Udayanga Weeratunga Arms Deal BombshellUkraine says it did not make a complaint against the former Sri Lankan diplomat
In the past two months, Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera has been constantly updating the media about the Udayanga Weeratunge case, most recently around May 10 when he said he was sending two police officers and one official from the Foreign Ministry to Ukraine to ” further investigate” allegations against the former envoy. And that is the problem. So far, all that the public has been told about the Weeratunge’s alleged arms sales to Ukranian rebels has been choreographed and directed by just this one source, the Sri Lankan foreign minister. Where is the Ukranian side of the story, as told directly and not by the foreign minister? |
|
Schoolgirl tells how Jehovah’s Witnesses silence women to protect rapists
A schoolgirl who left the Jehovah’s Witnesses after learning of its alleged failure to protect vulnerable women has blasted the organisation in a powerful speech to her classmates.
Holding back tears, she recalled her personal experiences as a member of the church and how she was taught everyone outside the religion, including her father would be sent to Armageddon, reports The Independent.
She also highlighted women’s lowly position in the hierarchy of the organization and how they are viewed as inferior to men.
Full Story
CANNES — The 2015 Cannes Film Festival has officially come to an end and, in something of a surprise, the winner of the Palme d'Or went to Jacques Audiard's "Dheepan." The presidents of the jury, Ethan and Joel Coen, reminded the media during the final press conference these honors weren't determined by critics. Instead, they were chosen by a nine-member jury which included notable names such as Guillermo Del Toro, Jake Gyllenhaal, Xavier Dolan, Sienna Miller and Sophie Marceau.
Asian Americans file racial bias lawsuit against Harvard University
A complaint filed by 64 groups against Harvard University alleges that the prestigious Ivy League school discriminates against Asian American applicants in admissions.
The complaint, filed by a coalition of 64 organizations, May 15, alleges that Asian Americans, “because of their race, have been unfairly rejected by Harvard College because of such unlawful use of race in the admissions process”.
The lawsuit says the university has set quotas to keep the numbers of Asian-American students significantly lower than the quality of their applications merits. It cites third-party academic research on the SAT exam showing that Asian-Americans have to score on average about 140 points higher than white students, 270 points higher than Hispanic students and 450 points higher than African-American students to equal their chances of gaining admission to Harvard. The exam is scored on a 2400-point scale.
The complaint was filed with the U.S. Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights.
The groups seek a federal investigation into the Harvard admissions process and requests Harvard “immediately cease and desist from using stereotypes, racial biases and other discriminatory means in evaluating Asian-American applicants.
A complaint filed by 64 groups against Harvard University alleges that the prestigious Ivy League school discriminates against Asian American applicants in admissions.
The complaint, filed by a coalition of 64 organizations, May 15, alleges that Asian Americans, “because of their race, have been unfairly rejected by Harvard College because of such unlawful use of race in the admissions process”.
The lawsuit says the university has set quotas to keep the numbers of Asian-American students significantly lower than the quality of their applications merits. It cites third-party academic research on the SAT exam showing that Asian-Americans have to score on average about 140 points higher than white students, 270 points higher than Hispanic students and 450 points higher than African-American students to equal their chances of gaining admission to Harvard. The exam is scored on a 2400-point scale.
The complaint was filed with the U.S. Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights.
The groups seek a federal investigation into the Harvard admissions process and requests Harvard “immediately cease and desist from using stereotypes, racial biases and other discriminatory means in evaluating Asian-American applicants.
SL woman proposes to girlfriend on radio after historic Irish vote
A Sri Lankan radio presenter proposed to her girlfriend on the radio, days after Ireland legalized same-sex marriage in a landslide vote on May 23, 2015.
Dil Wickremasinghe asked her girlfriend, Anne Marie O’Toole, to marry her live on national radio: “Now that we can and there’s nothing and no one that is standing in the way, will you marry me?”
The couple also welcomed their first child on May 17, 2015.
Wickremasinghe says her parents disowned her when they found out she was a lesbian. She left Sri Lanka 15 years and migrated to Ireland. Source: Desiblitz (UK)
A Sri Lankan radio presenter proposed to her girlfriend on the radio, days after Ireland legalized same-sex marriage in a landslide vote on May 23, 2015.
Dil Wickremasinghe asked her girlfriend, Anne Marie O’Toole, to marry her live on national radio: “Now that we can and there’s nothing and no one that is standing in the way, will you marry me?”
The couple also welcomed their first child on May 17, 2015.
Wickremasinghe says her parents disowned her when they found out she was a lesbian. She left Sri Lanka 15 years and migrated to Ireland. Source: Desiblitz (UK)
Has Political Buddhism arrived in the US?
"Are we about to enter the era of the political Buddhist?" Michelle Boorstein asks in the Washington Post. She goes on to note that "…until recent years [US Buddhists] haven't considered or focused specifically on how their Buddhism translates into public action."
On May 14 — coinciding with Vesak, the celebration of the Buddha’s birth, death, and enlightenment — Buddhist leaders including the scholar-monk Bhikkhu Bodhi attendedt the first-ever White House-US Buddhist Leadership Conference, whose theme will be “Voices in the Square – Action in the World.” The conference was billed by its organizers as “the first time in US history that such a broadly representative gathering of Buddhist leaders has taken place to address social concerns."
"Are we about to enter the era of the political Buddhist?" Michelle Boorstein asks in the Washington Post. She goes on to note that "…until recent years [US Buddhists] haven't considered or focused specifically on how their Buddhism translates into public action."
On May 14 — coinciding with Vesak, the celebration of the Buddha’s birth, death, and enlightenment — Buddhist leaders including the scholar-monk Bhikkhu Bodhi attendedt the first-ever White House-US Buddhist Leadership Conference, whose theme will be “Voices in the Square – Action in the World.” The conference was billed by its organizers as “the first time in US history that such a broadly representative gathering of Buddhist leaders has taken place to address social concerns."