For democracy’s sake, should military leaders be ostracised and barred from the UN?
UNITED NATIONS – The recent military coup in Myanmar and an attempted palace coup in Jordan hark back to the days when insurrections by armed forces came along a veritable assembly line — particularly in Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia. And at least one political leader — a former Prime Minister of Thailand — [...]
Vaccine: A chat with the doctor
Last month I received my first dose of the COVID vaccine. Despite the dire warnings of those of my colleagues and acquaintances who derive all their scientific information from Facebook, Twitter and similar social media platforms, I suffered no serious adverse effects – apart from a little soreness at the site of where the injection [...]
Report on Easter bombings: Misconceptions galore
Failure in Prevention was the tag that marked the thoughts of all with regard to the Easter bombings 2019. That peal still rings sharp; more so with the release of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry Report (PCI -1) which is now in the public domain. The issues in this are many. But failure in prevention [...]
Powering sustainable food systems
NAIROBI – The 17 members of the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate generate around 80% of global greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions. That means they have the power to pull the brakes on the climate emergency. As political leaders from the world’s richest countries gather for a US-hosted climate summit on Earth Day (April 22), [...]
Pride of Wennappuwa, the Little Bethlehem
Wennappuwa, one of the predominantly Catholic towns in the country and the Catholic paradise of Chilaw Diocese, celebrates the 140th anniversary of St Joseph’s Church on May 2. The mighty church, the symbol of our proud identity and historic heritage, stands in full majesty and dignity facing the Chilaw-Negombo main road in the heart of [...]
Kelaniya Uni scientists win National Research Council’s top award
The President’s Awards for Scientific Research 2020 organised by the National Research Council was held recently at the Auditorium of Sri Lanka Institute of Architects (SLIA), under the patronage of Prof Hemantha Dodampahala, Chairman, NRC. Awards were given out for the top-ranked research papers published in prestigious scientific journals in 2018 that had a substantial contribution from Sri [...]
Pak President meets Lankan Buddhist delegation
Pakistan’s President Dr. Arif Alvi has said his country highly values its ties with Sri Lanka as both countries enjoyed excellent relations in various fields which are based on mutual respect and trust. Welcoming a Sri Lankan delegation comprising Buddhist monks, he said Pakistan considered Sri Lanka as special partner and friend and wanted to [...]
Korean Ambassador holds Covid talks with Health Minister
South Korean Ambassador Santhush Woonjin JEONG met Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi at the Ambassador’s residence and discussed ways to promote anti-COVID collaboration between Korea and Sri Lanka amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Archiving Architecture
RIBA Members Sri Lanka together with JAT Holdings Limited hosted the Presentation titled “Archiving Architecture” by Architect Channa Daswatte, yesterday at 5:30 pm at the Shangri-La Hotel Colombo. This was followed by a question-and-answer session and a networking cocktail.
The making of a soldier
History bears evidence that the consolidation of a security arm of any country has its origins in a crisis. In Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon, it fell on the world’s first woman Prime Minister, Madam Sirimavo Bandaranaike, to face an insurrection by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP). Through attacks on police stations on April [...]