“To be hanged by the neck until you are dead,” are the ominous and menacing words that a convicted criminal hears when the presiding Judge passes the death sentence. Whether these words are heard or registered in the mind of the convict standing

The success story of Bangladesh offers insight to Sri Lanka where unstable governance and lack of policy consistency hampered economic growth, discouraged Foreign Direct Investment and obstructed decision making

he death penalty or Capital punishment or judicial hanging or sending to the “Gallows” is the killing of a person by legal statute. In this situation the head of state is literally the executioner as he gives the final order for execution, includ

Being born a Buddhist, educated at one of the leading Buddhist schools in Colombo and for that matter by one of the greatest erudite scholarly monks at the time, I cannot help but feel very hurtful being witness to the total weaponising of our great

The melting roads in Germany say it all. Even Europe’s most technologically advanced nation was not prepared for a climate catastrophe of the magnitude of what it is experiencing right now. The heat wave has driven home a point to Europe and the re

We wonder if even God can help our country now. Our island was a beautiful paradise and its inhabitants were God-fearing. That was in the time of the benevolent and respected leaders who truly loved this country and its people. They fought long and h

Sri Lanka has set the precedent. The rest of the world, at least some of them seem to be following through. As social media gained credence as the main interpersonal communication mode of the ordinary person, attention also focused on the means of mo

Almost all new Constitutions and Constitutional Amendments that have been brought in by Sri Lankan leaders after Independence - especially after 1978 - have been meant for the fulfilment of their immediate wishes.

What drives the foreign policy of a country? Realists, the practitioners of the oldest and still the most influential intellectual tradition of international politics have long viewed external pressure as the primary driver of the state’s reaction

On the 23rd the President said “The biggest mistake made by this Government was the 19th Amendment. It created instability”. He added that the President and the Prime Minister were pulling in different directions; the reason was the 19A.

Ministry of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine has a Child Nutrition Unit which is responsible for uplifting the nutrition status of children under the age of 5 years. Among the unit’s broad areas of re

Our sister paper Sunday Timesreported on its first page that CBK who celebrates her Birthday on June 29, was in London to receive an award presented by ‘Search for Common Ground’ for her “vision, courage and commitment to peace and reconciliati

Last year, on October 2, Iran executed a 24-year-old woman, Zeinab Sekaanvand, who was a child at the time of her alleged offence. Under international law, she should have been excluded from the death penalty.

After every hustings, when the administration changes hands from a Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP)-led administration to one led by a United National Party (UNP) government, opposition political parties, trade unions and....

The call for co-existence is paradoxical. Is it a call for a return to a past where communities co-existed? Or is it a call for imagining new forms of existing together in the future? And can such co-existence....

Kholoud al-Faqih who became one of the first female judges to be appointed to the Sharia court (Islamic court) in Palestine is considered to be the first female Sharia judge in the history of the Middle East.

Mahajana Eksatha Peramuna (MEP) leader and joint opposition parliamentarian Dinesh Gunawardana last week raised an important question in Parliament over the appointment of former foreign Secretary Prasad Kariyawasam as adviser to the Speaker on inter

Many seem to have thrown their caps into the ring announcing that they are ready to contest the Presidential election. Others get their cohorts to make statements on their behalf. While there’s nothing wrong in independent candidates making these a

Sri Lanka is in great danger of becoming a failed state if nothing is done. A failed state is one that has lost both effectiveness and legitimacy. Effectiveness means the capability to carry out state functions such as providing security. Legitimacy

The uncertainty and frustration in President Maithripala Sirisena over his political survival and the safety of his family have been clearly visible for the past one year.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a “Theocratic State” as a “government of a state by immediate divine guidance or by officials who are regarded as divinely guided.

The clash between the Executive President and the Prime Minister is widening the gap between the country’s goals and achievements.

The Persian Gulf region is being pushed to a region-wide catastrophe with global implications. This dangerous move’s architect is the United States President Donald Trump....

Politics is about inflating the useful and deflating, ignoring, wishing away or denying the uncomfortable. Some of these things are deliberate and some just issues from that powerful impetus giver, political and ideological preference.

Politics is about inflating the useful and deflating, ignoring, wishing away or denying the uncomfortable. Some of these things are deliberate and some just issue from that powerful impetus giver, political and ideological preference. Alright, let th

Many years ago Sri Lankans used to look down upon anything that was Chinese. Now China has established itself as a growing economy and Sri Lanka can’t think of any other nation better than her to rope in when planning and developing its infrastruct

Mercifully, the 48-hour work stoppage by members of the Railway Trade Union Alliance (RTUA) from Thursday midnight was called off on Saturday night with normal train services resuming from Sunday morning.

Easter Sunday’s terrorist attack, killing more than 250 people, effected unforeseen changes in political dynamics of the country. The latest is the rise of anti-incumbency sentiments within the Tamil community.....

As someone said: “Cry the beloved country – let slipped are the dogs of hate” – indeed the dogs of hate are having a field day!

Once again, maybe for the umpteenth time in the midst of election euphoria, we are talking about the upcoming presidential poll and its candidates.