After the debacle in Britain, supporters rallied round President Mahinda Rajapaksa who appears to be re-inspired by the loyalty shown to him when he returned to Sri Lanka on Friday. Minister Mervyn Silva, National Flag in hand, is seen garlanding the President while Minister Wimal Weerawansa and others surround him in a show of support.
The Government is planning to enact several new laws next year, among them being one to introduce DNA tests to decide on parentage issues as well as provide relief to those charged in statutory rape cases.
The Inland Revenue Department’s (IRD) scheme of issuing duty concessionary motor vehicle permits for genuine tax payers maintaining tax compliance has now been tainted with malpractices at a high level, officials said.
Indu Dharmasena is back with yet another rib-tickling play this holiday season. ‘Snow Knight and the Seven Chicks’, is a parody of popular fairy tales woven around the central plot of the play- which is based on the story of King Arthur.
Nestle Lanka Plc, Sri Lanka’s largest private collector of fresh milk, plans to invest between Rs 8 to 10 billion rupees in an accelerated growth plan over the next five to eight years aimed at, among other objectives, sourcing all its fresh milk requirements from Sri Lanka.
Just when it seemed that America's "Homeland Security state" could not get more surreal, the United States Transportation Security Administration has rolled out a costly Scylla and Charybdis at major airports: either you accept dangerous doses of radiation and high-resolution imaging of your naked body, or, worried about the health risks of cumulative radiation, you opt out of the new full-body x-ray machines (rapidly dubbed "porno-scanners").
Wycherley International School came alive with an unveiled tradition and culture as the Hindu Society of the School celebrated "Navarathri" in the High School premises during the last week of October. The students of the School dressed in beautiful colourful traditional clothing enhanced the occasion with high spiritual atmosphere.n.
This comes as a special message to our new sports minister. Hope he is open to some advice. We at this end wish that you have arrived at this place for the long haul and not as a stop gap. Yes, Sri Lanka is a place where interims go on forever and ministers change like a snake’s outer skin. They are dumped more frequently than we buy a shirt for ourselves.
His 'private' visit to the United Kingdom was enveloped in controversy from the beginning. What seemed like a 'burning desire' to address the Oxford Union, one of the world's oldest debating societies, established in 1823, eventually took its toll.
Last Monday evening, London's Met Office issued severe weather warnings. Mostly cloudy, temperatures had hit near zero. Many couldn't go to work; some were trapped in trains for hours because the tracks were covered with snow and ice.
Leaving aside the barely voyeuristic pleasure exhibited by some regarding the WikiLeaks disclosure of more than 250,000 classified and confidential diplomatic cables sent by United States diplomats from all parts of the world, are we not overreacting just that little bit extra?
Five years ago in a market in China, a strange conversation is taking place. The moment Sri Lanka is mentioned, an elderly Chinese merchant, eyes lighting up, says immediately, “Bandaranaike”.
The inextricable link: Sri Lanka and Bandaranaike. When the merchant is told that this is the daughter, he erupts in giggles. How could someone with short-cropped hair, wearing trousers be her daughter?
“Dedicate your
knowledge and wealth of mind to others. In return you will be rewarded”. These were the words of Jaffna University’s Vice Chancellor Professor
S. Shanmugalingam at the annual convocation held recently. He described the Convocation as the day of achievement of knowledge and a new beginning for the graduates.
