Govt urged to put ‘the right people in the right place along with the right system’

By Hiran H.Senewiratne-December 18, 2015, 5:53 pm 

The 2016 budget does not tally with the economic policy statement laid out by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe recently and the government needs to start putting the "right people in the right place along with the right system," to genuinely implement reforms to put the country in order, internationally renowned economist Prof. Razeen Sally said.

 "Sri Lanka's high exposure to external debt has widened her current account and fiscal deficits, resulting in a weak currency that is vulnerable in a climate where international money is becoming more expensive, Prof Sally said at a forum organized by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce on Thursday under the theme "Global Economy and Sri Lanka – What Can We Expect in 2016?"

Sally, an Associate Professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore said the budget of the previous regime dealt poorly in terms of fiscal and monetary policies.

He said as the interest rates continue to rise in the US and other parts of the world the "debt funded growth spree based on consumption and imports and public investment is no longer tenable for Sri Lanka.

"A worsening economic climate is the familiar story for Sri Lanka, which crafts very unbalanced macroeconomic policies and the chances are that this climate is going to get considerably worse in 2016, he said.

Sally also said IMF funds may become necessary as the money flow tightens. But the previous government acted irresponsibly.Expecting to be bailed out by the IMF is an issue for this government, he said.

Further,the last budget probably makes it more difficult, as the government clearly lacks credibility in the eyes of the IMF, the Ministry of Finance in particular. "Therefore, an efficient Finance Minister for the country is the need of the hour,Sally said.

"Consider the previous IMF standby agreement, which was clearly political. It was given under easy conditions, the government pretended it was reforming and the IMF pretended this was so. But it postponed the problem. The main message is that the problem has to be resolved at home. You cannot expect the IMF to come and sort out Sri Lanka’s problems, he said.

Prof Sally said that Sri Lanka would benefit from lower fuel prices but at the same time other commodity prices have weakened; non-oil commodity prices have fallen by about 17 percent and that has affected the plantation industry.

"So the currency is good from the export side but not so when it comes to foreign debt, especially when denominated in dollars, he added.

Sally also said the country needs a comprehensive tax reform in a fair and transparent way and concurrently expenditure reform, to put government expenditure on a sustainable footing as a first step to reducing debt.

"The government needs to get more serious and aside from China and India the really big prize is Europe and US. So the government should consider trade agreements with both, he said.

Sri Lanka would benefit from joining the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) because it would bring significant export markets and push the government towards key reforms that are needed anyway, he explained.

Deputy Governor, Central Bank of Sri Lanka Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe said that Sri Lanka's recent revisions on the budget have made it further difficult to bridge the budget deficit.

He said that despite all odds Sri Lanka will be able to register a 7 percent plus economic growth in the next year, as the IMF and the Central Bank have predicted.

Election Bribes, Budget Reversals & Trade Unions

By Rajeewa Jayaweera –December 20, 2015

Rajeewa Jayaweera

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe managed to avert a major strike action, almost a general strike by several Trade Unions at the last minute by agreeing to reverse some budget proposals. The Sirisena-Wickremesinghe administration deserves a Pass mark for averting a strike by a large number of Public and Private sector employees at this juncture, and an A* for getting itself into a situation which could have brought about a virtual general strike, after being in office for less than four months. Never before has a government faced the threat of being derailed after being in office for such a short period.

Election bribes offered in the run up to the Presidential elections included Health Care and Education allocations to be raised to 3% and 6% of GDPrespectively which is to be applauded. Other key concessions promised were a monthly salary increase of Rs 10,000 for 1.3 mil Government Servants, a monthly increase of Rs 1,000 for over half a million Pensioners, a 200% increase in Samurdhi payments, a Rs 20,000 payment to pregnant mothers, 50% waiver on agricultural loans up to Rs 100,000, reduction of prices of in Petrol, Diesel, Kerosene, Gas and 13 food items, guaranteed price levels for Paddy, Potatoes, Tea Green Leaf, Rubber, Fresh Milk and concessions for city dwellers requiring relocation. Missing from the equation was the manner in which all these goodies were to be financed.

Now that both Presidential and Parliamentary elections are over, the 100 day Program which lasted 221 days is history, and most of promised election bribes granted, it is payback time. It is time to balance the books. President Rajapaksa’s offer of an electoral bribe of a salary hike of Rs 5,000 to every Public Servant was downright irresponsible. The promise to double the electoral bribe to Rs 10,000 by his opponent was doubly irresponsible. The key objective of both candidates was retention of the Presidency by one and ascendency to the Presidency by the other. Neither cared a tuppence for the additional burden to the Treasury or how required funds, to make good the promise would be found. The lack of foresight, vision and clarity of the manner in which the electoral bribe was announced and introduced caused Public Servants to demand it now be added to their basic pay. Agreeing to this demand will result in the actual increase amounting to more than Rs 10,000 besides salary anomalies amongst some categories requiring further increases when addressing the issue. The increase of the Emission Tax which is payable annually from Rs 1,100 by 450% to Rs 5,000 makes one wonder about the sanity of those who prepared the budget. Did they honestly consider how they propose to sell such an increase to the public? Firstly, an annual increase in tax / levy of Rs 3,900 on vehicle owners applied across the board for small, medium and large vehicles alike, affecting a large percentage of the public was a non-starter. Secondly, a government needs to carefully evaluate their ability to implement budgetary proposals. Caving in when faced with opposition weakens the government’s hand, besides sending all the wrong signals. The signs are that this administration would not resort to the methods practiced by the Rajapaksa administration to stifle public opposition. Prime Minister Wickremesinghe accommodating the demands of Unions could be interpreted as a sign of weakness and encourage strike action for unjustifiable reasons in the future.

                                                               Read More

Navy hands over Avant Garde business to Singapore and Malaysia : Whither Rajitha and Anura’s stinking patriotism ?

-Navy loses Rs. 90 million foreign exchange after taking over

(Lanka-e-News -18.Dec.2015, 9.50AM)  From the very outset Lanka e news had been exposing that the handing over of Avant Garde Co. to the Navy is a camouflage in order to cover the  evil design of Kili-Rajitha-Arjuna team to take over this most lucrative business of providing security to international commercial vessels . Recently , the statement made by defense secretary in this regard confirmed our report  ; and now the Navy Commander himself has let the cat out of the bag .

On 6 th December the defense secretary revealed to a daily Sinhala newspaper that this acquisition of Avant Garde by the Navy is a transitional phase before transferring the business to another Co.

The Navy Commander Vice Admiral Raveendra Wijeguneratne has told a daily newspaper day before yesterday (16) ,after the acquisition of Avant Garde by the Navy ,two Singaporean and Malaysian Companies have made a request to carry out the operations in the same way as Avant Garde Co. from the Galle Port, and the representatives of these companies are arriving in Sri Lanka (SL) in January 2016 to hold discussions in this regard.

The perplexing questions  is ,why is this  most lucratve business  going to be handed over  to foreign companies ?

Meanwhile the media reported quoting the Navy that after the Avant Garde Co. was acquired a monthly income of Rs. 220 million last month was generated by the Navy.While the Navy reveals its income of Rs. 220 million , it does not however reveal the earnings of Avant Grade Co. prior to that.When Lanka e news inquired into this , it wa discovered that every month Avant Garde Co. has earned an income of Rs. 310 million .These monies came into the country as foreign exchange. In other words the Navy has now  incurred a loss of Rs. 90 million ! meaning that the Navy has destroyed part of the foreign exchange that was coming into the country. 

While this is the true picture , minister Rajitha Senaratne and Killi Maharaja duo ( mind you , it is Anura Dissanayake the blind ‘Batriot’ who is speaking on behalf of Maharaja) moving heaven and earth clandestinely to take over this business were  unendingly uttering lies  till their tongues ran dry and protruded out, that the acquisition of the Co. by the Navy is a most patriotic move as all the earnings are now being diverted to the country’s coffers.

Going by the same token , based on what Navy Commander revealed day before yesterday , won’t these earnings be diverted to the Singaporean and Malaysian Companies if the Avant Garde operations are given over to them ?

Following inquiries made by Lanka e news , it is now discovered  , since Lanka  e news was continuing to expose the murky and crafty plots of Kili-Rajitha-Arjuna to acquire the business , and because this atrocious  plan has become known widely , they are now trying to take over this business after registering companies in Singapore and Malaysia, while painting a false picture that these are foreign companies.

No matter what , the crucial question is , how did the Singaporean and Malaysian  companies suddenly become more trustworthy in terms of national security than the local Co? 

When over 6000 workers were thrown out of employment ; the monies flowing into the country are going to be  diverted to foreign countries ; and much hyped national security concern is being cast into the garbage bin , the question that must be posed in this context to these so called cardboard patriots Rajitha and Anura Dissanayake is , whether their stinking festering ‘patriotic boil’ is now cured , or is it still boiling over with  all its uncontrollable stench?

If it is otherwise , it is the duty of these two vacuous bankrupt politicians to tell before the people whether the Navy Commander the ‘hero’ and the Defense secretary the ‘zero’ are lying.  The leaders of civil organizations and trade unions who were also blabbering without understanding the hidden self centered evil  aims and agendas of these scoundrels while also believing their  profusion of lies have one solution left -to defecate in their own pants all the lies they eagerly fed upon.

When the media that exposes the truth reveals the crooked and corrupt aims and activities of these rascals , the latter tried to gag the media by making counter accusations that those media personnel have taken  bribes from Avant Garde Co.

 With evidence it has been proved that Rajitha has taken Rs. 5 million from Avant Garde Co.  In order to halt those exposures , he counter alleges that the media had taken bribes from the Avant Garde Co.(Media personnel are not appointed on the votes of the people is another matter ) and  threats are made that the list of bribe takers of the media will be exposed ,but  nothing has been  revealed so far  . However unlike them who make empty threats , this report on the other hand has revealed clearly and cogently the true murky activities and sordid  selfish self seeking traitorous aims of these crooked, corrupt ,bankrupt  politicos and bribe takers. 

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by     (2015-12-18 04:32:20)

UK to support Lanka to combat bribery and corruption

December 19, 2015

The British Government is committed to spending over LKR 15 million to support the Sri Lankan government in its determination to combat bribery and corruption, Deputy High Commissioner to Sri Lanka and the Maldives Laura Davies says.

“Over the next three years, the British Government is committed to spending over LKR 15 million (or around three quarters of a million pounds sterling) to support the Sri Lankan government in its determination to combat bribery and corruption. This will mostly be in the form of continued capacity building and training for all the professional branches involved in anti-corruption work. Partnership is essential, and we’re working very closely with the USA and Australia, as well as with the Swiss, who also sponsored last week’s march,” Davies said in a recent blog post.

“When the new Sri Lankan Government asked the international community for assistance in tackling corruption earlier this year, the UK was one of the first to offer practical support. The UK Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has sent a senior investigator to Colombo: Sri Lanka is the first country in the world to which the Serious Fraud Office has seconded an officer in this way,” she added.

Millions allocated for the comfort of a single officer in the army

Dec 19, 2015

Information reaching us confirm that the commander of the Sri Lanka army engineering force colonel cum the officer of the volunteer force commander has reserved millions of funds belong to the army and the latter is in the process of procuring luxury households without the information of the army commander, chief of staff or the deputy chief of staff of the army to renovate the hostel and his office.

The basic facilities needed for the soldiers in the army have not been fulfilled yet. Under the guidance of the former army commander and the current army commander the facilities needed for the army are fulfilled in slow pace with the limited funds given by the government. Beds, mattresses and pillows needed for the soldiers are being supplied regularly.
 
In the past many officers who were appointed to the army commander or the chief of staff position has borne the volunteer force commander position. Field Marshall Sarath Fonseka can be named as one of the fine examples.  Those officers more than looking in to their comforts and luxury they were looking onto the comforts of the officers and soldiers working under them. Already when there is a surpassing comfort currently available in the office and in the hostel premises a question is raised why a priority is given to buy such luxury items.
 
This officer who has been in and around Colombo in most of his service tenure is quite famous for trailing behind luxury livings. This person who is inexperienced in operational duty has kept no significant coordination with soldiers in the battle front during the war.
 
Most of the time, the latter has kept a considerable distance with the junior officers and soldiers. The annual budget allocated by the government should be evenly distributed for the army. If there would be few officers like this, the junior officers and soldiers have to face serious difficulties in the future. Officers like this who are dreaming to become deputy chief of staff, chief of staff or the army commander in the future suddenly be appointed to such positions it would be unimaginable to think about the fate of the junior officers and the soldiers who would be working under him.

Mathri saluted by the forces for clipping the wings of MR’s security contingent..!

President urged to probe how MR’s security personnel became millionaires

(Lanka-e-News -17.Dec.2015, 3.30PM)  The decision taken by president Maithripala Sirisena to withdraw the 500 army security personnel contingent provided to ex president Mahinda Rajapakse and replace with 130 STF police personnel  , has been warmly welcomed by a majority in the army , based on reports reaching Lanka e news inside information division.

It was the decision of the president as the defense minister  and the government  that the army is there in a country to provide national security and not for individual security of politicians. Hence , no politico shall be provided with army security personnel , and only police security detail shall be given to them ,   it was concluded.  Indeed , in the world it is the police personnel who are specally trained to provide security to VIPs ,and not the members of the forces. 

In addition to the 130 police security personnel , if there is need for more ,  an evaluation  report of the National security council is necessary , the president has decided. 

High rung officers of the forces expressing their  views on this to Lanka e news inside information division said, the low rung officers of the Mahinda Rajapakse security contingent have become informants regarding the ‘Rajapakse evil power’  to the army commander.

The officers who were with Mahinda Rajapakse for nearly nine years , while they were in Rajapakse ‘s  security contingent had amassed wealth and become millionaires through various concessions and benefits exploiting their positions . Some have become owners of tourist hotels , while a great majority are businessmen now. Hence , a request has been made to president Maithripala Sirisena , as the defense minister  to immediately conduct a probe into their assets as they could not have accumulated  this colossal wealth from their salary earnings.

Moreover, the  armed forces that were in the security contnegent of ex president Mahinda Rajapakse using their influence and power had committed various crimes including murders, plunder , robberies , extortions and  rapes with impunity . In the circumstances , the high rung officers who spoke to Lanka e news , had urged the president to launch an investigation into this promptly.

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by     (2015-12-17 10:18:46)

Video: Weerawansa’s party members were paid salaries from state

SATURDAY, 19 DECEMBER 2015

Wimal Weerawansa, who was the Minister of Housing in former Mahinda Rajapaksa regime, paid salaries to the members of the central committee of his political party and for this he had created new posts in the Ministry.

This was revealed in Parliament on the 16th by the JVP Parliamentarian Bimal Rathnayaka when he participated in the committee stage of the budget for 2016.

Mr. Bimal Rathnayaka revealed that despite new positions were created for the members of Wimal Weerawansa’s party, they did not serve in any site or an office but engaged in illegal party politics drawing salaries from the government.

Mr. Rathnayaka also expressed his dismay at the lethargic attitude of the present Minister Sajith Premadasa regarding the matter.

Vehicle permits; Complaint lodge with FCID

2015-12-19
The All Ceylon Customs Services Union (ACCSU) yesterday complained to the Financial Crime Investigation Division (FCID) about a Rs.1 billion fraud on vehicles imported on permit. 

It said the fraud had taken place at the Customs when it released vehicles imported on permits and thus evading taxes. 

ACCSU General Secretary J.A. Gunathilake alleged that this racket had been carried out by a several finance companies and individuals when importing luxury vehicles such as BMWs from Japan valued at more than US$75,000 USDs using vehicle permits given to state sector employees. 

“The permit only allows an employee to import a vehicle valued at less than US$35,000. Most of our state employees don’t have the funds to import a vehicle even on a permit. Therefore, some companies purchase these permits for a lesser amount and use the permits to import luxury vehicles,” he said. 

Mr. Gunathilake said these companies also receive a concession on the declared a value of less than US$35,000 when importing the vehicles. He said the companies pay about Rs.1.6 million to the Customs instead of the actual taxes that needed to be paid. 

“These underhand tactics result in the government losing billions of rupees as Government revenue. The then president and finance minister Mahinda Rajapaksa gave a ruling that anyone can import vehicles from the permits given to state employees. Recently, the finance companies which imported vehicles on permits had influenced Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayke through a ministry secretary to get their imported vehicles released evading customs levies,” Mr. Gunathilake said adding that the Customs Director General had taken measures to release such vehicles on the minster’s orders. 

He said they had complained to the President, Prime Minister and the Finance Minister but there had been no response from them. “This is why we came to the FCID,” he said. (Lahiru Pothmulla) 

Ravi K’s Brothers-In-Law Here, There And Everywhere

December 19, 2015

Nepotism a la the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe combine continues to flourish and expand with the latest example being the brother-in-law of Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake being appointed as Chairman, Development Lotteries Board, an institution that comes under the direct supervision of Karunanayake.

Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake

This is not a first for Karunanayake however. He shows a penchant for appointing brothers-in-law to top government positions. Earlier he appointed brother-in-law Bangsa Jayah, a former Police Sergeant as the Managing Director of Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation (SLIC). By way of giving credence to this gross abuse of position, Karunanayake said that SLIC, under Jayah, had shown significant growth in revenue since January 2015.

Turning accepted management wisdom on its head, Karunanayake told Lanka Business Online, “it’s better to appoint a go getter rather than an inefficient professional” before trotting out the aforesaid growth numbers.

Subsequently however Karunanayake’s attempt to appoint another brother-in-law and school mate at Royal College, Gihan Malalasekara, to the post of Sales Manager Sri Lankan Airlines (UK), hit a road block.

Colombo Telegraph earlier exposed the crafty maneuvers to slot Malalasekera into this lucrative role within the national carrier Sri Lankan Airlines in UK.

Malasekara’s wife Rosie tried to resurrect her hubby’s chances by posting in social media a virtual character certificate of the would-be Sales Manager which included emotional salutations of his virtues as a husband, father, sportsman and human being. She drew more flak than sympathy from other Colombo Telegraph commentators.

Undeterred by all this, Karunanayake appointed Romesh Jayawardena, the ‘step brother’ of his wife Melarine, as Chairman, Development Lotteries Board.

Romesh Jayawardena’s father Mana Jayawardena, it is reliably learnt, was married to the Finance Minister Karunanayake’s wife Melarine’s mother even as he was courting her.Read More

Sri Lanka mulls special zone for Chinese investment

Dec 19, 2015

Sri Lankan is considering a special zone in the southern part for Chinese investors as China looks to expand its investment in the island nation, a top official said.

Chairman of the Board of Investments (BoI) Upul Jayasuriya said the government had decided to set up the zone in the southern town of Hambantota.

Sri Lanka has already conveyed its decision to China and is now awaiting a response.

“The government has decided that we will open the gates for the Chinese to make their investment particularly at the moment as it is in Hambantota. “ Jayasuriya has told the Xinhua news agency.

According to the BoI chairman, Hambantota is a city which already has a harbor and an international airport. “So we feel that is a suitable venue for the Chinese investment to come up,” he said.

“This is the correct time for China to come here as whatever is available at very cheap, cost effective prices,” said Jayasuriya. “Not only the labor rate, but the salaries and the cost of doing business here are much cheaper than the entire region. So I hope the Chinese investors will make use of this opportunity.”

China has been Sri Lanka’s biggest contributor of foreign direct investment with over 400 million U.S. dollars in 2014, according to statistics from the Central Bank.

Over the past five years, a large number of Sri Lanka’s infrastructure and real estate projects have been developed by China and the government of President Maithripala Sirisena is now eager to attract more direct investment from China.

“Sri Lanka-China relations are right now at its peak,” Jayasuriya said. “The BoI has been working with many Chinese investors and in the recent past there has been a lot of Chinese interest in Sri Lanka.”

“We look forward to working with them,” he said.

The Colombo Port City, one of the mega projects funded by China which was suspended by the Sirisena government in March, has received clearance and will resume construction early next year.

Jayasuriya said the Port City will be a face-lifting project for Colombo.

“I can assure with confidence that the Port City will recommence its operation before March,” he said. “This project will also add a lot of color and tourist attractions and the entire world will be looking at it as this will be the first ever of its kind in the recent past.”

Sri Lanka is now being labelled as an investor friendly nation as the constitution guarantees that no investment is liable to be taken off by the government, particularly countries that have investment protection agreements with the island nation.

The government is now working to further strengthen the constitutional clauses in a positive manner, enabling more investors to come in, Jayasuriya said.

China is one of the countries that has signed the investment protection agreement with Sri Lanka.

Furthermore, Jayasuriya said any investor who is willing to invest more than 14 million U.S. dollars could buy and own properties in the country and for investors who require land on a lease-hold basis, the special tax would been reduced from 15 percent to 1 percent.

“This is the same that is expected by any local investor when they lease out land. These two major obstacles have now been removed.”

The BoI has signed agreements for foreign direct investment of 1.6 billion U.S. dollars so far this year. The agency said improved facilitation under the new government which is committed to speeding up project approvals and eliminating delays had yielded high value projects.

The Sri Lankan government is also aiming to attract more investment from countries in the region, such as India and Pakistan.

-Agincies

Big lies about boycotting Israel in Canada

Yves Engler-18 December 2015

The big lie is a propaganda technique generally employed when telling the truth would be unfavorable to your side. It goes like this: never admit doing any wrong and instead always insist on a story that portrays your side as the good guys. What really happened is irrelevant. The key is repetition. Do it often enough and loudly enough until most people believe you.

Big Lies About Boycotting Israel in Canada by Thavam Ratna

Leadership of hardline Jews linked to Duma arson attack all have dual citizenship

'The Revolt' has called for the destruction of the State of Israel and the creation of a Jewish theocratic kingdom 

Meir Ettinger stands at the Israeli justice court in Nazareth Illit (AFP) 

Saturday 19 December 2015

At least three of those detained under administration as part of “The Revolt” Zionist ultra-nationalist group linked to a fatal arson attack in the West Bank have dual citizenship.

An editorial in the Australian newspaper Sydney Morning Herald highlighted the plight of Israeli-Australian citizen Evyatar Slonim, one of the first Jews in Israel and the Palestinian territories to be detained under Israeli administrative detention laws.

It also stated that Slonim was a relative of Moshe Feiglin, the controversial former Likud deputy speaker of the Knesset, who was banned from the UK in 2008 after the then Home Secretary Jacqui Smith alleged his presence would “foster hatred".

The Revolt first came to public prominence after members were arrested following the arson attack on a house in the West Bank town of Duma which led to the death of 18-month old Ali Dawabshe and his parents.

Though the three named members are not apparently being charged with direct involvement in the firebombing, they are still being kept in detention. A further three Israeli Jews are also being held in detention accused of direct involvement but cannot be named due to a court-imposed gag order.

Slonim had also previously been arrested on suspicion of setting fire to a home in the West Bank town of Khirbet Abu Falah in November 2014.

A memory stick found by members of the Israeli Shin Bet secret service revealed instructions for carrying out arson attacks on Palestinian residences.

"We prefer to use firebombs with our friends so provide yourself with: a molotov cocktail, preferably a litre-and-a-half, lighter, gloves, masks, metal bar/hammer, bag to carry all those," the manual reads.

"Come to the village and there look for a home with an open door or open window without bars … Simply breaking a glass door or window ... turn on the fire bomb and throw it in.”

The highest-profile member of the group is Meir Ettinger, primarily due to his being the grandson of the notorious ultra-Zionist rabbi Meir Kahane.

Slonim, Ettinger and another American-Israeli, Mordechai Meyer, all hold two passports and are currently being kept in administrative detention. They met with their attorneys for the first time on Wednesday night. 

Meir Kahane and his followers, who are known as Kahanists, advocated compulsory expulsion of Palestinians from Israel and the creation of a theocratic Greater Israel based on Halakah (Jewish religious legislation.)

Kahane founded the Kach party in 1971 to promote his ideas, but the organisation was banned in 1994 after one of its followers, Baruch Goldstein, massacred 29 Palestinians in the Ibrahimi Mosque (known to Jews as the Cave of the Patriarchs) in Hebron.

Though Revolt follows the Kahanist tradition, it stand out from other hardline Zionist groups by its opposition to the State of Israel, at least as it currently exists.

Their purported aim is the violent overthrow of the current Israeli state – formed as they see it by secularists – and its replacement by a Judaic kingdom, in which the Al-Aqsa Mosque would be destroyed and replaced by the Third Temple and Christian and Islamic influences driven out of the land.

"The state of Israel has many weak points, topics which you walk on the edge of a tightrope in order not to cause a disturbance,” wrote Ettinger, in a manifesto called "The Kingdom of Evil".

“What we will do is simply ignite all those barrels of explosives, all the questions and the contradictions between Judaism and democracy, between Judaism and secularism, and not be afraid of the results.”

Lawyers for Ettinger have previously stated that his detention was designed to throw a bone to an angry public and that there was nothing to link the group to the attack in Duma.

“This is a populist measure that shows the helplessness of the police after Duma and is meant to satisfy public opinion,” said Itzhak Bam, who represents Mordechai Meyer.

Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon said on Tuesday that there was "not enough evidence" to detain or prosecute the suspects in the arson attack.

Yaalon told Army Radio that the July attack in the West Bank was "clearly a Jewish attack that I am ashamed of" and said his ministry knew who was behind the killings but that they simply did not have enough evidence to take the case to trial. 

According to Israeli Haaretz on Monday, the deputy attorney general for criminal law told a Knesset committee that "extraordinary measures" were used when the three suspects were interrogated. 

“This is not the first time that a statement like this comes from the Defence Ministry, and we are sure they have known from the beginning who set fire to the house,” Nasir Dawabsha, a relative, told Middle East Eye.

“Half-an-hour after the news broke, the Israeli media declared that it was Jewish terrorism, and they knew who was involved and they investigated that. We don’t have any trust in the Israeli justice system any more – neither the courts, nor the army.”

- See more at: http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/suspects-duma-arson-attack-all-have-dual-citizenship-663467810#sthash.Pf1wzz4D.dpuf

In the war against sexual assault, the Army 

keeps shooting itself in the foot

By Craig Whitlock-December 19

The Army has been embarrassed by the actions of several soldiers assigned to key roles in its campaign against sexual misconduct. From left, Lt. Col. Michael D. Kepner II, a former deputy brigade commander at Fort Stewart, Ga.; Maj. Gen. William H. Gerety, former head of the 80th Training Command; and Col. Morris “Reese” Turner, former commandant of the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute.

In the War Against Sexual Assault, The Army Keeps Shooting Itself in the Foot by Thavam Ratna

Putin says Russia ready to increase military role in Syria

Vladimir Putin’s warning that Moscow will use ‘more military means’ in Syria conflict comes just hours after UN roadmap to peace was agreed

Russia will utilise increased ‘military means’ if necessary, says Putin.

Emma Graham-Harrison-Saturday 19 December 2015

Vladimir Putin has warned that Russia is ready to to scale up its military intervention in Syria, less than a day after Moscow signed off on an ambitious UN plan to end the war.

The peace roadmap lays out a two-year path to elections for a new government, starting with a January ceasefire, and marks the first time America and Russia have reached broad consensus on Syria’s future after years of conflict that has cost more than 250,000 lives and made millions more into refugees.

But the pact was so broad that it sidestepped one of the biggest questions at the heart of Syria’s troubles, the future of President Bashar al-Assad, and several other key issues. It was also drawn up without consulting Assad or the opposition groups fighting him on the ground.

The question of whether, when and how the Syrian leader might step down will hang over any attempts to broker long-term peace. The US says he must go, whileRussia has doubled down on support for him, sending bombers, weapons and cash to support his troops.

“He’s in control of two-thirds of the populated areas of Syria, he has not been defeated on the battlefield, he has the support of all the minorities, as well as the secular Sunnis,” Peter Ford, former UK ambassador to Syria told the BBC after the deal was agreed.

“Its absurd to think that the Russians have come so far with this process only to throw Assad under the bus; it’s not going to happen.”

Less than 24 hours after committing to peace in Syria, Putin himself said top commanders were ready to join the bomber pilots, support forces and other Russian troops already backing up Assad on the ground.

“We see how efficiently our pilots and intelligence agents coordinate their efforts with various kinds of forces – the army, navy and aviation, how they use the most modern weapons,” Reuters quoted him saying in a speech carried by local agencies.

“I want to stress that these are by far not all of our capabilities,” he said. “We have more military means. And we will use them, if need be.”

The deal exposes a widening gap between concerns of world powers and Syrians themselves. Diplomats and generals from Moscow to Washington are increasingly focused on containing and ultimately destroying Isis. Syrians are generally more preoccupied with Assad’s fate, whether they support their leader or bitterly oppose him.

Opposition groups will not agree to a political transition that includes Assad, a senior Syrian defector representing a spectrum of opposition groups warned. Security council resolutions and a road map agreed in Geneva provide for his removal, Riad Hijab told reporters on Friday.

“We are going into negotiations on this principle, we are not entering talks [based on] anything else. There will be no concession,” said Hijab, who served as prime minister under Assad in 2012 before defecting.

Critics point out that his bombing raids have killed many thousands more Syrian civilians than Isis, sometimes by using chemical weapons and often with cruelly indiscriminate barrel bombs. Many of the opposition fighters also spent time in his regime’s jails, where torture is widespread.

They also raise his apparent financial complicity with Isis, with oil purchases documented by US officials who recently condemned several firms for their role in the trade.

Another senior Syrian exile who represents the main western-backed opposition group warned that the deadline for a January ceasefire was too ambitious, the Associated Press reported.

Najib Ghadbian also said any agreement must include “the removal of all foreign troops from Syria”, including Russians who have been running an airstrike campaign that has allowed Assad to make key advances.

Assad’s supporters argue that he is the only secular bulwark against an opposition increasingly dominated by Islamists. They warn that removing him now could bring even more chaos and violence, as the toppling of Muammar Gaddafi did in nearby Libya, a concern shared by Washington.

Russia and the US have drawn somewhat closer after Moscow conceded that Assad might one day cede power, possibly to a close but less tainted ally, or if he is voted out in an election, while Washington stepped back from demands for his immediate removal.

Kerry said “everyone” had by now realised that demanding Assad’s departure up front in the process was “in fact, prolonging the war”, adding however that differences remain and the Syrian leader could not unite his country.

Iran has also promised to line up behind Moscow, in the push for a political deal to end the civil war, after Putin met Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, a senior Iranian official told Reuters.

“What was agreed was Iran and Russia will pursue one policy which will benefit Tehran, Moscow and Damascus,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The two countries are in “full harmony over Syria and Assad’s fate”, a second official said.

The US insistence that Assad must eventually go is backed by its European allies, Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations who have long insisted that Assad must go, although there are disputes about when.

Ministers from 17 nations who were in New York to build momentum for a ceasefire said they would meet again next month. Among the difficult topics on the table are which groups should be allowed into the opposition tent and which should banned as terrorists; Jordan will lead development of the list.

Most parties to the conflict, from Assad to hardline opposition groups, are reliant to varying degrees on weapons, military support and cash from outside the country. Threats to withhold these should give the west and regional powers some leverage.

Even if the ceasefire is embraced by many armed groups, it will not end the fighting in Syria however, as there are no expectations that Isis at least would join.