When ousted leaders seek safe havens to escape jail time and hangman’s noose
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS (IPS) – When some of the leaders in the Middle East and Asia are dethroned and driven into exile, the cynics jokingly ask: Is he politically dead or is he dead and buried? The distinction between the two seems significant because the fluctuating political fortunes of some leaders—and their will [...]
Tourist service centre and welcome centre opened in Habarana
A milestone in Sri Lanka’s tourism development was marked on December 12 with the opening and transfer ceremony of the Tourist Service Centre and Welcome Centre in Habarana. The project, a collaboration between Sri Lanka and the Republic of Korea in 2021, represents a step forward in promoting sustainable tourism and empowering local communities. The [...]
Ambassador Majintha Jayesinghe presents Letters of Credence to President Xi Jinping
Ambassador Majintha Jayesinghe presented his Letters of Credence to the President of the People’s Republic of China, Xi Jinping, on December 12, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Sri Lanka. Ambassador Jayesinghe conveyed greetings from the President of Sri Lanka Anura Dissanayake and the people [...]
Sing along to Christmas carols at Cargills Food City
Awakening the magic of the season, Cargills Food City is spreading festive cheer with a symphony of carols that will brighten your holiday season! Sri Lanka’s beloved supermarket chain is hosting enchanting Christmas carols at selected outlets, bringing families, friends and communities together during the most wonderful time of the year. From December 13 to [...]
SLPA felicitates veteran journalists
By Ishu Bandara The 69th anniversary and D F Kariyakarawana Memorial Journalism Awards of the Sri Lanka Press Association (SLPA) was celebrated on December 17 at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute in Colombo. In a message Prime Minister Dr Harini Amarasuriya praised the SLPA, the nation’s oldest press organisation, for its contributions to uplifting journalists. [...]
Friends of Sustainable Development wins Golden Planet Award
The Friends of Sustainable Development (FSD) were presented the ‘Golden Planet Award’ recently. Dr Manfred Florian Welker, Head of BWA (Federal Association for Economic Development and Foreign Trade) and Member of Parliament of Germany, and Astrid Arens, President of the Voice Aid Foundation and Founder of DIPESH (Digital International Platform for Environment, Sustainability and Humanity) [...]
Ahadiyyah School 43rd anniversary and prize giving
The Colombo Ahadiyyah School (Boys Section) 43rd anniversary and prize giving was held at the S De S Jayasinghe Hall, Dehiwela recently under the patronage of Principal N P M Faiz. Organising committee Chairman H C Althaf Cassim delivered the welcome address. The ‘ILm-ud-Deen’ souvenir was launched and the first copy presented to guest of [...]
Time to revive Mannar Basin oil and gas projects
By Sumith Thennakoon Sri Lanka’s offshore Mannar oil and gas (MOG) basin is located around 30 kilometres off the Puttalam-Mannar coast. After several decades of ambitious programmes and development activities, Sri Lanka reported its first-ever successful oil and natural gas discovery in the Mannar Basin in 2011. Two exploratory wells—Dorado and Baracuda—drilled in the Mannar [...]
In wartime Bethlehem, Christmas joy hard to find
By Louis Baudoin-Laarman BETHLEHEM, Palestinian Territories – On Bethlehem’s Manger Square, Christmas decorations and pilgrims are notably absent for a second wartime festive season in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city. The Church of the Nativity that dominates the square is as empty as the plaza outside. Only the chants of Armenian monks echo from the [...]
The world needs ocean-based climate solutions
By Ilana Seid, Project Syndicate, Exclusive to the Sunday Times in Sri Lanka NEW YORK – Following the recent 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, we are confronted with one pressing question: What’s next? With countries set to submit early next year their updated nationally determined contributions (NDCs) under the 2015 Paris [...]
Medical clinic conducted in Hendala
An annual blood donation campaign and medical clinic organised by the Pokuna Janatha Ekathuwa of Wattala, Hendala, Kerwalapitiya was held at Vidyaloka Maha Vidyalaya. Distribution of spectacles, western medical clinic, indigenous medical clinic, early detection of cancer clinic, dental clinic, acupuncture clinic, and the donation of books and scholarships to underprivileged children were conducted. Chairman [...]