With the Elections Commission now on formal record that the forthcoming presidential election must be held on a date between Sept. 17 and Oct. 16, 2024, the attention of both the media and the electorate will inevitably become more focused on the upcoming contest. While incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who is serving former President Gotabaya […]

Friday 10th May, 2024 Derrick Borte’s edge-of-seat psychological thriller, ‘Unhinged’, has an appropriate tagline: ‘He can happen to anyone!’ We were reminded of this suspense flick full of gratuitous violence, and its catchphrase while reading newspaper reports that former Minister Mervyn Silva

President Xi Jinping has hailed “new vistas” in China’s relationship with France on his first trip to Europe in five years – one that feels much like a charm offensive. Mr Xi will be looking to avert the trade war that is looming with Brussels, driven by fears of cheap Chinese electric vehicles entering the […]

Britain’s ruling Conservative Party has suffered a resounding defeat in local elections, a further sign that it is likely to be removed from power in upcoming general elections. With nearly all council results in, the Conservatives have lost 473 seats, while the opposition Labour Party has picked up 185, as counting was under way on […]

May Day falling last week, as is very well known, has long lost its Labour Day intent and flavour certainly in this country, degenerating into the political carnival all Lankans are familiar with. With a presidential election due later this year, predictably the various contending parties made the occasion one of trying to demonstrate their […]

More than 100 people have been arrested in Spain accused of stealing thousands of euros from WhatsApp users by claiming to be relatives in distress. Police said those arrested were part of a criminal group that fraudulently received nearly a million euros in total through the scam. The arrests took place between February and April, […]

by Thiagaraja Arasanayagam I read with great interest the article, ‘Ethir: Legendary high jumper,’ in The Island newspaper of 22 April, 2024, not only for the information but the personal reaction I experienced when memories of the past came flowing back, memories of a young student at St Joseph

by Rex Clementine A video clip from Benson & Hedges tri-nation series in the year 1990 involving two greats of the game Aravinda de Silva and Wasim Akram has gone viral. The short clip indeed is pure gold. It not only has two of the greatest entertainers of the game in action but you can […]

by Geewananda Gunawardana, Ph.D. Part one of this article appeared yesterday (22 April 2024) The border area between Nepal and India known as the Tarai was a no-man’s land, particularly avoided by Europeans due to risk of catching ‘Tarai fever,’ and only frequented by a few aboriginal people and hunting parties. On a hunting trip, […]

The Russian Embassy in Colombo, on Friday (19) stated that it possesses no information regarding the involvement of Sri Lankan citizens in the Ukrainian conflict on the Russian side, as well as any data on potential numbers of such individuals. Commenting on recent newspaper articles, the embassy

Women in Pakistan now face a new, more terrifying threat–violence and threats caused by AI content sent by malicious sexual predators and gangs. Last year, over 2500 cases of harassing and victimising female children and women were reported. The state pays little attention to prosecuting the culprits. Only 12 FIRs have made any progress in […]

Apropos our news items (in The Island of 18 April) “Australia-based doc alleges her flat illegally occupied by diplomatic mission employee”, the High Commission for the People’s Republic of Bangladesh in Colombo has sent us the following response: “We draw your kind attention to the publication of the news item titled “Australia-based doc alleges her […]

More than 11,000 people have been told to evacuate and air travel in the region has been disrupted after a volcano in northern Indonesia erupted multiple times. Mount Ruang, located in North Sulawesi Province, first erupted at 9:45pm (13:45 GMT) on Tuesday, sending billowing clouds of smoke and ash high into the sky.  After four […]

A Singaporean court has begun handing out sentences in a sensational case, which saw 10 Chinese nationals charged for laundering $2.2bn (£1.8bn) earned from criminal activities abroad. The scandal embroiled multiple banks, property agents, precious metal traders and a top golf club. It led to extensive raids in some of the most affluent neighbourhoods, where […]

The Indian government has so far rescued 250 citizens in Cambodia who were forced to run online scams. They were promised jobs but “forced to undertake illegal cyber work”, India’s foreign ministry said. Recent reports have said more than 5,000 Indians stuck in Cambodia were forced to operate cyber-fraud schemes. Hundreds of thousands of people […]

Examining Sri Lanka’s New ‘Romeo and Juliet Law’: By Prof. M.W. Amarasiri de Silva According to an article published in The Island newspaper on March 25, 2024, Dr. Sudarshini Fernandopulle, MP, has raised concerns about the lack of consultation with the Women Parliamentarians