Iraq crisis threatens South Asia stability
NEW DELHI – Iraq seems to be falling apart, with the rapid advance of the militant Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) threatening to lead to the country’s division into Shia, Sunni, and Kurdish entities, while blurring its border with its turbulent western neighbour. Moreover, the tumult is now threatening to spread to two [...]
Jihadist chief orders Muslims to ‘obey’ in surprise sermon
BAGHDAD, July 05, (AFP) – The leader of a brutal jihadist group addressed worshippers in the militant-held Iraqi city of Mosul, ordering Muslims to “obey” him and calling for global jihad, in a video distributed online Saturday. The appearance by the hitherto elusive Islamic State (IS) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi at a mosque in Mosul [...]
Lady Ridgeway Hospital gets CRRT machine
A Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (CRRT) machine, important in the treatment of dengue patients during the critical phase, was donated to the Medical Intensive Care Unit of the Lady Ridgeway Hospital (LRH) for Children, Colombo, on June 24. The donation was made by the Access Group in memory of eight-year-old Seyarra Fernando who died in [...]
Winning in Cannes
Sri Lankan Kum Kum Fernando working as Associate Creative Director of Lowe, Vietnam was part of the LOWE Vietnam Team that won a Gold and Bronze at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity held from June 15 -21 in Cannes, France. The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, has been recognising the best in [...]
JAT Holdings to build ‘Training and Simulation Centre’ to reduce maternal deaths
JAT Holdings announced on Wednesday the commencement of the construction of the state-of-the-art JAT Training and Simulation Centre to be set up under the auspices of the Sri Lanka College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists (SLCOG), to further reduce maternal deaths in the country. JAT Holdings is to provide Rs. 30 million for this venture through [...]
Thirteen artists come together for ‘Space’ exhibition
Thirteen women, all products of the Faculty of Visual and Performing Arts of the University of Aesthetic Studies, have come together – for an exhibition they call ‘Space’. The exhibition which is curated by Janani Cooray will be held at the J.D.A Perera Gallery on July 12 and 13 with the opening scheduled on July [...]
Zonta Club III of Colombo elects new President and Board for 2014-2016
The Zonta Club III of Colombo installed the new President and Club officials for the new Biennium of 2014-2016 on Sunday, June 15 at its Annual General Meeting at the Hilton Residencies Colombo. Priyanganie Mushin was elected President, Moji Akingbade – President Elect, Ifeth Mansoor- Vice President, Farida Aliboy, Ratten Abdulhussein and Shiranthi Gunawardena – [...]
A Knight’s tale
Earlier this year I had dinner with Sir Desmond de Silva at Sekara Restaurant – a well known Sri Lankan eating place on Lower Grosvenor Place in London. It was a fascinating evening, made memorable by Sir Desmond’s gifts as a raconteur. Today, the legal expertise of Sir Desmond de Silva QC, is sought all [...]
Murder by chloroform at Duff House, Bagatalle Road
Maha Mudaliyar Sir Solomon Dias Bandaranaike of Horogolla Walauwe had two daughters and a son. The son was SWRD, Prime Minister of Ceylon, from 1956 to 1959. He married Sirimavo, one of the daughters of Barnes Ratwatte (later Sir Barnes). She was a good 18 years SWRD’s junior in age. Though Sir Solomon was not [...]
Protecting Buddhism from extremist monks
There is widespread concern about the betrayal of Buddhism by extremist monks. These concerns have been reflected in the media. The Sunday Times editorials of May 11 and June 22 were devoted to this serious concern. I, though a Christian, have the highest respect and regard for Buddhism as it is the religion of more [...]
Hate speech — sowing the dragon’s teeth
In early May when students led by the Inter University Students’ Federation (IUSF) launched a demonstration in Colombo on the Allied Health Sciences issue, the police with lightning speed obtained an order from the Colombo Chief Magistrate to stop the demonstration on the basis that it would cause public disorder and tarnish the image of [...]
The Middle East and the return of history
BERLIN – Ever since Francis Fukuyama argued, more than two decades ago, that the world had reached the end of history, history has made the world hold its breath. China’s rise, the Balkan wars, the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the global financial crisis of 2008, the “Arab [...]
The era of robot journalists is here
Quarterly earnings reports already read like they’ve been written by robots, but the next step will make that a reality: Going forward, the Associated Press will be using automated technology to write the majority of articles on company returns. In a statement released on Monday, the news service dubbed the move as “a leap forward” [...]
Trapped Indian nurses on way home from Iraq
NEW DELHI, July 5 (AFP) -A group of 46 Indian nurses who were trapped in an area of Iraq seized by Islamic militants were set to be welcomed home by anxious relatives today after being freed from the rebel-held city of Mosul. The nurses found themselves trapped while working in a state-run hospital in the [...]
Pope Francis to meet sex abuse victims for first time
VATICAN CITY, July 5 (AFP) -Pope Francis will meet victims of paedophile priests for the first time on Monday, as a Vatican commission moves to address the problem of clerical sex abuse in developing countries. Six victims from Britain, Germany and Ireland will talk with the head of the Roman Catholic Church at his private [...]
Germany spying: US envoy summoned after arrest
The German authorities have summoned the US ambassador in Berlin after a man was arrested on suspicion of spying. The US diplomat “was asked to help in the swift clarification” of the case, the foreign ministry said. German officials confirmed the arrest but released no other details. US-German ties were strained after allegations last year [...]
Myanmar opposition youth seek louder voice
YANGON, July 5 (AFP) -Aung San Suu Kyi’s Myanmar opposition party faced calls to inject new blood into its ageing top ranks as it opened a landmark conference today dedicated to its youth wing. The Nobel Peace Prize winner’s National League for Democracy (NLD), founded after a bloody crackdown on a failed popular uprising in [...]
India finance minister UFO Facebook post angers “common men”
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – With many Indians worrying about the threat of tough measures in their new government’s first budget next week, a Facebook post suggesting the finance minister might be pondering less earthly matters quickly roused anger on Wednesday. Arun Jaitley, a key confidante of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, published a message celebrating “World [...]
Wear glasses? Then you’re probably smart
For years, people with glasses have been stereotyped as being a ‘nerd’ or a ‘geek’. But scientists have always believed that genes, rather than education, were more important in determining poor vision. Now a study provides scientific backing to suggest that the smarter you are, the more likely you are to suffer from myopia, also [...]
Would you drink a pint of man-made cows’ milk?
Imagine a world where milk is not only artificially produced, but also free of lactose and cholesterol. That’s the dream of three bio-engineers in the US who are preparing to produce a proof-of-concept of their cow-free milk. Ryan Pandya, Perumal Gandhi and Isha Datar are the founders of biotech start-up Muufri, and by next year [...]
Wearable technology nailed
So far the world of technology has been treated to smartwatches, augmented reality glasses and electronic t-shirts. But one area of wearable technology that no one’s yet put a finger on is the humble fingernail itself. Thankfully that’s all set to change, however, as Tokyo toy company Takara Tomy has released LED stickers for nails [...]
NASA carbon dioxide-hunting telescope reaches orbit
CAPE CANAVERAL Fla. (Reuters) – An unmanned Delta 2 rocket blasted off from California on Wednesday, carrying a NASA science satellite to survey where carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas tied to climate change, is moving into and out of Earth’s atmosphere, a NASA Television broadcast showed. The 127-foot-tall (39-meter) rocket lifted off at 2:56 a.m. [...]
Bad news for vegetarians
Most people don’t give a second thought when tucking into a plate of salad. But perhaps we should be a bit more considerate when chomping on lettuce, as scientists have found that plants actually respond defensively to the sounds of themselves being eaten. The researchers at the University of Missouri (MU) found that plants can [...]
Target tuberculosis in rich world as model for poor: WHO
GENEVA (Reuters) – The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday launched an ambitious plan for rich countries to sharply reduce tuberculosis infections and serve as a model for harder-hit countries of Africa and Asia, where the disease still thrives. Although the 33 targeted countries, 21 of them in Europe, have relatively low rates of infection, [...]
Scientists find how magic mushrooms alter the mind
LONDON (Reuters) – Scientists studying the effects of the psychedelic chemical in magic mushrooms have found the human brain displays a similar pattern of activity during dreams as it does during a mind-expanding drug trip. Psychedelic drugs such as LSD and magic mushrooms can profoundly alter the way we experience the world, but little is [...]
Artist Tracey Emin whoops as her ‘My Bed’ fetches over $4 million
LONDON (Reuters) – Tracey Emin’s “My Bed,” complete with cigarette butts, crumpled sheets and underwear, sold for 2.5 million pounds ($4.25 million) on Tuesday, a record for the artist, who was present at the auction and applauded and whooped delightedly. Emin’s 1998 work, which fetched over 1 million pounds above its top estimated price, and [...]
Growing concern in Muslim world about Islamist militancy: Survey
PARIS (Reuters) – Large majorities in Muslim countries are increasingly worried about Islamist militancy and oppose its best-known groups, such as the global al Qaeda movement, Nigeria’s Boko Haram and Hamas, according to a new survey. Support for violent tactics such as suicide bombing has fallen in many countries over the past decade, although some [...]
Would you rather sit and think or get shocked? You’d be surprised
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – So you say all you want to do is to take a few minutes to sit down and think without anyone or anything bugging you? Maybe that is true. But you might be in the minority. A U.S. study published on Thursday showed that most volunteers who were asked to spend no [...]
