Hot on the heels of a string of work stoppages by employees of several departments of the public sector which earned the wrath of the public, the unions of government teachers and principals announced a work-to-rule campaign for two weeks from yesterday.
In a move reminiscent of the 1989 James Bond action-thriller “Licence to Kill,” the Tanzanian government is considering issuing new licenses that would allow wealthy trophy hunters to target Africa’s most magnificent male elephants, known as “super tuskers,” prized for their exceptionally large tusks, for sport or trophy hunting.--New York based Avaaz communiqué
The anti-Tamil pogrom ofJuly 1983 is an unforgettable chapter in the post-independence history of Sri Lanka. The catastrophic events of that dark month drastically affected the lives of several Tamils in Sri Lanka. As a Sri Lankan Tamil journalist, ‘Black July’ did have an effect on me in both personal and professional capacities. Furthermore, my family – like thousands of other Tamil families – was also affected and displaced during those turbu
Why is the government in such a haste to amend an Article in the Constitution which has somewhat a relevance only when the term of the President or the Parliament is to be extended? Does the government want to extend the term of the President or the Parliament? Yet, the relevant Article is not a hurdle. It says if you want to extend the term of the President or the Parliament to over six years, get the relevant Bill passed in Parliament with the
The Commissioner of Elections has announced presidential elections between 17 September and 16 October this year. However, many a citizen and political parties of the opposition have hinted at a possible delay or indefinite postponement of the expected election. Many of us also remember that while the Office of the Commissioner announced local government and provincial council elections would be held some years ago,those elections were never hel
During the past two weeks there was much concern and debates about a move by the government’s education ‘arm’ to remove aesthetic subjects from the school curriculum. There is enough literature published regarding this move which explains some of the Education Department’s planned reforms for the subjects taken up for the GCE O’ Level and A’ Level Examinations. The Education Department has now hurriedly used its media contacts to notify people th
“The central premise of the Biden campaign is that Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs. This campaign is the principle reason behind this assassination attempt.” So said J. D. Vance, Republican senator of Ohio and a strong candidate for the position of Vice President if Donald Trump is re-elected as President of the United States. Republicans are making capital out of the botched assassination attempt on Trump. Thei
The youth of today want freedom and that too in loads. The generations before them were happy with freedom in small doses, but they wanted government welfare more than anything else. Present day youth would feel insulted if someone has to take care of their welfare. This is, of course, a thought they’ll be forced to revalue if their earnings, after completing their higher education, wouldn’t suffice to pay bills. Generally, youth on this island
Sri Lanka awaits an announcement from the Election Commission on the date of the Presidential Election. Right now, however, there are humanitarian issues that every citizen needs to be concerned about and address. One of these key issues is human trafficking to which Sri Lanka gives little attention. We need a ministry or a state ministry to look into issues connected with the crime of human trafficking. Later this month, the United Nations (UN)
When the country ran out of foreign reserves and fuel queues sprang up, Sri Lankans stormed the President’s House and ousted Gotabaya Rajapaksa. That may be an extreme case, but that was not the first time the street protestors toppled governments when the going got tough. Dudley Senanayake, the second prime minister, was the first victim of the populist outrage after he increased the price of a measure of rice’ from subsidised 25 cents to 70 cen
Around election time, our country unfailingly witnesses the shortsighted characteristics of our party political leaders. At then Ceylon’s first general election in 1948, the Tamil tea and rubber plantation workers of Indian origin, elected representatives of the ‘Marxist’ parties defeating candidates of the premier’s party.
The Supreme Court on July 8 dismissed a petition filed by a resident of Moratuwa, C.D.Lenawa on July 3 seeking a declaration that the president’s term of office is six years and an order to suspend the presidential election until the ruling on his petition is given. During the hearing of the petition which was very brief before it was dismissed Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya pointed out to the petitioner that the Article on the President’s t
July is here again. It is one of the 12 months, Sri Lanka is notoriously famous for the wrong reasons. Reminiscence of the 1983 Black July or the anti-Tamil pogrom is one of the darkest black marks in the history of the entire country and for all Sri Lankans, especially the majority Sinhalese. The short-sighted, irresponsible, petty political decision-making especially by the head of the State, the Executive President J. R. Jayewardene and his g
Are terrorists and trade unions equal? The more we endure the cruelty of some state-sector trade unions whose objectives, it appears, have little to do with worker rights and more to do with political goals, the more we are convinced that it is a form of terrorism. The tactic they both use is the same: victimising civilians. The difference is that trade unions do not use guns, bombs, RDX, TNT, or other explosives.
Monday’s shooting of a nightclub owner at Oruwala, Athurugiriya one begs the question whether Sri Lankans are safe on this island? The prominent nightclub owner and another person received fatal injuries when two gunmen stormed in, opened fire and disrupted the opening ceremony of a tattoo shop.
With the Sri Lankan political parties and the citizens focusing mainly on the Presidential Elections to be held later this year, the country has an urgent need not just for smart political leaders but a statesman who will work for the next generation and not for the next election. Sri Lanka has produced few if any such statesmen who are in the calibre of Nelson Mandela. If we could mention a few who come near that status it could include our firs
Many reasons are given for the crushing defeat of the Rishi Sunak-led Conservative Party in the recent British general election. But its abysmal performance could be broadly attributed to the problems it created for itself by walking out of the European Union (EU) in a move called Brexit in 2020 without a plan to tackle the situation after the exit.
Whatever the ruling of the Supreme Court over the petition filed by the businessman from Moratuwa, C.D.Lenawa seeking an opinion of the court on the Presidential term could have been, the next Presidential election would be a make-or-break decision for the people of this country, especially given the on-going economic crisis.
Tourist arrivals surpass 63,000 in first half of October
EDB gets new chief
Colombo welcomes Cinnamon Life
New Board of Directors appointed for SriLankan Airlines
Easter attack: controversy swirls further high
Catholic Church rebuffs Gammanpila’s allegations
Easter Sunday attack: Ravi Seneviratne’s name implicated
SL unveils new ’P’ series passport with enhanced security features