spotlight

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.

The Malwatta chapter isn’t inquiring into one of their top monks, arrested on suspicion of child rape. They’re waiting for the courts to determine his culpability. Though the sangha has often called for the disrobing of errant monks in the past, they’re adopting a ‘wait-and-see’ approach now.

A fortnight ago, the rupee suddenly fell steeply, driven by higher fuel imports. The government and IMF stepped-in and the rupee recovered. But a cautious Central Bank jacked-up interest rates, and now the Public Debt Management Office is in the firing line.

The police irregularly transferred an investigation into allegations that Anuradhapura’s top monk raped a child. They didn’t arrest the monk for nearly a month and didn’t inform the child protection authority.

The police have arrested Chinese scammers for over a decade. But as South-East Asian governments crackdown, Sri Lanka is an increasingly popular destination for scam operations. Human trafficking risks follow.

AI and robots are replacing humans in industries from car-manufacturing to financial services. Could apparel be next? It’s unlikely for Sri Lanka, especially as the island focuses on more complex garments. But recruitment may take a hit.

Sinhalese smut online is flaccid, having lost the emotional complexity of classical and modern erotic literature. Yet audiences are turning to niche subgenres, like Korean-inspired boys’ love and erotica written by women.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s victory marked a high-water point for Sinhalese nationalism. But the NPP’s recent success in the North shows that its power is receding. Reading Rajesh Venugopal’s 2018 economic history suggests that the structural conditions which sustain this ideology are becoming weaker.

Tech layoffs are here, but they aren’t as bad as the rumours suggest. Small outsourcing companies, and specific jobs like tech writers and quality-assurance engineers face the greatest threat. Tech education isn’t keeping up.

Some Malaiyaha Tamils displaced by Cyclone Ditwah wait for transitional shelters in tents. Many need permanent housing. Their wait, prolonged by bureaucratic bottlenecks and plantation companies’ reluctance to let go of profitable land, exposes how disasters disproportionately harm minority groups.