Prishantha Jayakody as the CID director?

 

Friday, 27 February 2015 

SSP Prishantha Jayakody, who returned home yesterday (26), is to be appointed director of the CID, sources say. Back in Sri Lanka after fleeing to Australia around 1 ½ years ago, he told the media that he left the country due to threats and intimidation by the former defence secretary.

Incumbent head of the CID, SSP R.L. Ranaweera is to be posted as director of Elpitiya police division. Jayakody will most probably be appointed to the vacancy thus cretated, say police department sources.

As the police media spokesman, he was under threats to his life as he had carried out his duties honestly, without giving into intimidation by Gotabhya Rajapaksa. As the SSP had not done his duties to serve his wants, the ex-secretary of defence had transferred him to Ratnapura. However, the threats and intimidation continued there, and he then left the country.

Report: Saudi Arabia May Aid Israeli Strike on Iran in Exchange for Progress With Palestinians

An F16 fighter jet.

FEBRUARY 24, 2015

In closed talks with European lawmakers, Saudi Arabian diplomats said they are in total accord with the Israelis on the Iranian nuclear issue, Israel’s Channel 2 reported on Tuesday.

According to an official at the headquarters of the European Union, as part of a framework coordination agreement with the Israelis, Saudi Arabia is ready to allow Israel’s air force to traverse Saudi airspace to attack Iran, if necessary.

However, the Saudi approval is conditional upon progress towards an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. The Saudi government is sensitive to public opinion, and cannot allow Israel to use Saudi territory or airspace for military action without demonstrating some progress on the issue of Palestinian statehood, according to the report.

Meanwhile, Israeli officials have denied that they do not know the details of the deal with Iran currently being negotiated by world powers, to which they are opposed. The lawmakers stressed that Israel doesn’t need the United States to reveal what is being said during the talks because Israel has other partners among world powers, along with information obtained from Israel’s intelligence services, which alone have made it clear that the deal in the offing is a bad deal.

An official close to the Obama Administration said that security guarantees won’t be discussed with Israel because the United States, “can’t initiate substantive discussions” before Israel’s upcoming elections.

Today, US Secretary of State John Kerry addressed the issue of negotiations, less than a day after a major leak occurred regarding the negotiations with Iran. Kerry, who spoke during a Congressional hearing on the State Department’s budget, said that it is too early to speak of an agreement between the parties, and noted that the United States is not prepared to agree to a nuclear Iran. Kerry also lashed out at the opponents of the agreement – including Israel – saying that they do not know the details of the talks.

“This is our policy: Iran will not get nuclear weapons.  Anyone going around saying that they don’t like the deal, doesn’t even know what the deal is. There’s still no deal at all,” said Kerry. He added that the United States expects to know soon whether Iran is ready to agree to the proposed terms, which he said were reasonable and verifiable. He ended saying that Iran must comply with the demand of the p5+1 and demonstrate it is not interested in nuclear weapons.

Before Kerry’s address, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he intends to fight the emerging agreement when he visits Congress next week. During a tour of Israel’s Southern Command bases, Netanyahu said that, “Unfortunately, the information I have been receiving these last few days confirm many of our concerns about the upcoming deal between the P5+1 and Iran. This agreement, if signed, would allow Iran to become a nuclear threshold state.”

Netanyahu added that, “this is a bad agreement which endangers our future. My duty as Prime Minister is to do everything possible to avoid such an agreement. So I am going to Washington to speak before Congress, because Congress might be the last chance to stop the agreement with Iran.”

Israel to let water flow to West Bank development at center of political feud

Israel’s prime minister has intervened to approve water links to the newly constructed Palestinian city of Rawabi in the West Bank as the showdown spilled into upcoming election. (Courtesy of Courtesy of Bayti Real Estate Investment Company)

By Anne-Marie O'Connor and William
Booth February 27 at 9:21 AM
JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has intervened to allow the newly constructed Palestinian city of Rawabi in the West Bank to connect to Israeli-controlled water sources, Israeli senior officials said Friday.

The city of Rawabi in the West Bank has a 12,000-seat Romanesque theater, a shopping mall, restaurants but no water. The homes in this mountaintop city sit empty as the Israeli government has refused to allow the city to be linked to the water system. (Anne-Marie O'Connor and Divya Jeswani Verma/The Washington Post)

Israel to Let Water Flow to West Bank Development at Center of Political Feud by Thavam Ratna

The Destabilization Doctrine: ISIS, Proxies and Patsies

The Destabilization Doctrine: ISIS, Proxies and Patsies

By Brandon Martinez-February 22, 2015 

“Islam and the West at War,” reads a recent New York Times headline.

It would certainly seem that way if one were to take at face value the putrid assertions of Western governments that are not particularly known for their honesty or integrity. But astute observers of history and geopolitics can spot a deception when they see one, and the latest theatrical performances being marketed to the masses as real, organic occurrences remind one of a Monty Python sketch.
The Destabilization Doctrine ISIS, Proxies and Patsies by Thavam Ratna

British PM Cameron vows to hunt down 'Jihadi John'

A masked, black-clad militant, who has been identified by the Washington Post newspaper as a Briton named Mohammed Emwazi, stands next to a man purported to be Kenji Goto in this still image from a video obtained from SITE Intel Group website February 26, 2015.

BY MICHAEL HOLDEN AND AHMED ABOULENEIN-Fri Feb 27, 2015
(Reuters) - British Prime Minister David Cameron vowed on Friday to use all means at his disposal to hunt down militants such as "Jihadi John" after the killer was unmasked as a Kuwaiti-born computer programming graduate from London.

The black-clad militant brandishing a knife and speaking with an English accent was shown in videos released by Islamic State (IS) apparently decapitating hostages including Americans, Britons and Syrians.

"When there are people anywhere in the world who commit appalling and heinous crimes against British citizens, we will do everything we can with the police, with the security services, with all that we have at our disposal to find these people and put them out of action," Cameron said.

Cameron refused to go into the unmasking of "Jihadi John" as 26-year-old British militant Mohammed Emwazi, but said that people should get behind the security services, which he praised as impressive and dedicated to defending Britain.

Emwazi was known to the security services, which had tried to recruit him, according to prisoners' group Cage. The case has sparked debate about whether the security services let him slip through their grasp to join IS in Syria.

Dressed entirely in black, a balaclava covering all but his eyes and the bridge of his nose and a holster under his left arm, Jihadi John became a menacing symbol of Islamic State brutality and one of the world's most wanted men.

He used videos to threaten the West, admonish its Arab allies and taunt President Barack Obama and Cameron before petrified hostages cowering in orange jump suits.

Emwazi's name was first disclosed by the Washington Post. Two U.S. government sources who spoke on condition of anonymity told Reuters that investigators believed Jihadi John was Emwazi.

The Sun and The Daily Mail newspapers published a picture showing a schoolboy Emwazi smiling and sitting cross-legged on the grass at the front of the photograph from the St Mary Magdalene Church of England primary school in Maida Vale, West London.

BRITISH KILLER

Born in Kuwait, Emwazi came to Britain aged 6 and graduated with a computer programming degree from the University of Westminster before coming to the attention of Britain's main domestic intelligence service, MI5, according to an account given by Asim Qureshi, research director of Cage, a group that campaigns for those detained on terrorism charges.

Emwazi, a fluent Arabic speaker, said MI5 had tried to recruit him and then prevented him from travelling abroad, forcing him to leave the country without telling his family, Qureshi told a news conference in London.

In a meeting with reporters, Qureshi cast Emwazi as a kind and thoughtful young man who faced harassment from MI5, which apparently suspected he wanted to join the Somali Islamist militant group al Shabaab.

That account prompted criticism of MI5. But there was little patience with the narrative of Emwazi's life presented by Qureshi, who called him a "beautiful man".

"Cage maintain the enemy is the security services, is the state," Professor Anthony Glees, Director of the Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies, told Reuters.

"The truth could not be more different. Intelligence services are on the whole non-interventionist."

Cameron's spokeswoman said it was "completely reprehensible" to seek to shift the blame from a killer to those seeking to keep British citizens safe.

The daughter of David Haines, a Scottish aid worker who was beheaded by Islamic State in September, told ITV news there should be more security at airports.

Bethany Haines also said she would not rest until Emwazi received a "bullet between his eyes".

The family of Steven Sotloff, a U.S. journalist beheaded in August, said they had faith his killer would be brought to justice.

"There's going to be no closure until these people are brought to justice," family spokesman Barak Barfi told Sky News.

MI5 does not publicly comment on the identity of militants or their backgrounds while an investigation is still ongoing.

"Jihadi John" fronted Islamic State videos that showed either the killing or bodies of victims including U.S. citizens James Foley, Steven Sotloff and Peter Kassig, Britons David Haines and Alan Henning, Japanese Kenji Goto and over 20 Syrian soldiers.

(Additional reporting by Ahmed Aboulenein, Kate Holton and Kylie MacLellan; Writing by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Peter Millership and Giles Elgood)

Germany to vote on Greek bailout after fresh clashes - video

FRIDAY 27 FEBRUARY 2015

Dozens of black-clad protesters clash with Greek riot police in the first occurrence of anti-government sentiment since the leftist Syriza party took power a month ago. 

Around 50 anti-establishment protesters wearing hoods hurled petrol bombs and stones at police inAthens' central Exarchia district, a Bohemian quarter known as a haunt for artists and left-wing intellectuals.

This followed a far-left protest in which around 450 people demonstrated against the newly elected left-right coalition government of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, which agreed a deal with EU partners last week to extend an aid programme to Athens.

The deal has triggered dissent within Tsipras' own party and accusations by some on the hard left that the government is going back on pre-election promises, including to end a much-hated 240bn euro (£174bn) EU and IMF bailout programme.

The hooded protesters hurled petrol bombs and stones at police, and a small number of shop windows and bus stops were also smashed or damaged during the violence.

The incidents, albeit on a small scale, mark the first public disorder against the leftist government, which was elected on January 25 on a promise to write off a chunk of the country's debt and end painful austerity which has helped push one in four Greeks out of work.

China defends South China Sea activities after criticism from US

A Chinese vessel, top center, is used to expand structures and land on the Johnson Reef, called Mabini by the Philippines and Chigua by China, at the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. Pic: AP. 

By AP News Feb 27, 2015

BEIJING (AP) — China is defending its activities in the South China Sea as restrained and responsible after the U.S. intelligence chief called its expansion of outposts in the region an “aggressive” effort to assert sovereignty.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Friday that the country’s activities on shoals and in surrounding waters that it claims are “reasonable, legitimate and legal” and that Beijing has shown “restraint and responsibility.”

China says it has historical claims to a huge swath of the South Sea China that overlaps the claims of several neighbors including Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and the Philippines, and it objects to what it considers U.S. meddling.

The U.S. says it has a national interest in the peaceful resolution of the disputes in the region.

​Beware Former Dictators Calling Themselves ‘Converted Democrats’

BY SIOBHÁN O'GRADY-FEBRUARY 26, 2015

Calling himself “a converted democrat,” Muhammadu Buhari, a former Nigerian dictator accused of instigating deadly post-election violence in 2011, preached the importance of a free, fair, and safe Nigerian election in a London speech Thursday.

Buhari, whose current campaign for the Nigerian presidency centers on taking a harder line against government corruption and the Boko Haram terror group, first came to power through a coup in 1983 and was deposed by another in 1985. Nigeria transitioned to democratic rule in 1999, and after Buhari’s third unsuccessful bid in 2011, more than 800 people were killed and 65,000 displaced when Buhari’s supporters rioted in 12 northern states.

But on Thursday, he said a peaceful election in Nigeria would help other African countries develop into Western-style democracies. “It is clear that though many African countries now hold regular elections, very few of them have consolidated the practice of democracy,” he said.

Buhari led Nigeria for 20 months in the 1980s that were marked by widespread political arrests and strict economic policies, a period he has in the past euphemistically described as a “war against indiscipline.” His reputation as a hardened military ruler has undermined his current campaign, which was extended by six weeks after the elections, originally scheduled for Feb. 14, were postponed for security reasons.

The elections are now slated for Mar. 28, when Buhari will face the same candidate he lost to in 2011, incumbent Goodluck Jonathan. Although some analysts think Jonathan has the upper hand, polls show the candidates are essentially neck and neck.

As he carries out his fourth attempt to democratically gain power, the events surrounding his third presidential campaign continue to haunt the former military ruler. Earlier this month, Dutch lawyer Goran Sluiter submitted a complaint on behalf of a coalition of seventeen Nigerian NGOs and two individual clients that asked the prosecutor at the International Criminal Court to probe Buhari’s role in sparking the deadly violence after he lost the 2011 election. Evidence submitted with the complaint includes a video of Buhari speaking in Hausa at a campaign rally, Sluiter said.

According to Human Rights Watch, pro-Buhari rioters carried out a campaign of arson, rape, and widespread killings in the aftermath of that election, targeting ethnic groups perceived to support the ruling party. Many of Buhari’s supporters are Muslims, so some of the victims retaliated with counterattacks on mosques. The situation quickly escalated, displacing an estimated 65,000 people.

Sluiter told Foreign Policy that his clients believe Buhari encouraged his supporters to riot if he lost. Probes at the ICC pertaining to post-election violence, including ones from Kenya and Ivory Coast, offer hope to his clients that Buhari’s case will be taken on by the court, Sluiter said.

“If you look at those cases, it’s a copy — almost a replica — of what happened in Nigeria,” Sluiter told FP.

After the 2011 riots, Jonathan promised to launch a full-fledged investigation. Officials initially arrested approximately 500 accused perpetrators, but largely dropped the issue, especially after Boko Haram launched a wave of attacks in large parts of northern Nigeria and emerged as a major threat to the country’s overall security.

Boko Haram’s campaign of violence and territorial gains in the north have now forced the postponement of the elections. Given Nigeria’s history of election-related violence, there is concern that the country’s army would be unable to carry out its campaign against the militant group while also providing security on election day and in subsequent weeks. (Sluiter said his clients filed the complaint prior to the election in hopes that it would encourage safer conditions for Nigerians on voting day.)

Buhari’s questionable past and Jonathan’s apparent inability to defeat Boko Haram have caused a dilemma for Nigerian voters, many of whom feel the choice is about identifying the lesser of two evils. Joe Siegle, director of research at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, told FP that to vote for Buhari and trust he won’t revert to militaristic tendencies would “be a leap of faith.”

“So many Nigerians are really struggling to support either candidate because each come with some serious flaws,” he said.

But Buhari, who addressed his tarnished past but did not comment on the ICC complaint during his speech at Chatham House, said he has been disappointed by media reports labeling him a “dictator.” “Let me say without sounding defensive that dictatorship goes with military rule, though some might be less dictatorial than others,” he said. “I take responsibility for whatever happened under my watch.”

A campaign spokesman has denied that Buhari had any involvement in the 2011 violence, saying only that accusations are “all part of the campaign to stop Buhari at all cost.” And in Buhari’s speech on Thursday, he even said that successful democracies have convinced him “that change can be brought about without firing a single shot.”

But according to Sluiter, even if the violence wasn’t carried out by Buhari himself, the ICC has in similar cases been able to trace back the instigation to political leaders. And if the case is taken by the ICC, it is likely, Sluiter said, that argument will be used again.

“The most responsible are often those who in the position of power…who want to win the election at all costs,” he said.

PIUS UTOMI EKPEI/AFP/Getty Images

HIV prevention finally has a game-changer, and it’s called Truvada

‘The study for HIV drug Truvada was the most successful PrEP trial ever.’ Photograph: Justin Sullivan/Getty

Thursday 26 February 2015

The widely reported Proud study shows just how effective pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) can be at preventing HIV transmission. PrEP is, quite simply, a game-changer and represents a wake-up call for the government, NHS England and local authorities to make PrEP a key component in our strategy to defeat HIV

Over the past 30 years of the HIV epidemic in the UK, we have seen enormous change for the better, mostly driven by the increasing range of effective antiretroviral therapies. Their success means that HIV should no longer be a terminal illness but a manageable long-term condition; people on successful therapy with fully suppressed virus can expect a normal life expectancy and are not infectious to others, and we can reliably prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

All this has led to an increasing interest in the possibility of using antiretroviral therapy more widely as a prevention strategy to protect those who are HIV negative. PrEP – using HIV therapy before sex that might carry a risk of HIV transmission – has already been studied in both gay men and heterosexuals in a number of settings with varied success. The fact that the Proud (pre-exposure option for reducing HIV in the UK: immediate or deferred) study in the UK found an 86% reduction in HIV transmission in those taking the drug Truvada makes it the most successful PrEP trial ever, and should now galvanise us into adding it to existing HIV prevention strategies.

Proud was designed to try and evaluate the impact of PrEP in a high-risk group of gay men in a way that reflected “real life” use of the drug as closely as possible: 545 men were randomly allocated to either take Truvada straight away or to defer treatment for a year. Both groups then had regular three-monthly clinic visits, completed questionnaires on sexual behaviour and adherence to the medication, and were tested for sexually transmitted infections. The study found no difference in reports of condom use between the two groups and no difference in rates of other STIs either. This should lay to rest the view that access to PrEP would somehow encourage an increase in risky sexual behaviour.

Related: Daily pill Truvada cuts spread of HIV by 86%, study shows

An 86% reduction in HIV transmission is hugely significant. On the basis of the Proud results we would only need to treat 13 men for a year to prevent one HIV infection. It is hard to see how PrEP would not be value for money. Truvada costs just £360 a month, and the price will drop significantly when the drug comes off patent in a couple of years, whereas the lifetime treatment cost to the NHS of someone living with HIV can be up to £350,000.

The history of HIV prevention has evolved over time just as much as its treatment. A “combination approach” to HIV prevention will undoubtedly yield the greatest success. Those at risk need a range of options and choice to best meet their individual needs and circumstances. It is clearly now time for us to use PrEP alongside other effective prevention interventions such as condom use, behaviour change and regular testing for HIV.

This is a wake-up call and it is imperative that policymakers, commissioners and those who hold the NHS purse strings make PrEP available to those at greatest risk as soon as possible. If we take bold action now, we have the tools at our disposal to make HIV in the UK a thing of the past.

Flow Beehive Crowdfunding Beats Goal By 3,000%

The newly-invented Flow Hive delivers honey straight from the hive! Photo: honeyflow.com

Too good to be true? Flow Hive invention delivers honey on tap directly from the hive.--

(SALEM, Ore.) - For the first time ever, there may be an easier way to extract honey from the hive. A father-son team, Stuart and Cedar Anderson, from Australia has been perfecting their idea for ten years, and it's been in use in experimental bee yards for three years.

Flow Beehive Crowdfunding Beats Goal by 3,000% by Thavam Ratna

Sri Lanka: Pattani Razeek, Fifth Anniversary of Abduction and Murder

by Kingsley Karunaratne

( February 26, 2015, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The Asian Human Rights Commission and Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development, from year to year from 2010,expressed their shock and deep frustration over the long delay of investigation and seeking justice into abduction and murder of human Rights Defender, Pattani Razeek of Sri Lanka. He was remembered much due to his tremendous services rendered to the fellow citizens during the Tsunami debacle that hit Sri Lanka in 2004, especially in Trincomalee and Amparai areas. In 1990 when the Muslim people were evicted from Jaffna, Mannar and Mulltivu during the civil war, he was there to help these IDPs and made them resettled in Puttalam.

Sri Lanka Pattani Razeek, Fifth Anniversary of Abduction and Murder by Thavam Ratna

Stopping Hate: President Sirisena, Deliver On Your Promise!

Gnanasara |Picture courtesy Foreign Correspondents’ Association of Sri Lanka Facebook page

By Hilmy Ahamed -February 25, 2015

Hilmy Ahamed

President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, as leaders of the common opposition promised a land that would see rule of law, democracy, good governance and justice. The majority of Sri Lankans elected them against all odds, hoping that they would make this country a place where all communities could live in peace and harmony with each other in a tranquil environment.

The preceding four years of the hate campaign on the minorities by Ven.Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero and other extremist Buddhist groups saw the exit of probably the most charismatic and popular Sri Lankan political leader since independence, President Mahinda Rajapaksa. His crime was that he natured and let the wounds of racism fester amongst the Sri Lankan society. This made the minority-deciding voters to vote against his tyranny.

The war victory in 2009 and the results of the Presidential election of 2010 gave him the illusion that he could win any election only with the support of majority Buddhist votes, hence his tryst with the extremists. His attitude alienated the minority voters, who in-fact, had begun to move towards supporting the Rajapaksa administration, after the end of the war and the expected stability in the country. He failed to realize that a large number, from the minority communities had voted for him in 2010 in appreciation and gratitude for bringing peace to the country. He had the opportunity to go beyond Southern extremism and offer magnanimous concessions to the Tamil population and build a nation, where all communities could have lived as one. His arrogance, pride and prejudice made him lose that opportunity for reconciliation. It also cost him, his attempt of a third term Presidency.

The country was made to believe by these extremists that former Defence Secretary, Gotabaya Rajapaksaprovided protection to these racist elements; hence the law enforcement authorities would not take any action. This misconception provided the space for these extremists to propagate hate with impunity.The rejection of President Rajapaksa and the causes for his defeat would be very clear if one looks at the voting pattern of the minority communities, especially the Muslim and Christian population that came under unprecedented attacks due to the protection given by the Rajapaksa administration to these extremists in saffron robes. Their form of hate and violence goes against the teachings of lord Buddha and is rejected by the majority of the peace-loving Buddhists of this country. It would appropriate to remind ourselves of quote from one of the most respected Theravada Buddhist leaders of our times, the Dalai Lama X1V “Whether you believe in God or not does not matter so much, whether you believe in Buddha or not does not matter so much; as a Buddhist, whether you believe in reincarnation or not does not matter so much. You must lead a good life. And a good life does not mean just good food, good clothes, good shelter. These are not sufficient. A good motivation is what is needed: compassion, without dogmatism, without complicated philosophy; just understanding that others are human brothers and sisters and respecting their rights and human dignity.”

A few days after the election of the new government, the Police media spokesman, SSP Ajith Rohana declared that the Police would take stern action against anyone creating hate and religious violence. To this day, his words have not been translated in to action.

Soon after this announcement, the Bodu Bala Sena and Ven. Gnansara were back in action, threatening the Muslim community almost on a daily basis through their press conferences and other media tamasha’s. No action has been taken against the Bodu Bala Sena’s threat to march and destroy Dafar Jailani, a place of religious significance and importance to Muslims. The media continues to provide wide exposure to this threat. Dafar Jailani is Sufi Shrine of the Muslims that dates back to over a thousand years and is well documented in history.

Dafar Jailani or the Kurugala caves is situated about 60 km from Ratnapura, with its nearest town being Balangoda. Darfar Jalani is an ancient Sufi shrine, sacred to Muslims and historical evidence point to a greatly revered Islamic saint; Sheikh Muhiyadeen Abdul Qadir meditated and lived in the rock caves, over a thousand years ago.

The Bodu Bala Sena now wants to march to this ancient place of historical significance to Muslims, destroy its artifacts, monuments and wipe out all historical evidence. Tensions have erupted between the Muslims and Buddhist over counter claims to this shrine and its tranquility has been destroyed. The extremist Buddhists claim that the site has archeological value to them and the rock cave is an ancient Buddhist monastic site. They continue to demand the removal of all Islamic inscriptions that dates back to over a thousand years. This has led to the escalation of tensions between the Muslims and Buddhist in the region.

The Muslims, had remained calm against all provocations during the regime of the Rajapaksa Presidency because they feared the hidden hand of Gotabaya Rajapaksa behind the BBS and Gnanasara Thero. With the newfound freedom and peace, their tolerance levels would be put to test as the Muslims feel that they would have recourse to justice under an independent judiciary and police. This may provoke them to defend their shrine if the BBS attempts to destroy it as claimed. This could lead to major violence.

The promise of good governance, rule of law and justice would be put to the biggest test on how the administration responds to this latest threat by the Bodu Bala Sena to destroy Dafar Jailani at Kurugala.

The President and the Prime Minister must take immediate action to halt this hate campaign that threatens the Muslims. Failure to nip the re-emergence of this extremist threat would be disastrous to the ethnic and social harmony that was promised under their leadership, for which the minorities overwhelmingly voted