The agricultural policies of successive governments have rendered millions of Lankans insecure, Movement for Land and Agricultural Reform (MONLAR) has said in a media statement. Historically, the major victims of these policies have been smallholder food producers and the members of the plantation community. However, during the past two years, due to the restrictions on […]

by Amal de Chickera At the very centre of the catastrophe, are the people of Gaza themselves, caged in, bombed out, starved, parched, killed. Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the Palestinian diaspora, Israeli allies who are anti-occupation, anti-authoritarianism and pro-peace, citizens of the world with a conscience – all of us are […]

by M. Rizwan Muzzammil According to an article in ‘The Diplomat’ (2nd Oct., 23), the Sri Lankan government has committed to supplying 70% of its domestic electricity, with renewable energy sources, by 2030, with the longer-term goal of achieving a fully renewable electricity supply by 2050. The government is incentivised by “debt-for-renewables swap”, which enables […]

By Uditha Devapriya One of Sri Lanka’s most distinguished yet underrated economists, S. B. D. de Silva died five years ago, on June 15. His magnum opus, The Political Economy of Underdevelopment, remains as underrated and under-read – one could say unread – as he. First published by Routledge in 1982, The Political Economy of […]

Israel was warned by Egypt of potential violence three days before Hamas’ deadly cross-border raid, a US congressional panel chairman has said. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee head Michael McCaul told reporters of the alleged warning. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu described the reports as “absolutely false”. Israeli intelligence services are under scrutiny for ...

… asks for early cross-party consensus By Shamindra Ferdinando Former Governor of the Central Bank Dr. Indrajith Coomaraswamy yesterday (11) threw his weight behind the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) call for far reaching measures meant to stabilize the economy. The Washington headquartered lending agency recently suspended the US 2.9 bn bailout package, pending an agreement […]

Output growth of South Asian countries, except Sri Lanka, is projected to remain stronger than in other regions of the world in the coming years, as per the World Bank’s latest South Asia Development Update, ‘Toward Faster, Cleaner Growth’. Growth in the region is stronger than elsewhere in the world, but it is nonetheless not […]

USD 73 mn down the drain? The US Embassy is on record as having said that USAID conducted a project at a cost of USD 73 mn during the Yahapalana administration (2015-2019) to enhance the efficiency of lawmakers and be responsive to the people they represent. In terms of this project, 50 Research Assistants of […]

Oil prices have jumped on concerns that the situation in Israel and Gaza could disrupt output from the Middle East. Brent crude, the international benchmark, climbed by $2.25 a barrel to $86.83, while US prices also rose. Israel and Palestinian territories are not oil producers but the Middle Eastern region accounts for almost a third […]

Not all countries in the region are growing fast, and three—Afghanistan, Pakistan and Sri Lanka—are in acute crisis South Asia has emerged as a beacon of hope in the global economy, with the World Bank predicting that the region will outshine other developing regions

By Neville Ladduwahetty President Ranil Wickremesinghe eloquently outlined the current global economic crisis affecting the developing world, in particular the Global South, during his speech at the Berlin Global Dialogue. In the course of his presentation he conveyed

The Truly Sri Lankan Bank, Pan Asia Bank, demonstrated its commitment for the nation by launching a special Credit Card for government pensioners who served the nation for many years, by keeping its brand promise as ‘The Truly Sri Lankan Bank’. The new offering – ‘Sammana Credit Card’ – is packed with attractive discounts and […]

by Sanath Nanayakkare Income inequalities persist although there is enough money in circulation in the economy, the Central Bank Governor Dr. P. Nandalal Weerasinghe said yesterday. The Governor said so responding to a question posed by The Island Financial Review at the press conference held by the Central Bank after announcing its latest Monetary Policy […]

President Ranil Wickremesinghe addressed the 5th Forum of Ministers & Environment Authorities of the Asia Pacific at the Shangri La Hotel in Colombo today (05), delivering a passionate speech that emphasized three crucial points: the urgency of the climate crisis, Sri Lanka’s ambitious climate

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The World Bank predicts that Sri Lanka’s poverty will increase to 27.9 percent in 2023 from 25 percent in 2022 as the country continues to suffer from the most extreme deployment of ‘macro-economic policy’ in the history of its central bank. The World Bank in a report titled ‘Sri Lanka Development Update: Mobilizing Tax Revenue […]

The World Bank revised up its forecasts for Sri Lanka s economy on Tuesday, noting the crisis-hit nation had made strides in reducing inflation and had benefited from tourism revenue as well as an appreciation in its currency.