SJB MP Eran Wickramaratne says the importation of inferior medicine by way of emergency procurement and non-functioning medical, surgical and other test equipment in hospitals have ruined the public health sector. Addressing the Media at the Office of the Leader of Opposition on Sunday (6Aug2023), Wickramaratne said that this pathetic situation in the health sector […]

Cassandra in her Friday Cry-s has often noted with deep gratitude that nature has been benevolent to suffering, down and almost out Sri Lanka. Forest fires due to intemperate temperature in usually cool climes; sudden floods due to torrential rains; erupting volcanoes and earthquakes have all assiduously avoided troubling poor little Sri Lanka struggling against […]

In a veiled attack on China, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval said BRICS could work together on listing terrorists and their proxies under the UN counter-terrorism sanctions regime but emphasised that the process should be free from “politics and double standards.” Ajit Doval made the remarks during the meeting of the National Security Advisers of […]

By Jayantha Somasundaram (This articlecontinued from yesterday (25) is based on reporting by the international media on the events in Sri Lanka forty years ago.) “For day after day Tamils were beaten, hacked or burned to death in the streets, on buses, on trains – sometimes in the sight of horrified foreign tourists. Their homes […]

Babarandage Don Sarath Appuham, a 59-year-old fisherman, has worked at Negombo Lagoon since he was a teenager. Palpable differences in tide patterns and fish catches from climate change have complicated his work. “We used to always go at 9am, then 1pm. It’s no longer that predictable,” Sarath told Al Jazeera. They have to gauge conditions […]

By Dr. C. S. Weeraratna (csweera@sltnet.lk) Poverty is a condition characterized by severe deprivation of basic human needs, such as food, shelter, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, and education. Various criteria are used to measure poverty. The most commonly used is based on incomes. A person is considered poor if his or her income level […]

Udeni Kaluthantri, a 54-year-old port worker, became an overnight sensation last year for reasons that had nothing to do with his job. Days after protesters stormed the presidential palace in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo, a video surfaced of Mr Kaluthantri lounging on a bed draped with the presidential flag. Pictures of young men jumping […]

By Prabhat Patnaik After Sri Lanka and Pakistan, Bangladesh has become the third country in our neighbourhood to become afflicted by a serious economic crisis. It has asked for a $4.5 billion loan from the IMF, apart from $1 billion from the World Bank and $2.5-3 billion from multilateral agencies and donor nations. Though the […]

Beijing [China], June 10 (ANI): China’s local governments are finding it difficult to service debt raised via municipal and Local Government Financing Vehicles (LGFVs) bonds, as their fiscal position has become tight due to the slowing economic growth and fall in revenue receipts amid a downturn in the property market. According to S&P Global Ratings […]

The federal budget for Fiscal Year 2023-24, presented by Pakistan Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday, came as a huge disappointment for homemakers as it offered no respite from surging household expenses, The News International reported. Reeling under an economic crisis of the kind seldom experienced in the country’s history, women in Pakistan are finding […]

A highly appreciative skill of the Pakistani administration is their extensive theatricals which can deceive the most intelligent of men. Lengthy speeches in the parliament are converted into minutes packed with wise counsel. After collecting enough praises and spewing venom on the opposition, they end up ultimately doing what they would do anyway — putting […]

Saturday 3rd June, 2023 Long lines of vehicles were seen near filling stations yesterday as well, and it may be a couple of days before the situation is brought under control. Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera has threatened tough action against the fuel stations that did not maintain adequate stocks due to speculation […]

Friday 2nd June, 2023 Long lines of vehicles suddenly appeared near filling stations yesterday, evoking dreadful memories of a dark era and causing public panic. Pumps had run dry at most fuel depots, and people had to wait for hours to obtain petrol and diesel. Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera hurriedly issued a […]

By Andrew Devadason Vicar-St. Paul’s Church, Milagiriya Colombo It has been one year since we got assaulted in front of the Temple Trees on May 9th, 2022. A simple candlelight protest begun in Kohuwela on March 01st 2022 grew to be an expression of major people’s power which really shook the unshakable Sri Lankan political […]