SIMPSON’S … set to carve a distinct sonic identity

It is, indeed, encouraging to see our local artistes working on new formats, where their music is concerned.

Variety is the spice of life, they say, and I do agree, especially when it comes to music.

Blending modern synth textures, ambient layers and soulful undertones, the group SIMPSON’S is set to carve a distinct sonic identity within Sri Lanka’s contemporary music landscape.

Their vision, they say, is not simply to produce songs, but to create emotional atmospheres – experiences that elevate, energise and resonate, both locally and beyond.

This four-piece outfit came into the scene, less than two years ago, and they are already making waves with their debut single ‘Balaporottuwak’ (Hope).

The song, I’m told, marks the beginning of a new sound, and at the forefront of ‘Balaporottuwak’ is the group’s lead vocalist and guitarist, Ryo Hera, who brings a rich cultural heritage to the stage.

As a professional Kandyan Wes dancer, Ryo’s commanding presence and textured vocals bring a distinct energy to the band’s sound.

‘Balaporottuwak’

Ryo Hera: Vocals for ‘Balaporottuwak’

is more than just a debut single – it’s a declaration of intent. The band is merging tradition and modernity, power and subtlety, to create a sound that’s both authentic and innovative.

With this song, SIMPSON’S is inviting listeners to join them on an evolving musical journey, one that’s built on vision and creativity.

The recording process for ‘Balaporottuwak’ was organic and instinctive, with the band shaping the song through live studio sessions.

Dileepa Liyanage, the keyboardist and composer, is the principal sound mind behind SIMPSON’S.

With experience spanning background scores, commercial projects, cinematic themes and jingles across multiple genres, Dileepa brings structural finesse and atmospheric depth to the band’s arrangements.

He described the recording process of ‘Balaporottuwak’ as organic and instinctive: “When Ryo Hera opens his voice, it becomes effortless to shape it into any musical colour. The tone naturally adapts.”

The band’s lineup includes Buddhima Chalanu on bass, and Savidya Yasaru on drums, and, together, they create a sound that’s not just a reflection of their individual talents, but a collective vision.

Dileepa Liyanage: Brings
structural finesse and
atmospheric depth to the
band’s arrangements

What sets SIMPSON’S apart is their decision to keep the production in-house – mixing and mastering the song themselves. This allows them to maintain their unique sound and artistic autonomy.

“We work as a family and each member is given the freedom to work out his music on the instruments he handles and then, in the studio, we put everything together,” said Dileepa, adding that their goal is to release an album, made up of Sinhala and English songs.

Steering this creative core is manager Mangala Samarajeewa, whose early career included managing various international artistes. His guidance has positioned SIMPSON’S not merely as a performing unit, but as a carefully envisioned project – one aimed at expanding Sri Lanka’s contemporary music vocabulary.

SIMPSON’S are quite active in the scene here, performing, on a regular basis, at popular venues in Colombo, and down south, as well.

They are also seen, and heard, on Spotify, TikTok, Apple Music, iTunes, and Deezer.

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Five Iranian footballers granted Australian visas after anthem protest

Five members of the Iranian women’s football team have been granted humanitarian visas in Australia after their elimination in the Asian Cup, the government in Canberra says.

Immigration Minister Tony Burke said the women “were moved to a safe location” by Australian police. He said other squad members had been told they are welcome to stay in the country.

The women had been due to fly home, but supporters had raised fears for their safety after the team declined to sing the national anthem ahead of their match against South Korea last week.

This prompted criticism in Iran, with one conservative commentator accusing the team of being “wartime traitors” and pushing for harsh punishment.

Australia’s humanitarian visa programme grants permanent protection to refugees and people in humanitarian need. Visa holders can live, work and study in the country.

Speaking early on Tuesday, Burke said the five players were happy for their names to be confirmed as Fatemeh Pasandideh, Zahra Ghanbari, Zahra Sarbali, Atefeh Ramazanzadeh, and Mona Hamoudi.

“They want to be clear they are not political activists. They are athletes who want to be safe,” he said, adding that talks had been going on over several days.

He said that on Monday “it was made clear that there were five women who wanted to be able to stay in Australia”.

The group left their hotel the same day and were moved to a safe location by police.

Burke said he met the women at that location and then signed off for their applications to go onto humanitarian visas – a process completed at about 01:30 local time on Tuesday (15:30 GMT Monday).

“I say to the other members of the team, the same opportunity is there. Australia has taken the Iranian women’s soccer team into our hearts. These women are tremendously popular in Australia.

“But we realise they are in a terribly difficult situation with the decisions that they’re making,” the Australian minister said.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese later confirmed that the five players had been given humanitarian visas.

On Sunday evening, hundreds of supporters surrounded the Iranian Lionesses’ coach as it left the stadium on the Gold Coast, with chants of “save our girls”.

On Monday, the BBC witnessed dramatic scenes inside the team’s five- star hotel when several players left the lobby in a group after speaking to activists.

Shortly after they departed, a second group – including a translator and the head coach – burst in looking panicked, and rushed through the hotel before returning to their rooms.

A family member of one of the women – speaking on condition of anonymity – told Australian news site ABC they were being protected by police, and intended to claim asylum.

“I want to kiss the hands of everyone who helped,” the unnamed relative told ABC.

On Monday, US President Donald Trump took to his Truth Social platform to demand action.

Australia should “give asylum” to the women, Trump said in his initial post. “The US will take them if you won’t,” he added.

Around an hour later, Trump posted again to say he had spoken to Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and “five have already been taken care of, and the rest are on their way”.

Trump’s post appeared to also suggest some of the team feared for the safety of their families back in Iran and so felt they must “go back”.

“In any event, the Prime Minister is doing a very good job having to do with this rather delicate situation. God bless Australia!” Trump said.

The Trump administration put all asylum decisions on hold at the end of last year, and has stopped issuing immigrant visas for citizens from dozens of countries including Iran. It has said the administration wants to bring “an end to the abuse” of the system.

Last year, two groups of Iranians – including people whose asylum applications had been unsuccessful – were deported from the US back to Iran. The groups reportedly included members of the LGBT community,who face severe legal and social repercussions in Iran.

[BBC]

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Navy, Police seize 368 kg of foreign cannabis in Kayts

The Navy, in a joint operation with the Kayts Police, seized a consignment of foreign-origin cannabis, weighing about 368 kilos, at the Suruvil beach area, on Kayts Island, Jaffna.

The operation, conducted on Wednesday (04), also led to the arrest of a suspect and the seizure of a dinghy used to transport the contraband.

The Navy said the search had been carried out by personnel attached to SLNS Kanchadewa of the Northern Naval Command, in coordination with the Kayts Police Station.

During the operation, naval personnel searched a suspicious dinghy found at the beach and recovered the stock of cannabis packed in 175 parcels.

The street value of the seized foreign cannabis is estimated to exceed Rs. 73 million.

The suspect arrested in connection with the incident has been identified as a 35-year-old resident of Velanai in Kayts Island.

The suspect, along with the dinghy and the stock of cannabis, was handed over to the Kayts Police for further investigations and legal action.

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India hammer New Zealand to retain T20 World Cup crown

Rex Clementine in Ahmedabad

India produced a ruthless, near-flawless performance to retain the T20 World Cup title they won in the Caribbean two years ago, steamrolling New Zealand by 96 runs in Sunday’s final in Ahmedabad.

The Kiwis, who had marched into the final after ending South Africa’s unbeaten run in the Calcutta semi-final, ran into a blue wall. India piled up a daunting 255 for five after being asked to bat and then bundled New Zealand out for 159 with an over to spare, sealing one of the most emphatic wins in a World Cup final.

India had been given a wake-up call earlier in the tournament when South Africa handed them a heavy defeat in the Super Eight stage, leaving them needing four straight wins to lift the trophy. From that point on, Surya Kumar Yadav’s men put their foot on the accelerator and never looked back, playing like a side on a mission and delivering the knockout punch when it mattered most.

It was a triumph built not just on star power but on depth and system. India’s conveyor belt of talent keeps churning out match-winners, and their bench strength is the envy of the cricketing world. You may grumble about their strong-arm tactics in the corridors of power, but there is no denying the machine they have built. The result is domination across formats – men’s, women’s and Under-19 – echoing the era of Australian supremacy. At the moment, India are the team everyone else is chasing.

The victory was India’s biggest in T20 World Cup history and made them the first team to win the title three times. Former captains Rohit Sharma, who led the side to the 2024 crown and M.S. Dhoni, the architect of the inaugural triumph in 2007, were present at the venue to witness another chapter of Indian cricketing glory.

New Zealand, however, got their sums wrong. Their seamers stuck to predictable pace and failed to mix things up, allowing India’s openers to cash in during the powerplay.

Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson came out all guns blazing, racing to 98 for the first wicket in just 7.1 overs and putting the Kiwis immediately on the back foot. Abhishek set the tone with a blistering 52 off 22 balls, while Samson anchored the charge with a sparkling 89 off 46 deliveries, peppered with five fours and eight towering sixes.

Samson had been India’s banker throughout the tournament, striking three consecutive half-centuries during the campaign and walking away with the Player of the Series award.

The fireworks did not stop there. Ishan Kishan chipped in with a breezy 54 off 25 balls at number three as India threatened to push past the 270 mark. New Zealand managed to drag things back slightly at the death, but chasing 256 in a World Cup final was always going to be a bridge too far.

India’s bowlers then applied the squeeze. Jasprit Bumrah led the charge with a masterclass in fast bowling, finishing with figures of four for 15 and walking away with the Man of the Match award as New Zealand’s chase fizzled out quickly.

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Vision Care Hearing Solutions donates 40 hearing aids to 22 children

Vision Care Hearing Solutions marked World Hearing Day with a donation of 40 hearing aids to 22 children, concluding its community outreach campaign under the theme “From Communities to Classrooms – Hearing Care for All Children.”

The award ceremony was held at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute with the participation of parents, children, media personnel and well-wishers.

The campaign, aligned with the global initiative of the World Health Organization, began months earlier through school screening programmes covering more than 15 schools. Over 1,500 children were screened to identify undiagnosed hearing difficulties.

Speaking at the event, representatives of Vision Care Hearing Solutions emphasised that the initiative was part of the company’s long-term corporate social responsibility commitment to ensure hearing care reaches classrooms and supports children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Medical experts highlighted the importance of early detection and proper pediatric hearing technology. The donated devices included advanced hearing aids featuring BrainHearing technology, designed to improve speech clarity, noise reduction and auditory development for children.

Children with hearing loss in both ears received bilateral hearing aid fittings to support speech development and academic performance.

The highlight of the ceremony was an emotional address by one of the beneficiary students, who expressed gratitude on behalf of all recipients, reminding the audience that the donation represented not just devices but opportunities for education, confidence and future growth.

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Donald Trump looks ashen-faced as he welcomes home bodies of six dead soldiers

The US President described the six soldiers, who were killed in Kuwait, as 'great heroes'.

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Mujibur Rahuman questions delay over berthing of IRIS Dena

Colombo District SJB MP Mujibur Rahuman told Parliament on Thursday that the Iranian naval vessel that sank off Sri Lanka’s southern coast had sought permission to dock at the Port of Galle, but the government had failed to respond in time.

Rahuman said the Iranian Navy ship had participated in a multinational naval training exercise in India along with representatives from 74 countries, including Sri Lanka.

He said the vessel had left India, after the exercise, but altered its course due to escalating Middle East tensions and remained in waters, about 40 nautical miles off Sri Lanka, for nearly 11 hours, while awaiting permission to berth.

“The ship had requested permission to dock at Galle Harbour, but the government did not respond,” he said.

The MP further alleged that a US submarine, operating in the Gulf, had received information about the Iranian vessel and subsequently targeted the ship near Sri Lanka’s maritime zone.

He questioned why the authorities allowed the Iranian ship to remain at sea for 11 hours without a response and whether the delay was consistent with Sri Lanka’s obligations under international maritime conventions.

“We are bound by international law. Why was the Iranian vessel not allowed to berth at Galle Port? Why was there such a delay?” he asked.

Rahuman made the remarks in Parliament while commenting on the attack on the Iranian Navy ship IRIS Dena, off Sri Lanka’s southern coast, on Wednesday.

by Saman Indrajith

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