International Day of Radiology ‘Brain Imaging’

November 8 marks yet another important day in the field of modern medicine as it signifies the International Day of Radiology (IdoR). This was the day Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen discovered X-rays in 1895.

The high cost of dying - EDITORIAL

The 2015 Budget provides unprecedented relief measures which former National Cricket Captain Sanath Jayasuriya in symbolic language has described as a Man of the Match all-round performance – good in batting, bowling and fielding. 

The balance sheet of China’s new Asian bank

Two years after the 1944 Bretton Woods Conference where 44 Allied nations gathered to form the World Bank, governors of these nations met at Savannah, Georgia in the United States.

Russia getting tough

President Vladimir Putin is often painted as an ogre in the world’s media. The seemingly eternal president of Russia has an iron grip on his nation and a foreign policy to match.

Silence of the graveyard-EDITORIAL

Philosopher Edmund Burke has said all that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good and sincere people to say or do nothing. The legendary American civil rights activist Martin Luther King often lamented that what hurt more was not the sword of the enemy but the silence of the friend.

Political parties’ pulses and approaching Presidential Election

The main opposition United National Party (UNP) was in a panic  during the last couple of days after speculation was rife in political circles that its MP for the Matara district Mangala Samaraweera was planning to switch allegiance to the government, ahead of the snap presidential election.

China re-discovers priceless value of Buddhism

In as much as two global religions Christianity and Islam are given leadership today by powerful countries based in the West and Middle East respectively,...

Historic week for Lanka-EDITORIAL

Sri Lanka is facing a crucial period or even the moment of truth in its history with President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday officially seeking the opinion of the Supreme Court -..

Can Ranil knockout Mahinda No; belief only a truly ‘common’ challenger can, is growing

There is a lot of controversy about the so-called common candidate to contest the forthcoming Presidential Elections against the incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Ritchiemania: popcorn taste in a pop culture

Good taste is harder to acquire than wealth. If we take good taste in art, it takes a great deal of education, and years of perseverance, to acquire it. Wealth will buy the best housing,...

SL on Nuclear Weapons Absent In Action

Sri Lanka’s foreign policy has recently been the target of much criticism and one can cite a litany of scandals and questionable departures from professionalism and our traditional Non-aligned stance.

Lanka needs to steer through stormy waters-EDITORIAL

In 1976, Sri Lanka reached the peaks of its international policy and relationships when it presided over the Non-Aligned Summit.

If our proposals are not implemented, Will decide to quit alone or with others

While the controversy ridden coal deals have become the talk of the town, former Power and Energy Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka comes out with many revelations and allegations of corruptions related to power and energy.

End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists

The United Nations has designated November 2 as the ‘International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists’. It is important for an industry usually averse to introspection to acknowledge the deaths of journalists who have died in pursuit of the........

JHU’s emphatic no to executive presidency

Jathika Hela Urumaya parliamentarian and the Pivithuru Hetak founder the Ven. Athureliye Rathana Thera has ideologically taken on the protagonists of the executive presidency in the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) head on.

Cardiovascular diseases ....

The Sri Lanka Heart Association (SLHA) is advocating the need for easily available dedicated cardiac care countrywide to reduce the annual death toll of 25,000 due to heart attacks.

Estate workers; focus not on votes but on wellbeing - EDITORIAL

With Sri Lanka in a state of mourning over the worst landslide in its history the .....

Oil politics: The secret US-Saudi deal

Is oil a bane or a boon? A blessing or a curse? If there had been no oil, would we have reached the advanced stage that we are in today in industrial development? There would not have been aircraft.

The US and torture

A soon-to-be released report of the US Senate criticises the CIA under President George W. Bush of conducting torture of Al Qaeda suspects. However, it doesn’t assess the responsibility of Bush himself nor his vice president, Dick Cheney.

Koslanda catastrophe: Thundering wakeup call from voiceless people - EDITORIAL

In Sri Lanka’s worst natural disaster since the 2004 Tsunami, at least 300 people are feared dead after a huge mudslide or landslide washed away hundreds of tea estate linerooms in Koslanda near Diyatalawa on Wednesday morning.

Dissent and crosstalk among MPs in the run-up to snap polls

The government’ s preparations for a snap presidential election are gathering momentum at the moment with the opening of election co-ordinating offices at each electorate and engaging its political allies to mobilise their fullest possible support.

In India, life is one long holiday

Anyone visiting India at any time of the year could be forgiven for believing that we Indians hardly work.  There is rarely a month without a single day or several when banks are shut, consumers crowd malls,...

The politics of breastfeeding-EDITORIAL

About Rs.1.5 million from public funds is spent for a day when the devalued, undermined and often bypassed Parliament meets for debates.

‘Lending agencies eager to give loans to Lanka’

The budget 2015 which was presented in Parliament on Friday is currently a hot topic, attracting mixed reactions from politicians, analysts and the general public.

J R, Gamini or Lalith how would they have handled the chaos ?

It is indeed a fascinating exercise to speculate. Not only is it fascinating but taken in the context of great uncertainty that shrouds today’s issues,...

The patient and the ward are sacred-EDITORIAL

When the Government first decided to allow channelled consultation in private hospitals more than 45 years ago, the fee was 4 to 1 - that is Rs.20/= for the consultant and Rs. 5/= for hospital costs.

National Budget 2015 : What we got… & What we expected

The most awaited event of all Sri Lankan citizens like just another cricket World Cup match is the National Budget speech. Many eagerly look forward to see what is in store for them in the coming year and how they can improve their businesses and family life.

Nihilists on the Ramparts of Morality

As we follow the events in Iraq and Syria, it is difficult not to be troubled by the brutal violence of ISIL. The most troubling aspect of this violence is that it often manifests itself with cold rationality. The massacre of non-combatants and prisoners in a manner reminiscent of Genghis Khan acts as a force multiplier in a military sense, sending a warning to unconquered places that resistance is futile. Photographs and videos of beheading

EDITORIAL - UPFA continuing to flog a dead horse

It has been confirmed now that a presidential election is to be held early next year, either in January or March and the people are to be given an opportunity to elect a person to take over their destiny for the next six years or at least four years.

A Bhikkhu’s Bouquet for Indian Premier

The celebrated visit of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to Japan, stirred considerable interest everywhere in the world.  This was the Indian PM’s first official visit to Japan.  But, as a Sri Lankan Buddhist monk, long resident in Japan, I am able to discern some facets of this recent visit as Buddhists in Sri Lanka, do in fairness to all Buddhists and to those who believe in religious tolerance.