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No confirmation: Sweden denies ‘Russian sub hunt’ report as military search ongoing Crew members onboard a Swedish Navy fast-attack craft stand guard at the Stockholm archipelago, in Sweden, October 18 2014. (Reuters/Pontus Lundahl) 1.6K4016 Tags Europe, Military, Navy, Russia, Security,Vessels The Swedish military did not confirm allegations that “a damaged Russian submarine” is being hunted for in waters east of Stockholm, while adding that a search for a “foreign vessel” is ongoing. Moscow said none of its military vessels have been damaged. Sweden deploys troops near Stockholm due to alleged underwater threat The official statement by …

Ocean Lady migrants from Sri Lanka still struggling 5 years later Of the 76 men found on the Ocean Lady, 30 have been accepted as refugees Journalist Maran Nagarasa still recalls vividly the sense of elation aboard the Ocean Lady five years ago this week when he saw a plane flying overhead with a Canadian flag. “I was sure God had arrived to save us,” he said. But that feeling soon turned to fear as he and the 75 other Sri Lankan Tamils on board faced armed border guards and RCMP officers. On Oct. 17, 2009, they were arrested, jailed and interrogated. Eventually, most were released to await hearings before Canada’s refugee board. Nagarasa ope…

Leader of the Democratic Party (DP) and former Army Commander Gen. Sarath Fonseka yesterday said that depriving him of his right to exercise his franchise by the Elections Commissioner with a presidential election on the horizon demonstrated that President Mahinda Rajapaksa was scared of facing him in a presidential contest. Addressing a news conference at Kotte, the war winning general challenged President Rajapaksa to face him at the forthcoming presidential election. "The Democratic Party will not give in to the repressive action of the President and his cohorts and there are persons in our party who could garner more votes than I and we will take a dec…

What the European Court of Justice (ECJ) proves implicitly is that under European Law, you do not need evidence to classify a group as a ‘terrorist’ organisation, commented US-based Eezham Tamil legal activist, Mr Rajeev Sreetharan, who was one of the initiators of the LTTE vs EU case adjudged by the ECJ on Thursday. However, he added that the ECJ ruling, although tainted by questionable post 9/11 interpretations of international humanitarian law, in essence vindicates assumptions in deciding to challenge the EU ban of the LTTE in a court of law, rather than the halls of government. Rajeev was hopeful that the lifting of the ‘terrorism’ ban helps to begin reshape the Euro…

In a landmark victory for the legal initiatives of Eezham Tamils, the Court of Justice of the European Union has ordered the Council of European Union on Thursday to annul the restrictive measures taken against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The case has been won by the LTTE on procedural grounds, said the lawyers representing the LTTE. Commenting on the judgement, Mr Lathan Suntharalingam, one of the initiators of the legal move against EU ban on LTTE said: “More than 40 countries in the world directly and indirectly abetted the Sri Lankan State in its genocidal onslaught on Eezham Tamils. The US paradigm of ‘War Against Terror’ was used to …

Kogularamanan Arulanantham, 33, was granted refugee status in Canada in 2006 but has been waiting for years for permanent residency because he's deemed inadmissible for working at a retail story run by a terror group. As a “protected person,” Kogularamanan Arulanantham cannot be removed from Canada to Sri Lanka. As someone deemed “inadmissible” to Canada as an alleged member of the Tamil Tigers, the Brampton man cannot become a permanent resident and must renew his temporary permit to remain here every year – unless he is granted a reprieve from Public Safety Minister Steve Blaney. Border officials’ broad definition of membership means a person can be cons…

India will be focusing efforts on strengthening military ties with countries in the immediate neighbourhood. Army chief General Dalbir Singh’s first set of foreign tours in the coming months will be to Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Myanmar. This is in line with the new government’s plans to revitalise ties with neighbouring countries. The army chief is likely to travel to Bhutan and Nepal later this year followed by visits to the other neighbouring countries next year. Bhutan’s significance as one of India’s closest allies was evident when Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose to visit Thimphu in June barely three weeks after being sworn in as PM. …

The British Government, in a statement issued by the British High Commission in Colombo, said that land issues continue to prevent some communities from rebuilding their lives in Jaffna. British Deputy High Commissioner Laura Davies visited the Jaffna town and called on Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran, District Secretary Suntharam Arumainayagam and Bishop Thomas Saundaranayagam and also visited the Sabapathipillai Welfare Centre, the British Council and the Jaffna Public Library. Laura Davies said: “My first visit to Jaffna was an opportunity to see how infrastructure developments – including the Yaal Devi train – have the potential to bring real economic b…

India’s Ramanathapuram District police have arrested five people, including three Sri Lankan Tamils with arms such as air-guns, sickles and crowbars when they were proceeding to Madurai after visiting Rameswaram in a car, The Hindu newspaper reported. Accompanied by S. Vijayakumar (52), an assistant director in the Kerala film industry, who was reportedly facing cheque bounce and criminal cases, the Lankan Tamils, who came from Chennai, were on their way to Kerala via Madurai after visiting a friend in Mandapam and offering worship at the Rameswaram Temple, when the police arrested them at the check post. The check post police, who were routinely checking …

Malaysian authorities yesterday deported the Lankan who is suspected of having indirect links with Al-Qaeda and planned terror attacks in India. Police spokesman Ajith Rohana said the man was sent back to Colombo for further investigations. Mohammad Hussain Mohammad Sulaiman was arrested in May in Kula Lampur and is suspected to have been part of a conspiracy to carry out terror attacks on the US and Israeli consulates in South India. On his arrival in Sri Lanka, he will be handed over to the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) for further interrogation. India has been seeking the extradition of Sulaiman, who is alleged to have planned terror attacks wi…

https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=728324163882824 HEAD LINE : Community Based Cricket Commity Selection In Tamil Nadu. Worst Politics in Sports Selection too. Awesome Movie Jeeva. It's a True story by Susendran. Examples Names : Ramanujam Sri Ram ParthaSarathy SeshaGopal Venkatatri Vigneshwaran Thyagarajan Lakshmanan Srinivasan Ramesh Vishwanathan Raghavan Hope you guys all well understand the Names given, These all names were noted only from this Film and knows belongs to whom. Total peoples selected from tamilnadu in last 20 Years is 16, Out of that 14 is on Same community.In last 20 years no other community peoples got sel…

A small group of Tamil musicians and activists supported the Kurdish march through London yesterday, expressing their solidarity with the struggle in Kobane. Parai drummers show solidarity with Kurds in Kobane One Kurdish man spoke to the group in fluent Tamil, remarking that the Sri Lankan state was only able to defeat the Tamil Tigers because Karuna, a senior rebel commander, had defected. Thousands of Kurds rallied in Parliament Square, London, in scenes reminiscent of the Tamil community mobilisations during the 2009 massacres After the police violently arrested some young Kurdish protesters, the streets were blocked by sit-ins demanding thei…

Mr. G. Thevaraja, the President of the Vavuniya Citizens Committee (VCC) was attacked around 5.30-6pm this evening (8th Oct), whilst he was riding his motorbike back home from his shop in Nedunkerny. He had gone to his shop soon after Chairing an afternoon meeting with the VCC to discuss the ‪#‎FreeJeyakumary‬ campaign protest to be held on Friday, Oct 10th, 2014, in Vavuniya. He was assaulted by 4 persons in civil, who rode two motorbikes and attacked him with iron rods. His head was saved due to him having worn a helmet, but even his helmet was damaged in the attack. Whilst beating him, his attackers also shoutingly threatened him saying, “You are going to organize a ca…

Meeting the New Prime Minister BY BILL GATES Narendra Modi has India talking about toilets. As the New York Times put it before his visit to the United States recently, India’s Prime Minister has “pledged to cut through red tape, stamp out corruption, revive India’s economy and restore pride.” But he has also been quite outspoken on a subject you hear much less about: open defecation. It may seem surprising when you think about all the innovation coming out of India, but 630 million people there defecate in the open because they don’t have access to a commode. Worldwide, the number is 2.5 billion people. This is not the kind of issue that most politicians like to ta…

Isis releases 11-point guide for journalists UPVOTE Isis, which calls itself Islamic State, has occupied the world’s attention since it took over large swathes or Syrian and Iraqi territory this year, eventually declaring a new caliphate. But precious little is known about the group, which has its own surprisingly slick PR machine, mainly because its record with journalists is tragically abysmal - militants sparking global revulsion by beheading US reporters James Foley and Stephen Sotloff, as well as killing many other local journalists. Somehow, some journalists continue to report from the region, defying the incredible risks to document the group’s ma…

'US won’t decide our policies' – Sweden on Palestinian state recognition A protester holds a Palestinian flag in front of an Israeli army bulldozer during clashes following a protest against the nearby Jewish settlement of Qadomem, seen in the background, in the West Bank village of Kofr Qadom near Nablus September 5, 2014. (Reuters/Abed Omar Qusini) 22.5K927 “It's not the US that decides our politics,” Wallström said, adding that the new Swedish authorities expected to “get criticism” after their announcement on Palestinian statehood. Washington will not be the one to decide Sweden’s policies, Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallström said aft…

First reported instance of a female Kurdish fighter carrying out a suicide bombing against Isil as jihadists draw within a mile of town on Turkish border A female Kurdish fighter carried out a suicide bomb attack against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) jihadists outside a key Syrian town on Sunday night, a monitoring group said. The woman, named on social media as Arin Mirkan, reportedly blew herself up at an Isil position east of the border town of Kobane, killing a number of jihadists who have surrounded and are battling to seize it. It was the first reported instance of a female Kurdish fighter carrying out a suicide bombing against Isil, which …

03.10.2014 COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s domestic probe into the disappearance of thousands of civilians during and after the island’s ethnic war is being undermined by serious translation errors, a group of activists said Thursday. Testimony before the presidential Commission of Inquiry was marred by glaring mistakes in translating questions from English-speaking investigators to ethnic Tamil witnesses, the Center for Policy Alternatives (CPA) said. Sittings this week have been affected by errors that could undermine the quality of testimony before the commission, the CPA said, adding that witnesses were photographed by men said to be military intelligence officers. …

I am one of the Councillor Candidates for Ward 41, Scarborough Rouge River, in the upcoming City of Toronto municipal election. Election Day is on Monday, October 27, 2014. Scarborough Rouge River residents have the opportunity to exercise their rights and responsibilities to elect the right Councillor for their ward. Please make sure you Vote! Because don't forget your Vote is your Voice! I am anxious to share my vision for the City of Toronto with all of you. I know if I am granted with this opportunity that I can bring our ward to greater heights. However, in order to elect me as the Candidate you need to know who I am and why I am the right candidate for you. …

Callum Macrae 02/10/14 00:00 Just over 200 days ago the Sri Lankan authorities arrested a Tamil mother, Balenderan Jeyakumari, and her teenage daughter. Mrs Jeyakumari had been campaigning to find out what had happened to her 15-year-old son, Mahindan, who disappeared after apparently being taken prisoner by the Sri Lankan authorities at the end of the war in 2009, accused of membership of the Tamil Tigers. Mrs Jeyakumari and her daughter were well known activists who had been among the crowds which mobbed British prime minister David Cameron when he visited the former war zone in Jaffna in November last year. Three months later Mrs Jeyakumari sent me a video …

A popular Myanmar news website was blocked Thursday by hackers angry at its description of hardline Buddhist monks as “radical”, as the publication said it had received threats of violence over its coverage, the AFP news agency reported. The Irrawaddy saw its main English-language website briefly replaced with a black screen and notice accusing it of being pro-Muslim and slamming a blog it ran in Burmese about Myanmar nationalist cleric Wirathu’s weekend meeting with controversial Buddhist monks in Sri Lanka. The Buddhist-majority countries have seen rising religious hate speech and attacks on minority Muslims, with some hardline monks accused of fann…

Ferry service between Sri Lanka and Rameswaram in India could resume next year after restoration of the northern railway line to Talaimannar by December, Indian Government undertaking IRCON International, which is restoring the line said. IRCON Additional General Manager V. K. Jayasankar said that the reconstruction of rail track from Madhu Road station to Talaimannar pier had been completed now, but the Mannar Bridge was still under construction. He said that the 63 km stretch from Madhu Road to Talaimannar reconstructed under the Indian Credit line by the IRCON had been completed ahead of time, but the pier was still under construction. "The new pier at …

Visiting top officials of the Japan Bank for International Co-operation (JBIC) have expressed willingness to set up the third coal fired power plant in Sri Lanka, The Islandreliably learns. JBIC Managing Director Yagima Koichi, who visited Power and Energy Ministry has assured Power and Energy Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi, Senior ministry officials and the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) high ranking officials, that the Japanese government will provide the latest technology to boost the country’s power sector. Power and Energy Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi, while expressing major tie ups with the Japanese government, said she had been assured of best o…

Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to Britain Dr Chris Nonis has resigned from his post over the alleged assault incident involving a top Government politician. The MTV/MBC broadcasting corporation announced through ‘News First’ that Dr. Nonis had told the channel he resigned as a result of the incident. Nonis had reportedly been assaulted at a function in the US by MP Sajin de Vass Gunawardena. MP Sajin de Vass Gunawardena had yesterday called for a press briefing to brief the media on the allegations raised against him over the alleged incident but cancelled the press briefing at the last minute as he needed to leave for the Vatican with President Mahinda Raj…

The United States (US) has denied reports it has softened its stand on Sri Lanka with US State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki insisting that there has not been a change of US policy on Sri Lanka. Psaki said that US Secretary of State John Kerry had met President Mahinda Rajapaksa during the recent visit to the US by the President for the UN General Assembly. Asked, during the daily press briefing at the US State Department if, at that meeting, the US had softened its stance on Sri Lanka as was reported in a local newspaper, Psaki said “absolutely not”. “I saw the same story. The only thing that was right was that the Secretary did speak with the Sri Lan…