Electrocuted elephant near Nimalawa Sanctuary

Another elephant succumbed to injuries after being electrocuted near the Nimalawa Sanctuary recently. While most electric fences don’t necessarily have electricity, they are just a simulation to keep elephants away and protect crops. However, the postmortem report revealed that the elephant died of electrocution and a suspect was taken into custody. While it is illegal to draw electricity in this nature, under the Flora and Fauna Protection Ordin

Two species of snakes from Knuckles

A group of researchers, including one of the leading herpetologists in Sri Lanka, Mendis Wickramasinghe and Herpetology Researcher at Natural History Museum, London, Evolutionary Biologist Dr. David Gower, has been able to discover

Pre-Budget Report: SL needs massive response to the economic crisis

Given that Sri Lanka is facing a massive economic crisis, it is extremely urgent that Budget 2021 reflects the changes that must be made to get the economy onto a sustainable track.

City of COVID-19: Colombo’s isolated areas need special attention

The COVID-19 pandemic has a devastating effect on Colombo life, with the continuing second wave and the Peliyagoda wholesale fish market......

The first Ceylonese Migrant family Down Under

Last Wednesday Daily Mirror reported about a Sri Lanka-born Doctor being named Queensland’s ‘Australian of the Year’.

US Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris’s Key Sri Lankan Tamil Aide

An overwhelming feeling of relief has descended upon the world-not merely the US- after the Presidential elections of the United States of America ended.

How can we stem the spread of the Coronavirus in prisons?

According to media reports, as at 10 November 2020, 109 prisoners and two officers have tested positive for COVID-19 at Welikada, Bogambara and Matara prisons.

The virus may be spreading much faster than official data suggest

The daily case reports from the Epidemiology Unit are the only data we have to assess the spread of the virus. A better measure would be a regularly updated...

‘Stay Safe’ Sri Lanka Web Portal : Users worry about data privacy and identity theft

As a means of contact tracing to curb the COVID-19 spread, the government recently launched its ‘Stay Safe Sri Lanka’ project, effective from this week....

Contact tracing raises privacy concerns;

Ever since news broke in October of the first community case in two months and more COVID-19 clusters began emerging throughout the country, it has become common to see supermarkets, restaurants and even buses record people’s personal details. While this seeks to aid contact tracing it has raised privacy concerns among many, especially women.

Largest fish processing plant now home for bats

With the emergence of the second cluster of the second wave of COVID-19 from Peliyagoda, the pandemic spread across the island causing the economy to go backwards.

Credentials of official raise controversy

Amila Ishan Kankanamge, the Government appointed non-Executive Director to Mobitel (Pvt) Ltd and Independent Television Network Boards, is now exposed to be a scammer. The educational qualifications he has mentioned in h

Over 200 acres of forest in Ampara destroyed Radalla and Kumbukkan forest reserves near Pottuvil and Lahugala at high risk

While the country focuses on the COVID-19 pandemic, reports of large-scale deforestation are emerging from Pottuvil in the Ampara district. Deforestation has been continuing in the area since 2000 and the Department of Forest Conserv

Oceanic Sound Pollution: Hazardous Threat to Marine Mammals

On November 2, a little after daybreak, photos of a pod of short-finned pilot whales stranded along the Panadura coastal stretch started flooding social media newsfeeds.

How the SLAF killed the LTTE’s “Smiling Cobra” in an air strike

More than eleven years have passed since the war between the Sri Lankan Armed Forces and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) organisation concluded.

Sri Lanka in CT Level 3, health experts

As Sri Lanka witnessed the highest number of deaths in a single day and with PCR testing and bed capacity reaching a maximum, health experts claim that Sri Lanka is now in Community Transmission Level 3 (CT 3),

Army’s forward march delayed by technical shortcomings

With 21 deaths and 6065 active cases (as at November 2) Sri Lanka is experiencing another one of those troubled times. However, unlike in a war the enemy is common to all and more medical. Therefore battling it requires adequate technical g

Polonnaruwa at risk of COVID -19

The second wave of COVID -19 has already spread across Sri Lanka. Despite certain claims that it has not yet reached pandemic levels, the discovery of COVID-19....

Between bread and liberties; hunger wins

The human mind survives, even thrives, on an age-old but simple mechanism called complacency. Even when things look pretty bad, it keeps saying, no, it can’t happen to you.

Damage control strategies at the eleventh hour?

With the emergence of more COVID-19 positive cases Sri Lankan health services have decided to introduce Rapid Antigen Testing (RAT) to supplement the existing system of PCR testing. Although there are mixed views about this move,

Reaching the limits of managing the crisis

As a country, we’re in a moment of great peril. More than at any time during this pandemic.

Problems at premium quarantine

As many as 43,000 Sri Lankans stranded overseas have been repatriated to Sri Lanka and operations are underway to repatriate more once the prevailing situation is under control.

Wanton land grabbing in Nilgala Forest

Nilgala Forest, which is one of the four ecological zones native to Sri Lanka, including Uva Pathanbima, has been subject t

Mobile medical bed produced at Moratuwa University

The Mechanical Engineering Department of The University of Moratuwa has developed a multifunctional mobile medical bed which can be turned into a wheelchair, a Trolley or a clinical bed. The AuBiKTransMo

From JR’s 2nd Amendment to Gota’s 20th Amendment

‘Thermometer guns’ at point-blank : A misfired attempt?

Adjusting to the new normal also meant adjusting ourselves to be aimed at point-blank – not to be shot dead but to check if the body temperature.....

Unchecked fire in Vavuniya forest plains

State forest land in Mamaduwa, Vavuniya has been set ablaze for the third time, environmentalists allege. The State land estimated to be over 100 acres has been set on fire for the third time within weeks, which has led to the destruction of several hectares of forest plains. Following several inquiries, Vavuniya Police and area Forest Department officials who visited the area observed that fire had been set by a few locals on October 16 and 17.

PCR Testing: why some results vary

Nearly 400,000 PCR tests have been carried out to detect positive cases of the Minuwangoda cluster. As means of expanding the testing capacity....

COVID-19 Community Spread - WHO Classification Not Helpful

20A amidst COVID-19 What a set of (mis) priorities?

It takes an extra dose of cavalierness to bulldoze through Parliament a Constitutional Amendment intended for personal aggr