Greek debt: Merkel dismisses Tsipras's last-ditch compromise plan

German chancellor reiterates stance of no new negotiations with Athens until after Sunday’s referendum on bailout

Angela Merkel’s intervention closes the door on the latest attempt by the Greek PM to extend Greece’s bailout, which expired on Tuesday, leaving it unable to pay its debts. Photograph: Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters

Jennifer Rankin in Brussels-Wednesday 1 July 2015

Germany has dismissed a last-ditch compromise plan from Greece that bowed to some key demands of its creditors.

In an address to the Bundestag, the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, reiterated her stance that there was no point in having talks with the government of Alexis Tsipras before a referendum in Greece on an EU bailout plan.

Greek Debt Merkel Dismisses Tsipras's Last-ditch Compromise Plan by Thavam Ratna

Calling In Against Corruption

A Pakistani official set out to prevent bureaucrats from demanding bribes for providing basic public services. The solution: citizen feedback through mobile phones.

This article is an abridged version of a longer historical case studyproduced by Innovations for Successful Societies, a research program at Princeton University.

BY MOHAMMAD OMAR MASUD-JUNE 30, 2015

In early 2008, an irate government official walked into the office of Zubair Bhatti, the district coordination officer (DCO) of Jhang district, in Pakistan’s Punjab province. The official complained that, when he tried to register his property, the land registry employee had asked him for a bribe. Bhatti immediately conducted a surprise inspection of the district registry and launched a formal corruption investigation into the behavior of the accused employee. But he worried that few of Jhang’s 3.3 million residents were lucky enough to have the DCO intercede on their behalf when facing such demands from bureaucrats.

Calling In Against Corruption.odt by Thavam Ratna

U.S., Cuba restoring diplomatic ties after 54 years

Chief of Mission at the U.S. Interests Section in Havana Jeffrey DeLaurentis (L) talks to Cuba's interim Foreign Minister Marcelino Medina in Havana July 1, 2015.REUTERS/ENRIQUE DE LA OSA

HAVANA/WASHINGTON | BY DANIEL TROTTA AND JEFF MASON-Wed Jul 1, 2015

The United States and Cuba on Wednesday formally agreed to restore diplomatic ties that had been severed for 54 years, fulfilling a pledge made six months ago by the former Cold War enemies.

U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro exchanged letters agreeing to reopen embassies in each other's capitals, with the Cubans saying that could happen as soon as July 20.

"This is a historic step forward in our efforts to normalize relations with the Cuban government and people and begin a new chapter with our neighbors in the Americas," Obama said from the White House Rose Garden.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, speaking from Vienna, said he would visit Havana later this summer to raise the U.S. flag outside the U.S. embassy, currently labeled the U.S. interests section under the protection of the Swiss government.

Obama and Castro seek to relegate to history 56 years of recriminations that have predominated ever since Fidel Castro's rebels overthrew the U.S.-backed government of Fulgencio Batista on Jan. 1, 1959.

"Cuba is encouraged by the reciprocal intention to develop respectful and cooperative relations between our two peoples and governments," Raul Castro, 84, Fidel's younger brother and Cuban president since 2008, wrote in his letter to Obama.

The Cuba deal marks a major achievement for Obama, who has been criticized for foreign policy stumbles, especially in the Middle East. It follows his recent victory in a congressional fight for fast-track authority that could undergird a landmark Asia trade deal and comes as Washington appears to be on the cusp of a nuclear agreement with Iran.

Following 18 months of secret negotiations brokered by Pope Francis and Canada, the two leaders announced separately but simultaneously in December that they planned to reopen embassies in each other's capitals and normalize relations. The agreement also included a prisoner swap.

With diplomatic relations restored, the United States and Cuba will turn to more difficult bilateral problems.

Cuba's Communist government said in a statement that to have normal overall relations, the United States must rescind its comprehensive economic embargo of Cuba and return the naval base at Cuba's Guantanamo Bay, which it has leased since 1903. Cuba wants the 45 square miles (116 square km) restored as its sovereign territory.

Obama, a Democrat, has asked the Republican-controlled Congress to lift the 53-year-old embargo, but the conservative leadership in Congress has resisted.

The Cuban statement said the United States also needed to halt radio and television broadcasts beamed into the country and stop "subversive" programs inside Cuba, which the U.S. says are intended to promote democracy in the one-party state.

Two years after Fidel Castro came to power, President Dwight Eisenhower closed the U.S. embassy in Havana on Jan. 3, 1961, less than three weeks before President-elect John F. Kennedy took office.

By April of that year, Kennedy would authorize the U.S.-organized invasion of Cuba by a force of Cuban exiles. The attack at the Bay of Pigs failed and reinforced Castro's standing at home and abroad.

In October 1962, Washington and Moscow nearly came to nuclear war over Soviet missiles stationed in Cuba.

Ever defiant toward his neighbor just 90 miles (145 km) to the north, Fidel Castro, 88, remained in power until 2008, when he handed off to his younger brother Raul Castro, 84.

(Reporting by Daniel Trotta in Havana and Jeff Mason, Roberta Ramptonm Matt Spetalnick and Lesley Wroughton in Washington; Editing by Doina Chiacu and Lisa Von Ahn)

Everyday sexism: the reality of #Being Female In Nigeria

WEDNESDAY 01 JULY 2015

As Women in Africa's most populous nation use social media to highlight everyday sexism Yomi Adegoke says being a woman in Nigeria is radically different from being a woman from Nigeria.

Everyday Sexism the Reality of #Being Female in Nigeria by Thavam Ratna

How new drugs helping millions of Americans live longer are also making them go broke

Half a million Americans now take $50,000 in prescription drugs per year. Who ultimately pays the cost?

By Ana Swanson-June 30

If you pay for good health insurance, shouldn’t you be able to afford the medicine you need?

For Kristin Agar, a 63-year-old social worker in Little Rock, Ark., this has not been the case.

In 2008, Agar began experiencing strange symptoms. Her feet swelled, her joints ached, a rash appeared on her face, and every night she would get a fever that would disappear in the morning.

How New Drugs Helping Millions of Americans Live Longer Are Also Making Them Go Broke by Thavam Ratna

Ebola Returns To Liberia With A Mysterious Case Near Monrovia

Health workers wash their hands after taking a blood sample from a child to test for the Ebola virus. On Tuesday, the workers tested people in the village outside Monrovia where a 17-year-old boy died of the disease over the weekend.Abbas Dulleh /AP

MICHAELEEN DOUCLEFF-JUNE30,2015

Almost two months after Liberia was declared Ebola-free, the disease has cropped up again — this time in a rural town outside the capital city.

So far, there's only one new case, but health officials are rushing to stop its spread.

Liberia's deputy health minister, Tolbert Nyenswah, said Tuesday that a 17-year-old boy died of Ebola at his home in Nedowein, a village near the country's international airport.

"There is no need to panic. The corpse has been buried, and our contact tracing has started work," Nyenswah told Reuters. Health officials have already started quarantining homes near where the body was found.

But there are a few reasons why the case is worrisome.

First, it's not known where or how the teenager caught Ebola. "There is no known source of infection, and there's no information about him traveling to Guinea or SL [Sierra Leone]," the ministry of health told Science magazine in an email.

Second, health officials didn't know the teenager had Ebola until after he died. So he could have unwittingly spread the disease to his family and caretakers.

Finally, many international aid groups have left Liberia since cases plummeted to zero back in March. The case will test Liberia's ability to stop an outbreak largely on its own.

The World Health Organization declared the country Ebola-free May 9. But neighboring countries Guinea and Sierra Leone are still struggling to stop the virus. Last week, the two countries reported 20 cases total, the WHO said.

Since Ebola erupted in West Africa, there have been 27,443 reported cases, More than 11,000 people have died.

Sri Lanka's War Is Long Over, But Reconciliation Remains Elusive

The Catholic bishop of Mannar, Rayappu Joseph, has been an outspoken critic of military abuses by government forces during the long civil war. "Where are they?" the bishop says of those who are missing. "We want justice."

Mannar, in northern Sri Lanka, is a fishing village where ethnic Tamils live. The country's long civil war ended in 2009, but many in the village say there will not be reconciliation until there's an accounting of the thousands who disappeared during the fighting.Julie McCarthy/NPR

JULIE MCCARTHY

JUNE 29, 2015

Sri Lanka, a palm-fringed island in the Indian Ocean, is in the sixth year of peace. But as the country prepares for elections in August, the legacy of its long civil war still casts a shadow.

Sri Lanka's War is Long Over, But Reconciliation Remains Elusive by Thavam Ratna

Journalists removed from Jaffna public consultation on resettlement
 29 June 2015
Journalists were forced out from a public consultative meeting about resettlement at the Jaffna District Secretariat on Monday.

Despite being invited to a public consultation with Sri Lankan minister for resettlement, D. M. Swaminathan, journalists were told to leave the meeting before discussion began, reportedly at the behest of the Government Agent.

Photograph @mayurappriyan

Although Mr Swaminathan announced that the meeting was to hear the needs of those awaiting or expecting resettlement, his words were directly followed by his staff member ordering journalists to leave the auditorium.

Journalists criticised the conflicting claims made by the organisers, initially that the meeting was a public one to which media had been invited, and then that the meeting was a confidential one with selective participants, including members of the military and former members of parliament.

After ejecting journalists from the auditorium, officials placed the closed doors under police guard.

Photograph @mayurappriyan

GTF asks Tamils to back TNA

By Mirudhula Thambiah-2015-06-30

Global Tamil Forum (GTF) Director Suren Surendiran said his organization urges the Tamil people in Sri Lanka to support the TNA in the upcoming parliamentary elections by casting their votes in toto, also by and large all Sri Lankans to reject chauvinistic forces in the country.

Following are excerpts:

Q: The Sri Lankan Diaspora organizations including the GTF and the BTF are propagated among the Sri Lankan Sinhalese in the South as separatists' forces attempting to divide the country. Also your organization is propagated as agents of imperialist and hegemonic forces against the Sri Lankan Government. What is your position on this propaganda?

GTF Asks Tamils to Back TNA by Thavam Ratna

More than 100,000 persons jobless in Eastern Province

By Ifham Nizam, reporting from Batticaloa-June 30, 2015

More than 100,000 people of the Eastern Province, of some 600,000 persons categorized as the working class, do nothing for a living, which is one of the biggest stumbling blocks to the development of the area, a senior politician said.

However, Eastern Province Chief Minister Naseer Ahamed praised the timely initiative of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and National Geographic Society to develop a comprehensive online guide for tourism attractions and services in the Eastern Province, which he strongly believes would give the province the much needed economic boost.

He stressed that they would go all out to take advantage as a new destination which has tremendous resources and opportunities, with the backing of various stakeholders.

"The objective of this initiative is to promote tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place - its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage and the well-being of its residents and the involvement of local people. This objective augurs well with the tourism development plans of the Eastern Provincial Council and the government of Sri Lanka, he said.

The Chief Minister said that the goal for the Eastern Province is to triple the percentage of total foreign guest nights by 2016 to 4.8 per cent from the current 1.6 per cent and to double the percentage of total domestic visitor nights by 2016 to 10.4 per cent from the current 5.2 per cent.

Ahamed said in alignment with the national goal of a 150 per cent increase in foreign arrivals to 2.5 million by the year 2016 from one million in 2012, the goal for the Eastern Province is further elevated by 150 per cent.

"The first challenge in building tourism arrivals in the Eastern Province is improving perception. To those who have never been there it is assumed to be unsafe. Years of news about conflict and fighting have left an impression that it would not be a safe place to visit.

"A new perception must be created that will motivate domestic and international travelers to consider the Eastern Province as their destination of choice from among other established competitive destinations already available, he said at the launch of the National Geographic Eastern Sri Lanka GeoTourism MapGuide at East Lagoon in Batticaloa.

He added: "Foreign capital inflows are a basic national need that strengthens and stabilizes the markets and finances. Today, we have identified tourism sector as a potent medium to address the social issues such as unemployment and poverty."

Ahamed praised IFC and the National Geographic Society, who have been working tirelessly for the last 18 months to promote the Eastern Province as a tourism destination.

He thanked the European Union for its support for the District Development Programme (EU-SDDP) and the Royal Government of Norway for recognizing and supporting the project financially.

Graeme Harris, Senior Operations Officer, IFC, Meghna Singh, Programme Manager EU-Sri Lanka, Dr. R. Gnanasekar, Geotourism Council Member and S. Giritharan, Additional Government Agent, Batticaloa were also present on the occasion.

Ruki Fernando’s Travel Ban Removed but Gag Order Continue

( Ruki Fernando © s.desshapriya)

30/06/2015 

The travel ban imposed by the former Rajapaksa regime against the Human Rights and civil society activist Ruki Fernando has been removed today the 30th but the media censorship is still reports to be in force.

The travel ban which was imposed in 2014 March by the Terrorist Investigation Department (TID) was lifted after 15months. Following the travel ban Ruki Fernando had to obtain special permission from the courts 14 times to travel overseas. Sometimes he had to appear twice before the courts. Due to this restriction he had to abstain travelling to overseas for Human Rights activities. Sometimes despite court permission the immigration obstructed him from travelling.

In March 16th 2014 Ruki Fernando was arrested following the allege shooting of the director of Peace and Reconciliation Rev. Praveen from Kilinochchi. Later he was baselessly charged for helping the LTTE to reorganize and giving information to the foreign countries. There are reports that the Terrorist Investigation Unit still continue to investigate about Ruki Fernando

– LNW

THE UN CHARTER AT 70: TOWARD A 

SAFER AND SUSTAINABLE FUTURE FOR 

WE THE PEOPLES

Huffington Post (USA)

26 June 2015

By Ban Ki-moon

Long before I became Secretary-General, the United Nations occupied a special place in my life. I was six years old when the Korean War broke out. I have memories of my village in flames as my family sought refuge in nearby mountains. But another sight is even more lasting: the UN flag. We were saved from hunger by UN food relief operations; we received textbooks from UNESCO; and when we wondered whether the outside world cared about our suffering, the troops of many nations sacrificed their lives to restore security and peace.

I know from my childhood, and now from decades of public service, the immense difference the United Nations can make. As we mark the anniversary of the adoption of the Organization's founding Charter on June 26, 1945 in San Francisco, my hope is that the human family will come together with greater determination to work for a safer and more sustainable future for "we, the peoples," in whose name the Charter was drafted.

The United Nations at 70 can look back on a proud record of working with many partners to dismantle colonialism, triumph over apartheid, keep the peace in troubled places and articulate a body of treaties and law to safeguard human rights. Every day, the United Nations feeds the hungry, shelters refugees and vaccinates children against polio and other deadly diseases. Our relief workers brave remote and dangerous environments to deliver humanitarian assistance, and our mediators strive to find common ground between warring parties and peaceful solutions to grievances and disputes. The United Nations was founded to prevent another world war, and it has succeeded in that core mission; despite grave setbacks, the past seven decades would surely have been even bloodier without the United Nations.

Yet we are keenly aware that today's landscape is scarred by conflict, exploitation and despair. At least 59.5 million people have fled their homes - more refugees, displaced persons and asylum-seekers than at any time since the end of the Second World War. Violence against women blights all societies. At a time of pressing human needs, huge amounts of money continue to be squandered on nuclear weapons and other destabilizing military arsenals. The consequences of climate change are ever more apparent - and have only just begun. And although the world said "never again" after the Holocaust, and again after genocides in Rwanda and Srebrenica, we continue to witness atrocious crimes by violent extremists and others.

New powers have emerged since the representatives of 50 nations gathered to draft the Charter, and membership in the Organization has grown to 193. Globalization, urbanization, migration, demographic shifts, technological advances and other seismic developments continue to remake our societies and transform international relations. Yet the Charter's vision of a world of peace, and the values enshrined in the text - dignity, equal rights, tolerance and freedom - remain touchstones for people everywhere.

The 70th anniversary falls in a year of potentially momentous decisions on our common future. Countries are shaping what we hope will be an inspiring new sustainable development agenda and moving towards a meaningful agreement on climate change. Our goal is transformation: we are the first generation that can erase poverty from the earth - and the last that can act to avoid the worst impacts of a warming world.

As the distinctions between the national and the international continue to fall away, challenges faced by one become challenges faced by all, sometimes gradually but often suddenly. With our fates ever more entwined, our future must be one of ever deeper cooperation - nations united by a spirit of global citizenship that lives up to the promise of the Organization's name.

Ban  Ki-moon is the Secretary-General of the United Nations

Sri Lanka's Sirisena 'under strong pressure' for new polls

Jehan Perera is Executive Director of the Colombo-based National Peace Council (NPC) of Sri Lanka.

29.06.2015

President Maithripala Sirisena recently dissolved parliament, paving the way for fresh elections in mid-August. DW speaks to Sri Lankan political analyst Jehan Perera about the reasons behind the move.

Sirisena issued the notice at midnight on Friday, June 26, announcing the election for the 225-member Parliament for August 17, some 10 months ahead of schedule. The new parliament would be convened on September 2, officials said. Sirisena's decision came after PM Ranil Wickremesinghe pressed for elections because the ruling United National Party (UNP) lacked sufficient majority to pass reforms.

Sri Lanka's Sirisena 'Under Strong Pressure' for New Polls by Thavam Ratna

Present, Past Presidents & Care Taker Prime Minister

By Sinnathamby Sivanandan –June 30, 2015

Sinnathamby Sivanandan

On 22-6-15 I listened to the “Daily Politics” program of “Sirasa” conducted by TV Presenter Chamika Roshan, political analysts interviewed were Kingsley Senanayake and Sanjeeva Ranatunge both are veterans in current political developments. It sounded very interesting to me the manner in which the Roshan handled it and how it was dissected and disseminated by the analysts.

The topic they delved into was about the past and present Presidents based on media headlines.

Ranil is not like Ceaser’s wife above all suspicion as he had installed “Mustang” Machangs in key positions and is alleged to cover their corrupt deals, some loyal Royal friends had let him down.

One report was a country should have only one leader which came out from the mouth of the present President addressing the party members. Prehaps everyone is aware there had been a revolt within the blues which was a bolt from the blue that resulted in the leadership crisis within the Darley Road darlings much to the embarrassment of the party members. The split within the party has caused a fissure and in fighting. Who created this wedge and all conspiracy theories had been analyzed in depth by analysts and skeptics with their views aired and in print. All the prudent citizens from layman to learned would have formed their own conviction and judgement.

The other report came out from former President “Ranil Langa Mada Desaplanaya Nai” in English no mud politics with Ranil. This gave me a little bit of thought in a humourous vein in my own thinking. The mud politics was started by UNP in 1977. The 1977 elections marked the defeat of the SLFP and the re-emergence of UNP. The magnitude of the victory far exceeded even the optimistic projections of its supporters. The total ellimiation of Marxists parties wholesale was a development that was least expected. The land slide victory after the mud slinging campaign with a steam-roller majority was the beginning of JRJ’s autocratic all powerful regime, usurped surplus power and went to the extent of stripping former Prime Minister Madam Srimavo’s civic right to restoring same.

This was the time UNP got muddled in mud in politics. JRJ was inundated in votes with his mammoth support base. The Mahout led the Siri Kotha elephants in style. The elephants were all well tamed and trained to sign undated letters of resignation, rebels were unheard in the herd and jumbos simply followed the unbowed unafraid leader.

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Dissolution of Parliament due to President’s commitment to reform 

By Jehan Perera-June 29, 2015

In their public statements those in the political firmament close to the president spoke with confidence that the dissolution of parliament was still far off. Some even said that parliament would only be dissolved next year nearer to the April 2016 deadline for the term of parliament to end. But the long anticipated dissolution of parliament finally took place last Friday. It ended weeks of uncertainty that saw financial markets plunge, economic investments being put on hold and the slowing down of investigations into the alleged acts of corruption and violations of law by members of the former government. But still when it happened, the dissolution of parliament took even the president’s close associates by surprise if anecdotal evidence is to be believed.

The sequence of events shows that President Maithripala Sirisena took the decision to dissolve parliament after it became evident that his desire to see the 20th Amendment obtain the approval of parliament was not going to materialise. The ethnic minority parties took umbrage that the 20thAmendment did not take their concerns into account. It was the ethnic minority vote that enabled the president to defeat his opponent who had sought to win the elections on tide of ethnic majority nationalism. President Sirisena acted according to his publicly stated view that Sri Lanka is a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country, which means that the consent of the ethnic and religious minorities too is necessary when fundamental change is being contemplated.

However, it is also significant that the president decided to dissolve parliament after a secret meeting that is reported to have taken place with former president Mahinda Rajapaksa. The former president has been projecting himself as the opposition leader best suited to win the votes of the ethnic majority and thereby lead the opposition to victory at the general elections. On the other hand, the president has made it clear that he would not permit the former president to contest the general elections from within the SLFP or the larger UPFA alliance, both of which the president heads by virtue of being president of the country. It is likely that the failure of these secret talks propelled the president’s decision to dissolve parliament.

SENSITIVE ISSUES

In deciding to hold early general elections rather than seek to work in tandem with the former president, President Sirisena has shown that he will stick to his promise of good governance. The president’s willingness to give priority to good governance over partisan interests in power is a testament to his statesmanship. The early dissolution of Parliament due to the political deadlock between the government and opposition means that most of the unresolved issues that existed prior to the presidential election continue to be relevant, such as the need for a Freedom of Information Act which was one of the casualties of the government’s lack of a parliamentary majority. In addition, the main conflict that Sri Lanka has grappled with since its independence, the ethnic conflict, remains unresolved.

The brief lived UNP-led government gave an indication of the progress that is possible in taking the country in a new direction in terms of conflict transformation. In particular, the lifting of the fear psychosis that held society in thrall and the steps towards the reintegration of the ethnic and religious minorities into the mainstream of society were virtually instantaneous, due to the shift in the policy and outlook of the new president and the government. They have publicly acknowledged the multi ethnic and multi religious nature of the polity and the value of adhering to internationally recognised systems of good governance.

Election campaigns provide the greatest opportunity for public education. It is necessary that the political leaders who seek genuine change in the country should address the key issues that Sri Lanka as a country needs to resolve. These are the issues of a just political solution to the ethnic conflict and the dealing with the problems of accountability for war time violations of people’s rights. These are sensitive issues and for that reason the resolution of these problems must be done in consultation with the people and not by ignoring or bypassing them. But the tendency of politicians who are contesting elections is to play safe and not address controversial issues. As the president is not contesting the elections himself, he can be the great educator so that controversial solutions are not sprung on the people after the elections.

ELECTION PLEDGE

At the presidential election held in January, the president promised to change the system of governance and to ensure that the type of massive corruption and abuse of power that took place during the previous government would not be permitted to continue. Indeed, the president’s commitment to reform was evident when he reduced his own powers of presidency by championing the passage of the 19th Amendment. However, if the president were to have agreed to make the former president whom he accused of massive corruption and abuse of power, to contest as the champion of either the SLFP or UPFA as demanded by the former president and his supporters, it would mean the end of any sort of accountability for the crimes and abuses of the past.

The lack of effective action in recent days against those accused of massive corruption and abuse of power by the law enforcement agencies is likely to have been caused in part by the growing concern about the stability of the government. The police and bribery investigators need to feel confident that those they are prosecuting today do not become their bosses tomorrow. They also need to know that those who are in positions of political power today will be there to protect them tomorrow. The refusal of parliament to appoint the Constitutional Council which is the body vested with authority to select the members of the Bribery Commission, would also be a reason for the lack of action to bring those accused of financial crimes to justice.

A later dissolution of parliament would also have been decidedly unfavourable to the UNP which has been heading a minority government for the past six months. The government was giving an increasing impression of being impotent. The shock defeat that it experienced in parliament when it sought to increase the limits of government borrowing in April, seemed to have made it lose confidence in taking more difficult legislation before parliament. The right to information act got stalled and did not pass. The uncomfortable logic that the government had to face was that the opposition in parliament was several times larger than itself, and had long ceased to cooperate with it. The strengthening of the pro-Rajapaksa faction within the SLFP made it difficult for the government to pass legislation in parliament. It therefore appears that the dissolution of parliament was done to to stop the strengthening of the regressive element within the SLFP.