Save Planet Earth from tribalism or globalism?
Last week we saw people ranging from teenyboppers, scientists, politicians, Nobel Laureates and others around the world making strident calls for action to save life on planet Earth from extinction. They demanded drastic cuts in the release of carbon dioxide and other pollutants to the atmosphere, prevention of pollution of waterways, halting deforestation, protecting wildlife [...]
Sextortion: A new name, an age old crime
23 year old Madhavi first started working at the Ministry straight out of University. Her Manager was a kindly mentor who found Madhavi to be a confident and enthusiastic young worker. One month after she joined, she was called into his office. “I was scared, I thought I had done something wrong” she says, as [...]
Can any person other than the President hold defence portfolio? SC says ‘No’
It has been forcefully argued by some jurists that consequent to the 19th Amendment, the President cannot hold any ministerial portfolio including defence. For the reasons stated in this article, however, this view is untenable, more so in view of the Supreme Court determination in Tilak Marapana’s ill-fated Army officers Retirement Regulations Gazetted on December [...]
Lapping up Inca’s adventures
Inca, the Siberian kitty who likes to describe herself as a super-duper cat detective tiptoed into the Lighthouse auditorium of the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute on December 14 and it looks like this cute and curious feline is going places. Inca is a much-travelled puss, in fact quite the globe-trotter – she goes where her adventures [...]
Talking mammals with Dr. Miththapala
Dr. Sriyanie Miththapala chatted with children about ‘The Mammals of Sri Lanka,’ on Saturday, December 7, at the Barefoot Gallery. There were two sessions: the first for children aged 5-7; and the second for children aged 8-12. The chats centred on the mammals of our country: the biggest and smallest found here — the blue [...]
Global and national diplomacy: Making connections
There was a time when Sri Lanka actively engaged in UN affairs and UN issues, although they did not affect Sri Lanka directly. They were concerned with issues such as non-alignment, North-South economic negotiations, the Arab-Israeli dispute in the context of the UN, and other regional issues. When the United Nations initially developed its policies [...]
Colombo Law Faculty’s 1969 batch celebrates golden jubilee
The batch that entered the Faculty of Law, University of Ceylon, Colombo Campus, in 1969 commemorated 50 years of friendship and solidarity with light-hearted speeches, singing and musical interludes at the Marino Beach Hotel, Colombo 3, on December 14, 2019. Former teachers mingled with former students in a spirit of camaraderie and fellowship. Many took [...]
Lanka participates in Women’s International Club Charity Bazaar 2019 in Jakarta
The Sri Lanka Embassy in Jakarta participated in the Women’s International Club Charity Bazaar from December 11-12, 2019. The “Sinhala Cultural Dance Troupe” of the Sasana Abhiwardhana Society, Buddhist Maha Vihara in Malaysia, performed traditional Sri Lankan dances which were greatly appreciated by the large audience. The Sri Lankan stall displayed batik items by Rathna [...]
Myanmar donates 15,000 teak seeds to Lanka
As requested by the Government of Sri Lanka at the third session of the Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation between the two countries held in April 2019, Myanmar donated 15,000 teak seeds to develop agro-forestry in Sri Lanka. The ceremonial event to hand over the high quality teak seeds was held at the Ministry of [...]
Sri Lankans in UK invoke blessings on President, PM
A special religious ceremony to invoke the supreme blessings of the Triple Gem on the newly appointed President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and New Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa was held on December 1, 2019 at the Sri Lankan Buddhist Vihara at Chiswick in London. Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner Manisha Gunasekera and the Deputy High Commissioner attended the [...]
Please help Sanduni recover
The eldest daughter of a Lankadeepa journalist Keerthi Fernando is undergoing treatment for a nerve disorder. Twelve-year-old B. Sanduni Hansika Fernando is unable of walk or speak due to her ailment. She is under the medical care of Prof Jinangi Wanigasinghe. She is also being given physiotherapy at the Lady Ridgeway hospital. Mr. Fernando says [...]
Narendra Modi’s Second Partition of India
NEW DELHI – At a time when India’s major national priority ought to be cratering economic growth, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has instead plunged the country into a new political crisis of its own making. With its penchant for shock-and-awe tactics, the government pushed through parliament a controversial Citizenship Amendment Bill that fast-tracks citizenship [...]
Kiribath, lunu miris & hora votes in 1970s New York
It was a breezy, cold afternoon in early October 1971. I found myself an uninvited guest at the historic inaugural meeting of the Sri Lanka Association of New York (SLANY), the first such organisation of Lankan expatriates in the US at that time. I was there by sheer accident, not by design. The Association made [...]