Sri Lanka News Updates with Discussions

`The atmosphere and setting of the Franciscan Order is closer to a dervish organization than anything else.`

Most people know that St. Francis of Assisi was a lighthearted troubadour of Italy who experienced a religious conversion and became a saint with an uncanny influence over animals and birds. It is on record that the troubadours were a relic of Saracenic musicians and poets. It is often agreed that the rise and development of the monkish Orders in the middle ages was greatly influenced by the penetration of Moslem dervish organization in the West. Studying St. Francis from this point of view, certain interesting discoveries become possible.

The Pope is the head of the catholic Church, so he does. And he certainly owns more than any single Catholic in the world. You say Catholics own then, yet they are still charged 16 euros - to see their `own` stuff? Seems a bit weird then,

Pope Francis condemned the world`s `Cult of Money` saying that the economic crisis had left millions of people in rich and poor countries worse off. It`s a strange person to hear it from, since the Catholic Church are well known for their massive wealth

It is learnt reliably that there is a group within the `Vatican` who are indulged in corruption, engaged in homosexual activities which has been brought to the sad notice of the most holy Pope Francis. It is learnt that these matters reported have been accepted by the Pope

At a meeting held with the participation of Latin American and catholic priests this matter had propped up and the Pope had been given a report on this grave matter. The persons who are responsible for these had been disclosed.

Father Andrew Greeley, who has died aged 85, was an American Roman Catholic priest and the author of bestselling novels that some considered salacious.

His book The Cardinal Sins, which was published in 1981 with a provocative cover showing a young woman scantily clad in red, is about a curate who rises to archbishop while enjoying affairs, fathering a child and becoming immured in financial scandal.

Greeley was unfazed by the resulting uproar or by the opinion that this was an inappropriate subject for a clerical author. His books were `theological novels` and `comedies of grace`, he maintained, and the sex less explicit than that in the Song of Solomon.

`You bag it. You attach the solar propulsion module to de-spin it and bring it back to where you want it,` scientist explains

NASA is planning for a robotic spaceship to capture a small asteroid and park it near the moon for astronauts to explore, a U.S. senator disclosed Friday.

The plan would speed by four years the existing mission to land astronauts on an asteroid by bringing the space rock closer to Earth.

The robotic ship would capture the 450 metric-tonne, 7.6-metre asteroid in 2019. Then, using an Orion space capsule now being developed, a crew of about four astronauts would nuzzle next to the rock in 2021 for space-walking exploration.

The United National Party (UNP), while calling for the enactment of a new Constitution, said yesterday that it was committed to a unitary state, which would genuinely devolve power to the provinces without usurping its effectiveness.

Opposition and UNP leader, Ranil Wickremesinghe, releasing his party`s manifesto at the parliamentary complex, said that there was an urgent need to adopt a new Constitution since the dignity and sovereign rights of the people had been forcibly taken away by the Rajapaksa regime.

The government won`t be happy to be in the position it is in today. The 13th Amendment to the Constitution and the ancillary Provincial Council Act, an outcome of the Indo-Lanka Accord that required the government to devolve power to the provinces, was passed by a two-thirds majority in Parliament in 1987 as an amendment to the 1978 Constitution. A contentious modification since inception, 13A is now being challenged by the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), a partner in the government coalition group in the Courts of law, while a separate Bill is being presented by the same group of MPs in the very House in which it saw its passage.

The differences of opinion over the 13th Amendment to the Constitution among the constituent parties of the ruling United People`s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) have come to the surface with Parliamentary Group Leader of the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) threatening to take to the streets, if the government goes ahead with the Northern Provincial Council elections scheduled for September this year.


Speaking to a packed audience at the Public Library Auditorium yesterday, Parliamentarian Rathana Thera said his party would present a private member motion to abolish the 13th Amendment and the Provincial Council system.

The decision by the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) to present a motion in Parliament, to remove police and land powers given to the Provincial Councils, before the upcoming Northern Provincial Council election, has embarrassed both President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Opposition Leader, Ranil Wickremesinghe.

According to political sources, both leaders are facing a political dilemma...over the issue at present, with the JHU informing the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the United National Party (UNP) leadership, to allow its MPs to vote according to their conscience, in the event a motion of this nature is moved in Parliament.

Anyone who`s been hoping for flying cars may not have to wait for reality-bending new physics, or for Harry Potter`s world to be revealed to us muggles. The U.S. company Terrafugia Inc. plans on producing a flying car that can be flown by anyone, and it should be ready as early as 2021.
The TF-X will be a small four-seater hybrid vehicle that will not only be legal to drive on streets and highways, but will also be able to take off and fly in the air. What will set this apart from other designs, including Terrafugia`s current prototype, the Transition, is that the TF-X will not need a runway. In order to take off and land, it will only need about 30 metres of level ground.

Hirunika Premachandra has decided to temporarily step down from politics on the basis that the political climate is not favorable for her.
Premachandra, the daughter of slain politician Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra, said that she also needs proper backing to get fully engaged in politics.

Hirunika Premachandra is currently studying law and she says once her law exams are over she will decide on her next step.

It is hard to do politics in Sri Lanka. I have spoken to my family and I will decide about my political future at the right time, she said.

Everybody looked forward to the Rally for Unity a vigil held in Colombo on 28 April 2013 to oppose hate speech. The event was marred and exposed by the reporting of BBC`s Charles Haviland who showed the hypocrisy of the entire exercise About 500 people have marched through the centre of the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, protesting against a recent wave of ethnic hatred which has seen hardline Buddhists targeting the Muslim minority . So if the theme in arranging a unity rally was to target one group (without the possible knowledge of the participants) what can we really say about who are inciting hate speech ? Finger pointing at the majority Sinhala Buddhists is nothing uncommon in Colombo. It happens all the time.

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (AP) The U.S. Marine Corps, known for turning out some of the military`s toughest warriors, is studying how to make its troops even tougher through meditative practices, yoga-type stretching and exercises based on mindfulness.

Marine Corps officials say they will build a curriculum that would integrate mindfulness-based techniques into their training if they see positive results from a pilot project. Mindfulness is a Buddhist-inspired concept that emphasizes active attention on the moment to keep the mind in the present.

Thrust for centralized power by Sri Lankan president puts Commonwealth summit at risk

Canada, for one, saying the prime minister won`t attend unless Sri Lanka addressed rights issues

The removal of the chief justice of Sri Lanka`s Supreme Court by President Mahinda Rajapaksa has sparked international outrage because it seems to many to be another firm step in his establishment of a family dictatorship.

The technology world is mourning the loss of Aaron Swartz, an extremely talented internet activist and programmer. Who was he, and what is his legacy? Simon Sheikh reflects on his friendship with Swartz.

Swartz helped to develop Real Simple Syndication (RSS) at only 14, and was a co-founder of Reddit.

He also had a strong passion for internet freedom and public access to information.

Swartz`s dedication to the idea of public access to information led him to a lot of action and collaboration.