By Jehan Perera The government has allocated Rs 11 billion in the provisional budget for next year for the presidential elections due in September. This is a positive indication that the government intends to hold those elections.  Free and fair elections being held when due is a core concept of a functioning democracy. This was […]

A discourse on the crisis in Sri Lankan health sector, under the theme ‘What ails the health sector? What solutions?’ is scheduled to be held at 4.00 p.m. on Thursday, 05 October 2023, at the Centre for Society & Religion (CSR) Auditorium, 281, Deans Road, Colombo 10, under the auspices

Opinion will surely be divided on whether Foreign Minister Ali Sabry should have waded into the ongoing spat between India and Canada on the assassination of a Sikh Canadian citizen allegedly by Indian agents according to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Sabry got a lot of media play in India characterizing Trudeau’s statement to Parliament […]

By Rathindra Kuruwita Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe on Friday said that in a country that upholds the rule of law, every individual should have confidence in their ability to access justice. Speaking at the National Law Week – 2023, the minister said that the current methods employed by the police, judiciary, and legal practitioners were […]

The West has labeled China’s Belt and Road Initiative as a cohesive program, and the participating countries like Sri Lanka are looked upon with suspicion, President Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Thursday (28) at the Berlin Global Conference. “This will further hurt economic prospects in the global South, and the polarization will become more evident,” he […]

By SHIHAR ANEEZ ECONOMYNEXT –Sri Lanka’s second tranche of a $3 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund is likely to be delayed as the country has failed to meet the program objective and a global lender’s official said there is no fixed timeline on the disbursement of second tranche. Sri Lanka’s government revenue is likely […]

The Parliament is scheduled to meet from 3rd to 6th October. The parliamentary business related to this week has been decided at the Committee on Parliamentary Business chaired by Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena on 22nd of September. Accordingly, time from 09.30 a.m. to 10.30 a.m. on each day has been allotted for Questions for Oral […]

By Saman Indrajith Minister of Justice, Prisons Affairs and Constitutional Reforms, Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe will present the Anti-Terrorism Bill, while Minister of Public Security, Tiran Alles, will present the Online Safety Bill to Parliament on 03 October. Below are the bills to be debated during the Parliament week. On Tuesday, 03 October 2023, from 10.30 am […]

Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to India Milinda Moragoda who is to complete his tenure in Delhi shortly, paid a farewell call on the Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs of India Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman today (27) at the Finance Ministry in New Delhi. During the call, the High Commissioner expressed his appreciation to Minister Sitharaman […]

Friday 29th September, 2023 The Rajapaksa-Wickremesinghe government continues to be at loggerheads with irate professionals, who are demanding solutions to their problems. Many of them have already left the country never to return thanks to the government’s callous disregard for their grievances. University teachers staged a protest in Colombo the other day in a bid […]

President Ranil Wickremesinghe delivering the opening speech at the ‘Berlin Global’ Dialogue in Berlin, Germany, today (28), expressed the need for a comprehensive dialogue between Western nations and China, the United States of America and China and the European Union and China, as a critical component of a robust international plan capable of addressing the […]

Thursday 28th September, 2023 Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera is reported to have said at a conference held by the Finance Ministry, on Tuesday (26), that there are more than 4,000 vacancies in the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) and the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC). According to media reports quoting him, the vacancies at the […]

Herath alleges Budget Office part of flawed political strategy By Shamindra Ferdinando Civil society activist Sirithunga Jayasuriya Tuesday (26) said that those genuinely concerned about political strategies of the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa government should be wary of possible moves to put off the presidential election scheduled for next year. Pointing out that both Provincial Councils and Local [...

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) handed over a consignment of 4,700 MT of soya beans and maize to Sri Lanka Thriposha Ltd, to support the continuation of the Thriposha fortified food programme. The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) facilitated the handover at a special event held at the Thriposha factory. This […]

About 40 Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) contracts suspended due to the economic crisis would be re-contracted as foreign investors had expressed their willingness to do so, Investment Promotion State Minister Dilum Amunugama said on Monday (25) in Kandy. Amunugama said the government expected

The International Monetary Fund is concerned about a shortfall in revenue collection by Sri Lanka s government this year, though that is unlikely to derail a $2.9 billion loan programme for the crisis-hit country, two Sri Lankan sources told Reuters.

By Shamindra Ferdinando Opposition MP Harshana Rajakaruna yesterday (25) said those who had defeated the no-confidence motion (NCM) against Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella should peruse the latest State audit report on the Health Ministry. The Gampaha District SJB MP said the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) at a recent meeting chaired by State Minister Lasantha Alagiyawanna had strongly [...

By Udari Abeyasinghe One of the principles of free education is to provide opportunities in higher education. In 2020, then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa issued directives to the University Grants Commission (UGC) to increase university admissions by an additional 12,000 students, in line with his election manifesto. Subsequently, student enrollments were increased with inadequate resources allocat...

By Shamindra Ferdinando Governor of the Central Bank Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe yesterday (25) questioned the conduct of some MPs who sought to direct public anger at officials over the economic crisis. Alleging that such an attempt had been made last year in the wake of attacks on politicians