COVID-19 outbreak in Sri Lanka: Govt. expands quarantine facilities; prompt decisions vital

Amid 86 people being tested positive at the time this article was penned and 222 others currently undergoing treatment at designated hospitals...

CORONA/ COVID 19 VIRUS –Misleading News and Responsibility of the Public and Government

A responsible Government Medical Officer publicly opined that the situation of corona virus of initial stage of Sri Lanka was worse than Italy. This is not correct comparing Italy and Sri Lanka figures.

Symptoms, treatment and FAQs: COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus

Dr Leong Hoe Nam, infectious disease specialist at Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital, answers questions you may have on the COVID-19 novel coronavirus. Dr Leong Hoe Nam is an infectious disease specialist practising at Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital, Singapore.

Navin recalls memories of his father: ‘Dad wanted us to stand on our own feet’

Is this the reason why many good people die early? March 20 is my fathers birthday.. He would have been 78 had he lived.. He was a wonderful father and a wonderful husband, but most of all he was a wonderful human being.

Elections amid CoVID-19

The COVID-19 outbreak has affected the everyday lives of people, including those of politicians. With public health concerns increasing, questions are being raised about holding national elections amid the coronavirus spread. Although nomination papers have been signed, candidates contesting the upcoming Parliamentary Elections will be hampered in running their campaigns and holding public meetings, until the crisis subsides. While some leaders h

Life in Nuwara Eliya Disrupted

With the discovery of the 34th active Covid-19 positive patient in Sri Lanka, the municipal council of Nuwara Eliya is taking preventive measures and raising awareness seriously. Although the government declared Monday (16) a public holiday, all the essential services including health and other services as well as wholesale and retail shops had been requested to function as per usual.

75th Death Anniversary of Very Rev. Fr. M.J. Le Goc, OMI The Man who saved Sri maha Bodhi

Certainly, 75 years is a long period. It is a triple quarter centenary; more than a Diamond memory; Just a quarter less than a century. It is a well-fit occasion to be commemorat

A home filled with companionship

Filled with brightly coloured balloons and music playing in the background, the hall at the Home of Compassion had an air of festivity and cheerfulness about it. As the residents of the home gathered together, the man of the hour, Sellat

Indian thrillers come of age

The action-thriller is a genre that was relatively rare in Indian commercial cinema, Bollywood, Kollywood or any other, until the new millennium. Though the 1958 film Madhumathi is based on a murder and its unravelling, it can’t be classified as a thriller (its described as a paranormal romance).

March 12 was World Kidney Day Experiences of a CKD patient

As a kidney patient having undergone dialysis over 375 times in private hospitals I noted last year this day passed unnoticed by many. I found no such activities conducted for CKD- Chronic Kidney Disease....

Damien Perera In memory of a longtime friend…

Damien was a character well-known for a combination of qualities that intrigued and attracted many. He was a very close friend of other interesting people who were his contemporaries at Peradeniya University in the 1950s and of others who were his mates at the Sri Lanka Administrative Service.

Donald Wijekoon Peradeniya Uni mourns death of great scientist

The Peradeniya University Science Faculty Alumni lost W.M.D. Wijekoon, old boy of Dharmaraja College, who entered university in October 1968.

COVID - 19 Govt. urges calm as apt measures in place

On March 11, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared COVID-19 as a pandemic. While Italy is currently on lockdown, China’s situation is slowly being controlled.

Half of the world’s beaches including Sri Lanka’s to disappear during 21st century

A recent a joint research by a leading Dutch based institute, in which a world renowned Sri Lankan scientist too was involved has shown that half of the world’s beaches including Sri Lanka’s would disappear by 2100.

Memory against Forgetting Archive of Memory:

Time and memory are closely intertwined, as it seeps away quite unconsciously, adding meaning to the oscillating moments between past and future. Some of these moments are deemed worthy of notice and recorded as history....

‘Steps 2 Walk’ makes strides in Sri Lanka

A team of orthopaedic surgeons from the global humanitarian organisation ‘Steps 2 Walk’ visited Sri Lanka recently. They held workshops for local orthopaedic surgeons and conducted foot and ankle surgeries in the National Hospital, Colombo.

The Opposition: Waiting for Godot

Political alliances are marriages of conveniences. The UNP, which promises everyone that it would stick together, and accuses the media of painting a false picture of disunity, is trying to outdo itself in vilifying the rival factions.

Online threats create new dangers for reporters

Journalists under threat during elections is nothing new in Sri Lanka, but the nature of these threats is changing. The November election illustrates just how underprepared journalists....

Making Smart Homes in Sri Lanka

Chances are you love (or hate) getting to know your daily step count, the flights of stairs you’ve taken each day or even the distance you’ve walked or not walked during your day. Yes, it can get you a little distressed sometimes, but let’s face it; it does motivate you, without a visit to your doctor and an uncomfortable reminder of having to exercise more. All this and a nudge towards managing a more active lifestyle is possible with a smartpho

Animate Her : Animating our very own heroines

The Animate Her series is a collection of animated interviews told through stop-motion and experimental animation which features a group of exceptional women living and working in Sri Lanka.

Academics appeal for peace and solidarity

A group of 72 academics from eight universities has urged President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and all national leaders to reject violence and division, and ensure everyone’s safety, as the country prepares to mourn the victims of the Easter bombings on 21 April.

NPC also emphasises need for open skill development

Referring to the set of guidelines issued by the Mullaitivu District Secretariat to all non-governmental organisations working in the district asking them to focus on infrastructure development and not on soft skill training, the National Peace Council (NPC) said soft skill training was also essential.

Lives of female migrant workers in Middle East: Delving into stories beyond the dollars…

The International Women’s Day culminated with vibrant celebrations and appreciation toward women who have succeeded in life. And then, there are those women who represent the estate sector, farmer and fisheries communities, janitorial service, prostitution and many other blue-collar professions that never get appreciated. Female migrant labourers too are part of this

Of gods, kings, and men: Climbing Sri Pada

When they weren’t climbing mountains or conversing with kings, the earliest foreign writers on Sri Lanka were dwelling on gems, rubies, topazes, sapphires, and moonstones. From Pliny and Cosmas to Fa Hsien, Odoric of Pordenone.....

Ugly and good side of conversions in South Asia

Christianity came to South Asia in three phases: In the First phase (during First Century AD) it was brought by an unarmed preacher, St.Thomas, the Apostle. In the Second phase, between the 16th and the 19th Centuries....

The significance of Medin Full Moon Poya Day - When Buddha visited His birth place – Kapilavastupura

It was on a Medin Full Moon Poya day that Siddhartha Gautama Buddha first visited His birthplace, Kapilavastupura, the Kingdom of His father, King Suddhodhana. For Sri Lankans, this day is of special significance because it is on this day that the most number of pilgrims climb Samanola Kanda to worship Sri Pada – the sacred footprint of the Enlightened One.

Yesterday was World Women’s Day - Coming together to face New challenges

Worldwide, March 8 is commemorated as Women’s Day, and as we celebrate it, International Working-Class Women’s Day. It is a day on which we reflect on our past as movement builders for social change, celebrating what we have achieved,

Lennox Gastaut Syndrome: Taking care of the desperate

“Wherever there is a human in need, there is an opportunity for kindness and to make a difference” – Kevin Heath World Kindness Sri Lanka, a non-profit organization aims to create awareness and build a network of support for Lennox Gastaut Syndrome, a rare epilepsy syndrome.

After 40 years of helping children in need, SOS now seeks assistance

Children are invaluable assets to any nation. It is the rightful duty of parents to ensure their children are brought up well so he or she may successfully integrate to society and be productive individuals. Unfortunately,

Rudolf Boekel Salute to the man and the legend

“For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun? And what is it to cease breathing, but to free the breath from its restless tides, that it may rise and expand and seek God unencumbered?” - Khalil Gibran