Monks striving for a “Buddhist renaissance” occupy over 2,000 acres in Trinco’s Kuchchaveli. They believe the “pooja bhoomi” gazettes give them land ownership, but the physical planning department insists it’s state-owned.

The cricket board’s interim committee says Jay Shah, the ICC Chair, is impressed with their work. If there aren’t any googlies, a new cricketing constitution will cross the boundary next month, the committee hopes.

This Friday, Colombo uni’s lecture halls go still for Prasanna Vithanage’s Silence in the Courts. If you’re more in the mood for tussle than tranquility, discuss a new age of sexism at

Over the last two decades, rice barons have reshaped the industry. Fueled by credit, they’ve bought expensive machinery and built vast warehouses. As small millers are running out of business, the industry is becoming an oligopoly, and controlled prices are regularly flouted.

Dengue cases surge in Sri Lanka, with Western Province the worst-affected. Authorities are planning on rolling out new prevention methods like virus-resistant mosquitoes. The Qdenga dengue vaccine, registered in several Asian countries, is yet to be approved in Sri Lanka.

The Gratiaen prize winner teases a transgressive story of a gay monk. What unfolds is far more profound, argues Praveen Tilakaratne in his review. “The Son and the Lover” portrays the mundane and excruciatingly normal world of human intimacy and offers a timely critique of Sinhala Buddhism.

Colombo is alive and kicking this evening. The marvelously named HearHere grooves out SanSun at MusicMatters. Then gander over to what used to be the hood, the Rio, for HoodPolitics and its curtain call of

Hayeshika Fernando, an influencer-tutor, helps grade five students crack the life-changing scholarship exam by relying on a combination of love-bombing and well-executed teaching. Controversies surround her, but many seek her out. In some parents’ books, she’s become a modern-day guru devi.