Getting Rid Of Boom-And-Bust Cycle Of The Economy

By Hema Senanayake –January 22, 2016 

Hema Senanayake

Global Economic Revolution Is Overdue; Part 9

We have a macroeconomic system that follows boom-and-bust cycles. Let me ask this simple question. Does the development of physical productive power is cyclical? No, it is not. Physical productive power set the limit of human civilization’s ability to produce goods and services for the wellbeing of people. Therefore, if the development of physical productive power behaves in a boom-and-bust cyclical pattern, then we have to tolerate the boom-and-bust cycles of total output and the system as a whole.

But if the progress of the physical productive power or even the potential of the increment of physical productive power is progressive and does not follow “boom-and-bust cyclical pattern”, it is not necessary to tolerate the cyclical behavior of the total output of the economic system. Since, if we remove the boom-and-bust cyclic behavior subjected to the consumer preference, then the distribution of distributable output which really matters for the wellbeing of each individual of the society is truly a question that can be resolved fairly easily; no revolution is needed to do it. We do not need Professor Stiglitz’s advices to do it. Why?

It is because, capitalism has already learnt as to how to separate the distribution of distributable income (commonly mentioned as redistribution of income) of an economy from the ownership of means of production. What does this mean? This means that the distribution of distributable income is not a matter which controls purely by capitalist owners of businesses in a good democracy. Even under any socialist model which accepts the use of money, it is necessary to do this separation of distributable income from the ownership of enterprises even though enterprises could be owned by the workers or by the unions or workers or by the government.

However, the above does not mean that the business cycles within the microeconomic system under any economic model should not be tolerated; instead, such cyclic behavior is necessary in order to ensure business efficiency. This means that inefficient businesses should be allowed to fail and new businesses should be allowed to emerge based on business efficiency justified by the choice of the consumer. But periodic macroeconomic system failures occur not due to any of above two reasons but due to the general illiquidity of consumers arising from cyclical bad-debt crises. This is where we need advices from Stiglitz or from any other mainstream economist.

The general illiquidity of consumers is not a physical phenomenon. Also, the general illiquidity of consumers does not arising purely from the choices of individual consumers in borrowing amounts that they cannot be paid back or risk taking lenders. Instead the illiquidity of consumers arises from the economic system’s inability to ensure that consumers would get enough debt-free money in order to buy what they have collectively produced as producers. Let me explain this point differently.Read More

GSP+: the European Union and Sri Lanka’s preferential trade status

Jan 21, 2016

We recently sent a briefing to European Union officials outlining our thoughts relating to the return of Sri Lanka to “GSP+” preferential trading status. What follows is a condensed version of that briefing:

Before too long the European Union will make a decision about the return of “GSP+” preferential trading status to Sri Lanka.

We urge the European Union to make its decision based upon three tests: the extent to which the Government of Sri Lanka is respecting the terms of the treaties upon which GSP+ is contingent, the extent to which the Government of Sri Lanka has met the criteria laid down by the European Union in 2010 when this was last discussed, and on whether the Government of Sri Lanka is generating a climate that is conducive to the reconciliation needed for a lasting peace.

We feel that the Government of Sri Lanka, while having made some welcome progress since it came to power last year, is still failing these three tests. A return to GSP+ status at this time would therefore be premature and would send a discouraging message to the victims of gross human rights abuses who continue to call for justice and accountability, and indeed to those whose rights continue to be abused.

However we would encourage the European Union to use the negotiation process over the restoration of GSP+ status to improve the human rights situation in Sri Lanka, in particular by pushing for an end to: torture and other human rights violations; impunity for such violations; surveillance of civil society organisations; and the ongoing militarisation of Sri Lanka’s Northern and Eastern Provinces.

read more

Match-fixing: Punishable by Sri Lankan laws?

January 22, 2016

Sri Lanka currently has no national criminal law provisions applied to corruption in sport, specifically match-fixing, according to the President of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL).

However, it cannot be said that no action can be taken regarding match-fixing, President’s Counsel Geoffrey Alagaratnam told Ada Derana.

He stated that it can come under the “cheating” offence under the Penal Code of Sri Lanka.

Mr Alagaratnam stated that he believes it will be very good if new legislation can be brought to curb match fixing in sports in Sri Lanka. 

The President of the Bar Association said that there is discussion with regard to drafting new laws specific to this offence and that the criminalization approaches of other countries to combat match-fixing will be examined and compared before they put forward for consideration here.

Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekara says that the government will bring a new law regarding match-fixing within another month or two.  

Meanwhile the President of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), Thilanga Sumathipala, says that existing laws are sufficient to punish those found guilty of match-fixing.  

Why Former Royal Principal Is Not Interdicted?

By Ranga Kalansooriya –January 22, 2016

Dr Ranga Kalansooriya

“Even an average public servant receives his or her normal transfer order in every five years. How come a principal of a school remains for consecutive 13 years in the same work place?”

This is an obvious question that would come to one’s mind when analyzing the recent interesting story about three high profile principals of leading schools in the country who came into the lime light last week. This above specific question refers to the former Principal of the most prestigious Royal College in particular, among many other issues.

Many weekend newspapers carried elaborative stories about the mafia style operation by these members of the “once-most-sacred profession.” Why I said “once-most-sacred profession” was probably due to the fact that the past glory of the occupation has already been extensively tarnished by many of its corrupt practitioners. Financial bribes are popularly known and we heard about several cases on sexual bribes, too. School admission is the most famous mafia operation where the principal would demand thumping perks, the parents would cheat through doctored documents and the poor child would lie as he or she was taught when facing interviews. This is how the child would start the marching towards the future. What a shame…!

If the education system is getting to these pathetic standards, where are we heading towards as a society? How can we teach morality and ethics to our children if their most sacred teachers and principals are so corrupt?

“Recently some principals started complaining that the students are no more worshiping them. Of course, the student knows the corrupt standards of these principals and teachers. The child knows how he/she got into the school, thus for the student, the principal is no more a sacred character, but a mafia businessman,” said a teacher of a Colombo school who did not want to be named.Read More

GMOA refuses to teach SAITM students

2016-01-22

The Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) today vowed to abstain from teaching medical students of unapproved medical colleges such as the South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM) who come to State hospitals for clinical training.

Pledging their support for the ongoing Sathyagraha by undergraduates of the Ragama and Karapitiya Medical Faculties demanding the abolition of SAITM, the GMOA said it would in no way help medical students who have not been approved by the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC).

GMOA media spokesman Dr. Naveen de Soyza said the government must resolve the concerns of the medical students who have taken to the streets for the second time since the 1988-1989 insurrection.

“We warn the government. This could turn violent just like 88-89 uprising where thousands of students fought against the then government. These students are best result holders countrywide. We should not allow them to waste their valuable time on such issues which should be addressed by the authorities,” Dr. de Soysa said.

The Ragama Medical Faculty students begun a Sathyagraha opposite the Colombo North Teaching Hospital and Karapitiya undergraduates are protesting opposite their faculty in Galle.

Sathyagrahas campaigns will be held opposite the Colombo Medical Faculty and at the Galaha Junction in Peradeniya from Jan. 25.

Speaking on the alleged kidney transplant racket where six Sri Lankan doctors are said to be involved in, the GMOA Dr. de Soysa they would investigate whether the six doctors were members of the GMOA and would take take disciplinary action against them if they were found to be members of the GMOA. (Piyumi Fonseka) - See more at: http://www.dailymirror.lk/103847/gmoa-refuses-to-teach-sa#sthash.EdqHlFdz.dpuf

Isipathana and Unawatuna: A Tale of Two Roads

Ravi Perera-JAN 22 2016

For about a year now workmen have been busy on Isipathana Road, a secondary road off Havelock Road, in the region of Colombo 5. Isipathana Road which is roughly about half-a-kilometre in length connects to both Fife Road and Chitra Lane which are access roads to the townships of Thimbirigasyaya and Narahenpita.

Beach Road, Unawatuna

 As far as I am aware, Isipathana is not a bus-route, nor is it used by heavy vehicles or commercial traffic in notable numbers, although like everywhere else in Colombo there is an increasing use of the road by the heavy vehicles now. However the bulk of the traffic on the road are the motor cars (and of course taxis) of the residents of the area and the through traffic.

The most important landmarks on this road would be the Isipathana College whose boundary occupies about half the length of the road, the Isipathana Temple, Havelocks - the famous Rugby Club, and Cool Planet - the popular department store. The rest of the road is predominantly residential and obviously middle, if not upper-middle class. One of the reasons why the road is not preferred by the heavy vehicles is probably its narrowness. It is impossible for a heavy vehicle to turn around or even park along the road without causing traffic congestion.

When large-scale road works commenced on this secondary road of only mid-level importance, many a user was left confused. What is happening? Is the road being widened, some underground pipes or a new layer of bitumen being laid perhaps? But when they learnt that the work is mainly to lay raised sidewalks (pavements) there was a sense of exasperation among them. A narrow road on which hardly two vehicles could cross is being made narrower with a wide pavement (on both sides of the road). Where previously vehicles could park freely along the Isipathana College wall, this development has drastically reduced the parking slots to a few vehicles. Today there are very few students walking to school, the vast majority commuting in vehicles. If a survey of the area was conducted it would have shown how few pedestrians use the road on a given day. But there is a wide pavement for them on either side now, while for the many thousand motor cars, the road is narrower and parking facilities mini

  Full Story>>>

Sri Lankan Police Arrest a Lesbian Couple and Police justifies its Action

22/01/2016 

In an unprecedented turn of events, Sri Lankan Police have launched a crackdown on suspected lesbians across the country says Asian Mirror.

According to the news report a suspected lesbian couple had been arrested in Avissawella by Police recently, after a trishaw driver tipped off the Police station. The couple, according to media reports, were waiting near the bus station. Police had detained and interrogated the couple on their alleged “lesbian relationship”.

The Police Media Unit has confirmed with the Asian Mirror  that the arrest hs taken place  and had said that  there were sufficient provisions in the country’s legal system to take action against those who behave “indecently” in public.  The police spokesperson has said that  suspected lesbian couple  was taken into custody on those grounds.

A human rights lawyer told Sri Lanka Brief that police do not have any right to interfere in adults personal sexual choices but in cases this victims do not come forward to complaint because of social stigma attached to same sex relationships.

Sri Lanka has not taken any legal action against Gay – Lesbian persons in recent times. In June last year Sri Lanka voted against a Russion resolution to stop marital benefits to lesbian and gay employees of the UN. Few  Sinhala Natioanlist members of the parliament launched a attack against the Foreign Minister for voting against the resolution but it soon died down.

Sex between men is widely prevalent in Sri Lanka Buddhist temples as well as among young males.

Oh Boys… My Way to Nirwana : Gnanasara in Action ( Video)

( January 22, 2016, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Breathtaking video of Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara is the Secretary General of Bodu Bala Sena, a Sinhalese Buddhist nationalist organisation, went viral in the social media.

Red Cross jeep involved in crimes?

Red Cross defender jeep involved in crimes?

By Ishara Ratnakara-2016-01-22

Colombo Chief Magistrate Gihan Pilapitiya yesterday ordered the CID to probe the alleged misuse of a Defender vehicle belonging to the Red Cross Society, for the commission of a crime, being painted over in a different colour to avoid recognition.

Court has learned that this has been allegedly authorized by a former Minister of Social Services. The vehicle had belonged to the 'Siriliya Saviya' project of former First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa.
The Chief Magistrate also ordered the CID to record a statement from the former minister who had allegedly recommended the Defender vehicle bearing number plate WP KA-0642 to the 'Siriliya Saviya' project headed by the former First Lady.
The CID also informed Court that the colour of the said vehicle was changed on the advice of Yoshitha Rajapaksa, the second son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The CID also found that the vehicle in question has not been used for any social service activity.
Following information received by the CID about two Defender vehicles bearing registration numbers WPKE 3671 and WPKA 0642 at Habarakada junction, Homagama, a probe was launched on 18 February 2015, the CID told Court.
Afterwards, the CID had received a report concerning the two Defender vehicles before discovering that the said vehicles had been registered under the name of the Director General of the Red Cross Society at its offices at No. 104, Dharmapala Mawatha, Colombo 7.

The CID then informed Court that when the vehicles in question had been registered under the name of the Red Cross Director General their suspicions had been aroused when they found the vehicles parked at a private residence.
The CID had then gone to 'Siriliya Saviya', Habarakada, Homagama address where its officials had spotted the black Defender bearing number WPKA 0642 parked there.
Two men, named Lathika Kumuduni Perera and Simson Perera, had resided at the said address. More information shed light on the fact that the head of the household was Wasantha Kariyawasam who was the transport and service manager employed by Red Cross Society.

The CID had also uncovered through its inquiries that Lathika Kumuduni Perera was the wife of Kariyawasam while Simson Perera had been a Red Cross Society driver.
More investigations revealed that the Defender, bearing number WPKA 0642, had belonged to the Red Cross and it had been handed over to the 'Siriliya Saviya' project on 11 August 2011, upon a request by its Secretary Seetha Kalyani Kumari to the former Minister of Social Service, Felix Perera.
The CID informed Court that Red Cross CEO, Jagath Bandu Abeysinghe had said in a statement that upon a written request by former Minister Felix Perera on 27 July 2011 a white Defender had been gifted to the 'Siriliya Saviya' project to carry out its activities.

The Red Cross Chairman had told the CID in his statement that the vehicle had been brought back after the 2015 Presidential poll and that its colour change raised suspicions and that he was not aware of how or why it had taken place.
Though the vehicle in question did not belong to the Presidential Secretariat, its maintenance and pumping of fuel had been carried out through the latter, inquiries had exposed, the CID told the Court.

Secretary to the 'Siriliya Saviya' project, Seetha Kalyani Kumari had acknowledged in a statement that though she had asked for the Defender vehicle it had at no stage been used for the 'Sirilya Saviya' project or its related activities, the CID also told Court.
A constable attached to the PSD, Chathura de Silva giving a statement had told the CID that the colour of the vehicle had been changed to blue on the advice of Yoshitha Rajapaksa before it was once again painted black at a garage in Kollupitiya, on the instructions of an individual named Deen who had served as a Marketing Executive at the CSN television station, the CID further told Court.

The CID also tyold Court that the Defender had first been used by Yoshitha Rajapaksa before it was used by Deen who was a close friend of Yoshitha, the CID had uncovered.
The CID then informed the Court that the Defender vehicle has not been used for any social service activity.
The CID then told Court that the colour of the said vehicle had been changed twice with no logical reason and the costs for the colour changes had been borne by the Presidential Secretariat.The CID then told Court that it was conducting further investigations to ascertain why the colour of the vehicle was changed twice and whether the vehicle had met with an accident or whether it had been repaired and for what purpose the vehicle had been used.

The CID then stated that they also had sought reports in this connection from the Motor Traffic Commissioner and the Government Analyst.
The Chief Magistrate who ordered the Motor Traffic Commissioner and the Government Analyst to produce the reports sought by the CID in this connection, ordered the CID to submit to Court a progress report on the inquiries on 3 March.

62 gold bars smuggled from Sri Lanka seized

January 22, 2016

Gold bars valued at 22.1 million Indian rupees (LKR 47.2 million), smuggled into India from Sri Lanka, have been seized from a vehicle by Directorate of Revenue Intelligence officials at a toll gate on a national highway in Tamil Nadu. 

A total of 8.325 kg of gold was seized from the van. It included 62 bars with foreign markings, each weighing 100 grams, two bars weighing one kg each with similar markings and one cut piece gold bar, a DRI release said tonight. 

The DRI acted on specific intelligence that gold bars were being smuggled to India from the island nation by boats through coastal villages near Nagapattinam. They were then moved to Thanjavur and later transported to Chennai by car. 

DRI officers were deployed in and around coastal villages and at important road junctions and highways connecting Chennai to Thanjavur. 

The van was intercepted at Valvathankottai toll gate on Tiruchirapalli-Thanjavur National Highway early this morning. 

The two occupants on being questioned admitted that they were transporting the gold received from Nagapattinam coast and bought from Sri Lanka into India through boat. 

The duo were arrested for violations under the provision of Customs Act, 1962, the release said.

Source: PTI

-Agencies 

IDRC Had Raised Questions About ICES Financial Practices Long Before The Saravanathan Allegations

January 22, 2016

A Colombo Telegraph investigation has revealed that, in 2009, that is 7 years before Dr. Muttkrishana Saravananthan’s allegations leveled at the Colombo think tank and NGO the International Centre for Ethnic Studies (ICES), concerning financial improprieties, the same Canadian research funder, IDCR, had in an internal review come to similar conclusions as Saravananthan.

Dr. Navsharan Singh

In a May, 2009 report, entitled, “ Evaluation of Peace, Conflict and Development (PCD) Research Support in Countries and Regions affected by Violent Conflict.” Commissioned by IDRC, Dr. Mark Hoffman, an independent reviewer of the Brussles based consultancy “channel research,” who is now with the London School of Economics, had this to say about two ICES research projects funded by IDRC. Noting that, there were “very favorable comments in the project planning documents regarding ICES as the partner institution,” Hoffman goes on to note, what he found:

“ The reality seems to have been otherwise… It transpired that institutionally it lacked tight administrative and financial management processes. Its capacity for financial management was deemed by PCD/IDRC staff to be ‘surprisingly weak given the amount of funding it was receiving and controlling’. Senior researchers on the two projects noted that the institute would regularly use funds from one project to cover costs on another. Some of these problems were known to PCD/IDRC as it sent in a financial controler to provide assistance and staff training in the area of financial control. It is clear that as a result of the revelations, ICES’s reputation within Sri Lanka has been tarnished and senior staff are slowly disengaging from it, which over the medium term may undermine its research credentials. While most of the field research on the post-tsunami project had been completed before these problems could adversely affect the research, it did encounter difficulties in making timely payments to some researchers because of the inadequacies in ICES’s financial management practices.” (p.28-9, Hoffman Report).

While IDRC own internal review – and this document is part of IDRC’s public web archive – had this to say about ICES more than 7 years ago, that Canadian institution still provided funding to the ICES for a Growth and Economic Opportunities for Women (GrOW) program project, which Dr. Sarvananthan has now allegedwas rife with financial improprieties.

Further, Colombo Telegraph has learned that Dr. Navsharan Singh, was an authorizing IDRC official in both programs, spanning a period of 6 years.Read More

Sajin Vaas betrayed Namal’s S’pore bank account! 

Jan 22, 2016

It was former MP Sajin Vaas Gunawardena who has betrayed the account maintained by MP Namal Rajapaksa at HSBC Bank in Singapore, about which the FCID has now completed investigations, say reliable sources. The Singaporean government too, has verified information about this particular account. 

A SMS message had been sent by Namal to the then SEC chairman Nalaka Godahewa to deposit in this account the commission money he had received for granting approval during the Rajapaksa regime for a housing project by India’s Krrish Group. Godahewa forwarded the message to several others, leading to trouble. 

 

Later, Sajin Vaas handed over a file containing related documents to the then MP Rosie Senanayake, which she gave to incumbent international  trade deputy minister Sujeewa Senasinghe, who in turn, raised it in parliament. The incident became publicized as a result of a dispute between the Rajapaksa family and Sajin Vaas. 

 

After ‘The Sunday Leader’ published an article on this, written by its present editor Mandana Ismail Abeywickrama, an unidentified gang broke into her home. A shootout ensued between police and the gangsters, leading to one death.

 

In his first confession after turning a state witness, Sajin Vaas mentioned this bank account.  Basil, who is now getting actively involved in politics again, has told Mahinda that he would make sure that Namal would not come to any harm. Top police officials are finding it difficult to understand as to why Namal had so far not been summoned to give a statement at least.

Video: Sliman Mansour and the art of steadfastness

The history of modern Palestine can be traced through the work of its artists.

Linda Paganelli-22 January 2016

After the 1948 ethnic cleansing of Palestine, what has become known as the Nakba, the theme of refugees — “hopeless, helpless and without homes” — dominated.

But, as veteran artist Sliman Mansour explains, after the emergence of the armed struggle in the 1960s, “Palestinian art became proud.”

“The Palestinian woman with her nice dress, flowing hair and long neck: the woman is a symbol of the revolution,” he says.

Jerusalem soon became a symbol for Palestine, and Mansour is perhaps best known for his painting of an elderly man carrying its walled Old City, with the Dome of the Rock as its crown jewel, on his back.

“The main idea behind our work was to try to promote and develop and show that there is a Palestinian people and Palestinian identity and culture,” he says.

Political

Artists like Mansour didn’t choose to be political, but were only responding to their environment, he adds.

Mansour and his comrades in the Palestinian Art League printed their work on posters to reach the widest audience possible.

Their work was wildly successful.

“You can find Palestinian art posters in every home,” he says.

“This sudden fame also made the Israeli authorities aware of our existence,” he adds. “They confiscated some artwork. What happened to these artworks, we don’t know until now.”

Censorship

Israel began censoring Palestinian artists, and banned the colors red, white, black and green — the colors of the Palestinian flag.

During this time in the late 1980s known as the first intifada, Palestinian artists began working with natural materials, in observance of the boycott of Israeli products.

“Instead of painting a landscape, I will use the land to paint,” Mansour recalls thinking.

Mansour was once part of an initiative to try to change Israeli public opinion through art, under the banner of ending the occupation.

“We came to a conclusion that it is not working … so we stopped,” he says.

Linda Paganelli is a visual anthropologist based in Palestine.

Dozens drown off Greek islands in deadliest January for refugees

Refugees and migrants, many from Syria, still making journey from Turkey despite winter weather

Refugees arrive at the Greek island of Lesbos on Friday

Mark Tran and agencies-Friday 22 January 2016

At least 45 people, including 17 children, have died after their boats sank near two Greek islands as the number of deaths of migrants and refugees in the Mediterranean make this the deadliest January on record.

The deaths occurred off two small islands in the eastern Aegean. The highest death toll came when a wooden sailboat sank off Kalolymnos. The coastguard recovered 34 bodies and rescued 26 people. The number of those missing is not known, although between 70 and 100 people were thought to be on board.

At the same time, a wooden boat carrying 49 people sank after crashing into a rocky area off Farmakonisi, to the north of Kalolymnos. Forty people scrambled to shore, one girl was rescued, but six children and two women died.

Later, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency said the Turkish coast guard had rescued six survivors from the area of the two accidents and found another three bodies.

More Story>>>

South Sudan’s Next Civil War Is Starting

Just when a peace deal seemed within reach, President Salva Kiir is threatening to plunge the country back into bloody conflict.

BY AMANDA SPERBER-JANUARY 22, 2016

JUBA, South Sudan — More than half a dozen cease-fires had been brokered and broken before opposition forces finally returned to the capital in late December as part of a deal to end South Sudan’s bloody two-year civil war. None of the previous negotiations had gotten this far. But late last year, with more than 2 million displaced, unknown thousands dead, and countless maimed and raped, advance teams representing rebel leader and former Vice President Riek Machar were back in Juba to hash out a plan with the current government to share ministries in a proposed unity cabinet.

Things were finally looking up. But just when it seemed possible to imagine an end to all the suffering, President Salva Kiir announced in a Christmas Eve broadcast that he was moving forward with a plan that could plunge the battered nation back into civil war even before the current peace agreement is implemented. Calling the country’s existing 10 states “defunct” in his broadcast, Kiir said he’d replaced them with 28 new ones. He had already appointed 28 new governors to run them, he said — all conveniently loyal to him. They were sworn in five days later.

The subdivision of South Sudan’s states was a blatant power play by Kiir, whose newly designed borders ensure powerful majorities for his Dinka tribe in strategic locations. It also imperils the peace deal his government reached with Machar’s rebels back in August, which called for a transitional government of national unity based on the existing 10 states.

More Story>>>

North Korea: Virginia student arrested for ‘hostile acts’ while on tour

A North Korean news agency said on Jan. 22 that the country has detained a U.S. college student for committing a "hostile act" and wanting to "destroy the country's unity." (Reuters)

Nov. 30, 2015Workers at the end of the day walk along Kim Il Sung Square as part of their commute in Pyongyang. Wong Maye-E/AP

By Anna Fifield, Sarah Larimer and Susan Svrluga
January 22 

TOKYO — A University of Virginia student honored as an “intellectual risk-taker” has been arrested in North Korea, its state-run media said Friday, accusing the American of an unspecified “hostile act” against the state.

Otto Frederick Warmbier, 21, was detained Jan. 2 at Pyongyang airport as he prepared to leave after a five-day trip over the New Year’s holiday, said Gareth Johnson of Young Pioneer Tours, the agency that organized the trip.

This was four days before North Korea conducted its latest nuclear test, and makes Warmbier the third 

Westerner known to be held in North Korea — a move that is certain to elevate already high tensions with Washington.

But Warmbier’s detention was not made public until Friday, when the official Korean Central News Agency said it was questioning him about taking part in “anti-state activity.”

The brief statement gave no further information about the accusations or the current status of the student.
                                                               

                       More Read>>>