- The
week that was
Sister-brother
rapport sends ripples in political arena
As the youngest of the
family, Anura Bandaranaike was everybody's pet,
called 'Mallo' not only by the two sisters, but
also by Mrs. Bandaranaike herself. However,
disputes between him and Chandrika ultimately led
him to abandon the SLFP for the UNP.The differences of opinion between
brother and sister have a long history dating
back to 1982 when Chandrika and Vijaya
Kumaratunga supported Kobbekaduwa's candidature
for the presidency while Anura kept aloof. (full text)
- US cruise missile
attacks in Sudan and Afghanistan
Precursor
to Muslim unity globally?
The global reach and
military might of the world's sole superpower
were dramatically displayed in the swift US
response to the 07 August bombings of American
embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar-es-Salam,
Tanzania which left 263 persons, including 12
Americans, dead and nearly 5000 persons injured. Three individuals were separately
indicted in a US Manhattan court. Two of then
were charged on counts of murder, conspiracy and
using weapons of mass destruction. One, an
engineer of Jordanian origin, Mohammed Sadiq
Odeh, who carried out a profitable fishing
business along Kenya's Swahili coast was flown in
from Pakistan. The second, a Yemeni national,
Mohamed Rashed Daoud al Owhali, who allegedly
rode on the explosives laden truck, was brought
to New York from Nairobi. (full text)
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- All set
for the presidential elections?
All's set for the
presidential elections it seems. Madame President
has directed her cabinet of ministers to get
their act together to face an election towards
February going by reports, both in the state and
private media. The Elections Commissioner, it was
reported, had assured he is ready even for a
presidential election at short notice.Reading between the lines, the
intimation is that the P.A. is counting on a
second lease of life of governance on the
charisma of their smiling lady leader. The logic
of their argument is that the ''dull witted''
Ranil would stand no chance with Chandika's smile
and her photogenic appearances on stage. (full text)
- L
E G A L W A T C H
International Court and global
realities
A "gift of
hope" is what U.N. Secretary-General Kofi
Annan called the International Criminal Court
which was created by Convention last July."Meaningless" was how some
non-signatories to the Convention described a
body which will not address such contemporary
concerns as nuclear weapons, terrorism and
international drug-trafficking.
The idea for an international
criminal court dates from the end of World War II
when the Nuremberg and Tokyo tribunals were set
up to try persons accused of war crimes and
crimes against humanity. For the first time, it
could be said that the international community
was attempting to enforce the laws governing the
conduct of war and punish those who violated
them. (full
text)
- Shaking hands
with a clenched fist gripping a grenade
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