text:
Karachays

The Karachays or Karachai (Къарачайлыла or таулула, romanized: tawlula, lit. 'Mountaineers') are an indigenous North Caucasian-Turkic ethnic group native to the North Caucasus. They are primarily located in their ancestral lands in Karachay–Cherkess Republic, a republic of Russia in the North Caucasus. They have a common origin, culture, and language with the Balkars.

History
According to Balkar historian, ethnographer and archaeologist Ismail Miziev who was a specialist in the field of North Caucasian studies, the theories on the origins of the Karachays and the neighboring Balkars is among "one of the most difficult problems in Caucasian studies," due to the fact that they are "a Turk-speaking people occupying the most Alpine regions of Central Caucasus, living in an environment of Caucasian and Iranian (Ossetian) languages." Many scientists and historians have made attempts to study the issue, but "the complexity of a problem lead to numerous hypotheses, often contradicting each other." He concluded that "Balkarians and Karachais are among the most ancient nationalities of Caucasus. The roots of their history and culture are intimately intertwined with the history and culture of many Caucasian peoples, as well as numerous Turk nationalities, from Jakutia to Turkey, from Azerbaijan to Tatarstan, from the Kumik and Nogai to the Altai and Hakass."

Ankara University's professor Ufuk Tavkul, another specialist, locates that the ethnogenesis of Karachays-Balkars and Kumyks inside the Caucasus, not outside; he then succintly describes the ethnogenesis of peoples of the Caucasus, including the Karachays and Balkars, thus:

"In the first millennium before Christ diverse groups representing the ancestors of the Abkhaz/Adyghe, Ossetian and Karachay-Balkar people lived in the Caucasus, who contributed to varying degrees to the emergence of these peoples. From the 7th century BC Kimmerian, Scythian, Sarmatian, Alan, Hun, Bulghar Turk, Avar, Khazar, Pecheneg, Kipchak, etc. groups invaded the Caucasus and settled there, causing a radical change in the ethnic map of the Central Caucasus. By assimilating the local Caucasian people of Caucasid anthropological features who had brought to life the Koban culture of the Bronze Age, the Ossetians of an Iranian tongue and the Turkic-speaking Karachay-Balkars emerged in the Middle Caucasus. The Ossetian and Karachay-Balkar people and cultures were certainly fundamentally influenced by the Caucasian substratum belonging to the Koban culture (Betrozov 2009: 227)"

Other research by Boulygina et al. (2020) shows Karachays' genetic connection to the pre-historic Koban culture. A recent genetic study states the following: "Balkars and Karachays belong to the Caucasian anthropological type. According to the results of craniology, somatology, odontology, and dermatoglyphics, the native (Caucasian) origin of the Balkars and Karachays and their kinship with the representatives of neighboring ethnic groups and a minor role of the Central Asian component in their ethnogenesis were concluded."

The state of Alania was established prior to the Mongol invasions and had its capital in Maghas, which some authors locate in Arkhyz, the mountains currently inhabited by the Karachay, while others place it in either what is now modern Ingushetia or North Ossetia. In the 14th century, Alania was destroyed by Timur and the decimated population dispersed into the mountains.

In the nineteenth century Russia took over the area during the Russian conquest of the Caucasus. On October 20, 1828 the took place, in which the Russian troops were under the command of General Georgy Emanuel. The day after the battle, as Russian troops were approaching the aul of, the Karachay elders met with the Russian leaders and an agreement was reached for the inclusion of the Karachay into the Russian Empire.

After annexation, the self-government of Karachay was left intact, including its officials and courts. Interactions with neighboring Muslim peoples continued to take place based on both folk customs and Sharia law. In Karachay, soldiers were taken from Karachai Amanat, pledged an oath of loyalty, and were assigned arms.

From 1831 to 1860, the Karachays were divided. A large portion of Karachays joined the anti-Russian struggles carried out by the North Caucasian peoples; while another significant portion of Karachays, due to being encouraged by the Volga Tatars and Bashkirs, another fellow Turkic Muslim peoples that have long loyal to Russia, voluntarily cooperated with Russian authorities in the Caucasian War. Between 1861 and 1880, to escape reprisals by the Russian army, some Karachays migrated to the Ottoman Empire although most Karachays remain in modern territory.

All Karachay officials were purged by early 1938, and the entire nation was administered by NKVD officers, none of whom were Karachay. In addition, the entire intelligentsia, all rural officials and at least 8,000 ordinary farmers were arrested, including 875 women. Most were executed, but many were sent to prison camps throughout the Caucasus.

During the parade of sovereignties and the collapse of the USSR on November 30, 1990, KCHAO withdrew from the Stavropol Territory and became the Karachay-Cherkess Soviet Socialist Republic (KChSSR) as part of the RSFSR, which was approved by a resolution of the Supreme Council of the RSFSR on July 3, 1991. In 1989–1997, the Karachay national movements appealed to the leadership of the RSFSR with a request to restore a separate autonomy of Karachay.

On November 18, 1990, at the congress of Karachay deputies of all levels, the Karachay Soviet Socialist Republic (since October 17, 1991 — the Karachay Republic) was proclaimed as part of the RSFSR, which was not recognized by the leadership of the RSFSR. On March 28, 1992, a referendum was held in which, according to the official results, the majority of the population of Karachay-Cherkessia opposed the division. The division was not legalized, and a single Karachay-Cherkessia remained.

Deportation
In 1942 the Germans permitted the establishment of a Karachay National Committee to administer their "autonomous region"; the Karachays were also allowed to form their own police force and establish a brigade that was to fight with the Wehrmacht. This relationship with Nazi Germany resulted, when the Russians regained control of the region in November 1943, with the Karachays being charged with collaboration with Nazi Germany and deported. Originally restricted only to family members of rebel bandits during World War II, the deportation was later expanded to include the entire Karachay ethnic group. The Soviet government refused to acknowledge that 20,000 Karachays served in the Red Army, greatly outnumbering the 3,000 estimated to have collaborated with the German soldiers. Karachays were forcibly deported and resettled in Central Asia, mostly in Kazakhstan and Kirghizia. In the first two years of the deportations, disease and famine caused the death of 35% of the population; of 28,000 children, 78%, or almost 22,000 perished.

Diaspora
About 10,000–15,756 Karachays and Balkars emigrated to the Ottoman Empire, with their migration reaching peaks in 1884–87, 1893, and 1905–06.

Karachays were also forcibly displaced to the Central Asian republics of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kirghizia during Joseph Stalin's relocation campaign in 1944. Since the Nikita Khrushchev era in the Soviet Union, the majority of Karachays have been repatriated to their homeland from Central Asia. Today, there are sizable Karachay communities in Turkey (centered on Afyonkarahisar), Uzbekistan, the United States, and Germany.

Geography
The Karachay nation, along with the Balkars occupy the valleys and foothills of the Central Caucasus in the river valleys of the Kuban, Big Zelenchuk River, Malka, Baksan, Cherek and others.

The Karachays are very proud of the symbol of their nation, Mount Elbrus, the highest mountain in Europe, with an altitude of 5,642 meters.

Culture
Like other peoples in the mountainous Caucasus, the relative isolation of the Karachay allowed them to develop their particular cultural practices, despite general accommodation with surrounding groups.

Karachay people live in communities that are divided into families and clans (tukums). A tukum is based on a family's lineage and there are roughly thirty-two Karachay tukums. Prominent tukums include: Abayhan, Aci, Batcha (Batca), Baychora, Bayrimuk (Bayramuk), Bostan, Catto (Jatto), Cosar (Çese), Duda, Hubey (Hubi), Karabash, Laypan, Lepshoq, Ozden (Uzden), Silpagar, Tebu, Teke, Toturkul, Urus.

Language
Karachays speak the Karachay-Balkar language, which comes from the northwestern branch of Turkic languages. The Kumyks, who live in northeast Dagestan, speak a closely related language, the Kumyk language.

Religion
The majority of the Karachay are followers of Islam. Some Karachays began adopting Islam in the 17th and 18th centuries due to contact with the Nogais, the Crimean Tatars, and most significantly, the Circassians. The Sufi Qadiriya order has a presence in the region.

title: Karachays


text:
1811 in Canada

Events from the year 1811 in Canada.

Incumbents

 * Monarch: George III

Federal government

 * Parliament of Lower Canada: 7th
 * Parliament of Upper Canada: 5th

Governors

 * Governor of the Canadas: Robert Milnes
 * Governor of New Brunswick: George Prévost
 * Governor of Nova Scotia: John Wentworth
 * Commodore-Governor of Newfoundland: John Thomas Duckworth
 * Governor of Prince Edward Island: Joseph Frederick Wallet DesBarres

Events

 * John Jacob Astor's Pacific Fur Company establishes a post at mouth of the Columbia River.
 * British-Canadian fur trader, surveyor, and cartographer David Thompson follows Columbia to Pacific and finishes charting entire length of the river.
 * William Price Hunt, leading Astor's overland party, explores Snake River Valley and much of future Oregon Trail.
 * When Governor Craig leaves for England, British Canadians detach the horses and draw his carriage to the place of embarkation.
 * U.S. President James Madison, in his message to Congress, says: "We have seen the British Cabinet not only persist, in refusing satisfaction demanded for the wrongs we have already suffered, but it is extending to our own waters that blockade, which is become a virtual war against us, through a stoppage of our legitimate commerce."

Births

 * January 9 – John Ferris, businessman, explorer and politician (d.1884)
 * March 11 – John Young, politician (d.1878)
 * May 29 – William Pearce Howland, politician (d.1907)
 * July 20 – James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin, Governor General (d.1863)
 * August 16 – Luc-Hyacinthe Masson, physician, businessman and politician (d.1880)
 * October 6 – Eulalie Durocher, catholic nun (d.1849)
 * December 2 – Jean-Charles Chapais, Conservative politician considered a Father of Canadian Confederation for his participation in the Quebec Conference to determine the form of Canada's government (d.1885)

Full date unknown

 * Isabella Clark, first wife of John A. Macdonald, premier of the Province of Canada (d.1857)

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: 1811 in Canada


text:
Balkars

Balkars (Малкъарлыла or Таулула, romanized: Tawlula, lit. 'Mountaineers') are a Turkic ethnic group in the North Caucasus region, one of the titular populations of Kabardino-Balkaria.

Their Karachay-Balkar language is of the Ponto-Caspian subgroup of the Northwestern (Kipchak) group of Turkic languages.

Identity
The modern Balkars are a Turkic people, who share their language with the Karachays from Karachay-Cherkessia and have strong lingual similarities with Kumyks from Dagestan.

Sometimes Balkars and Karachays are referred to as a single ethnicity.

History
 Ethnogenesis:

The ethnogenesis of the Balkars resulted, in part, from:
 * The Bulgars who lived in Old Great Bulgaria and Batbayan was the only son who remained in the Caucasus with the Balkars, except for his brothers who moved from Balkaria and went to the Balkans, Italian Peninsula and Volga.
 * The intrusion of Alania during the 11th century, by Kipchak Turks and their Cuman allies. Alania had its capital in Maghas, which some authors locate at Arkhyz, in the mountains currently inhabited by the Karachay-Balkar, while others place it in either what is now modern Ingushetia or North Ossetia.

While acknowledging contributions by Bulgars and Kipchaks (among many others), Tavkul (2015) locates the ethnogenesis of Balkars-Karachays and other peoples of the Caucasus inside the Caucasus, not outside.

During the 14th century, Alania was destroyed by Timur. Many of the Alans, Cumans, and Kipchaks migrated westward into Europe. Timur's incursion into the North Caucasus introduced the remainder to Islam.

Most Balkars adopted Islam in the eighteenth century due to contact with the Kumyks, Circassians, Nogais, and Crimean Tatars. The Balkars are considered deeply religious. The Sufi Qadiriya order has a strong presence in the region.

 Caucasian War:

Assistance of Karachays and Balkars to neighbors:

The Balkars and Karachays have been helping the Kabardians in their rebellions since ancient times. Thus, in 1787, Kabard's bailiff wrote: "The Kabardians, in cases of close, always find their shelter and shelter of estates with them [the Balkars].

During the uprising in Kabarda of the primary bridles of the Kudenetovs, in the battle of May 9, 1804 on the river Chegem, the Karachays and Balkars came to the rescue, Lieutenant General Glazenap himself in a report to the Russian Emperor Alexander I reported that the battle lasted from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., noting:

"...Fought in the gorges for the most part with 11,000 desperately fighting Kabardians, Chegemians, Balkars, Karachays and Ossetians knocked out of 12 dug-out auls"

In the subsequent uprising of Kabarda, which was in 1810, the Balkars again did not deny help, on April 30, General Bulgakov reported from the camp to the river. Cherek:

"Their armed gathering of more than 2,000 horsemen and as many as pedestrians can be heard, with the help of the Balkars held in two fortified gorges at the foot of the snowy mountains, is locked by me."

The following years did not pass quietly either, the Karachays, for example, were engaged in robbery. In June 1822. Yermolov told Major General Stal:

"I'm sure, Your Excellency, that you will visit them if they continue to rob and don't want to evict"

Karachay-Balkar Resistance:

And so, in 1828, the village of Nezlobnaya was brought together by fugitive Kabardians, Karachays, Balkars and other outer Kubans, on the way back a detachment of highlanders met with imperial forces, and there was a battle, in Emmanuel's report about these events it is written:

"At the same time, I dare to witness to V.I.V. the excellent courage shown by all our troops, who were in this case, against the selected only in a large number of mountaineers, who were in shells and fought with incredible effort, attacking artillery, such examples have never happened before"

In the same year, Emmanuel undertook an expedition to Karachay, the expedition lasted from October 17th to 29th, a contingent was introduced into Karachay, the strength of which was more than 3,000 combat units with 15 guns, the final battle took place on October 20 near the village of Kart-Jurt. In official sources, the losses of Russian Empire amounted to 262 killed and wounded in unofficial sources up to 800 killed and wounded.

After the battle, the Karachay people gave Amanats and accepted the conditions of the Empire:

"1) Obeying the will of Your Excellency, we undertake from now on not to be guilty of anything against Russia, and guilty people, such as: Kabardians and others, not to accept them at all, and not to join them; to always be loyal to the Russian throne and to confirm with an oath, to return everything stolen by us in advance by people, cattle and other property without seizure under oath.

2) In the certificate of the above, we give from the four surnames of the Amanates appointed by you.

3) If a large Circassian army will pass through our lands to invade Russia, which we will not be able to keep, we will not be accused of, but only immediately we are obliged to let us know about it, and we are responsible for those we will be able to keep.

4) If anyone has Muslims like us from the subjects of the Russian Emperor, no matter what claim is against us or we are against them, let us understand our customs, sheriat.

5) For exchange and trade, establish us on the river Kume, near the fortress of Akhandukovskaya, exchange yard, so that we can get salt, iron, goods and bread there and would be allowed to enter Russia according to our needs"

Despite this, in 1830-1831 there was an agreement between the Circassians, Karachays, Balkars and Abazins that they would help each other, and the general ambassador and representative of these peoples, or rather 12 provinces, Sefer Bey Zanoko was chosen. On this occasion, James Bell writes in 1837:

"The Circassians are convinced that their main, if not the only, hope rests on themselves and on their own swords. Therefore, they are preparing to continue the war against Russia on their own. To this end, Sefir Bey, the most prominent of their princes, Judge Haji-Oku Mehmet and other influential and high-ranking persons went on a tour of the provinces. Everywhere they were met by a meeting of special representatives who, under oath, committed themselves on behalf of their communities to remain faithful to each other and reject all conditions of obedience, whatever they may be and what Russia may offer, unless they are authorized by their general approval. At the same time, they granted the prince and judge the title of ambassadors to try to get help for themselves from abroad, specifically instructing the first to stay abroad to finally achieve this goal. It was especially stipulated that no change could be made to the provision of the treaty without the consent or even the presence of Sefir Bey. It has been almost seven years since he has been absent and since nothing says that he is going to return under the current circumstances (which cannot be explained by a sense of fear, since everyone agrees to recognize him as the bravest of the brave), he reminds us of the legislator who forced his subjects to swear to obey his laws before his return and who then left his country forever. The league, of which Sefir Bay was appointed ambassador, consisted of the following twelve provinces: Natuhach, Shapsug, Abaza, Psadug, Temirgoy, Khatukoy, Makosh, Besni, Bashilbay, Teberdekh, Braki and Karachay.

The Karachay-Balkars continued to be active until 1833, as well as to support the Zakubans, thanks to which the Amanates received by Emmanuel in 1828 were sent in early 1833 to the Dmitrievsky semi-battalion of military cantonists:

"The Karachay people live in the tops of the Kuban River, the population of it can be put up to 5,000 souls, which are divided into two classes: the elders and the free people. The Karachay people have repeatedly raided themselves or together with other highlanders on our borders. In 1828, the general from the cavalry Emanuel penetrated the lands and took the Amanats from them as a pledge of loyalty, but as they continued to pass predators through their lands and some of them personally participated in predation, their Amanates were sent in early 1833 to the Dmitrievsky semi-battalion of military cantonists. According to their situation, the Karachay people can contribute a lot to ensuring the tranquility of the neighborhoods of Mineralnye Vody and Kabarda, in order to have time to convince them to this, I allowed the staff captain Prince Shakhovsky to promise them that their former Amanates will be returned if they again express submission on favorable terms for us. What they promised to do:

1. To give one amanat from the elders and the free people.

2. To accept one of the Kabardian princes loyal to us as a bailiff, so that during the passage of predatory parties with the Zakuban princes, the Karachay people could raise their weapons to the princely families, because according to the ancient custom of some highlanders, the common people cannot fight with the princes without having an order from their equal family.

3. Stop any friendly relationship with the mountaineers who are hostile to us, to keep guards from the tops of the Caucasus Mountains to the Morzhisin River, which is near the stone bridge in the Kuban, and to keep predatory parties not exceeding thousands of people, if there are more of them, then let the Urusbians and the nearest military post know.

4. If predatory parties break through below the Marzhisina River, the nearest military authorities are obliged to notify the Karachay bailiff so that he can take appropriate measures to assist in case of persecution of predators by Russian troops. If the government considers it necessary to bring troops into the Karachay lands, they should assist them as much as possible.

During the ongoing negotiations between Prince Shakhovsky and the elders, this Karachay people proved their diligence and benefits that can be expected from their sincere devotion. A party of predators, crossing the Kuban, stole 6 rams and 60 cattle from Kabarda and captured three boys; the most honorable of the elders of the Karachays, the seventy-year-old Crimean Shamkhalov from 30 of his men rushed into the chase, caught up the predators and despite the fact that there were 140 people, stopped and held them until he received reinforcements from the people, then, having beaten off all the prey from them, returned the Kabardians according to belonging.

In the following years, the Karachays secretly kept in touch with the Kubans, so the English official Edmund Spencer says, who visited the Western Caucasus in 1836 while visiting one of the representatives of the mountain tribes hostile to Russia, who lived in close proximity to Sukhum-Kale, Pitsunda and Bomborami, noted:

"...Due to the increased blockade, the Circassians began to purchase this product (meaning gunpowder) from Karachay, or as they are called by the Circassian Knights, Karshaga-Kushkha (Black Tatars), whose mountains abundantly give sulfur and sanitrate: their gunpowder is beautiful and strong, but because of the difficulty of its transportation through the snowy mountains, Circassian warriors prefer, except in cases of urgent need for immediate delivery, to buy it from the Turks in exchange for their own products"

Also, British agent James Bell, being with the Shapsugs, on the territory of present-day Sochi in 1837, writes:

"Every man (I could say every child) had a gun: the best, as I was told, are delivered from an area called Karachay, in the upper Kuban"

Note: only one Shapsugs exceeded the Karachay people at that time by almost 100 times, but they told two British agents where they get guns and gunpowder, so it was important.

Murid movement:

The position chosen by the Karachay people is very well described by Apollo Shpakovsky:

"The head of the right flank, Major General Evdokimov, in November 1851, undertook an enhanced reclamation to the upper reaches of the rivers: Big and Small Tegeney... Priteginsky auls ... were in friendly relations with the Karachays, a strong, predatory and militant tribe, only by the name "peaceful and submissive". Karachay, surrounded by an almost impregnable chain of mountains, was an extremely important strategic point for the highlanders, and the Tegin auls served him from the Kuban, Zelenchuks and Laba as advanced strong outposts against our sudden invasions. Through them, the Karachays always learned about the misfortune that threatened them in time and deftly knew how to remove the well-deserved punishment, protecting themselves with the guise of a "peaceful and submissive people" and blaming all their frauds on non-peaceful Pritegins.

In 1855, the Karachays mostly supported Imam of Circassia Muhammad Amin, and joined his army, although there were those who were against him: "At the beginning of 1851... the Temirgoys refused to recognize the power of the naiba... in the spring of 1851, the power of Muhammad-Amin was overthrown by the Black Sea Shapsugs... In the summer of the same year, Natuhai residents and residents of the Big Shapsug opposed the naib. In addition, in June 1851, a crowded people's assembly was held at the Shapsugs and Natuhais, at which the issue of trust in Muhammad-Amin was resolved... most of the gathered dissociated themselves from him. Soon the Naib was forced to leave the Shapsugs and Natukhais and move to the Abadzekhs on the Psekups River... representatives of the Bzhedukh nobility actively acted against the Naib. And in the summer of 1851, the Khamysheev and Chercheneev princes and nobles appealed to the commander of the Russian troops on the Caucasus line and in the Black Sea N.S. Zavodovsky with an expression of submission to the Russian government and expressed a desire to take an oath of allegiance to Russia. However, the peasants did not support the feudal lords... the harsh actions of the military command led to the opposite result. The local population increased its resistance to the royal troops. And the positions of Mohammed-Amin, on the contrary, began to consolidate... Meanwhile, in May 1852, Naib gathered large military forces in the Maikop and Kurgip gorges. The rebels were preparing to make a campaign to Karachay. However, Muhammad-Amin, having learned that the military command was well prepared to repel the military expedition of the highlanders, abandoned his intentions to move with a campaign to Karachay... Western Karachai to lead the rebels from there in the event of the outbreak of hostilities. To this end, Muhammad-Amin, gathering on the river. White a large number of horse and footmen, in mid-July 1853 moved to Karachay. Soon, having learned about this, the Russian troops passed to the rr. Marukha and Aksaut in the upper reaches of Maly Zelenchuk to "show the Karachai people their readiness to destroy the naib assasination assination"

Karachay princes Krymshamkhalovs against the rebels "put up 500 well-armed Karachay people with two companies of Kuban huntsmen to guard all important and convenient points for passage"

But when the naib settled down for the night in the upper reaches of Bolshoy Zelenchuk, his supporters from Karachay came to him and warned about the readiness of Russian troops and Karachay detachments to give a decisive rebuff to the rebels, after that "panic began in the camp, and Mohammed-Amin went back."

The naiba of Muhammad-Amin was invited to Karachay by Mufti Mohammed Khubiyev, who shared the ideas of the rebels... Thus, Muhammad-Amin's campaign in Karachay in 1853 did not take place... In the summer of 1855 Muhammad-Amin made an attempt to assert his power in Karachay. At the invitation of the Karachays, Naib entered their territory at the head of the Adyghe detachments... In August 1855, an active movement to join the Caucasian War began in Karachay, led by the spiritual leader of the Karachay people, Kadiy Magomet-Efendi Khubiev and Prince Idris Karabashev. Up to 3.000 Karachays joined this movement (in opinion of others, the figure is several times higher). On August 25, in the area of Hasauka, there was a battle between the united armed detachments of Karachays, Balkars, outer Kuban Adyghes, Nogais, Abazin and tsarist troops under the command of the General Kozlovsky. Russian troops won, Naib Muhammad-Amin went to outer Kuban, and an indemnit of 20 thousand rubles in silver was imposed on Karachay... However, despite the defeat, even after August 1855, the movement of Karachays did not stop. Prince M.S. testified to the formal nature of the Karachays withdrawal from the Caucasian War. Vorontsov, who in his letter of September 15, 1855, Gen. G.R. Eristov noted that "the Karachay people call to themselves to Mohammed Amin ... I write in this letter the names of those Karachay residents who, as they say, called for the enemy: Mohammed Crimea Shavkalov, Aslan Murza Dudov, Shamakha Dudov, Badra Crimea Shavkalov, Adil Karabashev and Kuba Efendi"

Theophilus Lapinsky, who lived and fought among the Circassians from 1857 to 1859, had weight and connections with the leaders of the resistance, also of the same opinion: "Now we will consider the attitude of residents to the Russian government. Upon closer acquaintance, we should divide the peoples of the Caucasus into four groups on this relationship.

First, the population paying tax and obeying Russian laws. It consists of settlers and colonists - linear and Black Sea Cossacks: Tatars, Turks and part of Armenians. This part of the population, not counting the regular army, represents a number of approximately 1,200,000 souls of both sexes.

Secondly, the peoples who recognize the supreme power of the Tsar and supply the militia to serve Russia, but pay little or no taxes, obey their own laws, have not laid down their weapons and only tolerate Russian domination. These are Georgians and most of the Armenians, Tajiks (Persians), Kabardians, Kurds, some small tribes. Their total number is approximately 2,200,000 souls.

Thirdly, peoples, either only nominally recognizing the sovereignty of the tsar, or only having concluded a kind of truce with the Russians, do not pay taxes and do not supply the police; their raids should be held back by force. These are the southern Abazas, Svanets, Ossetians, small tribes of Samurzakans, Besleneys, Karachays and Elbrus Tatars, Eastern Caucasians and Shamil's associates - Kumyks, Chechens, Avars and Lezgins. Their number can be counted as 1,200,000 souls.

Fourthly, peoples in a state of war, against which the Russian army is currently operating with all its might and about which the reader will find in this work as accurate a possible description. These are the northern Abazas (Adyge), which are incorrectly called Circassians in Europe and Turkey. Their number can be approximately 900,000 people."

After the Caucasian war and the Circassian Genocide about 10,000–15,756 Karachays and Balkars emigrated to the Ottoman Empire, with their migration reaching peaks in 1884–87, 1893, and 1905–06.

Deportation
In 1944, the Soviet government forcibly deported almost the entire Balkar population to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Omsk Oblast in Siberia. Starting on 8 March 1944 and finishing the following day, the NKVD loaded 37,713 Balkars onto 14 train echelons bound for Central Asia and Siberia. The Stalin regime placed the exiled Balkars under special settlement restrictions identical to those that it had imposed upon the deported Russian-Germans, Kalmyks, Karachais, Chechens and Ingush. By October 1946 the Balkar population had been reduced to 32,817 due to deaths from malnutrition and disease. The Balkars remained confined by the special settlement restrictions until 28 April 1956. Only in 1957, however, could they return to their mountainous homeland in the Caucasus. During 1957 and 1958, 34,749 Balkars returned home.

Language and literacy
In the Cyrillic alphabet as used by the Balkars there are eight vowels and twenty-seven consonants. In the past the official written languages were Arabic for religious services and Turkish for business matters. From 1920 on Balkar has been the language of instruction in primary schools; subsequent instruction is carried out in Russian. Until 1928 Arabic letters were used to write the Balkar language; after 1937 Cyrillic was used. Ninety-six percent of the population is bilingual in Balkar and Russian. Organs of mass culture, secondary school texts, newspapers, and magazines in both Balkar and Russian continue to increase in number. In the 2015 number of bilingual population had increased by 1,3 percent so 97,3 are now speaking both Balkar and Russian which is due to the globalisation of urban areas and the impact of the Russian education. Children are more likely to be taught in Russian.

An example of a Balkar author is Kaisyn Kuliev who is emphasising the love towards the Balkarya land and Balkar traditions.

Notable Balkars

 * Khadzhimurat Akkaev, weightlifter
 * Asker Dzhappuyev, jihadist leader
 * Muslim Atayev, jihadist leader
 * Alim Kouliev, actor, theatre director
 * Azamat Kuliev, artist
 * Kaisyn Kuliev, poet
 * Alikhan Shavayev, football player
 * Ismail Musukaev, wrestler
 * Albert Tumenov, professional mixed martial artist
 * Bibert Tumenov, professional mixed martial artist
 * Kharun Boziev, professional boxer

title: Balkars


text:
User talk:Tboehrer

Hi there. Welcome to Wikipedia! Drop us a note at New user log to introduce yourself.

If you need editing help, visit How does one edit a page. For format questions, visit our manual of style

Some time when you're bored, you can read through our policies and guidelines. If you made any edits before you got an account, you might be interested in assigning those to your username.

If you have any other questions about the project then check out Help or add a question to the Village pump. You can also drop me a question on my talk page.

Happy editing, Isomorphic 04:19, 23 Feb 2004 (UTC)

title: User talk:Tboehrer


text:
Fireball Zone

Fireball Zone is the third solo album by the American musician Ric Ocasek, frontman and songwriter of the Cars. The first single from the 1991 release was "Rockaway".

Production
The album was produced by Nile Rodgers and Ric Ocasek. Its title is a reference to Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow. "Over and Over" and "The Way You Look Tonight" are ballads. In contrast to his Cars days, Ocasek recorded the album live, with his band, rather than part by part.

Critical reception
The Ottawa Citizen wrote that "the main thrust of Fireball Zone is to emphasize a funk element within what has always been Ocasek's music style—cold, lean, electronic pop with a tortured bottom end." The Chicago Tribune opined that Fireball Zone "may not be a masterpiece, but it's better than any album by the repetitive Cars, easily one of the most overrated bands of the '80s." The St. Petersburg Times determined that the album finds Ocasek's "rubber-band voice crawling over indistinguishable over-synthesized tunes set to a maddeningly tedious beat."

Personnel

 * Ric Ocasek - vocals, guitar, keyboards
 * Nile Rodgers - guitar
 * Larry Mitchell - lead guitar
 * Dann Huff - guitar on "Balance" and "Mister Meaner"
 * Steve Elson - horns
 * Stan Harrison - horns
 * Matt Collehon - horns
 * Richard Hilton - keyboards
 * Al Berry - bass guitar
 * Larry Aberman - drums
 * Mickey Curry - drums on "Balance" and "Mister Meaner"
 * Tawatha Agee - backing vocals
 * Fonzi Thornton - backing vocals
 * Curtis King Jr. - backing vocals
 * Dennis Collins - backing vocals
 * Katherine Miller - engineer
 * Hiro Ishihara - engineer
 * Dave Schiffman - engineer
 * Justin Luchter - engineer
 * Jon Goldberger - engineer

title: Fireball Zone


text:
Buddy (Bill Clinton's dog)

Buddy Clinton (August 7, 1997 – January 2, 2002), a male chocolate-colored Labrador Retriever, was one of two pets kept by the Clinton family while Bill Clinton was President of the United States. The Clintons' other pet was a cat named Socks.

Life
Clinton acquired Buddy as a three-month-old puppy from Caroline County, Maryland, in December 1997. He named him after his late great-uncle, Henry Oren "Buddy" Grisham, who had died the previous June and whom Clinton often cited as a major influence on his life. Socks did not get along with the frisky Buddy, so the White House had to keep the two in separate quarters. Since this arrangement would be no longer possible in the Clintons' smaller home in New York, Socks was left under the care of Bill Clinton's secretary, Betty Currie.

Death
According to a police report, Buddy was killed by a car while "playfully chasing a contractor" who had left the Clinton home in Chappaqua, New York, on January 2, 2002. The Clintons were not home at the time of the accident; their home was being watched by Secret Service agents. The agents rushed Buddy to an animal hospital where he was pronounced dead.

In June 2002, Clinton acquired another chocolate Labrador whom he named "Seamus".

Cultural references
First Lady Hillary Clinton wrote a children's book called Dear Socks, Dear Buddy: Kids' Letters to the First Pets in 1998. It included excerpts from more than 50 letters written to the First Pets by children and more than 80 photographs of Socks and Buddy.

Buddy was a central character in Rick Cleveland's 2005 one-man show My Buddy Bill, relating the writer's fictional friendship with Bill Clinton, which began when both men discovered their common interest in dogs.

title: Buddy (Bill Clinton's dog)


text:
User:Miya

meta | commons | ja

I'm mainly active in jawiki and Commons.
 * Wikipedia Signpost(User talk:Kpjas)
 * Special:Statistics - ja:Special:Statistics
 * Articles for creation/Reviewing

Curt Schimmelbusch

ca:User:Miya cs:User:Miya da:User:Miya de:User:Miya

simple:User:Miya eo:User:Miya es:User:Miya fi:User:Miya fr:User:Miya he:User:Miya hr:User:Miya it:User:Miya ja:User:Miya ko:User:Miya lt:User:Miya nl:User:Miya no:User:Miya pl:User:Miya pt:User:Miya ro:User:Miya ru:User:Miya sr:User:Miya sv:User:Miya th:User:Miya

vi:User:Miya vo:User:Miya zh-classical:User:Miya zh-min-nan:User:Miya zh:User:Miya

title: User:Miya


text:
Fort Severn First Nation

Fort Severn First Nation (ᐗᔕᐦᐅ ᐃᓂᓂᐗᐠ) is a Western Swampy Cree First Nation band government located on the Severn River near Hudson Bay. It is the most northern community in Ontario, Canada. In 2001, the population was 401, consisting of 90 families in an area of 40 square kilometres. The legal name of the reserve is Fort Severn 89, with the main settlement of Fort Severn (ᐗᔕᐦᐅᐠ; ).

The town is linked by a winter/ice road called the Wapusk Trail during the winter to Peawanuck, Ontario, in the east, and Shamattawa and Gillam, Manitoba, to the west.

Fort Severn is policed by the Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service, an Indigenous-based service.

History
This area was inhabited for thousands of years by varying cultures of indigenous peoples. At the time of European contact, the historic Swampy Cree, an Algonquian-speaking people, lived in the area.

In 1689 the Hudson's Bay Company built Fort Severn at this site, originally naming it Fort James; it was one of the earliest English fur trading posts in the New World. After years of international competition between the English and French, with their wars playing out in North America, the French attacked the outpost and pillaged it in 1782 when they were allies of the Thirteen Colonies during the American Revolutionary War.

In the early 20th century, when the federal government negotiated a treaty with the First Nations, it set aside land for a native reserve in the Rocksand area at the confluence of the Severn and Sachigo Rivers, with the consent of the leaders at the time. In 1973, the reserve was relocated to the mouth of the Severn River on Hudson Bay, for more direct access to shipping. The reserve achieved full status on January 11, 1980.

Government
The local band council consists of an elected chief, a deputy chief, and four band councillors.

Community services
There is no hospital in Fort Severn, with medical needs provided either at the local nursing station or via Keewaytinook Okimakanak Telemedicine (KOTM) link. The Community Doctor (Christopher Arthur Giles) travels in every month to do regular check-ups, follow-ups, and schedule appointments and surgeries. Specialists such as optometrists, dentists, and hygienists travel to Fort Severn every two to three months.

Transportation
There are only local roads in town and residents travel by car, snowmobile, four-wheelers, or walking.

The Fort Severn Airport is located a short distance from the settlement and is reached by an access road.

Education
Wasaho Cree Nation School is the full functioning school providing primary education needs. It was built in 2016, preparing students for 21st century learning. Keewaytinook Internet High School is housed in a small building and provides distance learning for residents needing secondary education.

Climate
Fort Severn has a subarctic climate (Dfc) and is one of the coldest communities in Ontario. Summers typically have cool to mild weather with short heatwaves, while winters are severely cold and long, lasting from October to sometimes through May.

In popular culture
Fort James, a British settlement controlled by a governor who reports to the king and who represents Hudson Bay Company, is the principal setting of the 2016 television series, Frontier. As Ann Foster describes for ScreenerTV, "'Frontier' is set in the coastal settlement of Fort James: A snowy, treacherous pocket of land that would, in a century’s time, become part of Canada."

A town by the name of Fort Severn is featured in several episodes of the 1996 anime series After War Gundam X.

Johnny Cash mentions Fort Severn in the last line of the song "Girl in Saskatoon" (alternate version), written by Cash and Johnny Horton while they travelled through Canada in 1960.

title: Fort Severn First Nation


text:
SriLankan Airlines

SriLankan Airlines (ශ්‍රී ලංකන් ගුවන් සේවය; இலங்கை விமான சேவை) is the flag carrier of Sri Lanka and a member airline of the Oneworld airline alliance. It was launched in 1979 as Air Lanka following the termination of operations of the original Sri Lankan flag carrier Air Ceylon. As of April 2024, it is the largest airline in Sri Lanka by number of aircraft and destinations.

Following its partial acquisition in 1998 by Emirates, it was re-branded and the current livery was introduced. In 2008, the government of Sri Lanka acquired all the shares of the airline from Emirates. After ending the Emirates partnership, it retained its re-branded name and logo. SriLankan Airlines operates over 560 flights per week across Asia.

SriLankan Airlines joined the Oneworld airline alliance on 1 May 2014.

Air Lanka
In 1979, after the removal of airline manager Nimesh Fernando, Sri Lanka's president Jayawardene initially did not interfere after entrusting the airline to Captain Rakitha Wickramanayake and the board of directors consisting of industry officials and managers. The former Prime Minister of Singapore asked, "How could an airline pilot run an airline?" A 1986 Presidential Commission reported on the mismanagement of the Board of the airline. Under President Wijetunga's appointment of a retired General as Chairman/MD with Air Vice Marshals and a UNP attorney as executive directors. None of them knew how to run an airline.

Air Lanka was established as the flag carrier of Sri Lanka once the government shut down the bankrupt Air Ceylon. Air Lanka's initial fleet consisted of two Boeing 707, leased from Singapore Airlines. One Boeing 737 was leased from Maersk Air and maintained by Air Tara. On 24 April 1980, the lease ended; Air Lanka received a replacement Boeing 737 leased from Royal Brunei. On 1 November 1980, Air Lanka commenced wide-body operations which were leased Lockheed L1011-1 Tristar from Air Canada.

On 15 April 1982, Air Lanka purchased an L1011 Tristar from All Nippon Airways. Another L1011 was leased from Air Canada whilst a third was purchased from All Nippon. With the introduction of Tristar aircraft, the Boeing 707 were phased out. On 1 May 1982, HAECO took over the maintenance of the two Air Lanka-owned Tristars, while Air Canada maintained two leased Tristars.

On 28 March 1980, Air Lanka signed a purchase agreement for two brand new Lockheed L1011-500 Tristars, the most advanced wide-body aircraft in the world at that time. The first Lockheed L1011-500 (4R-ULA) was accepted on 26 August 1982, at Palmdale, California. It was flown to Amsterdam as UL flight 566P. On 28 August, 4R-ULA "City of Colombo" left for its inaugural flight from Amsterdam to Colombo as UL566. It reached Colombo on 29 August. This was followed by the second Lockheed L1011-500, 4R-ULB, "City of Jayawardanapura". On 8 June 1984 the airline received its first Boeing 747-200B "King Vijaya" and the second joined later. The aircraft were used on flights to Europe and a few flights to southeast Asia. However they were retired in 1987. In 1994, Air Lanka became the Asian Launch Customer of the Airbus A340-300.

Rebranding
Air Lanka, which was state-owned, was partially privatized in 1998, with investment by Dubai-based Emirates Group, when Emirates and the Sri Lankan government signed an agreement for a ten-year strategic partnership. This agreement included exclusive rights for all aircraft ground handling and airline catering at Colombo-Bandaranaike airport for ten years. Emirates bought a 40% stake worth US$70 million (which it later increased to 43.6%) in Air Lanka and sought to refurbish the airline's image and fleet. The government retained a majority stake in the airline but gave full control to Emirates for investment and management decisions. In 1998, Air Lanka re-branded to SriLankan Airlines.

SriLankan acquired 6 Airbus A330-200s to complement its fleet of Airbus A340-300 and A320-200 aircraft. The A330-200 aircraft joined the airline between October 1999 and July 2000. The company's fourth A340-300 arrived at Colombo painted in the airline's new corporate livery. SriLankan upgraded its existing A340 fleet into a two-class configuration (business and economy class) whilst overhauling the interior to reflect the new corporate image.

The airline gradually increased its number of destinations with more additions for regional markets, notably India and the Middle East. Whilst continuing expansion in the region, SriLankan commenced flying to Jeddah, its third destination in Saudi Arabia, after Riyadh and Dammam, thus increasing the number of destinations in the Middle East to nine. Jeddah became the airline's 51st destination overall.

In 2008, Emirates notified the Sri Lankan Government that it would not renew its management contract, which then expired on 31 March 2008. It claimed that the Sri Lankan Government was seeking greater control over the day-to-day management of the airline. Emirates sold its 43.63% stake in the airline back to the Government of Sri Lanka in a deal that was finalized in 2010, thus ending their partnership.

Modern era
In 2008 when Emirates pulled out, the accumulated profit of SriLankan was Rs. 9.288 billion in that financial year. From 2008 to 2015, when the government ran it, the loss for the seven years was Rs. 128.238 billion (US$875 million).

Following the ownership transfer, SriLankan began promoting Colombo as a hub for flights to Asia. The first destination of the expansion plan was Shanghai; the route was initiated on 1 July 2010. The airline commenced flights to Guangzhou on 28 January 2011.

SriLankan joined the Oneworld alliance on 1 May 2014. During 2014 it started to renew and increase its fleet, with purchases of Airbus A330 and A350 models. Currently, SriLankan operates an all-Airbus fleet except for its discontinued Air-Taxi services. SriLankan retired their last Airbus A340-300 on 7 January 2016 with its last scheduled flight from Chennai to Colombo.

The airline terminated three European routes – Frankfurt, Paris and Rome – by the end of 2016. On 2020, the Frankfurt and Paris routes were resumed.

The airline absorbed the operations of sister carrier Mihin Lanka in October 2016, in a bid to create a single stronger national airline for Sri Lanka. Accordingly, SriLankan took over two of Mihin Lanka's aircraft and absorbed its route network, adding ten new destinations to SriLankan's route network.

In October 2017, SriLankan launched direct daily non-stop flights to Melbourne, Australia, its first new long-haul route in over five years and the most ambitious expansion to date. The flights restore a regular direct air link between Australia and Sri Lanka after a hiatus of sixteen years. This route has proved particularly popular and has been responsible with increased numbers of Australian tourists holidaying in Sri Lanka.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, SriLankan performed cargo and operating relief flights. On 1 February 2020 it operated a relief flight out of Wuhan, China.

SriLankan lost 36.3 billion rupees up to August 2020 and the government approved a voluntary retirement package for 560 employees at a cost of 1.46 billion rupees.

From May 2022, due to the ongoing economic crisis in Sri Lanka which resulted in the country facing a fuel shortage, SriLankan's long-haul flights had to make stopovers at Trivandrum, Chennai and Kochi in India to refuel.

For the financial year 2022–2023, SriLankan Airlines achieved a break-even for the first time in over a decade and posted a net profit of $3 million.

SriLankan Airlines won the 2024 IFSA Best Inflight Food or Beverage Innovation Award at the APEX (Airline Passenger Experience Association) and IFSA (International Flight Services Association) Global Expo October 2023.

Corporate affairs
The company's head office is at Airline Centre, Bandaranaike International Airport, Katunayake.

Livery
The initial livery consisted of red stripes on a white fuselage. The tail was solid red and sported the corporate logo, a stylised vimana locally known as "Dandu Monara" (Flying Peacock Aircraft) of King Ravana of ancient "Lanka", Ravana. as per the famous "Ramayana" mythology. The five 'tail feathers' represent the "Five Precepts" (Pancha Seela) of Buddhism and the three 'crown feathers' represent the "Triple Gem" (Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha) of Buddhism. Red colour reflects the predominant colour in the Sri Lankan national flag which represent the majority race in the country, Sinhalese. This meaningful logo was designed by This meaningful logo was designed by Mr. Anthony (Tony)Hopman, but sadly for reasons un known, The dead line was looming for submissions,and Tony stepped out of the office briefly,a few minutes after he came back to his office, his artwork and paper work was by this time dispatched by a peon to The Air Lanka head office and inadvertently Mr Saparamadu's name was affixed to the art work package, and when it was received at its destination, The senders name was denoted as Mr. Shantha Saparamadu, formerly of Ceylinco advertising. This was the sole livery of the airline for nearly two decades, from January 1979 to October 1998. Unfortunately, the error was never corrected and Mr. Anthony (Tony) Hopman never got the recognition that he deserved and due to him. This was the sole livery of the airline for nearly two decades, from January 1979 to October 1998.

After Air Lanka began a decade-long partnership with Emirates, the name was changed to SriLankan Airlines; the livery was changed into a much simpler one, with an all-white fuselage, covered by blue 'SriLankan' titles, and the tail adorned with the new corporate logo.

In May 2014, an Airbus A330 and an Airbus A320 in special oneworld livery was delivered to commemorate the airline's establishment as a oneworld member. Newly delivered aircraft are adorned with a redesigned livery accompanying a blue underbelly slogan promoting Sri Lanka as a tourist destination.

Subsidiaries
SriLankan Catering is a wholly-owned subsidiary of SriLankan Airlines, providing flight catering services to all airlines serving the Bandaranaike International Airport.

Its other businesses include provision of aircraft maintenance and overhaul services, ground handling services, packaged holiday products, aviation training and IT services.

Destinations
SriLankan currently operates an online network of 117 destinations and codeshares with other airlines to provide services to a total of 35 cities in 21 countries. Its interline partnerships and membership in Oneworld alliance allow it to offer passengers connectivity to over 1,000 cities in 160 countries.

SriLankan currently operates to more destinations in India, 14, than any other foreign airline. It is also the largest foreign airline in the Maldives, serving 2 cities.

Alliance
On 11 June 2012, SriLankan Airlines was announced as Oneworld's latest member-elect, on the sidelines of the IATA World Air Transport Summit in Beijing. Cathay Pacific served as SriLankan Airlines' sponsor through its alliance implementation program. Membership implementation lasted approximately 18 months. SriLankan Airlines joined the airline alliance on 1 May 2014 as the first carrier from the Indian subcontinent.

Codeshare agreements
SriLankan Airlines codeshares with the following airlines:

 * Air Canada
 * Air India
 * Air Seychelles
 * American Airlines
 * Cinnamon Air
 * Etihad Airways
 * Ethiopian Airlines
 * Finnair
 * Gulf Air
 * Japan Airlines
 * Korean Air
 * Malaysia Airlines
 * Myanmar Airways International
 * Oman Air
 * Qantas
 * Qatar Airways

Interline agreements
SriLankan Airlines have interline agreements with the following airlines:
 * Emirates
 * Pakistan International Airlines
 * Virgin Australia

Current fleet
, SriLankan Airlines operates an all-Airbus fleet composed of the following aircraft:

Fleet development
The airline received its first Airbus aircraft in 1992, the Airbus A320-200 began flying to destinations in Maldives, Pakistan and southern India. The Airbus A340-300 was delivered in 1994. The airline was the first in Asia to use the A340. The Airbus A330-200 aircraft were delivered later.

In 2012, SriLankan Airlines aimed to boost its fleet to 35 aircraft over the next five years and had talks with both Airbus and Boeing regarding a deal. SriLankan's former CEO Kapila Chandrasena stated that the carrier wanted to add either Airbus A330-300, Boeing 787-8 or Boeing 777-300ER aircraft to its fleet to replace its Airbus A340-300s, with deliveries beginning in 2013–2014.

In April 2013, it was announced that SriLankan Airlines had won government approval to acquire four Airbus A350-900 and seven A330-300 aircraft, with deliveries of the A330-300 starting from October 2014. Deliveries for the ordered A350-900s are set to commence in 2019. A further three Airbus A350-900s were leased, with deliveries of these aircraft starting in 2017.

SriLankan retired its last Airbus A340-300 on 7 January 2016, replaced by the A330-300 and the future A350-900. As of January 2016, construction of the airline's first Airbus A350-900 started. On 23 February 2015, SriLankan Airlines finalized a deal with Air Lease Corporation and AerCap to acquire two Airbus A321neo aircraft, one from each leasing firm.

On 10 May 2016, due to financial difficulties, the airline announced it would cancel its order of eight A350 aircraft. As of December 2019, the four aircraft of Airbus A350-900 remained in the Airbus monthly order book and had yet to be cancelled or converted to A330-900 orders.

In April 2021 SriLankan announced its plans to retire 6-7 aircraft from its fleet. To replace the retiring aircraft, SriLankan have planned A350 and A330neo aircraft. After government approvals, SriLankan requested proposals for a six-year dry lease for five narrow-body aircraft and wet lease wide-body aircraft in late 2023. As per the RFPs, SriLankan received one A320 aircraft on 21 December 2023.

Aircraft naming
The airline names some of its aircraft after historically significant towns and cities in Sri Lanka, with aircraft named after Anuradapura, Yalpanam, Yapahuwa, Sri Jayawardenapura, and others.

Historic fleet
SriLankan also formerly operated the following aircraft:

Cabin
SriLankan offers two classes of service, Business Class and Economy Class. In Business Class, SriLankan offers full flat-bed seats on all of its long haul fleet with Audio Video on Demand (AVOD) facilities. The fully flat bed seat offers a 19.5 inches wide seat that can be reclined into a 180-degree 79 inches long bed. Each seat has a 15-inch personal IFE system. SriLankan's newest fleet additions will feature Thales Avant IFE, which features modern entertainment features and extended business class seats. Its A330-300 fleet presents an all-aisle access seating in a 1-2-1 arrangement on Business Class. On its A320 and A321 fleet, Business class is configured in a 2-2 layout, offering extra reclining seats, each seat with a width of 19 inches and a pitch between 39 and 49 inches.

SriLankan provides in-seat entertainment in Economy class on all its wide-bodied aircraft and the vast majority of narrow-body aircraft. On its A330-300 and A320/A321neo aircraft, all cabin classes are provided with the option of paid-for in-flight internet access and mobile telephony services.

Entertainment
SriLankan Airlines offer AVOD inflight entertainment on its aircraft. The A320, A321 & A330-200 equipped with the RAVE ZODAIC Inflight Entertainment. The new A330-300 have the latest Thales AVANT Inflight Programme. SriLankan offers onboard WiFi connectivity with new Airbus A330-300 and A320/A321neo fleets in partnership with OnAir. SriLankan is South Asia's first airline to have on-board WiFi capability.

Catering
SriLankan Catering Limited is the sole airline caterer in Sri Lanka. Its hub is at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA). SriLankan Catering's main line of business is in-flight catering to airlines that operate to Bandaranaike International Airport. Its state-of-the-art flight kitchen at BIA has a capacity of 25,000 meals per day. Incorporated in 1979, as Air Lanka Catering Services Limited with BOI status, SriLankan Catering commenced business as a joint venture with Thai Airways International. In 1998 when the joint venture agreement with Thai Airways International lapsed Air Lanka Limited bought the shares of the joint venture partner and thus Air Lanka Catering Services became the fully owned subsidiary of SriLankan Airlines Limited. Thereafter the Company changed its name to SriLankan Catering (Private) Limited in September 2000.

Frequent flyer programme
SriLankan's first frequent-flyer programme was called Serendib Miles and was abandoned in early 2000. It then became a partner of Emirates' Skywards frequent-flyer program. However, this agreement ceased to exist when the partnership between the two airlines concluded on 31 March 2008. SriLankan subsequently launched FlySmiLes, which has since added a variety of new reward partners to its program. New membership tiers were added after the airline's enrollment to the oneworld alliance to accommodate Oneworld membership tiers, gaining better privileges for members when aboard all Oneworld airlines.

There are a total of four membership tiers. They are:

 * FlySmiLes Blue: Base tier
 * FlySmiLes Classic: Oneworld Ruby
 * FlySmiLes Gold: Oneworld Sapphire
 * FlySmiLes Platinum: Oneworld Emerald

FlySmiles partners include all Oneworld airlines, Cinnamon Air and Etihad Airways and non-airlines partners like Abans and Spa Ceylon.

Accidents and incidents
Five of the six aircraft that have been destroyed, and all of the reported deaths of SriLankan Airlines passengers and employees, have been a result of the civil conflict in Sri Lanka.

1980s
On 3 May 1986, a bomb planted by the terrorist group LTTE exploded on board Flight UL512 before takeoff at Bandaranaike International Airport. The bomb, which had been timed to explode in-flight, went off while the Lockheed L-1011 'Tristar' aircraft was on the ground, killing 21 of 128 passengers. Officials believe the bomb may have been concealed in crates of meat and vegetables that were being freighted to the Maldives. Other reports believe that the bomb was hidden in the aircraft's 'Fly Away Kit'.

1990s
In 1992, the right landing gear of an Air Lanka Boeing 737-200 (registration 4R-ULL) at Madras airport (now Chennai International Airport) failed upon landing and the right engine came into contact with the runway. The aircraft pulled to the right and finally came to a stop, with the nose wheel and right wing on the grass to the right of the landing runway. The right engine caught fire – extinguished by the airport safety services – and the 104 passengers and 12 crew evacuated the aircraft via the chutes on the left side without injury. The damage to the aircraft was substantial; the plane was subsequently repaired and sold. The Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation concluded that "the accident occurred as a result of a failure of the right-hand main landing gear beam during the landing due to pre-existing stress corrosion cracks and pits at its inboard lug hole and higher than normal landing loads contributed to its failure".

2000s
On 24 July 2001, a pre-dawn LTTE raid on the Sri Lanka Air Force hangar along Bandaranaike International Airport left at least 19 people dead, including all 14 LTTE cadres, two army commandos and three air force personnel. Two of SriLankan Airlines' Airbus A330 planes (4R-ALE and 4R-ALF), one A320 (4R-ABA) and one of their A340 planes (4R-ADD) were destroyed. Two other aircraft were damaged (A340 4R-ADC and A320 4R-ABB). A number of military aircraft were also damaged and destroyed.

Financial fallout
SriLankan Airlines has not made a profit since 2008; the year it was re-nationalised. In 1998, Emirates won a proposal to handle the nation's flag airline, Air Lanka. Following that, Emirates rebranded the aging carrier as SriLankan and modernized its fleet with contemporary Airbus A330 aircraft. Emirates obtained ten years of management rights as part of the equity purchase. It later sold its ownership in the carrier for US$53 million, resulting in a nearly US$20 million loss.

Sri Lanka currently has no bankruptcy protection act, and the only option for a closedown would be a complete liquidation. If the Government liquidates the airline, it will be compelled to write off this debt to the state banks and the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation. This could raise significant concerns about the two-state banks' liquidity by foreign rating agencies and could seriously jeopardise the prospects of Sri Lanka's entire banking sector. The Government as the guarantor would also be called upon for immediate repayment of the international bond worth US$175 million.

Were this to occur, aircraft rent payments would no longer be made, the risk premium for airlines leasing aircraft in Sri Lanka would increase, making the country an unappealing base for a carrier. However, this would be good news for Airbus, which currently faces a more than US$1 billion claim for the airline over the A330 and A350 transactions for 2013.

In 2016 and 2017, SriLankan's losses were impacted by costs related to the cancellation of its Airbus A350 lease agreements. If the majority of the fleet were all due for heavy maintenance in later years, this could imply a significant charge of LKR 3 billion per annum for the prior years if restated. Such a change would make a further dent in the profits recorded during the Emirates era, as the maintenance cost was legitimately understated.

SriLankan subsidiary Mihin Lanka never recorded an annual profit since its inception in 2007 and had an accumulated loss of LKR17.27 billion in 2016. For the 6-month period there was a loss of LKR 181 million and the remainder of the financial year it was budgeted to lose a further LKR billion. A few months after Mihin Lanka shut down, losses exceed LKR 13 billion. Most of the company's assets were acquired by SriLankan Airline on 29 October 2016.

In 2020, SriLankan Airlines lost a little over US$200 million. In this period airline debt obligations today exceeded US$900 million (LKR 372 billion). The bulk of these appear to be debts to state banks and the CPC, both wholly owned by the Government of Sri Lanka. The airline also has at least one, sovereign guaranteed, internationally issued bond worth US$175 million.

According to the Finance Ministry data, SriLankan lost LKR 24.5 billion from April to July 2021, as the company, which was already losing money, encountered further difficulties during the SARS-CoV 2 outbreak. In the fiscal year ending March 2021, SriLankan lost LKR 58 billion.

Controversies
In March 2015, a report was released following a Board of Inquiry investigation into corruption at SriLankan during the time it was under the chairmanship of Nishantha Wickramasinghe. The Board has reported that corruption was widespread and confirmed the allegations of Nishantha Wickramasinghe's affairs. However, the Mahinda Rajapaksa Information Centre denied the allegations and accused the report of being biased and invalid, accusing the head of the committee of publicly supporting the current government in the elections and lacking technical knowledge about the aviation industry. It further claimed that he had been bribed to submit such a report as a publicity stunt to humiliate the previous government and that most of the points within it were untrue. The airline's short-lived Air-Taxi service and its mismanagement was found to have caused the loss of millions of dollars to the airline.

In October 2015, the Presidential Commission of Inquiry to Investigate and Inquire into Serious Acts of Fraud, Corruption and Abuse of Power, State Resources and Privileges (PRECIFAC) attempted to summon Wickramasinghe to inquire about various irregularities in the airline; however, they were unable to locate him, and his wife claimed he had not come home for three years and that she was unaware of his whereabouts. Later he notified PRECIFAC that he was abroad and was unable to give a statement.

On 14 April 2021, SriLankan Airlines claimed on Twitter that it had made history by operating three successive cargo charter flights to Entebbe International Airport, Uganda, transporting over 102 tonnes of “printed papers” in February 2021. The nature of the “printed papers” was not immediately revealed. The tweet was later deleted, creating doubts about the transparency of SriLankan Airlines. The airline later issued a statement clarifying that the printed material was Ugandan currency which the Ugandan government preferred to obtain printed from a global security printer. The Biyagama branch of the De La Rue company is responsible for printing currency notes to countries including Uganda. SriLankan insisted that the consignment was purely commercial in nature and brought much needed foreign revenue to the airline.

SriLankan Airlines decided to sue Airbus for $1 billion as damages, loss of reputation, reimbursement of costs, and interests. The action follows the information revealed in the judgment of the Crown Court of the United Kingdom approving the Deferred Prosecution Agreement between the Serious Fraud Office and Airbus SE. The national carrier has also demanded Airbus for cancellation of the A350-900 Purchase Agreement for four A350-900 aircraft, returning the advance payment of $19 million made for those four A350-900 aircraft.

Potential privatisation
Following the economic crisis of 2022, the Sri Lankan government has been exploring approaches to privatising several state-owned companies including SriLankan Airlines. In 2023, the Sri Lankan government set up the 'State-Owned Enterprise Restructuring Unit' (SRU) under the Ministry of Finance to assist in the privatisation of state-owned companies such as SriLankan Airlines.

An entity linked to AirAsia is among six entities accepted by Sri Lanka's State-Owned Enterprises Restructuring Unit (SRU) to bid for Sri Lankan Airlines. The government, which owns 99.52% of the airline, is selling a majority stake. The other entities include FitsAir, Dharshaan Elite Investment Holding Ltd., Sherisha Technologies Ltd., Hayleys PLC, and Treasure Republic Guardians Ltd.

AirAsia Consulting Sdn. Bhd., the consulting arm of AirAsia, is the only one with ties to a major airline. FitsAir is a Sri Lankan low-cost carrier, while Hayleys PLC is an established conglomerate.

The SRU will evaluate the RfQs based on specific guidelines, and participation doesn't guarantee bidding rights. The government will take on LKR100 billion rupees (US$332.6 million) of Sri Lankan Airlines' debt, while a US$175 million international bond remains the airline's responsibility. The government may also receive proceeds from an arbitration case against Airbus.

The government aims to conclude the divestiture process by September 2024.

title: SriLankan Airlines


text:
1812 in Canada

Events from the year 1812 in Canada.

Incumbents

 * Monarch: George III

Federal government

 * Parliament of Lower Canada: 7th
 * Parliament of Upper Canada: 5th (until March 6) then 6th (starting July 27)

Governors

 * Governor of the Canadas: Robert Milnes
 * Governor of New Brunswick: George Prévost
 * Governor of Nova Scotia: John Wentworth then John Coape Sherbrooke
 * Commodore-Governor of Newfoundland: Charles Morice Pole
 * Governor of Prince Edward Island: Joseph Frederick Wallet DesBarres

Events

 * June 18 – The U.S. declares war on Britain, beginning the War of 1812. There were about 4,000 British troops in Canada. George Prevost is Governor. Four Canadian battalions are assembled, and the Citadel at Quebec is guarded by the inhabitants.
 * July 11 – Americans under General William Hull invade Canada from Detroit.
 * August 16 – Isaac Brock with a force of 1,350, nearly half Aboriginals, takes Detroit. He paroles many of Hull's 2,000.
 * August 20 – Launch of John Molson's second steamboat, the Swiftsure, at Montreal.
 * August to October – The Red River Colony is begun in Canada's northwest on lands granted to Thomas Douglas by the Hudson's Bay Company.
 * October – Almost half of Vermont's Legislators regard war as needless and impolitic; but Vermont imposes a penalty of $1,000 for every unauthorized communication with Canadians.
 * October 13 – Stephen Van Rensselaer IV's command is repulsed, on Queenston Heights by Gen. Sheaffe and Governor Brock, who is killed. Of the 10,000 under Van Rensselaer, many were unwilling to invade, though willing to defend the United States.
 * Fighting on the same side as British militia and Mohawk Indians, a group of black soldiers helps force American invaders to retreat in the Battle of Queenston Heights.
 * October 25 – Battle at St. Regis.
 * November 20 – Henry Dearborn's command cross the Lacolle. Charles de Salaberry eludes them, and, in the haze, U.S. troops fire upon each other.
 * David Thompson retires to Montreal.
 * The Americans gain several victories, on the water, as Napoleon engages the British attention.
 * The United States calls out 175,000 men, Canada 2,000.
 * For all purposes Canada votes 87,000 pounds.

Births

 * May 12 – John Simpson, merchant, miller, banker, and politician (d.1885)
 * October 21 – David H. Armstrong, United States Senator from Missouri from 1877 till 1879. (d. 1893)
 * November 2 – William James Anderson, physician, amateur geologist and historian (d.1873)
 * November 6 – Louis-Victor Sicotte, lawyer, judge and politician (d.1889)
 * December 12 – John Sandfield Macdonald, Premier of Ontario (d.1872)

Deaths

 * January – Thomas Walker, advocate and politician (b. c. 1759)
 * January 12 – James Henry Craig, officer, colonial administrator (b.1748)
 * March 11 – John Burbidge, soldier, land owner, judge and political figure in Nova Scotia. (b.1718)
 * October 13 – Sir Isaac Brock, military commander, administrator of Upper Canada (b.1769)
 * December 2- Pierre-Louis Panet, lawyer, notary, seigneur, office holder, politician, and judge (b.1761)

title: 1812 in Canada