How much PCR Testing do we need to control COVID-19?

esterday (December 3, 2020), we published in a leading US health policy journal a major research study that we did to assess the impact of PCR....

Tourism and Madel Fishermen in Mawella to be washed away ?

Known to be one of the top five beaches in Sri Lanka, the Mawella beach in Tangalle is a two-kilometre stretch of an undisturbed marine environment surrounded by a Bay.

INNOTAL Talent Development and Co-Creation Lab opened at Peradeniya University

The International Relations Office organised the Opening Ceremony of the INNOTAL Talent Development and Co-Creation Lab under the patronage.....

Questions over billions of rupees in funding for Batticaloa Campus

Following last week’s announcement by Education Minister G.L. Peiris in Parliament on the Government’s decision to acquire the controversial Batticaloa Campus, the Auditor General had informed and issued certain directives to the Attorney General’s Department regarding the campus.

NSA Maritime Security Meeting: 3 Countries Agree to Trilateral Cooperation

The trilateral 4th National Security Adviser (NSA) level meeting on ‘Maritime Security Cooperation’, held on Saturday November 28 at Colombo Hotel Taj Samudra with the participation of Mr. Ajit Doval, National Security Adviser of India,

It was a long trek for Bishop Dushantha

What a disaster it would have been had his parents decided they had the perfect family, a son and a daughter. No, they embraced the addition.....

What happened at Mahara: Conspiracy OR sudden unrest ?

A violent protest erupted in one of the country’s largest high security prisons on Sunday, as gunfire rang out and some parts of the prison set ablaze.

T’was a Month Before Christmas 2020

T’was a month before Christmas, And all through the town, People wore masks, That covered their frown.

No money, paddy or rice

As President Gotabaya Rajapaksa completes his first year in office, the Consumers Affairs Authority (CAA) has issued five gazettes on the sale of rice.

Where is democracy if people’s privacy and personal data are not protected? - Sunil Abeyaratne

Contact tracing due to the COVID- 19 pandemic has led to privacy concerns. While this has become a global concern, unlike other countries, Sri Lanka has no law in place to protect privacy. The Data Protection Bill was presented to the p

Coronavirus Diary-No. 9 If you get infected, it’s your own fault

You can’t escape Covid 19. Just when you’re beginning to feel complacent in your thin-walled cocoon (which the virus can penetrate), it builds its own cocoon around you. When things sta

Budget Check 2021

For the very first time in Sri Lanka, the FactCheck team at Verité Research conducted the inaugural #BudgetCheck2021. The team carried out live fact checking on claims made by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa in his 2021 B

How British colonialism impeded peasant agriculture in Ceylon

By the beginning of the 19th Century, when the British took over Ceylon from the Dutch, laissez-faire was being accepted as the ideal in Britain and Europe. It was based on free trade with the market determining economic decisions. Merca

COVID-19: We can’t prevent new outbreaks

Once again, emphatic declarations are being made that there are zero risks of new COVID-19 clusters, just as earlier there were declarations.....

She left an irreplaceable void

It is with great sadness that I write this tribute to you. When we lose a loved one, we have to endure pain, grief, desolation and emptiness, in fact, a loss of a mother is irreparable and devastating no matter how young or old the children are and remembering our mama who was always loving and devoted, understanding and affectionate.

Rising above the Pandemic Can Sri Lanka do better?

Nowhere in recent history have we come across a situation like this, where the whole world is controlled by an unseen virus.

A man with a ‘Heart of Gold’

A recent article about Susil Moonesinghe on his 90th birthday by my Aunt Sumi Moonesinghe, made me wish to share a few personal memories as a tribute to him.

Automobile Association presents road safety proposals to Transport Minister

Dhammika Attygalle, President, Ananda Dangalle, Vice President and Devapriya Hettiarachchi, Secretary represented the Automobile Association of Ceylon and met Transport Minister Gamini Lokuge at his office on 16th. November, 2020 and presented the following proposals to reduce road injuries and fatalities, in the presence of Monte Ranatunga, Secretary to Minister of Transport, Dr. Gamage of Transport Board, and Lasitha Gunaratne.

Always remembered by what he has done

Lalith Athulathmudali was indefatigable in his quest for knowledge and was continuously opening windows for our youth to the modern world....

Adivasi community struggle to preserve 37,000 -year-old heritage

Sri Lanka’s indigenous Adivasi community—the Vedda people—have historically maintained a diet of kurakkan roti and game meat.

Sword of Damocles over Freedom of Expression?

Media and the Government often don’t see eye to eye and this is applicable to most countries, be it democratic or not. Sri Lankan media platforms too have faced much censorship while many journalists also fell prey to draconian laws of yesteryear.

‘Impossible is just a state of mind’ - Dr. Dinesh Palipana

Sri Lankan born Dr. Dinesh Palipana was recently named as Queensland’s Australian for the year 2021. The state’s first quadriplegic medical graduate and medical intern, Dr. Palipana was honoured at a special ceremony held in Brisbane.

Endangered no more… ‘Vulnerable leopards’ treading with caution!

In light of the recent leopard deaths (11) this year, including that of a black leopard and other snaring incidents which grabbed much media.....

Kallaru Reforestation Paying the price for abusing nature

The ‘laws of nature’ emerged victorious last week. This was following a landmark judgment issued regarding the mass scale deforestation activities that took place at the Northern Sanctuary of Wilpattu National Park. Therefore, Reserve

Kelaniya University Rotaract to Track the Spread

“Isolation” has become a word we are used to hearing in the news. With the detection of patients from various areas, the current system in place is to ‘isolate’ the specific areas. But, what if that can be changed? What if there was som

Colonel Henry Steel Olcott A man of vision and compassion

Every year in November Ananda College organises an oration by an illustrious alumnus of Ananda College to commemorate and celebrate the life and work of an exceptional American who was instrumental in the founding of the College in 188

Universal glory of Sai Baba Sri Lankan contribution

Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba was one of the most spiritually respected persons in the spiritual world. In an attempt to take His Legacy forward....

A profoundly beloved Senior!

In early 2016, after completing the final year Law College examinations, I walked into Mr Uditha Egalahewa’s chamber seeking an opportunity....

Living legacy of a priest loved by all

“A great soul serves everyone all the time. A great soul never dies. It brings us together again and again.” —Maya Angelou.

The extraordinary Alagu Subramaniam

Alagu Subramaniam (1910 – 1971) was a barrister-at-law, short story, radio script writer and playwright who hailed from Jaffna. His father was a judge and his grandfather a literary personage.