Jayalalithaa returns as CM after graft case
NEW DELHI, May 23 (AFP) – One of India’s most powerful politicians returned today as chief minister of southern Tamil Nadu state, less than a fortnight after a court acquitted her of corruption. Former film star Jayalalithaa Jayaram was forced to stand down as chief minister of prosperous Tamil Nadu after being found guilty last [...]
The Modi Government turns one; trouble begins
NEW DELHI – India’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will mark its first anniversary in office this month. While it is too early to assess its overall performance, the overwhelming sentiment across India so far is one of disappointment. The BJP rode to power on a wave of expectations [...]
China unhappy after Indonesia sinks illegal fishermen’s boats
JAKARTA – Beijing expressed concern Thursday after Indonesia destroyed 41 impounded foreign vessels including a Chinese boat, as the world’s biggest archipelago nation ramps up efforts to stop illegal fishing in its waters. Indonesia sank the empty fishing vessels at several sites Wednesday, local media reported, including a large Chinese ship detained in 2009 for [...]
Sri Lankan photojournalist wins Gold Medal
Sri Lankan photojournalist Tharaka Basnayaka has won the coveted Gold Medal at the 2015 International Salon of Reporter Photography (Life Press Photo), organised by the Ukrainian Center for Photographic Art and “Ostrog Academy” of Ukraine National University. His photographs were selected from among 4734 entries from 44 countries. He also won a diploma under the [...]
Miss Earth beauty pageant nearing conclusion
With the Derana Miss Sri Lanka for Miss Earth beauty pageant nearing its conclusion, the mini pageants are now being worked off. Last week saw the Miss Beautiful Face contest being held at the seaside resort of Reef’s Edge, Uswetakeiyawa with 12 young hopefuls vying for the top spot. The judges were former Derana Miss [...]
Korean Embassy to hold Korean Cultural Festival 2015
The Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Sri Lanka (H.E. Ambassador Mr. Chang Won-sam) wishes to inform the media that the Korean Cultural Festival 2015 will be held at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium on 26-27 June, 2015. The Korean Embassy, in partnership with Ministry of Tourism and Sports, and State Ministry of Cultural Affairs [...]
Culinary Art Food Expo 2015
Showcasing the best of local and international culinary expertise, the Culinary Art Food Expo 2015 will come alive at the Sirimavo Bandaranike Memorial Exhibition Centre at BMICH on July 24, 25 and 26. Organised by the Chefs Guild of Sri Lanka, with CDC Events as the professional event organiser, this year’s Culinary Art Food Expo [...]
CFW Designer Pod: A unique retail experience that showcases eleven Sri Lankan designers
Colombo Fashion Week (CFW) recently held CFW Designer Nights, an evening of fashion that provided Sri Lankan designers with the opportunity to showcase and retail their latest collections at the CFW Designer Pod at ODEL Alexandra Place, Colombo 7. “One of CFW’s key focus areas in 2015 has been fashion retail and this initiative with [...]
Semage in Singapore
Veteran Sri Lankan artist Jayasiri Semage’s most recent exhibition of paintings was opened in Singapore on May 20. In fact, Singpore is where he had his first solo exhibition three decades ago and since then he has done many painting assignments in Singapore and Malaysia to paint walls of Buddhist temples. This exhibition which is [...]
Asoka Somaratne is the new organiser for Rathgama in the Galle District
Asoka Somaratne was appointed as the new organiser of Rathgama by the Leader of the United National Party Ranil Wickremesinghe, the new Prime Minister. He is a former Parliamentarian and also has held the positions as the Chairman of Cement Corporation, Lanka Cement Limited and the National Youth Services Council at different times. He is [...]
St. Benedict’s College 150th anniversary
Celebrating the 150th anniversary of St. Benedict’s College in Kotahena, ‘Our Own Show’ is a musical showcase of the talent produced and honed at St. Benedict’s College over the years. The concert on June 6, features a blend of choral, vocal and instrumental performances, both classical and contemporary, at the BMICH main auditorium from 7 [...]
The Company of Master Mariners to hold their 24th AGM in Marawila
The 24th Annual General Meeting of the Company of Master Mariners of Sri Lanka is to be held on Saturday, 13th June, 2015 at 6pm at the Club Palm Bay Hotel in Marawila. This would be a family outing for members with overnight stay at the hotel. The AGM would be followed by fellowship and [...]
British magazine publishes ‘new portrait of Shakespeare’
LONDON (Reuters)- A British magazine has published an image of a figure that it says is the first and only known demonstrably authentic portrait of William Shakespeare made in his lifetime. The picture, of a young, bearded man wearing a Roman-style laurel crown and holding an ear of sweetcorn , was identified by botanist and [...]
The who, what and how of our Constitutional Council
The 19th Amendment to the Constitution introduced the Constitutional Council to replace the hitherto existing Parliamentary Council. The main objective of introducing a Constitutional Council is the re-establishment of an independent commission, limiting the powers of the President to a certain extent. The Second Reading debate on this Amendment was held on April 27 and [...]
Saving Cambodia’s vulnerable bears
In their wild habitats in Asia, the Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus), and the Sun bear (Helarctos malayanus) play an important role in keeping the ecosystem healthy, by doing things such as spreading seeds throughout the forest through their faeces. But both species are now classified by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature [...]
Could another English king be buried under a car park?
LONDON (Reuters)-Just three years after the extraordinary discovery of King Richard III under a car park, researchers think another medieval English monarch might be found buried beneath a parking lot and are hoping to find him. Philippa Langley, the inspiration behind the successful hunt for Richard III’s remains, is now on the trail of his [...]
US woman gets 3.5 years prison for driving over non-voting husband
PHOENIX (Reuters)- A US woman in the state of Arizona was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison for running over her husband with the family car because he failed to vote in the 2012 presidential election, court officials said. Holly Nicole Solomon, 31, pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated assault under a plea [...]
Public diplomacy: A missing link
The unexpected change of government in January this year with a mandate for good governance, stirred hope among many. Yet 100 days on, the hope risks turning into disappointment. Government leaders may give statistics of the achievement of their promises within the 100-day programme , but public sceptism is rising. Is identifying instances of alleged [...]
US, Britain fine six top banks nearly $6 bn for forex, Libor abuses
NEW YORK (AFP) – US and British regulators fined six major global banks a total of nearly $6 billion between them for rigging the foreign exchange market and Libor interest rates. They said forex traders from the banks had met in online chatroom groups, one brazenly named “the Cartel” and another “Mafia,” to set rates [...]
Bush is more hated than Stalin: Study reveals history’s heroes and villains
George W Bush has gone down in history as one of the world’s most evil people, just behind Adolf Hitler and Osama bin Laden. The former president beat Stalin, Mao and Lenin as a figure of hate in a new study of history’s biggest heroes and villains. Albert Einstein, meanwhile, beat Mother Theresa, Martin Luther [...]
Earthquakes, predictions and lies
“The information about how big an earthquake’s going to be may not be in the earth’s crust BEFORE the earthquake begins.” This line by Lucy Jones, a prominent senior seismologist at the United States Geological Survey, aptly sums up our current understanding of earthquakes. It is a highly nonlinear process with agonisingly limited predictability. This [...]
Scrabble is no longer what it wuz
It’s enough to make English language purists shake in their shooties, or perhaps even to lol. But Scrabble is about to include text-speak and street slang in a raft of new words for its ever expanding dictionary. Why? Because it has to stay dench, obvs. And anyone who cries blech (12 points) can just shut [...]
Unhealthy high heels
Film festival organisers sparked controversy this week when it emerged a group of women, some of whom had medical conditions, were reportedly banned from screenings for wearing flat shoes. Dubbed flatgate, the scandal cast a shadow over the annual Cannes film festival, provoking outcry from some of Hollywood’s leading actresses. While it is unclear what [...]
