Lankan-born Bala Gnanapragasam elected Vice President of the Methodist Conference for 2018/19
The Methodist Conference has elected the Revd Michaela Youngson to serve as President, and Bala Gnanapragasam to serve as Vice-President, starting their year of office when the Representative Session of the Methodist Conference meets in Nottingham next year. Sri Lankan-born Bala Gnanapragasam believes strongly in the mission and social justice. He serves on the board [...]
Chinese property mogul from Macau convicted for corrupting the UN
A Macau billionaire who is a high-profile political adviser in China and whose bribery case shed light on corruption at the United Nations was convicted this week for corrupting the global body with kickbacks to diplomats including former UN General Assembly president, John Ashe from Antigua and Barbuda. Ng Lap-seng, a Chinese real estate mogul [...]
Vatican award for Lankan book
Gwen Herat has been honoured by the Vatican for a book she wrote, ‘Pope Francis, Hope for Christian Unity’. The award is one of three awards given annually to outstanding people who are recognised for artistic and literary works. She received a bronze medal, crafted and executed by the renowned artist, Alessia Di Giuseppe bearing [...]
FAZLY LAPHIRA heart so steadfast and true
My Dearest Darling Fazly, Free flowing words Give meaning to blank pages Strokes of colour Brighten white canvasses Hollow bamboo tunes Form subtle rhythms Long dead driftwood *** Returns to life with touches Poems remind me of – Your love ever so pure Paintings, Honest smile’s hue Melodies from flute music Simple ways all through [...]
Whither Lanka’s strategy to become an ed. hub
The vision of the Ministry of Highways and Higher Education is for ‘Sri Lanka to be an international hub of excellence for higher education by 2020’. Sri Lanka which seeks to build a knowledge-based economy should pursue this vision with all its vigour. The spin offs in technological innovation and industry collaboration have knock-on effects [...]
Buddhist heritage and interference by lay authorities
Rulers were created, according to all religions, by the consensus of humans when conflicts arose among them. Agganna sutta and several other sermons in the Buddhist doctrine analyse how and why the rulers were chosen; the inhabitants who came from the Abhassara world, found the need for leaders to bring peace and harmony in the [...]
Trump’s Middle East stumbles
DENVER – The recent six-month mark of Donald Trump’s presidency serves as a reminder not only of how little his administration has accomplished domestically, but also of how his meandering foreign policy has created a geopolitical landscape rife with ticking time bombs. And nowhere have the consequences of Trump’s almost wilful incapacity to grasp complex [...]
Excellence awards: Journalists in the news
On Tuesday, they shut down their computers, put away their notebooks and pens, and came in their best attire to light up the night with the glow of their achievements. The most looked forward to event in Sri Lanka’s journalism calendar shone like a national unity event, with journalists from the Sinhala, Tamil and English [...]