President hails veteran TV journalist’s 30-year service
President Maithripala Sirisena recently visited award-winning journalist Sunil Ratnayake to congratulate him on completing 30 years in television journalism. During the friendly conversation with Mr. Ratnayake’s family and friends at his resident, the President recalled the journalist’s landmark productions which took Sri Lanka to greater heights internationally. The highly acclaimed producer and director who also [...]
FGLF six lucky winners
With just days to go for the opening of the Fairway Galle Literary Festival 2018, we have great news for six lucky Sunday Times readers who win Festival passes courtesy the FGLF organisers to catch all the action as the Festival unfolds with its exciting programme of talks, discussions, performances and so much more. All [...]
Small states should be cautious when dealing with rising powers: International relations expert
China and India have been the main beneficiaries of economic globalisation and this has created a new balance of power in contemporary international politics, said Prof. T. V Paul in a presentation at the Regional Centre for Strategic Studies (RCSS), Colombo. Speaking on the topic ‘Globalization, Rising Powers and South Asian States’, the Professor of [...]
Christian Unity Octave today
In keeping with the tradition of observing the unity octave, an eight-day period from January 18 to 25 each year, a joint worship service has been organised this year too. During this period Christians across the world will come together to promote Christian Unity. The theme for 2018 is taken from the book of Exodus [...]
Annual pooja at Dematagoda Kovil
The annual pooja of the Karumariamman Kovil at Dematagoda was held recently with Pragna Pradeepa concept initiator and Western Province Councillor Jayantha de Silva participating as chief guest.
Hot air: Bikram no healthier than other yoga
PARIS (AFP) – Practiced in rooms heated to 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), Bikram Yoga is no better for your health than other, cooler forms of the ancient discipline, scientists said on Friday. Proponents claim the hot, humid workout, which puts sweaty participants through a series of 26 poses, burns more calories than yoga [...]
Rotary Club distributes school bags
Rotary Club of Colombo Central distributed school bags and stationery to the underprivileged students of Maradana Hindu Vidyalayam in Colombo, Hapugala Primary School at Wackwella in Galle, Gonapathiyawa School at Seethukalama in Anuradhapura and Siyambalagaswewa Welawa Primary School at Kedawa in Anuradhapura with School Bags and required stationery. The Rs. 350,000 project was completed in [...]
From the golden era of parliament debates to hooliganism
During the second half of the 1960s when I started my journalistic career with the now defunct Independent Newspapers Limited, I was sent to cover parliamentary proceedings. Soon I realised that here was a place where one could learn a lot. Those were the days when parliamentarians in general were educated, cultured and well-mannered. They [...]
Harishchandra Wijayatunga: Multifaceted living genius
“Few things are impossible to diligence and skill. Great works are performed not by strength, but by perseverance.” Dr. Samuel Johnson Dr Wijayatunga Mudalige Harischandra Wijayatunga’s life truthfully reflects the legitimacy of these lines. Harischandra Wijayatunga is a revered mythical scholar and author translator, lexicographer, teacher, lawyer, Hela Wadampathi ,University lecturer and politician who has [...]
Is global warming making us hungrier?
PRAGUE – For more than a decade, annual data showed global hunger to be on the decline. But that has changed: According to the latest data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) hunger affected 815 million people in 2016, 38 million more than 2015, and malnutrition is threatening millions. Research [...]