US-China conflict: What UN needs is a ceasefire inside its own Security Council
UNITED NATIONS (IPS) – With more than 20,000 civilians killed last year in conflicts in 10 countries — Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Iraq, Libya, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, Ukraine and Yemen — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reiterated his call for a “global ceasefire”: a proposal which failed to generate a positive response since he [...]
Lanka at crossroads: Reverse into dictatorship or forward to democracy
The intense gobbledygook that has been parroted on constitutional law, particularly on ‘20A’ in English and Sinhala in the media has left this columnist somewhat groggy. It made us wonder whether the man on the street or the farmer toiling in his field did think about the implications of ‘20A’ or the 19th Amendment and [...]
Law for the people or people for the law?
The idea of written law goes back to the ancient Mesopotamian culture that prospered long before the bible was written or civilisations of Greeks and Romans that followed. In fact, the oldest known evidence of a law code is tablets from the ancient city of Elba in modern Syria, known as Hammurabi’s code dating back [...]
Education: A reverse journey of reflection on the path we missed
No one can deny Sri Lanka’s education has been on a downslide since the early days of Independence when our country was regarded as the success story of South East Asia. C.W.W. Kananngara, generally regarded as the Father of Free Education, was Minister of Education in the Legislative Council, while we were still under British [...]
Ahinsa wins top ESOFT award
Former Army Commander and Sri Lanka Ports Authority Chairman Daya Ratnayake, presenting the Pinnacle Pearson BTEC in Business Management ‘Most Outstanding Performance’ and ‘High Achiever 2019/20′ awards to Ahinsa Udayani Perera at the Esoft Metro Campus BTEC Convocation at the BMICH on Thursday. A product of Alethea International School, Ahinsa Udayani was awarded the Cambridge [...]
Anushka wins prestigious Schwab Foundation award
The Schwab Foundation For Social Entrepreneurship has named Anushka Ratnayake as one of the recipients of its prestigious international award for 2020. The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, a sister organisation of the World Economic Forum, is a leading global platform that accelerates outstanding models of social innovation. Anushka is the Founder and Executive Director [...]
Lion’s Service Award for Rajah Sinnathuray
The Lions Club International — District 306 A1 Catalysts in Service Awards 2019/2020 was held at the BMICH recently. Chief guest Lion Mahendra Amarasuriya PMJF International President 2007/2008 presents an appreciation award to Lion Rajah Sinnathuray, Sergeant-at-Arms, as Governor 306 A1 Srilala Fernando MJF and Lion Lady Swarnamali Fernando look on.
World Alzheimer’s Day 2020: Virtual Challenge completed
The Lanka Alzheimer’s Foundation marked World Alzheimer’s Day 2020 with a Virtual Challenge — Memorable Steps, the Walk concluding on September 21 at the Sigiriya rock. Johann Peries, the first Sri Lankan man to summit Everest and brand ambassador of the Lanka Alzheimer’s Foundation, joined the participants for the final leg of the walk.
Avoiding a climate lockdown
LONDON – As COVID-19 spread earlier this year, governments introduced lockdowns in order to prevent a public-health emergency from spinning out of control. In the near future, the world may need to resort to lockdowns again – this time to tackle a climate emergency. Shifting Arctic ice, raging wildfires in western US states and elsewhere, [...]