Already living from hand to mouth, millions of garment workers across Asia fear for their jobs as a deadline to strike a trade deal with the US – or face punishing tariffs – looms closer. On 9 July, following a 90-day pause on tariffs for countries to negotiate deals, the US president notified several countries in the region of new …
Continue Reading
Sri Lanka has moved forward with a major initiative to boost tourist arrivals by expanding its free tourist visa program to 40 countries, including the US, Canada, UK, Australia, Thailand, and India. This development is part of an effort to attract more tourists from key international markets, make the country more appealing on the global stage, and boost the economy …
Continue Reading
The ‘Hotel Show Colombo – 2025’ was officially inaugurated this morning (25) by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Sirimavo Bandaranaike Memorial Exhibition Centre (BMICH), Colombo. This exhibition, which is jointly organized annually by the Sri Lanka Hospitality Graduates Association (SLHGA) in collaboration with the public and private sectors, is being held for the 17th time this year. The Colombo …
Continue Reading
A discussion took place yesterday afternoon (24) at the Presidential Secretariat between the Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake and a delegation from the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, along with representatives from Japanese trade, commerce and industry sectors. This delegation from Japan has arrived in Sri Lanka to explore opportunities for increasing Japanese investment in …
Continue Reading
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake stated that the proposed education reform is not merely limited to curriculum revision but will simultaneously elevate both the social and economic spheres of the country. The President requested support for this initiative, emphasising that it is a social objective, not a political one. He further stressed that no child should leave school without completing 13 …
Continue Reading
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake held a discussion this afternoon (24) at the Presidential Secretariat with relevant Ministers and Officials regarding the protection of wild elephants and the safeguarding daily lives of rural community. During the meeting, the President inquired into the current situation regarding the increasing harassment incidents involving wild elephants and their disruptive impact on the daily lives of …
Continue Reading
New Delhi: Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu on Sunday slammed the Western media reports on the Air India plane crash in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad that claimed over 250 lives, and said that making comments before the final report is published is “not a good exercise”. The minister made the remarks while speaking to reporters in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad …
Continue Reading
When the government of Sri Lanka published the National Red List of threatened plants in 2020, my eyebrows shot up. We’ve all become accustomed, after all, to the grim news these reports periodically bring us. But here it was, in black and white: 128 species, not having been recorded in surveys conducted during the past century, were assessed as “possibly extinct,” …
Continue Reading
Chess is very popular in Sri Lanka. Well over 500 players, mainly children and young people, took part in the 12th Dhamso International Chess Festival in 2025. A A C B Amarasinghe scored 9 points from 10 rounds to win the tournament. | Photo: From left: Mr Nuwan Karunakalage, Mr Chamin Dennis Livera, CM A A C B Amarasinghe, Mr …
Continue Reading
Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. In a move hailed as a long-overdue conservation victory, Sri Lanka has formally declared Nilgala — a sweeping mosaic of grasslands, forests and sacred sites — as a protected forest reserve, reports contributor Malaka Rodrigo for Mongabay. Spanning more than 40,000 hectares (100,000 acres), Nilgala is now …
Continue Reading
