Presidential pardons shouldn’t encourage impunity - EDITORIAL

The Supreme Court’s June 6 reversal of the order of President Maithripala Sirisena to grant a pardon to Jude Shramantha...

Sri Lanka is now well on the way to harnessing nuclear energy

Having taken a firm decision to include nuclear energy in its mix of energy sources, Sri Lanka is now well on the way to harnessing....

Poverty and homelessness stare elders in the face - EDITORIAL

Not many decades ago, our country was held up worldwide for its welfare state policies. Today, unfortunately, such praises ....

UK centre-right media gearing up for a Third World War

Social media is agog with fears over a looming Third World War. According to the centre-right Daily Telegraph of the UK....

The Ranil-Chandrika Debate of 1999 that never occurred

Following the articles ‘Sajith-Anura debate, that never happened’ and ‘Mahinda-Ranil 2005: That never was,’ let us revisit the ‘Ranil-Chandrika....

The right to strike and motivated strikes

For over the past 35 days, the non-academic staff of government universities in the country has been on strike. There is no doubt that the working class of this country is burdened with low salaries. In some instances, workers’ wages were reduced during the economic melt-down. On June 6 the Locomotive Operating Engineers’ Union of Sri Lanka Railways suddenly decided to go on strike. The trade union action according to the Union is being carried o

Presidential election: Good and bad foreign meddling

What a big fuss would have been made by the embassies of Western countries had the Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Qi Zhenhong met with the members of the Election Commission (EC), as American Ambassador Julie Chung and several other Western diplomats had done recently? Also, can we at least imagine a meeting between the Sri Lankan or Indian Ambassador to the United States and the election officials of the US, including those of the Federal Elect

Why people shouldn’t fear ‘Mr. Talent’ - EDITORIAL

These are days when people are working hard to make ends meet; even when the spouse is employed too. With regard to those frequenting the corridors of power, they too are working immensely hard to be in power when the next government is formed.

Slaughter of the Gaza lamb: Israeli Pharaoh’s crimes against children

On Tuesday, June 4, the day the world was supposed to mark the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression, the silence of the pro-Israeli world powers was deafening. In Gaza, the day had little meaning as there was no let-up in the slaughter of Palestinian children.

Sri Lanka is an unsinkable aircraft carrier--The country manufactures poverty as politics is more profitable than its industries- Maj. Gen. Dr. Boniface Perera

Maj Gen. Dr. Boniface Perera a battle hardened Infantry officer served the Sri Lanka Army for more than 36 years dedicating 20 years in the battlefield. He was the former Security Forces Commander of the Wanni Region and Eastern province in addition to being the Competent Authority to resettle 300000 displaced people in the North.

An assessment of China growing ties with the Arab world

China’s strengths in the Arab world are its economic heft, willingness to take up expensive infrastructure projects, non-interference in internal affairs, and the declining political credibility of the US in the Middle East. But the impediments in China’s way are the West’s technological superiority, the unassailable position of the dollar, and transparency characteristic of Western systems. Against the backdrop of the 10th Ministerial Conf

Sports for peace and development

Devastating cricket fans across the country, South Africa beat Sri Lanka by six wickets at the T20 World Cup, on Monday (3). It may be a cliche in the scorebook, but a famous saying lasts a lifetime. It goes like this: “For when the One Great Scorer comes to mark against your name, He writes, not that you won or lost, but how you played the Game.” Though often quoted, Rudyard Kipling’s poem ‘If’ also applies to what we learn and what we should be

Lifestyles of politicians and the life of an artist

A politician’s ‘life’ is often hectic. It has to be; because he has to serve the people who elected him to office. But we also see the ‘lifestyles’ they live and often envy them. Talk about our lawmakers having hectic lives, there are some who are the opposite, are lazy and not worth the salaries they earn. The outside world sees Sri Lanka as an island. Tourists dream of coming here on vacation and experiencing the lifestyle of islanders. But th

Flooding and rainwater running unutilised to sea

As has been usual in our country, at every monsoon season especially during the South-West monsoon flooding, landslides and displacement of citizens have become normal. Every year this newspaper has highlighted this fact and called on authoriti

JVP Guaranteed Rajapaksa’s Victory in 2005 Ranil-Mahinda: First Presidential Debate that Never Was

It was reported that Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva secretly administered the oath of office to President Kumaratunga for a second time in August 2000. CBK initially took oaths on December 22, 1999. The statement unsettled the UNP, prompting strategic discussions. They challenged the claim that the President could remain in office until 2006.

Trade unions must realise their limits - EDITORIAL

University students in the country have been severely inconvenienced due to administrative functions at state universities....

“We need to dream new dreams”

The biggest festival of democracy, the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections is concluding today in our nation, the Mother...

O/L Exam mess puts Department of Examinations in soup!

The experience of sitting for an exam is competitive for a child. Having dedicated countless hours to studying, they approach....

Can any candidate achieve 50%+1 at presidential polls - EDITORIAL

All political parties are in election mode. Presidential elections are scheduled to be held between September and October....

McDonald’s secret: Shares rise while food sales decline

It’s hard to believe, but McDonald’s is losing customers in the US because they can no longer afford McDonald’s....

When IMF targets become Sri Lankan law

Even as Sri Lanka prepares for elections, laws are being rushed through a parliament without legitimacy. Among those many....

Right of Reply: Rividhanavi (Private) Ltd responds to CEB’s solar project article

The following is a right of reply sent by Rividhanavi (Private) Limited to the Daily Mirror in response to the article titled ‘CEB’s....

Range Bandara’s “Loud Thinking” and Ranil’s election campaign

Sri Lanka’s political stage was enlivened last week by the solo performance of United National Party (UNP) General Secretary Palitha Range Bandara. Addressing a media briefing on May 28, the policeman-turned-politician came out with a suggestion that the presidential election due this year and the Parliamentary election scheduled for next year should be postponed while the terms of office for both should be extended by two more years. The former

Red herrings, referendums, poverty and postponing elections

Even though an election has not been officially announced by the Commissioner of Elections, election fever has hit our political parties. The Secretary of the United National Party (UNP) suggested a possible postponement of elections. Was he drawing a red herring to test the political waters? The ordinary man on the street though, has not been drawn into this conversation. They are looking for ways and means to keep the wolf from the door. But th

Referendum to extend President’s term: Is it ploy to avoid election defeat?

It is undoubtedly election phobia of the United National Party (UNP) headed by President Ranil Wickremesinghe that prompted Palitha Range Bandara, the General Secretary of the Party to suggest on Tuesday to hold a referendum to extend the term of the President and Parliament for two more years. “This is the best option at this moment to save the nation. The Government has reached agreements with the IMF, World Bank and other donors on economic r

Lies used in the name of transforming a nation

When we think of elections in Sri Lanka we are forced to think of marriages as well. This is largely because the incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe has decided to contest the upcoming presidential elections as an independent candidate with the support of a strong alliance. These are days when we see many promises being made on the political scene by ambitious individuals. People on this ‘sun-kissed island’ are used to this bluff, but sadly

The US, Zionism and moral depravity

As Israel’s genocidal campaign in the Gaza Strip enters its eighth month, more and more people around the world realise that Zionism is an evil ideology. If Zionism is not denounced and eradicated, similar to how the world dealt with Nazism after World War II, nations may soon find themselves dependent on this destructive ideology for their survival. The day Zionism is defeated is the victory day for humanism and humanity. Already, the United Sta

Matara hospital rocks parents’ world misplacing stillborn

Kavindya Madushani and her husband Sajith Chathura from Kotawila, Weligama were anticipating the birth of their firstborn with much hopes and dreams. But their world came to a standstill after May 22, when the hospital staff at the New District General Hospital, Matara, popularly known as ‘Labeema’ failed to show them the body of their stillborn child. Contradictions and communication gaps in mentioning what happened to the infant’s body complica

Unlocking economic growth and Strategic Advantages: Potential benefits for Sri Lanka from BRICS

BRICS is an acronym representing a coalition of the world’s prominent Emerging market economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. In 2006, Brazil, Russia, India and China created the “Bric” group. Subsequently South Africa joined in making it “Brics”. The inaugural summit of the BRICS was held on 16 June 2009 in Yekaterinburg, Russia. This summit with its expanded membership signaled a renewed commitment to the principles of the c

World No Tobacco Day Calls to strengthen measures to protect children from tobacco industry

Protecting children from tobacco industry interference’ is the theme for World No Tobacco Day this year. No tobacco day falls on May 31. Thus the World No Tobacco Day for 2024 will give a platform to young people across the world who are urging governments to shield them from predatory tobacco marketing tactics. The world made a mistake by allowing tobacco companies to make and sell cigarettes. Thus the tobacco industry targets youth for a life