Trump’s mistaken view of Islam

An abiding fear for Donald Trump is that the Middle East dictators’ successors in power will be militant Islamists who once elected will stop at nothing. At one time in the presidential campaign he threatened to “nuke” them.

The lasting peace and joy of inner liberation

Today on the eve of Christmas many people throughout the world both Christian and non-Christian alike are about to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, a man who has had immense influence upon individuals, nations and civilizations.   

Roy Manoj Kumar - ‘The 15 minutes that became three years’

On 14 November the Human Rights Committee heard a case by an alleged torture victim, Roy Manojkumar Samathanam,...

The Obama legacy: Less peace and more war

If one were to assess President Barack Obama’s global leadership in the past eight years in absolute terms, the scorecard will not be impressive enough to keep him on the pedestal of...

Who are we Celebrating This Season

Christmas is drawing near. It has become fashionable to get into a season of celebration, but do you know, who you are celebrating? Well, if you really know, you will celebrate forever.  

An informative evening of musical entertainment by Kelaniya Uni

The Faculty of Performing Arts of the Kelaniya University hosted a very interesting evening of music and discussion on Thursday Dec. 01.  

More hostile Tamil Nadu in the making

After the death of Jayalalithaa Jayaram, the powerful Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on December 5, the political situation in the State seems to have been in uncertainty...

Looking for alternatives with the ‘Left’ left out

When independence was granted to Ceylon, the alternative to the United National Party (UNP) at the 1947 parliamentary election was the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP). 

May nonviolence become the heart of our relationships - EDITORIAL

As we move into the festive season, we need to be aware that the New Year’s priority issues for the international community including Sri Lanka will be poverty alleviation, the battle against climate change or global warming and the peaceful resolution of conflicts instead of resorting to war and violence.  

Cheating Sinhalese in proposal and Tamils through outcome

JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake has made two statements regarding reconciliation via constitutional reform. Firstly, he has said that a referendum on a new constitution should not be approached the way the Presidential Election was fought. In that election, the Northern and Eastern Provinces voted overwhelmingly for President Sirisena, who was the default candidate of the United National Party and as such was backed to the hilt by the coaliti

Coconuts have a lot of iron, make us strong like a lion

Instead of importing junk foods and processed rubbish at a high cost in foreign exchange, the National Government has launched a three-year mission to grow our own nutritious food -- Grains vegetables and fruits -- in our own country. This will be done hopefully without the use of imported agro-chemicals and preservatives, some of which are known to be toxic. Even in the field of 

UNP-SLFP fissures widen political stage to hot up in the New Year

Fissures within the national unity government between United National Party (UNP) and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) look widened....

Port City was sold to China by those in the JO: Akila

The Dailymirror recently had an interview with Education Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam on the current political situation in the country. Excerpts; 

Doesn’t it creep you out, even a little bit?

It was perhaps the biggest Sri Lanka related news story of the year that is about to end. It should have been picked up by the international media but unsurprisingly it wasn’t – though it would have been, once.

Sharing of resources vital for human solidarity

With Sri Lanka’s two major political parties working together in a National Government for the first time since independence and with intensified moves for inter-religious and inter-racial dialogue and unity in diversity, International Solidarity Day yesterday was of deep significance for our country.   

From the Bandaranaikes to Jayewardene A contrast in discipline, devotion and defiance

The country that SWRD Bandaranaike left behind to his successors resembled an experiment that had gone bust in the laboratory, not for reasons that the belief in the core theory was flawed, but more for the fact that those who were bequeathed to carry it forward were not sufficiently skilled and competent and their share of belief in the experiment did not match the original creator’s grandiose scheme. 

Privileged Police personnel

I was standing in the queue inside a State bank recently when a uniformed policeman stepped up to the counter in total disregard of the queue. The young woman at the counter served him without so much as raising her brows.  

We will not quit Govt. until SLFP CC decides - Dilan

State Minister of Highways Dilan Perera, who is also the spokesman of Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) speaks about the....

Unity Govt is like husband and wife maintaining a Joint Account – Ranjan

Deputy Minister of Social Empowerment and Welfare Ranjan Ramanayake speaks about corruption investigations, present status of....

PM should ask Gota how he messed up and try not to repeat

Two weeks ago, Navy Commander Vice Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne assaulted provincial journalist Rohan Pradeep Kumara who....

A quest for ethics - EDITORIAL

Judicial independence, a vital dimension for a vibrant democracy, is being gradually restored by the National Government, but the....

China’s success purely due to good leadership

In China, agriculture had long been the most pivotal sector of the economy. A large majority of people had lived in rural villages, until recently. However, by the time Mao’s period ended, China’s peasants had been impoverished and thoroughly demoralised by those disastrous policies. Deng Xiaoping succeeded in bringing good fortune for Chinese people. He began economic reforms from the vast countryside.

Where is the debt trap leading to?

On Friday (16.12.2016) Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake announced that the World Bank had decided to extend a soft loan of US$ 1,340 million to Sri Lanka at a low interest rate. 

‘New Constitution is beneficial for national reconciliation’

The Registrar of the Sri Lanka Ramanna Nikaya and the patron of the National Bhikku Front Ven. (Prof.) Attangane Rathanapala Thera who continues to intervene in social reconstruction had the following to share when interviewed  by media.

CONSUMER RIGHTS IN THE DIGITAL AGE

This is the theme of the World Consumer Day celebrating every 15 the day of March since 1983, when President John F. Kennedy 

Elephants tortured in Kerala, elsewhere

The Centre for Eco-Cultural Studies (CES) had invited that internationally known lady, Sangita Iyer, who has produced an award winning documentary “Gods in Shackles” to visit our country with a laudable motive in mind, 

Trump’s phone call to Taiwan

President-elect Donald Trump has decided to poke China in the eye. He has phoned Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, assuring her of America’s support. Yes, the US has always supported Taiwan but usually behind the scenes, apart from its arms supplies. It does not recognize it diplomatically. China was angry. Beijing is furious after Sunday’s news that Trump was reconsidering the US’s long-held “One China” policy. &nbs

Cancer cure in our queen of fruits

With creative thinking being promoted in vital areas such as healthcare, Sri Lanka also needs to broaden its outlook and do more research on the preventive and curative properties in all systems of medicine. At present more emphasis is given to allopathy or western medicine but health specialists are suggesting we could use new technology to do more research on natural curative properties in most of our herbs and fruits.   

“We’re all patriots, we’re all nationalists”

In a recent interview with The Hindu at the Temple Trees in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe expressed his views on how an unusual political project had gone thus far. 

Syria: Whoever wins, the civilians lose

The Syrian government troops’ victory in Aleppo against the rebels and the western powers’ concern over civilian casualties may appear all too familiar to Sri Lankans. The allegations now being hurled at the Syrian troops are similar to the ones the then Sri Lankan government faced in 2009 when troops cornered the rebel leadership into a small stretch of beach in Mullivaikal.