Having hit a roadblock with international bondholders, uncertainty looms over the economy of crisis-hit Sri Lanka and an upcoming review by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), experts warn.

China has written off an unspecified amount of Zimbabwe s interest-free loans and pledged to help the Southern African country find a way out of its debt crisis, even as activists warned of a permanent debt trap.

The Election Commission (EC) has decided it has no legal mandate to resolve the internal crisis of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party. The Commission members met on Thursday (18) to decide on the claims and counter-claims made by the two factions of the SLFP about the recent appointments made by a section of the party’s […]

Uncovering the truth behind the Easter Sunday attacks hinged on a change in the political system, Fr. Cyril Gamini Fernando, the spokesperson of the Archdiocese of Colombo, said following his visit to the CID on Friday (19) morning. Fr. Fernando was summoned to the CID to provide his account regarding the Easter Sunday attacks. He […]

President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Thursday (18) told youth political activists, affiliated to his party in Nuwara Eliya, that he was willing to convert the historical post office at Nuwara Eliya into a tourist hotel if that is what the people desire. The meeting took place at the President’s House in Nuwara Eliya. “We would like […]

A court in the Maldives has overturned the conviction of former President Abdulla Yameen and cancelled his 11-year prison sentence. The High Court said on Thursday that his 2022 trial had been unfair and ordered a new trial.  “The lower court ruling was not fair,” Judge Hassan Shafeeu said while reading out a lengthy decision […]

Terrorism is frequently depicted as a calculated and extreme manifestation of violence driven by perceptions of injustice. However, the aftermath of terrorist incidents is often discussed without delving into the psychological and social factors that underpin such acts The onset of the Soviet-Afghan war in 1979 created an environment conducive to terrorism in the region. […]

Friday 19th April, 2024 One wonders whether the Parliament of Sri Lanka, which is full of self-righteous members who moralise to the point of queasiness, has taken upon itself the task of serving as a moral compass of sorts for the nation. Its sessions are characterised by endless tub-thumping. During the past several weeks, Parliament […]

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 […]

Addressing a gathering of young Members of Parliament and emerging political figures from the Nuwara Eliya district at the Nuwara Eliya Presidential Palace on Thursday (18), President Ranil Wickremesinghe reiterated his commitment to fostering the region’s development into a premier tourist destination. Despite criticisms levelled against the government’s initiatives for Nuwara Eliya’s advancement...

The world’s bewilderment over escalating tensions in the Middle East was further aggravated when Iran unleashed an astonishing number of drones and missiles into Israeli territory over the last weekend. The retaliation by Iran has taken the international community by storm but where does the world go from here in terms of conflict resolution and […]

As Beijing increases its repression of ethnic minorities in China to establish Han domination, the Chinese Communist Party is also devising numerous ways to ensure that the overseas media cannot expose this ongoing violation of human rights behind the bamboo curtain. The Chinese media is highly censored. To project the false image of China as […]

A year after India overtook China to become the world’s most populous country, its rapid upward economic trajectory and increasing diplomatic, scientific and military weight make it an emerging superpower of ever-growing importance to the United States and the world. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed Newsweek’s written questions and followed up with a 90-minute […]

By Shamindra Ferdinando National Freedom Front (NFF) MP Gamini Waleboda yesterday (16) said that the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) should re-examine its stand on the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) without delay or face the consequences. Ratnapura District MP Waleboda, who contested the last parliamentary election on the SLPP ticket, alleged that the […]

WB: Sri Lanka needs ‘robust and credible structural reforms’ Poverty in Sri Lanka has increased over the past four years, from 11 percent in 2019 to 26 percent in 2024, and the country needs ‘robust and credible structural reforms,’ says the latest report released by the World Bank. The WB report, titled ‘Sri Lanka Development […]

On 19 April, Indians will begin choosing a new parliament for the next five years, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks a third consecutive term. Opinion polls put his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies ahead. They are up against the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (India), which groups more than two dozen opposition […]

When women in Pakistan held protests on International Women’s Day on March 8 this year, they did not just seek basic rights but also demanded the elimination of bonded labour.[1] The practice of bonded labour is widespread in Pakistan and is causing huge injustice to poor, helpless people despite the legal protection against modern-day slavery. […]