Modi’s India seeks special relationship with Lanka
- Mr. Modi won the election on a platform of development. Is heon the right track? Yes, he is. His priorities are clear. They have been spelt out properly. Ninety-nine per cent of his time during the campaign was devoted to development. He did not talk about religion or anything else. If you go by [...]
Natwar exposes Rajiv’s dealings with LTTE
In November 1986, the SAARC Summit was to be held in Bangalore. Rajiv Gandhi and Sri Lankan President J.R. Jayewardene were the most sought after leaders at the summit. The unwritten rule followed at summits is that bilateral issues are not raised. At the opening session, all Heads of State speak and controversy is avoided. [...]
Jaffna-”Exorcising the Past and Holding the Vision”
To an older generation of Sri Lankans the name Neville Jayaweera would need no introduction. Most of those who will ultimately read this book would do so, not so much for its provocative title, but more because Neville Jayaweera has written it. Jayaweera belonged to an elite corps of public servants designated “Civil Servants”, who [...]
Toccata : Experience the West End like never before
In less than two weeks, Colombo is about to experience the West End like it has never before, when Toccata Musical Productions takes the stage at the BMICH August 15 – 17. Among the glittering cast are some of the most experienced musicians to grace a Lankan stage, promising magic “Best of West End and [...]
The Department of Immigration and Emigration obtains international Certification status
The Department of Immigration and Emigration, Sri Lanka has obtained the ISO 9001:2008 international Certification status from the Sri Lanka Standards Institution (SLSI). This certification indicates that the Department of Immigration and Emigration has understood the requirements of the general public and works towards fulfilling them. The picture shows Controller General of the Department of [...]
Tracing mankind’s fascination with our origins and purpose
Speaking at the annual Ray Wijewardene Memorial Lecture last Thursday, Prof. Chandra Wickramasinghe drew a long arc as he traced mankind’s profound fascination with our own origins and purpose. At the event, which drew a large crowd that overflowed into standing room only, Prof.Wickramasinghe spoke of how this craving to know has always found voice [...]
Zonta Club III presents Eve Ensler’s ‘The Vagina Monologues’
Theatre is a powerful tool of communication and this August the Zonta Club III will present Eve Ensler’s ‘The Vagina Monologues’ as part of its ‘No to Violence’ Initiative to create awareness of the harmful effects of violence on women and children to audiences in Sri Lanka. The internationally acclaimed play will be performed in [...]
India’s meth addiction grows as criminals tap chemical hub
MUMBAI, (AFP) – The teenager sits quietly in a Mumbai rehab clinic, a victim of India’s emerging fad for the drug crystal meth, which experts say is spurred by loopholes in the country’s giant chemical industry. “It made me feel powerful,” said the 19-year-old undergraduate student, who began taking the drug with friends at college [...]
Militant Buddhism: The sad pity of it all!
Every right-thinking, right-feeling Buddhist — by which I mean any person who makes a genuine attempt (with necessarily, varying degrees of success or failure) to follow the tenets of the Buddha Dhamma — will immediately take exception to the headline. ‘Militant Buddhism’ undoubtedly encompasses a sharp contradiction, because the defining feature of Buddhism is its [...]
Drug-resistant malaria reaches Southeast Asia borders, could spread to Africa
LONDON (Reuters) – Drug-resistant malaria parasites have spread to border regions of Southeast Asia, seriously threatening global efforts to control and eliminate the mosquito-borne disease, researchers said on Wednesday. The scientists, who analyzed blood samples from 1,241 malaria patients in 10 countries across Asia and Africa, found resistance to the world’s most effective antimalarial drug, [...]
Octopus protects her eggs for 4-1/2 years
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – If someone were to create an award for “mother of the year” in the animal kingdom, a remarkably dedicated eight-limbed mom from the dark and frigid depths of the Pacific Ocean might be a strong contender. Scientists on Wednesday described how the female of an octopus species that dwells almost a mile [...]
U.S. says millions forced to flee for religious beliefs in 2013
NEW YORK (Reuters)- More members of religious communities around the world were forced to flee their homes last year than at any time in recent memory, the United States said on Monday, in its annual report on religious freedom. “In almost every corner of the globe, millions of Christians, Muslims, Hindus and others representing a [...]
BRICS summit makes little progress on science cooperation
[RIO DE JANEIRO] Scientific cooperation among the BRICS countries lags far behind its potential, according to Brazilian experts speaking after last week’s BRICS summit in Brazil. The 6th Summit of Heads of State and of Government of BRICS – a multilateral forum of the emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – [...]
Maverick scientist creates a virus that could wipe out 400 million people
What was extraordinary about the great flu pandemic of 2018 was not only that it came exactly 100 years after the Spanish flu of 1918, but that it also killed 5 per cent of the world’s population. In 1918, that proportion meant some 100 million people. In 2018, nearly 400 million fell victim. With no [...]
Would you send your child to camp in North Korea?
Summer camp in North Korea? It’s got one – and it’s got everything from giant water slides and a private beach to video games and volleyball courts. Oh, and, of course, a big bronze statue of the late leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il surrounded by adoring children. After some on-the-spot guidance from [...]
Global security deficit threatens growth
FORT LAUDERDALE – Summer is normally a time to take a break from the risks and worries of everyday life, and perhaps to take stock of where we are and where we are heading. But this is increasingly difficult, because our everyday lives are becoming so much riskier and more worrying. Much of the discussion [...]
Ticking dpl. clock a cover for Israeli assaults on Gaza
UNITED NATIONS, (IPS) – As the death toll in Gaza keeps climbing – and charges of alleged war crimes against Israel keep mounting – the most powerful political body at the United Nations remains ineffective, impotent and in a state of near paralysis. Perhaps by choice. The 15-member UN Security Council (UNSC), the only body [...]
Fresh bloodshed in Gaza as Hamas denies holding soldier
GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories, Aug 2 (AFP) -A fresh wave of violence killed dozens in Gaza after the collapse of a UN and US backed ceasefire, officials said today, as Hamas denied it kidnapped an Israeli soldier. A Palestinian delegation was due to arrive in Cairo for talks on the terms of a durable truce, [...]
India landslide rescuers press on as toll hits 73
NEW DELHI, Aug 2 (AFP) -Rescuers continued digging today despite ‘very slim chances’ of finding any more people alive in the mud and debris from a major landslide in western India, where 73 have been killed. Seventy-three bodies and eight survivors have now been pulled from the site where a village once stood in a [...]
West Africa seeks to seal off Ebola-hit regions
CONAKRY, Aug 2 (AFP) -West Africa’s Ebola-hit nations have agreed to impose a cross-border isolation zone at the epicentre of the world’s worst-ever outbreak, amid warnings that the deadly epidemic is spiralling out of control. The announcement came at an emergency summit in the Guinean capital on Friday to discuss the outbreak, which has killed [...]
Explosion at factory in eastern China kills 65: State media
KUNSHAN, China, Aug 2 (AFP) -An explosion killed 65 people today as it ripped through a factory in eastern China on Saturday, state media said, injuring 150 in what appeared to be an industrial accident. The blast in Kunshan, a city in the eastern province of Jiangsu near Shanghai, “has resulted in 65 deaths”, state [...]
Two tourists held in N. Korea seek US help
SEOUL, Aug 2 (AFP) -Two American citizens facing trial in North Korea called for help from the US government to secure their release from what they feared could be lengthy prison terms, a news report said. Matthew Todd Miller and Jeffrey EdwardFowle told a local AP Television news crew Friday that they were in good [...]
Climate change and air pollution will lead to famine by 2050
The world is expected to need 50 per cent more food by 2050, with around four billion more mouths to feed. But this food could soon be in short supply due to increasing temperatures and ozone pollution, according to a U.S. study. As a result, rates of malnourishment in the developing world could increase from [...]
Could a liquid brain implant make us more intelligent?
Human brain implants that act as an internal ‘Google search’ have come a step closer to reality after researchers found a way of storing data in liquid. Scientists in the U.S. claim to have discovered a technique to lock away photos, videos and other documents in tiny particles suspended in water. The technology, known as [...]
Does reading Harry Potter make you more tolerant?
Young people who have read the Harry Potter books are less likely to discriminate against minority groups, a new study claims. Researchers believe that people who recognise the main characters’ battle against evil Lord Voldemort are more likely to tolerate minority groups such as homosexuals and refugees. They are most likely to show empathy towards [...]
Forget ‘mama’, almost 10% of babies say ‘tablet’ as their first word
Technology has become so ingrained in family life that it’s even started changing the way children speak. More than one in eight parents claim their child’s first word was ‘tablet’, replacing the typical ‘mama’ or ‘dada’, according to new research. While 81 per cent of parents said their child has broken their devices by dropping [...]
