Urges unity over deep political divisions for effective crisis management Says ‘intricate’ foreign debt restructuring will take up to six months Invites Opposition to confer with institutions that foster international financial stability by Sanath Nanayakkare As government revenue increases, measures will be taken to increase benefits for the people accordingly, President Ranil Wickremesinghe said...

Inaugurating the 5th session of the 9th Parliament of Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe called upon all lawmakers to collaborate in nation building  even though they would be contesting elections separately. “From ancient times to the present day, our world has encountered a myriad of crises, spanning nations and personal lives alike. While some crises […]

By Shamindra Ferdinando Leader of Eksath Janaraja Peramuna (EJP) Patali Champika Ranawaka, MP, has warned the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa government of catastrophic consequences if police are unleashed on protesting political parties. Ranawaka, elected on the SJB ticket, emphasised the responsibility on the part of UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the armed force...

Thursday 1st February, 2024 Dr. Laksiri Fernando has, in his column published on the opposite page today, reminded us that the Voters’ Day of Sri Lanka falls on 01 Feb. The Election Commission (EC) conducts special programmes on this day to educate voters on matters such as the basic qualifications required for registration, and the […]

President Ranil Wickremesinghe extended an invitation to all political party leaders in the Parliament to engage in discussions with the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on the implementation of the agreement with the IMF. Emphasizing the importance of unity in leading the country to success, he reiterated that withdrawing from the agreement […]

Pakistan is currently suffering from political instability and uncertainty which has increased the political environment and polarization. Unfortunately, this has resulted in attacks on media protection and press freedom in the country. Political polarization and uncertainty affect media protection in Pakistan. State-level media bans continue unabated. The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Auth...

by Dr Amali Wedagedara In Sri Lanka, public policy lost in the neoliberal haze treats the market as a cure for all ills. Not only is the market omnipresent, but it is also omniscient and omnipotent. The charm of the ‘market’ that research and advocacy lobbyists are creating is so alluring that only a few […]

… USD 5 mn paid to Iran a month By Shamindra Ferdinando Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera has confirmed that consumers of petrol and diesel have been made to pay Rs. 50 to Rs. 55 per litre since the middle of last year to settle what the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) owed its creditors. […]

By Saman Indrajith Forty-eight-year-old Batticaloa District MP Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, popularly known as Pillayan, has been shaping the Eastern Province’s political narrative since he was a teenager. He was just 16-years old when he joined the LTTE in 1990 as a child soldier. Since then, he continued to rise in the ranks of the LTTE until […]

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By Shamindra Ferdinando Even after imposing 18 percent Value Added Tax (VAT) on fuel with effect from January 1, the government continued to charge Rs 50 on a litre of both petrol and diesel purportedly to recover losses incurred by the highly corrupt state owned Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC

Sri Lanka’s inflation rose to 4.0 percent in December, the third consecutive monthly rise as the cash-strapped nation was set to increase taxes from the New Year.The benchmark Colombo Consumer Price Index jumped by 1.7 points to reach 195.1, or a 4.0 percent increase compared to a year ago when inflation was 57.2 percent. The […]

Education of about 54.9 percent of Sri Lankan students has been affected by the economic crisis since March 2022, the latest Household Survey on Impact of Economic Crisis – 2023 by the Department of Census and Statistics reveals. Out of the respondents surveyed 93.5 percent have adopted at least one strategy to counter the impact […]