Landslides, floods, out of season monsoons and droughts have affected Sri Lanka in the recent past. If one was curious about the reason, there’s no doubt that these are effects of climate change. Sri Lanka was placed second in the Global Climate Risk Index, which means Sri Lanka is in a precarious position. In this backdrop, to increase awareness on climate change, the
Bird watcher and painter Lester Perera will hold an exhibition on his feathered friends titled ‘Brush with Birds’ which is scheduled to be held at the Harold Peiris Gallery at the Lionel Wendt from December 6-8. His exhibits could be viewed between 9am and 6pm on these days. Lester is an avid birdwatcher and calls anyone who is engaged in this pastime ‘a birder’.
A night out on July 1, 2005 ended tragically when 19-year old Yvonne Jonsson of Sri Lankan-Swedish origin was brutally murdered at the Royal Park apartment complex. The infamous ‘Royal Park murder’ made headlines as the family of the accused tried incessantly to shield the murderer from justice. The perpetrator, Jude Shramantha Anthony Jayamaha, was found guilty of ‘culpabl
“I am neither an Indian Tamilian, nor do I have any Sinhalese relatives or genes... My primary language is English, German is my second best language. Hindi is the only Indian language I can speak, read, and write – fluently, I like to claim. I can produce smatterings of excruciatingly bad Tamil and passable Telugu and – enough French to save my life.” Am I Sri Lankan? I’d like to think, and say, I am. Certain fortuitous historical circumstances,
The AYATI Centre - Sri Lanka’s first National Centre for Children with Disabilities, is taking shape to address a large, yet not much spoken of issue of disability. The centre has called for donations for it. The AYATI Centre - Sri Lanka’
“Act Justly, Love Mercy and Walk Humbly” is a fitting mandate given to mankind to emulate and prescribed by the Creator for peaceful co-existence throughout ages! As the people of Sri Lanka make the transition to a new era in anticipation of positive change, they look to the future with great expectations on the ramifications of the 2019 Presidential elections. The feverishly and furiously fought presidential election between the two main cont
Radio waves of a country are national resources. People with agendas frequently use these national resources to form public opinion. Many developed countries have a proper national plan to regulate telecommunication; with regard to radio and TV. Licensing, renewing and regulation are still done the same way since the inception over here. Therefore, we interviewed some experts to speak on radio
Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury is not only the Shepherd to 700 million that are increasing day by day to one and all believers of all faiths flung across the world in every nook and corner some of whom may never have heard of Jesus....
For the 56th consecutive year, St. Cecilia’s Choir of St. Joseph’s College, Colombo 10 proudly presents Josephian carols tomorrow at the Rev. Dr. Stanley Abeysekera sports complex cum auditorium, under the patronage of Apostolic Nuncio to Sri Lanka, Archbishop Most Rev. Dr. Pierre Nugyen Van Tot. Adding glamour to the event will be performances by Old Joes’ Choir, Primary Choir and Teachers’ Choir.
My younger brother Fr. Elmo Dias passed away three months ago on August 14 after a few years of illness which he silently bore. He was called to rest in the Lord at the age of 67. Elmo was the eighth born in a family of ten, five boys and five girls to Reggie Dias (R.S.A. Dias) and Margret Dias of Moratuwa.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa won. That does not mean Ranil Wickremesinghe lost. The Sajith faction in the UNP naturally wants him out. At the same time, they are afraid of suggesting names. So we have Hirunika Premachandra who acknowledges him as a walking,
Mary Yolande Priyani Fernando (born Andrady) passed away peacefully on October 26, 2019 in a general hospital near London from a cardiac arrest resulting from adverse medical conditions. She is survived by her husband (Tommy) and son (Trevin) of Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, Britain and her brother (Lucky) in the United States.
The stated aim of microfinance companies is to uplift the lives of rural communities by providing them with financial assistance. In Sri Lanka, the provision of financial services to rural households was largely recognised with the 1986 ‘Janasaviya’ programme.
27-year-old Robinson, from Jaffna believes he has found his artistic voice, after just five days spent with like-minded youth from across the country. For the past week Robinson toiled to not only sharpen his creative skill, but also help organise the National Youth Symposium,
The Sinhala military in pre-colonial society was never as primitive or out of touch with technology as some might think. Until the 15th century, pistols, muskets, rockets and cannon power were virtually unknown and unheard of, but once soldiers learnt how to operate them, they were able to manoeuvre them nimbly. Accounts by foreign writers including de Couto, Ribeiro,
National reconciliation was one of the upfront promises of the incumbent government when it came to power in 2015. Four years down the line, bridging the North and South has become an outdated topic of discussion. Whatever happened to solving the biggest problem Sri Lanka so deeply suffered from colonials since independence? With the country being literally bombarded
Themed under the title ‘Earth is the only home we have, treasure it’, the prestigious Shankar’s International Competition was hosted recently by the High Commission of India (Colombo), with more than 500 young participants taking part in the event. Issuing a statement, the High Commission of India (Colombo) stated that the competition provided young minds the opportunity to
Unfortunately, World Toilet Day doesn’t receive as much attention as other universally recognised “days” such as World Environment Day or World Health Day. But the day November 19, was a chance to focus on an issue that millions of people worldwide suffer from - the lack of a safe and private place to go to the toilet.
Gender-based violence occurs in all parts of the world including Sri Lanka. Unfortunately, in many cultures, violence towards women is accepted as a social norm. Women are affected by diverse forms of sexual violence, most commonly sexual exploitation, rape, forced and child marriage. This is because of deeply entrenched poverty, low levels of education and societal
Any Sri Lankan social media user would have noted the rise in post election hate speech since the results of the Presidential Election was announced. The post election hate speech mainly revolved on two groups of voters; the voters of the Negombo electorate and the voters in the electorates of the North and the East. In these electorates, the majority voted in favour of the New Democratic Front (NDF) candidate, Sajith Premadasa.
The on-going move by the Hindutwa regimes at the Centre and States in India to obliterate the legacies of the Muslim era in Indian history, is now threatening Tippu Sultan (1750-1799), the iconic 18th Century Muslim ruler of Mysore in South India. Tippu has for long been celebrated by India’s secular freedom fighters for the distinction of having been the only Indian monarch to have died fighting the British in a military engagement. He was ki
The National Peace Council in a statement has urged the newly elected President Gotabaya Rajapaksa the need to call for an end to the ongoing spate of hate speech against the ethnic and religious minorities and in reuniting the divided polity. “In his inaugural speech the newly elected Presi
Yet another Presidential Election is over. The voter turnout as well as the massive quantum of votes secured by the winner have baffled both the winning and the losing parties. But this is no surprise. Sri
The context is important because one can’t say that love is unpredictable or perverse in general. Depending on the context, it may well turn out to be sublime, romantic, thrilling, fulfilling or heartbreaking and tragic.
Canada issues travel advisory over serious risk in Arugam Bay
More countries issue travel advisories
Sri Lanka Tourism invites global travellers for upcoming season
Russian embassy urges citizens to stay vigilant in Arugam Bay
US Embassy issues travel warning for Arugam Bay
Immigration authorities to crack down on overstaying Russians, Israelis
Sri Lanka may face another economic turmoil: Sajith