Bar Association Slams Attorney Police Spokesman

January 25, 2016

Standing Committee on Rule of Law of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka has today expressed it’s grave concern with regard to the unacceptable conduct of the Sri Lanka Police as evidenced by a series of recent incidents.

“The latest episode in this regard, viz: the death of a youth where the Officers of the Embilipitiya Police Station are implicated, records alleged conduct and behaviour unbecoming of any person in any responsible position, leave alone the Police.” the committee said in a statement.

Ruwan Gunasekara – Police Media Spokesman, Attorney-at-Law as well as Investigation Officer

The Committee records it’s strenuous objection with regard to the alleged conduct of the Officers of the Embilipitiya Police Station where there are serious allegations as well as reported evidence of deplorable conduct suggestive of criminality; gross aggravation; serious abuse of power; and absence of supervision and control, leading to the irresistible conclusion of anarchy within the Police Department.

The Rule of Law standing committee said; “Whilst respecting and without suggesting any prejudice and/ bias, on the on going judicial process into the incident, the Committee is concerned at the high-handed conduct of the Police Media Spokesman who was apparently playing several roles perhaps dubious in nature, namely as Media Spokesman, Attorney-at-Law as well as Investigation Officer.

“The Committee draws the attention of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) as well as the National Police Commission, to the said conduct of the Media Spokesman; the absence of credible action against the implicated suspect police officers attached to the Embilipitiya Police Station; manner of conduct of the Judicial Inquiry especially the non-inclusion of the Attorney- General’s Department or its officers; the absence of remedial, deterrent and punitive interim actions; non- investigation of complaints into the subsequent alleged conduct of the Police Officers involved in the related Inquiry, amongst a host of other irregularities.

“The Committee firmly believes that the IGP as well as the National Police Commission should immediately intervene in the present issue, to seek the Truth; Mete out Justice; and bring about reparations as well as to take constructive actions of a permanent nature to ensure non- recurrence.Read More

EPF and ETF: Should or shouldn’t they be merged into a separate institution? 

 

Monday, 25 January 2016

Trade unions up in arms against the proposed merger of EPF and ETF

In a recent live television discussion on ITN, the President of the Ceylon Bank Employees Union, also known as CBEU, made a very strong case against the proposed merger of the Employees Provident Fund or EPF and Employees Trust Fund or ETF into a separate board and taking EPF fund management away from the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (available at: http://www.itn.lk/2016/01/19/kawuda-eththa-kiyanne-2016-01-19/). 

The proposal to merge them had been made by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in the Economic Policy Statement or EPS delivered in Parliament last year. Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake reconfirmed the Government’s wish to do so in Budget 2016 presented to Parliament two weeks later, promising to consult trade unions before doing so. 

The rationale not explained

The rationale for making such merger had not been presented either in the EPS or Budget 2016 leaving all those who have an interest in these two funds in the dark completely. Nor was there any subsequent communication from the Prime Minister’s Office or the Ministry of Finance enlightening the public of the reasons for the proposed merger and taking EPF away from the Central Bank.

Sans vital information, it is quite natural for trade unions to suspect the whole move as yet another instance of some unsavoury hand working to rob the moneys belonging to the working people of the country. Hence, all trade unions have been up in arms against the proposed merger. 

There was the Government Medical Officers’ Association or GMOA which did not have direct interest in EPF or ETF but still protested against the proposed merger in an apparent expression of solidarity with the other trade unions in the country. The CBEU, according to its President who appeared on TV, was against the proposed merger because all its members were contributors to the ETF and some members to EPF as well. Hence, to protect the interests of its members, the CBEU was against the proposed merger and would do everything possible in collaboration with other trade unions to stop the Government’s move.

- See more 

Group sent by Maithri to reconcile with Mahinda’s ‘rogues on behalf of rogues’ group returns rejected and dejected ! – Mahinda’s new party confirmed

(Lanka-e-News -25.Jan.2016, 8.10PM)  The attempts made by preisdent Maithripala Sirisena to re build the unity between the Maithri group and the Rajapakses’ ‘ rogues on behalf of rogues’ group , of the SLFP had foundered on the rocks , based on reports reaching Lanka e news inside information division. 

It is an incontrovertible fact  that , president Maithripala Sirisena who claimed loudly and proudly on stage before the presidential elections when he was contesting as the common opposition candidate that he would become politically neutral sans party affiliations , however after winning the elections ,eagerly  took over the leadership of the SLFP  , and with a view to reinforcing  the SLFP moved heaven and earth to provide immense support and facilities to the pro Rajapakse  crooks and criminals overtly and covertly. 

While there is  copious and cogent evidence against Namal Rajapakse , Yoshitha Rajapakse , Shiranthi Rajapakse on account of the crimes committed by them , they are even today scott free and not arrested because  Maithripala is obstructing the legal process and barring their arrests . Simultaneously, the president also tried to re establish unity and cordiality with the Rajapakses’ ‘rogues on behalf of rogues’ group in order to capture the power within the moribund SLFP  .

The final and high point of president’s maneuvers was , his sending a group for discussions to  establish unity with the Rajapakse notorious group. That group of the president was led by S.B. Dissanayake , and comprised Ethanol Lakshman Vasantha, Lakshman Yapa , Lasantha Alagiyawanna , Mahindananda Aluthgamage and Kudu Lansa.

Though this group  met with Mahinda Rajapakse and had discussions to unite the groups , Mahinda had not immediately given an answer. Consequently , the Miathripala kudu –ethanol- rodu   group had to come back dejected , rejected and empty handed.  

Later when Mahinda discussed with Basil , the latter had put his foot down and said , under no circumstances should they go for reconciliation with Maithripala. The safety of the Rajapakses is hinged on organizing a separate alliance , and therefore not to go for a reconciliation with Maithripala , Basil has added. 

Mahinda had also concurred in the views of Basil , and it is thereafter , Mahinda began giving hints at various places of forming a new political party.

Amidst this development , a most cunning wolf in the name of Gotabaya Rajapakse, a notorious  Rajapakse murderer  who knows nothing about politics , and who was the main architect of the SLFP’s doom , made an announcement in public yesterday (23) that another party will be formed apart from the SLFP. The country has not forgotten , this is the same Gotabaya while being in  the SL army fled the country at the height of the LTTE war , and never even spared a thought for the country for over a decade . However after the war was over he came back to the country to bask in  the glory of his president brother. While Gota was crowing ‘yankee doodle do’ after his return , his president brother crowed  ‘any diddle will do,’ and together brought the country to the brink of irretrievable disaster. 

This ‘yankee doodle do’ two legged discarded  donkey from America in his characteristic style made a stupid utterance yesterday , ‘if our father could form a new party , why can’t we?’ It is well to recall when the SLFP was founded by Bandaranaike , Gotabaya ‘s father was the 42 nd member , and was not given  even a deputy minister post , and was one who was clinging on to the party’s saree border.Yet according to Gotabaya, it was his father who helped the  SLFP leadership after gathering together the SLFP ers.  

Even the sons of old Rajapakse secured opportunities within the SLFP , not because of any great feats performed by , or achievements of their father . It was because Anura Bandaranaike when young , had Mahinda and Basil close to him as his good for nothing pals,  and got  them down to Rosmead place often. 

No matter what , the Raja-pakse’s initial activities have begun for the formation of a new party that is possessed of all the base qualities of racial , caste and  religious  discrimination.With this in view , recently a pinkama was offered in memory of all those SLFP leaders who died. It is sad to note even a photograph of Anura Bandaranaiike was not around when this pinkama was offered despite the fact it was Anura who helped the Rajapakses – Mahinda and Basil  to creep into the SLFP .

Meanwhile popular Leftist politico Dr. Wickremebahu Karunaratne speaking yesterday on the split into two of the SLFP , said during every period , the SLFP has been divided into two. His important analysis can be viewed on the video 

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by     (2016-01-25 14:51:04)

Stewardess Released For Namal Rajapaksa In ‘Unelected’ SriLankan Airlines Union

January 25, 2016

The SriLankan Airlines‘ flight stewardess released for Namal Rajapaksa‘s work has been appointed as the new Assistant Secretary of the Flight Attendants Union, Colombo Telegraph can reveal today.

In an unprecedented move flight stewardess Nithya Senanaya Samaranayaka, who was unable to describe the exact location where she worked to theJayaratne/Weliamuna inquiry, except the fact that it was some location in the Temple Trees, was named as the assistant to Secretary Lanka Kamalgoda of the FAU.

A group of cabin crew members of the Flight Attendants Union bulldozed their way at the Annual General Meeting held last December and assumed power without being elected.

The Jayaratne/Weliamuna investigative report into Sri Lankan Airlines named Nithya Senanaya Samaranayaka as the Flight Stewardess who was a paid employee released from Sri Lankan Airlines to work for Namal Rajapaksa.

She was released after a request was made from the then Presidential Secretary Lalith Weeratunga.

Nithya Senanaya Samaranayaka was paid approximately Rs. 158,000 per month by both SriLankan Airline and the Presidential Secretariat.

The Jayaratne/Weliamuna report highlighted that she had been paid by the airline including allowances for cabin work although there is no explanation of what services she provided.Read More

Minister vs Minister

BY STANLEY SAMARASINGHE BY SHAAHIDA RIZA- 2016-01-26

Court of Appeal yesterday (25) issued an interim order against Minister of Megapolis Champika Ranawaka, preventing him from acquiring a plot of land owned by Minister Daya Gamage.

President of Court of Appeal Vijith Malalgoda and Justice Devika de Livera took this decision after considering an appeal by Gamage and three others. Minister Ranawake and three others have been accused.

Speaking to Ceylon Today, Gamage said that the former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa had acquired many of his lands, the Ampara garment factory in particular where 4,000 people worked, which the UDA at that time got a Court Order to demolish. The previous government acquired land as and when they wanted for development, he said and went on to say that Ranawaka was also doing the same.

"It is not fair by the innocent people. All valuable lands what they take and this land which they acquired is currently being dug for water retention, with regard to the Weras Ganga (river) Project. During Gotabaya Rajapaksa's time they got this land for water retention. At the same time, in the same plan, on the other side of the road they are planning on filling the whole area to put up a Town Council building-. How can they do that? They are acquiring somebody else's property for a meagre sum, and filling it up and then selling it for a higher price. This is not the Megapolis the Prime Minister wants to do. It's not ethical. Even in our election campaign we said that what the Rajapaksas' did to these people was unreasonable, and that we will be rectifying it after we come in to power. Ranawaka is also doing the same thing. How can I accept this? I am a national organizer for the UNP and I am responsible for the people who voted UNP believing that we will protect their interests. For the Weras Ganga Project they should take the lands only which are necessary and give the rest back to the rightful owners."

Gnanasara‘s satanic dream to become hero by going to jail turning true ! warrant issued on 4 charges against him in Ekneliyagoda case

(Lanka-e-News -25.Jan.2016, 11.45PM) When  Prageeth Ekneliyagoda case was taken up for trial today(25) , Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara the monk in robes addressing the court forcibly, threatened and scolded Ekneliyagoda’s wife in foul and filthy language . Owing to this conduct he was ordered by the Homagama magistrate to be arrested immediately based on 4 charges and produced in court based on four charges: contempt of court ; threatening state officers; intimidating and instilling  grave fear; and obstructing the court’s administration of justice.

Just when the Ekneliyagoda case was over and while the next case was being called up , Gnanassara who broke into the court along with some monks, forcibly addressed the court . He said , 'he does not fear the laws of the black ‘whites’' and by force delivered a statement  within the court-  ‘Tigers are out. Members of the forces are in’ and so forth which had startled the magistrate who was dumbfounded by the sudden melodramatic and rowdy behavior of the monk.

At that moment , a state counsel Dileepa Peiris who is appearing for the plaintiff in Ekneliyagoda case had come forward and said , somebody who is not a party to the case cannot be allowed to address court by force . Gnanassara has then begun turning his tirade against the state counsel . He had screamed 'he does not fear State counsels , and threatened him' too.

Subsequently  when all the lawyers who were in the court protested that this type of conduct cannot be permitted within court , Gnanassara walking out had physically knocked against Sandya Ekeneliyagoda who was outside , and threatened her while saying  ‘ your husband is a Tiger. You go and beg in the streets.’ He had also threatened a journalist who was with her .

It is well to recall ,Gnanassara prior to this at a media briefing said , he would not step into court for any case. Gnanassara  who risked even his life to save Gotabaya , a notorious mass murderer , seemingly has need to go to jail and become a hero when he knows deep within his bones he is even below zero vis a vis the poor  public respect he commands  despite being a monk in saffron robes. Even Lord Buddha must be turning cartwheels in his grave being unable to bear the scorn and insult monks of Ganassara caliber are pouring on true Buddhism he preached.

The Ekneliyagoda trial began today , and the army officers who are suspects were produced in court . The lawyers for the army told court that so far the body of Ekneliyagoda had not been found , and as  his wife too does not consider him as dead, this is not a crime.  

The lawyers for Prageeth and the state counsel of the Attorney General’s department countering this suggestion , pointed out this is  a case that is built on circumstantial evidence , and the army officers abducted Ekneliyagoda. Besides , there is evidence that the  victim was in the custody of the army officers until the end. 

The Magistrate postponed the  trial  until the 9 th of next month , while also ordering that the suspects be  held in remand custody until that date.

Photographs – courtesy Lankadeepa. 

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by     (2016-01-25 21:20:35)

Arrest warrant on Gnanasara Thera

2016-01-25

The Homagama Magistrate today issued an arrest warrant on Bodu Bala Sena Secretary General, Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara on charges of contempt of court and the disruption of court proceedings. 

The Thera who was present in Court during the proceedings in the Prageeth  Eknaligoda case is said to have insulted the court, disrupted its proceedings and bad-mouthed court officials. (Muditha Dayananda)

Tourism Authority To Probe Basil

Jan 25, 2016

The Sri Lanka Tourism Authority is to investigate allegations that former Economic Affairs Minister Basil Rajapaksa had authorised Rs. 4.7 million to be released by the Authority to use for election campaigning by the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA). Rajapaksa had issued instructions to release the money when he was the Minister, in charge of UPFA election propaganda work during the last Provincial Council Elections.

The former minister had ordered the funds to be released saying it is for Sri Lanka tourism development in the Uva Province.

When contacted, Tourism and Christian Religious Affairs Minister John Amaratunga said an investigation had been launched into how the funds were cleared without following the proper procedures.

- http://www.thesundayleader.lk/-

Tamil Nadu College Officials Questioned Over Suicide Of Students

January 25, 2016
CHENNAI:  Four officials of a Tamil Nadu college were questioned by police on Sunday over the suicide of three women medical students who allegedly committed suicide in the Villupuram district on Saturday.

The women had jumped into a well near their college leaving behind a note that blamed the institution's chairperson and management, the police has said.

The young women were undergraduate students of SVS Medical College of Naturopathy and Yoga Sciences in Villupuram, about 200 km from Chennai.

They have been identified as second year students V Priyanka, T Monisha and E Saranya. They allegedly tied themselves together with a dupatta (scarf) and jumped into a farm well near the college.

Police claim to have recovered a suicide note which allegedly blames the college management and in particular it's chairperson.

They have registered cases of extortion, cheating and abetting suicide.

A senior police officer told NDTV that their letter talks about "extortion by the management and how students are fighting for even basic amenities".

The bodies were retrieved by police and fire brigade personnel and sent to a government hospital for autopsy, police said.

Anxiety and tension prevailed in the area as residents, students and parents gathered at the spot of the incident.

District Superintendent of Police Narendra Nair said, "We have not made any arrests yet. We are investigating."

Family members of the students say the girls were harassed by the college management.

"It is a murder, not a suicide. We want a post-mortem done in Chennai, not a Villupuram hospital," said the father of one of the girls.

A relative of another student said, "The college management harassed and tortured students."

Story First Published: January 24, 2016 00:11 IST

Libya unity thrown into chaos as MPs reject UN-backed government 

Tobruk-based parliament votes against recognising unity government formed from UN-brokered talks -


The unity deal faced protests earlier this month (AFP) 

Monday 25 January 2016

Libya's internationally recognised Tobruk-based parliament has rejected a UN-backed national unity government, in a major blow to international efforts to end the country's political schism.

The Tobruk parliament, also known as the House of Representatives, rejected the deal in a vote on Monday.

"We voted against endorsing the government and ask... to be presented with another government," parliamentarian Ali al-Gaydi said.

Parliament member Al-Saliheen Abdelnabbi said the government had been rejected because its cabinet was too large.

He called for "a smaller government without this high number of ministries".

The UN and Western diplomats had urged Libyans to back the agreement as a step toward ending the political chaos and strife that have gripped the country since the 2011 revolution.

Libya currently has two rival administrations and parliaments, with the internationally recognised authorities based in the east and a militia-backed authority holding power in Tripoli.

Politicians have for days been heading to the eastern city of Tobruk - where the 176-member legislature has been based for a year and a half - for the two votes, parliament member Fahmy Tuwaty said.

A national unity government headed by businessman Fayez al-Sarraj was formed last week under the UN-sponsored accord, but it needed the backing of the Tobruk parliament.

The Reuters news agency said only 104 of 176 members attended for the vote, with 89 voting against backing the government proposed by Libya's Presidential Council last week.

Former Al Jazeera English Bureau Chief Reveals Doha's Domestic Troubles

Mohamed Fahmy -Photo courtesy: Wikipedia

Jan-24-2016

New York Times article sheds light on severe and flagrant violations of law.

(SALEM, Ore.) - Mohamed Fahmy, an Egyptian-Canadian journalist who was the Cairo bureau chief for Al Jazeera English revealed new aspects of Doha's Domestic Troubles representing oppression in political freedom and divisions within al-Thani family itself, in a New York Times Opinion Pages article titled, Doha's Domestic Troubles.

The following is an excerpt from Mohamed Fahmy's article:

Qataris who seek greater freedom of expression and more democracy in their oil-rich nation face disappointment, and perhaps worse.

In what may presage a wider crackdown on dissent in Qatar, Sheikh Fahad bin Abdullah al-Thani — a cousin of the ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani — was last month sentenced to seven years in prison.

Sheikh Fahad was accused of shooting three officers as he stormed a police station in a bid to free his two sons, but the Qatari government’s version of events conflicts with other witnesses’.

According to family members and others to whom I’ve spoken, it was state security forces that did the storming, using armored vehicles against the sheikh’s palace in Doha, the capital, last January. The sheikh and his sons, they say, were severely beaten during the confrontation.

Sheikh Fahad had a longtime dispute with the government over its seizure of some of his inherited land, according to his family. But opposition activists also believe that the arrest was in retaliation for the sheikh’s political activities.

According to the lawyer and human rights advocate Najeeb al-Nauimi, who is in contact with the sheikh’s family, he is in prison in Doha.

A former justice minister who has become an outspoken critic of the government, Mr. Nauimi represents dozens of Qataris who have suffered under the absolute monarchy’s silencing of opposition voices.

One of his clients is the poet Muhammad al-Ajami, who is serving a 15-year sentence, after a secret trial in 2012, for “criticizing the emir” in a poem that praised the Arab Spring. After the verdict, Mr. Nauimi said, “Our judicial system cannot be trusted.”

For the full article Doha's Domestic Troubles in the New York Times Opinion Pages, visit: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/14/opinion/mohamed-fahmy-doha-qatar.html?_r=0

The Ugly Thugs Running Vietnam Aren’t Experimenting With Democracy

It may look like a capitalist frontier, but it’s a police state at heart.

BY THOMAS A. BASS-JANUARY 22, 2016

Vietnam is a moiré pattern: Squint at the country one way and you get an aspirational society zooming into the future. Squint another way, and you get an old-fashioned jailer of anyone who refuses to toe the party line. The sunshine lobby focuses on Vietnam’s lovely beaches, food, and allure as a tourist destination. Human rights reporters focus on patterns of abuse.

Yes, the country is opening to the West and rapidly developing.And yet — for all its sunny charms –Vietnam is a culture in ruins. The censors have silenced or exiled the country’s best artists. Vietnam’s best novelist and poets no longer write, except for those who circulate their work in underground samizdats. Journalism is a corrupt enterprise controlled by the government. Ditto for publishing. History is too dangerous to study. Freedom of religion, thought, speech — the ministers of propaganda curtail them all.

From Jan. 20 to 28, the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) is holding its 12th quinquennial pig roast known as the National Congress. Some 1,500 party members will gather in Hanoi to adopt a five-year economic plan and approve a recommended slate of candidates for the CPV’s Central Committee, its elite 16-member Politburo, and the party’s general secretary (the chap who sits at the head of the table). Corrupt from top to bottom, bloated by patronage and devoted to crony socialism and rent-seeking, the CPV maintains a hammerlock on Vietnam’s government, military, media, and 93 million people.

“Marxism needs a dictator,” Russian refugee and author Vladimir Nabokov said, “and a dictator needs a secret police, and that is the end of the world.”

International observers study CPV congresses for signs that one faction or another is coming to the fore. In the next few weeks, expect to read articles about Western sympathizers vanquishing Chinese partisans, or vice versa. This narcissism of small differences misses the point. The CPV’s roughly 4.5 million members want their vig. “It’s like watching people fight under a rug,” said Vietnamese poet Nguyen Quoc Chanh about the closed meetings that produce Vietnam’s rulers.

Yes, the CPV has evolved since unifying the country after the Vietnam War in 1975. Facing starvation in the countryside, the sixth party congress in 1986 abandoned a Soviet-style command economy in favor of market socialism. The CPV allowed free markets to flourish at the bottom of society andencouraged “red capitalists” to emerge in the middle, while they reserved for themselves shipbuilding, banking, mining, and other state-owned enterprises at the top of society.

Along with these economic reforms came a brief period of cultural reform. Vietnam’s gray net of state surveillance was lifted long enough for the country’s four great postwar authors to publish their best-known work: short-story writer Nguyen Huy Thiep (“The General Retires”) and novelists Bao Ninh (The Sorrow of War), Duong Thu Huong (Novel Without a Name), and Pham Thi Hoai (The Crystal Messenger). But the gray net was already being tucked back into place by 1991, when the culture police raided Thiep’s house and destroyed his manuscripts. Since then, Thiep and Bao Ninh have lived in internal exile, publishing censored stories rewritten by party hacks. After spending eight months in prison in 1991, Huong now lives in Paris, and Hoai lives in exile in Berlin.
                                                             

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Pakistan's powerful army chief says to step down when term ends

Pakistani Army Chief of Staff General Raheel Sharif leaves after attending the Pakistan Day parade in Islamabad March 23, 2015.-REUTERS/FAISAL MAHMOOD/FILES

 BY KAY JOHNSON-Mon Jan 25, 2016

Pakistan's influential army chief on Monday said he would step down at the end of his three-year term in November, the military's public relations wing said, breaking a precedent of military leaders seeking to extend their terms.

General Raheel Sharif is considered by many to be Pakistan's most powerful man.

Since he took office in 2013, the army has launched aerial and ground assaults against Islamist insurgent strongholds near the Afghan border in the northwest, earning the military broad support from a Pakistani population tired of militant violence.

Critics say the crackdown has been selective, going after some militant groups, but leaving others intact.

Elements of Pakistan's army have in the past been accused of tacitly supporting Islamist armed groups that launch attacks in Afghanistan and India as a way to pressure both neighbours.

The general has thrown his support behind elected Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during anti-government protests, while at the same time solidifying the military's hold over national security and foreign policy.

General Sharif has also presided over a security crackdown in Karachi, the country's largest city, which has sharply reduced murder rates but drawn protests from opposition politicians who say their activists have been targeted.

Under his watch, the military has been given authority to try civilians suspected of terrorism in secret military courts.

General Sharif is said to have been personally involved in efforts to bring the Afghan Taliban into peace talks with Afghanistan, though those efforts have stalled.

Speculation that General Sharif would seek to extend his tenure for another term was baseless, the army's public relations wing said in a series of tweets issued on Monday.

"The Pakistan Army is a great institution. I don't believe in extension," he was quoted as saying.

General Sharif's decision would represent a win for democratic institutions, but raises questions on the future of campaigns against militants. No obvious candidate to succeed him has yet emerged.

General Sharif pledged that efforts to combat terrorism "will continue with full vigor and resolve" after he retired, the army tweets said.

Pakistan's past two military chiefs had sought extensions of their terms instead of stepping down, with General Pervez Musharraf staging a coup to topple Nawaz Sharif during a previous term as prime minister.

(Additional reporting by Asad Hashim; Writing by Kay Johnson; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

Hassan Rouhani in first Europe visit by Iranian president in 16 years

Rouhani will meet the pope and the French and Italian leaders on a trip that aims to re-establish economic ties after sanctions

What’s it really like in Iran?

Hassan Rouhani was orginally due to visit Europe in November, but his trip was cancelled after the Paris attacks. Photograph: Xinhua/Barcroft Media

Saeed Kamali Dehghan-Monday 25 January 2016

Hassan Rouhani is to make the first state visit to Europe by an Iranian president in almost two decades this week, following the lifting of sanctions against his country.

The trip will aim at rebuilding economic ties and Iran is expected to sign a deal with Airbus for 114 new aircraft.

Europe was Iran’s largest trading partner before sanctions, and has sent an unprecedented number of business delegations to the country since the landmark nuclear agreement with the west was sealed in July. The end of sanctions, including the removal of EU’s embargo on Iranian oil imports, means that trade can begin again.

Rouhani is expected in Rome on Monday, where he will meet the Italian prime minister, Matteo Renzi. He will also meet Pope Francis at the Vatican. He will then travel to Paris on Wednesday and is scheduled to be welcomed by the French president, François Hollande, at the Elysée palace on Thursday.

Germany, Italy and France have been leading the pack as Europe aims to increase trade with Tehran from the current level of €7.6bn (£5.8bn) a year to the pre-sanctions figure of almost €28bn.

Iran’s minister for roads and urban development, Abbas Akhondi, has been quoted as saying that the country is in talks with Airbus for the purchase of 114 new aircraft.

Tehran has long said it will need to revamp an ageing fleet, hit by a shortage of parts because of trade bans imposed by Washington and other western powers. Mahdi Hashemi, the chairman of the Iranian parliament’s development commission, said this weekend that the country may need as many as 500 new planes over the next three years.

Rouhani was initially expected in Europe in November, but his visit was cancelled at the last minute after the Paris attacks. It will be Rouhani’s first official visit to Europe and the first by an Iranian head of government since 1999, when the reformist former president Mohammad Khatami made similar trips to Paris and Rome.

Iran is a huge market for French car manufacturers, which are eager to do business in the country again. Peugeot used to sell 400,000 vehicles a year in Iran before sanctions were put in place. An arrangement with the local manufacturerIran Khodro, which assembled the vehicles, meant its cars were ubiquitous across the country.                                    Read More 

Supreme Court: Former Child Slaves Used In Cocoa Production Can Sue Nestle

By Carey Wedler-JANUARY 13, 2016

On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled a lawsuit filed by former child slaves against mega-corporation Nestle can move forward. The decision finalizes a lower court’s prior ruling, which Nestle previously attempted to overturn in an attempt to halt suits from individuals who worked in the African cocoa trade as children.

As Reuters reports, three former Malian child laborers, known as “John Does” in the case, “contend the companies aided and abetted human rights violations through their active involvement in purchasing cocoa from Ivory Coast. While aware of the child slavery problem, the companies offered financial and technical assistance to local farmers in a bid to guarantee the cheapest source of cocoa, the plaintiffs said.” West African nations are some of the largest exporters of cocoa, and though Nestle does not employ child slaves directly, the company consistently engages in business deals with farmers who do.

Though Americans are largely unaware of the sources of their chocolate, the use of child labor and slavery in African cocoa production has been public knowledge for many years. A 2000 documentary,Slavery: A Global Investigation, detailed the perilous conditions children face in West African nations. As Anti-Media summarized:    

Nineteen children freed from slavery near the Ivory Coast  — and their new guardian — detailed the staggering conditions of the cutthroat trade: the young children worked ‘from dawn until dusk every day’ and were forced to sleep in small sheds. They were given a tin cup in which to urinate. The children endured a six-month ‘breaking in’ process which included regular beatings. Sadly, they had difficulty understanding why they were not paid for their hard labor, which included carrying 100-pound bags of cocoa beans and, often, exposure to hazardous conditions.

When the story of the abused children garnered significant public attention, the candy companies claimed they were unaware of any such conditions.

                              Full Story>>>

Singapore bids to boost skills with new education initiative

by Daniel Maxwell

-22nd January 2016

SINGAPORE is in the process of implementing its latest educational initiative, SkillsFuture, to support the country’s next phase of development.

While Singapore is no stranger to ambitious educational initiatives, this latest project differs in a number of ways from previous innovations.

Singapore’s education system has long been considered among the world’s best; topping the OECD’s 2015 global education rankings, coming third in the 2012 PISA results, and leading Asia in the QS World University Rankings.

However, SkillsFuture is different from the country’s earlier educational initiatives, which primarily focused on raising the academic standards of school leavers and university students. Instead, it aims to provide Singaporeans aged 25 and over with the incentive, and economic support, to enroll on training courses to develop new skills.

Since the beginning of January, eligible Singaporeans have begun receiving SkillsFuture Credits, worth S$500 (US$378), to enroll on Workforce Development Agency (WDA) and Ministry of Education (MoE) certified courses.

Currently there are 10,000 certified courses which accept the SkillsFuture Credit. These certified courses cover a diverse range of skills, including robotics and mechanics, pastry and bakery, computer coding, body massage and dance appreciation. The WDA is working with government agencies and training providers to further expand the range of approved courses over the coming months.

The SkillsFuture initiative appears to have sparked a lot of interest among young professionals in Singapore’s competitive workforce who are looking to realise their aspirations and advance their careers. Earlier this month, thousands of Singaporeans attended a two-day SkillsFuture exhibition at Westgate Mall to learn more about enrolling on WDA approved courses.

While this project has the potential to enable Singaporeans to develop their professional potential, it could also benefit Singapore on a national level, supporting the country’s long-term strategy to become an advanced economy with advanced technological infrastructure, higher standards of living and a highly developed economy.

Speaking on the importance of the SkillsFuture initiative for the city-state’s long term development,WDA chief executive Ng Cher Pong explained, “SkillsFuture Credit is certainly an integral part of our transformation to become an advanced economy and an inclusive society… One that focuses really on skills mastery rather than academic qualifications. And one that focuses on lifelong learning… That’s where all these different initiatives come in because the intent is that we want to make sure that we build this eco-system, this high-skills, high-productivity, high-wages eco-system.”

As the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) opens and regional governments grapple to understand the implications, challenges and opportunities which lie ahead, Singapore appears intent to maintain its position as the region’s educational and economic powerhouse by implementing an ambitious policy with huge potential.

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