The Lankans who protected Edward Snowden
Vanessa Mae Bondalian Rodel, a Filipino refugee living in a tiny subsidized apartment with her daughter in Hong Kong, had no idea that the young bespectacled American who showed up on her doorstep one night in May 2013 asking for shelter was the most wanted man in the world. It was not until the following [...]
Events
National Summit to mark 152nd birth anniversary of Anagarika Dharmapala Trail 2016: The walk back has begun Trail 2016 has begun. The charity walk that carries a message of unity and understanding while raising funds in aid of cancer treatment will take place over 28 days as the walkers traverse 670 km from north to [...]
Sanctions will not cause ‘regime change’ in Russia
NEW YORK (IDN) – In the aftermath of the Ukrainian crisis in March 2014, the United States and the European Union imposed sanctions on Russia that have led to unintended consequences. Crimea re-joined Russia following a referendum in which more than 96 percent of Russian speaking residents of Crimea voted to declare independence based on [...]
Shipping think tank needed as super powers lay claim to sea lane
Sri Lankans are the only islanders, who have turned their backs on the sea, lamented a former Navy Commander, late Admiral R. Kadirgamar. He strove passionately to develop the shipping industry, in the interest of both security and economic development. When Ceylon Shipping Corporation acquired its first ship mv Lanka Rani in 1970, it had [...]
Trump’s deplorables
NEW YORK – Hillary Clinton, the Democratic US presidential nominee, recently described supporters of her opponent, Donald Trump, as a “basket of deplorables.” It was neither a tactful nor an elegant phrase, and she later apologised for her remark. But she was more right than wrong. Trump has attracted many supporters whose views on race, [...]
Appointment of ministers:Give an ear to the story
I was wondering what I should be musing about during October when I remembered this story that I had been told about way back in my childhood. Once upon a time, so the story goes, the king of this fair island of ours wanted to go for a walk along the lake with his queen. [...]
SriLankan, Ebert Silva, Galle Face Hotel come together to serve children of our fallen and disabled heroes
Three pioneer hospitality institutions joined hands once again in a Corporate Social Responsibility initiative marking World Children’s’ Day on October 1. Sri Lankan Cares, the charitable arm of SriLankan Airlines, Ebert Silva Holidays, the pioneer company in Sri Lanka’s travel and tourism industry, and Galle Face Hotel, the foremost heritage hotel in Sri Lanka celebrated [...]
US presidential election
Trump’s ‘Snapchat’ foreign policy sucker punches US interests By Mark P. Lagon This season of presidential debates is as dramatic as the boxing match the late Muhammed Ali dubbed the “Thrilla in Manila” against Joe Frazier. But one thing is not debatable — who would be the better foreign policy president. It is tempting to [...]
It’s written in the sands of time
World Post day is celebrated each year on October 9 by postal administrations all over the world. The event was declared by the Universal Postal Union in 1969 to mark the creation of the U.P.U in 1874. On this day in 1874 twenty-two postal representatives from 22 countries gathered in the city of Bern in [...]
What actually happened in Kashmir?
Deep into the moonless night of Wednesday, September 28, according to Indian officials, two battalions of Indian commandos stole over the Line of Control, the de facto border that separates India and Pakistan in Kashmir. On foot, they reached a series of so-called “launch pads”— improvised structures where jihadist militants had assembled, so that they [...]