India’s Hindu activists grow increasingly bold
HASAYAN, India (Reuters) – Fired up and full of vitriol, Hindu activist Rajeshwar Singh is on a mission to end centuries of religious diversity in India, one conversion at a time. His voice echoing off the walls of a Protestant church across a narrow street, Singh railed against foreign faiths at an event last week [...]
Japan PM travels to South Asia to offset China’s influence
DHAKA, Sept 06 (AFP) – Japan’s prime minister won Dhaka’s support for Tokyo’s bid for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council as he began a visit to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka aimed at offsetting China’s mounting influence in South Asia. Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said Dhaka would withdraw its candidacy in favour [...]
Showcasing a life’s work
It is Thursday and his ‘List Day’. Even at 12.30 in the afternoon there is no thought of lunch for he is doing what he is best at – saving lives through his skill. This is what Consultant Surgeon Dr. Gamini Goonetilleke has been engaging in for 33 long years not always in environments as [...]
UNP Chief Organiser for Yatinuwara
Mayantha Dissanayake was appointed the United National Party’s Chief Organiser for Yatinuwara Electorate in the Kandy District. He is seen receiving his appointment from General Secretary of the UNP Tissa Attanayake while Chairman of the UNP Leadership Council Karu Jayasuriya looks on.
Facets 2014: Providing a gem of an opportunity
Pointing at what he claims to be the world’s biggest Cobalt Spinel, a rare stone found in Ratnapura that has an exotic spectrum of coral blue, Sharik Sailani of Ruwanpura Gems said it could fetch US$ 200,000. Like this gem merchant from Ratnapura, there were many other dealers in gems and jewellery at” Facets 2014′ [...]
Police bashing: Wisdom in retirement
I read Kishali Pinto Jayawardena’s Focus-on-Rights article in the Sunday Times of August 31 with added interest as she has taken up the case of the Police Department. At a time when the media and lawyers are making it a favourite pastime to bash the Police, it is encouraging to see a highly respected media [...]
Uncle Sam – just, temperate, brave and morally excellent
It is with great sadness that I write this appreciation to a person who I loved, respected, adored, and cared for so much — my Uncle Sam. He used to call me his third son because he and I shared a very special bond. This all began when I was a young boy and used [...]
Bala’s political forecast of what has happened since 2010
As trade union activists mourn the death of Comrade Bala Tampoe, his colleague and Communist Party member D.W. Subasinghe says he believes the greatest tribute to the late labour leader would be the publication of a statement Comrade Bala issued on the eve of the 2010 presidential election. Mr. Subasinghe says the statement brings out [...]
Africa’s immunity controversy and its war crimes court
NEW YORK – The decision by the African Union (AU), after more than five years of preparation, to confer jurisdiction over international crimes, such as genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes, on the African Court of Justice and Human Rights has inspired considerable controversy. Is there any merit to the criticism? Opponents of the [...]
His greatness was in his commitment to serve his motherland
As a fellow lawyer, it is indeed my privilege to say a few words of an elder and illustrious figure in the legal profession who in his time adorned the legal and political portals with equal felicity and acceptance. Deshamanya Mohammed Abdul Bakeer Markar, born in 1917, was a devoted and practising Muslim, beloved by [...]
Ukraine truce takes hold as West lines up Russia sanctions
KIEV, Sept 6 (AFP) -Ukraine and pro-Kremlin insurgents appeared to be observing a truce today that could stem five months of bloodshed but still failed to head off fresh Western sanctions against Russia and is unlikely to quell the separatist drive in the east. The 12-point pact signed on Friday in the Belarussian capital Minsk [...]
Ebola protest
Visual artists rally against the Ebola virus in Abidjan, the capital of the Ivory Coast. Eight experimental treatments and two vaccines for Ebola were on the table lat week, as 200 health experts met to discuss how to end the world’s worst-ever outbreak of the killer virus. No fully tested and approved treatments or vaccines [...]
Egypt to try Morsi for giving Qatar security papers
CAIRO, Sept 06, (AFP) -Egypt’s deposed Islamist president Mohamed Morsi will be tried on charges of giving Qatar documents relating to national security, the state prosecutor said today. The former head of state already faces the death penalty in several trials, and his supporters have been the target of a deadly crackdown by the authorities [...]
Obama calls on allies to defeat Islamic State
NEWPORT, United Kingdom, Sept 6 (AFP) -US President Barack Obama outlined plans for a broad international coalition to defeat Islamic State extremists in Iraq and Syria, but they received a cautious response from European allies. Speaking at a NATO summit, Obama said the United States would also try to involve Middle Eastern allies in a [...]
Snakebite test cuts toxic remedy
[COLOMBO] Sri Lankan and Australian scientists have developed a test to quickly determine whether snakebite victims need to be treated with anti-venom – which can trigger severe and sometimes fatal allergic reactions in patients. Administration of anti-venom, the main treatment for snakebites, is typically delayed until the victim develops symptoms of venom in the blood. [...]
