Global Tamil Forum (GTF) Spokesman Suren Surendiran yesterday (12) said that if he supported a separate state he wouldn’t have been in Sri Lanka. The UK based GTF representative said so when SLPP MP Sarath Weerasekera, a former Chief of Staff of the Navy asked him whether he supported the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam […]

President Ranil Wickremesinghe has invited former greats Aravinda de Silva and Sidath Wettimuny to spearhead a committee that will take the game of cricket to far off villages. This trust to be established soon will include a member from the Chamber of Commerce as well and will be independent from Sri Lanka Cricket. A sum […]

How come royalty on foreign players replaced with additional Rs 50 charge on a litre of fuel? by Shamindra Ferdinando Convenor of the Samagi Joint Trade Union Alliance Ananda Palitha yesterday (12) said that the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa government was planning to impose VAT on fuel already subjected to several taxes amounting to Rs 75, an extremely […]

By Shamindra Ferdinando One-time Foreign Secretary Kshenuka Senewiratne and Admiral Ravindra Chandrasiri Wijegunaratne (Rtd.) on Dec 04, 2023 assumed duties at the Sri Lankan High Commission in New Delhi and Islamabad, respectively. It would be pertinent to mention that Wijegunaratne previously served as the First Secretary/Defence Advisor of Sri Lanka High Commission in New Delhi […]

Final vote on Budget 2024 today: Namal R. to skip vote By Shamindra Ferdinando The ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) on Monday (11) decided to vote for the Third Reading of the Appropriation Bill (2024) today (13). The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Premier Gunawardena, who is also the leader of […]

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is facing a battle to persuade Tory MPs to back his flagship Rwanda bill, ahead of a key vote today (12). The legislation seeks to revive the government’s plan to send some asylum seekers to the east African country.MPs on the right of the party have said the bill does not […]

Tuesday 12th December, 2023 Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has lashed out at a section of the media for floating a story that he is planning to patch up differences with President Ranil Wickremesinghe. Premadasa has alleged that the journalists who are spreading that story are in the pay of the government. His consternation is understandable. […]

Two policy-based loans (PBLs) have been arranged following discussions between the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Sri Lankan government, the Ministry of Finance said. Accordingly, the PBLs are slated to be used for the implementation of the Financial Sector Stability and Reform Programme, in a bid to create a stable financial system that provides […]

By Ifham Nizam Although the general understanding is that universal health coverage (UHC) could be achieved only through publicly- funded healthcare systems, high out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) is a tax on health and leaves many a local household behind with regard to availing substantial healthcare, General Sir John Kotelawala Defense University’s, Senior Lecturer, Dr. Anuji Gamage […]

by Jehan Perera A group of Tamil Diaspora members from western countries have been in Sri Lanka for the past several days. They have been engaging in a series of meetings, with religious clergy in the main, but also with civil and political leaders and with their friends and relatives. The highlight of their meetings […]

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in Washington DC to try to rescue an imperilled US defence package to Kyiv worth billions of dollars. The aid has become embroiled in US domestic, partisan politics, with Republicans demanding concessions on border funding in exchange. It marks Mr Zelensky’s third visit to the US since Russia’s 2022 […]

Over 300 Rohingya refugees have arrived on the coast of Aceh province in Indonesia after weeks of drifting across the sea from Bangladesh. The emaciated survivors – children, women and men – told of running out of supplies and of fearing death at sea as they landed on the unwelcoming shores of the villages of […]

Educational reforms: By Shamindra Ferdinando Deputy Secretary of Uththara Lanka Sabhagaya Gevindu Cumaratunga, MP, yesterday (10) said that the move to base proposed educational reforms at provincial level would lead to unnecessary problems. Cumaratunga, who is also the leader of Yuthukama civil society group, warned of dire consequences if the government succeeded in its bid to do away with [R...

By Eng. Thushara Dissanayake Sri Lanka is ranked high in terms of climate change impacts facing a multitude of hazards. Impacts of climate change vary by location and severity due to the presence of different climatic zones, varying topography, and diverse land use patterns of the country. Severe wet weather events often result in floods […]

Monday 11th December, 2023 Yesterday’s parliamentary session had to be adjourned until today for want of a quorum. While the VAT (Amendment) Bill was being debated, an SJB MP brought it to the notice of the Chair that the session was inquorate. The SLPP has about 124 MPs on its side, but most of them […]

The ‘Civil Society Initiative on Anti-Corruption Reform for Economic Recovery,’ led by Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) and comprising Verité Research, Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA), Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement, People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL), and National Peace Council (NPC) yesterday said that there was an urgent need for political will and genuine [...