Preaching world peace by day, peddling lethal weapons by night
UNITED NATIONS – The Middle East, one of the world’s most politically-volatile and war-ravaged regions, has doubled its arms imports during the past five years, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). The sharp increase in arms purchases has been triggered—directly or indirectly—by several conflicts and civil wars in the region, primarily the [...]
Journalism’s risky tech attraction
OXFORD – Technology was supposed to solve some of the world’s biggest problems. Connect everyone to the Internet, it was once assumed, and democracy would follow. Collect enough data, and all of our questions would be answered. Put everything online, and algorithms would do the rest. The world would practically run itself. Instead, we now [...]
‘H2O’, ‘Money and Water’ and ‘Hope through a Hole’: Three films that said it all on Water Day
Within a matter of seven minutes, trees are felled, wild animals are displaced, cities are built and finally the much awaited rain comes in torrents drowning people and properties of the newly emerged urban concrete jungle. The winner of the WARSHA National Film award and RAIN International Film award–‘H2O’ by Fathima Shanaz–finely encapsulates an entire [...]
Don’t miss an unforgettable night of mindreading prowess
World-renowned magician-mentalist duo, The Clairvoyants will be in Colombo for one night only, at the NelumPokuna Mahinda Rajapakse Theatre on April 4. Amélie van Tass and Thommy Ten, the world champions of mindreading will gear up to present a fabulous new world of mentalism and unique illusions in Colombo, Here’s why you ought to witness [...]
Chamodi needs your help
Chamodi Shanilka Adikari, (21 years), a second-year undergraduate at the Faculty of Management and Finance, University of Colombo, has been diagnosed with bilateral acoustic schwannomas, a tumour arising from the nerve related to hearing. She is to undergo Gamma Knife surgery which is not available in Sri Lanka at present. As recommended by medical specialists [...]
Bridging the gap between urban development and architectural heritage
TheDelegation of the European Union in collaboration with the Embassies of Netherlands, Germany, and Italy, as well as the British Council will host the 2019 edition of Living Heritage with a one-day conference on “Valuing Cultural Heritage: A Cross-Cultural Perspective” onMarch 25 at the Jubilee Room, Galle Face Hotel from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. [...]
Two leading professors to talk on Sinharaja
‘Sinharaja: From a Timber Reserve to a Biological Treasure Trove -What Next?’- This will be the title of the Public Lecture by Profs Savitri & Nimal Gunatilleke, Professors Emeriti, University of Peradeniya, in the Wildlife & Nature Protection Society series on March 21, at 6p.m. at the Jasmine Hall, BMICH. The lecture is open [...]
Pera Uni Alumni Association AGM on March 24
The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Alumni Association of the University of Peradeniya (AAUP) will be held on Sunday, March 24, from 9.30 am at the Chemistry Lecture Theatre, Faculty of Science, University of Peradeniya. Prof. C. B. Dissanayake, will be the Chief Guest and Dr. Chandra Embuldeniya, the Guest of Honour. The AGM [...]
All about jellyfish of Sri Lanka
The Sri Lanka Natural History Society’s monthly lecture on Monday, March 18, at 5.30 p.m. will be on ‘Jellyfish of Sri Lanka’. The lecture will be delivered by Dr. Dileepa de Croos and Krishan Karunarathne at the Chemistry Lecture Theatre, Colombo University. All are welcome – entrance is free. The speakers are the first Sri [...]
Qatar’s soft power: A lesson for Lanka
A brief press note signalled the private visit of the Emir of Qatar to Sri Lanka with his entourage, their flight landing at Mattala recently. This brought recollections of Qatar’s assistance to Sri Lanka at the time of the crisis between Lebanon and Israel in July 2006 which had devastating repercussions on the 80,000 odd [...]
The Ides of March have come – and gone
Whenever this time of the year rolls around, I am reminded of those famous lines in Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar about the Ides of March. It was the time that Julius Caesar, the powerful ruler of the Roman Empire, was assassinated by his friends and allies. This is the period in our country when the [...]
The high costs of the new Cold War
LONDON – It is convenient to call the escalating geopolitical contest between the United States and China a “new cold war.” But that description should not be allowed to obscure the obvious, though not yet sufficiently understood, reality that this new competition will differ radically from the Cold War between the US and the Soviet [...]