COVID-19 CLIFFHANGER
Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time compresses several billion years of the universe’s existence into about 200 pages. What we are collectively
WORKING FROM HOME
In 1964, Sir Arthur C. Clarke addressed developments that he believed would comprise the ‘day after tomorrow’
STATE OF THE NATION
June was once the month of bridals. Under pandemic conditions, it was hardly a time for sealing lasting relationships. However, romantic notions
THE BIG PICTURE
The Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka Deshamanya Prof. W. D. Lakshman says in this edition’s Cover Story that “COVID-19 could be effectively used as a turning
4/21 POSTMORTEM
Over a year has passed since the Easter Sunday bombings that stunned the nation and
REGIONAL OUTLOOK
South Asia faces a dire economic outlook on account of the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis; it is expected to experience its worst
EARTH SHUTDOWN
We were warned that an asteroid was heading toward us in April. However, it took a submicroscopic virus to send
LEADERSHIP NARRATIVE
On 14 January 2020, the WHO announced on Twitter that “preliminary investigations conducted by the
STATE OF THE NATION
COVID-19 did not cause every sickness in human society. However, it did expose the underlying rottenness in many a republic. On the one hand, public safety being
THE BIG PICTURE
Our national carrier has done the nation proud during this time of extreme crisis, following the sudden emergence of a virus that took the world we live in by storm – suffice
SHARED RESPONSIBILITY
Despite the economic costs, the government made a timely decision to tackle the COVID-19 threat. It sought to restrict the mobility of people and their interactions
WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY
In this period of continued lockdown across many parts of the world, there’s been a seemingly endless stream of conspiracy theories in relation to the origins of the disease
SPACE EXPLORATION
The moon has been desolate since 1972. A few have tried to revisit it but haven’t succeeded. After all, having conquered and planted
COVID-19 WORLD VIEW
In July 2003, the Beijing Municipal Council announced that the SARS virus had cost Beijing’s tourism industry a mammoth US$ 4.8 billion. At the same time, the WHO declared
THE BIG PICTURE
In what is a highly fluid landscape both here in Sri Lanka and across the seas, against a backdrop of the highly contagious coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, we have surely done exceptionally well
STATE OF THE NATION
I never thought so many critics of three-cornered democracy would miss the agency of a legislature. But in a crisis of the proportions that the COVID-19 pandemic created, you tend to miss the small
THE MODERN STATESMAN
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has an opportunity to be a leader in the mode of Lee Kuan Yew who was no-nonsense and firm when it came to dealing with political opponents
THE CORONAVIRUS
Paracetamol – a drug that many take for granted as being readily available – counts India as its largest global supplier. And in March amid the coronavirus (COVID-19)
SPACE TALK
Between satellites and drones, there is a wide business gap that’s being filled by balloons. Satellites served as the earliest eyes in the sky – a race that began 
SRI LANKAN IDENTITY
If President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had hoped to develop a united country following the 16 November 2019 presidential election, what he inherited instead was a polarised
