How we circumvented cold war politics to win UN membership
UNITED NATIONS – Back in the 1950s, the Cold War between the world’s two superpowers – the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics— was being played out in the corridors of power at the United Nations. Enter Sri Lanka (then Ceylon), emerging from independence from British colonial rule, and seeking membership in [...]
Political pressure: In defence of the Police Dept.
The agency entrusted with the maintenance of law and order, the Police Department, has come in for much criticism for various alleged acts of commission and omission. MP Hirunika’s arrest, the handling of the HNDA students’ demonstration, the Embilipitiya incident, snatching of the note-book of a journalist by a Police officer, were some of the [...]
Indu brings Ray Cooney’s ‘Run for Your Wife’ to the Wendt
Indu Dharmasena returns to his favourite stage at the Lionel Wendt with ‘Run for Your Wife’, Ray Cooney’s 1983 comedy about a man playing a fine (and hilarious) balancing act between two women. In Run For Your Wife, John Smith is a cab driver in London with two wives, two entirely distinct lives and a [...]
Orthodontics in Paradise
The first International Orthodontic Conference in Sri Lanka on the theme, ‘Vistas in Orthodontics in Paradise’, is being held under the auspices of the Sri Lanka Orthodontic Society (SLOS) at Hotel Galadari. The sessions which began on February 5 will end tomorrow (February 8), with the participation of many eminent local and international Orthodontists from [...]
Amuthu Amuthu AGM
The Amuthu Amuthu Association will hold its annual general meeting today at 9 a.m. at the Dharma Vijaya Foundation, Sarana Mawatha (off Bauddhaloka Mawatha), Colombo 7. All are welcome. Several specialists will speak on various topics including: Ayurvedic Dr.B.A.Ratnapala – Curing Diabetes using Herbal Remedies; Ayurvedic Dr. Ravin Pathiranage – Curing Cancer using Herbal Remedies; [...]
Police Commission makes confusion more confounded
In the Sunday Times 2 of January 31, 2016, in my article, “Misinformation playing havoc in the country,” I had set out the fact that the National Police Commission,(NPC) is not mandated to investigate into complaints. This was on information I received from reliable sources in the NPC and supported by relevant provisions in the [...]
Airports and more airports
Recently I read in the Sunday Times that four domestic airports currently under the Airforce management will be handed over to the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAASL.) This prompted me to write something about airports. The intention is to share what little I know about these matters with my fellow Sri Lankans whose [...]
Filling up the Cabinet
Being now in my late seventies, the memories of my childhood go way back to the late nineteen forties. As a child, I remember being taken to visit my Aunt Sudharma – a gentle lady who lived with her husband in an old house just outside Colombo. What I remember most about those visits was [...]
Seven dead after Taiwan quake
TAIPEI, Feb 6 (AFP) -A powerful earthquake in Taiwan felled a 16-storey apartment complex full of families who had gathered for Lunar New Year celebrations today, with at least seven dead and more than 30 feared trapped. The death toll was rising in the historic city of Tainan, which bore the brunt of the 6.4-magnitude quake, [...]
First Zika-linked deaths reported in Colombia
BOGOTA, Feb 6 (AFP) -The mosquito-borne Zika virus sweeping through Latin America has claimed three lives in Colombia, as the United Nations urged increased access to abortion because of fears of severe birth defects. In the first direct statements from government health officials blaming Zika for causing deaths, Colombia’s National Health Institute (INS) said Friday [...]
Pakistan wants all Taliban groups to join peace talks
ISLAMABAD, Feb 6 (AFP) -Pakistan said as many Taliban groups as possible must be persuaded to join any upcoming peace discussions with the Afghan government, as a third round of four-country talks aimed at reviving negotiations with the insurgent group began today. Delegates from Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the United States convened in the Pakistani [...]
Five truths about terrorism
SAO PAULO – American politics has been captured by terrorists. In December 2015, polls showed that one in six Americans, some 16% of the population, now identify terrorism as the most important national problem, up from just three per cent in the previous month. This is the highest percentage of Americans to mention terrorism in [...]