Crisis in Education and Policy Responses

It is common knowledge that modern education is a major factor contributing to social and economic development, which in turn improves the life chances of a large proportion of the population in any country. Education also has wider impacts on society.........

Editorial - Criminal Politics: End this reign of terror

As the crime rate in Sri Lanka soars to dangerous levels with politicians being either directly involved or giving patronage and protection to criminal gangs as we saw in the recent horror stories in Deraniyagala, using data from the Geneva Declaration’s latest report, the London-based Action on Armed Violence...

When it comes to a country being in trouble it must spend more Merkel read the history of Hitler’

My family is in a bit of a crisis. My earnings are cut by 25%. Writers never did earn a lot and now we have this economic catastrophe. We’ve cut our expenditures severely.

Dragging criminals out of politics - Editorial

We were both happy and sad to hear of Thursday’s landmark ruling by the Indian Supreme Court which independent democracy analysts see as a major step towards cleaning up Indian politics which is beset by corruption and crime.

Can national healthcare meet challenges of the future?

It is important to take note of these achievements as well as residual and new challenges. This is crucial...

Editorial : The circus of commissions and committees

Many headlines these days have been on the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) appointed to study the...

Evidence that the US sponsored coup leaders

Two months before Mohammed Morsi was unceremoniously thrown out of office at gunpoint, a PEW...

Youth stamped down UNP will engage youth

UNITED NATIONAL PARTY NATIONAL YOUTH FRONT CHAIRMAN AND GAMPAHA DISTRICT PARLIAMENTARIAN RUWAN WIJEWARDENE spoke to the Dailymirror on how the UNP hopes to engage the fervour of Sri Lanka’s youth and provide them suitable employment.

Sleepwalking and the culture of impunity

Hot on the heels of many controversies surrounding several ministerial offspring, Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella was in the headlines for all the wrong reasons last week, when his son cricketer Ramith Rambukwella was embroiled in an unsavoury incident.

Fed tapering might taper our growth - Editorial

A number of things have been said about the Sri Lankan economy in a number of recent reports by think tanks, research firms, international banks and rating agencies.

13th Amendment is not protection for the rights of the minorities: GL

Minister of External Affairs Prof. G.L. Peiris explains the government’s strategy for dealing with the international pressure that will ensue due to attempts to remodel the Provincial Council System.

Who or what could be blamed for the PRESIDENT’S ATTITUDE?

Finally the President agreed to have provincial council elections, without any changes to the constitution. However, it is clear to everybody including Indian rulers that Mahinda did not try to honour his promises to India. He showed, at least to those who are serious that he is not prepared to solve the national problem in the country.

Reconciliation is Possible and Necessary

Reconciliation in its diverse forms is a necessary condition for social peace and political stability. Reconciliation is necessary when two or more parties have been or are in conflict with each other. Trade unions were established in capitalist societies to facilitate negotiation with the capital to win higher wages and better working conditions.

Food and drugs: The people are sick of promises - Editorial

Just as the excessive use of imported agro-chemicals is believed to have polluted ground water and caused an epidemic of kidney failure mainly among thousands of farmers in the North Central Province, people-friendly nutritionists say an excess of calcium in milk may cause kidney failure in infants.

13th Amendment a grave Blunder

It was July 30, 1987- a historical day for Sri Lanka and India for the then Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was attacked by a sailor attached to the Sri Lanka Navy when he was leaving the country after signing the controversial Indo-Lanka Accord which gave birth to the 13th Amendment and the Provincial Council system.

CHOGM 2013 : Global Conversation on post-2015 Development

Salma Yusuf in conversation with Vijay Krishnarayan, Director, Commonwealth Foundation on the upcoming Commonwealth People's Forum to be held at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit

Editorial - The vicious attacks on religions

Obviously the culprit behind the attack on Bodh Gaya is either politics or religious fanaticism. There cannot be any personal reason behind it. Had any group perpetrated this treacherous act with political motivation it is conceivable as politics has become the manifestation of all evils in the world today.

I was on the LTTE hit list

In a wide ranging interview with the Daily Mirror, The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader, one of the few remaining Tamil nationalist politicians of an era bygone,  Rajavarothiam Sampanthan told why he believed that Tamils were being considered as second class citizens, the importance for the full implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution and also responded to allegations against him and his party to the effect that they wer

We aren’t obliged to honour Indo–Lanka Accord

Shiv Shankar Menon is Indian Prime Minister’s all-powerful National Security Advisor.  He has served as Indian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka.  In fact, in certain cases, he has acted as a de facto Ambassador for Sri Lanka in India defending Sri Lanka within the Indian circles.

Editorial - The virtues of women’s liberation

In the west and most of the countries women today are playing more powerful and dynamic roles in society, much in contrast to the male chauvinism that had prevailed since ancient times. Equality and equal opportunities have been given to women in these countries while  the worldwide Anglican Church

Science, technology and innovation

Science, technology, innovation (STI) and culture play key roles towards the achievement of global development goals. These elements hold a gamut of potential as main drivers in overcoming challenges of this Century such as extreme poverty, inequality and environmental degradation.

Politicisation of Religion… the order of the day

Looking for bread on Poson Poya day, I wandered further than usual. This was because the household prefers ‘poranu paan’ – hard to translate, because ‘oven-baked bread’ doesn’t give the idea. After all, (unless I’m mistaken) all bread is baked in ovens.

Russia’s power is not weapons... it’s culture

Observers say that what drives President Vladimir Putin is to make Russia respected. But perhaps Putin over estimates how much power Russia already has. He has overlooked which trumpets to blow - it is not his “hang tough” policies in international affairs, especially vis a vis the United States. It is Russia’s culture.

Editorial - Sleepwalking; Are we ghosts or buffoons?

Over the past few years and especially after the illegal impeachment of Chief Justice 43 Shirani Bandaranayke, the rule of law has broken down with the judiciary and the police not being able to or allowed to act independently or impartially. The Rajapaksa regime’s charges for the impeachment..........

Nuclear energy viability and constraints

Once, the President of the United States of America (1954) proudly declared that his country had found...

Editorial : Politicians, turn from your selfish ways

Tens of thousands of people in the North Central Province are known to be suffering from a Chronic Kidney Disease...

Egypt back to Pharaoh

Egypt’s Arab Spring in February 2011 succeeded in overthrowing Hosni Mubarak – the pharaoh who ruled...

I deplore any form of extremism

The country’s powerful Secretary of Defence Gotabaya Rajapaksa spoke to the Daily Mirror in one of his most wide ranging interviews in recent times, on a gamut of issues.

Will Vasu sell his soul or stand his ground on 13A?

Veteran leftist Vasudeva Nanayakkara this week joined the chorus of ministers speaking out against the moves to curtail the powers of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, saying that he could not be part of a government that would do so.

Economic neo-colonialism and imported junk - Editorial

More and more Sri Lankans today tend to fall sick than ever before, and hospitals are overcrowded like marketplaces, turning the private health sector into a big business.