Arumugarasa Sabeswaran: A Life Dedicated to Journalism
Arumugarasa Sabeswaran: A Life Dedicated to Journalism by Thusiyan
In Sri Lanka, particularly in the North-East during and after the armed conflict, journalism was never simply a profession, it was an act of courage. Amid surveillance, intimidation and threats, Arumugarasa Sabeswaran, widely known as Sabesh, remained committed to journalism and the Tamils.
Sabesh passed away in Toronto on 29 July 2026, aged 47, after a prolonged illness. His death is a significant loss to Eelam Tamil journalism and Tamils.
He began his career at the Thinakkural newspaper in 2002, rising from staff reporter to Editor-in-Chief in 2016. B
They have been saying the same thing for two years: Premachandran on land releases
They have been saying the same thing for two years: Premachandran on land releases by abilash
The Democratic Tamil National Alliance spokesperson Suresh Premachandran has accused the Sri Lankan government of failing to take meaningful action to release land held by the military, despite repeatedly promising to address the issue over the past two years.
Speaking at a press conference in Jaffna, Premachandran also criticised the government for failing to hold provincial council elections within the timeframe it had promised. The National Peoples Power and the Sri Lankan president Anura Kumara Dissanayake had pledged that the polls
30,000 MT of paddy to be converted into rice for market
Cabinet approval has been granted to convert 30,000 Metric Tonnes of paddy held by the Paddy Marketing Board into rice and release it to the market.
The decision follows a recommendation made at the 34th Food Policy and Security Committee meeting held on July 22, 2026, with the aim of supporting the government’s paddy procurement programme and ensuring an adequate rice supply.
Under the approved programme, the Cooperative Wholesale Trading Corporation (CWE) will arrange for the 30,000MT of paddy to be processed and packed as rice.
The CWE will invite expressions of interest from rice mill owners registered with the Paddy Marketing Board to process the paddy and supply rice in 5 kg, 10 kg, 25 kg and 50 kg packs.
A price committee appointed under a Cabinet decision made on December 15, 2025, has determined the paddy-to-rice conversion rate and the appropriate selling price. The committee includes officials from the Paddy Marketing Board, CWE,
Long-term fuel supply contracts with Singapore firms, approved
The Cabinet has approved long-term contracts for the supply of petrol, Murban crude oil and diesel to the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC), following an evaluation of bids submitted under a limited international competitive procurement process.
The procurement was conducted among suppliers registered with the CPC. The approved contracts cover 03 petroleum products to be supplied between September 2026 – February 2027.
Aditya Birla Global Trading (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. was selected to supply 1.2 million barrels, with a margin of 5%, of 92 Unl petrol from Sept. 1, 2026, to Feb. 28, 2027. Four bids were received for the contract.
In addition, Aditya Birla Global Trading also selected to supply 2.8 million barrels, with a margin of 5%, of Murban crude oil from Nov. 1, 2026, to Feb. 28, 2027. Four bids were received for this procurement.
Meanwhile, Vitol Asia Pte. Ltd., Singapore, was selected to supply 1.12 million barrels, with a margin o
Ex-President of Syria sentenced to death in absentia
A Syrian court has sentenced ousted dictator Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia, after convicting him of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity during the country’s civil war.
It is the first conviction against Assad, who fled from Damascus to Moscow with his family after his regime was overthrown in December 2024, ending his family’s five-decade grip on power.
Assad’s cousin and the former head of political security in southern Syria’s Deraa province, Atef Najib, was also sentenced to death. He had been put on trial and appeared wearing a striped prison uniform inside a cage in the courtroom as the judge read out his sentence.
Deraa is widely seen as the birthplace of the uprising against Assad’s rule.
In March 2011, the detention and alleged torture of a group of teenagers accused of writing anti-government graffiti sparked protests in the city, which were met with a violent crackdown by security f
CIABOC files indictments against ex-Minister Rajitha
The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) has filed indictments before the Colombo High Court against former Fisheries Minister Rajitha Senaratne over an alleged corruption offence.
The case has been filed against Rajitha Senaratne, alleging that he caused a financial loss to the State by awarding the sand removal project at the Kirinda Fisheries Harbour to a Korean company during his tenure as Fisheries Minister.
Gold: ஒரே நாளில் ரூ.2,400 உயர்வு! மீண்டும் லைம்லைட்டில் தங்கம்; விலை ஏறுவது ஏன்?
கடந்த பிப்ரவரி மாத இறுதியில், ஈரான் போர் தொடங்கியதில் இருந்து கச்சா எண்ணெய் ஹீரோவாகி, தங்கம் டல் அடிக்க தொடங்கியது. இங்கே குறிப்பிடுவது விலை ரீதியாக.
இன்னும் ஈரான் போர் ஆன்... ஆஃப்... ஆன்... ஆஃப் மோடில் இருந்தாலும், இப்போது தங்கம் விலை மீண்டும் லைம்லைட்டிற்கு வந்துள்ளது.
ஒரு நாளில் சென்னையில் தங்கம் விலை கிராமுக்கு ரூ.300-உம், பவுனுக்கு ரூ.2,400-உம் உயர்ந்துள்ளது. இன்று சென
Vavuniya mayor stays in office as court extends order against governor
Vavuniya mayor stays in office as court extends order against governor by abilash
The Vavuniya High Court has extended the interim order suspending the Northern Province Governors decision to remove the Vavuniya Municipal Council Mayor Kandeeban from office, directing the parties to file written submissions before it rules on whether the suspension should continue.
The matter was taken up again on Friday as part of a writ application filed by Kandeeban challenging his removal by the Northern Province Governor Nagalingam Vethanayahan.
Kandeebans counsel, Presidents Counsel M. A. Sumanthiran, told reporters after the heari
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