What Armitage is doing in Sri Lanka
Like a moth to a flame, this brave young officer of the United States Navy was drawn to the hotspots during the Vietnam War. Today after serving his country as Assistant Secretary of Defence during the Ronald Reagan administration and Deputy Secretary of State during George W Bush’s War-on-terror presidency, Richard Armitage runs Armitage International, [...]
When the UN comes under heavy fire
UNITED NATIONS – When heads of government and foreign ministers make their annual pilgrimage to the United Nations in September, it is rare to hear hard-hitting, headline-grabbing political statements from the podium. The speeches before the General Assembly, and the UN press briefings that follow, are mostly dull and boringly monotonous. The exceptions, however, are [...]
Queen Srimala in Ban’s Vesak message: She embodied women empowerment
As Theravada Buddhism is firmly established in Sri Lanka, the Sutra of Srimala, which has significantly contributed to early Mahayana Scriptures, may be unfamiliar to Lankan Buddhists. The role Srimala played is given in “The Queen Srimala Sutra” and as UN Secretary General Ban-Ki-Moon said in his Vesak Message last week, it relates the story [...]
A silver lining amidst the darkness of disaster
The recent floods and landslides in Sri Lanka have been one of the worst disasters to hit the nation. The extent of the destruction was vast, but the generosity shown by dedicated volunteers was a definite silver lining amidst the darkness of the disaster. Many youth groups rallied to help and are still engaged in [...]
“Resonance” : Award-winning Methodist College choir hold biennial public performance
The international award-winning choir of Methodist College Colombo, under the skilled direction of Sanjeev Jayaratnam, can once again be heard when they hold their biennial public performance ‘Resonance’ on June 10 and 11 at the Lionel Wendt theatre at 7.30 p.m. Their previous performances ‘Canto Vivace’ (2012) and Fuoco Con Gracia (2014) were sell-out concerts, [...]
Palestinians mark Nakba day
The Embassy of Palestine and the Arab Ambassadors Council of Sri Lanka marked Nakba Day with video presentations and speeches by political party representatives on Thursday at the Sports Ministry auditorium in Colombo. Representing the SLFP, Minister Sarath Amunugama said his party has been a supporter of the Palestinian cause in keeping with non-aligned principles. [...]