Far East Cruise To Booze

This great news appeared few days back prompted me to write this article. The four ex- US Coast Guard ships given to Sri Lanka Navy - they are SLNS Samudura (P621), SLNS GAJABAHU (P626), SLNS VIJAYABAHU (P627) and now ex- USCG DECISIVE (P 628). was officially handed over on ceremony held on 2nd December 2025. The Commander of the Navy Vice Admiral Kanchana Banagoda and Sri Lanka Ambassador to US His Excellency Mahinda Samarasinghe was present

A rare coincidence: ABC Preschool stars Kieran, Sahan now head prefects of S. Thomas’, Royal

Ayoma Fernando and Adhirupini Tyagarajah, former classmates at Ladies’ College, shared not only a friendship, but also a deep passion for Montessori Education. Inspired by this vision, they founded ABC School of Early Learning on January 7, 1992 with just eight children. What began as a small initiative rooted in dedication and care has since grown into one of Colombo’s most respected and trusted preschool institutions.

US’s ‘best laid plans’ upended in Sri Lankan court

A Sri Lankan court has ordered that the bodies of 84 Iranian sailors killed on March 4, when the US sank Iranian frigate IRIS Dena in international waters off Sri Lanka, be handed over to officials of the Iran embassy for repatriation.

When small human habits meet ecological continuity : Sri Lanka’s Blue Magpie and the hidden economics of a snack wrapper

Picture this. You are on a forest trail in Sinharaja, early enough that the light still feels undecided. Mist hangs low. Raindrops cling to leaves like they are reluctant to fall. The air smells of wet bark and leaf litter.

Chinese Ambassador proposes trilateral cooperation involving China, India, Sri Lanka

At a time when there is a thawing of China- India relations, Chinese Ambassador in Colombo Qi Zhenhong recalled how he, at the beginning of his stint in Colombo, proposed a trilateral cooperation involving Sri Lanka, China and India.

Italy in Jazz: The Saxophone Surrender

On the evening of February 14, 2026, beneath the warm glow of Colombo’s cultural calendar at the Ceylon Literary Festival, Quintetto Denner did something that went far beyond performance.

Blood donation campaign by St. Joseph’s OBU, St. Bridget’s PPA on Mar. 15

A Blood Donation Campaign organised by the Old Boys’ Union of St. Joseph’s College, Colombo 10, together with the Past Pupils’ Association of St. Bridget’s Convent, Colombo 7, will take place on March 15, at St. Joseph’s College. The campaign is conducted in collaboration with the National Blood Transfusion Service of Sri Lanka.

Ajahn Brahmali to deliver special dhamma talk in Sri Lanka

Buddhist scholar and monastic teacher Ajahn Brahmali will deliver a special dhamma talk on the right view (sammā diṭṭhi) on May 1 (Poya day) from 8 a.m. To 4 p.m. at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) Main Hall.

Civil society recognises special services to the society

Recognising the service offered to the society, culture and heritage, several individuals and organisations were presented with awards and honourary titles at a special event organised by All Sri Lanka Revival Foundation for the Preservation of Global Hela Traditional medicine, Sethsanda Alternative Naturopathy University and Geneva Human Rights Organisation.

Justice Ramkrishna Gavai to deliver 19th Sujata Jayawardena Memorial Oration

Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai, the 52nd Chief Justice (CJ) of India, is to deliver the annual Sujata Jayawardena Memorial Oration for this year (2026), themed ‘In a True Democracy, is Parliament Supreme?’ on March 28 (Saturday) at 6 p.m. at the BMICH.

AAUPCC to hold AGM on March 29

The 35th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Alumni Association of the University of Peradeniya-Colombo Chapter (AAUPCC), will be held on March 29 (Sunday) from 9.30 a.m.to 12.30 p.m. at Sanhinda, the main auditorium of the Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration (SLIDA) on Malalasekara Mawatha, Colombo 7.

SL among the first countries to advance large-scale biodiversity management

Positioning the country among the first globally to move into large-scale implementation of bio diversity conservation, Sri Lanka has been endorsed for a project under the Kunming Biodiversity Fund (KBF) of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The KBF project proposal was formally signed by the Secretary to the Ministry of Environment K.R. Uduwawala, and FAO Representative for Sri Lanka and the Maldives Vimlendra Sharan, at the Mi

Girl embalmer who ensures dignity for women even after death

Some occupations, professions and jobs are decided by gender. But there are some male-dominated jobs even males find too hard to handle. Many men find dealing with the dead to be a somewhat scary and abhorrent task. But 19-year-old Sneha Udyani Nethra Kumari from Giriulla off Kuliyapitiya has taken up embalming as her profession. Going beyond just embalming the dead, young Sneha has made a name as a beautician of corpses. Though there are

WFP initiate “sow and grow” to boost Thriposha in Sri Lanka

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has launched a five-year “Sow and Grow” project, supported by USD 10 million from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), in partnership with the Government of Sri Lanka.

High seas, no law: Combat legal outside 12 nm- Maritime law expert

Attorney-at-Law Dr. Dan Malika Gunasekera, an expert in international law, the law of the sea and maritime law, shared his legal insights with the Daily Mirror regarding the reported attack on an Iranian warship in waters close to Sri Lanka and the series of developments that followed.

Exploring masculine dimensions of Kandyan dance

The Kandyan Dancer, (dance documentary film) held its international premiere at the Asian Dance Conference 2025 organised by the National Asian Cultural Centre in the Republic of Korea. Representing Sri Lanka at this international conference, the documentary was produced by a dedicated creative and academic team.

Project Transform organises webinar for Govt. school principals

Project Transform has taken steps to invite Sri Lankan Government School Principals to a free leadership webinar on transforming English learning through visionary school leadership with the final aim of preparing students for a global future.

Batticaloa women call for functioning of Women’s Commission

The Women’s Coalition for Disaster Management (WCDM), a women’s network based in the Eastern Province sent a petition, endorsed by 1844 persons from Batticaloa, to the President of Sri Lanka on International Women’s Day, March 8, urging the Government to bring the National Commission on Women (NCW) to a strong and active level as an independent body that genuinely safeguards women’s dignity, equality,

Kivul Oya Project: A Plea to Safeguard Sri Lanka’s Last Great Forest

Deep within the Vanni, Sri Lanka’s “green lung” is being systematically drowned in the name of progress. The Kivul Oya project, a vast irrigation scheme cutting across the island’s northern reaches, promises agricultural prosperity but threatens an ecological suicide.

Global Snake Experts to Gather in Kandy for World Congress on Snakes

Snakes are often feared, yet they are among the most vital and misunderstood creatures in the natural world. The World Congress on Snakes (WCS) 2026, to be held from Oct. 1 to Oct. 4 at the Grand Kandyan Hotel in Kandy, will bring global experts together to discuss conservation, research and snakebite management. The event will feature scientific sessions during the first four days, followed by a field trip beginning on October 5.

Grid or the Grave

As the world’s superpowers move from a clash of ideologies to a savage “Energy War,” the long queues at Colombo’s fuel stations are no longer merely a domestic nuisance—they are a symptom of a nation caught in the crossfire of a global transition. The era of the “Petro-state” led by Washington is now in a direct, high-stakes collision with the Chinese “Electro-state,” a conflict that stretches from the shale fields of America to the lithium mines

New Sri Lankan Consul for Queensland Nalin promises extended role

A grand welcome was extended to the newly appointed Sri Lankan honourary Consul for Queensland Nalin Perera by the Sri Lankans on March 6 at the Jindalee Bowls Club in Australia.

Challenges in expediting wildlife conservation in Sri Lanka

In view of World Wildlife Day (Which fell in March 3), the All Island Wildlife Officers Union (AIWU) recently organised an event to shed light on the importance of conserving Sri Lanka’s biodiversity and challenges faced by wildlife officers during this conservation process.

2026 the International year of women farmers: Let women farmers set Sri Lanka’s rural agenda

When Sri Lanka talks about “the farmer”, the mental picture is still too often a man in a paddy field. Yet across our agriculture and plantation economies, it is women who plant, weed, harvest, process, sort, and sell while also carrying the invisible workload of water, fuel, care, cooking, and community life.

The Graduate Gap Why b-grades in English are failing Sri Lanka’s STEM elite

Sri Lanka’s universities continue to produce world-class STEM and business talent, yet a quiet crisis is brewing within the lecture halls of its most prestigious institutions.

112th Birth Anniversary of former Agriculture Minister M.D. Banda: Father who feeds the nation

My memories of appachchi when I was very little are nebulous. In my case, this was due to two additional reasons: our appachchi lived mostly at ‘Shravasthi’ the special residence for Sri Lankan parliamentarians and not at home. Additionally, we were all at boarding school and it was just during the holidays that the seven of us were at home, in Panaliya.

Fr. Wickrema: A comforter of the disturbed and a disturber of the comfortable

The Catholic Church and the country lost a pastor, prophet, priest, mentor and an ayurvedic doctor in Father Wickrema Fonseka, a Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Colombo whose life committed to the poor and the marginalised ended on February 23.

International Women’s day: NCW vows to uphold equal rights, dignity and justice

The National Commission on Women (NCW) in Sri Lanka is an independent body aimed at protecting women’s rights. It has issued the following statement regarding its goals, coinciding with International Women’s Day on March 08 2026.

Reviving education after Cyclone Ditwah

When Cyclone Ditwah swept across Sri Lanka, it not only tore through roads and mountains, but also quietly unsettled the routines that gave people a sense of normalcy.

Govt.’s planned solar development projects a threat to H’tota Elephant Management Reserve

Due to weak and ineffective land management plans and policies in Sri Lanka, the human–elephant conflict has become a major national issue.