Holy idiots and jihadi vultures tarnishing Islam

Whether the myriad Islamic extremist groups are the creation of the world’s most astute intelligence groups...

Post Election TNA and Central Govt. have difficult task ahead Their actions will have to be influenc

In the immediate aftermath of its unprecedented electoral victory, the 28 elected members of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) passed a unanimous resolution on Monday to be transmitted to Northern Governor G.A. Chandrasiri, that.....

A beacon of light for the blind

Imagine waking up one day to complete darkness. It might seem like an unlikely nightmare, but Khalid Oshman lives in that reality every single day. After losing his eyesight due to a wrong injection given to him in the prime of his life, Khalid was plunged into a world of darkness.

Emergence of the ‘Third Force’ in politics The surprise package at the 2013 PC elections

‘Old soldiers never die, they just fade away,’ goes the cliché - but former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka refuses to even fade away. As the dust settles on elections in the Northern, Central and North- Western provinces concluded last Saturday, Fonseka has become a focus of attention.

125 years of caring for the elderly

The Congregation of the Little Sisters of the Poor celebrates 125 years of loving service to the elderly poor of Sri Lanka on 8 December 2013. The congregation, which was formed by Saint Jeanne Jugan, who is aptly called a “Saint for our time”, ...

SWRD; Cleverness was his creed and smartness the manner of his mind

Twenty-Five years ago I described Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike as a man with a future behind him. It was a time when in that Mecca of mediocrities called the State Council of Ceylon he stood out as an infidel with cleverness as his creed and smartness as the manner of his mind.

Obsession, superstition plaguing our nation - Editorial

It is evident that a wave of superstition is engulfing Sri Lanka. Whether it is East or West, superstition has been a part of the lives of the people. While the westerners relied on crystal balls to foresee their future, we easterners paid homage to all kinds of deities to protect ourselves from evils.

Massacre of Democracy in Egypt

Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi democratically elected by at least 13 million people was unseated by an infamous military coup of his appointed defence minister

Listen! We’re making far too much noise

 I was talking to a salesman at a music instruments shop in Colombo 10 the other day

Polarisation and ‘infrastructure invasion’

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) swept all five districts in the Northern Provincial Council in the polls held on Saturday.

Editorial-Give the people a credible alternative

History has clearly shown that one of the vital factors for a vibrant democracy is a strong Opposition which plays not only an active but a pro-active role

BETRAYAL MOST FOUL

The military defeat of the LTTE Terrorists in May 2009 did not bring in its wake a return to decency; a return of standards or good governance that we once stupidly took for granted.

NORTHERN PC: LESSON TO LEARN, LANDMINE TO AVOID

Having been in my early 30s, a Minister in the North-East Provincial Council a quarter century ago – I resigned within six months – I remember how easily it can all go wrong and what the landmines are.

Questions over amnesty period granted for Wildlife offences

Following a press briefing by the Minister of Wildlife Conservation Vijith Vijayamuni Zoysa, environmentalists expressed their concern and disbelief over the recent decisions taken by the Minister.

Sunila Abeysekera, Comrade, Fearless Defender, Activist and a Feminist

Virginia Woolf said “As a woman I have no country. As a woman I want no country. As a woman my country is the whole world.”   The whole world was Sunila Abeysekera’s country as she....

Encountering political reality, at last! - Editorial

Further to what we said about the first would be Chief Minister of the Northern Provincial Council (NPC), needless to say that an optimist would see the results of the NPC election as a golden opportunity for the....

PC Polls; First Reactions of the main parties

In a response to the election results, Chief Government Whip and Senior Minister, Dinesh Gunawardane said the people had once again endorsed the government’s programmes by giving a thumping majority in the Central and North western provinces.

Cartoons contain a message to the people

One of Sri Lanka’s leading cartoonists, Winnie Hettigoda, speaks to Daily Mirror about his views on cartoon as medium for social and political change, the role of cartoonists and the future of political cartoons as well as his upcoming pioneering exhibition ‘Digital Brush’.

The Plague: My all-time favourite

Having been introduced to French literature early on because of my French language studies, I began reading French authors avidly. Among modern works, The Plague by Albert Camus gripped me like none other, and has remained a firm favourite to this day, remaining eminently readable.

Do’s and Don’ts in Cosmetic industry

The Industrial Technology Institute (ITI) is organising a workshop titled “Cosmetic Industry in Sri Lanka: What you should know” on Wednesday, September 25 at its Main Auditorium.

An impossible dream comes true after the war

“I thought all this would be impossible before the end of the war. I could not even dream of getting married to a girl because of the life I led before the war ended” said Murugaiyya Sashikumar (33) just minutes after entering into a wedded life with his wife Jeyrasa Mary.

A heartbreaking tale of love, loss and a quest for identity

Swendrini  Safla (nee Peters) grew up in South Africa with her Sri Lankan mother Beryl Jurgen Ondaatje and Beryl’s husband Doctor Maurice Peters who was South African. She was the youngest of eight children. Swendrini always thought that the man who raised her was her father and thus saw herself as South African

Aborted Modernity and the Fate of Liberalism

The countries in the developing world have moved on over the last hundred years or so, but not necessarily in the direction of western modernity. The countries that were under western colonial rule were exposed to new ideas that came in the form of political ideologies

Editorial - Ayubowan Wigneswaran : Win or lose, we go shopping after the election – Imelda Marcos

A few weeks ago when Noam Chomsky declared that the United States has ceased to behave like a democracy, the statement made international headlines despite its predictability.

The cliché of bad side of free education

Prof. Chula Goonasekera’s thoughtful piece titled “Bad Side of Free Education” published recently in a weekend newspaper invites wider attention from policy makers and other stakeholders in the education sector. No doubt, it is a timely intervention to deal with a major issue facing this country today.

New world record in endurance swimming

American endurance swimmer Diana Nyad set a world record last week, swimming between Cuba and the United States unprotected by a shark cage. This called for daring, as the waters of Florida and Keys between the Cuban capital, Havana, and Key, West, Florida, are shark-infested.

Judicious diplomatic skills put Sri Lanka on the mat

It need not be reiterated that infrastructure development is an essential pre-requisite for development. A state of the art road, rail and sea transport system has been long overdue for this country. Noteworthy are the government’s efforts in this direction whatever be the criticism leveled against the present regime.

Sri Lanka’s poor unmoved by Australia’s new boat people policy

As Australia’s new government launches tough measures to halt asylum seekers arriving on boats, some dirt-poor fishermen and their families half a world away in Sri Lanka seem undeterred.

Editorial - Tap the full potential of the feminine genius

In the afterglow of Binara Full-moon Poya day which marks the inauguration of the Bhikhuni Sasana, the people and the Government of Sri Lanka need to reflect on the multitude of crises facing women who comprise the majority of our population and who need to play a much bigger role in the political

Syrian people crushed under pipeline and power politics

The United States and its allies which seek a regime change in Syria might do well to take a close look at what is happening in Libya, which they ‘liberated’ from the clutches of dictatorship two years ago -- and at media and intelligence reports about life under the Taliban in Afghanistan.