SL seeks USD1.5 bn stand-by arrangement 

from IMF

By Shamindra Ferdinando-March 17, 2016, 7:20 am 

Sri Lanka is seeking USD 1.5 bn under IMF stand-by-arrangement to stabilize the national economy reeling under both internal and external factors, Special Project Minister Dr. Sarath Amunugama said yesterday.

Until Sri Lanka could obtain the IMF facility by June/July this year, India threw its weight behind the government to consolidate its foreign reserves, Dr Amunugama said. With Indian backing Sri Lanka could enhance its foreign reserves to USD 6.6 bn, Dr Amunugama said.

The minister was addressing the media at the Information Department. He was flanked by State Minister for Finance Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena.

The media was told that IMF assistance was required to tackle a widening balance of payment deficit.

Dr. Amunugama compared the IMF bailout packages obtained by the previous Rajapaksa administration during 2009 and the facility sought by the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government. Western powers strongly objected to the IMF coming to Sri Lanka’s rescue at that time. Western powers wanted to thwart the IMF package to pressure the then President Rajapaksa to call off the offensive against the LTTE.

Sri Lanka brought the war to a successful conclusion on May 19, 2009.

Since then Sri Lanka’s relationship with Western powers and the IMF had changed, Dr. Amunugama asserted.

The retired veteran civil servant acknowledged that the government was under pressure to meet its financial obligations.

The Special Projects Minister attributed Sri Lanka’s predicament to several domestic as well as external factors. The annual remittance from Sri Lankan workers in the Middle East had been reduced by as much as USD 1 bn due to turmoil there, Dr. Amunugama said, adding that slowing down of Chinese and Indian economic growth and a stronger US economy had affected Sri Lanka, the minister said. Asked to explain, Dr. Amunugama said that the US recovery had prompted many investors to re-invest there at the expense of other countries, including Sri Lanka and China.

Dr. Amunugama said that the resumption of the Chinese-funded Colombo port city project worth USD 1.5 bn would be a big boost to the national economy. Mentioning Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinhe’s forthcoming visit to Beijing, Minister Amunugama said that Sri Lanka was confident of transforming Hambantota to a Chinese zone with about 100 factories. Minister Amunugama also discussed proposed expansion of Indian investment meant to facilitate the new administration’s efforts to create employment here.

He also explained certain specific measures taken by the government to provide relief to the agriculture sector in spite of difficulties experienced by the government.

RAVIRAJ KILLING: ENOUGH EVIDENCE TO INDICT SUSPECTS AT THE HIGH COURT

17/03/2016

Considering the evidence and affidavits submitted by the prosecution during the non-summary proceeding in connection with the killing of former parliamentarian Nadarajah Raviraj and his driver in 2006, Colombo Additional Magistrate Thilina Gamage said today there was sufficient evidence to indict the seven suspects in the high court.

Submitting the affidavits and the postmortem examination reports on the killing, senior state counsel Dilan Ratnayake, who appeared for the Attorney-General, told the court that the prosecution would conclude its submissions today. The Magistrate ordered the suspects to be finger-printed and directed that the case file be forwarded to the high court.

Suspects Prasad Hettiarachchi, Gamini Seneviratne and Chaminda are in remand custody while suspect Sampath Munasinghe is on bail.

However, the other suspects Palanaswami Suresh, Vivekanandan and Fabian have still not been arrested and the non-summary proceeding was conducted in their absence.

The suspects in remand were further remanded till March 31.

The suspects were charge-sheeted by the Attorney-General on four counts that of being members of an unlawful assembly, conspiring to kill Nadarajah Raviraj and his driver. (Shehan Chamika Silva)

Daily Mirror

Fullest police assistance for Thajudeen murder probe!

Mar 17, 2016

Police personnel who had been serving at Kirulapone and Narahenpita police stations at the time of the murder or ruggerite Wasim Thajudeen are fully supporting the investigations into the killing, reports say. 

They have explained step by step how the then senior DIG had behaved after arriving within hours at the scene where Thajudeen’s body was found in his car.

 

They were suspicious of how Anura Senanayake behaved after saying, “This is a normal road accident. There is nothing more to that. Investigate this as a fatal traffic accident.”

 

Several of them told Lanka News Web at the time, ‘There is something behind this. Investigate.” Suspicions aggravated after all of them got transfers to other police stations within a space of a month or so. Officials of the AG’s Department who give legal advice in this case say the CID has found adequate evidence to file criminal charges against Senanayake under aiding and abetting murder and concealing evidence.

Kelaniya University Peratugami brutes torture female fresher until she fainted ! Professor who tried to rescue chased away (video)

-Classes boycotted by University Dons to stop this ragging-

(Lanka-e-News- 17.March.2014, 8.40PM) A fresher (female), a student of the Kelaniya University  fainted following ragging because of  the torture and torment  inflicted on her by the student group of Peratugami party  which is  led by Kumar Gunaratnam . When a professor intervened and tried to take the victim to a medical center , he was threatened and chased away by this barbaric brutal group. Finally the victim was forcibly dragged and taken to the hideout of these brutes , and  nobody  knew her fate thereafter.

This incident took place yesterday (16) at about 1.30 p.m. on the main road in front of the Kelaniya University Bandaranaike hostel.

It is the seniors of the Inter University student federation which is a tool of the Peratugami party who have behaved this brutally and barbarically to rag that student until she fainted.. Professor Sumathipala Halpita of the Physics  division and  president of the  Kelaniya University academics association speaking to Lanka e news while expressing his regrets in regard to this unfortunate incident said , the identity of the victim cannot be revealed on security grounds.
 
The professor who saw the fresher fainting following the torment and torture inflicted during the ragging had along with a lecturer rushed to the scene and sought to take her to a medical center when about 20 Peratugami brutes (students) have arrived and threatened them. Later this group had taken the victim  to their student headquarters. 

The professor had then lodged a complaint with the University administrative authority.The  latter had wanted to summon the police , but on second thought he has abandoned that attempt because these barbaric Peratugami brutes may blow this situation out of proportion , and use that to their advantage by camouflaging the scenario.

Unbelievably, professor Halpita who was so threatened by the barbaric brutes of Kumar Gunaratnam (the criminal who is presently incarcerated), is a most erudite scholar and  intellectual in present Sri Lanka. He is a specialist in Physics,  electronic chemistry and ionic density. The Kelaniya University peratugami brutes stooping to this lowliest bestial level to threaten and  embarass such intellectuals par excellence who are imparting knowledge clearly signals what disaster and doom these scoundrels are driving the University into.

Meanwhile Keerthi Tennekoon the so called  human rights activist of a stray organization that calls itself a Human rights organization held a press briefing yesterday along with Duminda Nagamuwa a leader of the  group of brutes and beasts . It is most reprehensible that Tennekoon the self proclaimed (in)human rights activist  deemed it right at the media briefing to defend and whitewash the barbaric behavior of the Peratugami brutes . It will be infinitely better if  those foreign organizations that are funding these so called human rights organizations pause to think twice whether they are helping  a human rights or an inhuman rights organization  before funding them . 

This Peratugami brutal group of senior students which is viciously and inhumanly engaged in ragging the freshers at the Kelaniya University is just an insignificant potty  group vis a vis  the huge  student groups in general  of the  University. Yet, because this potty  group is violent, brutal and  inclined  to physically assaulting other students , the latter who are peaceful are remaining silent , prof. Sumathipala revealed. In order to remedy this deplorable situation , the University Dons have staged a boycott - that is not to lecture to the senior students .This boycott has continued for the last four days.

The video footage covering the sentiments  expressed by professor Sumathipala Halpita to Lanka e news in this connection can be viewed hereunder 

---------------------------
by     (2016-03-17 15:15:52)

Belief In The Worth Of Teachers At S. Thomas’ Colleges

By Panini Edirisinhe –March 17, 2016 

Panini Edirisinhe

There has been much recent discussion of the role of Private Schools and their place in the social fabric of Sri Lanka. The touching story of the Kuliyapitiya Boy, Rahul, clearly illustrated the effectiveness with which a private Anglican school was able to resolve an issue that the country was agonising over.

These Anglican schools are among the best in the country, yet I see them beset with many a vexed question in their running. The greatest anxiety appears to be regarding the staffing of these schools. The school at Mt Lavinia has the fewest such problems and I see this as being because there is a neat and clear system of administration. The OBA is active and has two members on the fifteen member Board of Governors, while the Staff elect one member. How these elections are to take place is clearly laid out here.

These are rules that can be changed by the Board itself, but it is good that they are rarely tampered with, although my intention is to draw attention to some sections which need, urgently, to be changed.

The very special role that these schools used to play is reflected in this Ordinance which can be changed only by An Act of Parliament, and amending it is hardly ever considered.

In early January 2016, the Staff of the College at Mt Lavinia unanimously elected Mr Channa Asela de Silva, as their Representative on the Board, with no interference from the Administration. There often is a contest for this election and only an Anglican who is not an employee can be elected. This year, nobody ran against Channa who had been an exemplary teacher of Mathematics and had retired early to continue his teaching privately.

Long before the Annual General Meeting of the OBA on Friday, the 13th of February, all members of the OBA received profiles of the six proposed and seconded candidates. The conduct of the elections with printed ballot papers, ballot boxes etc. could hardly have been improved upon.

Read More

Electricity failure or power cut?

March 17, 2016, 7:46 am 

Recently there had been frequent power failures and the Ministry for Power and Energy had appointed two committees when such failures occurred, and this time the government, as directed by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, has appointed a committee comprising high academics to go into the latest power failure. With due respect and no malice to members of this committee, it would have been more useful if retired senior Electrical Enginers were given this task, as all of them, during their long service had gained practical experience by working in all divisions of the CEB, coupled with theory - Generation, Transmission etc., could come up with a comprehensive report and recommendations. If I may mention some names of Electrical Engineers – Prof. K.K.Y.W.Perera, Dr. P.N.Fernando. Dr. Tilak Siyambalapitiya, B.R.O.Fernando, D.C.Wijeratne, Shavi Fernando.

Whatever it be, or whoever probes into this national disaster, should also find out what action the CEB had taken on earlier committee findings, and whether non-compliance with the recommendations had resulted in the present situation, which I hope is not so. If I may trespass into the electrical engineering area, which is not my speciality, my view, subject to correction and criticism, is that when a power plant reduces the electricity output from it, because of a fault in the power system, it should trip the electrical input but continue spinning. Then, when the problem of the transmission system eases, it is possible to reconnect and start supplying. In short, it is a power system fault which has to be remedied.

When a similar situation arose in the 1980s, the Ministry for Power and Energy, along with the CEB, informed the public of the scheduled power cuts, giving the time, duration and the area, which enabled all sectors of consumers of electricity to plan out their activities. Unfortunately and regrettably, the authorities have this time failed to keep the consumers so informed, resulting in utter confusion, coupled with the existing high temperature.

Having said that, the readers, especially the Minister for Power and Energy, the Secretary to the Ministry and CEB officials are reminded of my letter captioned "Looming Power Crisis "of 17TH Sept.2015, wherein I stated, if the Sampur Coal Plant is not commissioned by around 2017, we would face a severe power cut, if the hydro reservoirs run dry and one 300 MW Coal plant in Norochcholaii goes out of commission. I believe this is the situation we face now. As we see over TV and read in newspapers, the hydro reservoirs have almost reached the lowest level and one unit of the 900 MW Coal Power Plant at Norochcholai is undergoing major repairs. I need not repeat the circumstances under which we were forced to accept the Chinese offer of the Norochcholai Coal Plant. Had the governments in power then, taken the advise of experts, both local and foreign, we could have called for world-wide tenders in time and selected the best and also at much better financial terms.

The present energy situation seems not too rosy, as the Sampur Coal Plant is far behind schedule, and Wind energy projects are yet under dispute. To settle disputes, what is needed is political will. If the Indian Company is not prepared to agree to our terms, then the government should seriously turn to Japan, which promised to set up a Coal Plant in Sri Lanka. It may be sited either at Trinco or Hambantota.

Electricity is a good servant but a bad master, so please do not play with this vital utility on which lies the socio-economic development of this country. Further, foreign investors, who the government proposes to lure to set up business ventures and provide employment, will have second thoughts before they invest.

G.A.D.Sirimal [SLAS]

Rtd. Asst. Secretary, Ministry for Power and Energy

‘What madness, Machan. Minister did not spend even 5 cents of govt. money’

Mar 17, 2016

After his bypass surgery last week, health minister Rajitha Senaratne was discharged by Mt. Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore. On the day of his discharge, more than 150 people from Sri Lanka had gone to Singapore.

 

Several members of the minister’s staff who could not make it to Singapore, met on that same evening to have a drink to celebrate the joy of his discharge. Joining them were some journalists. One of them asked a member of the minister’s staff, “Your minister must have spent a big amount on the bypass operation? Whatever the amount, the president’s fund should have paid it.”

 

Having had a little too much of drinks, he answered, “What madness, Machan. The minister did not spend even five cents of government money.”

 

“Does that mean the minister paid everything from his own pocket?”

 

“No, Machan. The minister’s wealthy friends and pharmaceutical company people paid the bill. I know the amounts received. Those should not be revealed.” So saying, he did what the monkey did to protect the king from the fly.

45 years old and dynamic SL Foundation Institute in a slumber due to weakness of professor

(Lanka-e-News- 17.March.2014, 8.40PM)  The employees of Sri Lanka Foundation Institute (SLFI) extended support to the government of good governance because they were disappointed and disillusioned with Rajapakse regime owing to its many monumental weaknesses . It was the hope and aspiration  of those employees that the good governance government would perform better with purity and efficiency , and be successful unlike the previous regime. 

The good governance government was elected into power as a result , and the incumbent president Maithripala Sirisena appointed Malith Jayatileke (appointed  M.P  from the present national list who is now a minister) , as the chief of the Foundation. It is no gainsaying the fact that Malith ran the Institute  successfully enough until the general elections. He was able to augment the welfare activities  and income  of the Institute during that period.

After he entered parliament ,Professor Kapila Gunasekera was appointed in his place by the presidential secretariat . With his advent  and under his administration the Foundation took a turn for the worse. Gunasekera is a professor of traditional Universities , and has no knowledge or experience in running an Institute like the SLFI. Having no plans or strategies , the Institute’s administration under him has gone to rack and ruin . 

There being no educational  plans or projects, or methods to augment its income , profligacy and waste have become the order of the day under Gunasekera.  

The Institute’s revenue has dwindled so much so that when compared with the previous 5 years , the situation is disastrous. A cursory glance at the financial records and registers bear testimony to this . Owing to this grave situation , Gunasekera is unable to maintain the staff . Hence he has whittled down the welfare facilities of the workers. 

The funds  provided by the government being not enough to pay the salaries , the expenses are met out of the income generated by the Institution . Being  aware  that the paltry payments are  not enough to meet the current  living costs , the erstwhile administrators paid a   reward to all the employees even before, out of  the income of the Institute. This professor Kapila on the other hand  has even halted the payment of bonus to these poor employees who are eagerly anticipating that payment  . Instead of creating a pleasant environment conducive to work , he had recently without permission recruited a registrar , as a stooge only to further drive the Institute into a  calamitous situation , without heeding the advice of the experienced and recognized  staff .

What is expected from the chairman is decision making  based on policies, and through that organize the Institution , instead of that what   this chairman does is attending  to trifling matters in the financial and administrative divisions, when there are other officers to do that. 

To compound the confusion , he had appointed the largest administrative board costing the most so far to the Institution .They meet  monthly and are provided with sumptuous and delectable meals  .The board that comprised ten members previously  has swollen to 15 members to include the chairman’s stooges , lackeys and cronies , and has become a money wasting exercise. Incredibly, though  this board has swollen, so far no worthwhile decisions have been taken by them to organize the Institute for its benefit.  All that is taking place is wasting the Institute’s resources .In addition , the chairman  is continuing to serve as an ordinary University lecturer. 

He has recruited to the Foundation without following procedures duly , two  or three puppets who dance to his tune . It is very unfortunate that because of such a chairman who is acting according to his own whims and fancies , a sublime Institution that lasted this long (45 long years!)  with the aid of the government of Germany is on the verge  of collapse.

It is a pity the present government of good governance by appointing such misfits has only earned the bitter displeasure of the employees in those Institutions.

In the circumstances , it is high time measures are taken effectively and swiftly  to appoint suitable and eligible candidates to these posts in the vital  Institutions that are under the president.

By disillusioned and disappointed pro good governance employees of SL Foundation Institute
Translated by Jeff

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by     (2016-03-17 15:19:11)

Holding our leaders accountable

Friday, 18 March 2016

Mihin Lanka as an entity currently owes the State banks billions, a debt that has been outstanding for years with no action being taken by the State institutions to get their money back. The mismanagement of SriLankan Airlines is another sorry story. This type of financial corruption is the worm eating at the heart of society

Despite the howls and protests in Parliament over the last few years over Mihin Lanka’s performance, the airline continues to be in business. 

Mihin Lanka as an entity currently owes the State banks billions, a debt that has been outstanding for years with no action being taken by the State institutions to get their money back. Mihin Lanka got billions from the UPFA Government’s budgets to run its operations. This is one of the many reasons this country is struggling to cover its debt burden. 

In fact the current Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake, an accountant by training while in the Opposition, pointed out that the then Government squandered Rs. 3.7 billion on Mihin Lanka, leaving no assets to show, and it was given another Rs. 6 billion and was losing Rs. 4 million a day. If all what has been said about Mihin Air is true, the persons responsible for plundering public money must be prosecuted.

The mismanagement of SriLankan Airlines is another sorry story. This type of financial corruption is the worm eating at the heart of society. On the other hand, judges and investigating officers must do their best to make political leaders accountable to the rule of law, but judges and magistrates are themselves governed by laws. When these laws do not enable them to succeed in their task, it is Parliament alone that can bring the solution, often under the pressure of public opinion. 

Given that Mihin is a commercial non-starter, the question of how long Mihin Lanka can survive is a function purely of how much of money the State will be willing to rake out in the coming months and years to fund this so-called ‘budget airline’ and that would entirely depend on the Government’s will to stop unproductive expenditure to bring down the fiscal deficit. 

The priority for the Government now should be to ward off a possible economic slowdown given the current economic situation globally, which is extremely challenging and very unpredictable.

Essence of democracy: A proactive civil society

After many years we have political leaders who seem to care about the democratic way of life and also a persistent civil society that does not give up and can swing the pendulum back towards greater accountability and transparency at any given time. And it shows how much leaders can achieve, even in a short period of time, when they are willing to engage the people they serve. 

The great Aristotle once observed that no state would be well administered unless and until civil society holds sway. This is very true in Sri Lanka and in many developing countries. People elect leaders for five to six years, watch in silence while they do what they desire for that period and then attempt to throw them out in disgust and hope for a better deal from the next government. 

This attitude of electing dictatorships for six years is not the essence of democracy. Civil society on an ongoing basis should hold political leaders accountable and responsible for their actions. However, to achieve this there has to be more activism and advocacy on the part of all civic groups and of course a greater involvement in politics by all sections of society.

More than ever today civil society has a special role to play in reducing the bitterness of politics in our country. In Sri Lanka the polarisation and divisive nature of Sri Lankan politics has without doubt prevented the emergence of a national consensus for many of our problems. Therefore the only way in which greater political consensus can be achieved is if the professional and middle classes of the country become politically active and make greater demands from their elected leaders.

We all know politicians in Sri Lanka have made a caricature of democracy over the past 25 years by making politics vicious, polarised and personalised. This cycle of violence can be broken if professionals and business people were to persuade our political leaders of the futility and self-destructive nature of this approach. 

National responsibility: By Government and Opposition

In the current context not only our politicians but all our opinion makers in this country have a national responsibility to help the current Government to find a lasting solution for the political question in the north and east and get them to commit itself fully to a true Sri Lankan identity.

Civil society could demonstrate their commitment by collectively acting as independent conscience groups to pressure all groups to look at national issues constructively and to realise that whether we think our blood to be blue, red or green, we are above all, Sri Lankan. 

In the final analysis, the Mathri-Ranil combination is the best and last chance we have to create a true Sri Lankan identity and also to start living that identity. 

(The writer is a thought leader.)

Namal quizzed on ‘Krrish’ project

BY Cassendra Doole-2016-03-18

UPFA Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa last morning arrived at the Police Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) to make a statement to them in answer to summons.

According to the Police, the Hambantota District MP – eldest son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa – was summoned to make a statement regarding a financial transaction with the Indian real estate company 'Krrish Group' for a proposed housing and shopping complex in the city of Colombo.

Fonseka Slams Rajapaksas For Corrupt War-Time Procurements

March 17, 2016

Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka continued his verbal attack against former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and ex-defence secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, slamming them for taking undue credit over winning the war against the LTTE.

Fonseka

Addressing a news conference in Colombo this morning, Fonseka said that only the soldiers who were shot at and who were in the war front must take credit for the win. “Not politicians,” he said.

Fonseka also claimed that when he had requested for several helicopters during the height of the war, Mahinda Rajapaksa had refused saying he didn’t have the money to finance such a purchase.

But, three months after the war was over, he bought helicopters, which cost around US $ 150 million. The same people who couldn’t buy us helicopters to fight the war, bought them after the war, and are now shamelessly taking credit for the win,” Fonseka charged.

While alleging that the Rajapaksa’s were involved in large scale corruption, Fonseka also hit out at the former defence secretary alleging that when Gotabaya was in charge of procuring certain ammunition, the cost of a certain purchase which was at 250 million originally, went up to a surprising 650 million.

“There were days we didn’t have sufficient ammunition to fight, and we had to make do with just one rocket, but they are boasting so much about the so called leadership they gave, when they couldn’t even give us the basics to fight the war,” Fonseka charged.

According to Fonseka, who was the Army Commander at the time the war was won, the ‘Api Wenuwen Api’ programme by Gotabaya, collected Rs. 4.5 billion. “No audit was ever conducted to verify how the money was spent. They made a huge fuss saying they were building houses for soldiers. But they built only 300 houses as of 8th January 2015, and even at the cost of 1 million per this two bed room a house, where is the balance Rs. 4.2 billion?,” he asked.

According to Fonseka, even when Mahinda Rajapaksa, as the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces kissed the ground at the Bandaranaike International Airport, soon after his return from an overseas trip on May 16, 2009, on reports that the war was over, the war was still been fought.

Read More

Dammika Ranatunga noticed by court over 

threatening media men

2016-03-17
Colombo Chief Magistrate Gihan Pilapitiya today noticed Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) Chairman Dammika Ranatunga to appear in Court on March 24 following a B Report filed by Keselwatte Police over the alleged incident of threatening a journalist on the Colombo High Court premises yesterday. -


Mr. Ranatunga arrived at the premises to attend the hearing yesterday for the bail application revision for his brother Nishantha Ranatunga and had allegedly threatened the journalists present, when they captured visuals of him entering the court.

The journalists, representing several media outlets, captured Ranatunga’s threats on camera and later lodged a Police complaint at the Keselwatte Police.

Nishantha Ranatunga, former CSN Senior Executive, was remanded on charges of violating the Public Property Act. (Shehan Chamika)

DENMARK TOPS GLOBAL ‘HAPPY’ INDEX, BURUNDI AT BOTTOM

Denmark lost to Switzerland in the 2015 version of the World Happiness Report but was named the happiest country once again in this year's report (AFP Photo/Sophia Juliane Lydolph)

Burundi was reported as the most miserable of the 157 countries in the survey and was followed by Sy …

March 17, 2016

New York (AFP) - Denmark, closely followed by Switzerland, is again the happiest country in the world while crisis-torn Syria and Burundi are the most miserable, according to a global ranking released Wednesday.

The 2016 World Happiness Report seeks to quantify happiness as a means of making societies healthier and more efficient. The United Nations published the first such study in 2012.

As with last year, Iceland, Norway, Finland, Canada, Netherlands, New Zealand, Australia and Sweden round out the top 10, making small or medium-sized countries in Western Europe seven of the top 10 happiest countries.

Denmark, which was ranked first in the 2012 and 2013 versions of the report but lost that honor to Switzerland in 2015, now reclaims its title as happiest country on Earth.

Burundi was the most miserable, followed by war-ravaged Syria, Togo, Afghanistan and six other countries in sub-Saharan Africa -- Benin, Rwanda, Guinea, Liberia, Tanzania and Madagascar as the least happy of 157 countries.

The report compared data from 2005 to 2015 showing that Greece, which suffered enormously from the global recession and now faces a crippling migrant crisis, had the highest drop in happiness.

The United States, where sharp polarization has been exposed in the 2016 presidential election campaign, out-ranked several Western European countries to be 13th most happy nation, up two spots from last year.

Germany was 16th, Britain 23rd and France 32nd. A string of Middle Eastern kingdoms -- Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain -- out-ranked Italy, which came in at number 50, and Japan, which took the 53rd spot.

China, the world's most populous country, was ranked 83rd and India, the world's largest democracy, came in at 118.

The authors said six factors -- GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, social freedom, generosity and absence of corruption -- explain almost three-quarters of the variation across different countries.

The report compared levels of happiness in 2005-2007, before the onset of the global recession, with 2013-2015, the most recent three-year period for which data from a Gallup World Poll is available.

Of the 126 countries for which comparable data was available, 55 had significant increases in happiness and 45 had significant decreases, the report found.

Among the top 20 gainers were Thailand and China, eight countries in the Commonwealth of Independent States and Eastern Europe, seven in Latin America, two in sub-Saharan Africa and Macedonia in the Balkans.

The 20 largest losers of happiness included Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Yemen and Saudi Arabia in the Middle East; Japan and India in Asia; and Cyprus, Spain, Italy and Greece in Europe -- all hard hit by the economic crisis.

Ukraine, where the east has been roiled by a pro-Russian insurgency since 2014, has also fallen into the group of 10 largest happiness declines.

Iceland and Ireland offer the best examples of maintaining happiness in the face of economic crisis due to high degrees of social support, the report found.

WORLD HAPPINESS REPORT 2016 UPDATE

Army in MoD row after top pilots are forced to hand back thousands in flying pay

Generals warn at least 15 pilots have already resigned after being told they would have to repay thousands in flying pay they were wrongly given last decade

Several highly qualified Apache helicopter pilots are already believed to have resigned over the repayments Photo: Corporal Jamie Peters /MOD

An Army Air Corps Apache helicopter flying from HMS Ocean during the 2011 LIbya campaign

By Ben Farmer, Defence Correspondent-17 Mar 2016

Some of the Army’s most experienced helicopter pilots could quit over Ministry of Defence plans to make them repay thousands of pounds of flying pay, senior officers have warned.

At least 15 pilots have already resigned after the MoD warned around 200 serving and retired crew they would have to pay back a total of £829,000 extra pay they received in an admin error.

The Army has clashed with the MoD after officials rejected generals’ pleas to write off the debt when it was discovered. Senior officers warned clawing back the money overpaid last decade was unfair and could lead to more resignations in the already overstretched Army Air Corps.

Commanders have warned the repayments could worsen a serious shortage of experienced pilots

One source said some pilots had “lost all trust in the system” after being handed the repayment demands. The source said it was “the straw that broke the camel’s back” for several pilots who were already considering leaving.

One has been told he must pay back more than £30,000 even though an internal audit found the aircrew had received the extra retention bonuses in good faith.

The Corps, which flies aircraft including Apache, Lynx and Wildcat helicopters, is already desperately short of senior aircrew, pilots and instructors, commanders have revealed.

Letters released under the Freedom of Information Act show the Army told MoD officials it was “firmly of the view" that overpayments should be written off because of "compelling operational capability" and "fairness" considerations.

"A decision to recover must be considered against the risk that it will precipitate increased outflow" of experienced pilots.

"There has already been an increase in voluntary outflow since the debts have been placed on individuals pay accounts, with 15 pilots directly citing the incorrect payment as the deciding factor in their decision to leave the Army."

Read More

Iran seen escaping UN sanctions over missiles due to ambiguous resolution

A ballistic missile is launched and tested in an undisclosed location, Iran, March 9, 2016.

REUTERS/MAHMOOD HOSSEINI/TIMA

BY LOUIS CHARBONNEAU AND MICHELLE NICHOLS-Fri Mar 18, 2016

Iran will likely escape new United Nations sanctions, though the U.N. Security Council could issue a public reprimand for recent launches of what Western officials described as ballistic missiles capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, diplomats said.

Council diplomats said the case for sanctions was weak, hinging on interpretation of ambiguous language in a resolution adopted by the 15-member body last July, part of an historic deal to curb Iran's nuclear work.

International sanctions on Tehran were lifted in January under the nuclear deal brokered by Britain, France, Germany, China, Russia and the United States. Diplomats said all six countries agreed the ballistic missile tests do not violate the core agreement.

However, the Security Council resolution "calls upon" Iran to refrain for up to eight years from activity, including launches, related to ballistic missiles designed with the capability of delivering nuclear weapons.

Key powers agree that request is not legally binding and cannot be enforced under Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter, which deals with sanctions and authorization of military force. But Western nations, which view the language as a ban, say there is a political obligation on Iran to comply.

Britain said the missile launches show Iran's "blatant disregard" for the resolution, while France said it was "a case of non-compliance." The United States initially deemed the tests a violation, but has softened that stance, calling Iran "in defiance" of the resolution.

Russia, which has Security Council veto power, says Iran has not violated the resolution. Russia opposes new U.N. sanctions, but acknowledged that if the missiles were proven capable of carrying a nuclear weapon, it could be suggested Tehran has not been "respectful" of the council.

"A call is different from a ban, so legally you cannot violate a call, you can comply with a call or you can ignore the call, but you cannot violate a call," Russian U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said on Monday. "The legal distinction is there."

Laura Rockwood, former chief of the legal department at the International Atomic Energy Agency and now head of the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-proliferation, said of the U.N. resolution: "This was probably a classic case of language negotiated with 'constructive ambiguity' in mind."

In a 2010 resolution, the Security Council decided Iran "shall not" carry out activity related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons - a clear, legal ban.

The United States agreed to soften the language on ballistic missiles in the July resolution, largely because Russia and China insisted, diplomats said.

    "When you look at your hand, and you can't even bluff ... you fold," said a U.S. official.

Despite Russia's opposition to new sanctions, the United States has vowed to continue pushing for U.N. Security Council action on the ballistic missile tests. Instead of sanctions, the council could decide to issue a statement rebuking Iran, not only for the missile tests, but for threatening another state.

The commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards' missile battery said the missiles tested were designed to be able to hit U.S. ally Israel. The United States condemned the remarks and Russia said countries should not threaten each other.

Churkin also argued the U.N. resolution required a heavy burden of proof that the ballistic missiles were "designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons." The United States and its European allies are expected to make a technical case to the council about how Iran failed to abide by the U.N. resolution.

"These were designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons. This merits a council response," U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, told reporters on Monday.

According to the International Missile Control Regime, ballistic missiles are considered nuclear capable if they have a range of at least 300 km and can carry a payload of up to 500 kg.

Mark Fitzpatrick of the International Institute for Strategic Studies said he did not believe Iran's missile launches were a violation of the "ambiguous" resolution because the "missiles in question can't be proven to have been designed to deliver nuclear weapons."

Iranian officials, including pragmatist President Hassan Rouhani, insist Tehran's missile programme does not violate the nuclear deal or the U.N. resolution.

"With Russia and China on Iran's side, there will be no resolutions, sanctions or any action against Iran over its missile or aerospace programs," said a senior official in Tehran, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Now that sanctions on Tehran had been lifted, the official said Western countries were keen to do business in Iran.

"Iran is not being seen as a danger any more even for the Western countries," the official said. "Iran is like a gold mine for them. They need us and we need them. So, why endanger this situation?"

(Additional reporting by Arshad Mohammed in Washington, Parisa Hafezi in Ankara and John Irish in Paris; Editing by David Gregorio)