Can the government ‘system change’ without rights laws? Words by The Examiner The JVP-NPP government enjoys an unprecedented 159-seat supermajority in parliament. But a year after coming into power, sweeping rights-based reforms remain elusive. Will the promised system change truly materialise? Read more →
Why is the rupee falling? Words by The Examiner From boardrooms to Pettah there is consensus on the cause for the rupee’s fall: lifting the vehicle import ban. This is partly true. But the rupee’s rise or fall in the long run doesn’t depend on specific goods. It depends on the supply of money, argues Ravi Ratnasabapathy in this op-ed. Read more →
Where to go and what to read Words by The Examiner Year-end blues straining your relationship? Take your beau to the Goethe for a film this evening. Watch how the Cubans navigate love and wars of the soul. Still single? Band your friends together for Read more →
Spotlight Radar, chopper maintenance, and clear comms would have saved lives in Cyclone Ditwah Words by The Examiner Sri Lanka, while disaster-ready for milder cyclones, isn’t prepared for Ditwah-level devastation. In the weeks to come, audits will assess the gaps in our disaster management systems. But for now, we look at what worked and what didn’t – asking if any of the 486 deaths could have been avoided. Read more →
Ditwah damage comparable to Tsunami, initial estimates say Words by The Examiner People are dying of water-borne diseases, while food prices are likely to remain elevated. Most businesses in affected areas are operational, but not yet operating at capacity. Tea exports likely to fall by 10 percent. Damage to roads and bridges is severe. Reconstruction could take up to two years. Read more →
Where to go and what to read Words by The Examiner This week’s Diary is rightly muted. But Colombo has no less than 26 Christmas Carol events coming up. Timeout has the full list, so we won’t bother writing them all out. A wee Read more →
Spotlight Forging the ring of power: why J.R. was our worst president Words by The Examiner By clothing the presidency in such overmighty power, J.R.'s constitution magnified folly into catastrophe. Black July, the referendum that made a mockery of democracy, Indian intervention, all the way to Gota’s disastrous economic collapse — all bore the imprint of unchecked authority. Read more →
Public security minister complains to CID over ‘fake' news, bypasses press complaints procedure Words by The Examiner Claiming an article in the Sinhala daily Aruna was ‘fake news’, the government filed a CID complaint. The move comes as the government is pushing for a ‘co-regulatory’ model to supervise the press. Meanwhile, The Examiner investigated Wijepala’s claims, finding a gap between policy and reality. Read more →