Modi in Pakistan: Through a spyglass
The Pakistani street has taken notice-the neigbour is election-bound. The first signifier has been the augmented levels of bashing the old bugbear-Pakistan — by the front-runner. It has the average Pakistani appalled and bemused, especially since its own poll-bound leaders had advocated peaceful, enhanced ties with India. While a BJP government is remembered here as [...]
War of words in India’s first family as poll points to defeat
NEW DELHI (AFP) – A war of words has erupted among the “first family” of Indian politics as a new poll pointed to a sweeping election win for the Hindu nationalist opposition. Priyanka Gandhi, sister of Rahul Gandhi who is leading the ruling Congress party’s campaign, called the bitterly fought election contest an “ideological war” [...]
Learning in the heart of Jaffna
Behind the smile on 15-year-old Dinisha Selvendran’s face was a tinge of apprehension as she looked at the paper in front of her. The paper was part of the workshop by volunteers of the Singapore International Foundation (SIF) and perhaps the reason Dinisha and her friends were a little jittery was because the paper was [...]
Kishani sings for Visakha
Colombo music lovers have a date to keep: Come May 11 South Asia’s star soprano and Sri Lanka’s darling on the operatic stage, Kishani Jayasinghe will present a concert for a cause close to her heart- her alma mater, Visakha Vidyalaya. A fitting tribute it would seem from this celebrated former pupil of Sri Lanka’s [...]
St. Anthony’s College AGM
The Annual General Meeting of the St. Anthony’s College Wattala, Old Boys’ Association will be held on Saturday, April 26 at the College hall at 4.30 p.m., followed by a fellowship dinner.
Joy of Easter – celebrated with music at St. Andrew’s
Easter has arrived, the climax of Holy Week for some 2.1 billion persons. Christians, who make up the world’s largest religious community, observe the days leading up to Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection with ritual and observances, some of which go back 2,000 years. Music is a crucial part of the church tradition, and Easter Week [...]
Time for servant leadership
“Shake off the dust of the Empire” -Pope John XXIII “Surely it is high time, and surely it would be to everyone’s advantage to ‘shake off the dust of the Empire that has gathered since Constantine’s day on the throne of St. Peter’” (Congar 1964: 127). These words spoken by the great John XXIII will [...]
Nobel winner Garcia Marquez, master of magical realism, dies
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the Colombian author whose beguiling stories of love and longing brought Latin America to life for millions of readers and put magical realism on the literary map, died on Thursday. He was 87. A prolific writer who started out as a newspaper reporter, Garcia Marquez’s masterpiece was “One [...]
Follow Nuremburg example to try LTTE war criminals
An example that Sri Lankan Authorities should follow was enacted way back in 1945. In the drive to “De-nazify” Germany thousands of suspects had been arrested and in the first thirteen trials at Nuremberg 24 major figures were brought to justice. They included party bosses, military leaders, diplomats, judges and administrators — the intention of [...]
Obama to bolster US ‘rebalance’ to Asia
WASHINGTON, April 19 (AFP) -President Barack Obama will use an Asian tour beginning next week to bolster US alliances in the region at a time of increased geopolitical tension. Obama is scheduled to visit Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and the Philippines, and will be under duress to address maritime territorial disputes between US allies and [...]
New Russia sanctions threats as Ukraine stalemate goes on
DONETSK, Ukraine, April 19 (AFP) -Russia said its military is massed on Ukraine’s doorstep and warned against further US sanctions as a deal struck with Washington appeared to stall because of intransigence by Moscow-backed rebels in the former Soviet republic. A threat by US President Barack Obama that more sanctions would befall Moscow if the [...]
Malaysia, Australia in deal on black box custody: Report
KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) -Malaysia and Australia will sign a deal specifying who handles any wreckage from missing flight MH370 that may be recovered, including the crucial “black box” flight data recorders, local media reported Friday. Malaysia is drafting the agreement “to safeguard both nations from any legal pitfalls that may surface during that (recovery) phase,” [...]
S. Korea arrests captain of sunken ferry, divers spot bodies
JINDO, South Korea, April 19 (AFP) -Investigators today arrested the captain accused of abandoning the South Korean ferry that capsized three days ago with 476 people on board, as divers finally accessed the submerged vessel and spotted bodies inside. Lee Joon-Seok and two of his crew were taken into police custody in the early hours [...]
Big education data for poor students
WASHINGTON, DC – Countries need skilled and talented people to generate the innovations that underpin long-term economic growth. This is as true in developed as it is in developing economies. But it will not happen without investment in education and training. If we are to end poverty, reduce unemployment, and stem rising economic inequality, we [...]
Replacing conflict with peace in South Asia
Political disputes, conflicts and violence either within individual states, or between or among neighbouring SAARC states hamper economic cooperation in the region, says former Foreign Secretary Nihal Rodrigo in a research paper he submitted at the International conference on “Towards An Asian Century: Future Of Economic Cooperation in SAARC Countries.” The conference was organised by [...]
