2026 world order: More war than peace

Rationally speaking, January 1st is just another day. Scientifically, there is no evidence that time began on a January 1, whether millennia or billennia ago. Yet the turning of the calendar invites reflection. The spiritually inclined may take stock of themselves, and teenagers may pledge to give up or take up a habit. In general, the belief is that a new year brings new hope. But does it?

Education reforms and related blunders

The latest in the education reforms process is the gay website controversy. Even though some might call it a typo, the government has launched an investigation into it. Sometimes, we have too many investigations but no satisfactory outcomes. There are committees being appointed for all sorts of things; from taking action against an individual to investigating corruption and so on. People sometimes wonder whether the government has enough people

Proposed road to promote tourism threatens protected knuckles forest

The Knuckles Forest is a unique forest ecosystem in Sri Lanka, which was declared as a conservation forest by the Department of Forest Conservation through Extraordinary Gazette No. 1130/22 dated 05.05.2000. It is also the first conservation forest in the country. In addition, under the National Environmental Act No. 47 of 1980, the Knuckles area was designated as an environmental protection area through Extraordinary Gazette No. 1507/09 dated 23

Another year dawns upon us…

If there are two lessons that 2025 taught us, that happens to be the uncertainty of life and survival of the fittest. These lessons, however, are not confined to last year but to many years, decades and centuries that have passed. Cyclone Ditwah that ravaged through several parts of the country made people realise these two lessons in a brutal manner.

Rebuilding SL through Astro-numerology, nameology in 2026

Astrology - In my humble opinion, astrology is the logic behind the planets and their movements. Astrology is all about the planetary positions in your natal chart and facilitates the study, reading and offering predictions for your life journey. To prepare your natal chart, your full name, the names of your parents, your time of birth, and the place of birth are required.

India’s AI Surge: A Wake-Up Call For Sri Lanka

While Western headlines remain transfixed by Silicon Valley’s latest iterations, a more profound tectonic shift is accelerating in New Delhi. India is no longer merely a consumer of global technology; it is aggressively architecting “Sovereign AI”, a domestic brain powered by 38,000 GPUs and vast local datasets. For Sri Lanka, the upcoming India AI Impact Summit represents a critical junction.

Death Anniversary of F. R. Senanayake today The unsung architect of Ceylon’s freedom

In the pantheon of Sri Lanka’s independence heroes, one name lingers in the shadows of his more celebrated younger brother. Yet Frederick Richard Senanayake’s (FR) story reveals a man who chose principle over prominence, whose strategic vision helped forge the path to freedom.

2025- the year that was: The year that the government passed the muster

Sri Lanka ended 2025, a year that could have been much worse, on a positive note. The ravages of Cyclone Ditwah, which killed over 600 people, scores still missing, and the infrastructure damage estimated at $ 4 billion, had been a fatal blow at the end of the year.

Corruption is not the way forward

The NPP finally won the second reading of the Colombo Municipal Council budget. During its first reading, the ruling party lost, and this loss was followed by a rather emotional speech by the mayoress. She requested those who voted against the budget to knock their conscience and check whether they could have a peaceful sleep.

Cyclone Ditwah: Warnings Ignored, Damage Could Have Been Mitigated- Champika Ranawaka

United Republican Front (URF) leader Patali Champika Ranawaka, in an interview with Daily Mirror, responds to questions about the government’s alleged failure to take measures for the mitigation of Ditwah impact, the delay in the appointment of the Auditor General and the post –disaster development strategy needed for the country.

The Women Who Actually Run Things

Something felt different that morning at Port City Colombo. People had come early to the Women in Management event. They stayed late. And when the conversation turned to reframing Sri Lanka’s global narrative, nobody reached for easy answers or branding platitudes. Instead, we talked about power.

Budget defeats may be contagious under current LG laws

The first budgets presented by Chairmen and Mayors of several local government bodies including the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) representing mainly the National People’s Power (NPP) have been defeated. However, only the CMC budget made headlines as it happened when the NPP captured the council in May.

Deep fissures in Trump’s MAGA camp Race and religion dominate American politics

US President Donald Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) camp is now a house divided on racial, religious and doctrinal lines.

A Garbage Tax to Stop Roadside Dumping

Following the publication of my recent article on measures to curb roadside garbage dumping, I observed that the small wall-mounted notice board indicating penalties has since been removed. However, the garbage accumulated directly beneath that board remains unchanged.

Hydrology expert issues warning: Poor land-use planning, high population density can cause major catastrophes

Sri Lanka was not ready for Cyclone Ditwah, both in terms of the intensity of rainfall and winds, and also in terms of infrastructure. Even though Sri Lanka discussed about incorporating disaster-resilient infrastructure post-Tsunami, many of these discussions remained in black and white.

Douglas Devananda who fought with the Sri Lankan Army against the LTTE

Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) Chief and Secretary-General, Douglas Devananda became the latest political leader to be arrested in Sri Lanka.

Transformation agenda risks being forgotten:Governance Crisis: System Change Promise Under Scrutiny?

The National People’s Power (NPP) government, elected on an overwhelming mandate to transform governance and strengthen accountability, now faces growing criticism over decisions that contradict its core principles.

Fair return for a nation that invests in its youth

Sri Lanka is bleeding talent. Each year thousands of graduates walk out of our state universities with degrees fully funded by the taxpayer, only to walk straight into foreign embassies, recruitment agencies and overseas job markets. Doctors, engineers, IT professionals and academics trained at public expense are leaving in record numbers.

The New Year Should Bring Hope — Not Sirens, Burns, and Blindness

As Sri Lanka prepares to welcome the New Year 2026 on the night of December 3, 2025 it is imperative to pause and reflect on the serious dangers associated with the use of firecrackers —particularly the substandard products currently flooding the market.

A Humbling Reset: What Clearing Mines in Northern Sri Lanka Taught Me About Safety, Dignity, and Real Reconstruction.

Sometimes life delivers a humbling reset. Last week, I travelled eight hours north from Colombo to Jaffna with The HALO Trust, the world’s largest humanitarian demining organisation.

Another Christmas arrives amidst challenging times..

This year, in many Sri Lankan households, Christmas would just be an after thought. The devastating impact of Cyclone Ditwah has left many unhealed wounds, sometimes in the form of loss of loved ones, and sometimes, the loss of property and all belongings.

Nightmare of the South Asian Springs Bangladesh’s descent into Islamist extremism

South Asia’s youth revolutions began with the Aragalaya in 2022, followed by deadly protests in Bangladesh that ousted Sheik Hasina last year and in Nepal, where the pro-China government of K.P. Sharma Oli fell this year.

Delay in clearing vehicles: Bad show by SL Customs

According to a recent news report, Sri Lanka Customs took nearly one year to release 166 vehicles imported by John Keells Holdings (JKH), one of the country’s most reputable conglomerates. This unusually prolonged delay raises several serious concerns that merit public clarification:

Social media videos reach saturation point Violence against women as popular entertainment

A short video I saw recently on You Tube compels me to write this. It shows a passenger, a man in his thirties, confronting an airline steward. The steward is telling him repeatedly, ‘Sit down, sir, sit down! Put on your seat belt!’ The man keeps warning, ‘Don’t touch me!’ though nobody’s trying to touch him.

Aranayaka landslide victims have no hopes of returning home

Landslides are not a new phenomenon for people in Aranayaka, a town in Kegalle District. In 2016, following the Samasara Kanda landslide, at least a 100 people succumbed to injuries while over 150,000 people were impacted. But this time, as many as 68 landslides have been triggered in this district since the Lower Kadugannawa incident, displacing many people and forcing them to look for alternative places to settle.

Auditor General issue and AKD’s credibility

The fourth name submitted by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake for the post of Auditor General in permanent or acting capacity has also been rejected by the Constitutional Council last week. The nominee, O.R. Rajasinghe, a member of the Audit Division of the Army was proposed by Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya had the backing of only four members in the ten-member CC -- namely, Leader of the House Bimal Rathnayake and MPs M. Athambawa and

‘Experienced’ vs. ‘inexperienced’ politicians: ‘Ditwah’ and the Bankruptcy of All Political Leadership

Sri Lanka’s worst flood disaster in a decade has exposed an uncomfortable truth that transcends any single administration: the catastrophic impact of Cyclone Ditwah reveals not merely the current government’s inability to protect its people, but the bankruptcy of an entire political class that has systematically failed the nation through decades of mismanagement and negligence.

Are we falling victim to substandard drugs?

Another questionable drug is now doing its rounds. According to sources, this drug has already claimed the lives of two youth raising doubts about the procurement of such medicines.

I rebranded Christianity in this country. And some don’t like it Jerome Fernando

Jerome Fernando is not an unknown name is Sri Lanka. He is a name that has caught attention in the religious world and beyond as thousands of people follow his preachings and believe he is the modern day chosen ‘Prophet’ of God. In a first of its kind exclusive interview with the Daily Mirror, Jerome said he had his first encounter with God when he was only 16 years old and since then has been preaching his story to the world. He says he has been

Why the Global Digital Rights Conversation Matters for Sri Lanka: A Sri Lankan in a Global Community of Digital Defenders

The presence of Sri Lankan digital rights practitioners in global forums is not symbolic; it is strategic and essential. Sri Lanka stands at a critical intersection: rapid digital transformation clashing with political sensitivities, misinformation, and a vulnerable civil society.