Opinion
Trump never won in popular vote

Donald Trump, who contested the 2016 presidential election, was beaten by Hillary Clinton by 2.9 million in popular votes which would have been more than sufficient to win an election in any other country, but in the U.S one has also to get a minimum of 270 electoral college votes to become a winner. Trump became the President obtaining only 304 electoral votes as against Clinton’s 227. Her 2.9 million majority in popular votes became insignificant. In the 2020 election, Trump was beaten by Joe Biden in both, popular vote as well as in electoral votes. Biden beat him by over 6 million popular votes and scored 306 as against Trump’s 232 in electoral votes. However, the drama Trump played, soon after the results were announced, alleging fraud, shocked the whole world. All his litigations, in many courts, including the U.S Supreme Court, flopped, despite having a majority of Republican appointed judges.
Chris Krebs, the US top election security official and a Republican who was fired by Trump after he repeatedly disputed the President’s election fraud, said “This is not the America I recognize and it has got to stop. We need everyone across the leadership ranks to stand up.”
After his long battle, we see Trump has finally conceded and engaged in pardoning his supporters who have committed many criminal acts. Sadly, when he is to face the dozens of litigations, expected against him, there is none to pardon him then! In the meantime, Trump has publicly announced that he will contest the 2024 presidential election. It is to be seen how he will clear all the litigation awaiting him before the next election. We can also expect high drama if he were to lose that election, too!
S.H.MOULANA
Opinion
Haphazard demolition in Nugegoda and deathtraps

The proposed expansion of the Kelani Valley railway line has prompted the squatters to demolish the buildings and the above photograph depicts the ad-hoc manner in which a building in the heart of Nugegoda town (No 39 Poorwarama Road) has been haphazardly demolished posing a risk to the general public. Residents say that the live electric wire has not been disconnected and the half-demolished structure is on the verge of collapse, causing inevitable fatal damages.
Over to the Railway Department, Kotte Municipality Ceylon Electricity Board and the Nugegoda Police.
Athula Ranasinghe,
Nugegoda.
Opinion
Aviation and doctors on Strike

On July 19, 1989, United Airlines Flight 232 departed Denver, Colorado for Chicago, Illinois. The forecast weather was fine. Unfortunately, engine no. 2 – the middle engine in the tail of the three-engined McDonnell Douglas DC 10 – suffered an explosive failure of the fan disk, resulting in all three hydraulic system lines to the aircraft’s control surfaces being severed. This rendered the DC-10 uncontrollable except by the highly unorthodox use of differential thrust on the remaining two serviceable engines mounted on the wings.
Consequently, the aircraft was forced to divert to Sioux City, Iowa to attempt an emergency crash landing. But the crew lost control at the last moment and the airplane crashed. Out of a total of 296 passengers and crew, 185 survived.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) declared after an investigation that besides the skill of the operating crew, one significant factor in the survival rate was that hospitals in proximity to the airport were experiencing a change of shifts and therefore able to co-opt the outgoing and incoming shift workers to take over the additional workload of attending to crash victims.
One wonders what would have happened if an overflying aircraft diverted to MRIA-Mattala, BIA-Colombo, Colombo International Airport Ratmalana (CIAR) or Palaly Airport, KKS during the doctors’ strike in the 24 hours starting March 12, 2025? Would the authorities have been able to cope? International airlines (over a hundred a day) are paying in dollars to overfly and file Sri Lankan airports as en route alternates (diversion airports).
Doctors in hospitals in the vicinity of the above-named international airports cannot be allowed to go on strike, and their services deemed essential. Even scheduled flights to those airports could be involved in an accident, with injured passengers at risk of not receiving prompt medical attention.
The civil aviation regulator in this country seems to be sitting fat, dumb, and happy, as we say in aviation.
Guwan Seeya
Opinion
HW Cave saw Nanu Oya – Nuwara rail track as “exquisite”

Plans to resurrect the Nanu Oya – Nuwara Eliya rail track are welcome. The magnificent views from the train have been described by H W Cave in his book The Ceylon Government Railway (1910):
‘The pass by which Nuwara Eliya is reached is one of the most exquisite things in Ceylon. In traversing its length, the line makes a further ascent of one thousand feet in six miles. The curves and windings necessary to accomplish this are the most intricate on the whole railway and frequently have a radius of only eighty feet. On the right side of the deep mountain gorge we ascend amongst the tea bushes of the Edinburgh estate, and at length emerge upon a road, which the line shares with the cart traffic for about a mile. In the depths of the defile flows the Nanuoya river, foaming amongst huge boulders of rock that have descended from the sides of the mountains, and bordered by tree ferns, innumerable and brilliant trees of the primeval forest which clothe the face of the heights. In this land of no seasons their stages of growth are denoted by the varying tints of scarlet, gold, crimson, sallow green, and most strikingly of all, a rich claret colour, the chief glory of the Keena tree’.
However, as in colonial times, the railway should be available for both tourists and locals so that splendid vista can be enjoyed by all.
Dr R P Fernando
Epsom,
UK
-
Foreign News5 days ago
Search continues in Dominican Republic for missing student Sudiksha Konanki
-
Features7 days ago
Richard de Zoysa at 67
-
Features4 days ago
The Royal-Thomian and its Timeless Charm
-
News5 days ago
DPMC unveils brand-new Bajaj three-wheeler
-
Sports2 days ago
Sri Lanka to compete against USA, Jamaica in relay finals
-
Features4 days ago
‘Thomia’: Richard Simon’s Masterpiece
-
Features7 days ago
SL Navy helping save kidneys
-
Editorial6 days ago
Curiouser and curiouser!