The Straits Times – July 18, 2023 Singapore has replaced Japan as the country with the world’s most powerful passport, according to the latest ranking published by Henley Passport Index on Tuesday. It allows visa-free entry to 192 out of 227 global destinations. Singapore last held the top spot in 2021, with visa-free travel to 194 destinations, compared with second-placed Japan’s 193 that year. The Republic was joint-second in 2022 with South Korea, with visa-free access to 192 destinations. Japan was the top country, with 193 visa-free destinations. In the latest ranking, Japan dropped to third, with visa-free access to…

Gulf News – July 16, 2023 Dubai: Dubai welcomed more than 8.5 million international visitors during the first six months of 2023. The emirate’s bourse, the Dubai Financial Market, rose 14 per cent, recording a Dh71 billion gain in value, during the same period. The real estate sector, too, saw significant demand growth, with total transactions reaching Dh285 billion. This is the summary of a report on Dubai’s economic progress for the first half of 2023, reviewed by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council. “Our economic accomplishments, as…

Prof. Shantayanan Devarajan Macroeconomic stability a sine quo non Prof. Shantayanan (Shanta) Devarajan is a Professor of the Practice of International Development at Georgetown University where he teaches development policy, the economics of development, and climate change and development. Additionally, he is the Chair of the International Development Concentration at the university. Prior to this, Devarajan spent 28 years at the World Bank where he was the Senior Director for Development Economics, Chief Economist of the South Asia, Africa, and Middle East and North Africa regions, and Chief of the Public Economics division in the research department. The author or…

Daily Mail – 12 July 2023 Organic molecules have once again been found on the surface of Mars, which could provide scientists with fresh clues as to whether life has ever existed on the Red Planet. Similar molecules that contain predominantly carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and sulphur have previously been detected in Martian meteorites and in the planet’s Gale crater. Now, NASA’s Perseverance rover has detected organic compounds in the Red Planet’s Jezero Crater, an ancient lake basin with ‘high potential’ for past habitability. The findings suggest that a more complex system than previously thought may have existed in the…

Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne Looking beyond our noses Q: As a naturalist, how do you view Sri Lanka’s progress – or lack thereof – in the context of the environment? A: Sri Lanka has a reasonably good legislative framework and network of protected areas. It’s on the right trajectory but faces many macro challenges ranging from climate risk, groundwater pollution and waste management, to excessive plastic disposal. These challenges are not easy to solve; they call for a range of government institutions to work with public and private sector experts, to devise strategic and long-term solutions. At the national level,…

Dr. Indu Peiris The essence of leadership Q: What inspired you to pursue a career in academia? A: I worked in Sri Lanka’s corporate sector for nearly a decade, focussing on international business and product development. While working, I shared my knowledge as a visiting lecturer at two universities. I enjoyed teaching more and decided to pursue a PhD. Q: And why did you relocate to New Zealand? A: I looked at Australia and New Zealand as potential destinations when seeking PhD opportunities. And I preferred the latter – because I like being with nature and the slow pace of…

ESPNcricinfo – 15 July, 2023 While Sri Lanka have played six of their last eight Tests in Galle, Pakistan’s form in the longest format will be their biggest concern On July 16, Sri Lanka played Pakistan in Galle in the first of two Test matches, with the second Test starting on the 24th. That statement is true for both 2022 and 2023. It’s not clear why this series has been set up to perfectly mirror Pakistan’s tour of Sri Lanka last year, but it provides the opportunity to evaluate each side’s progress in the interceding 12 months. Sri Lanka begin…

The Register – 12 July, 2023 China’s private space industry took a giant leap past Musk, Bezos and everyone else today with the first successful orbital launch of a methane-powered rocket. LandSpace Technology Corp’s ZQ-2 was launched early Wednesday morning, Beijing time, according to Chinese state-run news agency CCTV, and “was a complete success,” per a machine-translated reading of the news. Accompanying videos and photos show the purported launch, which was verified independently by telemetry picked up by the US Space Force, astronomer and astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell said in a tweet. “Ground track based on the Space Force TLEs is consistent with…

I wasn’t trying to be an advocate for a cause nor starting a nonprofit but saw the desperate needs of hurting children and marginalised women

INVEST IN SRI LANKA Now is the time! Dinesh Weerakkody responds to a host of burning questions on Sri Lanka’s investment prospects Q: Could you update us on developments at the Port City Colombo? A: The Port City Colombo project has attracted approximately US$ 1.3 billion in foreign direct investments (FDIs) since its inception and these inflows haven’t imposed any liability or costs on the government. And the 269 hectares of reclaimed land is wholly owned by the Government of Sri Lanka and has already contributed US$ 3-4 billion to the nation’s GDP, creating over 12,000 direct jobs and providing…