Deadliest heatwave in two decades in S. Asia
HYDERABAD, India, May 30, (AFP) – India’s brutal weeks-long heatwave has killed more than 2,000 people, authorities said today, as the government launched a mass education campaign to help people cope with scorching temperatures. Hundreds of mainly poor people die at the height of summer every year in India, but this year’s toll is the [...]
New treatments may prolong health after breast cancer
CHICAGO, May 30, (AFP) – Promising advances in research could mean longer, healthier lives for women with breast cancer, the number one cancer in women worldwide, experts said Saturday at a major US cancer conference. A new targeted therapy that appears to double the amount of time cancer can be held in check, a drug [...]
India’s economy grows 7.3 per cent in 2014-15
MUMBAI, May 30 (AFP) – India has posted annual growth of 7.3 percent, overtaking China in the first three months of 2015, but analysts warned further measures were needed to boost the economy. The growth rate for the financial year that ended March 31, 2015 came in slightly lower than the 7.4 percent that the [...]
It’s time for the French Spring Festival
It is that time of the year when the French Spring comes to Sri Lanka. A festival of French culture, the fourth edition of the French Spring Festival will come alive in several locations in Colombo as well as in other parts of the country from June 4 to July 14 with the participation of [...]
Priyan Rajapaksa launches maiden book
Former Royal College rugby player now Chartered Accountant Priyan Rajapaksa, launched his maiden book “Business Scrums and Skirmishes” at the CR and FC pavilion on Thursday evening. Mr. Rajapaksa who advises on small businesses in New Zealand has compared the management of such enterprises to a game of rugby football. Former Sri Lankan cricketer and [...]
The FIFA syndrome and its many tragic tales
LONDON – The arrest of FIFA executives on a raft of fraud and corruption charges has been front-page news in recent days. But the charges brought by the Swiss and American authorities focus on bribery and embezzlement, and do not address another egregious injustice: the treatment of the migrant workers in Qatar who are building [...]
Blow after blow: Evidence of 430,000-year-old human violence found
Human remains from a cave in northern Spain show evidence of a lethal attack 430,000 years ago, a study has shown. Researchers examined one skull from a site called the Pit of Bones, which contains the remains of at least 28 people. They concluded that two fractures on that skull were likely to have been [...]
Abortion: Reform the obsolete laws now
Of about 35 million induced abortions that take place each year around the globe, more than half of them are illegal and carried out by unqualified, untrained people and that, too, in unhygienic settings. Although no official figures are available, it is estimated that around 1,000 cases of illegal abortions take place each day in [...]
Miss Earth to grace ‘Derana Goya Miss Sri Lanka for Miss Earth 2015’ pageant
The reigning Miss Earth (2014) Jamie Herrell of the Philippines will be in Sri Lanka for the final of the “Derana Goya Miss Sri Lanka for Miss Earth 2015″ pageant. Miss Earth arrives on Monday, June 1 and the final takes place on Wednesday, June 3 at Citrus Waskaduwa. The 21-year-old Filipino-American actress, TV host, [...]
Anjalie to hold Arangetram
The Arangetram of Anjalie Madhushani, a student of Padmini Manel Dahanayake Ariyadasa will take place on June 6 at the Bishop’s College auditorium. Anjalie is proficient in both upcountry and low country dance. Defence Secretary B.M.U.D. Basnayake will be the chief guest. Among the special invitees will be Prof. Ariyaratne Kaluarachchi, Vice Chancellor of the [...]
Dharma Voices for Animals to inaugurate its first Chapter in Sri Lanka
Dharma Voices for Animals (DVA) will open its first chapter in Sri Lanka in July. DVA is a non-profit organization, with chapters located throughout the world. It is committed to practising the teachings of the Buddha (the Dharma) and to speaking out especially on the abuse of animals in day-to-day life. DVA members whose numbers [...]
Hotel Qantara bags 3 awards at April bloom 2015
Hotel Qantara, owned by Global Life Style Lanka (Pvt) Ltd, won three awards at the recently held “April Bloom 2015″ competition in Nuwara Eliya. Organized by the Municipal Council of Nuwara Eliya, the judging was conducted over 21 days by a 20-member independent panel headed by Dr. Sheromi Krishnaraja, the Director of Experiments & Advertising [...]
Spy pigeon jailed in India
A pigeon was been arrested and jailed in India on suspicion of being a ‘spy’ after it landed in Manwal village, around two and a half miles from the Pakistan border. It was discovered on Wednesday by a 14-year-old boy whose suspicions were aroused when he spotted a stamped message in Urdu on its tail [...]
The Grancino
Goingback many years, whenever Eileen Prins talked about her precious long-gone Grancino, she would grieve. She was remembering a beloved child, a baby, really, one she had once hugged closely and lost, had embraced passionately and been forced to let go of. Heartache, heartbreak spoke in her voice. The exit of the precious 17th-century Italian [...]
Was Winston Churchill the lovechild of the King of Serbia?
Winston Churchill was the illegitimate son of the King of Serbia, a new book claims. Author Dragoslava Koprivica claims the former British Prime Minister’s mother had a secret relationship with Milan Obrenovic before he went on to rule the Balkan state. She also alleges that Churchill tried to cover up the romance by altering his [...]
Could sleep make you less racist?
Imagine being able to ‘unlearn’ racism and gender prejudice during a short nap. That’s what scientists claim can happen when simple noises are played while people sleep. In a new study, researchers were able to significantly reduce prejudice in those who underwent the a unique type of training while snoozing. The findings confirm the idea [...]
Implant that lets you know a heart attack is hours away
Scientists have developed a potentially life-saving electronic chip, which can detect heart attacks before they happen. The device, being tested in Switzerland, can be implanted under the skin and constantly used to monitor a patient’s blood for diseases without the need for trips to the doctor. Just 14 millimetres long, the gadget acts as an [...]
US hits out at China on sea reclamation at security summit
SINGAPORE, May 30 (AFP) – The United States on Saturday vowed to keep sending military aircraft and ships to disputed parts of the South China Sea and called for an immediate halt to reclamation works by Beijing in the tense region. US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter told a high-level security conference in Singapore that Beijing’s [...]
Migrant boat seized off Myanmar still at sea a day later
HAINGGYI ISLAND, Myanmar, May 30 (Reuters) – A boat packed with more than 700 “boat people” seized off Myanmar’s coast was still being towed at sea on Saturday, as officials gave mixed signals about its final destination. The discovery of the boat on Friday came as Myanmar told a 17-nation meeting in Thailand that it [...]
Lung cancer therapy is a ‘milestone’
A lung cancer therapy can more than double life expectancy in some patients, a “milestone” trial shows. Nivolumab stops cancerous cells hiding from the body’s own defences, leaving the cancer vulnerable to attack. The results from 582 people, presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology, were described as “giving real hope to patients”. Lung [...]
Iran, US eye ‘intense’ month to seal historic deal
GENEVA, May 30, (AFP) -US top diplomat John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart will Saturday launch a new high-stakes diplomatic drive to nail down an unprecedented nuclear deal as they hurtle towards a deadline just one month away. US officials warned the weeks leading to June 30 would be intense, vowing to “keep the pressure [...]
Live anthrax sent to Australia: US officials
WASHINGTON, May 30, (AFP) -US authorities investigating the mistaken shipment of live anthrax by a military lab have discovered another batch of the lethal bacteria dating back to 2008, some of which was sent to Australia, officials said Friday. The revelation suggested a wider problem in the handling of anthrax samples, which were supposed to [...]
Michael Jackson’s Neverland ranch up for sale
Michael Jackson’s Neverland ranch has gone up for sale with a price tag of $100m (£65m), reports the Wall Street Journal. The Santa Barbara development was once home to a zoo, an amusement park and its own fire station. Much of this has gone but there is still a floral clock and a railway Jackson [...]
