John Kerry, US State secretary's visit after 43 years brings to memory American Sir Henry Olcott who introduced SL Buddhist flag

(Lanka-e-News- 04.May.2015, 11.00PM) To the  small group of  Buddhist extremists in Sri Lanka (SL) ,though  America is apparently a threat to their warped minds , ironically , it is an American who campaigned to approve  the present Buddhist flag which is now used by the Buddhists of SL .That American  was Sir Henry Steele Olcott . The statue  in front of the Fort railway station was erected in his name , and the  road ‘Olcott mawatha ‘ opposite the railway station was  named after him. He was also considered as responsible for the Buddhist renaissance at that time. 

Interestingly , while a most holy Wesak day of Buddhists was getting close  , another American made a historic visit to SL.He    is none other  John Kerry the US State secretary who holds a position only next to the president of the US. He  arrived in SL this morning on an official tour. It is significant to note that John Kerry’s visit  is most momentous and special because , it is after 43 long years , a US State secretary is visiting SL.

John Kerry was most warmly and cordially welcomed by SL ‘s foreign minister Mangala Samaraweera . He then met president Maithripala Sirisena and prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Kerry subsequently participated in the bilateral talks held at the foreign ministry , followed by a media briefing .

At the media briefing , Kerry said , SL and America are two countries with  governments which are working together in unison as one with common goals. It is apparent the new government of SL is taking decisions boldly and directly . SL being a country that has a special place  within the Asian zone , has now reached a position so much so that when global decisions are taken , SL is considered as of paramount importance. The progress of SL lately is something that is most pleasantly shocking to him , he further noted.  

The US  Secretary who is on a historic official visit after 43 long years visited the Kelaniya Vihara this afternoon to pay  homage .He was received at the Vihara by the chief incumbent Ven.professor Kollupitiye Mahinda Sangarakitha Thera . The US State secretary presented a plate of fruits  to the Ven Thera and the monks.

Photographs by Vimukthi Ishanka 

---------------------------
by     (2015-05-04 21:06:53)

Johnston Fernando remanded

May 5, 2015 

Former Minister Johnston Fernando, who was arrested over allegations of financial frauds against him, was remanded till tomorrow by the Colombo Chief Magistrate on Tuesday (5).

Chief Magistrate Gihan Pilapitiya also ordered the prison authorities to produce Fernando at the Kurunegala Magistrate’s Court at the next hearing.

The Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) summoned the former Minister to record a statement on alleged financial misappropriations in the Lanka Sathosa Ltd, this morning.

Police following two more commission agents !

Tuesday, 05 May 2015

The FCID, investigating financial fraud and corruption in the previous regime, is focussing its attention on two persons, who have so far not been exposed by any media, say FCID sources.

 

They are Dilshan Wickramasinghe, the son of Nishantha Wickramasinghe and the son-in-law of former first lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa, and Prabhath Nanayakkara.

 

Dilshan is permanently residing in Singapore. He was the local agent for the major Chinese projects in Sri Lanka. He was fortunate to get that through his mother-in-law. All the dealings took place in Singapore.

 

The FCID has sought the advice of the attorney general since a jurisdiction problem arises in investigating and prosecuting them.

The Lasting Pain from Vietnam Silence

Scene from the Vietnam War

May 1, 2015

Exclusive: Many reflections on America’s final days in Vietnam miss the point, pondering whether the war could have been won or lamenting the fate of U.S. collaborators left behind. The bigger questions are why did the U.S. go to war and why wasn’t the bloodletting stopped sooner, as ex-CIA analyst Ray McGovern reflects.

By Ray McGovern

Ecclesiastes says there is a time to be silent and a time to speak. The fortieth anniversary of the ugly end of the U.S. adventure in Vietnam is a time to speak – and especially of the squandered opportunities that existed earlier in the war to blow the whistle and stop the killing.

The Lasting Pain From Vietnam Silence by Thavam Ratna

The Islamic State and Hamas Compete for Gaza

BY SIOBHÁN O'GRADY-MAY 4, 2015

For years, Islamic militants have portrayed Israel as the greatest threat to Palestinians on the Gaza Strip. But a weekend mosque attack signals that Palestinians living on the strip may be caught in the crossfire of competing militant factions — both of which call themselves the protectors of Gaza residents.

Palestinian forces operating under Hamas on Sunday reportedly destroyed a mosque allied with the Islamic State. Hamas took seven Salafists hostage in a move the Islamic State said “is going too far.”

If the Islamic State has much of a presence in the Palestinian territories, it has remained relatively quiet over the last year, even as it has bolstered its reach across Syria, Iraq, and more recently, Libya. The extremist group beheaded several Palestinians in Yarmouk refugee camp in Syria last month, spurring a vow of revenge from both the Palestinian Authority and Hamas.

Responding to the mosque attack, militants that claim to be supporters of the Islamic State in Jerusalem said they would give Hamas 72 hours to release the Salafist hostages or face unspecified violent consequences, according to SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors online jihadist messaging.

The Islamic State also sought to tar Hamas’ treatment of Gaza residents. A statement on Twitter said Palestinians in Gaza faced “arrest, torture, murder, and displacement at the hands of Hamas.”

A separate video released by the Islamic State on Monday features a fighter standing over spoils from Yarmouk, saying: “They [Hamas] claim that they protect those people, but by Allah, they have nothing to do with our Muslim people in Palestine.”

By contrast, the Islamic State said its militants have protected Gaza residents from “seas of blood,” according to a SITE translation.

But Hamas, who even founded a six-member singing group called “Protectors of the Homeland” in 2007, consider the Islamic State to be the threat to Gaza’s safety. Hamas has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007.

Some Salafist factions in the Palestinian territories and Gaza have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. In February, a Palestinian journalist was reportedly kidnapped and tortured by a group of militants identifying themselves as members of the Islamic State.

But Palestinian authorities remain wary of how legitimate these allegiances are — despite sightings of Islamic State flags and reports of a limited number of Palestinians traveling to Syria to join the jihadists there.

Sunday’s threat even addressed Palestine’s reluctance to believe in the presence of the Islamic State in Palestine.

“They are wrong and disappointed,” the statement said.

MARCO LONGARI/AFP/Getty Images

Israel 'caused massive and unprecedented harm' in Gaza

TUESDAY 05 MAY 2015

Israeli soldiers fired indiscriminately at Palestinian civilians during the 2014 Gaza conflict, according to a report based on the testimony of dozens of IDF veterans involved in the operation.

A report by the Israeli advocacy group Breaking the Silence describes how Israel Defence Forces (IDF) left swathes of devastation after they invaded Gaza last July in response to Hamas rocket fire.

Sixty veterans spoke to the group, with one tank commander saying: "We were firing purposelessly all day long. Hamas was nowhere to be seen." Breaking the Silence said its findings cast "grave doubt on the IDF's ethics".

The Israeli military has said it tried to prevent civilian casualties in Gaza, but accused Hamas of launching attacks from residential areas.

Some 2,256 Palestinians were killed during the July-August conflict, 1,563 of them civilians, according to UN figures. On the Israeli side, 66 soldiers and five civilians died.

'If you shoot someone, it's cool'

In the report, an infantry sergeant is quoted as saying that, once Israel concluded that civilians had left an area, "there weren't really any rules of engagement". He adds: "The idea was, if you spot something, shoot. If you shoot someone in Gaza, it's cool, no big deal."

Whether Israel did enough to avoid civilian casualties was raised last month by Channel 4 News, which spoke to an Israeli military source who said that once civilians were deemed to have fled, different rules applied (watch video above).

Our reporter Inigo Gilmore asked him: "Was it taken into account that there might be old people or children or sick people in these buildings, and would it be hard for them to leave?" He replied: "No, not at all. Again it was considered to be an area with no citizens at all."

'The best of our capabilities'

Channel 4 News put these accusations to Lt Col Peter Lerner, from the IDF, who defended Israel's evacuations policy. He said: "We made radio announcements. We made phone calls. We made text messages. Individual text messages. And we scattered leaflets. Don't belittle that. Again, that is well beyond the requirements of the law. We went to the best of our capabilities."

On the Breaking the Silence report, Israel questioned the motivation and methodology, with a military spokeswoman saying: "Unfortunately, as in the past, Breaking the Silence has refused to provide the IDF with any proof of their claims. This pattern... indicates that, contrary to their claims, this organisation does not act with the intention of correcting any wrongdoings they allegedly uncovered."

Breaking the Silence, which lists the Swiss foreign ministry and Norwegian embassy among its western donors, said it collected testimony from more than 60 war veterans and called for an external investtigation "that can examine conduct at the highest ranks in the security and political establishments".

'Moral dilemma'

The IDF has launched several internal investigations into the war and argues these are sufficient.

Benny Gantz, Israel's armed forces chief during the Gaza war, defended his troops' conduct as legal and predicted bloodier conflict in the future because of the difficulty of distinguishing between Palestinian fighters and civilians.

"Next time, it will be worse, because Israel has to constantly grapple with the moral dilemma, but we need to protect our country," he said.

In August 2014, Channel 4 News reported on the case of Salem Shamaly, "the man in the green shirt" apparently shot dead by an Israeli sniper in Gaza. The death of the 23-year-old Palestinian was captured on camera and became one of the defining images of the Gaza conflict (watch video above).

An Israeli activist told Inigo Gilmore that he had taken testimony from three IDF soldiers who said they had witnessed the killing. The soldiers told him it was known by Israeli soldiers in the area that he was an unarmed civilian.

India to sign port deal with Iran, ignoring U.S. warning against haste

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on leaving the office to report, film or take pictures in Tehran.A speed boat passes by oil docks at the port of Kalantari in the city of Chabahar, 300km (186 miles) east of the Strait of...

NEW DELHI | BY NIDHI VERMA AND MANOJ KUMAR-Tue May 5, 2015

(Reuters) - India will push ahead this week with plans to build a port in southeast Iran, two sources said, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi keen to develop trade ties with Central Asia and prepared to fend off U.S. pressure not to rush into any deals with Iran.

India and Iran agreed in 2003 to develop a port at Chabahar on the Gulf of Oman, near Iran's border with Pakistan, but the venture has made little progress because of Western sanctions on Iran.

Now, spurred on by Chinese President Xi Jinping's signing of energy and infrastructure agreements with Pakistan worth $46 billion, Modi wants to swiftly sign trade deals with Iran and other Gulf countries.

"Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari will travel on a day-long tour to Iran to sign a memorandum of understanding for development of Chabahar port," a shipping ministry source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. The deal will be signed on Wednesday, he said.

Encouraged by the prospect of a deal between world powers and Tehran by June 30 on Iran's nuclear programme, after which sanctions could be eased, India recently sent a delegation to Iran to scout for trade, energy and infrastructure deals.

The United States cautioned India and others last week against strengthening ties with Iran ahead of a final agreement. But Indian officials said New Delhi could not ignore its national interest and noted a report that a U.S. energy delegation was visiting Iran.

"We don't want to miss this opportunity and will move as expeditiously as possible," the shipping ministry source said. India's cabinet approved the plan to develop Chabahar port last year.

Iran has also proposed a free-trade agreement with India, a trade ministry source said. Rupee-denominated trade with Iran, started in 2012 because of complications arising from sanctions, has almost doubled Indian exports to Tehran in the past two years to $4 billion.

Now Indian exporters want to build on that, using a free-trade zone being developed near Chabahar to export more to the Commonwealth of Independent States, made up of former Soviet Republics, said Mumbai-based Khalid Khan, regional head of the Federation of Indian Export Organisations.

"It will be Modi's gift to Iran and Indian exporters," he said of the port project.

BYPASSING PAKISTAN

India wants to build the port as it would cut transport costs and freight time to Central Asia and the Gulf by about a third.

The port is also central to India's efforts to circumvent Pakistan and open up a route to landlocked Afghanistan where it has developed close security ties and economic interests.

India has already spent about $100 million to construct a 220-km (140-mile) road in western Afghanistan to link up with Chabahar port.

Last week Modi assured Afghan President Ashraf Ghani of India's commitment to building the port.

Chabahar is just along the coast from Gwadar port in Pakistan that is being developed with China's help, said Robin Mills, head of consulting at Dubai-based Manaar Energy. "So there is a strategic element for the Indian side".

Iran could rapidly develop as a destination for global investors if Western sanctions are lifted and Modi wants to fast-track the port project before Tehran has time to rethink.

At the weekend, Iranian media reported that Iran had turned down an Indian request seeking multi-billion-dollar development rights for the Farzad B gas field.

"I think India should try to push ahead and take advantage wherever they can before Iran changes its mind," Mills said.

(Editing by Alan Raybould)

Nepal quake survivors face threat from human traffickers supplying sex trade

Criminal networks using cover of rescue effort to target poor rural communities in country from which an estimated 15,000 girls are trafficked a year, warn NGOs

  
Armed Nepalese police help people in Sindhupalchok district board a helicopter to Kathmandu after last month’s earthquake. Photograph: Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters

Jason Burke in Kathmandu-Tuesday 5 May 2015
Tens of thousands of young women from regions devastated by the earthquake inNepal are being targeted by human traffickers supplying a network of brothels across south Asia, campaigners in Kathmandu and affected areas say.

The Guardian’s Pete Pattisson reports from Barkobot, a Nepalese village hard hit by the earthquake

Nepal Quake Survivors Face Threat From Human Traffickers Supplying Sex Trade by Thavam Ratna

Pressing questions after human trafficking grave found in southern Thailand

Thai rescuers carry a dead body to a hospital in Songkhla province, southern Thailand, Friday. Pic: AP.

By Saksith Saiyasombut & Siam Voices May 05, 2015

Thailand’s military government is facing new pressure following the discovery of a mass grave in the country’s south, where dozens of bodies, presumably victims of human trafficking, were buried. Police have made several arrests linked to the crime and the Thai junta has vowed to take action.

Pressing Questions After Human Trafficking Grave Found in Southern Thailand by Thavam Ratna

Bangladesh probes group suspected in blogger’s death for ties to al-Qaeda

Social activists in Dhaka, Bangladesh’s capital, protest against the killing of an American blogger of Bangladeshi origin, Avijit Roy, who was hacked to death on Feb. 26, 2015. (Munir Uz Zaman/AFP via Getty Images)

By Annie Gowen-May 4

NEW DELHI — Police in Bangladesh said Monday that they are investigating whether a small terrorist group suspected in the hacking death of an American blogger has links to al-Qaeda after a video surfacedover the weekend of an al-Qaeda leader asserting responsibility for the attack.

Asim Umar, the purported leader of al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), posted a video on a jihadist forum claiming responsibility for the deaths of Avijit Roy, a secularist blogger killed in Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, in February, and other “blasphemers” from Bangladesh and Pakistan.

“These assassinations are part of a series of operations initiated on the orders of our respected leader,” Umar reportedly said in the video, referring to al-Qaeda’s Ayman al-Zawahiri. The video was translated and analyzed by the Bethesda, Md.-based Site Intelligence Group.

Analysts in Pakistan and India, as well as some law enforcement officials in Bangladesh, expressed skepticism, theorizing that the claim could be a ploy to gain influence for AQIS, al-Qaeda’s South Asia wing. Zawahiri established the branch in September to counter the rise of other terrorist groups such as the Islamic State and to boost al-Qaeda’s waning influence in South Asia.

[Why al-Qaeda is opening a new wing in South Asia]

Lt. Col. Abdul Kalam Azad, director of intelligence for Bangladesh’s Rapid Action Battalion, said investigators were analyzing the video to determine its authenticity.

“Maybe they are taking a chance to increase [their] popularity,” Azad said. “But, obviously, the video is a new point for us, and we also are taking it very seriously.”

Police in Bangladesh said they suspect that a local group called Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), with about 100 or so “well-educated” active members,was behind Roy’s death.

Police said Roy, a resident of suburban Atlanta who was killed by machete-wielding assailants on Feb. 26 as he was leaving a Dhaka book fair with his wife, was targeted for secularist views he had espoused on a blog and in a book called “The Virus of Faith.” One suspect has been arrested.

After Roy’s death, another blogger from Bangladesh also was hacked to death; two others were attacked by extremists in 2013, and one died.

“So far, our investigation reveals that some members of ABT, they are perpetrators in [the Roy] incident, and we are trying to trace them and apprehend them,” said Monirul Islam, joint commissioner of the detective branch of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police. “We know ABT is the closest relative of al-Qaeda, as they follow their ideology, strategy, tactics, everything.”

Al-Qaeda has had enduring links with Bangladesh, a Muslim-majority country that split from Pakistan in 1971. According to terrorism expert Ajai Sahni, the network’s influence there dates to 1992, when the terrorist group Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami Bangladesh was set up with direct funding from al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

“It is probable that extremist elements in Bangladesh have maintained contacts with al-Qaeda and now with AQIS,” said Sahni, executive director of the Institute for Conflict Management in New Delhi. But, he cautioned, “local groups like ABT would essentially receive ideological direction, rather than operational dictates or target selection, from al-Qaeda and AQIS.”

In recent weeks, AQIS’s leadership has been decimated by drone attacks, including one in January that killed two Western hostages, experts say. Pakistani officials told The Washington Post in April that a key AQIS leader, an American raised in Pakistan, also was killed in that attack.

“My sense is that AQIS at this point is more aspirational than operational,” said Michael Kugelman, senior associate for South and Southeast Asia at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. “It is a formal group with a leadership hierarchy, but it has little to show for in what it has done on the ground.”

AQIS had launched only one high-profile operation — an abortive attempt to take over a Pakistani navy frigate in September. The operation was foiled after an intense firefight between security forces and militants in which several terrorists died.

David Bergman in Dhaka and Shaiq Hussain in Islamabad, Pakistan, contributed to this report.

Read more:

Why an American blogger was hacked to death in Bangladesh

Bangladesh’s political unrest threatens economic gains, democracy

Annie Gowen is The Post’s India bureau chief and has reported for the Post throughout South Asia and the Middle East.

DEA agents jail student 5 days with no food, water; get slap on wrist

Daniel Chong was swept up in a 2012 DEA raid on his friends' house, where he had gone to smoke marijuana.

 (K.C. Alfred / AP)

By TIMOTHY M. PHELPS-May 5, 2015

Federal agents responsible for leaving a 23-year-old UC San Diego engineering student in a holding cell for five days without food or water received only reprimands or short suspensions from the Drug Enforcement Administration, according to the Justice Department.

Daniel Chong was swept up in a 2012 DEA raid on his friends' house, where he had gone to smoke marijuana. After an interrogation, he was told he would be released.

But the agents responsible forgot about him, according to a Department of Justice Office of Inspector General report last summer, leaving him to drink his own urine to stave off dehydration.

The Justice Department, in a letter to members of Congress obtained by the Los Angeles Times, said that “what happened to Mr. Chong is unacceptable” and that “the DEA’s failure to impose significant discipline on these employees further demonstrates the need for a systemic review of DEA’s disciplinary process.”

Chong, who was never charged with a crime, was kept in total isolation with his hands handcuffed behind his back in a windowless cell with no bathroom, calling out periodically for help. Midway through the ordeal someone turned off the light in his cell, leaving him in darkness.

When he was finally discovered he was delirious, with serious respiratory and breathing problems. He was hospitalized for four days, and he and his lawyers said at a news conference last summer that he underwent intensive therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder. The department paid Chong a $4.1-million settlement.

The Inspector General Report said that three DEA agents and a supervisor bore primary responsibility for Chong’s mistreatment and that the DEA San Diego Field Division lacked procedures to keep track of detainees. They were not named in the report.

The Department of Justice letter said that DEA officials forwarded a report on the incident to a disciplinary board, the Board of Professional Conduct, without conducting its own investigation. The board issued four reprimands to DEA agents and a suspension without pay for five days to another. The supervisor in charge at the time was given a seven-day suspension.

This is not the first time that DEA disciplinary procedures have been called into question. Last month House Oversight Committee members expressed outrage that then-DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart had not seriously punished agents involved in sex parties with prostitutes in Colombia. They received suspensions of two to 10 days.

Leonhart, under pressure from the Obama administration, announced her retirement April 22. Former Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. ordered a review of DEA disciplinary procedures.

“The Department of Justice has serious concerns about the adequacy of the discipline that DEA imposed on its employees,” in the Chong case, said Patrick Rodenbush, a Department of Justice spokesman, in a statement.

He said that Department of Justice’s Office of Professional Responsibility “will make recommendations on how to improve the investigative and disciplinary processes for all allegations of misconduct at DEA.”

@timphelpsLAT

How did a 33ft whale end up in the middle of a field in East Yorkshire?

By Daily Mail Reporter UPDATED: 11:58 GMT, 8 December 2014
A young whale died after an exceptionally high equinox tide carried it 800 yards from the shoreline to a salt marsh where it then became stranded.

The 33ft mammal, thought to be a Sei whale, was discovered in marshes on the north bank of the River Humber near the village of Skeffling.

Stranded: The 33ft whale was found beached 800 yards from the shoreline of the Humber Estuary

MYSTERIOUS REMAINS OF A WHALE FOUND IN A FIELD IN HUMBER UK

A dairy farmer from a small town north bank of the River Humber near the village of Skeffling , made an incredible discovery on his property while he was looking for one of his cows that had not returned. 69-year old Michael Woodson, found a 12 meter long humpback whale laying lifeless in the middle of one of his fields, hundreds of kilometers away its natural habitat.

How Did a 33ft Whale End Up in the Middle of a Field in East Yorkshire by Thavam Ratna

6 Possible Symptoms Of Cancer That We Should Never Ignore

Posted by HealthyFood on October 20, 2014

For most cancers, and for most diseases, we hear the same thing – the earlier the disease is detected and properly diagnosed, the greater the chances of curing it completely.

It is very important to learn how to recognize the signs of cancer to be able to protect yourself in time. Sure, certain symptoms may work for some “minor illness”, not necessarily cancer, but it is important to become aware of the possible signs of malignant diseases.

Bloating

Flatulence is certainly not unknown to many women, especially at a time around menstruation. But if it is continued for several weeks, may indicate ovarian cancer.

Other symptoms may include pain in the abdomen and pelvis, a sharp sense of urination and a strong sense of satiety, even when you do not eat.

Nipples change

Besides the navel, which can “show” inward and outward, nipples are still a part of the female body that can “change direction.” If previously showed in, and recently changed direction (whether only one or both), be sure to contact your doctor. Does not necessarily mean that it is breast cancer, but it is good to do the tests!

Unusual bleeding

Bleeding between menstrual period or after the menopause has already occurred, is one of the common symptoms of endometrial cancer, although it’s not necessarily always the case. Unusual bleeding also means bleeding from the rectum, which could mean colon cancer. Blood in the urine, however, can be a sign of cancer of the bladder or kidney.

Increased temperature

The high temperature when you have a cold or flu can be a dangerous sign that must not be ignored. The temperature is a sign of inflammation in the body and cancer on the  lymph glands and leukemia can start with this symptom. Certainly, the increased temperature could be a sign of any disease or inflammation, persistent fever but without accompanying symptoms it should encourage you to go to the doctor.

Unexpected weight loss

Unusual weight loss when not dieting or exercising more than usual, it may be a signal for several health problems. It is about the loss of a few pounds for a period of one month or more days. It is possible to be cancer or hyperthyroidism, which is often the case with women.

Unremitting cough

Unremitting cough lasting for four to eight weeks or longer, can initiate cancer of the lungs, if lacking the presence of a cold, flu or allergy. Cigarettes are an additional factor for increased risk of the disease, so it is desirable to make frequent medical checks if you are smoker.