Financial Times – July 14, 2023 Every schoolchild knows the dinosaurs of the Cretaceous era were wiped out by an asteroid. But now, it seems, we humans are the threat. The news that we have probably entered the Anthropocene — the first epoch to be defined by the overwhelming impact of humans on Earth’s vital systems — is deeply sobering. It’s almost too much to get your head around: that we have shaped the world so profoundly in what is, in the Earth’s history, the blink of an eye. Most of the geological epochs in the past 4.6bn years have…

Imran Furkan Collaborating for growth Q: How can Sri Lanka move forward through business collaborations? A: More than loans or multilateral-bilateral aid, business collaborations help bring sustainable inflows of foreign direct investment (FDI), and transfer skills and technical know-how. They also open new markets for Sri Lanka’s products and services. As such, we should be promoting business collaborations more than other avenues of cooperation. Sri Lanka must push for business collaborations as its preferred form of cooperation through more free trade agreements (FTAs), mergers and acquisitions, privatisations and removal of trade barriers – rather than government to government deals and…

Reuters – July 13, 2023 Tesla (TSLA.O) is discussing an investment proposal with the Indian government to set up a factory with an annual capacity to produce about half a million electric vehicles, the Times of India reported on Thursday, citing government sources. The company, led by billionaire Elon Musk, is also looking at using India as an export base to ship cars to countries in the Indo-Pacific region, the report said. The starting price for the vehicles will be 2 million rupees ($24,400.66), the report added, which is more than double of India’s cheapest EV, MG Comet, and half a million costlier…

Nigel Fernando Sri Lanka is forever home Q: Your connection with Sri Lanka in a nutshell… A: Forever home – the bond I share with Sri Lanka is unparalleled and irreplaceable. Having been born and raised there, I feel a profound yearning to return one day as it’s my true home; it is where I belong. Q: How would you describe life as an expat in Dubai? A: Dubai offers a host of benefits that makes it an attractive city to live and work in. It’s safe and clean, and boasts world-class infrastructure. This makes it a very comfortable place…

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…