State Foreign Affairs Minister Tharaka Balasuriya yesterday (16) disclosed that a high level delegation would be soon leaving for Moscow to inquire into ex-military personnel serving with Russian Army on Russia-Ukraine front lines. The delegation would be led by Defence Secretary General (retd.) Kamal Gunaratne. Balasuriya said that they had received instructions in this regard […]

A British diplomat has been given a week to leave Russia in an escalation of a diplomatic spat over spying. The Russian foreign ministry said in a statement the removal of Capt Adrian Coghill was in response to “unfriendly anti-Russian actions” from Britain. On 8 May the Russian defence attache was expelled from London for […]

Nominee to be US Amb here let the cat out of the bag before Senate Foreign Relations Committee Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) leader Udaya Gammanpila yesterday (16) said that nominee to be the next US Ambassador to Colombo Elizabeth K. Horst had revealed that the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa government announced a ban on foreign research vessels’ entry […]

by Neville Ladduwahetty The question cited above was the title of an article published in Ceylon Today by N. Sathya Moorthy (SM), who identifies himself as a Chennai based Policy Analyst/Political Commentator (Friday 10, 2024).The answer to his question is – NOT YET. For the present, stealing is limited to marine assets and the destruction […]

Those who write about other people to the newspapers generally select doctors (benevolent), lawyers, writers, poets, film makers, engineers, etc. Sometimes it would be about foreign personalities or films. For my piece I thought of writing about very little-known persons who have to work in the sun and rain to do their job properly and […]

Tensions – and voices – rose on Thursday as Donald Trump’s lawyer hit back against prosecutors, accusing their star witness repeatedly of lying. On the most tense day yet of cross-examination, Michael Cohen, Mr Trump’s former fixer, described talking to the former president directly about a hush-money payment to an adult-film star. But attorney Todd […]

The owner and the manager of a licensed foreign employment agency have been arrested for allegedly sending Sri Lankans for employment in the Russian army.

President, Ranil Wickremesinghe, has confirmed his participation in the 10th World Water Forum High-Level Meeting, to be held from May 18th to 20th, 2024, in Bali, Indonesia. This significant gathering, themed “Water for Shared Prosperity,” will convene global leaders to address pressing issues related to water management and sustainability. President Wickremesinghe will leave for Indonesia [̷...

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Tharaka Balasuriya said  that President Ranil Wickremesinghe has issued directives to send a specialized delegation to Russia to investigate the welfare of Sri Lankans embroiled in the on-going Russia-Ukraine war. According to the state minister, this delegation will include the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, a former Ambassador to […]

Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in China for a two-day state visit, as the two countries look to further deepen a relationship that has grown closer since Moscow invaded Ukraine more than two years ago. The visit comes days after Russia launched a new offensive in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, and as it claims […]

President Ranil Wickremesinghe has instructed to send a team comprising the Defence Secretary, a Foreign Ministry official and a former Sri Lankan diplomat to Russia to look into the Sri Lankans who have joined the Russian military in the Ukrainian warfront, State Minister of Foreign Affairs Tharaka Balasuriya said.

‘Bid to derail plans to send over 40,000 to Israel’ By Shamindra Ferdinando Labour and Foreign Employment Minister Manusha Nanayakkara yesterday (15) said Sri Lanka wouldn’t under any circumstances stop sending workers to Israel. Minister Nanayakkara was responding to main Opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) demand that the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa government sever diplomatic ties with the Jew...

At least 10 parcels containing narcotics including Kush cannabis, cocaine and ecstasy pills have been detected at the Central Mail Exchange, during the inspections carried out by officers of the Narcotics Control Unit of Sri Lanka Customs.

Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) officers at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake have seized a large consignment of smuggled cigarettes, valued at around Rs. 2.1 million, and arrested a suspect at the arrival terminal this morning (15).

Sampath Bank posted a profit before tax (PBT) of Rs 6.2 billion and a profit after tax (PAT) of Rs 3.4 billion for the three months ended 31st March 2024, notwithstanding an exchange loss of Rs 4.3 billion due to the appreciation of the LKR against the USD by Rs 23.70. These figures signify growth […]

The Commercial Bank of Ceylon Group has ended the first quarter of 2024 with a loan book of Rs 1.316 trillion, continuing the Bank’s focus on lending in a period where the appreciation of the Rupee negatively impacted the value of the loan book and resulted in a contraction of the balance sheet. The Group […]

The government was in overdrive to please the MPs who supported it while hoodwinking people with promises, SLPP dissident MP Chandima Weerakkody told Parliament on Monday. MP Weerakkody said that President Ranil Wickremesinghe had claimed that it had no funds to increase the salaries of state workers and they had to wait until next year. “All these […]

Milinda Moragoda, Founder of the Pathfinder Foundation, yesterday released a six-point statement concerning the present economic situation. “The bitter truth that half-hearted economic reforms by successive governments have been a major contributory factor to the current economic crisis”, Moragoda says, noting that it is critical that all political parties and society at large come to ...

In the bustling heart of Ja-Ela, Moose Clothing Company stands tall as a beacon of creativity, technical expertise, and workmanship. Established in 2018 with a vision to redefine Sri Lanka’s fashion landscape whilst bridging the gap between affordability and accessibility to good quality fashion, Moose Clothing Company has now embarked on a journey that transcends […]

SLMC leader MP Rauff Hakeem yesterday in Parliament called on the government to consider severing diplomatic ties with Israel unless it stopped its ongoing military operations in Gaza. “On one hand, the government tells the world that the visit of Iranian President was a diplomatic victory and on the other hand it licks the boots […]

When I published earlier this year a book about my former students who had later become colleagues in subsequent educational innovations, I little thought that in few months one of them would die, in his early fifties, at the height of his career. Jayantha Wannisinghe was one of the first students I registered at the […]

Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit China this week, both countries announced, using the first foreign trip of his new six-year term to underscore the deepening partnership with China’s Xi Jinping. China and Russia declared a “no limits”partnership in February 2022 when Putin visited Beijing just days before he sent tens of thousands of troops […]