Gamble saved couple as tsunami roared onto them
The deafening sound of a giant wave crashing on Peraliya beach is what 33-year-old Nirmala Fernando heard this week when the country fell silent for two minutes to remember the tens of thousands who were killed in the tsunami 10 years ago. “I still hear the ‘hoo’ sound of the water charging our way. Even [...]
First year prize giving ceremony
AR Educational Institute, Maligawatte, Colombo marked its first anniversary with a prize-giving ceremony at the Tower Hall, Maradana recently. Here Zahira College Group of ’80 Editor Ruzaik Farook distributes prizes to students. Darus Salaam Ahadiyyah School President M.T.M. Ifthikaz and Secretary F.K. Zameer were also present.
RASSL monthly lecture
The Royal Asiatic Society Sri Lanka’s (RASSL) monthly public lecture on “Building Technology Appearing in Pali Commentaries” by Ven. Dr. M. Wijitadhamma, Senior Lecturer, Department of Pali & Buddhist Studies, University of Sri Jayawardenapura and Chandana Jayawardena, BSc Eng (Hons), Tech, MA, MIET, MIE (SL), C. Eng. will be held on Monday December 29 at [...]
District Judge Jinadasa elected uncontested to head JSA
The Judicial Service Association consisting of District Judges and Magistrate,s elected office bearers for 2015 on Tuesday at the Kingsbury Hotel. Three names were proposed for the post of president. However, Judge Sujatha Alahapperuma and Judge Aravinda Perera withdrew their names and Judge Wasantha Jinadasa, District Judge of Kaduwela was elected uncontested as the President [...]
Are some people born to make more fat cells?
Researchers have uncovered a protein they say controls how the body produces fat cells. Called Thy1 it has a fundamental role in controlling whether a primitive cell decides to become a fat cell. Experts say it could be harnessed in obesity treatments. ‘We believe that weight gain is not necessarily just a result of eating [...]
Culture of impunity and violence at elections: Prospects for reform
Sri Lanka got universal franchise in 1931, a mere three years after the British got that privilege. In Sri Lanka, eighty-three years later, after having had 16 elections to choose the national legislature and six elections to elect an executive president, the country is still struggling to hold a free and fair national election. In [...]
Steal our fossil fuels
LONDON – With just days left to go, 2014 seems certain to be the warmest year on record, or at least the runner-up. International agreement on robust action to limit global warming remains inadequate: the just-completed Lima climate-change conference delivered some progress, but no major breakthrough. Away from the diplomatic circuit, however, technological advances make [...]
Political thuggery: Police must uphold rule of law
“Ewa koheda maath ekka? (How can they interfere with what I do?)” This is part of the statement made by UPFA parliamentarian Nishantha Muthuhettigama after his attempt to take away the suspects arrested by the Wanduramba Police in a case of arson and causing damage to the stage and sound equipment at a venue for [...]
Egypt axes ‘Exodus’ film, citing historical mistakes
CAIRO, Dec 27 (AFP) – Egypt has banned the Hollywood biblical epic movie “Exodus: Gods and Kings” citing historical inaccuracies, the culture minister said Friday, a day after a similar move by Morocco. The film relates how Moses helped Israelite slaves flee persecution in Egypt under the Pharaoh Ramses by parting the Red Sea to [...]
Ever wondered what it’s really like to drive a Lamborghini?
A millionaire fed up with being abused for driving a 2012 Lamborghini has released a video revealing just what it’s like to be behind the wheel of the world’s most revered sports car. Allen Wong, a millionaire originally from New York City, was inspired by a video in which a woman was filmed walking through [...]
Lest we forget the past
No one should hide the truth and preach falsehood. We must not be afraid to speak the truth. To hide the truth and do something entirely different is to be dishonest. This is cheating oneself and the others. Let us discuss this. To say one thing and do something different is not acceptable. When a [...]
A citizen’s agenda for political reform
Asking for political reform in a democracy is not a conspiracy or high treason — it is a core right of citizens. We must never forget that there is no one more important in a democracy than the citizen. The power of governance is part of people’s sovereignty. But often we forget that and are [...]
N. Korea blasts Obama as ‘monkey’
SEOUL, Dec 27, (AFP) – North Korea today blasted US President Barack Obama as a “monkey” for inciting cinemas to screen a comedy featuring a fictional plot to kill its leader, and threatened “inescapable deadly blows” over the movie. The isolated dictatorship’s powerful National Defence Commission (NDC) also accused the US of “disturbing the Internet [...]
Pakistan court issues arrest warrant for hardliner cleric
ISLAMABAD, Dec 27, (AFP) – A Pakistani court has issued an arrest warrant for a hardline Islamic cleric who suggested the massacre of school children in country’s worst ever terror attack was understandable, after he allegedly threatened people criticising him. Maulana Abdul Aziz, the pro-Taliban cleric and head of the Red Mosque in capital Islamabad [...]
Candles, prayers and tears as Asia mourns tsunami dead 10 years on
KHAO LAK, Thailand, Dec 26, (AFP) – Tearful mourners lit candles on Friday to remember the 220,000 people who died a decade ago when tsunami waves devastated coastal areas along the Indian Ocean, in one of the worst natural disasters in human history. On December 26, 2004 a 9.3-magnitude earthquake off Indonesia’s western tip generated [...]
