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The Iran war’s fallout is already here, including via higher oil prices and torpedoed ships. Sri Lanka is better placed than in the past to manage the adverse impact, which will depend greatly on the war’s duration. But there are silver linings too.

Some call Tilvin Silva the phantom President. The JVP’s general secretary for thirty years, he is the party’s ‘nucleus’ and role model. The president calls him ‘aiya’. Hiranyada Dewasiri examines what Tilvin is doing with all this influence.

Getting things done has been a challenge for successive governments. Despite new laws and policy reform, good ideas keep getting stuck when they reach the implementation phase. One overlooked reason is the quality of our civil servants and the exams that recruit them.

With their people-centric design, Torrington, Summit, and Senanayake flats persuaded residents out of houses and into apartments. Low rise flats offer a solution for cities’ high densities without resorting to the cold, dead shell of high rise towers. But soon they may be lost.

Judges and lawyers are using AI. But candid conversations about risks and ethical use trail far behind. Meanwhile, legal AI companies keep developing their products with newer, bolder features.

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.

Colombo traffic will get worse as car imports resume, the economy recovers and migration into the city accelerates. Public transport remains a key barrier to growth, and railways are the pain point. Their modernisation was to kick-off with the Kelani Valley Line’s upgrade. But the project derailed.

This week, Lonely Planet included Jaffna in its list of best cities to visit in 2026. Three months ago, The Examiner accompanied a tour group, travelling to Jaffna from the south. The three-day tour revealed a sobering image of reconciliation, sixteen years since 2009.

The Government will present its first full-cycle budget early next month. Promises are cheap but delivery is much harder. As implementation is so difficult and takes so long, getting policy right becomes even more imperative.

Mannar residents say they’re paying the price for Sri Lanka's turn to wind energy. Adani has left, but local players have come in, raising old fears. Residents are protesting, having faced severe flooding in recent years.