The article titled “The distortion of Buddhism and the rise of meaningless rituals” written by ‘Member of the silent majority’, which appeared in The Sunday Island of November 26 is a bold explication of Buddhists’ going ritual mode, which most of them seem to feel as the highpoint of living a Buddhist life. The writer […]

Monday 27th November, 2023 The SJB has commenced collecting signatures for a public petition as part of a campaign to have those who are responsible for the current economic crisis stripped of their civic rights. Given public resentment, which is palpable, the SJB may be able to obtain hundreds of thousands of signatures for its […]

The 2023 men’s ODI World Cup in India has broken records for in-stadium attendance and broadcast viewership, according to the ICC and its broadcast partners Disney Star. The ICC said a total of 1,250,307 spectators watched the 48 games at the grounds in India, surpassing the previous record of 1,016,420 spectators during the 2015 World […]

Delhi s Saket court has announced life imprisonment for four men who murdered television journalist Soumya Vishwanathan in 2008. The court also imposed a fine of #8377;1.25 lakh on the four convicts.

(24 Nov 1923 – 24 Nov 2023) by Kumar de Silva With his 21-year tenure as Principal of Wesley College from 1962-1983, Arthur Shelton Wirasinha goes on record as being the second longest serving Principal of the College after Revd. Henry Highfield. A product of Richmond College, Galle, he touched the hearts and lives of […]

Veteran anti-Islam populist leader Geert Wilders has won a dramatic victory in the Dutch general election, with almost all votes counted. After 25 years in parliament, his Freedom party (PVV) is set to win 37 seats, well ahead of his nearest rival, a left-wing alliance. “The PVV can no longer be ignored,” he said. “We […]

In Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) classes, teachers give their students a list of words for them to find the odd one out. Then they have to explain why they thought it to be odd. It’s an exciting game because teachers include more than one word that may be interpreted as odd in […]

By Shamindra Ferdinando Top SJB spokesman Dr. Harsha de Silva on Monday (20) dismissed Justice Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe’s claim that well over USD 56.5 bn had been parked overseas by some exporters. Dr. de Silva also contradicted claims made by rebel SLPP MPs Vasudeva Nanayakkara, Wimal Weerawansa and Gevindu Cumaratunga on the matter. The […]

Former US First Lady Rosalynn Carter, the wife of ex-President Jimmy Carter, has died at the age of 96. The Carter Center confirmed in a statement that she died peacefully with her family by her side. On Friday, it was reported that she had entered a hospice care home in the state of Georgia, and […]

US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping have concluded more than four hours of talks with a commitment to stabilise strained bilateral ties and restore some military-to-military communications. The two leaders met on Wednesday for the first time in a year at Fioli Estate, a country retreat about 40 kilometres (25 miles) south […]

President Ranil Wickremesinghe who was the chief guest at the Presidential Film Awards 2023, held at the Nelum Pokuna Theatre in Colombo on Tuesday (14), said the government is proactively engaged in the comprehensive restructuring of the National Film Corporation and all its affiliated institutions to seamlessly integrate with cutting-edge technologies. This year’s Presidential Film Awards [̷...

Monday 13rd November, 2023 Anyone’s death diminishes us. However, with apologies to Donne, we are diminished beyond measure when the veterans of the fourth estate depart. On Saturday (11), former editor of The Island Gamini Weerakoon crossed the Great Divide. His funeral took place yesterday. Our readers may recall the pivotal role he played in […]

by Shamindra Ferdinando Jaffna District Illankai Thamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK) MP M. A. Sumanthiran has said that Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader Rajavarothiam Sampanthan should retire from Parliament without further delay as the 90-year-old politician finds it extremely difficult to function as a lawmaker. Sumanthiran, PC, said the Trincomalee District MP had not been able to attend Parliament ...

by Sanjeewa Jayaweera I decided to patronize a cinema after several years to watch a movie. I am glad I did so because the film brought back happy memories of Muttiah Muralitharan, the spinning wizard and, in my opinion, the greatest cricketer Sri Lanka has produced. The movie 800 is about the life and cricketing […]