Tue, 19 Mar 2024 Today's Paper

Marc Ruskin

Dailymirror Online

US military planes arrive with Venezuela aid

18 Feb 2019 - 0     - 404

US military airlifted tons of humanitarian aid to a Colombian town on the Venezuelan border Saturday as part of an effort meant to undermine socialist President Nicolas Maduro and back his rival for the leadership of the South American nation.    


In Iraq visit, US general eyes longer-term IS threat

18 Feb 2019 - 0     - 315

REUTERS, 17th FEBRUARY, 2019 - The general overseeing U.S. forces in the Middle East flew into Iraq on Sunday for talks with U.S. and Iraqi officials expected to focus on ensuring that Islamic State cannot stage a resurgence after U.S. troops withdraw from neighbouring Syria.  


India hunting for mastermind of Kashmir bombing

18 Feb 2019 - 0     - 403

REUTERS, 17th FEBRUARY, 2019 - Hundreds of Indian forces were on Sunday hunting for the Kashmir chief of the Pakistan-based militant group believed to have masterminded a car bombing on an Indian security convoy, killing 44 paramilitary police.  


India’s PM promises retaliation after worst attack in Kashmir

16 Feb 2019 - 0     - 1017

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed on Friday to punish those responsible for the deadliest attack in three decades in Indian-controlled Kashmir as pressure mounted on his government to take military action against militant groups in neighbouring Pakistan.    


Three hundred babies killed daily in conflict zones

16 Feb 2019 - 0     - 585

Three hundred babies a day, are killed before their first birthday as a result of conflict, a charity believes.     


US struggles to convince anti-IS allies to secure Syria after it leaves

16 Feb 2019 - 0     - 550

Pentagon chief Patrick Shanahan struggled Friday to convince sceptical allies in the coalition fighting the Islamic State to help secure Syria once American soldiers pull out.   


Trump to invoke broad powers bid to build wall

16 Feb 2019 - 0     - 487

Donald Trump is turning to an expansive use of presidential power to build his promised border wall, shifting the fight over funding to uncertain ground in the federal courts rather than risking another politically damaging government shutdown.  Trump plans to unilaterally shift about $7 billion in federal resources to construct physical barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border, a White House official said, a maneuver sure to provoke a legal&nb


“Free” English and Theravada programmes for Buddhist clergy

16 Feb 2019 - 0     - 818

The introduction of Mahayana Buddhism imposed various challenges on Theravada Buddhism although they remain to be two broader dimensions of Buddhism today. As a means of spreading the words of Buddhism in English, Mohan Lal Grero, founder of Lyceum International Schools has taken the initiative to teach monks and bikkunis in temples.   


The night Beatles went Jazz… By “Music Watch”

16 Feb 2019 - 0     - 705

“Beatles go Jazz” concerts are nothing new to the world. It was however, audaciously new to Sri Lanka and, the challenge taken by the popular local jazz group en route to deliver on it in Colombo on February 9, was a resounding success. The concert was organised by the “Women’s International Club” to raise funds for the “Christopher Maithree Compassion Therapy Centre” for mentally and physically challenge


Nirmali (de Silva) Fernando My Mother at my ‘Alma Mater’

16 Feb 2019 - 0     - 1053

It was exactly half a century ago, last month, January 1969, that Nirmali de Silva came into my life. I was a 07 year-old impressionable little brat at Wesley College Colombo and she was our beautiful 23 year-old, Grade 2 class teacher.     


Golden Night 2019 Annual dinner dance of Old Anandians group of 75-80

16 Feb 2019 - 0     - 506

The 75-80 group of Old Anandians  will be having their Annual Dinner Dance ‘Golden Night’ on Saturday, February 16th at the Waters Edge Grand Ballroom for the 34th year. This Annual Extravaganza is held every year to raise funds for Social Service activities like the Annual Teachers’ Medical Camp, School Educational & Development activities etc.   


Like a Phoenix she rose from the ashes of despair to soar

16 Feb 2019 - 0     - 349

‘I am going to a city where roses never fade’ and ‘Heaven is a wonderful place’…..sang the angelic voices in beautiful harmony, almost persuading the earthly beings present of an invitation to that divine mansion! The ethereal vocal sounds filled the parlour, wafting through the air to the gentle strumming of a guitar at the funeral of Fidelia Irene Padmawathi de Silva. These little girls who also paid tearful tribu


Nigeria’s election today

16 Feb 2019 - 0     - 987

Nigeria is a veritable factory of sophisticated novelists. It was no surprise that Ben Okri won the British Booker Prize that goes annually to the best novelist of the year.     


Green Fashion: imagine and act naturally

16 Feb 2019 - 0     - 890

This week, the United Nations  marked the International Day of Women and Girls in Science with the theme being “Investment in Women and Girls in Science for Inclusive Green Growth.”According to the UN, Science and gender equality are vital for the achievement of the internationally agreed development goals, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.   


Star Guide Forecast for The week (February 16 Saturday to February 22 Friday)

15 Feb 2019 - 0     - 728

Aries (Mesha):   The brief period from Feb: 17 to 19 when the Moon is transiting your 3rd House will see you taking bold decisions and receiving the support of relatives and siblings. Sun  in your 11th House conjunct with Mercury holds out higher status, sound health and an enhanced income. Lagnadhipati Mars in Lagna – the 1st House will endow you with a new surge of energy and dynamism as well as courage. You may embark on y



Astrology as a diagnostic science A guide to choosing a good manager

15 Feb 2019 - 0     - 1108

We said in our previous article on the above subject that Astrology as a diagnostic science provides an answer to the complex problem of choosing the right person for the right job.  


Peculiarities of Mounts Mount of Jupiter Mount says what the subject is

15 Feb 2019 - 0     - 730

The Mount of Jupiter is located at the base of the Index Finger or the Finger of Jupiter above the first part of the Head and Life lines in a normally lined hand. It is seen immediately above the Mount of Lower Mars.  


Building a cancer-free future for children

15 Feb 2019 - 0     - 1966

‘Cancer’ is a term which strikes fear in the hearts of many, as it does not discriminate when choosing its victims. Young or old, male or female, rich or poor, we are all susceptible to cancer. 


Painkillers... do they really kill pain?

15 Feb 2019 - 0     - 1432

It’s impossible to find anyone aged 45 years, who hasn’t had an episode of severe backache. Similarly we find joint pain an increasingly common symptom; be it neck pain, knee ache or ankle sprains. There might be many reasons why joint pains are common nowadays, but sedentary lifestyle without proper mobilisation of joints might be a leading cause. If we consider how human beings evolved, man was never ‘made’ to occupy an


When obese, eat healthy and exercise!

15 Feb 2019 - 0     - 779

A quick look at some of the causes of the world’s leading diseases conditions like diabetes, hypertension, high blood cholesterol and even cancers tell us that obesity is an increasing danger that threatens us with these grave diseases.


Explosive-laden vehicle kills 40 soldiers in Kashmir

15 Feb 2019 - 0     - 850

At least 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans were killed and more than 20 others injured in a blast in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, news agency ANI reports. The blast was triggered by militants to target two vehicles carrying the CRPF jawans.    


Tory hardliners urged not to derail May’s Brexit plan

15 Feb 2019 - 0     - 342

UK, (Daily Mail), 14 February 2019 -  Ministers begged Tory rebels not to derail Theresa May’s Brexit plan today as another crunch Commons debate kicked off.    


Relatives of foreign fighters families flee last IS enclave

15 Feb 2019 - 0     - 437

Dozens of relatives of foreign fighters including Iraqis, Turks, and Russians fled Islamic State’s last bastion in eastern Syria on Tuesday as the jihadists lost ground to U.S.-backed forces.   


Muhammad goes to the mountain!

15 Feb 2019 - 0     - 2986

A khaki bigwig had sought a meeting with a strongman of a political family, a member of which is widely expected to come forward as a candidate at the upcoming big poll. But this request had been brusquely turned down, they say.  


The costly hoarding ends up in pieces!

15 Feb 2019 - 0     - 1220

A large hoarding put up to serve a tourism promotion purpose opposite a park in the city had been pulled down and cut into pieces, they say.  


Guilty conscience puts him on the defensive!

15 Feb 2019 - 0     - 1265

A prominent politico who is believed to have had close ties with a notorious character much talked about in the country these days, is said to be spending much of his time phoning up his political buddies to protest his innocence.   


Name-dropping didn’t work!

15 Feb 2019 - 0     - 1260

A central province white collar high-up had shown the door to a leading businessman from Galewela, who had called on him to seek approval for constructing a holiday resort on a lake embankment close to a highly venerated Buddhist Shrine.   


Drug boss ‘El Chapo’ faces life in prison after conviction

14 Feb 2019 - 0     - 668

Mexican drug boss Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was convicted on Tuesday by a US jury for smuggling narcotics into the United States  over decades.  


French jet deal rocks India’s parliament

14 Feb 2019 - 0     - 702

New Delhi (dpa) , Feb 13, 2019-   An auditor’s report and media coverage on a controversial jet deal dominated India’s parliament Wednesday, on its last day of business before the country heads  for elections.    


British PM may delay Brexit vote until last moment: EU Envoy

14 Feb 2019 - 0     - 417

UK, (Daily Mail),13 February 2019 - Theresa May is facing Brexiteer fury today after her EU envoy was overheard saying she will put off a vote on her deal until the last moment - and then threaten to delay the UK’s departure unless they approve it.     


Trump suggests he’ll accept deal on border security

14 Feb 2019 - 0     - 426

By Erica Werner, Sean Sullivan, Damian Paletta (c) 2019, The Washington Post ·Feb 13, 2019 - WASHINGTON - The threat of another government shutdown receded Tuesday as lawmakers lined up behind a fragile border security compromise and President Donald Trump predicted that federal agencies would stay open.     


The tax collector and rights of the taxed

14 Feb 2019 - 0     - 1150

Following is the third part of the full speech made by Dr. K. Kanag-Isvaran, President’s Counsel, at the 22nd Annual  Oration on Taxation, organised by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka.


Migration in Asia: Where is everybody going?

14 Feb 2019 - 0     - 892

The US government recently endured a month-long partial shutdown due to a partisan dispute over funding to build a wall on the country’s southern border with Mexico. While those on both sides of the issue were digging in their heels, I got to thinking about migration trends in Asia.  


ADB to pump in US $ 145mn to local university system to nurture technology-oriented graduates

14 Feb 2019 - 0     - 929

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and four Sri Lankan universities yesterday signed project agreements totalling US $ 145 million, under the ADB-funded Science and Technology Human Resources Development project, to foster science and technology in Sri Lanka’s higher education.     


Sri Lanka’s largest brewer urges government to plug tax revenue leakages

14 Feb 2019 - 0     - 867

Sri Lanka’s largest brewer has urged the government to come up with a foolproof mechanism to eliminate the tax revenue leakages stemming from non-declaration of full production volumes by spirits makers.  


New directors elected to CSE board

14 Feb 2019 - 0     - 803

The Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) yesterday announced the appointment of Dimuthu Sanjaya Abeyesekera and Murtaza Jafferjee as Directors of the CSE board with effect from February 1, 2019.   


Consumer and healthcare sectors lift Sunshine 3Q profits

14 Feb 2019 - 0     - 612

The strong performance of the consumer, healthcare and energy sectors offset the negative results from the tea plantation business at Sunshine Holdings PLC, paving the way for the diversified conglomerate to pull off a robust performance for the quarter ended December 2018 (3Q19).   


MTD Walkers enjoined from transferring shares

14 Feb 2019 - 0     - 972

The Colombo Commercial High Court has issued enjoining orders on MTD Walkers PLC restraining it from transferring its shares in the name of third parties or interfering with its shares in any other manner, until February 20. 


Rupee ends weaker on high dollar demand

14 Feb 2019 - 0     - 455

(Colombo) REUTERS: Sri Lanka’s rupee ended tad weaker yesterday, as importer dollar demand surpassed the exporter greenback sales, market sources said.


Govt. to spend extra Rs.1.2bn on plantation sector worker wages

14 Feb 2019 - 0     - 1083

The government yesterday said it would contribute Rs.50 to the daily wage of every tea plantation worker, for a period of one year, which can only be described as a desperate measure to end the protracted plantation sector daily wage issue.


‘Priyanka magic’ draws thousands at debut rally in India

12 Feb 2019 - 0     - 1075

India’s powerful Nehru-Gandhi dynasty on Monday unleashed its newest star with thousands turning out to see Priyanka Gandhi Vadra speak at her first rally as the country gears up for a general election.    


Turkish comments on detention camps ‘irresponsible’: China

12 Feb 2019 - 0     - 570

DPA, 11th FEBRUARY, 2019 - Turkish accusations that China is running “concentration camps” for Uighurs in western Xinjiang province are “extremely wrong and irresponsible,” charged China’s Foreign Ministry on Monday.  


Maas bows out of controversial Middle East conference

12 Feb 2019 - 0     - 637

DPA, 11th FEBRUARY, 2019 - German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has pulled out of an upcoming conference in Warsaw on peace and security in the Middle East organized by Poland and the United States that has been widely referred to as an anti-Iran conference.


Maduro seeks OPEC help against US sanctions - letter

12 Feb 2019 - 0     - 499

REUTERS, 11th FEBRUARY, 2019 - Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro has sought OPEC support against U.S. sanctions imposed on his country’s oil industry, citing their impact on oil prices and potential risks for other members of the producer group.  


Zimbabwe teachers’ unions suspend national strike

12 Feb 2019 - 0     - 542

REUTERS, 11th FEBRUARY, 2019 - Zimbabwean teachers have suspended a national strike seeking better pay, unions said on Sunday, but warned that they could walk out from their jobs again if the government did not meet their demands.  


Meddlesome politicos trying to hinder investigations

12 Feb 2019 - 0     - 1477

The constant undue interference from powerful politicos at national level and their kith and kin has become a big headache to the white-collar high-up appointed to investigate the alleged irregularities of the central provincial ministries.


Rs.4.5 million worth LED board lying idle near public toilet

12 Feb 2019 - 0     - 1353

This LED board indicating the places of tourist interest in the Western Province had been made at a cost of Rs. 4.5 million about one year ago without first identifying a site to put it on display.


He teaches the younger sibling a lesson

12 Feb 2019 - 0     - 1166

A story originating from an area north of the central sacred city says that an elder of a political family had given his ‘stubbornly disobedient’ younger sibling a tongue-lashing in choice filth in the presence of a group of party supporters.


They have none to look up to for justice

12 Feb 2019 - 0     - 1066

This buddy of a personal aide of a very high political authority has cut a road leading to his metal quarry forcibly through some private properties located alongside a long waterway. 


The tax collector and rights of the taxed

12 Feb 2019 - 0     - 834

Following is the first part of the full speech made by Dr. K. Kanag-Isvaran, President’s Counsel, at the 22nd Annual Oration on Taxation organized by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka.


Understanding how central banks manage foreign exchange reserves

12 Feb 2019 - 0     - 870

Global foreign exchange reserves—which are used by countries to pay for goods and services and to hedge against exchange rate risks—reached US $ 11.48 trillion in the second quarter of 2018, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).  


India bides its time in Indian Ocean

12 Feb 2019 - 0     - 605

New Delhi’s strategic circles are abuzz with speculation of a defence infrastructure upgrade at India’s Andaman and Nicobar islands in the Bay of Bengal. According to media reports, the government is on the cusp of finalising a 10-year plan to create additional infrastructure for troops, warships, aircraft and drones on the islands. This follows news that the Indian navy has commissioned a third naval aviation base on the islands. &nb


January tourist arrivals up 2.2% to 244,239

12 Feb 2019 - 0     - 815

The tourist arrivals during the first month of this year rose 2.2 percent year-on-year to 244,239, the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) said in a brief press release yesterday. The largest source markets during the month were India, followed by China and the United Kingdom. 


NDB 4Q earnings beat economic odds, reports aggressive lending growth

12 Feb 2019 - 0     - 844

National Development Bank PLC (NDB) reported robust earnings supported by aggressive growth in assets as the lender ploughed strongly through multiple headwinds in the economy to pull off some solid performance for the quarter ended December 31, 2018 (4Q18).  


Expolanka delivers a strong 3Q as earnings up 40%

12 Feb 2019 - 0     - 516

Expolanka Holdings PLC marched forward with substantial growth in the top and bottom lines during the quarter ended December 31, 2018 (3Q19), led by its key logistics and freight forwarding business.   


CB says US $ 16mn pending from ETI Finance deal

12 Feb 2019 - 0     - 909

The Central Bank yesterday said US $ 16 million from the ETI Finance (ETIF) deal is yet to be received.  


UK posts slowest growth in 6 yrs ahead of Brexit

12 Feb 2019 - 0     - 334

(London)AFP: Britain’s economy grew at the slowest pace in six years in 2018 with near-flat output in the final quarter, data showed yesterday, as Brexit uncertainty and weaker global growth bites.  


Rupee ends higher as exporters, foreign banks sell dollar

12 Feb 2019 - 0     - 431

(Colombo) REUTERS: Sri Lanka’s rupee ended a tad higher yesterday, as exporters and foreign banks sold dollars, amid government securities’ purchase by foreign investors, market sources said.


Hayleys bounces back in 3Q with strong sectoral contributions

12 Feb 2019 - 0     - 1389

Diversified conglomerate Hayleys PLC with an asset base of Rs.233 billion, bounced back strongly during the quarter ended December 31, 2018 (3Q18), after recording losses for two consecutive quarters, the interim financial accounts released to the Colombo bourse showed.