With more than one in five young people unable to find jobs, there is hope that China’s stubbornly high youth unemployment rate can be a powerful catalyst for the government to act. So far, Beijing has been offering big words but little money, even as the economy witnesses a sharp, double-dip downturn only seven months […]

By Shamindra Ferdinando The National Audit Office (NAO) has sought an explanation from Sports Ministry Secretary K. Mahesan regarding the sharp increase of allowances paid to the Executive Committee of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) as well as top management level personnel in USD terms. According to NAO’s draft report on Sri Lanka tour of Australia […]

Ambassador of the Republic of Korea Miyon Lee said that during the second half of this year, 7,000 more Sri Lankans would be issued with visas to work in Korea. There were 25,000 Sri Lankan workers employed in Korea and by the end of this year that number would be increased to 32,000. The new […]

Thursday 27th July, 2023 There have been umpteen all-party conferences (APCs) to explore ways and means of resolving Sri Lanka’s ethnic issues, and the latest one was held yesterday. The Opposition would have the public believe that President Ranil Wickremesinghe has undertaken to devolve more powers to the provinces in a bid to woo the […]

By Shamindra Ferdinando Thilini Kahandawaarachchi, on behalf of the Norwegian Embassy, on July 06, 2023, reminded the media of the closing down of the mission on July 31, 2023. In her capacity as the Senior Political Advisor at the mission, Kahandawaarachchi, stated that with effect from August 1, 2023, the Norwegian Embassy in New Delhi […]

Jawaharlal Nehru University facilitates talk on ‘structural genocide’ By Shamindra Ferdinando SLPP MP retired Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekera yesterday (24) accused Canadian High Commissioner Eric Walsh of backing those propagating separatist sentiments. The former Public Security Minister, who is also the Chairman of the Parliamentary Oversight Committee on National Security, claimed that the HC’...

By Rathindra Kuruwita The Health Minister and senior officials were pretending that the current crisis in the health sector was nothing out of the ordinary and that the country had faced similar situations before, Secretary of the Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA), Dr. Haritha Aluthge

By Saman Indrajith The JVP-led Women for Rights (WfR), on Saturday, asked people how many more patients would have to die in hospitals for them to realise that the only way to resolve the prevailing crisis in the country’s health sector was to oust the incumbent regime. Addressing the media

Monday 24th July, 2023 President Ranil Wickremesinghe has returned from New Delhi with a to-do list given by the Modi government. He will have Big Brother breathing down his neck hereafter. It has been reported that the SLPP-UNP government is planning to hold an all-party conference on the ethnic issue. Some of India’s dictates have […]

Sri Lanka is considering the possibility of allowing the use of the Indian rupee for local transactions, as the island nation struggles to build its depleted foreign reserves and to emerge from last year s unprecedented economic crisis.

(Excerpted from volume ii of the Sarath Amunugama autobiography) During one of my visits to Colombo I got a call to see the President at ‘Breamar’. Gamini Dissanayake had told him of my friendship with Parathasarathy and he wanted me to help him repair the damage done to their friendship due to the abuse heaped […]

In a recent research study involving 25 leaders and executives from PR agencies in Sri Lanka, it was found that over 90% of participants believe that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is already present in the country’s communications industry. Moreover, nearly two-thirds of the respondents stated that AI is poised to have a significant impact on the […]

In response to a severe debt crisis, the Sri Lankan government is taking prompt action to address the situation. One of the key measures being taken is the expediting of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations with China. Alongside this, Sri Lanka has expressed a strong interest in joining

Sri Lanka has notified the Indian rupee as a designated currency, Indian External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Thursday (July 20). “In terms of trading in our national currencies, Sri Lanka has already notified India Rupee as designated foreign currency in their system,” Bachi said during a weekly media interaction in New Delhi. […]

During his inaugural visit to India after assuming office, President Ranil Wickremesinghe commended the neighbouring nation s unwavering support and solidarity during Sri Lanka s recent economic crisis.