President’s website hacker was a teen

A 17-year-old student from Kadugannawa was yesterday arrested for hacking President Maithripala Sirisena’s official website. A special CID team attached to the Cyber Crimes Unit made the arrest after two days of investigations into the incident.

Police said the suspect had allegedly gained access of the President’s officials website on Friday and deleted some data.

The website, www.president.gov.lk, continued to be offline since Friday following this incident for the second time.

Meanwhile, President’s Media Director Dharmasiri Ekanayake said a decision was taken to temporarily close the website while plans were afoot to enhance its security.

CID officials disclosed the suspect accessed the site and left a message under the name ‘The SriLankan Youth’ making several demands to the government.

The message called on the government to reconsider the decision to hold the GCE A/Level examination in April instead of August.

It also called on the government to be more mindful about the security of Sri Lankan websites. Failure to do so could result in the country having to face a cyber war, the message further warned.

Dilshan alleges lack of support during captaincy

Tillakaratne Dilshan cast aspersions on the conduct of former and present teammates -particularly Angelo Mathews - soon after his final ODI against Australia on Sunday.

Prompted to speak on the challenges faced in his 10-month stint as Sri Lanka captain between April 2011 and January 2012, Dilshan suggested he did not have the support of some teammates. He also said he had been hurt by his sudden removal as captain, following the year-end tour of South Africa, in which Sri Lanka lost both series, but won a Test in South Africa for the first time.

Dilshan was been named captain after Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene both resigned from that post. It was Jayawardene who eventually replaced him after the South Africa tour.

"I didn't actually plan to take the captaincy, but the SLC president asked me to take over for six months until we find someone else," Dilshan said. "Unfortunately, we had also lost two bowlers. Murali [Muttiah Muralitharan] had retired. Nuwan Kulasekara was injured. Ajantha Mendis was injured. I didn't have great resources.

"Angelo Mathews had a calf injury for a year that stopped him from bowling. That must be because of my misfortune, because after I had stepped down, we went to Australia after a week. In that week, Mathews started bowling. That must be because of Mahela's good fortune."

Mathews did bowl during Dilshan's captaincy, but had a reduced workload. He did not bowl in nine of the 20 ODIs under Dilshan, and never delivered more than five overs in a match. This workload did see a substantial increase when Jayawardene resumed captaincy.

In Tests, Mathews did not bowl in 12 of the 16 innings under Dilshan, though at the time, he was not an integral part of the Test attack. However, Mathews had suffered leg injuries even prior to Dilshan's captaincy, most notably when he missed the 2011 World Cup final due to a quad strain.

Though Dilshan said the manner of his ousting did cause hurt, he insisted he did not let "personal issues" affect his cricket. Sri Lanka's first assignment after the South Africa tour was the 2012 tri-series in Australia. Dilshan top-scored in that tournament, hitting 513 runs at an average of 51.30.

"At the end of that South Africa series, I put everything aside. I went to Australia, scored 500 runs, and became Man of the Series. It didn't matter to me who was captain. I wasn't concerned about who ousted me as captain. I always play for my country. I didn't worry about those personal things, but I was hurt."

Dilshan's own first assignment as captain had been Sri Lanka's tour of England, but broke his finger during his 193 at Lord's in the second Test. He suggested it had been with some reluctance that Sangakkara took on the captaincy for one Test, after that injury ruled Dilshan out for the game at Southampton.

"There actually wasn't anyone who was willing to be captain. Everyone resigned after the 2011 World Cup. In England a ball hit my hand and I broke my finger, and the former captains were asked to lead, and they said no. After that only when it was talked about that someone like Sanath Jayasuriya or Thilina Kandamby be made captain that someone presented himself to be captain. But I guess there's no point talking about those past things anymore.

"But I am proud that it is players that I brought into the team at the time who are winning matches now. About six or seven of the players today are cricketers who I'd given a chance to. At the time it was a problem for me, because people asked me why I was giving young players so many opportunities. But today, we should look at players like Dinesh Chandimal."

Dilshan still has two more T20 matches to play before he becomes an ex-cricketer across formats. He said the decision to retire had been spontaneous.

"I hadn't planned to retire, before the series," he said. "Whether someone tells me to keep playing or stop playing, that's not what's important. What is important is what I feel. I started the series thinking that I'll play for another year - at least in T20 cricket. But when I woke up on the 25th I felt that it was time to go.

"To be honest I could easily play for another year or two. But we have to look to the future. If I play for another two years and leave, there's only 18 months before the next World Cup and that's unfair to the team. A young player could be blooded in that time. Since I started opening six years ago, we haven't found a permanent partner for me. I've opened with about 10 people - so that's a problematic area for us. If I keep playing we won't be able to get two batsmen settled in that place. I'll be able to get some rest."

President’s website hacked from within the country?

The investigators of the Criminal Investigations Department and the Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team were busy tracing the cyber attackers who had hacked President Maithripala Sirisena’s official website and declared cyber war against him.

The preliminary investigations suggested that the contents had been uploaded from within the country but it was too early to come to a conclusion, SLCERT sources said.

The hackers breached the defences of the website,  www.president.gov.lk on two consecutive days and rendered the site offline.

The President’s Media division sources said the site was been shut down temporarily to enable the investigations and for strengthening its defences.

SLCERT sources said that their investigators were focusing on the contents uploaded by the outsiders to the President’s site and hoped that they would be able to trace the place of origin.

Changing trends in marriage

Marriage was never a hurried decision taken by those who lived in the past. They tallied horoscopes, made enquiries from various people and finally decided to marry. I suppose all that is passé. Everything has changed and marriage is no exception.

In the past family, wealth, caste, class, creed, dowry, place of birth and numerous other factors were considered before marriage. However, today parents want to know whether their would-be son-in-law has a good job and a car, in addition to a posh house.

Similarly, a would-be bride is expected to be a good looking professional. Gender equality demands that both partners should earn. Gone are the days when the husband had to maintain a wife who stayed at home looking after their children.

Those who belong to the new generation have a tendency to be independent even after marriage. Husbands want to live like bachelors enjoying their lives. Wives too like to attend parties with or without their husbands. So, marriage has become a game played according to the whims and fancies of the married couple.

Practical reasons

Another trend seen today is that girls are compelled to postpone their marriages due to practical reasons. One major reason is that a girl who pursues higher education and finds a lucrative job will be in her thirties. As men are looking for young partners, a girl who is over 30 will have no demand. As a result, there are many girls who are in their 30s waiting for suitable partners.

In the developed West, most young men and women do not get married but opt to live together. This trend can be seen even in Eastern countries such as India and Sri Lanka. For some people, living together has become a way of life devoid of responsibilities. They want to avoid bringing up children and looking after them. They tend to believe that their joint income is not sufficient to maintain a house and children.

Living together also allows the partners to break their ties and find somebody else. In marriage this is not possible. As marriage is a legally recognized union, the husband or wife cannot get a divorce easily. They have to prove valid grounds for divorce and sometimes the husband may have to pay maintenance to his wife and children. A divorce case also involves a lot of money as both parties will have to retain lawyers.

Recently, a couple got married, but they did not have a gala ceremony at a hotel. It may be that they did not want to have a ceremony as it involves a lot of expenses. What is more important is not the ceremony but living together in harmony. Some marriages that take place in five star hotels end up in divorce courts. On the other hand, those who simply get married without holding a ceremony live together for many decades without any problem.

Some young people get married without thinking of their future. They fall in love and hurriedly get married with or without a ceremony. Then the young wife finds that her husband has no job. When the going gets tough, the young wife is compelled to seek a menial job to make ends meet. In such marriages the husband turns baby-sitter while the wife becomes the main breadwinner.

Anyway, marriage sometimes becomes a gamble. Sometimes marriages succeed and at other times they don't. However, we cannot leave everything to fate. Those who get married should consider all the aspects of life before marriage. The husband should have a steady income to maintain his wife and children. Money plays a major role in marriage. For everything we need money. Those who do not have any income are at the mercy of others.

'Think before you leap' is a piece of good advice to those who intend to marry.

Australia beat Sri Lanka by 2 wickets in 3rd ODI

Australia edged out Sri Lanka by two wickets to spoil Tillakaratne Dilshan’s one-day farewell and go 2-1 up in the five-match series on Sunday.

Opting to bat first, Sri Lanka were all out for 226 with four balls remaining, a total built around Dinesh Chandimal’s gutsy 102 in an otherwise poor batting display by the home side in the third match of the series.

Dilshan’s fluent 42 in his one-day swansong was the second highest score and the former Sri Lanka captain quit the format with 10,290 runs, including 22 centuries from 330 matches. He will play the two Twenty20 matches against Australia next month before retiring from international cricket.

Australia wobbled early in their reply but George Bailey, who scored 70, featured as the tourists chased down the target with four overs to spare.

Earlier, Dilshan was given a guard of honour by his Sri Lanka team mates when the 39-year-old went out to bat but the team looked in trouble after being reduced to 23 for two in the fourth over.

Dilshan joined forces with Chandimal for a 73-run partnership before he fell to an Adam Zampa full toss. Australia’s fielders shook hands with Dilshan, who received a standing ovation from the sellout crowd at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium.

Zampa dismissed Angelo Mathews in his next over but Chandimal maintained his 50-over form and brought up his fourth one-day century before being the last man out, holing out to Zampa off James Faulkner. Chandimal’s last seven one-day scores are 52, 62, 63, 53, 80 not out, 48 and 102.

Leading the side in absence of the regular captain Steve Smith, who has returned home to rest, David Warner marshalled his bowlers well to restrict the hosts to a modest total.

Mathews dented Australia’s top order, however, cheaply dismissing Warner and Shaun Marsh as the touring side slumped to 44 for three in the ninth over. Bailey added 62 runs with Travis Head to put Australia’s chase back on track and put on 81 runs with Matthew Wade to take the side close to victory. Zampa, who had claimed three for 38 with the ball, scored the winning run but Bailey bagged the man-of-the-match award. The teams stay put in Dambulla for the fourth one-day international on Wednesday.

Terrorists involved in SL cricket team attack killed

Four LeJ terrorists who were allegedly involved in the attack on Sri Lankan cricket team in 2009 were shot dead by Pakistan police in the wee hours today in Lahore.

According to the Crime Investigation Department (CID) of the Punjab police, seven terrorists attacked a CID team in Manawan area of Lahore where offices of the department are located.

“The police team which came under attack of terrorists returned the fire, killing four of them on the spot while the remaining three managed to escape by taking advantage of darkness,” a CTD spokesman said.

He said the police have launched a search operation in the area to trace the absconding terrorists.

“The dead terrorists have been identified as — Zubair alias Naik Muhammad, Abdul Wahab, Adnan Arshad and Attiqur Rehman.”

“They were involved in attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in 2009 and Moon Market Lahore attack in 2008,” the spokesman said.

Weapons and explosives from recovered from their possession.

In June, the Anti-Terrorism Court in Lahore had indicted six members of banned LeJ in the Sri Lankan cricket team attack case.

The LeJ suspects who were charged by the ATC were — Obaidullah, Javed Anwar, Ibrahim Khalil, Muhammad, Wahab and Arshad.

Obaidullah, Anwar and Khalil were on bail while the remaining had been lodged in Kot Lakhpat Jail and they had pleaded not guilty.

The ATC had already declared two other suspects – Mohsin Rasheed and Abdul Rehman – proclaimed offenders.

LeJ chief Malik Ishaq, the alleged mastermind of the attack, was killed last year in an encounter with the CID.
In March 2009, a bus carrying the Sri Lankan team was allegedly attacked by the Taliban and LeJ terrorists with sophisticated weapons and grenades at Liberty Chowk, near Qaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

Seven players including the then captain Mahela Jayawaredene, Kumar Sangakkara, Ajantha Mendis, Thilan Samaraweera, Tharanga Paranavitana and Chaminda Vaas were injured, while six Pakistani policemen escorting the team were killed in the attack.(PTI)

National Kite Festival 2016 in Negombo today

Kite Sri Lanka, the National Kite Organization will present ‘Nil Ahase Wasanthaya’ National Kite Festival and Competition today at the Negombo Beach Park. The festival is being conducted for the ninth time.

The kite competition will be opened for both children and open categories. Children less than 14 years can participate for two events naming "The Most Creative Kite" and "Nature Kite" (Kites made under the theme "nature").

The open category consists of three events naming "The Most Creative Kite", "Nature Kite": (the Kites made under the theme nature) and "The Best Fighting Kite". Fighting kites should be made into ‘Combuwa’ or ‘Waula’ style and the size should not exceed 1 1/2 feet.

Apart from the kite festival, there will be a Sand Castle Competition under the theme "World Peace". A mixed team of males and females of five or less members will be eligible for the competition. Registration desk for all the events will be opened from 8:30 – 11:30 am at the venue today.

All the preparations are being done to distribute certificates, trophies, gifts as well as gift vouchers among the winners of the competitions.

Parallel to the Kite Festival, there will be a Kite Parade, under the theme of "A Drug Free Country". Commencing at 8:00 am from the Negombo town, the parade expects to march towards the festival ground at Negombo Beach Park. International Rotary Clubs, Rotaract Clubs and Interact Clubs helps this worthy course under the patronage of Presidential Task Force on Drug Prevention which has joined hands with Kite Sri Lanka this year as well.

The day will become more interactive with kite camps, magic displays, face paintings, fun games, DJ and Papare, films and music. The participants can enjoy the day and to receive gifts from the sponsors and Kite Sri Lanka Organization. The festival also will be featured with the participation of number of celebrities from sports, music and film industries where you will get the opportunity for chatting and photography with them. It will be a space for the whole family to gather and to enjoy together.

X2 Ginseng Drink, Posh Drink , Trisoy Soya Drink whilst Lumala, Nippolac Paints, Shopping Wasi, Lacto Sun Cream co-sponsor for the festival this time. Jobspot.lk, Healthtips.lk, MusicTV, Music.lk, Casterly Crown, Sakwa Creations, Neth Creations, Kalabara News, Negombo News are among the service providers who have joined with the National Kite Festival.

I had sleepless nights as captain – Dilshan

Former captain Tillakaratne Dilshan told that the ten month stint he had as Sri Lanka’s captain was the toughest of his career. He revealed this in an interview with The Island on the eve of his last ODI at Dambulla. Dilshan will retire from international cricket on September the 9th when Sri Lanka take on Australia in the second T-20 International at the RPS.

Captaincy was thrust upon Dilshan after Kumar Sangakkara’s decision to quit following the 2011 World Cup. Dilshan had some of the toughest assignments as captain as Sri Lanka played England, Pakistan and South Africa away from home apart from hosting Australia.

Sri Lanka had just entered the post Muralithara era and Dilshan had very little bowling resources as Nuwan Kulasekara and Ajantha Mendis were injured. Injury also prevented Angelo Mathews from bowling as Dilshan was denied the luxury of an all-rounder.

His first assignment was Sri Lanka’s tour of England. When Chairman of Selectors Duleep Mendis ordered Lasith Malinga to return home early from IPL for a fitness camp, the premier fast bowler out of the blues announced his retirement from Test cricket. It looked an act of sabotage.

From the outset it was very clear that powerful player agent Charlie Austin wasn’t going to make life easy for Dilshan. The divisions within the team were visible when Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene issued statements supporting Malinga’s retirement from Test cricket.

Dilshan told us the tough times as Sri Lanka captain. "There were days I couldn’t sleep. I tried to move forward, but simply couldn’t make any progress," Dilshand told The Island.

"There were lot of problems. I didn’t want this captaincy. I was asked to do this."

"The captaincy helped me to understand the true nature of some people. I learned a lot.," Dilshan said.

"One of the issues I had was there were objections for bringing in some young players. I didn’t give in and resisted those pressures. I see some of those guys who came through doing wonders at the moment. That’s my greatest satisfaction leading the country.

In Dilshan’s last tour as captain, the team actually fared better. He had become the first Sri Lankan captain to win a Test match in South Africa. At the conclusion of the tour, he had vowed to build up the team, but 24 hours later stepped down. "I think something was going on behind the scenes. Some people know what was going on. I am not petty minded to bother about these things. I was given a job and I tried to do it to the best of my ability."

"Let’s bury the past and support the team. I don’t want to make further divisions by talking about it. No need to wash dirty linen in public," Dilshan added.

Soon after Dilshan quit, Sri Lanka toured Australia and reached the finals of the tri-nation series against the hosts at the expense of India. Sri Lanka also pushed Australia to the third final before losing the final game narrowly. Many were singing hosannas of new captain Mahela Jayawardene for helping the team get back to winning ways, but few realized that a man called Tillekeratne Dilshan had accumulated over 500 runs in the series. He was named Player of the Series.

Dilshan will turn 40 this year. Despite age, he remains Sri Lanka’s best fielder competing with some of the players half his age. He was also prolific with the bat last year and was the third highest scorer in ODI cricket in the world. In 29 ODIs last year, Dilshan scored two centuries and six fifties and averaged over 50 with a strike rate of above 90.

"You see, there are lot of younger guys coming through. After this series, there’s a long break. If I leave now, it will help the selectors to groom another player and prepare him for the series in South Africa. That’s the way forward. Generally, you sense when the right time has come. It happened to me when I wanted to quit Test cricket too."

During his career that spanned for 17 years, Dilshan has established some memorable records. He owns the record for most runs in an innings by a Sri Lankan at Lord’s.

"Obviously, winning my Test cap was a huge moment. I also love my 193 at Lord’s. All cricketers want to make a hundred at Lord’s. For me to go onto make 193 was very special.

Does he regret not making the double century. "Yes, I felt gutted. But that’s how it happens in cricket. There are no fairytales. What happened was I had got hit on the hand by Steven Finn and there was a fracture. I took pain killers and batted through. By the evening I was starting to get the pain again. I was bowled off an inside edge."

Dilshan had a simple message for younger players. "Value the opportunity you get. Lot of people want to represent their country, but only few are chosen. We are lucky to be in that lost. You may have differences with people, but once you cross the boundary rope, you want your team to win."`