How China helped Pakistan shoot down Indian fighter jets
By Memphis Barker At 4 a.m. Wednesday May 7, China’s ambassador to Pakistan hurried to the foreign ministry to celebrate an unprecedented military success. Pakistan had reportedly shot down several Indian aircraft in the hours before using Chinese J-10C fighter jets. “Our jet fighters… shot down three Indian Rafales, three Rafales [that] are French,” Ishaq [...]
Road safety: Concern over lack of NCRS visibility
By J.S. Ameresekere I was both shocked and disappointed when I read the article titled “Report proposes tougher laws against drivers to stem second largest cause of deaths” in the Sunday Times of March 16, 2025. Shocked because the report states that Sri Lanka has “the highest per capita fatality rate in the region” and [...]
What is ‘reparations’ in the context of transitional justice?
By Dhara Wijayatilake, Chairperson of the Office for Reparations It is six years since the establishment of the Office for Reparations in Sri Lanka. There is, however, no clear understanding among many as to its mandate or role within the broader context of transitional justice in a country that seeks to recover from a civil [...]
UNESCO celebrates International Day of Vesak with symposium on Asia’s Buddhist heritage
The International Day of Vesak 2025 was celebrated by UNESCO member states with a symposium titled “Buddhist Cosmopolitanism and Exchange along the Silk Road: Interplay between Buddhism and Trade in Ancient Asia”, on Vesak full moon day of May 12 at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. The symposium was organized by the Permanent Delegation of Sri [...]
Vesak: Veneration of Buddha relics
The first two pictures from left show the arrival of Sarnath Buddha relics in Hanoi for UN Vesak celebrationsin Viet Nam: The third picture shows the Consul General of Thailand and Bhutan offering flowers to the Buddha relics at the Maha Bodhi Society of India headquarters in Kolkata
HelpAge Sri Lanka presents charity concert ‘Symphony of Hope’
Some of Sri Lanka’s most celebrated artistes – Sohan Weerasinghe, Annesley Malewana, Mariazelle Gunathilake, Ashanthi De Alwis, Judy De Silva, Keerthi Pasquel, Falan Andrea, Damien Wickramasinghe and Rukshan Perera will come together on Friday, May 23, for HelpAge Sri Lanka’s special charity concert `Symphony of Hope’ in aid of the HelpAge Sri Lanka Charity Eye [...]
A tapestry of flowers Ikebana show
The Shi-en Ikebana & Floral Art Society will hold with its annual floral exhibition titled “A Tapestry of Flowers” on May 24 and 25 from 10.30 a.m. to 6.30 p.m, at the Ivy Room of the Cinnamon Grand. The exhibition will be accompanied by a special demonstration by renowned international floral artists “The Art of [...]
WNPS lecture: ‘Time is running out: Saving Sri Lanka’s vanishing wild’
Prof. Sevvandi Jayakody, Prof. Enoka Kudavidanage, Prof. Sampath Seneviratne and Jehan CanagaRetna, will be joined by Project field researchers Gihani Hettiarachchi, Pavithra Attanayake, Thilina M. Kumarasiri and Upuli Madarasinghe in presenting this month’s Wildlife and Nature Protection Society lecture ‘Time is Running Out: Saving Sri Lanka’s Vanishing Wild’ at 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 22 [...]
Orthodontic Health Day: Focus on orthodontics
World Orthodontic Health Day, observed annually on May 15, is a global initiative dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of orthodontic health and the benefits of orthodontic treatment. Organised by the World Federation of Orthodontists (WFO), it helps to showcase the advancements in the field and the transformative power of a healthy smile. Orthodontics, [...]
Law College Batch of ’75 mark jubilee
The Law College Batch of 1975 will mark their jubilee year with a get-together on June 1 (Sunday) at the Kingsbury Hotel in Colombo. The 1975 intake was the first batch of attorneys at law students after the fusion of the two arms of the profession, viz, proctors and advocates, under the Administration of Justice [...]
Remembering Louis Benedict
A service and Mass celebrating the life of veteran journalist, patients’ rights and Charismatic Renewal Movement activist Louis Benedict will be held on May 23 at St Benedict’s College Hall at 6.30 pm.
Sleepwalking into a new imperial age
By Ricardo Hausmann, Project Syndicate, Exclusive to the Sunday Times in Sri Lanka CAMBRIDGE – When you look at a building, you can see its walls, windows, and decorative flourishes but not the hidden structure that holds everything together. Yet during an earthquake, or after years of strain, that unseen framework can suddenly collapse. [...]