யாழ் திரைகடலோடி

BEIRUT, Dec 31 (Reuters) - The death toll in Syria's civil war has risen to at least 130,433, more than a third of them civilians on both sides of the conflict, but the real figure is probably much higher, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Tuesday. The conflict in Syria began in March 2011 as peaceful protests against four decades of rule by President Bashar al-Assad's family, but turned into an armed insurgency whose sectarian dimensions have reverberated across the Middle East. The anti-Assad Observatory, based in Britain but with a network of sources across Syria, put the number of women and children killed in the conflict so far at 11,709. It said …

I WOMEN OF IMPACT I For these women, an age-old way of life is ending in the Horn of Africa Droughts are killing livestock, forcing herders to move to camps for displaced people, where they face an uncertain, often violent, new world. So many died at once “it was like they were poisoned,” said Rahma Hassan Mahmoud, a herder in Somaliland, of the catastrophe that befell her 300 goats and sheep and 20 camels. After the last camel died, she and her family lived off milk from their neighbors, but with everyone else’s livestock dying, it wasn’t long before there wasn’t enough to go around. The people of Rahma’s village pooled money to rent a truck. Fifty …

Sri Lanka has failed to honour promises to investigate serious rights abuses and allegations that thousands of civilians were killed in the final stages of its ethnic war, a UN report says. The report by human rights experts, which was submitted to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on Monday, found that investigations by local authorities were inconclusive and were not independent or impartial. "The steps taken to investigate allegations of serious violations of human rights have been inconclusive, and lack the independence and impartiality required to inspire confidence," according to the report seen by AFP on Wednesday. The document, compiled by …

The United Nations released a report Wednesday saying Sri Lanka cannot rely on its own justice system and instead should use a special court to achieve accountability for violations that took place during the country's 26-year civil war. The recommendation came as part of a report on what the U.N. Human Rights office said were possible war crimes and crimes against humanity during the conflict that pitted government forces against rebels seeking independence for the nation's Tamil minority. The fighting killed up to 100,000 people, according to widely accepted estimates. Sri Lanka, the report said, should look to the way other countries have used international judges…

Ceylon Today (17.04.2020) had a story headlined “Gen Election 2020. Could be held in May.” We all know that since this date has been suggested by government sources. What is alarming however are the following three extracted paragraphs from the body of the article: “According to sources at the Election Commission (EC), with the approval of both Director General of Health Services, Dr. Anil Jasinghe and Head of the National Operation Centre for the Prevention of the spread of the coronavirus, Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva, the postponed General Election could be held on the last week of May. […] “The meeting is scheduled to be held on Monday, 20 April, with…

United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia circuit has scheduled March 8th, 9:30 am for the oral argument in the appeal case against Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse for civil damages on war-crimes charges filed by three Tamil plaintiffs whose relatives were extra-judicially executed or unlawfully killed under the "command responsibility" of Rajapakse. "The key legal issue in this case is whether the U.S.'s Torture Victims Protection Act (TVPA) deputed the Executive Branch with authority to extinguish TVPA claims against sitting heads of state based on professed foreign policy concerns," plaintiff-appellants' attorney, Bruce Fein, said. Judges Merr…

How do Astronauts Live Eat Sleep and use the Bathroom... https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=557318091039341

Gary Anandasangaree The images of young children being separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexican border over the past several years was a shocking revelation of the cruelties faced by migrants, asylum seekers and those seeking a better life than the ones they were born into. The anguish they faced and their desperate cries for help made us weep for the world and the times we are living in. But not too long ago, Canada was at the centre of this cruelty. Since we never saw these stark images on our TV screens or Twitter feeds we did not think this could exist in our country, or so we believed. We are, by all accounts, a reasonable peop…

தமிழ் மக்களின் பிரதிநிதித்துவத்தை குறைப்பதற்கு அரசாங்கம் முயற்சி - சுரேஷ் பிரேமச்சந்திரன் எம்.பி. குற்றச்சாட்டு [செய்தி பதிவுசெய்யப்பட்டது : 2010-12-26 07:40:58| யாழ்ப்பாணம்] மக்கள் முழுமையாக மீள்குடி அமர்வதற்கு முன்பாக வாக்காளர் பதிவுகளை மேற்கொண்டு நாடாளுமன்றத்தில் தமிழ் மக்களின் பிரதிநிதித்து வத்தை குறைப்பதற்கு அரசாங்கம் முயற்சிப்பதாக தமிழ்த் தேசியக் கூட்டமைப்பின் நாடாளுமன்ற உறுப்பினர் சுரேஷ் பிரேமச்சந்திரன் குற்றம் சாட்டினார். இலங்கையில் போர் முடிபடைந்து மக்கள் முழுமையாக மீள்குடியேற முன்பாக வடக்கு மாவட்டங்களில் வாக்காளர்பதிவுகளை மேற்கொண்ட அரசாங்கத்தின் நடவடிக்கையானது தமிழ் மக்களுக்கு பாதகமான ஒன்றே என்று தமிழ்த் தேசிய கூட்டமைப் பின் நாடாளுமன்ற உறுப்பினரான ச…

Sri Lanka may face a tight situation at the April meeting of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) in London with the likelihood of the country being included in the Agenda for the meeting, informed sources said yesterday. As a preemptive measure External Affairs Minister G.L Peries met Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma on Tuesday in London with the intention of warding off such an inclusion. However, he received no confirmation from Mr. Sharma that Sri Lanka will not be included in the agenda. The situation has worsened for Sri Lanka because of heightened pressure from Canada, which is part of the present cycle of the CMAG and the threat …

Sri Lanka And The US: A Pogrom And A Black Death At The Hands Of A White Policeman: Salutary Lessons Lionel Bopage on 06/20/2020 The Scene The morning of July the 25th 1983 is etched in my brain. I saw a group of people running or walking very fast away from the environs of Colombo. On enquiring I found they had shut up their shops and were escaping the riots that were taking place. Later in the day I saw the suburbs of Borella and Maradana ablaze. I witnessed mobs looting and burning properties belonging to Tamils and assaulting the inhabitants of those properties with impunity. Lorries a…

Holding Pakistan to Account The Obama administration’s decision to suspend $800 million of its $2 billion in annual security aid to Pakistan inevitably raises the question of why the United States should continue to give Pakistan any military aid at all. The White House acted after Osama bin Laden was found living near Pakistan’s leading military academy and Pakistan then expelled American military trainers. Islamabad should see this as a serious warning that Washington has all but run out of patience with its double games. Both sides will pay a high price if this goes on too long. Ending all military aid would be a serious mistake. This country tried tha…

Sri Lanka's main opposition party, the United National Party (UNP), once again reiterated their unwillingness to co-operate with an international inquiry into war crimes, on Monday. Stating that the government's LLRC was adequate enough to deal with the allegatios, the UNP general secretary, Tissa Attanayake stated, "We are opposed to any international inquiry. That has been our position". UNP united with government against foreign intervention – Premadasa (17 November 2013) http://www.tamilguardian.com/article.asp?articleid=9278&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

The Tamil-Canadian artist talks finding space in the international music scene and the controversy over his appearance on Rolling Stone India Gajan Balan Last summer, Toronto singer Witch Prophet and her producer Sun Sun pulled up to rapper Shan Vincent de Paul’s downtown studio out of the blue. They were there to hand him an award, just for being dope. “It meant a lot,” says Vincent de Paul, on a Zoom call from that same studio, describing the one-off gesture that Witch Prophet and Sun Sun bestowed on a handful of local artists. Vincent de Paul’s never been shortlisted for the Polaris Music Prize or nominated for a Juno, never mind the bangers he’s be…

CNN)A US Air Force helicopter was shot at near Manassas, Virginia, on Monday, injuring one of two pilots on board, according to an Air Force official. The UH-1N was flying 10 miles northwest of Manassas on a routine training mission at an altitude of 1,000 feet when the incident occurred. It landed safely at Manassas Regional Airport west of Washington, DC, and the pilot was taken to hospital where they were treated and released, the official said. The incident is now under FBI and Air Force investigation to determine if the helicopter was deliberately shot at or if someone was randomly shooting into the air. The aircraft will be closely inspected for other …

United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPF) member of Parliament and Government Minister S B Dissanayake today blamed former President Mahinda Rajapaksa for the loss suffered by the UPFA at the last election. Dissanayake said that Rajapaksa should not have contested the Parliamentary election which the UPFA eventually lost by a slim margin. He noted that Rajapaksa failed to get the full support of the Muslims, Tamils and Catholics. The Minister, speaking to reporters in Kandy today, said that if President Maithripala Sirisena led the UPFA campaign instead of Rajapaksa the UPFA would have secured more votes and regained the votes it lost even at the Presidential election. …

UNP creates broad front while UPFA leads a retreat to the past by Harim Peiris - on 07/14/2015 Photo courtesy Fatalnews As nominations closed earlier this week, the contours of the battle lines for the general election to Parliament became clear. The two major political formations in the country, the UNP and the UPFA are vying for a parliamentary majority and with it effective control of the next government. The UNP spent an useful weekend, creating a broad political front, styled the United National Front for Good Governance, (UNFGG) which will contest the elections under the UNP’s elephant symbol and be registered as a party after the elections. The UNFGG is a b…

Conversations with Kishani Alanki | M.A Sumanthiran அண்மையில் கிஷானி அலங்கி அவர்களின் யு டியூப் தளத்திற்காக பாராளுமன்ற உறுப்பினர் கௌரவ M.A சுமந்திரன் அவர்களுடன் இடம்பெற்ற கலந்துரையாடலின் சுருக்கம் தமிழில் :ஐக்கிய நாடுகளின் உயர் ஸ்தானிகரின் அறிக்கையில் பொறுப்புக்கூறல் மற்றும் ஒப்புறவு போன்ற பல்வேறு விடயங்கள் குறிப்பிடப்பட்டுள்ளன. ஆனாலும் இலங்கை அரசாங்கம் தமது இறைமையில் வெளி சக்திகள் தலையீடு செய்வதாக குற்றம் சுமத்துகிறது. இது தொடர்பாக உங்கள் நிலைப்பாடு என்ன என்று கேட்கப்பட்ட கேள்விக்கு பதிலளிக்கையில்இப்பிரச்சினையானது மஹிந்த ராஜபக்ச அவர்கள் ஜனாதிபதியாக இருந்த காலத்தில் இறுதி யுத்தத்தின் போது மேற்கொள்ளப்பட்ட மனித உரிமை மீறல் தொடர்பாக விசாரணைகளை முன…

Proving Sirisena’s attempts to whitewash himself of his direct culpability in Easter attacks IGP Pujith Jayasundara – who has been sent on compulsory leave – in his Fundamental Rights petition has revealed the Police was instructed on April 08, 2018 to stop investigating into extremist Muslim groups. Content of Jayasundara’s FR petition filed a few days ago, note the State Intelligence Service (SIS) in a letter, specifically instructed the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) to suspend all investigations into extremist Muslim factions linked with international terrorist organisations. He particularly mentions in petition that an investigation was open into th…

“There were massive war crimes in the last phase which were probably the biggest bloodshed of the twenty first century” said Erik Solheim. He made above remark at the Global Tamil Forum conference yesterday. Erik Solheim was one of the key international speakers who participated at the Global Tamil Forum (GTF) third anniversary celebrations held at the Committee Room 14, Houses of Parliament in the UK yesterday. Senior Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and former Conservative Party Chairman Baroness Warsi however referring to de-mining process, claimed progress had been made and international community could debate Sri Lanka’s achievement in…

Sri Lanka economy in crisis as debt mounts, reserves dwindle.. (Sri Lankan daily waged laborers transport a cart load of imported garlic during restrictions imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus at a wholesale market place in Colombo) Sri Lanka has cut back on imports of farm chemicals, cars and even its staple spice turmeric as its foreign exchange reserves dwindle, hindering its ability to repay a mountain of debt as the South Asian island nation struggles to recover from the pandemic. Toothbrush handles, venetian blinds, strawberries, vinegar, wet wipes and sugar are among the hundreds of foreign-made goods that were banned or made subject to…

US woman gets $34,927.43 bill for coronavirus treatment BY BROOKE SEIPEL - US woman gets $34,927.43 bill for coronavirus treatment TheHill.com Autoplay: On | Off …

இரான் ஏவுகணை தாக்குதல்: வேண்டுமென்றே உயிர்பலிகள் வராமல் தாக்குதல் நடத்தப்பட்டதா? படத்தின் காப்புரிமை Getty Images Image caption அமெரிக்கா மீது ஏவுகணை தாக்குதல் நடத்திய இரான் இரானின் மூத்த ராணுவ தளபதி காசெம் சுலேமானீ கொல்லப்பட்டதற்கு, தகுந்த விலையை அமெரிக்கா அளிக்க வேண்டியிருக்கும் என கடும் சீற்றத்துடன் இரான் எச்சரித்திருந்தது. மேலும் எச்சரித்தது போலவே, கடந்த புதன்கிழமை இராக்கின் அல்-அசாத் பகுதியில் உள்ள அமெரிக்க ராணுவ தளத்தின் மீது பத்துக்கும் மேற்பட்ட ஏவுகணைகளை வீசி இரான் தாக்குதல் நடத்தியது. கடும்…

யாழ்ப்பாணத்துக்கு ஒரு நதி' ( A River to Jaffna) அண்மையில் புகலிடத்தமிழரும், தொழில் அதிபருமான அஜித் கனகசுந்தரம் என்பவர் DailyFT என்னும் இணையத்தளத்துக்கு அளித்தநேர்காணலில் கூறிய விடயம் என் கவனத்தை ஈர்த்தது. அது யாழ்ப்பாணத்து விவசாயிகளுக்கான நீர் பற்றியது. அதில் அவர் "என்னிடம் ஒரு திட்டமுள்ளது. 'யாழ்ப்பாணத்துக்கு நதி' ( A River to Jaffna) என்பதுவே அது. யாழ்ப்பாண விவசாயிகள் எவ்விதம் நிலத்தை வளமாக்குவது என்பதை அறிந்தவர்கள். அவர்களுக்குத் தேவை நிலம் மட்டுமே. இராணுவம் சுவீகரித்த நிலத்தைப்பெறலாம். அடுத்தது 10,000 ஏக்கர் நிலத்தை நாம் ஆனையிறவுக் குடா நீரை நல்ல நீராக்குவதன் மூலம் பெறலாம். சிங்கப்பூர் செய்ததைப்போல் நாமும் கடலுடன் கலக்கும் ஆனையிறவுக் குடா நீரேரிகளைத் தடை செய்ய…