Post-cyclone reconstruction: Hold an international donor summit before the world forgets

As Sri Lanka assesses the scale of the devastation of Cyclone Ditwah, the worst-ever natural disaster since the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004, it should also plan for the next phase of reconstruction in earnest.

How Losing Makes a Winner – Yevan David

It all started when a 6-year-old child got into a go-kart at the Bandaragama karting track in December 2013. Every year his family, living in Singapore at the time, would visit Sri Lanka.

The hidden crisis How floods, slides threaten health of Sri Lanka’s elderly

When Cyclone Ditwah swept across Sri Lanka in late November 2025, the force of nature felt almost unreal. Hundreds of people died, thousands remain unaccounted for, and more than 147,000 were pushed from the places they once called home.

Review of the publication ‘Sinharaja’ A book that converts science into a story that nudges readers to visit Sinharaja

The legendary Sinharaja rainforest is one of the last remaining vestiges of widespread lowland rainforests that pay homage to an exceptionally concentrated biome consisting of endemic and threatened species.

The Pistachio Matilda Cake - Our Most-Loved Dessert

At Blooming Breakfast Resto Bar & Café, we believe every great café should have a signature dessert. The one dish guests return for, recommend to friends, and remember long after the last bite. For us, that honour goes to our Matilda Cake.

Fallen SLAF pilot posthumously promoted to Group Captain

Wing Commander Nirmal Siyambalapitiya, who lost his life in the recent helicopter crash in Lunuwila, Wennappuwa, has been posthumously promoted to the rank of Group Captain, the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) said.

Everyone is climate vulnerable now Urgent need for better disaster relief

Cyclone Ditwah which created terror during four frightening days finally moved away. It made landfall on Wednesday, November 26. The death toll is now put at 300, with almost 200 missing, displacing 78,000 and causing enough destruction to bring back vivid memories of the 2004 tsunami.

Ditwah’s Fury Exposes...: Decades of Building Houses in Rain

Concerning disaster management, successive Sri Lankan governments have behaved like monkeys attempting to build houses during a rainstorm, a damning but apt comparison for decades of reactive, haphazard crisis response.

Sri Lanka hit hard: Over 15,000 homes destroyed, 200 roads impassable

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 998,918 people across all 25 districts of Sri Lanka have been affected by the severe flooding and landslides triggered by Cyclone Ditwah, which made landfall on November 28 before moving back over the Bay of Bengal. The disaster has resulted in 212 deaths and 218 people reported missing.

Floods cost ailing SL economy dearly

In the wake of massive floods that have ravaged one-third of the country, Sri Lanka requires Rs. 31 billion as of November 28 for the restoration of agriculture, irrigation tanks, and damaged canals, according to a communication from the Foreign Ministry.

The Great Tea Illusion: How We Lost an Industry and Didn’t Notice

For more than a century, Ceylon Tea was not just an export crop, it was the main foreign exchange earner for the country. It was a national inheritance—an agricultural engine left behind by British planters who, whatever one may say of colonial exploitation, built an industrial and managerial system of extraordinary discipline.

The Siege of Colombo 1630 - Part II War and diplomacy in the 17th century

As noted last week, following the destruction of Portuguese captain general Constantino de Sa Noronha’s army at Randeniwela, King Senarat surrounded the fortress city of Colombo in September 1630 with 15,000 men.

Commemorating JVP and LTTE ‘heroes’: Lessons the North could learn from Southern reconciliation with the JVP

I have an improvised gauge to predict when the JVP, the main constituent party of the National People’s Power government,captures the State. That would be the day you will witness astate-sponsored beatification of Rohana Wijeweera as the saviour of the nation.

Spotlight on Hambantota Proposed management reserve to control ‘jumbos’ might worsen Human Elephant Conflict

The National People’s Power Government is moving away from science and repeatedly launching elephant-

In the West, even Protestant priests are switching to the Catholic church

Studies indicate a surge in the conversion of people from the Anglican and other Protestant churches to the Catholic church in the UK and the US. The converts are mainly young people but there is also a growing number of ordained Anglican priests among them.

Boy with rare condition amazes doctors after world-first gene therapy

A three-year-old boy has astounded doctors with his progress after becoming the first person in the world with his devastating disease to receive a ground-breaking gene therapy.

Unheard voices of the night

A landmark wildlife survey in Sri Lanka’s central highlands has uncovered two rare free-tailed bat species,

Toxic demography and ethnic time bombs: The Trincomalee temple fiasco: encroaching Buddhism and Tamil politics

Imagine that the recent incident in Trincomalee had happened inversely: A kovil, mosque, or a church is set up in Colombo, Galle, or somewhere in the South, and the Police storm the place, manhandle the clergy, and remove a statue of Jesus or Lord Vishnu. Social media warriors, NGO captains, and the Western embassies all would explode in outrage at this apparent act of religious indignation.

Architecture as an art AIA International Conference 2025 lights up Colombo

Colombo became the focal point of the global architectural world earlier this month as the American Institute of Architects (AIA) International Conference 2025, Sri Lanka was held at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel from October 9-11.

Martin of Sinharaja: The forest’s gentle guardian

Who hasn’t heard of Martin Wickramasinghe? The nation reveres him as a literary giant. But few know of another Martin — Martin Wijesinghe of Sinharaja — whose storytelling spirit bloomed not in bookshelves, but beneath the emerald canopy of Sri Lanka’s last and ancient rainforest.

Artillery in the Siege of Colombo:FOR TWO CENTURIES KEY TO PORTUGUESE SURVIVAL

Western colonial powers, starting with the Portuguese, ruled the coastal regions of Sri Lanka from the early 16th century AD to the early 19th century, when the British extended their rule over the entire country in 1815.

A Summit in the shadow of a burning planet

The most serious global crisis humanity faces at present — climate change — is advancing faster than we think. The final status report released by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 2022 made it clear that the world is running out of time. Yet, since then, there has been no significant global action to reverse the unfolding catastrophe. Against this bleak backdrop, the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) to

Exploring Drug Addiction Decriminalisation as solution to drug abuse

Drug addiction is a complex condition that affects individuals physically and psychologically. To fully comprehend this condition, it is essential to examine the interplay of biological, environmental, and social influences that contribute to its onset and progression, as well as to inform effective treatment strategies.

Lack of accountability in Sri Lankan society Muddled people creating a dysfunctional society

The incident I am going to relate now may seem unrelated to what follows. But it is related to the theme of this week’s column – the chronic lack of accountability that Sri Lankan society suffers from. Its moral compass is spinning wildly out of control.

Colombo Kandy highway Capt. Dawson: The man who died building a road

Governor Sir Robert Horton who succeeded Governor Sir Edward Barnes erected the 125 ft high Dawson tower with permission of the imperial government in appreciation of Engineer Capt. Dawson

Black economy and turf wars War on Drugs: Role of Parents, Teachers & Temples

President Dissanayake issued an ultimatum to police and military personnel involved in narcotics trafficking: resign immediately or face decisive action without protection. However, these treacherous officers are unlikely to voluntarily come forward. The President must exercise his executive powers to investigate and remove them from service.

35 firms chase CEB battery deal as cost fears mount

An enthusiastic advocate of Renewable energy from Solar Power, has sent the following piece to the writer. ‘’More than 35 power companies have applied for the first-time, a tender issued on October 14, for a battery energy storage system on a build-operate-transfer basis for 16 projects by Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB). Fentons, Hayleys, DIMO, WindForce, Resus Power, W KV, Hydrotech, Pyramid Wilmar, Green Power Energy management, to install ba

Lankan-Australian actress makes international debut Niva Perera: Breaking stereotypes in “Sunny’s Mansion”

With the international release of Sunny’s Mansion on the horizon, a new name has begun echoing through both Australian and Sri Lankan creative circles — Niva Perera, the Sri Lankan-Australian actress poised to make her mark as the first female actress from her background to star in a Hollywood-style international feature film. The upcoming production, directed by Herman Perera, is already drawing comparisons to the haunting visual depth of The Ot

Radical Islamists on the upswing in Bangladesh and Pakistan

Radical Islamists are gaining ground in Bangladesh and Pakistan. In Pakistan, they are getting more organised, militant and terroristic, while in Bangladesh, they are expanding their ideological reach, a development which could reshape domestic electoral outcomes and relations with India.

ugc snubs pm’s instructions when establishing usJ dental faculty

University Grant Commission’s failure to abide by the instructions given by Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, in her capacity as the Minister of Higher Education, on the process followed to establish the Faculty of Dental Sciences,University of Sri Jayewardenepura, has irked the Government Dental Surgeons’ Association.