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Home » ColumnsLouvre heist: Sri Lankan sapphires adorn stolen tiara
A tiara stolen during the daring robbery at the Louvre Museum in Paris this week contained 1,083 diamonds and 24 Ceylon sapphires. The sapphire diadem was once worn by Napoleon Bonaparte’s brother Louis Bonaparte’s wife, Queen Hortense, and Queen Marie-Amélie. Sri Lanka’s blue sapphires, long celebrated in royal crowns, engagement rings, and museum showcases, have [...]
Maalimawa’s Maali
My dear Lakmali, I thought of writing to you because it appears to be hard to keep you out of the news, even though you are only a backbencher in the ‘maalimaawa’ camp. You seem to operate on the principle that ‘any publicity is good publicity’. This time, however, what you said may even cost [...]
PS Chairman killing dominates Parliamentary debate
By Sandun Jayawardana Thursday’s Parliamentary debate on the government’s “National Programme to Eradicate Drugs and Organised Crime and Strengthening the Legal Framework” was overshadowed by the assassination of Weligama Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman Lasantha Wickramasekara the previous day. The government had already labeled the assassination to be the result of a conflict between underworld groups, with [...]
The formidable challenge of foreign debt repayment in 2028
The repayment of US$ 13 billion of foreign debt in 2028 is a formidable challenge, as we have to increase our foreign reserves from US$ 6.1 billion at the end of September 2025 to over US$ 13 billion in 2028. How can we increase our foreign reserves that have been around US$ 6 billion for [...]
‘Wolves’ of the Rajapaksa Opposition in the Clothing of Democratic ‘Sheep’
A deeply pervasive argument is being trotted out by some Opposition parliamentarians that the coming together of political parties opposed to the National People’s Power (NPP) Government is akin to the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, China and the United States and other nations of the ‘free world’ uniting to stop the advances of Nazi [...]
Sustainable education reform requires adequate stakeholder consultation and national consensus The need for education reform to meet the complex demands of the 21st century has been the consistent cry over the years among educationists and other concerned segments of society. The current government’s educational reform programme, signals an attempt to shift away from the legacy [...]
Whose finger was on the trigger?
The question buzzing on the people’s lips on Wednesday morn was whose hand was behind the gun that shot Weligama Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman? Whose hidden finger pulled the trigger of the hired gun to end the life of a people elected representative at his public office while attending to his public duties on the day [...]
Signalling left and going right is the new turn in politics
There I was reading and rereading the words of Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath, who, for some reason or other, is viewed by some as an up-and-coming messiah. Why that is so is still not quite known, but my eyes fell on an article in another newspaper lying by the side. It is not that Foreign [...]
Weligama PS chairman’s murder places Govt. in opposition’s crosshairs
Public Security Minister comes under SJB fire over failure to provide security to public representatives Minister hits back, says IRCs cannot be given police protection—sparking opposition fury President to launch nationwide all-out anti-drug operation with public participation Questions arise over JVP minister’s foreign tours as Bimal undertakes dragon-fruit visit at China’s Communist Party’s invitation Opposition demands debate on government’s UNHRC [...]
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