Seek medical help for menstrual pain: 13th Asian Endometriosis Congress to be held in Colombo

The Endometriosis and Adenomyosis Association of Sri Lanka will be organising the 13th Asian Endometriosis Congress 2025 which will be held at Cinnamon Life Colombo during four days starting from 31st of this month. This year, this important event will be attended by world–renowned experts, researchers, and clinicians in the field of Endometriosis from 18 countries representing the USA, Europe, Russia, China and the Asia–Pacific region.

More than 100 acres affected Unidentified pest threatens Puttalam coconut cultivators

Coconut cultivation in the Puttalam district is under threat by a yet unidentified pest, causing much anxiety to planters and coconut smallholders. A senior official of the Coconut Research Institute said the pest is spreading fast in Madurankuliya, Mangalaeliya, Mundalama, Rajakadaluwa, Tharavilluwa, Kottapitiya and Anawilundawa areas. He said the Coconut Research Institute and the Coconut Culvitation Board are taking steps to prevent the sprea

Mao’s Long March: The foundation stone of today’s China

China’s rise to prosperity and the place it holds today as a world power is spectacular. But the road was long and hard. When Chinese President Xi Jinping talks of a ‘century of humiliation,’ he is referring to the chaos that Mao and his followers inherited after four decades of civil war.

Seeds of violence: Hidden harms of corporal punishment

For decades, the use of corporal punishment in schools has been justified as a means of enforcing discipline. Yet mounting evidence from psychological, neuroscientific, and sociological research reveals a stark reality: the practice does not instil lasting compliance and carries profound, often irreversible consequences for children.

Justice undermined by politics?

Sri Lanka faces a renewed debate over prosecutorial independence as proposals to create a separate Public Prosecutor’s Office surface. Historical and international examples show dual prosecutorial systems often lead to fragmented evidence, political manipulation, and failed convictions. Experts warn the Attorney-General’s Department’s unity is crucial to safeguard impartial justice.

Tree House International School gets new wing

The new wing of The Tree House International School for Special Needs was officially opened on October 1 by British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Andrew Patrick, Maldivian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Masood Imad, and Professor Athula Sumathipala. The Tree House International, situated at Captain Sumudu Rajapaksa Mawatha, Dehiwala, is said to be Sri Lanka’s only international school dedicated exclusively to children with special needs. The Tre

Ranking by Stanford-Elsevier Four Sri Lankan Scientists ranked among World’s Top 2%

In a landmark achievement for Sri Lanka, four Science researchers affiliated to the National Institute of Fundamental Studies (NIFS) have been named among the top 2% of scientists globally in 2025. This recognition, based on a comprehensive citation analysis by Stanford University and Elsevier, places them among the world’s 100,000 most influential researchers.

Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram users on alert: Your Meta AI chats now shape your ads?

How many of you have already seen that Meta AI Agent (purple-blue circle) appear on Facebook, Instagram, or WhatsApp?

Leading a Fulfilling Life After Service for Sri Lanka’s Armed Forces Veterans

Sri Lankan armed forces veterans participated in a lengthy and intense conflict known as the Eelam War, culminating in a significant victory in 2009. Despite this achievement, many veterans emerged from the conflict with lasting physical injuries that continue to affect their lives long after their military service has ended. Additionally, numerous veterans were confronted with the harsh realities of war, leading to mental health challenges such

Breast Cancer Awareness programme held in the spirit of solidarity

The Sri Lanka Cancer Society conducted an awareness programme on October 3 at The Kingsbury Colombo, in commemoration of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, observed annually in October to promote early detection, education, and support.

Deepavali signifies victory of light over darkness

Known as the festival of lights, Diwali or Deepavali is one of the most important Hindu festivals, celebrated both in and outside Sri Lanka. This year the festival will be celebrated on October 20 (Monday).

Hitting the poor and sparing the wealthy IMF Engineered Dispossession as Social Stability

The 2020s has become a decade of distress in the Global South. Half the developing countries are now in debt trouble, with the situation having deteriorated considerably since 2010.

Government’s “Big Kuchchan” and people’s “Bing Chun”

Members of the opposition political parties, both minority and majority, have been making fun out a mispronunciation of two English words by a prominent Cabinet Member of a NPP government.

Port Access Elevated Highway which engineer abandoned further delayed

Delays to the completion of the Port Access Elevated Highway (PAEH) which would link Colombo City Centre and Katunayake Expressway (CKE) via the port has faced further delays with the Engineer Representative abandoning the project.

We’re still concerned about ongoing Human Rights violations in Sri Lanka:

Human Rights Watch (HRW), one of the world’s leading human rights organisations that had been active in Sri Lanka, on Wednesday (October 15) released a report as to how the country’s disruptive economy affected the education system, which was considered as one of the best in the word. The report described how Sri Lanka’s successive governments have adopted policies that resulted in inadequate revenues contributing not only to Sri Lanka defaulting

Learning the Art of Negotiation

For years I mistook people pleasing for diplomacy. It took time, training and humility to realise that negotiation is not conflict but connection.

Facebook Removes “Posts” Search Filter, Creating Challenges for Users, Influencers, and Fact-Checkers

Facebook’s removal of its “Posts” search filter has quietly reshaped the social media landscape in Sri Lanka. Journalists, fact-checkers, and influencers now face increased obstacles in tracking discussions, verifying information, and monitoring trends, leaving public conversations more opaque and pushing control over content visibility firmly into Meta’s hands.

Sri Lanka uniquely placed to benefit from growing maritime cooperation under BIMSTEC- General Secretary Indra Mani Pandey

General Secretary of BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) Indra Mani Pandey, in an interview with Daily Mirror, shares his views on the importance of the organisation and Sri Lanka’s significance in it.

Sri Lanka’s future does not revolve around the UNHRC

Another session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, which concerned Sri Lanka, concluded last week, this time thankfully without making a spectacle at home.

From Lanka Kalyani to Townsville – A marine pilot’s Odyssey

Captain Sardha Gerard De Silva retired recently with honours and salutation at Australia’s Townsville port after more than five decades of dedicating his life to seafaring and “piloting”-- one of the most daunting tasks connected with ports and merchant shipping.

Lester and Ray:Two Masters with One Vision

Two great filmmakers emerged from Sri Lanka and India three-quarters of a century ago – Lester James Peries and Sathyajit Ray.

ARE WE LIVING IN MODERN TIMES, OR THE STONE AGE?

Anyone who thought that the Aragalaya had buried the old humbuggery for good alongside the ousted old guard has been proven wrong.

World Bank urges businesses to lead Sri Lanka’s comeback

The World Bank yesterday placed the private sector at the heart of Sri Lanka’s growth strategy as it acknowledged the government’s limited fiscal space that leaves little room for state-led investment.

Can India claim Kachchatheevu Island?

Kachchatheevu Island is located in Palk Bay, one and a half nautical miles from the India-Sri Lanka International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) on our side of IMBL. It’s well within our side, and this boundary line was ratified in 1976 in a Trilateral Maritime Agreement signed by India, the Maldives and Sri Lanka, which indicates territorial waters, Contiguous Zones and Exclusive Economic Zones of the three countries and agreed/ ratified

Committee reports on hidden containers out

On 18 January 2025, Sri Lanka Customs released 323 shipping containers in its custody without conducting inspections. The release of these containers raised concerns among Customs Trade Unions, civil society groups, and the general public, because this whole procedure left room for individuals representing the above mentioned categories to speculate that some of the containers have contained illegal, harmful, or misdeclared items.

The trouble with Trump’s Gaza blueprint

Those who believe that US President Donald Trump’s so-called 20-point peace plan is a workable solution to end the suffering of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip understand neither the sinister designs of the Zionists and their partners in crime nor the root causes of the Palestinian question in its full complexity.

“Airport should be expanded by moving Air Force to Mattala”

Captain Elmo Jayawardena, one of the most experienced airline pilots and flight instructors in Sri Lanka, joined Air Ceylon as far back as 1969 starting from an extremely humble position and rose to be a internationally reputed pilot and pilot instructor. Having finished with Sri Lankan Airlines, Captain Elmo went to Singapore to train pilots; and now, with his huge experience, teaches Sri Lankan pilots as a service.

Tide turns against Netanyahu at home and abroad

Israel, a small but very plucky country backed by the superpower United States and Western nations, has had its way since it was established in 1948. But now, it finds itself in a spot, cornered by the turning of the political tide at home and abroad.

From silence to strength…. Women demand family law reforms

Shifana* from Puttalam and Kavya* from Batticaloa have spent years navigating Sri Lanka’s family law system, facing domestic violence, slow courts, and unequal legal protections. Their struggles highlight the urgent need for reform and underscore the call for the Women’s Declaration on Family Law and Practice in Sri Lanka—a push for a justice system that protects women and children, listens to survivors and delivers timely fair outcomes

From despair and disability to hope and love: Ayati: A lifeline to disabled children

According to the World Health Organisation, sixteen percent of the world’s population – at least 1.3 billion people, have some form of disability, whether by birth or developed later in life. Children (aged 0 to 17) with disabilities, which account for 240 million of all disabled people worldwide, are among the most marginalised people in every society. They lack many things including their fundamental rights from the very early stages of thei