Newspaper
The Island
Free spectacles distribution programme underway in North
Northern Province Governor Nagalingam Vedanayagam recently appreciated the efforts made by several NGOs to provide spectacles, as well as lenses required for cataract surgery, free of charge to the needy students.
1 min |
November 11, 2025
The Island
Kabir to attend Tokyo event
SJB lawmaker Kabir Hashim, the current Chair of the Global Parliamentary Association for Evaluation will attend the “5th ASIA PACIFIC EVALUATION ASSOCIATION” conference and workshops scheduled to be held in Tokyo from Nov 11 to 14. He will be speaking at the sessions and also be heading many panel discussions and workshops.
1 min |
November 11, 2025
The Island
Qualifying rounds for hard court tennis tourney on
The qualifying rounds of the SLTA Yeti Hard Court Tennis Championships 2025, organised by the Sri Lanka Tennis Association (SLTA) commenced over the weekend.
1 min |
November 11, 2025
The Island
JAAF welcomes 2026 Budget focus on exports, urges clarity on implementation and policy stability
The Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF) has welcomed the Government's 2026 Budget, recognizing its emphasis on export-led growth, investment facilitation, and continued macroeconomic stability.
1 min |
November 11, 2025
The Island
Reading: Does format matter?
The question of whether reading a digital version of a story gives the same satisfaction as reading it in print doesn’t have a simple yes or no answer.
2 min |
November 11, 2025
The Island
Hayleys Mobility drives the future of mobility in Sri Lanka with OMODA & JAECOO
Hayleys Mobility Limited has introduced three next-generation new-energy vehicles, the JAECOO J7 PHEYV, JAECOO J6 and OMODA E5, offering options to choose between fully electric or plugin hybrid SUVs that align with lifestyles and driving preferences.
1 min |
November 11, 2025
The Island
Harnessing national unity for economic growth
To promote growth, one of the prerequisites is to unify the country’s multi-ethnic and multi-religious population behind the developmental effort.
4 min |
November 11, 2025
The Island
Reverse move to abolish concession granted to military families : Ex-Chief of Defence Staff
Former Navy Commander Admiral Ravi Wijegunaratne said that General Sir John Kotelawala donated all his wealth, including the Kandawala Estate to the then Army Commander General Dennis Perera to establish a State Defence University.
1 min |
November 14, 2025
The Island
Maris Stella Thimbirigaskatuwa Under 15 Division III cricket champs
Maris Stella College, Thimbirigaskatuwa emerged champions in the Under 15 Division III schools cricket tournament with an impressive first innings win over Mahinda Maha Vidyalaya Ganthiriyagama Ipalogama on Wednesday.
1 min |
November 14, 2025
The Island
NJC flays SJB leader for his pledge to implement 13A fully
The National Joint Committee (NJC) has condemned SJB and Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa's recent declaration in New Delhi that he would fully implement the 13th Amendment to the Constitution.
2 min |
November 14, 2025
The Island
Budget: Govt. incentives to estate workers not similar to subsidies for farmers and fishers - Rohini
An authoritative official familiar with the financial matters said that the wage subsidy offered by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in his capacity as the finance minister to plantation workers was very much similar to fertiliser subsidy to farmers and kerosene subsidy to fishermen.
1 min |
November 14, 2025
The Island
Now, protesters against Mannar wind power plants demand written assurance from govt.
A group spearheading a protest campaign in Mannar against the construction of new wind power plants on Mannar island said that the agitation would continue until the NPP government provided them with written assurance.
1 min |
November 14, 2025
The Island
Trump signs bill to end longest shutdown in US history
President Donald Trump late Wednesday signed a funding package to reopen the federal government, officially bringing a close to the longest shutdown in history, the CNN reported.
1 min |
November 14, 2025
The Island
Putin in India on Dec 5 for annual summit with Modi
Russian President Vladimir Putin is likely to visit India on December 5 for the annual bilateral summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
1 min |
November 14, 2025
The Island
Fifteen arrested for 'offensive' posts on Delhi blast
Nine more people have been arrested in Assam for putting up \"offensive\" social media posts following the Delhi blast, taking the total number of apprehensions in this regard to 15, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Thursday (November 13, 2025).
1 min |
November 14, 2025
The Island
Sri Lankan players stay back in Pakistan after government security assurance
Sri Lanka's cricketers have opted to stay put in Pakistan after receiving ironclad security assurances from Islamabad, ending a tense 24 hours in which the tour looked to be in danger.
2 min |
November 14, 2025
The Island
Hours before Delhi blast, Umar Nabi seen close to Ramlila Maidan
Fresh CCTV footage from the day of the Delhi blast shows prime suspect Dr Umar Nabi walking near a mosque close to the Ramlila Maidan, police said on Thursday (November 13, 2024), The Hindu reported.
1 min |
November 14, 2025
The Island
Voting at elections should be made compulsory
Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa has suggested that voting at future elections in Sri Lanka should be made compulsory. Admitting that his suggestion was revolutionary and had its pros and cons, but hoped it would become a reality.
2 min |
November 14, 2025
The Island
CPSL alleges AKD's budget proposals technocratic continuity in populist garb
Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s 2026 Budget speech, while breaking symbolically from tradition, reveals a deeper continuity with neoliberal orthodoxy and IMF-aligned fiscal governance, the Communist Party said in a statement issued yesterday (13).
4 min |
November 14, 2025
The Island
The scope of Sri Lanka’s commitments to accountability
At the 60th Session of the UNHRC held in September 2025, Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka Vijitha Herath stated: “We sincerely believe that external action will only serve to create divisions, thereby jeopardising the genuine and tangible national processes that have already been set in motion”.
6 min |
November 14, 2025
The Island
Curtin University Colombo welcomes Professor Jeff Brooks
Professor Jeff S. Brooks, Head of the School of Education at Curtin University, Australia, recognised as one the world’s leading voices in educational leadership and social justice, visited Colombo sharing a message of collaboration, courage, and change.
1 min |
November 14, 2025
The Island
In the Heart of the Amazon: COP 30 and the fate of the Planet
My recent visit to Brazil coincided partly with the Conference of the Parties (COP) 30, the 30th United Nations Climate Conference in Belém.
5 min |
November 14, 2025
The Island
Sri Lanka Insurance Life partners with Bar Association of Sri Lanka to offer exclusive retirement plans for legal fraternity
Sri Lanka Insurance Life, has partnered with the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) to introduce the Sri Lanka Insurance Life Rakawarana Retirement Plan, an exclusive retirement plan designed for the legal community.
2 min |
November 14, 2025
The Island
Awami League calls for lockdown as Special Bangladeshi tribunal readies to deliver verdict against Sheikh Hasina on November 17
Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal (ICT-BD) on Thursday (November 13, 2025) announced it will deliver the verdict against deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on November 17 in a case over crimes against humanity.
3 min |
November 14, 2025
The Island
A scientific perspective: Why are elephant drives ineffective in mitigating human-elephant conflict?
Recently, an elephant drive was launched in the Hambantota District with the aim of mitigating the human-elephant conflict (HEC).
4 min |
November 14, 2025
The Island
CSE trading waxes positive initially but wanes into negativity as the day unfolds
It was a case of CSE trading waxing positive initially yesterday but waning into negativity later due to profittakings by investors, market analysts said.
2 min |
November 14, 2025
The Island
Duffy four-for leads New Zealand to 3-1 series win
\"A beautiful summer's day,\" Jacob Duffy said as the tree tops and the cloud cover Lexchanged high-fives and the temperature just about strayed out of single digits. Dunedin was a picture postcard, provided you were a fast bowler.
1 min |
November 14, 2025
The Island
'CBL- Munchee' power 2026 MCA D division league cricket tournament
For the 6th consecutive year ‘Munchee’ Ceylon Biscuits’ flagship brand will power the Mercantile Cricket Association, D division league cricket tournament.
1 min |
November 14, 2025
The Island
Traffic chaos in Kandy: Urgent government intervention needed
Air pollution in Kandy has reached unprecedentedly higher levels and health authorities have voiced their concern on several occasions about the issue of increasing respiratory diseases. Kandy does not have major industries or power plants and the sole contributor to air pollution is the large number of motor vehicles. The increase in air pollution in Kandy can be attributed to increasing traffic congestion and traffic jams. Combustion of petrol and diesel in motor vehicles produces carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and fine particles. When vehicles move in traffic jams, the familiar sight of black smoke coming from these vehicles is clearly visible to our naked eye. However, the most dangerous air pollutants are the fine particles which we cannot see with our naked eye and technically known as the PM 2.5 fraction composed of particles with diameters less than 2.5 micrometres (1 micrometer is one millionths of a metre). These are respirable going right into our lungs and then to the bloodstream. Such particles have severe impacts on the lungs and the heart. Exposure can result in coughing or difficulty in breathing, aggravated asthma, development of other chronic respiratory diseases, chronic heart diseases and stroke. In addition, these fine particles which are made up of carbon adsorb various unburnt hydrocarbons in petrol and diesel and some compounds such as the polyaromatic hydrocarbons are well known carcinogens. The PM2.5 level is often considered as the single most important parameter to determine air quality of a city and the level recorded for Kandy on 12-11-2025 was 50 microgrammes per cubic metre which is five times higher than the WHO standard of 10 microgrammes per cubic metre for healthy air. This parameter is typically used in the calculation of the air quality index (AQI) of a locality. It is possible to get the current AQI levels of major Sri Lankan cities from the internet web sites.
3 min |
November 14, 2025
The Island
Sri Lanka's tobacco trap: The $500 million fiscal sinkhole
While many nations struggle with high smoking rates, Sweden has carved a unique and successful path, poised to become Europe's first \"smoke-free\" country with just 5.3% of adults smoking. The question at the heart of the recent \"Quit Like Sweden\" roundtable in Colombo was not whether this success can be replicated, but how South Asia can adapt this model to avert a looming public health crisis.
2 min |