Police to seek Interpol help to arrest Muthuhettigama

December 27, 2014 

Sri Lanka Police today said that it will seek assistance from Interpol to arrest the Deputy Minister of Minor Export Crop Promotion Nishantha Muthuhettigama, who has left the country despite a warrant issued for his arrest.

On Wednesday (24), the Baddegama Magistrate’s Court issued a warrant for the arrest of Muthuhettigama in connection with the recent torching of an election stage of Common Candidate Maithripala Sirisena in Wanduramba.

He has been accused over the alleged arson attack, damaging two shops in Udappuwa and for attempting to forcefully release two suspects in police custody.

However, it was reported yesterday that the deputy minister left the country for Singapore. Despite the warrant issued for his arrest, Muthuhettigama had reportedly boarded a flight at around 12.40am by traveling through the VIP terminal at the Katunayake Airport.

Speaking to Ada Derana regarding the matter, police spokesman SSP Ajith Rohana said they intend top seek the assistance of Interpol in order to apprehend the suspect.

However, speaking to an Ada Derana reporter after leaving the country yesterday, Muthuhettigama had said that he was visiting Singapore with two close associates for a holiday and that he would return to the island before the Presidential Election.

Emphasizing that he had the utmost respect for the judiciary, Muthuhettigama said that he had decided to leave the country for a vacation due to the mental stress he had suffered in the wake of recent events.

'I volunteered for suicide attack so I could leave ISIS': Shocking moment disillusioned 14-year-old recruit has bomb vest removed after handing himself in to guards rather than blowing up Baghdad mosque 

• Usaid Barho was recruited by extremists in home town of Manbij in Syria
• Teen said he was given a choice of becoming a fighter or suicide bomber 
• 14-year-old opted for the latter believing he could immediately surrender
• Target was a Shi'ite mosque in the Bayaa district of Iraq's capital Baghdad
• But instead of detonating the bomb he surrendered himself to the guards 

By JULIAN ROBINSON FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 19:13 GMT, 27 December 2014 | UPDATED: 20:34 GMT, 27 December 2014

This is the dramatic moment a Syrian boy escaped from Isis  - by volunteering as a suicide bomber and then handing himself in at the mosque he was meant to blow up.

'I Volunteered for Suicide Attack So I Could Leave ISIS' Shocking Moment Disillusioned 14-Year-old Recruit... by Thavam Ratna

Syria ready to discuss Russia peace plan talks, opposition dismissive

A man inspects a hole in the ground after what activists said was an airstrike from forces loyal to Syria's president Bashar Al-Assad in Khan Sheikhoun, northern Idlib province December 26, 2014.

BY OLIVER HOLMES AND OMAR FAHMY-BEIRUT/CAIRO Sat Dec 27, 2014 

(Reuters) - Syria said on Saturday it was willing to participate in "preliminary consultations" in Moscow aimed at restarting talks next year to end its civil war but the Western-backed opposition dismissed the initiative.

Two rounds of peace talks this year in Geneva failed to halt the conflict which has killed 200,000 people during more than three years of violence and there was little sign of the latest move gaining traction.

Syrian state television quoted a source at the foreign ministry saying: "Syria is ready to participate in preliminary consultations in Moscow in order to meet the aspirations of Syrians to find a way out of crisis."

But there are many obstacles to peace. The most powerful insurgent group, the hardline Islamic State, controls a third of Syria but has not been part of any initiative to end the fighting.

Other rebel factions are not unified.

The opposition is also suspicious of Russian-led plans as Moscow has long backed President Bashar al-Assad with weapons.

Hadi al-Bahra, head of the Turkey-based opposition National Coalition, met with Arab League Chief Nabil Elaraby in Cairo on Saturday and told a news conference "there is no initiative as rumoured".

"Russia does not have a clear initiative, and what is called for by Russia is just a meeting and dialogue in Moscow, with no specific paper or initiative," he was quoted by Egyptian state news agency MENA as saying.

The opposition said after the failed "Geneva 2" talks in February that Damascus was not serious about peace.

Syrian state news agency SANA said on Saturday the Moscow talks should emphasise a continued fight against "terrorism", a term it uses for the armed opposition.

Members of Assad's government say the opposition in exile is not representative of Syrians and instead says a small group of opposition figures who live in Damascus, and are less vocal against the president, should represent the opposition.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said this month that he wanted Syrian opposition groups to agree among themselves on a common approach before setting up direct talks with the Damascus government.

But Lavrov did not specify which opposition groups should take part.

Syria's civil war started when Assad's forces cracked down on peaceful pro-democracy protests in 2011.

(Additional reporting by Maggie Fick in Cairo; editing by Hugh Lawson and David Clarke)

Worse than the dictators: Egypt’s leaders bring pillars of freedom crashing down

Adly Mansour and now Abdel Fatah al-Sisi are ruling by decrees, banning protest and severely curbing freedom of speech
President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi reviews a guard of honour after being sworn in as president of Egypt in June. Photograph: Reuters

A Cairo university student holds a flare during a protest against the acquittal of former president Hosni Mubarak over hundreds of deaths during the 2011 uprising. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Patrick Kingsley in Cairo-Friday 26 December 2014

Egypt is enacting authoritarian laws at a rate unmatched by any regime for 60 years, legal specialists from four institutions have told the Guardian.

Since the overthrow of Mohamed Morsi in July 2013, Morsi’s successors in the presidency, Adly Mansour and Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, have used the absence of an elected parliament to almost unilaterally issue a series of draconian decrees that severely restrict freedom of expression, association and assembly.

Worse Than the Dictators Egypt’s Leaders Bring Pillars of Freedom Crashing Down by Thavam Ratna

North Korea Blames U.S. For Shutting Down Its Internet, Says Obama Was Behind 'The Interview' Release

 |  By HYUNG-JIN KIM-12/26/2014 

HYUNG-JIN KIM, Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea called President Barack Obama "a monkey" and blamed the U.S. on Saturday for shutting down its Internet amid the hacking row over the comedy "The Interview."

North Korea has denied involvement in a crippling cyberattack on Sony Pictures but has expressed fury over the comedy depicting an assassination of its leader Kim Jong Un. After Sony Pictures initially called off the release in a decision criticized by Obama, the movie has opened this week.

On Saturday, the North's powerful National Defense Commission, the country's top governing body led by Kim, said that Obama was behind the release of "The Interview." It described the movie as illegal, dishonest and reactionary.

"Obama always goes reckless in words and deeds like a monkey in a tropical forest," an unidentified spokesman at the commission's Policy Department said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.

He also accused Washington for intermittent outages of North Korea websites this week, after the U.S. had promised to respond to the Sony hack.

There was no immediate reaction from the White House on Saturday.

According to the North Korea commission's spokesman, "the U.S., a big country, started disturbing the Internet operation of major media of the DPRK, not knowing shame like children playing a tag."

The commission said the movie was the results of a hostile U.S. policy toward North Korea, and threatened the U.S. with unspecified consequences.

North Korea and the U.S. remain technically in a state of war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. The rivals also are locked in an international standoff over the North's nuclear and missile programs and its alleged human rights abuses. The U.S. stations about 28,500 troops in South Korea as deterrence against North Korean aggression.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

When Soldiers Say No To War

| by Camillo Mac Bica

( December 26, 2014, Boston, Sri Lanka Guardian) This year we mark the 100th anniversary of the Christmas Truce. A unique event in the annals of war, when soldiers of World War I, the “war to end all wars,” enduring the horrors of trench warfare along the infamous 600-mile Western Front, made a conscious decision to stop the insanity, put down their weapons and said no to war.

When Soldiers Say No to War by Thavam Ratna

N Ireland: Thatcher 'couldn't understand' civil rights calls

SATURDAY 27 DECEMBER 2014

Margaret Thatcher didn t understand why Irish nationalists in Northern Ireland were seeking more rights and feared that allowing them to express their identity would provoke a British Asian uprising.

Files marked "secret", just released in Dublin's National Archives, reveal that Mrs Thatcher was concerned that Northern Ireland was on the way to becoming a "Marxist society" and that she was warned against redrawing its borders to counter the perceived threat by Ireland's then Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald.

During a summit at Chequers in November 1984, Mrs Thatcher fretted about the wider consequences of addressing Catholic alienation in relation to ethnic minorities in Britain.

N Ireland Thatcher 'Couldn't Understand' Civil Rights Calls by Thavam Ratna

China jails 4 for 2013 fatal fire at poultry plant

FILE - In this June 3, 2013 file photo, firemen carry out bags containing bodies of those killed at a poultry processing plant that was engulfed by a fire in northeast China's Jilin province's Mishazi township. Two courts have convicted and sentenced bosses of the poultry processing plant..

BEIJING (AP) — Two fire chiefs and two poultry farm bosses have been convicted and sentenced to prison terms of up to nine years in relation to a fire at a plant in northeastern China last year that killed 121 people and injured 76 others, state media reported Saturday.

The June 2013 fire in Jilin province was China’s deadliest industrial accident in five years and highlighted continuing violations of safety regulations despite recent improvements in the country’s work safety record.

Survivors at the time described workers, mostly women, struggling through smoke and flames in the poultry processing plant to reach doors that turned out to be locked or blocked after an electrical short ignited flammable goods.

On Friday, two district courts in Changchun city sentenced two bosses of the plant and two fire officials, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

The chairman of Jilin Baoyuanfeng Poultry Co., Jia Yushan, was sentenced to nine years in prison and fined 1 million yuan ($160,000) for not ensuring the working environment was safe, and former general manager Zhang Yushen was sentenced to four years for installing substandard equipment, Xinhua said.

Lyu Yandong, the former chief of the local fire department, and his deputy Liu Guicai were convicted of abuse of power and sentenced to prison terms of up to 5 1/2 years. Prosecutors previously said they had failed to carry out any serious inspections of the plant and falsified information after the fire to try and cover that up.

Woman dies after crack pipe removed from her vagina

April Rollison died a week after having a glass pipe and a bottle of crack cocaine removed from her vagina.

A By News Corp Australia Network-December 26, 2014

woman, 31, has died a week after she was taken to hospital to have a glass pipe and a bottle of crack cocaine removed from her vagina.

April Rollison, 31, of the city of Sebring, Florida, was arrested with three men on drug charges in the nearby suburb of Babson Park, on December 16, Polk County Sheriff’s Office reported.

Rollison was taken to Polk County Jail’s booking room where a body scan alerted deputies that a pipe and a prescription bottle containing 2 grams of crack cocaine and cocaine powder was inside her vagina. She was taken to Bartow Regional Medical Centre to have them removed.

At the medical centre, Rollison asked to go to the toilet. She was given a bedpan and the deputy went behind a curtain to give her privacy, Scott Wilder, a Sheriff’s Office spokesman, told The Ledger.

Polk County Shefiff’s office believe that Rollison removed the prescription bottle of crack cocaine and cocaine from her vagina and consumed part of the contents. The deputy and a nurse found the bottle and a white substance, later identified as cocaine, on the floor.

Medical staff then removed the glass crack pipe, cleared Rollison and was she was taken back to jail. However, during her booking in, she fell violently ill and was taken back to the medical centre in a critical condition.

Rollison tested positive for methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana in preliminary tests, the Sheriff’s office said, although it is unclear if the crack cocaine was ingested through her stomach or in some other way. An autopsy will determine cause of death.

Rollison had been a drug user for 20 years, Polk County Sheriff’s office said.

This article originally appeared on News.com.au.

3 Reasons Why You Should Eat Cooked Carrots

Good Morning Center

December 23, 2014

We all know that carrots are a healthy food, but this knowledge leads to one short sentence “carrots are good for your eyes.” In the next few paragraphs we will try to extend this knowledge.

Nutritional value / calories

• 100g = 41 calories
• Fat: 0g (0% recommended daily value)
• Saturated Fat: 0g (0%)
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Cholesterol: 0g
• Salt: 69mg (3%)
• Carbohydrates: 10g (3%)
• Fiber: 3g (11%)
• Sugars: 5g
• Protein: 1g

The most common vitamins and minerals

• 100g fresh carrots contain:
• Vitamin A 16705IU (334%)
• Vitamin K: 13.2mcg (16%)
• Vitamin C: 5.9mg (10%)
• Potassium: 320 mg (9%)

The carrots contain most of the other vitamins and trace minerals, from 2 to 7%.

1 medium sized carrot has about 60 grams, and its nutritive value is obtained by multiplying the above mentioned values with 0.6 (or 60% of the above value).

Carrots against diseases of the cardiovascular system

There are several scientific studies that have shown the effect of carrots, they can reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

A ten-year study from the Netherlands, which examined the protection against cardiovascular diseases with the help of fruits and vegetables, has shown that foods with dark shades of orange and yellow have the greatest impact.

Even more interesting is that the carrot proved to be the biggest protector of this group.

So if you are afraid of diseases of the heart and circulatory system, one carrot a day should help you at least to lower the risk.

Carrot and eye health

Eating carrots will not help the myopic person to remove the diopter but carrots contain beta carotene which is converted to vitamin A in the body, and is one of the most important vitamins for eye health.

Carrots also contain lutein, a pigment that protects the eye from macular degeneration.

Keep in mind that the connection of carrots and eye health is exclusively preventive. Once you damage your eyesight, carrots will not fix it.

Protecting the skin from the sun

Eating carrots for a period of 10 weeks or more is proven to be effective in protecting of the skin from burns caused by excessive exposure to the sun. The protective effect was proved as an even greater, when the entry period of the carrots progressed.

Fresh or cooked?

It is known that most of the nutrients in vegetables are lost with cooking and that the raw food is the healthiest, but the carrot is an exception to this rule.

Studies have shown that when we eat raw carrots we are exploiting only 5% of the available antioxidant beta carotene. When it is cooked, this percentage rises up to 60%.

The largest percentage of the available beta carotene is up to 90% and is found in the carrots, which was previously mixed in a blender and then boiled.

Are there some carrots disadvantages?

1. Disadvantages of carrots (and most other fresh vegetables) are hard to find, but we found at least two.

Studies regarding the lung cancer patients have shown that the beta-carotene in carrots increases the risk of lung cancer in people who smoke cigarettes. For people who do not smoke, there are not such negative effects.

2. It should also be noted that beta-carotene from the carrots is a pigment, which in large quantities can change the color of your skin in orange, so it is important not to overdo with the intake.

If you notice that your skin gets a shade of orange, only reduce the consumption of foods that have a lot of beta-carotene and the skin will return to its normal color.

How Did Mahinda Destroy Our Diplomatic Missions?

 by Rifai 

( December 26, 2014, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) JVP Leader Anura Kuamara Desanakyake in one of his parliament debates brings out a list of our Sri Lankan high commissioners and diplomatic professionals in Foreign Service. . He argues that most of the names in his list are political appointees of Mahinda.
How Did Mahinda Destroy Our Diplomatic Missions by Thavam Ratna

இன்று பதுளையில் மீண்டுமொரு மண்சரிவு ! உயிரிழப்பு 10ஆக அதிகரிப்பு: பலரைக் காணவில்லை- அம்பேவெல ரயில் பாதை சேதம்

[ வெள்ளிக்கிழமை, 26 டிசெம்பர் 2014, 12:25.39 PM GMT ]

நாட்டில் நிலவும் சீரற்ற காலநிலை காரணமாக பதுளை மக்கள் மீண்டுமொரு மண்சரிவு அனர்த்தத்தில் தங்களது உறவுகளை இழந்துள்ளனர்.

இன்று பதுளை மாவட்டத்தின் பல்வேறு பகுதிகளில் ஏற்பட்டுள்ள மண்சரிவு அனர்த்தங்களால் உயிரிழந்தவர்களின் எண்ணிக்கை 10 ஆக அதிகரித்துள்ளது.

இன்று பதுளையில் மீண்டுமொரு மண்சரிவு ! உயிரிழப்பு 10ஆக அதிகரிப்பு பலரைக் காணவில்லை- அம்பேவெல ரயில் பாதை சேத... by Thavam Ratna

Mahinda Rajapaksa Who Stole 83 Million Rupees Of Tsunami Funds Is A Callous Thief: Mangala

December 26, 2014

“Then why is it today that many of the victims of that tragic day ten years ago are still without adequate shelter or livelihood? Why is it that many still suffer despite Sri Lankan and international generosity? One of the main reasons is that a man who is contesting to be President of this country does not care for peoples’ suffering. He has consistently put his own private gain above the people’s pain. I am very sad to say, that this politician is a callous thief. He stole 83 million rupees of Tsunami relief funds and used them for his personal gain.” says the former foreign minister Mangala Samaraweera.

Mangala Samaraweera MP

Issuing a statement Samaraweera said; “The former Chief Justice has publicly apologized saying that the Helping Hambantota judgement, which he presided over and which protected that thief from conviction and ultimately jail, was the biggest mistake in his entire life. What right does this man have to speak of the people’s development and the country’s development? His achievements and energy over the last nine years have been spent only on own his family’s development and enrichment.”

We publish below the statement in full;

On this day ten years ago the Tsunami struck. Almost 40,000 were killed in the matter of a few minutes. Tens of thousands lost their children, parents or loved ones. The entire country was in shock and anguish. It was a day that none who were present will forget.

All the people of this country made great sacrifices and took greater risks to help their fellow citizens in this time of sorrow and desperate need. People who were hungry themselves donated food, soldiers took part in the rescue effort and lost comrades in the process, and many volunteers worked tirelessly for weeks and months. President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga provided immediate relief, and without fail all political parties and civil society organizations contributed to these efforts. The entire world’s sympathy was focused on the Tsunami victims. Ordinary citizens across the world stood in solidarity with us, and on then President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s request gave generously of their resources and time.

Then why is it today that many of the victims of that tragic day ten years ago are still without adequate shelter or livelihood? Why is it that many still suffer despite Sri Lankan and international generosity? One of the main reasons is that a man who is contesting to be President of this country does not care for peoples’ suffering. He has consistently put his own private gain above the people’s pain. I am very sad to say, that this politician is a callous thief. He stole 83 million rupees of Tsunami relief funds and used them for his personal gain.

The former Chief Justice has publicly apologized saying that the Helping Hambantota judgement, which he presided over and which protected that thief from conviction and ultimately jail, was the biggest mistake in his entire life. What right does this man have to speak of the people’s development and the country’s development? His achievements and energy over the last nine years have been spent only on own his family’s development and enrichment.

He may have evaded justice in the courts through his trickery and lies, but he cannot and will not escape the people’s justice on the 8^th of January. The people will choose virtue and compassion over thievery of the vulnerable and enrichment of a single family. My thoughts today are with the victims of the Tsunami who in the last 10 years have been prevented from fully recovering and I sincerely hope for a better future.