Short On Strategy, Long On Sectarianism: Come On Opposition; Wake Up!

By Kumar David -October 23, 2014 

Prof. Kumar David

At the time of writing, latish in October, political soothsayers predict presidential elections are on course for January. I have no idea how

 Pope Francis’ visit is to be slotted-in, but am certain Sarath Silva’s constitutional challenge will be seen off, irrespective of its legal rectitude. The regime did not invest effort and squander decency, impeaching, popping up henchmen, and despoiling the higher judiciary for nothing. On the Rajapakse side strategy is well integrated, unlike the opposition. The tests the regime confronts are circumstances beyond its control. Post-Uva and post UNHRC it is more than possible, but less than certain, that Mahinda Rajapakse can be defeated, but much depends on how the opposition gets its act together. The signs of preparation on the opposition side are not encouraging. The regime is in better readiness though it has the dilemma of whether to move now and risk being clipped by a year or two, or to hang on for a while in worsening circumstances. Its tactical readiness is thanks to the cohesion of its constituent elements; asses bray in chorus or you may say they reckon it’s better to hang on together than to hang separately.Read More

The Karu Candidacy Project: Is It A Viable Option?

By Dayan Jayatilleka -October 23, 2014 

Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka

Do you watch ‘Boston Legal’? We do, by which I mean my wife Sanja and I, and we like it. Of course it is one of the few programs we enjoy equally, since she finds my favorites, such as ‘True Detective’, ‘Breaking Bad’, ‘The Bridge’, and ‘Sons of Anarchy’, which reflect my obsessions with the dialectic of evil and justice, the figure of the anti-hero and the struggle for a code of violence, far too…violent. I find Comedy Central too lightheartedly escapist.  Domestically, a bipartisan consensus is reached in our preference for ‘Homeland’— the selectively violent but cerebral espionage thriller—and of course ‘Boston Legal’ and ‘Castle’. Which brings me to the Presidential candidacy and the question: who can be a consensus candidate of the Opposition?

In ‘Boston Legal’ the other night, Denny Crane,( played by William Shatner, whose a sartorial flamboyance and egotism ,but not his Republican conservatism, reminds me of my late father in his heyday), advises his colleague and old flame played by Candice Bergen, that in a trial by jury, the trick is to “keep it simple”. He advises her – and reminds her by silently mouthing a prompting in court– to close the address to the jury with the line “it’s that simple”. They win the excruciatingly difficult case.                               Read More  

Cricketers’ money to Mahinda’s election campaign!

 

Thursday, 23 October 2014 

There are plans to use the money promised by the sports ministry and the money given by the ICC to the twenty-20 world cup winning Sri Lankan team for the election campaign to make Mahinda Rajapaksa president for a third term, reports say.

Sri Lanka Cricket had decided to pay each member of the team nearly Rs. 28 million.

The SLC said the prize money given by the SLC and the ICC would be distributed evenly among the 15 members of the team.

The entire value of the prize money is around 2.8 million US dollars.

SLC secretary Nishantha Ranatunga and sports minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage are planning to bribe the president with this money in order to cover up their corrupt activities, reports say.

The cost of electioneering of Mahinda Rajapaksa is estimated at Rs. 4,000 million.

MR-JHU talks end in a deadlock

 Thursday, 23 October 2014 

The meeting between President Mahinda Rajapaksa and coalition partner Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) has ended in a deadlock, as opposed to reports being publicized of a cordial discussion between the two parties.

The President it is learnt has claimed there was no time to discuss and reach agreements on the proposals presented by the JHU.

The meeting between President Rajapaksa and the JHU at Temple Trees had lasted for about 15 minutes.

When the JHU had asked the President on whether both parties could progress according to the proposals presented by the JHU, Rajapaksa has said there was no time for such discussions since preparations are underway to hold a Presidential election in January next year.

JHU Leader Ven. Omalpe Sobitha Thero had informed the President that the party was firm in its stance and its support would depend on it.

The President had then turned to Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thero and said that he was the first to challenge the government in such a manner.

Ven. Rathana Thero last week issued an ultimatum to the President asking him to accept the draft amendments to the Constitution prepared by the Pivithuru Hetak organization or be defeated at the next election.

The JHU had posed a united and formidable front with Ven. Sobitha Thero, Ven. Rathana Thero, Ministers Champika Ranawaka and Udaya Gammanpila and JHU Spokesperson Nishantha Sri Warnasinghe all saying the party’s future path would depend on the acceptance of its proposals.

After rejecting the JHU proposals, the President had walked out of the meeting.

Ministers Susil Premajayantha, Dullas Alahapperuma and Basil Rajapaksa also participated in the meeting.

Meanwhile, the JHU at its 11th national convention on Sunday said the party would either support a common candidate or back a third candidate if UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe was going to contest at the next Presidential election.

Killing Machines of Wild Africa-The African Wild dogs –

October 23, 2014, 8:23 pm 

Text and Pictures by B A Mahipala

The African wild dog, sometimes known as the African Hunting dog or the Painted dog (due to its beautiful coloured skin pattern) in the African continent are today classified as one of the most endangered mammals in the Planet Earth.According to the information available, once there were about 50,0000 wild dogs, but today, the numbers have been drastically reduced to 7,000 in Africa. Human activity and diseases were the main threats to its survival. My first sighting of the wild dogs was in 1998 at Kruger National Park in South Africa. Subsequently, National parks in Botswana and Zimbabwe.

Killing Machines of Wild Africa-The African Wild Dogs – by Thavam

Uncle’s daughter works to send Manjula Tilakaratne home!

 Wednesday, 22 October 2014 

A disciplinary inquiry by the Supreme Court against former secretary of the Judicial Services Commission, incumbent magistrate of Naula Manjula Tilakaratne, has been scheduled for the first week of December. Buwaneka Aluvihare, who was recently appointed to the SC by president Mahinda Rajapaksa, is due to take up this inquiry.

Directress of the president’s international media affairs Anuradha Herath has said in front of a large gathering at a recent wedding that most of the pro-government judges were of the view that this disciplinary inquiry should be concluded before December 31. When they asked for the reason, the gathering was told by her that the president has told Aluvihare in front of her that Tilakaratne should be sent home before the presidential polls in case the election is unfavourable to the government.

Anuradha, directress of the president’s international media affairs, is Tilakaratne’s uncle’s daughter. However, she has never revealed her relationship to Tilakaratne, fearing that the same fate that of her relative would befall her. Eagerly awaiting to send Tilakaratne home as soon as possible, she is fulfilling her behind-the-scene part well.

Anura Meddegoda, who murdered Richard 

de Zoysa for second time, to be AG?

Wednesday, 22 October 2014

A dishonourable plan is afoot to appoint as attorney general the senior state counsel Anura Meddegoda, who murdered brave journalist Richard de Zoysa for a second time by intentionally misplacing the AG’s Department file on the killers, who shot de Zoysa in the head and dumped him at deep seas, during the murderous Premadasa regime on 18 February 1990, say internal sources of the Department.

Meddegoda is a person on whom the Department had issued a vacation of post notice, after he failed to return home from an assignment at the International Criminal Court at The Hague in Austria. There is no room at all for such a person to be appointed to the helm of the Department.

However, it will be no surprise if Meddegoda is appointed the AG, as political affiliations and boot-licking is more powerful than the law, said the senior official of the Department who furnished us with this information.

MPs in House of Commons give emotional tribute to sergeant-at-arms

Prime Minister Stephen Harper and wife Laureen paid a solemn visit to the National War Memorial, a day after a soldier was gunned down.

Sergeant-at-arms Kevin Vickers given standing ovation as he entered Thursday's session of the Canadian Parliament. Vickers is credited with shooting the attacker who murdered a Canadian soldier and entered Parliament firing dozens of rounds. (Oct. 2

By: Bruce Campion-Smith Ottawa Bureau, Published on Thu Oct 23 2014

OTTAWA — Federal politicians from all parties paid tribute to the sergeant-at-arms as the House of Commons resumed Thursday, with applause from all sides for the man who was among those to open fire on the Parliament Hill gunman a day earlier.

Kevin Vickers, the sergeant-at-arms, was stoic as he carried the mace into the legislative chamber.

He was largely expressionless, save for an occasional nod of acknowledgment. At one point, he appeared close to tears during the ovation, which lasted several minutes. Several more ovations ensued over the course of the morning.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper delivered a statement to express the government's gratitude for the work of the police and security services, and to reiterate that Canada won't be cowed by Wednesday's attack.

“In this struggle in which we are engaged, in which not only our finest values must be pushed to work, so must be, and will be, the highest unity and resolve,” Harper said.

Harper's remarks ended with the remarkable spectacle of the prime minister walking across the floor to embrace and shake hands with both Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau and NDP Leader Tom Mulcair.

VIEW 2 PHOTOS

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SEAN KILPATRICK / THE CANADIAN PRESS

House of Commons Sergeant-at-Arms Kevin Vickers carries the mace during the Speakers Parade on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2014.

Earlier Harper and wife Laureen paid a solemn visit to the National War Memorial Thursday, a day after a soldier on ceremonial guard was shot and killed.

But as the couple approached the monument, there was more drama in a city already on edge as police officers took a man into custody at gunpoint.

It appeared that the man had crossed police lines, prompting officers to draw their weapons and order him to the ground. He was arrested.

Security is tight in downtown Ottawa and visitors are being barred from Parliament Hill after Wednesday’s brazen shootings.

After fatally shooting the soldier standing ceremonial guard at the war memorial Wednesday morning, the gunman made his way to Parliament Hill.

He burst through the front doors of Centre Block and with police officers in chase, ran down the Hall of Honour, where he was hit by a volley of bullets.

It was jarring attack on the heart of Canada’s democracy, one that forced MPs to take cover in barricaded rooms.

Throngs of MPs and visitors gathered behind the barricades set up around the war memorial Thursday morning.

“This morning is one for remembrance and for reflection as well as resolve to continue in the House of Commons,” Trudeau said, after laying a bouquet of flowers near the memorial.

“As different parties have gathered here very informally, without preparation, we wanted to show our respect on the way in to our workplace,” Trudeau said.

“The freedom and the strength of this country is in our openness, our respect and our strength in defending our values and standing for them,” Trudeau said.

He entered the Commons to a standing ovation by MPs. He nodded to acknowledge the applause and appeared emotional. As the national anthem was sung in the chamber, tears streamed down his face.

Exclusive - Charred tanks in Ukraine point to Russian involvement

A destroyed T-72 tank, which presumably came from Russia, is seen on a battlefield near separatist-controlled Starobesheve, eastern Ukraine, October 2, 2014.

BY MARIA TSVETKOVA AND ALEKSANDAR VASOVIC-Thu Oct 23, 2014

(Reuters) - The burnt-out remains of dozens of tanks and armoured vehicles in fields near this small village bear witness to the ferocity of a battle that turned the tide of the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Most of the tanks were used by the government forces routed in August near Horbatenko, 40 km (25 miles) southeast of the rebel stronghold of Donetsk, a defeat so demoralising that days later Kiev agreed a ceasefire with pro-Russian separatists.
Exclusive - Charred Tanks in Ukraine Point to Russian Involvement by Thavam

US-led air strikes on Syria have killed more than 500 Isis and al-Nusra fighters

More than thirty civilians along with over 500 militants killed in strikes over past month, says Syrian Observatory

Smoke rises above Kobani, Syria, after an air strike by the US-led coalition on Thursday. Photograph: Levend Ali/AP

Thursday 23 October 2014 

US-led air strikes on Syria have killed more than 500 people, mainly Islamist militants, since they began last month, activists said as fighting continued in the border town of Kobani.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on a network of activists on the ground, said 553 people had been killed since the air strikes began on 23 September, including 32 civilians. The civilians included six children and five women.

The group said it has documented the deaths of 464 Islamic State (Isis) fighters, adding that the real number could be much higher. Another 57 fighters with the al-Nusra Front, which has links to al-Qaida, were killed in air strikes on the northern Syrian province of Aleppo and Idlib, the Observatory said.

An unidentified military plane flies over Kobani. US central command says its forces have conducted more than 135 air strikes against Isis militants . Photograph: KAI Pfaffenbach/Reuters

Many of the Isis fighters have been killed in or near Kobani, which has been the target of a massive jihadi offensive since mid-September. Isis fighters have captured dozens of surrounding Kurdish villages and forced more than 200,000 people to flee into neighbouring Turkey.

Earlier this week, the US central command said its forces have conducted more than 135 air strikes against Isis militants in and around Kobani, killing hundreds of fighters.

“Combined with continued resistance to Isil [another acronym for Islamic State] on the ground, indications are that these strikes have slowed Isil advances into the city, killed hundreds of their fighters and destroyed or damaged scores of pieces of Isil combat equipment and fighting positions,” central command said in a statement.

An Associated Press journalist on the Turkish side of the border said heavy machine gun fire could be heard on Thursday from Kobani, which is also known as Ayn al-Arab.

“The fighting has been ongoing since last night on the eastern and southern fronts. It is some of the longest clashes in Kobani,” said Kurdish activist Farhad Shami by phone from the town. “The fighting usually only takes place at night.”

Shami said Isis launched an attack from three fronts late on Wednesday but failed to advance. Kurdish fighters withdrew from the Tel Shair hill that overlooks parts of Kobani, he added.

Isis fighters inspect a hill on the outskirts of Syrian town of Kobani. Photograph: Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters

The Observatory said Isis fighters had captured the hill, closing in on the town from the west. It said Isis forces were also trying to advance from the eastern side of the town, and that there were casualties on both sides.

The hill was captured by the Kurds from Isis earlier this month.

Idris Nassan, deputy minister for foreign affairs in a Kurdish civil administration controlling Kobani, said that although Isis fighters had moved on to Tel Shair hill, the heavy fighting there was ongoing.

“Kobani has been witnessing fierce clashes since last night. It was one of the bad nights,” he said.

The Observatory reported four US-led air strikes on oil wells in the Jafra field in the eastern Syrian province of Deir el-Zour late on Wednesday. The Local Coordination Committees, an activist group, also reported the air strikes in areas held by Isis.

The US-led coalition has targeted Isis-held oil facilities in Syria, which provide a source of income for the militants. But such strikes also endanger civilians, which could undermine long-term efforts to destroy the militant group.

The attacks on the oil industry, including refineries, have also led to a sharp rise in the price of oil products in rebel-held areas of Syria.

Separatists protest in Kashmir against Modi visit

By ASSOCIATED PRESS-23 October 2014

SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Shops and businesses were closed in Indian-controlled Kashmir on Thursday as separatists protested a visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Police and paramilitary soldiers patrolled Srinagar, Kashmir's main city, to prevent demonstrations. Steel barricades were erected on main roads and separatist leaders were held under house arrest to stop them from leading any protests.

Modi met with aid groups and political parties in Srinagar to discuss ways to help thousands of Kashmiris left homeless by devastating floods last month. Angry Kashmir residents say the government's response to the flooding has been inadequate.

Indian paramilitary soldiers stand guard as Kashmiri women walk on a street in Srinagar, India, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2014. Shops and businesses remained closed in Kashmir due to a separatist sponsored strike to protest a visit to the region by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

More than 280 people died in the floods, which caused an estimated $17 billion in damage to homes and businesses.

Modi earlier Thursday visited Indian soldiers stationed on the Siachen Glacier, known as the world's highest battlefield, to greet them on Diwali, a major Hindu festival.

Thousands of troops are stationed on Siachen in northern Kashmir as part of a decades-old standoff with Pakistan, which also claims the region. More troops have died from the grueling conditions in the freezing Himalayan terrain than from hostile fire.

A Kashmiri boy rides bicycle past Indian paramilitary soldiers keeping guard outside Jamia Masjid in Srinagar, India, Thursday, Oct . 23, 2014. Shops and businesses remained closed in Kashmir due to a separatist sponsored strike to protest a visit to the region by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

Indian policemen check passing vehicles on a street in Srinagar, India, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2014. Shops and businesses remained closed in Kashmir due to a separatist sponsored strike to protest a visit to the region by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

An Indian policeman checks passengers inside a car in Srinagar, India, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2014. Shops and businesses remained closed in Kashmir due to a separatist sponsored strike to protest a visit to the region by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-2804654/Separatists-protest-Kashmir-against-Modi-visit.html#ixzz3GzeN1uon
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Trial collapses after immigration officials 'lie under oath'

SIMON ISRAEL-THURSDAY 23 OCTOBER 2014

EXCLUSIVE: The UK's biggest sham marriage trial has collapsed with the judge accusing UKBA officers of deliberately concealing evidence and lying under oath.
Trial Collapses After Immigration Officials 'Lie Under Oath' by Thavam

Engineering: a tool for global development

By Emily Devine Oct 23, 2014 4:59PM UTC

Have you ever thanked an engineer for the last Snickers bar you devoured? Perhaps not. How about consulting an engineer for insight into the latest controversial, progressive art exhibition? Highly unlikely- but why? Because the study of engineering has little to do with confectionery and nothing to do with culture? Few statements could be further from the truth.

‘Enter me’ by Karolina Halatek at the Kinetica Art Fair 2014 in London. Pic: BT

Engineering a Tool for Global Development by Thavam