The Middle East conflagration has been brought very close to South Asia by a suspected drone attack a couple of days back on an Israel-linked chemical tanker headed for India, off the latter’s coast. The attack comes close on the heels of similar reported strikes on international tankers in the Red Sea, which have compelled […]

by Jehan Perera The change that the country is looking for lies in the future. The change that the government has brought may have been sufficient unto the day, especially for the upper classes and the international community they fraternise with, but insufficient for the future progress and wellbeing of the masses of people.  This […]

Tuesday 26th December, 2023 It never rains but it pours. As if the multiple crises, armed conflicts and the ill-effects of climate change troubling the world were not enough, there are disturbing reports of Covid-19 raising its head again in some countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned of an increase in the cases […]

Israel’s bombardment of Gaza is reaping an “appalling harvest” of innocent civilians, Pope Francis said in his Christmas message. In his Christmas Day “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and world) address on Monday, the head of the Catholic Church also called the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas “abominable” and again appealed for […]

Usman Khawaja has been charged with breaching ICC regulations for wearing a black armband during the first Test against Pakistan in Perth without prior approval. Khawaja wore the armband in place of taking the field with writing on his shoes which he had worn in training stating “all lives are equal” and “freedom is a […]

The United Nations (UN) recalled the lessons it learnt from the war in Sri Lanka where it was accused of failing to prevent the deaths of thousands of civilians. UNICEF Spokesperson James Elder told reporters in Geneva that he learnt a lot when he was in Sri Lanka in 2007-2008. He recalled that the UN […]

In actual fact the foundation for the current economic chaos was laid under the Yahapalana rule when they borrowed as much as USD 12 billion from the international bond market, at high interest rates, with them not even undertaking any developmental works, like the Rajapaksas, or, for that matter, any worthwhile economic activity. We certainly […]

[An article based on the Keynote Address delivered by Dr. P. Nandalal Weerasinghe, Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, recently at the Annual Research Symposium 2023 of the University of Colombo] Introduction Inflation affects every aspect of our lives; it is a force that shapes our purchasing power, influences our financial decisions, and […]

The Civil Society Initiative on Anti-Corruption Reform for Economic Recovery, comprising Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL), Verité Research, the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA), Sarvodaya, People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL) and the National Peace Council (NPC) (the CSI Core Group) has reiterateed its view that governance and anti-corruption priorities that have be...

Yemen’s Houthi rebels say they launched a drone attack targeting two cargo vessels in the Red Sea, the latest in a series of assaults that have disrupted maritime trade as freight companies seek to avoid the area. Houthi spokesperson Yahya Sarea on Monday identified the vessels as the MSC Clara and Norwegian-owned Swan Atlantic, and […]

By Uditha Devapriya On Tuesday, December 12, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution demanding a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. The United States was one of 10 countries to oppose, the others including Guatemala, Nauru, and Paraguay, and of course Israel. New Zealand, Canada, and Australia were among the 153 countries to vote in favour, […]

By MEERA SRINIVASAN As Sri Lanka tries to rebuild its battered economy after last year’s devastating crisis, the country’s political scene is gradually heating up, in the run up to two national elections scheduled next year — parliamentary and presidential — that will give citizens

The main opposition has voiced concerns about the imminent transfer of the burdens arising from corruption, fraud, financial misappropriations, and flawed politics of the Rajapaksas onto the general public, effective January 1 next year. During a press conference at the Opposition Leader’s Office in Colombo on Thursday, SJB MP Mayantha Dissanayake asserted that the recently […]

Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah has died at 86. “With great sadness and sorrow, we – the Kuwaiti people, the Arab and Islamic nations, and the friendly peoples of the world – mourn the late His Highness the emir, Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, who passed away to his Lord […]