawardena said this week that cabinet approved a plan to send workers to Israel’s agriculture sector. “Sending our workers to a country that is committing war crimes is like sending workers to Nazi Germany, […]

ECONOMYNEXT –A Minister warns of emerging racism in the island nation targeting ethnic minorities ahead of 2024 elections while regretting the past racism-led events including riots and insurrections since the 1948 independence. Sri Lankan politicians have historically used racism to divide the country and win elections with the help of their own ethnicities and religious […]

President Ranil Wickremesinghe last week faced a googly from Indian Firstpost presenter Palki Sharma in a widely telecast interview recorded in Colombo when she blandly asked him: “Is Jay Shah running Sri Lanka Cricket?” RW: No, Jay Shah does not run Sri Lanka Cricket. Sharma: So why is he being dragged into this? RW: They […]

(Excerpted from the memoirs of Lalith de Mel) He returned to a Sri Lanka going through a difficult phase due to the JVP uprising. There were curfews and a sense of fear in the air. His predecessor in Sri Lanka had a young family and was glad to get away from the chaos that prevailed […]

By Capt. A.G.A. Barrie P.Eng., B.Sc (Hons)(Eng) A.M.A. Azeez’s 50th death anniversary fell on November 24, 2023. Aboobucker Mohamed Abdul Azeez, an eminent educationist, erudite learned scholar in English and Tamil, brilliant orator, efficient administrator, writer, visionary and dedicated community worker, was born on October 4, 1911 to a traditional elite family of Vannarpannai in […]

This is an exchange between two Australians of Sri Lankan descent prior to the World Cup final between India and Australia at Ahmedebad last week reproduced in Michael Roberts’ Thuppahai blog. The protagonists are Errol Fernando, a skilled piano player from Trinity College, who predicted the Aussie victory against all odds and the firmer Royal […]

Second death anniversary by Tisaranee Gunasekara “Who has known the ocean.” Rachel Carson (Undersea) Weddings require invitations. Funerals are open spaces. None are barred; anyone can turn up, even sworn enemies. Lankan politicians make use of this openness as a political tool, thus only so far as they remain in active politics. Sirisena Cooray never […]