Is Iraq now a virtual “US-occupied territory”?
UNITED NATIONS (IPS) – Pat Buchanan, a senior advisor to three US Presidents and twice candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, once infamously described the United States Congress as “Israeli-occupied territory” – apparently because of its unrelentingly blind support for the Jewish state. Never mind post-1967 Gaza, West Bank and the Golan Heights. And now, [...]
Buddhist banking and finance: A philosophy for sustainable value creation
We currently live in a world of constrained resources, growing populations and climate emergencies that indicate that humans are exceeding the planetary boundaries placed on them as a species. If critical tipping points are reached, our very survival is at stake. Make no mistake, however, life on this planet will continue to thrive; it is [...]
Isolated ‘One Shot’ holds the centre stage
Actor and politician, ‘One Shot’ Ranjan Ramanayake, truly lives to the words of William Shakespeare – “All the world’s a stage…” Last week, he pushed out the high and mighty setting Lanka on a paradisiacal course from the front pages and prime time TV, despite having shot himself in the foot. And he did it [...]
The Sathasivam murder case: How police manipulated evidence
Policing the police Mahadevan Sathasivam was a cricketing great in the mid-1940s. He has been described as a batting genius. Frank Worrel, the West Indian Captain when the West Indies reigned supreme in cricket, had said that the very first batsman he would pick for a World X1 would be “Sathasivam of Ceylon.” Sathasivam was [...]
Remembering Sir Ponnambalam Arunachalam
The 96th death anniversary of Sir Ponnambalam Arunachalam was commemorated on January 9 at the Presidential Secretariat premises (Old Parliament). Chief guest Sanjay Rajaratnem, Acting Solicitor General and D.M. Swaminathan MP, the Guest of Honour garlanded the statue. Family members Mrs. Sarla Nagendra, Nirmalan Nagendra, Prashan Nagendra, Mrs. Iswari Mahadeva and Hari Namasivayam along with [...]
Symposium on guidelines for presenting Islam in Sri Lanka
The National Shoora Council (NSC) conducted a symposium on ‘Guidelines for Presenting Islam in Sri Lanka’. The symposium’s objective was to bring Muslim organisations involved in sociocultural development in Sri Lanka together to develop a common guideline in presenting Islamic teachings to Muslims. It was held on January 9 at the Association of Muslim Youth [...]
Farzana Haniffa to deliver A.M.A. Azeez memorial oration
The Dr. A.M.A. Azeez Commemoration Meeting and the Memorial Oration will be held on Tuesday, January 21 at 4.30 p.m. at the Ghaffoor Hall, Zahira College, Colombo 10. Dr. Farzana Haniffa, Senior Lecturer, Department of Sociology, University of Colombo, will deliver the Oration on the subject of “Activism in Uncertain Times: Revisiting the ‘Good Minority’ [...]
Is America going fascist?
CAMBRIDGE – White nationalism is on the rise in the United States. According to the Anti-Defamation League, there were 6,768 incidents of extremism and anti-Semitism (mostly from the right) in the US in 2018 and 2019. That figure is significantly higher than in previous years, leading many to conclude that President Donald Trump is to [...]