Chicken and wedding albums: Reality and delusion in the new normal

There is something peculiar about human psychology. What people accept as normal can change suddenly, without warning, due to natural disasters, political upheaval, military conflicts and economic downturns. The new situation – people becoming refugees, going broke, losing touch with each other, or going hungry – becomes the new normal.

Spy balloons, Pentagon files and IMF facilities - EDITORIAL

US President Joe Biden’s administration is in serious trouble. Just last month (March), a cache of secret documents was leaked showing the US spied on its allies. In early January....

IMF, Austerity and Social Protection

At the 2023 Annual Meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) last week, there was considerable discussion about the deteriorating global economic situation and the debt crisis....

Lipstick on a Pig: Making Sense of the ATA

For forty years, human rights activists have demanded repeal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) of 1979. Ultimately it was money, not human rights (the threat of losing GSP+ trade status) that forced...

Positive safety and health culture at work

For a state or private company, small or medium-scale industry to succeed, there needs to be consensus, cooperation and consultation on the basis that the management and employees work together for a common good and for the country’s benefit. It is on this foundation that the United Nations on April 28 marks the World Day for Safety and Health at Work.

An Overview of IMF Extended Fund Facility

On March 20, 2023, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Board approved Sri Lanka’s 17th IMF programme, under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) arrangement,

Ukraine or Taiwan - where do American interests lie? - EDITORIAL

The war in Ukraine continues unabated. Millions of Ukrainians have crossed into neighbouring countries and many more have been....

Post-Aragalaya shrill chill

How do you reconcile yourself to leaving a calling? Is it betrayal? I fought with these sentiments when I first saw the Aragalaya...

No plan for military base in SL; no plan to revive SOFA – US Ambassador –

US Ambassador Julie J. Chung speaks to Daily Mirror in her first interview with the print media about the current status of bilateral ties and the way forward after the arrangement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Can crimes happen without criminals?

‘Crimes without criminals’ is a fact in Sri Lanka, but not something that would surprise anybody, as there have been many incidents one can recall that attest to it. However,

Shelving Indian economist’s report in 1966 caused SL’s economic downfall: Ranil

Delivering the keynote address at a symposium on “Economic Dialogue – IMF and Beyond” here on March 30,

How they tried to defame and destroy the Aragalaya

Of indicting presidents and covering war crimes - EDITORIAL

The US is a land of contradictions, often seen by non-Americans as a land where you can be yourself, regardless of race, religion and....

Back to SIRIKOTHA or LEADERSHIP Struggle…?

The three SJB golden brains, Dr. Harsha De Silva, Eran Wickramaratne, and Kabir Hashim are speculated to back the President: “Party politics....

Sajith, SJB face gathering political storm

The leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa and his party, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) are very much in the news lately.

Resurrection and true social progress

What is the deeper meaning of Jesus’s death and resurrection? How does it serve his message? What is the importance of his Gospel message for our contemporary world? Is it still relevant?

Terrorism Bill: A march forward or backward?

The Bill, if enacted in the current form might become counterproductive to those who vote for it as well.

A geopolitical shift, the US and the West - EDITORIAL

French President Macron is presently on a visit to China. IMF Chief von der Leyen too will be in that country. Speaking in Brussels last week Ms vonder Leyen publicly criticised China’s ‘no limits’ ties with....

Anti-terror bill: Who’s terrorising whom

“I am just the average American citizen, formerly a housewife, now an activist, who cannot stand quietly by while my government enacts and enforces laws that are unfair, unbalanced and just plain....

Sport for peace and development

This is not a sports page, but an editorial comment on the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP) on the theme scoring for People and the Planet.

Kanchana Wijesekera and necessary restructuring

A few weeks ago, the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) posted a ‘wanted’ advertisement for a Financial Consultant ‘to provide guidance on investment decisions, cash management and day-to-day organizational expenses

Finding Peaceful, Equitable, Sustainable Way Out of Economic Crisis in Sri Lanka

I wish to begin this article with a very broad assertion, namely, Sri Lanka’s present economic crisis is the result of a series of deliberate and short-sighted policy measures taken by post-liberalization regimes since 1977.

a need for non aligned policies

Since his assumption to the office of president, Ranil Wickremesinghe has on numerous occasions referred to Lanka’s strategic location on important trade routes in the Indian Ocean. He has emphasised the need to make maximum use of this position.

Sri Lanka needs a political ceasefire

The headline of this article is not mine; rather, it echoes the collective wish of the majority of Sri Lankans who took the brunt of the economic freefall and who now see, with a sense of relief, that their....

Education is not merely a commodity - EDITORIAL

Leaders of the government since lately have been claiming that Sri Lanka would be an education hub with plans to establish new universities and to upgrade existing universities in a manner that they....

Path to Peace: Building Domestic Mechanism for Criminal Accountability in SL

Sri Lanka’s history of ethnic conflict and insurgencies since gaining independence in 1948 has left a long-lasting impact on the nation, particularly with the Sinhala and Tamil ethnic groups. After a brutal...

Economic, ethnic crises - two peas in a pod - EDITORIAL

The economic crisis and ethnic problem the have for long been fermenting in our country. The issues date back to the time of independence where we received and expected subsidized food....

Hard Questions on Debt Restructuring

Sri Lanka for the first time in its history defaulted on its external debt a year ago on 12 April 2022. As with the large debt overhang of many developing countries – including in particular the few countries....

Versatile and vibrant playback singer TMS

Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin (MK Stalin) the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu State in India, unveiled the name board of a road with a new name on March 24 2023.

Brinkmanship and dangers of an unintentional nuclear war

War mongering and brinkmanship are escalating in the European theatre, where the US and NATO are fighting a proxy war with Russia in Ukraine. On March 14, a US MQ-9 Reaper drone was brought down over the Black Sea by Russian fighter jets, after the drone allegedly violated Russian airspace and carried out its flight with transponders turned off.