When diplomats visited Sivarasa Anojan in Saudi prison, Anojan had asked them to appeal his five-year prison sentence. But the appeal backfired and he was sentenced to death. The foreign ministry has now retained three Saudi law firms as it gears up for a legal-diplomatic defence.
The medicines regulator is cracking down on pharma overpricing. Over a thousand drugs are now being priced by their formula. Prices at pharmacies are falling, for some drugs by even half. Unhappy companies warn brands might flee. The regulator meanwhile hardly tests quality.
The government won’t go for a new EFF programme with the IMF in March. Meanwhile, Ranil Wickremesinghe’s indictment has been sitting on the AG’s desk for three months. Gotabaya Rajapaksa grows modest, telling court he wasn’t involved in military operations when he was defence ministry secretary.
Source: Ministry of EducationA significant number of Sri Lanka’s state schools have small student bodies. Nearly half have 250 pupils or less, nearly a third have 100 pupils or less.
Deep down, every parent knows that every day is children’s day. This weekend, don’t be shy, admit it to your kids with activities celebrating the holiday. Havelock City’s Kids Land takes over the weekend, as does a sushi workshop for the princelings.Or, rebel
The Anti-corruption Act and the 22nd amendment to the constitution passed the Supreme Court’s scrutiny this week. Discussing civil servants’ and judges’ asset declarations will soon be illegal. The government will also be able to appoint a majority of Appeal Court judges.
Two years into office and despite an increasingly turbulent world, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake is riding high. To mark the anniversary, the government isn’t only passing laws, it's also beginning to grasp the reins of government more firmly. But rising fuel prices remain a dampener.
Sri Lanka’s credit score is back to where it was in 2020, before the fallout from covid-19 and the economic crisis. But the benefits of the credit rating upgrade may be cancelled out by high oil prices and global interest rates.
The Easter Bombings trial started in 2021. When the judgement was finally read-out this week over a 15-hour court day, nine were acquitted and 15 found guilty. The judges were careful to distinguish between committing a crime and merely being close to its perpetrators.
Source: RTI Commission annual reportBetween 2017 and 2023 the RTI commission didn't have a Tamil translator. One was added to the cadre in 2024.
This evening, shatter your history at the Lakmahal’s pow-wow on Dalrymple putha’s new book. Fuel prices are up, delete Uber and read more with a Colombo book fair haul. Or, later in the week, an SSA one.  God Given Son Amila Sandaruwan returns
The Exams Department manually uploads every test score, while the UGC takes a long time verifying each candidate’s residence. Some universities are teaching five or six cohorts at once. It wasn’t always this way: students once entered university just six months after sitting their exams.
With Hormuz unlikely to open this year, alternate pipelines under attack, and the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait newly closed to Saudi oil tankers, global oil prices have spiked. In Sri Lanka, the energy minister signals potential price hikes at the pump.
Diplomats grow frustrated with the Foreign Ministry, as Vijitha Herath is slow to implement existing agreements. The ministry has also missed important summits like BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. But incompetence alone may not explain the diplomatic blunders.
Source: Central BankSri Lanka's domestic crude oil refinery appears to have hit capacity. Refined oil imports are on the rise.
Rather cleverly Music Matters is charging performers 300 bucks at their open mic night on Friday, presumably to dole out compensation to the audience after. Leave it to the professionals instead, with a Slipping Chairs performance at Playtrix, washed down with free cocktails for the gals. Kiku opens a boozy
Namal Rajapaksa was arrested for the fourth time last week. He’s in a cell with other prisoners. In one previous case, he was acquitted. This time might be different. The SLPP is taking no chances, mobilising their supporters through rallies. The government, meanwhile, is also taking to the streets.
“There is no difference between the NPP and JVP, ” said Mahinda Jayasinghe, a JVP trade unionist and deputy minister. In the last two years, the JVP recruited NPPers into its ranks, consolidated its decision-making power, and ran political classes for NPPers. Some NPPers are now disillusioned.
When a military intelligence corporal got information from Tamil Nadu intelligence that Mohamed Zahran killed two policemen five months before the Easter Bombings, he said his superior asked him to look away. An ex-military intelligence director denies allegations made to the police.
The first ever Indo-Lanka defence cooperation agreement was signed last year. Now the Indian defence minister is in town. The foreign minister told The Examiner that reviewing the agreement or its implementation wasn’t on the agenda. No joint statement was released during the visit.
