The Board of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN- IFRA), meeting in Glasgow, Scotland on June 3, 2019 on the occasion of the 71st World News Media Congress, 26th World Editors Forum and 3rd Women....

Sri Lanka once again hurtling towards another orgy of anti-Muslim violence. Buddhist monk Ven. Athureliya Rathana Thera who is also a Member of Parliament was on a ‘fast unto death’ in the vicinity of Dalada Maligawa(Temple of the Sacred Tooth R

Decades ago, the famous singing duo Nina and Frederik wrote an immortal song relating to the ocean. It goes like this, “Listen to the ocean, echoes of a million sea shells, forever it’s in motion, moving to a rhythmic, unwritten music that’s pl

For two different reasons, both Sri Lanka and the USA (including its allies) should be concerned about the latest terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka. For the USA, it was yet another warning that it’s time it changed its strategies.

“Today (June 3) is the most wretched day after Prime Minister Bandaranaike tore the B-C Pact on April 9, 1958 giving into pressure from a few extremist Buddhist monks,” Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera....

Days after the barbaric Easter Sunday terrorist attack on innocent Christians, the authorities announced that the next target of the terrorists was “Hubbu” mosques, the mosques with graves of Islamic saints.

Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera knows how to embroil himself in controversy. His recent comments about Malcom Cardinal Ranjith have made him better the ‘record’ that of former minister Mervyn Silva.

Sri Lanka’s nation-building process is being dealt blow after blow in the wake of the April 21 Easter Sunday attacks. The horrendous crime that took the lives of more than 250 people is an irrefutable statement....

If Ven. Gnanasara Thera boasted about priests in the island uniting in the face of meeting the challenge of extremists, he only has to look just a little far ahead to see another group working in similar solidarity. The Muslim politicians in Sri Lank

The death fast staged by MP Ven. Athuraliye Ratana Thera brought about a dramatic turn of events in politics. Ven. Ratana Thera, who had been confined to the political fringe, cashed in on the latest wave of anti-Muslim sentiments triggered by the se

We have been talking about crises in Sri Lanka for many years. So, talking about just another crisis is unlikely to excite many people or generate much public interest. But, what we are faced with today is not just another crisis. In fact, what we wi

For an island known for its smiling faces, kind people and their idyllic lifestyle, Sri Lanka has been tormented with a past of loss and grief. Whether this island’s people are from the North, South, East or West, they have all suffered through per

“Children need peace and protection at all times. The rules of war prohibit the unlawful targeting of civilians, attacks on schools or hospitals, the use, recruitment and unlawful detention of children, and the denial of humanitarian assistance. Wh

Ajith Fernando, an old friend and an incredibly good and humble human being, got it right when he said, ‘Terrorists don’t win when they manage to kill 200, 300 innocent people. They win when they manage to alienate and isolate the entire Muslim p

The World Environment Day (WED) is one of the most widely-celebrated global days that inspire the general public towards being eco-conscious. Hence, the United Nations (UN) seeks to focus the world’s attention on the environment and organises posit

Ven.Rathana Thera became a rebel during a four-day fast where he shed his role as a survivor in politics. This priest, who has the habit of clinging on to individuals with power for his benefit, suddenly saw throngs of people supporting his cause. Th

The moon-long fast in the Islamic month of Ramadan when Muslims have to abstain from food, drink and sex is no easy task for the worldly minded, but once one’s mind and body is attuned to it from one’s young days, it doesn’t prove to be so diff

When a ship is drifting without being steered and manned by an able and professional Captain, it is bound to go astray; its survival in stormy seas is doubtful and its crew, the rest of servicemen and passengers are in danger of losing their very liv

It is a state of mind and heart; one could say which is almost ‘unheard’ of these days!!! COMPASSION! Who in their right minds would want to exude Compassion, or even be known as a Compassionate human being??? However, if the terrorists who explo

Dunuwila is an Instagramer’s paradise. The tiny village in the Central Province is nestled at 820m above sea level. It took me a 90 minutes to get here from Kandy through utterly beautiful winding, narrow mountain roads.

With teenagers such as Sweden’s Greta Thunberg giving leadership to the world in the crusade against global warming and climate change, United Nations today marks World Environment Day—a platform for action to encourage worldwide awareness and ac

Exactly thirteen years ago Venerable Athureliye Ratana Thera made headlines by walking up to Mavil Aru sluice gate which was closed by the LTTE in June 2006. The JHU stalwart made the bold move at a time the security forces were hesitating to venture

A weak government is like the supine barber to whom even the goat prods its goatee. The current government in Colombo is not just weak, indecisive and lacking a common purpose. Its manifest incompetence and vacillation is self- destructive and can se

Since the government changed in Sri Lanka in January 2015, the US has “significantly” strengthened its military engagement with the island nation, particularly with the Sri Lankan Navy, says the latest US Department of Defence Indo-Pacific Strate

On a recent visit to Sri Lanka, funded by an organisation headed by one of Sri Lanka’s political jumping frogs, Robert Blake sang Gota’s praises; suggesting a return to Gota’s ‘technocrats’. What were these so called technocrats doing I won

Radicalization of some local Muslims climaxed with the serial bombings that rocked the nation on April 21. The bomb strikes, committed by a handful of terrorists,altered and reshaped dynamics in multiple fronts.

The European elections that ended a few days ago have yielded very interesting results from a Sri Lankan point of view. In understanding its effects on Europe and its relevance to a country such as Sri Lanka, it is important to get a grasp of the pre

China and Sri Lanka have historically maintained close relations. In AD 400, it is recorded, Chinese monks visited the country. After it achieved independence from the British in 1948, Sri Lanka established diplomatic relations with Beijing in 1950..

Crises of any form have class, gender and caste characteristics. Social disparities are aggravated by crises whether it is a natural catastrophe such as a tsunami, a political disaster such as a coup or social trouble as with the climate of fear afte