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New Delhi's Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu meets President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on the sidelines of the recent AI summit

Taranjit Singh Sandhu, who served as India’s High Commissioner to Sri Lanka (2017-2020), was appointed as the Lieutenant Governor for New Delhi this week.

The Lieutenant Governor of Delhi makes him the constitutional head of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. Mr Sandhu called on President Anura Kumara Dissanayake last month when the Lankan leader was in India attending the AI Impact Summit. “Delighted to have a warm and engaging interaction with HIM @anuradisanayake President of Sri Lanka, whom I have known for many years. He graciously recalled my long association with Sri Lanka and spoke about further strengthening of our historic ties,” Mr Sandhu wrote on his X account after the meeting.

The former High Commissioner to Sri Lanka also served as India’s ambassador to the United States and was partly instrumental in turning around India’s diplomatic relations with the US to what has become a strong alliance today.

His wife Rena is also a diplomat and served as India’s ambassador to Italy.

Govt in bid to woo Cardinal, amid questions over Bimal’s Italy visit

The government seems to be keen to win over the Archbishop of Colombo, Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, given his strong criticism of the education reforms and the actions of some ministers.

With Easter Sunday drawing near and another possible salvo from the Cardinal, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has rushed a formal invitation to Pope Leo XIV to pay an official visit to Sri Lanka next year.

Minister Bimal Rathnayake in conversation with Vatican officials

The letter of invitation was carried by Minister Bimal Rathnayake, who was on an official visit to Italy, according to the President’s Media Division (PMD). It was handed over to Monsignor Mihaita Blaj, Under-Secretary for Relations with States.

While in Italy, Mr Rathnayake, who is also the national executive member of the National People’s Power and national organiser of the JVP, participated in the meetings organised by the NPP committees in Rome, Milan and Lucca. While it was termed an official visit, it is not clear what official work he engaged in other than handing over the invitation at the Vatican.

This could have been easily facilitated via the Sri Lankan Embassy in Rome or sent through the Apostolic Nuncio in Colombo. So much for using public funds to travel halfway around the world to hand over an invitation.

Cuban ambassador presents Che poster to Tilvin

Che is the common bond: Tilvin with new Cuban ambassador Patricia Pego Guerra at his Pelawatte office

Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) General Secretary Tilvin Silva met with newly appointed Cuban ambassador Patricia Pego Guerra at the party’s Pelawatte head office this week.

During the meeting they discussed deepening the longstanding friendship between Sri Lanka and Cuba, as well as boosting ties between the Cuban Communist Party and the JVP. Ambassador Pego Guerra also presented the JVP General Secretary with a poster of Argentinian revolutionary Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara, who was a major figure of the Cuban Revolution.

NPP to rise again with women’s power

Women played a decisive role in bringing the National People’s Power (NPP) government to power. The political contribution of the NPP’s women’s wing, under the banner “Gehenu Api Eka Mitata” (Women, Together As One), was a major factor during the last presidential election.

The NPP will celebrate this strength today (8) on International Women’s Day. The NPP Women’s Day celebration, themed “When she rises, the country rises”, will be held at the P.D. Sirisena Grounds in Colombo. The event will be attended by the President, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Women and Child Affairs, and all 20 female MPs of the NPP.
Thousands of women NPP activists from across the country are expected to be in attendance.

Kerala parotta originated in northern Lanka

Krish Ashok, an Indian author and social media influencer with 1.3 million followers on Instagram, recently shared a video in which he revealed the unexpected history of Kerala’s beloved Malabar parotta.

The famous Malabar parotta apparently did not originate in Malabar but in Jaffna, northern Sri Lanka.

‘During the 1940s famine in Travancore, Kerala, fishermen visiting Jaffna discovered a layered flatbread called Veechu parotta. The technique was probably brought by Arab traders many centuries ago. They brought the recipe home, and it spread like wild fire across Kerala, eventually becoming the Malabar parotta.

Today, this iconic flatbread carries the history of famine, migration, and cultural exchange in every flaky layer,” Krish Ashok said in his video. His revelation has, as expected, drawn many comments, some thanking him for the fascinating history behind the much-loved parotta and others challenging the finding.

Depoliticised plaques trending

It is common in the country’s political culture for politicians to take credit for every opportunity that comes their way, hoping to turn them into political advantages.

A recent incident where a police station was declared open after being refurbished at Polpitiya in Hatton turned out to be a new trend where no names of any individuals were mentioned in the official plaque.

Under previous regimes, the plaques during such openings would be filled with the names of ministers, MPs and chairpersons, whereas the new plaque only mentioned merely that ‘the building was renovated using public funds’.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Priyantha Weerasooriya, Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala, MP Janaka  Sooriyaarachchi, and members of the public were present.

Jaffna student’s app offers solution to fuel queues

Since last Saturday (Feb 28), long queues have been seen at fuel stations across the Northern Province, waiting for hours to secure a tank full of fuel. In some areas near Jaffna town, locals started to line up early in the morning to secure front spots.

From Saturday to Tuesday (March 4), at least 745,000 litres of petrol were sold in dozens of fuel stations. According to the Jaffna District Secretariat, during four days, an excessive amount of 250,000 litres was sold in the district alone following reports that there would be a shortage of fuel in the coming days.

On Wednesday, 310,200 litres of petrol were brought from Kolonnawa and sold through some 36 CPC-run fuel stations.

For farmers and fishermen, securing an adequate amount of kerosene for their livelihood has become a major concern in the region. Authorities assured that more stocks of kerosene will be made available by early next week.

Looking at the crisis situation in the region, a student from Jaffna came up with an app that can be used to distribute fuel without waiting in long queues.

One of the features of his design is that it can be applied at the district secretariat level, depending on the requirement.

After hearing about the application, Rameshnathan Karuvoolan of Jaffna Hindu College, along with the principal, was invited by Northern Governor N. Vedhanayahan to the Governor’s Office on Friday.

Governor Vedhnayahan appreciated the efforts taken by the student and directed him to share the application development features with the relevant authorities on how to modify them for future use.

Lanka on NYT front page

In the recent past, Sri Lanka was in the front pages and made headlines for the wrong reasons, particularly during the war period.

But earlier this week, it also caught the attention of many around the globe after a US submarine torpedoed an Iranian frigate near its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

The New York Times, in its Thursday edition, ran a banner headline that goes, “Iran war spreads outside Mideast and pulls in NATO – US sub sinks ship off Sri Lanka”.

A long-time resident of Sri Lankan origin in New York asked why his country receives only bad news in the influential dailies in the US. Though it may have been ‘good news’ for the Americans.