At the age of 92, the Most Venerable Kurunegoda Sri Piyatissa Nayaka Maha Thera (Bhante Piyatissa) passed away in his room with mindfulness on October 11, 2019 at 10.10 a.m. At that time, residential monks who gathered in his room were chanting discourses of the Buddha with Metta (having great loving-kindness).
Subsequent to the article on ‘Sustainable Sri Lanka 2030 Vision’ published yesterday, Daily Mirror sat for an interview with the Chairman of Presidential Expert Committee (PEC) on Sustainable Sri Lanka 2030 Vision, Professor Mohan Munasinghe. Following is the first part of the interview; the second will be published tomorrow.
October 17 is the scheduled date for Sri Lanka to re-open the Palaly Airport as its third international aerodrome. There will be many who would applaud and praise the refurbishment and upgrading of the new airport; and there will be others who would criticise and curse the very thought of another international airport.
Situated in Colombo’s northern border, Modara is today a neglected land. Infrastructural decay in this once-prestigious harbour city resembles more underdeveloped areas in Sri Lanka. Important trunk roads experience unending construction as major underground oil, sewerage and waste-water pipelines connect to the sea via this area. Further, constant electricity,
Looking back at the year 2019 as it approaches its end, the Easter Sunday bombings are a sickening memory engraved in the minds of all Sri Lankans and although it’s been almost six months since the shock of the bombings, we are still in a state of disbelief about everything that happened.
In March 2016, Thisuri Wanniarachchi wrote what can only be described as a confrontational essay. Titled “What your schools didn’t teach you?”, it was aimed at one institution: the elite public school in the towns. Half the tirade was against “the culture of fraternity” surrounding the Big Match culture (matches played between rival schools, the Royal-Thomian being the prime example); the other half was against the (alleged) racism of Buddhist sc
New issues have emerged in Colombo’s garbage crisis. With an explosion taking place at the Aruwakkalu sanitary landfill site, signs of a second ‘Meethotamulla episode’ were seen last week. While the process of dumping garbage was disrupted on several occasions, the proposed landfill sites are exceeding their capacities. On the other hand, several allegations were levelled against the Colom
By 2030 Sri Lanka hopes to become a sustainable, upper middle income, Indian Ocean hub with an economy that is prosperous, competitive and advanced; an environment that is green and flourishing; and a society that is inclusive, harmonious, peaceful and just. We will follow the middle path based on balanced inclusive green growth.
Sr. Angela Fernando was a nun for over 60 years in the Good Shepherd Order. She was truly a Good Shepherd caring for all sheep in the entire herd including those that were lost. A few months prior to her demise in August, she was helping the families living under duress in police quarters with nowhere to go and being shunned by the majority Sinhalese after the Katuwapitiya bomb blast. She was the main author of the recently published book titled
I first met Ranjan De Sylva at Medical College in 1955 when five of us De Silvas sat next to each other. We were called the ‘De Silva family’ and four of us spelled our last name plain old ‘De Silva’ and Ranjan was ‘De Sylva.’ We were quite intrigued by this!
Have you ever considered what is in your store? By store, I mean, what you have collected so far; those may be materials you can touch, feel and see, or those maybe possessions intangible or demonstrable in any palpable way. I am sure the readers of your esteemed paper will know what is meant by material things, as we all have these stacked-up everywhere, in cupboards, bookcases, almirahs and every accessible nook and corner. But the latter – mea
This article series considers the Buddhist approach to conceptions of sustainability and development. It deals with the interpretation of the United Nation’s (UN) Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) from a Buddhist perspective. It examines the conception of sustainable development, background of MDGs and draws up the Buddhist solution for securing environmental sustainability.
“When a future historian writes the political history of the most obtuse and inept government in post-independence Sri Lanka, he or she will, without doubt identify the zenith of idiocy having been the Constitutional prevention of Mahinda Rajapaksa...
Waking up daily to the sight of the Karadiyana garbage dump, breathing contaminated air, seeing littered streets and his child experiencing these toxic conditions alerted Gihan Mackay to the urgency of environmental conservation. So Mr Mackay and his friends, Melani Gunathilaka, Pavithra Stembo, Shyama Basnayaka and Roashan Kamal, decided to raise environmental
Sri Lanka’s Easter Tragedy sets out to answer the question many Sri Lankans were asking in the wake of the carnage in April 2019: How could this happen, when the state had prior warning of the attacks? The author explains that by the ‘Deep State’ he means ‘a body of organised interests comprising dominant sections of the political establishment and the security apparatus,
Today (10th) is World Mental Health Day. Happiness, joy, laughter and merriment. Are you enjoying these aspects of your life? Ideally speaking we should practise these aspects daily to enjoy our life. But after reading the above most of you would have realised that these have eluded you a long time back.
The Eleventh Annual Scientific Sessions of the Institute of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology of the University of Colombo was held on July 12, 2019, at the IBMBB Conference Hall. Vice-Chancellor of the University of Colombo Senior Prof. Chandrika Wijeyaratne was the chief guest at the inaugural ceremony.
Persons with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) continue to experience high rates of unmet healthcare and isolation due to social stigma and apathy. As such, creating ASD awareness is vital, and the Sri Lanka Association for Child Development (SLACD), the Citizens Development Business Finance PLC (CDB) have collaborated to create such a place in society. Recently,
The inaugural chapter of a yearlong confab themed ‘Solving the peace puzzle: A critical stakeholder discussion in achieving sustainable peace in Sri Lanka’ was held recently with much pomp and pageantry at Avicenna Institute of Global Learning in Galle Face Terrace amidst a distinguished gathering.
Surrounded by the Morawak Kanda mountain range, amid lush greeneries, elegantly landscaped tea estates and rich paddy fields is Morawaka, the hometown I grew up in. With a population thriving on tea and farming, Morawaka is another one of those untouched rural areas in Sri Lanka. Today it is frequented with visitors including foreigners who take some time off to dip their
Two days after a climate summit failed to deliver game-changing pledges to slash carbon emissions, the United Nations warned Wednesday that global warming is devastating oceans and Earth’s frozen spaces in ways that directly threaten a large slice of humanity.
Sri Lanka’s dwindling elephant population is facing severe threats. This was evident when seven more female elephants in Habarana instantly breathed their last during September. Although the incident once again nudged the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) officials to get their acts in order while the subject Minister pointed out that it was a serious offense, loopholes in laws printed in statute books need to be fixed first. Delays in pa
Renowned media figure Richard Quest was recently in the island for the Cinnamon Future of Tourism Summit. Fronting shows like ‘Business Traveller’, ‘’The Express’ and ‘Quest’s World of Wonder’, Quest also anchors ‘Quest Means Business’. The CNN’s business editor at large, Mr. Quest is a well-known media personality world over and has made his mark in the world of journalism. With an exclusive candid interview with the Daily Mirror, Richard Que
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