Glyphosate without adjuvants not very useful : Prof. Sarath Gunathilake

It’s a concern which divides governments, scientists and NGOs across the world, yet Glyphosate has the world’s highest production volumes of all commercial herbicides. The concerns over Glyphosate being a probable carcinogenic, 

Unending depreciation of LKR against USD

The media and politicians in the opposition are making a big fuss over the depreciation of the Sri Lankan rupee against the US dollar these days. Almost every day we read news items headlined “Rupee hits all-time low” or “Rupee hits record low.” Now the rate against the dollar is almost Rs.160.   

If Gota heeds to the sermon and becomes a Hitler …

Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa has skeletons though, may not be in his closet, but wherever white vans had dumped victims during his abduction prone tenure as the Defence Secretary. 

TNA set to split as elections approach

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA), of which the Ilankai Tamil ArasuKatchi (ITAK) is the single largest constituent, appears to be heading for a split, with the Sampanthan and Wigneswaran factions failing to find a common ground to work together.   

DRUG DEPENDENCE – A MAJOR SOCIO-ECONOMIC PROBLEM

Drug dependence is a state characterized by an overpowering desire or need to continue taking a drug and to obtain it by any means. It is sometimes accompanied by physical dependence and the resulting state is detrimental not only to him, but also to the society.   

Listen first to children caught in drug traps - EDITORIAL

With Sri Lanka also facing a crisis where even tens of thousands of school children are being deceived into drug addiction by heartless mafias, the intentional community tomorrow marks the United Nations day against drug abuse and illicit trafficking.

Quitting HRC won’t change US’s goals in Sri Lanka

The US quit the UN Human Rights Council on Tuesday (June 19) with rhetoric intended to assert the moral high-ground, slamming the council and selectively ‘naming and shaming’ council members outside its charmed circle of ‘friends.

Gam Udawa: Brainchild of a revered statesman

The twenty-third of June is remembered and commemorated as it is the birth anniversary of the great visionary leader, Ranasinghe Premadasa, who kindled the hopes and aspirations of the people of this country, especially of the poor and the downtrodden. 

Two rare elephants confined to Sinharaja

A recent attempt to relocate two rare elephants from the Sinharaja Forest Reserve created a controversy within environmentalists as the UNESCO would de-list the area as a world heritage site. This led to the intervention of the President who issued a directive that the move to relocate the elephants should be suspended until a proper scientific study was done on whether this transmigration would lead to the extinction of this rare species. 

Refugees and widows - Let conscience be our guide

This week, the international community marks two important events -- World Refugee Day on June 20 and World Widows’ Day today. Both refugees and widows have been oppressed or marginalised to a large extent and we need to deeply reflect on the issues. 

War-War and Jaw-Jaw

Give the man a break. Donald Trump found out in Singapore that, as Churchill said, “Jaw-Jaw is better than War-War.” If war can be avoided by a warm, long, very private chat without advisers, with effusive body gestures and promises of a world stage when his opponent, Kim Jong-un is invited to the White House, then Trump has shown the way. 

Towards the 2020 Presidential Elections

Many names are surfacing in discussion forums about who should be the next president of Sri Lanka. Once the Elections Commission of Sri Lanka declares the date for the Presidential Elections by the end of 2019 we’ll see all political parties making public their nominees for the post of president. President Maithripala Sirisena has said that he wishes to continue in politics.

16 up the creek What is in store for the Group of 16?

Will the 16 Parliamentarians, who left the Government recently become political destitute in the near future? They seem to have been left to themselves. 

Is anyone serious about reconciliation?

The week before last, I listened to Episode Five  of my favourite radio programme Naada Sittam aired by SLBC on Tuesday nights, sponsored by the Sri Lanka Arts Council.

Harming children: Trump with a millstone tied around his neck

The United States President Donald Trump has drawn international condemnation for his preposterous and inhuman order to separate children from the families whom his administration describes as “illegal immigrants”. 

A salute to Sri Lanka’s hospitality sector stakeholders

Finally, the country’s hospitality sector stakeholders have got it right! Better late than never. This week saw the gathering of about 200 State school principals at the Shangri-La Hotel Colombo to listen to the country’s leading hoteliers about the job prospects the industry offers to Sri Lanka’s youth. 

Siyambalapitiya is in for criticism over LNG tender

Power and Energy Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya drew a setback on Tuesday [19] as he failed to get the Cabinet nod to award the contract to a Chinese company for the execution of the proposed LNG power project in Kerawalapitiya.  His office had decided to award the contract for GCL China for the execution of the project.  

Will Yahapalanists stand in the cesspool or cesspit now?

Take a deep breath. Let it go. Suppress all urges to laugh your guts out. Breathe in. Breathe out. Have a cup of chamomile tea. Think of the best joke you’ve heard so far. Think of Charlie Chaplin and other great comedians. Now read.   

Why the world would love a messed up Messi than a ‘hat trick’ Ronaldo - EDITORIAL

Unlike in politics in sports the clever often rise to the top. On the top comes the distinction. The world would never shy away from distinguishing the one who is both clever and good against the clever and the bad. It is this that sees the world adoring a Roger Federer against a Rafael Nadal and a Lionel Messi against a Cristiano Ronaldo.

Gota’s knotty bid

Perhaps the most decisive intervention of America’s Ambassador in Colombo, Atul Keshap during his three-year span seems to be a parting shot at a farewell meeting with ex-President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

THE COMING CLASH OF EXTREMISMS &THE TWILIGHT OF PLURALIST DEMOCRACY

The very last thing this island needs is to slide into another cycle of conflict. But that’s where we are headed unless we stop, think and make choices and changes of the correct kind.   

Sri Lanka’s weapons of mass deception– Rajapaksa machinery

Mahinda Rajapaksa and his clan have fine-tuned that aspect of political dynamic that could be solely responsible for delivering an ailing political entity into super-action mode and achieve the results that such an action desired. This fine-tuning of the Rajapaksa-propaganda machinery did not take place yesterday when they were in the opposition. 

Govt. should IMPLEMENT THE AGENDA on which it was elected to office in 2015 - German Envoy

German Ambassador Jorn Rohde, in an interview with Daily Mirror, speaks about the current status of the political situation in Sri Lanka, bilateral relations and the way forward. Excerpts:

PARADISE LOST, NOT REGAINED!!!

Many articles written in different genre sadly convey the same underlying fear that governance is a choice between existence and extinction and our Prime Minister’s ambition, if ever he had one for the country, is as good as dead! Ranil’s leadership has been challenged on more than one occasion, but it has not yielded the desired result.

Court again upholds the supremacy of Parliament

The Supreme Court had given two landmark rulings last week. Nonetheless it is not clear and too early to say whether Sri Lankan society at large or at least the people concerned in particular paid sufficient attention to them. One was the case filed against Ceylon Tobacco Company (CTC) for causing cancer to a man in which the court ordered CTC to pay 400,000 to the ma

Today is late Dudley Senanayake’s 107th Birth anniversary DUDLEY - THE INCOMPARABLE STATESMAN

Today, on the late Dudley Senanayake’s birthday, with the party he belonged to and loved, as part of the Unity government, as he never did long or high jumps to any other party, as has become the norm of our times, one is reminded of him. 

India-US relations come under strain as ties with Russia develop

Relations between India and the United States, which were on the upswing following the collapse of the Soviet Union and its aftermath, have now come under strain due to President Donald Trump’s eccentric trade and defence policies. 

SL should not go for anymore coal -powered electricity generation

In an article published in the SUNDAYISLAND of January 7, CIMOGG, employing a minimum of technical language, set out several compelling reasons why coal-powered electricity generation was wrong for Sri  Lanka. Engineer Tudor Wijenayake (TW), in an article in the DAILY FT of June 7, has given much useful additional information including valuable data on 

Singapore’s Hub success and Sri Lanka’s choices

Trump – Kim summit became the story for the global media last week, the multitude of narratives were presented in both legacy and social media platforms from a plethora of agents representing traditional security scholars, media....

Polonnaruwa Inferno ’58 ; 60 Years on...

When a government, however popular, begins to help  racial or religious emotionalism merely because it is a harsh and loud-noised demand made on it, and then interferes  in the management and enforcement of law......