Crisis Budget for 2022: Wrong Priorities and Flawed Solutions

Sri Lanka is mired in multiple crises. The country continues to be devastated by the pandemic, crippled by balance of payment problems....

Luck or Destiny; Sirimavo Escapes: Prime Minister and 1962 Coup d’é Tat

“There will be need for a new word; presumably we have to call her Stateswoman”- was the striking headline the ‘Evening News’, London....

MUSLIMS IN POST-WAR SL: REPRESSION, RESISTANCE AND REFORM

Sri Lanka has always been a multiethnic, multi-cultural country and minority communities have always been a part of the nation’s....

FINALLY...CINEMA IS AN INDUSTRY

Finally, Sri Lanka has joined the world of international cinema and accepted the obvious fact that Cinema is an INDUSTRY.

The Sandahiru Seya all set to attract devotees in Anuradhapura

Atamasthana is a common term used by Buddhists in Sri Lanka when they refer to the eight historical places of worship in North Central Town of Anuradhapura.

Autochthonous or Home Grown Constitution

I wish to offer my sincere and heartfelt congratulations to Rev. Fr. J. C. Pieris for his well thought out article, brilliant in its exposition,

Domestic violence against women and girls

During the past 18 months of the COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka, most people have been living in fear but the calamity has had a more devastating effect on vulnerable sections of the population. One of these areas is domestic violence against women.

Hiding behind the virus

Can the main Opposition, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) give an assurance to the country that its demonstrations....

The epic economic fall: Bad policies consequences and sycophantic defence

Bad policies, more often than not, lead to bad outcome. Still, you might get out of the rot with a light touch, before it sets.....

Thoughts on the death penalty in Sri Lanka - EDITORIAL

Sri Lanka is a strange country when its comes to the application of the law. Just the other day we heared of the news that a person....

US in the dock over war crimes cover-up in Syria

Physician, heal thyself: This is often what countries like Sri Lanka accused of violating human rights should tell those countries....

Gepants - the breakthrough medicine for migraine

The migraine headache is known to be the second most disabling medical condition after lower back pain. This disabling headache that keeps you from doing your day-to-day activities,

Budget: Basil reins in

The government took a battering from the general public after the 2022 Budget was presented. The economy is in dire straits, probably the worst in the post –Independence era. People have felt the pinch in terms of lack of income sources, dwindling incomes, scarcity of some food stuffs and galloping living costs. It is natural for people to expect relief to cushion their burdens when the annual budget is presented.

Ship carrying Chinese fertilizer refusing to leave

The 2022 Budget, which most Sri Lankans looked forward to with the hope of receiving some form of relief or cushioning to counter the skyrocketing cost of living and the shortage of essential commodities would have been a disappointed lot. It contained little or nothing for the middle income groups and the poor to be happy about in any of the budget proposals read out by Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa last Thursday in Parliament.

Physicians heal (and how!)

Years ago I wrote an article titled ‘I will die in the General Hospital.’ I was convinced that the best treatment possible in the country is obtainable from the public hospitals and not from private ones. Overworked, understaffed and overcrowded simply on account of free healthcare, these institutions are a testimony to the dedication of the public service.

Gas queues and fuel shortages - EDITORIAL

Energy Minister Gammanpila informs us Sri Lankans, that the Sapugaskanda Oil Refinery would be closed for the first time since....

Signposting the digital frontline

Earlier this month, I was part of a panel at the Global Investigative Journalism Conference on burnout and stress. We spoke in detail....

NEVER BLAME THE ORDINARY PUBLIC

Despite the current economic situation in the country demanding a drastic revolutionary change, the budget proposals presented for the year 2022 by Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa on Friday are not going to change anything in a manner that would

Helpless “Environmental Refugees” with DMC, NBRO

There is some sunshine falling through now, despite a grey sky. Whole of last week was about flash floods and landslides in most par

Lankan economy will gain substantially by reducing road accidents

Sri Lanka has the “worst road fatality rate” among its immediate neighbours in the South Asian region. The reported fatality rate (17.4) is “the worst in South Asia”

Exam-oriented education and traditional attitudes hinder scientific innovation

World Science Day falls on 10 November, and many countries including Sri Lanka celebrate the week that follows as ‘Science Week’ to mark the introduction of science to society. As a country, this offers us an opportunity to examine scientific issu

Drunk MP ’wheeled from airport’ --The Telegraph - UK

The Telegraph on November 11, 2021 reported on its front page, about a disgraceful behavior of three British members of Parliament. British....

Monsoon rains, Covid-19 and dengue - EDITORIAL

The monsoon, which commenced in early October, has already resulted in over 20 deaths. Over 62,247 persons -17,481 families- have been dehoused and been forced to seek shelter in temples....

Gemini Ganesan: On- screen Romancer and Off-screen Casanova

Popular Tamil cinema actor Gemini Ganesan whose 101st birth anniversary falls on November 17th is regarded widely as the greatest romantic lover in Tamil cinema .

Constitution-making should be Open, Public and Transparent: A response

The recent public statement by an erudite group of learned persons appearing in the press was so topical and forthright that it nudged the writer as a sovereign voter and a senior citizen to pen the following procedure to ensure transparency in ‘Electoral Reforms’ under the new Constitution with a short preamble.

Earth Day: Act to prevent climate catastrophe

In Glasgow, the widely-publicized climate summit ended yesterday with most experts saying some clean-air results are likely since the United States and China signed an agreement this week to prevent the temperature from rising beyond 1.5 degrees Celsius and take other measures to limit carbon emissions including the wider use of clean energy such as solar and wind power with most vehicles also being made to run on electricity.

The National Question Fighting the minority’s battle from overseas

The Tamil community celebrated Deepavali starting November 4 with the festivities lasting for five days. The Tamils in Sri Lanka might have forgotten to fight for their cause,

Inclusivity: An acid test for SLPP

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on November 6 has changed the composition of membership and the Terms of Reference of the Presidential Task Force he had appointed to implement the highly controversial “One Country, One Law” concept.

Political climate change: Realities behind Xi’s peace initiative

Cooperation, not Cold War, is what the world urgently needs to overcome multiple crises of gargantuan proportions, with the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and the global economic downturn being the most pressing issues.

Remembering those ‘flowers’ that faded prematurely

November 11 (Thursday) marked ‘Remembrance Day’. For some time we’ve not seen the poppy flower being sold at street corners and at junctions where there are traffic lights. The reason for this is the Covid pandemic.