With the recent sighting of a melanistic (black) leopard cub in Yala National Park, interest in the island’s apex predator– which happily never flags! – has again surged. In March, the inaugural Global Leopard Conference (GLC) (leopardconfere

On a dark day in 1983 *Rajeshwari from Jaffna saw her husband for the last time in her life. But even after that day she has been wearing a pottu with hopes that he would return one day. Forty years later, this pottu...

Investigations are underway to determine the cause of death of 21-year old Chamodi Sandeepani who died under mysterious circumstances on July 11following the administration of two doses of vaccines while being admitted to the Peradeniya Teaching Hosp

This article focuses on the evergreen ‘Dingiri Dingaale’ song from the Tamil film ‘Anbu Engey?’ (Where is love?) that was first screened 65 years ago. Although a Tamil film song, the number was hugely popular among Sinhalese too. I have wri

Patients have suffered severe complications, including vision loss, due to contaminated eye drops and substandard anaesthetic drugs. The incidents highlight the prevalence of low-quality drugs, a struggling....

In early 1980s, Dr. Aurangasri Hinriksson decided to settle down in Isafirdi, Iceland with her husband and little son. Her interests to serve the community were such that she not only taught English and Mathematics to her community, but even went to

Perhaps you readers may be getting ready to enjoy this piece with a hot cuppa of Ceylon tea in your hand. But what you are about to read is as bitter as a strong black tea without sugar.

Priyangika Samanthie was another ‘brown child from abroad’ when she landed in Norway, seven weeks after she was born. Even though many Sri Lankans thought that she grew up white for a better opportunity....

Dusk had already set in when we reached Bogawantalawa last Friday (June 2). What’s unique about the Central Highlands is that by about 5pm the climate turns misty and dark. We were on our way to meet...

Unlike in the case of social media activist Sepal Amarasinghe, the issues with regard to Pastor Jerome Fernando and standup comedian Nathasha Edirisooriya seem to be quite tricky for the authorities to handle, despite all three have been accused of i

*Shiva has been collecting parking tickets at the Galle Face Green for the past five years. His job is to earn Rs. 2000 during week days and Rs. 7000 during weekends to be remited to his company. But the uncertainty....

‘Prophet’ Jerome Fernando, the man in the middle of controversy over his statement on other religions including Buddhism, is reported....

The death of the 16-year-old girl in Kalutara has been mired in controversy. With various allegations, suspicions and assumptions, the truth is yet to be revealed. What has been made public is that the deceased....

On April 23, a Facebook post was shared by Shiromal Cooray which drew public attention to an incident of sexual harassment.

Sri Lanka boasts of a 2500 year old Buddhist culture. This culture also includes the ordaining of novice monks which has been a practice followed for centuries. But some children as young as six or seven years are now being ordain

Abortion is illegal in Sri Lanka unless the life of the mother is at risk. Regardless of the law, Sri Lankan women still have access to illegal abortion services. Rights groups have been demanding authorities to decriminalize abortion in ord

Recently, the “Country Strategic Plan (CSP) for Sri Lanka” was approved by the Executive Board of the World Food Program (WFP) for the period....

Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe’s controversial statement in the Parliament on April 25 that US dollars 250 million has been deposited to an account in connection with the X-Press Pearl disaster....

Former President Ranasinghe Premadasa was killed 30 years ago on 1 May 1993 at 12. 45 p.m. along with 17 others in a bomb explosion that also injured 38 more persons at the Grandpass Road – Armour Street Junction in Colombo.

He was born in Sri Lanka, studied in Switzerland, worked in the hotel industry and stitches some of the most beautiful hand-crafted shirts in Italy and settled in Germany, Ignatious Joseph has come back....

The national coffers are reported to have incurred huge losses when implementing Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s rehabilitation/improvements of the 100,000 km road programme,

The MV X-press Pearl disaster is considered one of the biggest disasters in maritime history. The expert committee that investigated the extent....

Five years have passed since anti-Muslim violence erupted in the Amparai/Ampara Town in February 2018. Soon afterwards, in the first week of March, there was anti-Muslim violence in Digana.

Shanthi Pushparaja (Real name withheld), mother of three children who was taken to Oman promising a job as a house maid is one of those nearly 90 Sri Lankan women who went to the Middles East and ended up in Oman with no way to come back home. Shanth

The leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa and his party, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) are very much in the news lately.

President’s Counsel, Saliya Peiris, immediate outgoing President of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL),

The government has introduced different income brackets under the ‘Pay As You Earn Tax’ (PAYE) system. If you earn between 100,000 to 141,667 rupees per month, you’ll be charged 6% in taxes....

Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin (MK Stalin) the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu State in India, unveiled the name board of a road with a new name on March 24 2023.

Friday, March 24 was the 74th birthday of Ranil Sriyan Wickremesinghe. The Sri Lankan President was born in Colombo on 24 March 1949.

Growing up in Colombo, I was first exposed to the transgender community as a university student. I would return home every Summer and spend two glorious months in the island before returning to London.