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 […]

(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 […]

By Saman Indrajith JVP-led NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake told Parliament on Thursday that the Defence Ministry has launched a witch-hunt of former military personnel who are associated with his party. Participating in the Third Reading debate on Budget 2024 under the Defence Ministry expenditure heads, Dissanayake said that he too was of the opinion […]

Two youths, aged 25 and 27, were arrested at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake on Saturday (25 Nov.), after illegally attempting to leave the country.

Central Bank Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe told journalists on Friday (24) that he was confident that the IMF would approve the second tranche of its Extended Fund Facility (EFF) in December 2023. Dr. Weerasinghe said Sri Lanka was making good progress and he was confident that the official bilateral creditors, the Official Creditor Committee (OCC) […]

The Monetary Policy Board of the Central Bank, at its meeting held on Thursday (23), 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 percent and 10.00 percent, respectively, CB said in a press release. It said: […]

Cabinet approval has to be sought first before dissolving national sports associations and appointing interim committees, Secretary to the Cabinet-of-Ministers, W.M.D. Fernando has informed Secretary to the Ministry of Sports K. Mahesan. Mahesan was also given several guidelines when appointing interim committees.They are: carrying out an impartial investigation and obtaining a report before disso...

The Palestinian armed group Hamas has released 24 hostages held captive by the group in Gaza for almost seven weeks, according to Qatar’s foreign ministry and the International Red Cross, hours after an Israel-Hamas truce mediated by Qatar came into effect. Among the captives released were 13 Israelis, 10 Thai nationals and one Filipino citizen, […]

Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe has revealed that the second tranche of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) offered by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is expected to be received in December.

Monetary Policy Board of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, has 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.

Pakistan has confirmed that it is charging an $830 fee from undocumented refugees who want to leave the country. The exit fee applies to people who arrived without a visa. In October Pakistan announced that it would deport 1.7 million undocumented foreigners from the country if they did not leave by 1 November. Most are […]

Friday 24th November, 2023 Sri Lanka’s cricket crisis has become internationalised. Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe and the Opposition insist that some Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) officials were behind the International Cricket Council’s decision to suspend SLC. They have produced documentary evidence to prove their claim and tabled in Parliament the copies of the letters that […]

By Uditha Devapriya There is a point in Killers of the Flower Moon where it stops becoming a film and transforms into an experience. I found myself moved to anger, sadness, and then provoked into self-reflection. This is a film that tells us everything, in one go, about the history of the West, the plight […]

(24 Nov 1923 – 24 Nov 2023) by Kumar de Silva With his 21-year tenure as Principal of Wesley College from 1962-1983, Arthur Shelton Wirasinha goes on record as being the second longest serving Principal of the College after Revd. Henry Highfield. A product of Richmond College, Galle, he touched the hearts and lives of […]

President Ranil Wickremesinghe outlined a comprehensive plan to revitalize Sri Lanka’s agricultural export sector in his speech at the 25th Presidential Awards of the Export Development Board (EDB), held at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) today (23) The President also underscored the importance of modernizing agricultural practices and enhancing research capabilitie...

Former West Indian international cricketer Marlon Samuels has been banned for six years from all forms of cricket after an independent Anti-Corruption Tribunal found him guilty of breaching the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) Anti-Corruption Code in August earlier this year. Samuels’ ban takes effect from November 11, 2023. Samuels was charged by the ICC (the […]

The World Health Organization (WHO) has asked Beijing for more information on an outbreak of mysterious pneumonia in northern China that appears mostly to be affecting children. The WHO made “an official request for detailed information on an increase in respiratory illnesses and reported clusters of pneumonia in children,” the United Nations health agency said […]