‘Speaker’s silence meant he accepted revelation the US offered him a chance to lead interim administration’ By Shamindra Ferdinando Western powers backing President Ranil Wickremesinghe would allow him to postpone both presidential and parliamentary polls, National Freedom Front Leader Wimal Weerawansa has said.That would be in line with their overall strategy, the Colombo District lawmaker [̷...

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 […]

Monday 16th October, 2023 Laws, passed by the Parliament of Sri Lanka during the past several years, contain flaws, which have even impeded the implementation of some of them, according to media reports. The defects have been attributed to lapses on the part of the public officials who drafted the laws at issue. There has […]

The first section of Kenya’s Chinese-built railway was opened with much fanfare in 2017 – but two years later work on the tracks stopped in the middle of the country and the master plan of linking it to other landlocked countries in East Africa seems to have derailed. This means the project is not bringing […]

The week that passed saw considerable political activity related to the forthcoming presidential election that must be held late next year in accordance with the constitution. Connected events included business magnate Dhammika Perera’s declaration that he is willing to run for president provided the political parties – he did not identify which parties though he […]

Australia has decisively rejected a landmark referendum to recognise Indigenous people in its constitution. The proposal – known as the Voice – also sought to establish a First Nations body to advise the government on issues affecting their communities. ‘No’ campaigners labelled the vote as divisive, while ‘Yes’ advocates framed it as a historic chance […]

The Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative projects in Sri Lanka have not only laid a solid foundation and provided strong impetus for Sri Lanka to get out of the economic crisis and resume economic and social development, but also created thousands of jobs for local people, Chinese Ambassador Qi Zhenhong said at a recent seminar […]

On October 6 the Korean embassy led by Korean ambassador Miyon Lee hosted the National Foundation Day celebrations of the Republic of Korea, at the Shangri-La Hotel in Colombo. It is a monumental year to commemorate the 4355th anniversary of the establishment of the Korean nation and the 46th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic […]

The Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA)  met with President Ranil Wickremesinghe at the Presidential Secretariat today (13) and handed over an eight-step proposal on brain drain, health crisis and matters affecting the Doctors of this country. President Wickremesinghe accepted the proposal and assured due consideration and promised to meet the GMOA again upon returning from […]

The Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) has compiled an 8-step proposal on brain drain, health crisis and matters affecting the doctors.

Friday 13th October, 2023 A model parliamentary session held by a group of schoolchildren from Ratnapura, at the Presidential Secretariat, on Tuesday, has received much publicity. President Ranil Wickremesinghe, addressing the students, asked them to suggest solutions to their problems. The government was willing to consider them, he added. Tuesday’s event has come in for […]

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 […]

The International Olympic Committee’s executive board has suspended the Russian Olympic Committee “with immediate effect until further notice”. The move comes after the ROC recognised regional organisations from four Ukrainian territories illegally annexed by Russia since its full-scale invasion began in 2022. Olympic Councils from the regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zap...

A bilateral memorandum of understanding was signed between Honorable Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs Mr. Roshan Ranasinghe and Honorable Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Australia Mr. Tim Watts, on 10th October,2023 at Sri Lanka Cricket to develop sports cooperation between Sri Lanka and Australia.  This MoU will strengthen bilateral relations by identifying the […]The post Signing...

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 […]

Thursday 12th October, 2023 The Rajapaksa loyalists seem to have taken the masses for asses. Otherwise, they would not have expected the public to fall for their cheap ruses. Having crawled out of the woodwork, they are shedding copious tears for the people troubled by economic hardships. The SLPP MPs are protesting against the high […]

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 […]