ESALA THE MONTH OF SECOND GREAT ACHIEVEMENT OF THE BUDDHA

All Buddhists commemorate with great devotion, the significance of the Esala Full Moon Day when Buddha delivered his first sermon....

Dudley Senanayake memorial lecture: DUDLEY SENANAYAKE, CHITO GASCON AND HUMAN RIGHTS

It was an enlightening and informative experience to listen to Chito Gascon, Chairman of the Human Rights Commission of The Philippines.....

A permanent solution to Man-Elephant conflict

Today the well publicised man vs. elephant conflict in certain parts of the country has reached dismal levels and needs immediate attention....

Duty of care must be made mandatory in Animal Welfare Bill

The proposed Animal Welfare Bill has been welcome news for Animal Rights activists who have been clamouring for the introduction of....

Virusara Privilege Honouring war heroes

The memories of the thirty year ethnic conflict remain to haunt the lives of all Sri Lankans to date.  Millions of soldiers....

Footsteps to freedom

“I want to serve my country.” were the words that revealed the true character of the man who sat across from.....

Country needs altruistic statesmen

The Youth Commission report says that “The existing institutions have been so eroded and reduced to atrophy either by politicians or....

Tony Blair, Chilcot Report and the UNP led Government

After losing more than two dozen elections, the United National Party (UNP), was voted into office last year. The entire Muslim....

Why VAT protests are not just about VAT?

In the not so distant past in this country, a President pushed through the House of Parliament an Amendment to the Constitution in....

Truck attack in Nice and War on Terror - EDITORIAL

Terrorists struck in France again last Thursday, the third time in two months. The US, France and the UK....

Tony Blair A War Criminal?

The crime of aggression (“planning, preparation, initiation or waging of a war of aggression”) was described by the Nuremberg Tribunal that tried Nazi leaders as “the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole”.  

What happens to elephants in Auckland ?

Animal rights activists have made a strong protest regarding plans to send a baby elephant to New Zealand’s Auckland Zoo. According to a news report, “the attorney general on July 13 undertook the maintain the status quo till August 2 till the determination of the writ petition filed against the bid to gift baby elephant ‘Nandi’ to New Zealand.”     

Made in China but sent from Canada

Food and the rising cost of living are much in focus these days, with the Supreme Court ordering the suspension of the controversial increases in the Value Added Tax (VAT) rates, and the government imposing maximum retail prices on 15 essential items with a warning that the Consumer Affairs Authority will take tough action against sales outlets which violate the price control notification.   

Innovation and Inventions for new product development programme of PSES

Sri Lankan growth prospect for 2020 and beyond, largely depend on the key activities of innovations, inventions and new product developments well beyond the existing level of activities. The population of 20 million plus , with still available land , water and native resources ,

The Long Walk from John Exter to Coomaraswamy

Commaraswamy made the above observation in the midst of rumours circulating on setting up an authority, based on a proposal by PM, encompassing all financial and economic 

Peace in South Asia: Listen to the Kashmiri people

Like a volcano that erupts every now and then throwing out lava, Kashmir this week exploded. Instead 

The Chilcot Report and useless international apologies

The Chilcot Report or the report prepared by Sir John Chilcot on the United Kingdom’s involvement in the US led 2003 Iraq war and the lessons to be learnt from it failed to shake     

World Youth Skills Day: Hellholes of narcotics in schools

Today is World Youth Skills Day -- vitally important because it concerns the next generation -- and the United Nations, with Sri Lanka playing a key role, is observing the day with a special event on the 

Stepping out of the (main) stream of hatred

Exactly one month ago, i.e. on the 16th of June 2016, the High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein offering a global update at the 32nd session of the Human Rights Council made a dire observation. He said ‘hate is being mainstreamed’.   

Price control: Bargain before you buy

Apparently left with no option, the government on Tuesday decided to impose price control or a maximum retail price for 15 essential items in a bid to curb the soaring living cost, which has caused widespread public disappointment or dissent.   

Mainstream political parties brace for 2020 polls

Less than one year has lapsed after the General Elections, but the mainstream political parties ready themselves for the future parliamentary election due in 2020 by giving their mind to the kind of strategies to be evolved for electoral success.  

Fundamental duties of citizens and officials

1. The State is pledged to establish in Sri Lanka a Democratic Socialist Society, the objectives of which include–

I connected the East with the West

The second and final part of the interview with author Salman Rushdie of which the first part was published on the  yesterday. Rushdie speaks of contemporary literature, the importance of art to society, personal favourites and about Sri Lanka and his association with it.  

Salman Rushdie speaks to Daily Mirror

“I learnt to question religious and political orthodoxy and to be a person of ideas". Salman Rushdie, acclaimed author whose second book ‘Midnight's Children’ (1981) was awarded the ‘ Booker of Bookers’ prize, Professor and Knight of the British Empire and Hafeel Farisz of the Daily Mirror speak on, literature, the freedom of expression, his childhood, religion and much more.

Making Sri Lanka a fruitful nation

In a fruitful step towards creating a ‘wasa wisa nethi’ country where we grow our own nourishing 

How do we see ourselves?

July is back again to haunt us. It was thirty-three years ago on the 24th of this month some of the 

Have we lost our way

The core mission of the government established by J R Jayewardene in 1977, after a disastrous spell of economic stagnation generated and sustained by the preceding regime of Mrs. Bandaranaike, was 

Dehiwela natural reef: To be removed or restored?

The removal of the natural breakwater along the Dehiwela Auburn side raised much concerns among 

Dudley Senanayake Memorial Lecture: Freedom, Democracy and Human Rights: Lessons from the Philippin

The 16th Dudley Senanayake Memorial Lecture was delivered by Chito Gascon, Chairman of the Human Rights Commission in the Philippines. The.....

The VAT dilemma

It is learnt that the Cabinet would be make a decision on essential consumer items, so that the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) would be....