A historic betrayal..! Vice Chancellor a MR’s henchman to sell Moratuwa University intellectual property rights on the sly..!

(Lanka-e-News -19.Jan.2017, 1.15AM) Professor Ananda Kithsiri Wijenayake Jayawardena was appointed as the Vice Chancellor of the Moratuwa University  by presently deposed and discarded ex president Mahinda Rajapakse who is now a byword for corruption and criminalities , during the cruel, despotic and  corrupt Rajapakse regime. 

In keeping with the overriding corrupt traits which characterize  all those of the Rajapakse clan and his cronies , Ananda Kithsiiri too  on the sly  is seeking underhand modes to sell the intellectual property rights belonging to the academics of the College to a private Co. 

It is with deep sorrow and profound concern Lanka e news reports this most shameful and shocking news of corruption involving a professor of the highest seat of learning .

The Vice Chancellor alias vice ‘committer’ is surreptitiously trying to make a sale of the intellectual property rights to a  private Co. ‘CODEGEN’. In view of this sale  , this private Co. is in the readiness to pay a colossal amount of money and grant a  number of perks and privileges to the Vice Chancellor and his close sidekicks. 

Unfortunately for this Vice committing Vice Chancellor , though he is determined to sign this agreement with the Co. stealthily , the chairman of the  advisory committee of the Moratuwa university concerning  intellectual property has fiercely  opposed this . As a  result the Vice chancellor alias ‘Vice Committer’ is unable to go ahead with his calculated and  crooked plan. 

The crafty and corrupt Vice chancellor  with a view to holding  discussions had summoned the Academics Board suddenly without giving adequate notice  violating the administrative regulations .Only a few academics attended this meeting ,and sadly , a majority of them were henchmen of the Vice committing Vice Chancellor.  

The president of the Moratuwa University academics association following this controversial and sinister  move of the Vice chancellor  sent an e mail message highlighting the irregularities  to the Vice chancellor .In that it was  noted that the Vice chancellor has neglected his duty to give adequate time to the Academics Board to enlighten itself  in connection with the agreement that is going to be signed with the private Co. In other words  the Academics Board  was  deprived of its opportunity  to do a research and gives its counter suggestions .

The disillusioned Academics board  is of the view ,    owing to the corrupt and fraudulent efforts of the Vice Chancellor , there has arisen a division  among the Board  members. The Board  has therefore  lambasted the Vice chancellor over his selfish unscrupulous moves  to acquire self centered  personal gains. This  (mis)conduct will also   poorly reflect on the Moratuwa University in the local and international spheres ,they have pointed out.

The president of the academics board while  insisting that  the intellectual property laws pertaining to the Universities should be extensively amended , pinpointed , right now adverse pressures are being exerted against the innovative measures which are  being initiated at the Moratuwa University towards a new culture relating to the  technological and engineering spheres. 

It is the view of the academics possessed of  expertise who are showing concern in the best interests of the University  and the country  that if this agreement is signed  for any  reason , the intellectual property rights belonging to the academics and the students will completely be transferred to the private Co. and that would be irreversible .

When  the president of the Intellectual property advisory Committee (IPAC) refusing to sign the agreement  , it  was  presented before the University Grants Commission (UGC) . It is the hope of the  Moratuwa University  academics and students that the UGC will probe into this dispassionately and impartially. In addition , it is their fervent hope that the president , the Prime Minister and the minister of higher education will seriously focus their careful attention on  this fraudulent attempts and dastardly action. 

The Vice Chancellor alias Vice ‘committer’ Ananda Kithsiri , (who  only has a civil engineering qualification ) despite his so called education,  instead of making an honest and worthwhile contribution to the esteemed Institution he is serving  or his motherland , and  acting this way to achieve  selfish and sordid gains  is most reprehensible and  most disgraceful  from all angles. It is  the Rajapakses who are as shameless as he when it comes to  earning filthy lucre , who appointed Ananda Kithsiri as a Vice Chancellor  of a  highly esteemed Moratuwa University. At any rate ,  we are ashamed to reveal , in his whole life Kithsiri  has only written one book, and that was for his University degree. 

Neither has he done any worthy research nor  won any international acclaim.  Cast in the same mould as the Rajapakses,  his mouth is so wide only the mouth of a  spittoon can beat that orifice in size.

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by     (2017-01-18 19:52:34)

JHU asks Ven. Rathana to give up UNP NL slot

* Speculation rife of possible legal action against the Thera

By Shamindra Ferdinando-January 18, 2017, 10:09 pm 

The Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) has requested Ven. Athureliya Rathana thera to give up his National List seat.

A senior party spokesperson told The Island that the party expected Ven. Rathana to quit in the wake of his controversial decision to function as an independent MP.

Asked whether the Ven thera had consulted party regarding his move, the spokesperson said that the UNP had accommodated him on the National List in accordance with an agreement signed between the UNP and the JHU in the run-up to parliamentary poll in Aug 2015.

The UNP and the JHU finalised the agreement at Temple Trees with the participation of UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, UNP General Secretary Kabir Hashim and JHU members Patali Champika Ranawaka, Karu Paranavithana and Ven. Rathana.

Meanwhile, JHU Advisor Ven. Omalpe Sobitha thera told The Island that the party expected Ven. Rathana to vacate his National List slot to pursue an agenda of his own.

Ven. Rathana revealed his move last Monday. Ven. Rathana said that he would campaign against those seeking to undermine Sri Lanka’s unitary status and pursue agenda inimical to the country. Ven. Rathana also attacked the government and its top leaders over the ongoing moves to hold a referendum on proposed constitutional reforms.

JHU official said that they had consulted the UNP regarding the issue at hand and both parties were of the opinion that Ven. Rathana could engage in politics. However, Ven thera couldn’t pursue his new venture as a National List member of the UNP.

Political sources asserted that the UNP could seek legal remedy if Ven. Rathana refused to give up the National List slot.

Ven. Rathana made his move in the wake Puttalam District MP Priyankara Jayaratne distancing himself from the SLFP led by President Maithripala Sirisena.

WHO HOLDS POWER ON ELECTION DAY IS THE LOSER ?

 2017-01-18

Caption is a query raised without consulting an astrologer or a suggestion from a wild buffalo. Voters expect too much in return from a country that is near broke. Politicians make offers beyond their means to gain power. Nation has to beg and borrow to live another day. Whoever is in power from 2017 to election date is the likely loser at the next presidential or general elections.   

Any ruler in office is ineffective in a sagging economy unless corruption is slackened and administration tightened. Neither is on mend. Route Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe picked was nullified by minions in the government as seen in the Development (Special Provisions) Bill, shot down by his buddy President Maithripala Sirisena  and his provincial marauders. Same fate, thankfully awaits, the controversial Constitutional Amendments that would gather dust on the shelf. Naturally, these are scatterbrain schemes. Unseen saboteur is the President, studies the ground situation rationally, more than Ranil, living a planet away. Knows opposition could coalesce on a sentimental issue that is attractive to the fast expanding middle - income groups that carry voting strength.  

Middle-income, middle-class strayed from the government as the economy started tickling them. Tickle turned to a scratch and became a wound that did not answer to any antibiotic. They were the bulwarks of the 2015 elections.  

 Middle-incomers, after the victory over terrorism led a more comfortable life style (travelling around Sri Lanka in vans on pilgrimages to the hill country, up north, improving home conditions, purchasing mechanized two, three or four wheelers and sending kids to more tuition classes!) acquired wealth after the chapter on terrorism was firmly nailed. They presently live in discomfort with ‘luxuries’ pruned down.  

 Billboards on road side advertise expertise from dressing brides to repairing computers to perming hair in their homes in proof of an emerging economic class where the income is tax free, earned without paying rent or incurring transport charges. These homes had more than one income earner and parked more than one vehicle. Roads naturally are clogged with vehicles with the ‘middle-tons’ on the move.   

 Public officers in this category, if convinced, the government is frail and vulnerable, as at present, would accelerate the rate of destabilization in search of their advancement.  

Mahinda Rajapaksa (MR)’s apparent fizz is not self-induced but coincides with the unpopularity of the Ranil-Maithri combine. A coalition between UNP and SLFP cannot function smoothly as they tread different paths with competing MP’s having an eye on re-election. Presently, Ranil is trying cheap gimmicks to make the economy tick without luck, as his vintage administrators are an elitist bunch forming the establishment that misled him with their unfriendly policies that undid the UNP between 2001-2004.  

 Daydreaming of manufacturing a Volkswagen vehicle locally failed miserably, Ranil has not succeeded in attracting a maker of dinky toys to set up a factory, notwithstanding having the best finance minister in the world as determined by a banking magazine.  

The economy is the live issue, relegated at the last election to the background, while good governance was made sugary sweet by the NGOs’ whacky armies; genuine few, in disgust, sought fresh pastures in anguish, regretting their misguided exercise was badly fractured.   

 Ranil and Maithripala enjoyed an easy ride to office without an Economic Master Plan (J.R. Jayewardene’s bags of cereals –‘Ata atta’ or R. Premadasa’s dole assured every poor household a bounty of Rs. 2,500 per month) to keep the poor out of despair awaited patiently for the arrival of a miraculous go-dot. An absent Santa makes the‘fed-up’ rate grow swifter. Good governance kids unwittingly caused the government to engage in disastrous ad hoc economic policies, on being underprepared.  

The former President peaked in popularity with the war victory, became a sitting duck unable to respond to the cry for good governance with rampant corruption marching hand- -in-hand at the elections; voters knew and know the culprits of then and now. Mahinda’s toadies made him look regal. Being a silly mortal fell into their trap in believing that ‘King can do no Wrong’- fiddled like Nero while the country was on the mend, then fell into an insurmountable hole on public debt - the encircling albatross of economic development.  

Restrictive phase where general elections are tabooed for 12 months after the previous, was by Constitutional Amendment extended to 54 months; needed a simple majority of one in Parliament to revise the prohibitive period, now requires a 2/3 majority. Silly surplus, as no MP is prepared to shorten his parliamentary lifeline? These are the achievements of the 19th Amendment that could unsettle the present government. Draconian provisions were extended without the 5/6th majority enjoyed by J.R.Jayewardene   

Therefore, a general election could be held after February 16, 2020. Yet governments could change hands in persons and parties without the exercise of the franchise - the issue is the Supreme Court led by Chief Justice Siripavan evaded answering in the 19th Amendment. Justices are answerable some day, somewhere, since the issue causes havoc. All that is needed is a show of hands in Parliament. The 19th Amendment kills the good work of good governance with one stroke!  Mahinda promises an early return to power by this queer process with his old familiar unfriendly faces. New government, if any, will be virtually the same that lost in 2015, back in the saddle knowing well this is their last hurrah, multiplying corruption.  Some sail with President Maithripala and continue to hold ministerial appointments. Such are not wanted for a parade before the FCID that has failed to lead any evidence in any court on any corruption charges. Mahinda has to play with these past masters till 2020; many cheated him. Maithripala, champion at pole vault, holds a whip in hand, against possible ‘double crossing-tons” with or without sharing a hopper; others will say bye-bye to the FCID, already in toe with the tortoise, would parade different faces; tempting more from the UNP to join the Mahinda’s bandwagon, to be secure. Has a new insurance policy been designed exclusively for MPs?  

 Tired Sinhala Buddhist nationalists trek to learn thorny constitutional issues under the tutelage in the home of unblemished Prof. G.L. Piers. Tolerance in Buddhism makes it possible to forget and forgive. Prof. Pieris has artfully won over a hostile constituency. Now dressed as a Sinhala Buddhist zealot is ousting the old guard in the MEP, JNP, SLFP and JHU that stood loyally in difficult days when waltzing Prof. Pieris, with the UNP evolved federal structures with the LTTE and produced a Package for the SLFP in the company of Neelan Thiruchelvam of the TNA. Selling names attracts dodgy funding.  

Good Health and Long Life to those seeking a place in the sun in their last days. Sulking dears may surface in round two, poorer with sour faces sadly muddied for life. Sad to say they are purchasable for a sandwich and an outing being long without recognition sought desperately.  

Prof. Pieris is a treasured asset for Mahinda, as he is a master of the English language (quality sadly lacking in the joint opposition) supposedly “knows the law”, is no threat to Mahinda, flexible to vary directions, has space to set up a clubhouse to varied and conflicting causes of persons with excess free time and provide refreshments to all and sundry. Such a combine together with culinary skills cannot match gallons of tea and lumps of jaggery offered by the MEP, JNP or JHU or SLFP ‘patriots’ as they fall by the wayside against a buying office well funded.  

Pieris is Mahinda’s on/off Anagarika with western flourishes as he doubles as latter’s principal spokesman in the English-speaking to foreign dignitaries in different tongues. Mahinda wants to enjoy power with his manageable old stock that provides him a free hand.  

Mahinda needs 75% of Sinhala Buddhist support, not necessarily as votes, since there is no election - to counter the oncoming economic upheaval responding with the shrill cry of a divided nation to keep him afloat in the south, without a team of any re-known. Minority vote is not his constituency but fortifies the majority vote. People abhor terrorism, learnt lessons at their doorstep. Maithripala’s SLFP too needs the Sinhala Buddhist vote to survive. Vote as you desire; don’t make Sirisena a foe for he can be a friend to offset Ranil’s wild desires, with his presidential powers.  Think of the nation, my friends, not of politicians that provide a tasty bite.Be your thinking machines and no particle of any politicians’ Seeya/Archie Armies.   

 Ranil in his wisdom may craftily manoeuvre a shift to the opposition by having him outvoted in Parliament or more likely dissatisfied parliamentarians may shift loyalties and outvote him in parliament leaving the country in the hands of Mahinda and his merry men to fumble. Reminded of a story of treading angels and rushing fools.  

More likely, UNP may return without Ranil or the SLFP without Mahinda, whichever or whoever is out of power, in 2020: reaction to a bored leadership. Generation gap between an aged leadership and youthful constituents is expanding - forced retirements may be a mutual feature.  
A timetable to remember -  

A) Presidential elections must be held on any date before the 7th of January 2020  
B) General Elections must be held between February16 and the August 16, 2020.  

 The President has to determine the dates of both elections. Both elections cannot be held on the same day, much to Maithripala’s disadvantage due to the artificial datelines. Which will he hold first? Will he as promised gracefully retire than be sure defeated as the permanent fixture of hard times and search a corner to sulk?  

China’s increasing presence in Sri Lanka will benefit all countries in South Asia

By Hu Weijia Source:Global Times Published: 2017/1/16 0:18:39

Domestic news portal cankaoxiaoxi.com reported over the weekend that Japanese media was saying China's increasing presence in Sri Lanka's Hambantota port is making Japan and India worried. It is understandable that the cooperation has left some Asian countries vigilant as media reports suggest that an 80 percent share of the port, which sits on an important trade route, and land for an industrial zone will be leased to China for the next 99 years. However, joining the project would be better than standing aside and being jealous.

The Chinese-funded project in Sri Lanka is not a nail being knocked into the geopolitical landscape of South Asia to curb India's rise. China's economic cooperation with Sri Lanka does not target any third party, including India and Japan, because the project is just another move in pushing forward the Belt and Road initiative, an open, inclusive international cooperative proposal that any nation is welcome to take part in. India and Japan should feel free to join the initiative in a bid to boost their presence in Sri Lanka's economy, but it is questionable whether the two countries are willing to spend a large amount of money on supporting the economy of Sri Lanka and pushing forward regional economic integration.

If Sri Lanka could not get enough financial support from India and Japan to build its port facilities, it seems inadvisable to prevent the South Asian country from seeking help from China, a country that is witnessing a boom in outbound investment. Sri Lanka is located along a vital sea-lane and trade corridor which connects the oil-rich Middle East and East Asia. India and other nations could use the new port facilities in Sri Lanka as a regional transit hub for their own shipping.

Some countries like India and Bangladesh will be the first batch of beneficiaries of China's efforts to build a network of roads and infrastructure facilities in South Asia to open up new trade routes. In this regard, China's economic cooperation with Sri Lanka will contribute not just to the local economy but to the whole region.

As more and more South Asian countries keep a positive attitude toward China's efforts to improve infrastructure in the region, skeptics in countries such as India should rethink their stance toward the Chinese-funded project in Sri Lanka. China is likely to adopt an open attitude if other countries can put aside the idea of geopolitical confrontation and join in on harbor construction of the island nation.

The author is a reporter with the Global Times. bizopinion@globaltimes.com.cn

Ceypetco ensures bad fuel to the consumer for Energizing the future!

(Lanka-e-News -19.Jan.2017, 1.45AM) The  third  dirty  fuel  shipment  of  Vitol,   the  notorious  dirty  fuel  supplier,   is  just  about to  be  unloaded  to  Kolonnawa  Refinery  Oil  Complex  of  Petroleum  Corporation.

Merely  two  weeks  after  the  contentious  acceptance  of  dirty  aviation  fuel  shipment  of Vitol  on  tanker, “Nave Luminosity”, soon  after  an  underhand  deal  between  Vitol  and  the Petroleum  Minister,  another  tanker  has  come  inside  Port  of  Colombo  yesterday (17),  with  a full  load  dirty  Diesel  for  Ceylon  Petroleum  Corporation. 

To  give  eyewash  to  the  unassuming  public,  Ceypetco  accepted  the  dirty  Aviation  Fuel cargo  from Vitol  two weeks ago, on a  price  discount,  risking  precious  lives  of  thousands  of air  passengers.

When  the diesel samples were tested last night by the scientists of Ceylon Petroleum Refinery laboratory at Kolonnawa Refinery Storage Complex,  it  was  revealed  that  the  samples  were full  of  dirt,  rust  and  muck. 

It  is  reported  that  the  Minister  is  very  jubilant  on  getting  to  know  of  this.    In  fact,  Vitol  is  busy,  getting ready to oil  the Minister’s  palm  with  another  few  millions  for  getting  the  easy  “ministerial  nod”   to  unload  the  dirty  diesel  cargo  to  CPC Storage  Tanks in  Kolonnawa  Storage  Complex.

Currently the tanker,  “Swarna Kalash”  with the full load of dirty diesel  is  at  the  Oil  Jetty  of Colombo Port.
This time too, Ceypetco will accept this dirty diesel cargo after giving the public the usual “discount”  eyewash  and  the  usual  underhand  deal  behind  the  curtain. 

Lanka  E-News  firmly believes that it is the  duty  of  the  Media to educate the public that, what you pump into your vehicle is dirty diesel;  in  case  Ceypetco  is  compelled  to  accept  this cargo,  despite  Ceypetco’s  claim  that  they  received  a   “discount”.

A  senior  officer  of  Petroleum Corporation who wished to remain anonymous informs  that  there could be a multimillion fraud behind this repeated arrival of dirty fuel shipments  to  Petroleum  Corporation  from Vitol.

What Lanka  E-News  reported just two weeks ago  -  i.e.  on 2nd Jan 2017 is  reproduced  below;

Danger.., dirty fuel again...! Dirty fuel supplier Vitol proves the LeN forecast..!!

You may remember LEN foresaw this happening four months ago in below article.

Vitol the blacklisted “Dirty” Fuel Supplier is cleaned and re-instated by Ceylon Petroleum Corporation for the third time : Await.., the next dirty fuel consignment shortly.!

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by     (2017-01-18 20:24:34)

Govt. defends decision on homosexuality

By Uditha Jayasinghe -Thursday, 19 January 2017

The Government yesterday defended removing the decriminalisation of homosexuality from its National Human Rights Action Plan, insisting that it could be “misinterpreted” for legal reasons but bizarrely claimed that prosecution of homosexuals was rare and it would not infringe on sexual minorities.

Cabinet spokesman Dr. Rajitha Senaratne came in for a barrage of questions from the media during the weekly Cabinet briefing on Government efforts to meet the requirements for GSP+. Denying that the European Union had imposed conditions for regaining GSP+, he backed the Government implementing stronger human rights measures as positive for the country.

“The Government is against homosexuality. The EU cannot object to this as they also faced massive objections from the Church for a very long time. It is only recently that they have made progress on these points and just as the EU has the Church we have our temples,” he said.

Dr. Senaratne also slammed MP Rathana Thero, who this week announced that he would be leaving the Government to sit as an independent member of the House, for his statements on human rights issues and the new Constitution. The Cabinet spokesman stressed that all members of Parliament had the right to object to the Constitution, which he pointed out was still at a formulation stage and no final decisions had been taken.

“All parties are part of the process to formulate the new Constitution. It is not just one person and it is not done to undermine the sovereignty of the country. As an MP, Rathana Thero has the freedom to object, campaign against and introduce changes to the draft documents at any point. Personally I think that it is a positive development to have people criticise the Government. That is the democratic process. Nowhere in the world is there a Government that does not face dissent from time to time.”

Dr. Senaratne also dismissed speculation that the change of stance by Rathana Thero reflected deepening divisions within the Government that threaten to break apart the coalition. “The Government is not perfect,” he acknowledged, “but it is still far better than the previous Government.”

The Cabinet spokesman also railed against critics of the Hambantota Port deal. “How else can we repay these massive loans? Those who object to this deal should then also come forward with an alternative. I suppose you will be satisfied when these naysayers return to power and then tax everything to repay these loans. Would that make you happy?”

Dr. Senaratne and Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake briefly became unlikely allies at the press conference when the former supported fresh moves to give citizenship to investors bringing in $ 300,000 or more.

“Plenty of Sri Lankans go and get citizenship in other countries but they don’t want foreigners to have citizenship in this country. How is that fair? Giving visas to senior citizens who come as investors has been happening for decades and none of these people became criminals. How is it acceptable when our people get the chance to be dual citizens but others can’t?”      

• Says made on religious considerations, no conditions for GSP+, backs more human rights 
• Rathana Thero exit does not undermine Govt., unfair criticism of proposed Constitution  
• Supports H’tota Port and visa for investors    

Video: Israeli soldiers kill Palestinian at checkpoint

Israeli forces were shown on video opening heavy gunfire on a Palestinian man at a checkpoint in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday: 

Maureen Clare Murphy-18 January 2017

The footage shows a man standing next to a concrete barrier, several feet away from any Israeli soldiers.

The man stands in place for several seconds, and remains standing as a group of soldiers shout at him to stop and sit on the ground and a first shot is fired. He then walks towards the soldiers who are firing near his feet before he eventually collapses, apparently shot in the upper body, as he comes closer to the soldiers at a faster pace.

The Israeli army claimed that the man, identified by Palestinian sources as Nidal Daoud Mahdawi, 44, attempted to stab soldiers.

No Israelis were injured during the incident.

Mahdawi reportedly held Israeli residency and was a married father of five.

Youth dragged before declared dead

The fatal shooting of Mahdawi came one day after Israeli forces were shown on video dragging an injured Palestinian teenager who would later be declared dead.

That incident occurred during confrontations near the Bethlehem-area village of Tuqu in the West Bank.

The slain youth was identified as Qusay al-Amour, 17.

Footage of the incident shows al-Amour lying motionless on the ground in a grove of trees as a group of soldiers run towards him, flipping him over before dragging him by the arms and legs to an army jeep several meters away, his head repeatedly hitting the ground:

The video shows Israeli soldiers firing crowd-dispersing weapons at Palestinians who had tried to approach the youth. Soldiers are then seen examining al-Amour before he is placed onto a stretcher.

“According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, al-Amour was hit by four bullets in his upper body and two in the legs. Four other Palestinians were wounded in the incident, including al-Amour’s sister,” the Tel Aviv newspaper Haaretz reported.

The Israeli military said that al-Amour had thrown stones at soldiers, “who responded by firing bullets from Ruger rifles,” Haaretz added. “The army permits use of the Ruger to disperse stone-throwers, even though it fires live, albeit small-caliber, ammunition.”

The Palestinian photographer who recorded the video of the incident told the paper that al-Amour was trying to hide from the soldiers in the grove, “but left his upper body exposed,” before he was shot and dragged away, apparently already dead.

Qusay al-Amour, buried on Tuesday, is the first Palestinian child to be killed by Israeli forces so far this year.APA images

An official with the Palestine Red Crescent Society told Haaretz that one of their ambulances arrived at the scene but was not allowed to approach.

The military told media it has begun to investigate the incident.

An image of al-Amour circulated on social media after his death:

View image on Twitter

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Deadly raid

Last week, Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian man during a late-night raid in al-Faraa refugee camp in the northern West Bank.

A Palestinian political party official told media that the man, Muhammad al-Salihi, 32, was “executed” in his home by Israeli officers.

“Muhammad started to shout at them because he thought they were thieves, and the soldiers immediately showered him with bullets at point-blank range, before the very eyes of his elderly mother,” Khalid Mansour, a leader of the Palestinian People’s Party, told the Ma’an News Agency.

An Israeli army spokesperson said that the incident did not take place inside a home. The spokesperson added that al-Salihi had advanced towards soldiers while brandishing a knife, and did not heed their orders to halt.

No Israelis were injured during the incident.

Four Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank so far this year, and a man in Gaza is presumed dead after he went missing when Israeli naval forces attacked his fishing boat, causing it to capsize.

Four Israeli soldiers were killed this month when a Palestinian man drove a truck into a group of them in Jerusalem before he was shot dead at the scene.

In 2016, more than 100 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces, and 13 Israelis were killed by Palestinians, according to United Nations data.

Egyptian lawyers move to overturn Sisi's support for Nile dam project

Sisi faced calls on this week to be prosecuted for treason over his attempts to transfer of two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia

Green agriculture land between the Nile and one of the mountains of the eastern deserts in Minya (MEE/Mohamed Mahmoud)

Wednesday 18 January 2017

A group of Egyptian lawyers and political activists are preparing a lawsuit to challenge a preliminary deal agreed by Egyptian president Abdel Fatah al-Sisi on Ethiopia’s Nile dam project in March 2015, reported local media on Wednesday.

The deal signed by President Sisi, Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, and Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir asserted Ethiopia’s right to build the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), a decision that has caused huge concerns in Egypt over its water supply and ability to generate hydro-electric power.

The news comes after Sisi faced calls on Tuesday to be prosecuted for treason following a court’s ruling against his government over the proposed transfer of the Red Sea islands of Tiran and Sanafir to Saudi Arabia.

The group of lawyers and activists now aim to overturn Sisi’s decision to agree to the Nile Dam declaration, claiming that the agreement is not in the interests of Egypt.

The signing of the declaration was “like a dream” for the Ethiopian counterparts, sources among the group of lawyers and activists told Alaraby newspaper on Wednesday, while claiming that the Ethiopian negotiators took advantage of the deal and collected international funding for their project.

Why Egyptians are worried about the GERD

Any development which might interfere with the flow of the Nile waters is of great concern to Egypt. Most of its more than 90 million people live within a few kilometres of the river.

The river supplies the bulk of the country’s drinking water and irrigates the Nile Delta, one of the most fertile regions on the planet. Any drop in the level of the Nile as a result of developments upstream could seriously affect water supplies, already under severe pressure.

The Nile also generates about half of Egypt’s electricity through the operation of the Aswan High Dam, built in the 1960s with the help of the Soviet Union.

The 2015 agreement was based on a ‘declaration of principles’ to ensure that the construction of the dam would not harm the other countries and will compensate them should it negatively affect their interests.

But many Egyptians – and indeed Sudanese, who will also be affected – fear that their towns and villages will be swept away should it ever collapse.

Ethiopia began building the - known in Egypt as the El Nahda Dam - in April 2011, at a then-cost of $4.7bn. The structure – which is 1,800 km long and will have a volume of 10 million m³ - is expected to be completed in July. It will eventually produce 6,000 megawatts of electricity according to its backers.

The dam, which is now more than 70 percent complete, is regarded as central to the country’s ambitions to become an economic powerhouse in Africa.

The government in Addis Ababa has said that the project will not harm the interests of other nations, including Egypt.

Attempts were made to build the dam during the era of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, who asserted that Egyptian access to its annual quota of the Nile’s waters is a matter of life or death. But Mubarak was overthrown in January 2011: construction work on the dam began six months later.

Sisi has said that while Ethiopia has a right to plan for its future, he will not forfeit Egypt’s historical rights to access the waters of the Nile, rights which were ingrained in international conventions signed during the period of European colonial occupation.

But successive Egyptian administrations seem to have been caught by surprise by Ethiopia’s determination to implement the GERD.

The fact that the project is progressing – and has won the support of many of Egypt’s neighbours to the south - is also seen as an indication of Cairo’s waning influence in Africa.

Six astonishing things Betsy DeVos said — and refused to say — at her confirmation hearing

Betsy DeVos, Donald Trump's nominee for education secretary, appeared before senators at her confirmation hearing on Jan. 17, but some of her responses created more questions than they answered. (Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)

By Valerie Strauss January 18 at 1:46 AM

At her contentious confirmation hearing as Donald Trump’s nominee to be education secretary on Tuesday, Betsy DeVos was asked a question by Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) about an important education debate involving how student progress should be measured. The query essentially rendered her speechless as she appeared not to know how to answer. When Franken told her he was upset she didn’t understand it, she did not protest.

That was just one of several moments during the hearing in which DeVos either displayed a lack of knowledge about education fundamentals or refused to answer questions that Democratic members of the Senate Education Committee believe are critical to her fitness for the job.

[Betsy DeVos, Trump’s education pick, lauded as bold reformer, called unfit for job]

Here are some of the notable moments:

• DeVos refused to agree with a Democrat that schools are no place for guns, citing one school that needs one to protect against grizzly bears. (She really said this.)

When Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) asked her whether she would agree that guns don’t belong in schools, she said: “I will refer back to Sen. [Mike] Enzi and the school he was talking about in Wyoming. I think probably there, I would imagine that there is probably a gun in the schools to protect from potential grizzlies.”

And when asked whether she would support President-elect Donald Trump if he, as he has promised, moves to end gun-free zones around schools, she said: “I will support what the president-elect does.” She added: “If the question is around gun violence and the results of that, please know that my heart bleeds and is broken for those families that have lost any individual due to gun violence.”

[Do guns belong in schools? Trump’s education pick declines to take a stand.]

• DeVos seemed to have no understanding of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, known as IDEA, which requires public schools to provide free and appropriate education to all students with disabilities.

DeVos said that states should have the right to decide whether to enforce IDEA, but when Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) later told her that IDEA is a federal civil rights law and asked DeVos if she stood by her statement that it was up to the states to follow it, DeVos responded, “Federal law must be followed where federal dollars are in play.” Hassan then asked, “So were you unaware when I just asked you about the IDEA that it was a federal law?” DeVos responded, “I may have confused it.” DeVos did not protest when Hassan said she was upset the nominee didn’t understand the law and urged her to learn about it.

[Betsy DeVos apparently ‘confused’ about federal law protecting students with disabilities]

• DeVos refused to agree with Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) that all schools that receive public federal funds — traditional public, public charter or private schools that receive voucher money — should be held to the same standards of accountability.

Kaine: “If confirmed will you insist upon equal accountability in any K-12 school or educational program that receives taxpayer funding whether public, public charter or private?”
DeVos: “I support accountability.”
Kaine: “Equal accountability?”
DeVos: “I support accountability.”
Kaine: “Is that a yes or a no?”
DeVos: “I support accountability.”
Kaine: “Do you not want to answer my question?”
DeVos: “I support accountability.”
Kaine: “Let me ask you this. I think all schools that receive taxpayer funding should be equally accountable. Do you agree?”
DeVos: “Well they don’t, they are not today.”
Kaine: “Well, I think they should. Do you agree with me?
DeVos: “Well no . . . ”
Kaine, interrupting her, said: “You don’t agree with me.” And he moved on to another topic.

• DeVos said she would review gainful employment regulations without committing to enforce them.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) asked DeVos how she planned to protect waste, fraud and abuse from for-profit universities, citing Trump University, which President-elect Donald Trump founded; he ultimately paid $25 million to settle lawsuits by students who said they were cheated. Trump said he paid the money so he could focus on getting ready to run the country.

DeVos said, “If confirmed, I will certainly be very vigilant.” Warren persisted, “I’m asking how.” When DeVos said “individuals with whom” she will work in the department will ensure that federal money is properly used, Warren further dug in, and then explained to DeVos that there is actually a group of rules already on the books, the gainful employment regulations. “All you have to do is enforce then,” Warren said, asking DeVos if she would do so. She wouldn’t commit.

The gainful employment regulations are meant to protect students and taxpayers by withholding federal student aid to career training programs that leave students buried in debt with few opportunities to repay. Asked by Warren if she would enforce the regulations, DeVos said: “We will certainly review that rule, and see if it is actually achieving what the intentions are.”

Warren: “I don’t understand about reviewing it. We talked about this in my office. There are already rules in place to stop waste, fraud and abuse. . . . Swindlers and crooks are out there doing back flips when they hear an answer like this.”

[What we learned about Betsy DeVos’s higher education positions … not much]

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), with Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) at the hearing for Betsy DeVos. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post)

• DeVos appeared to have no idea what Franken was talking about when he referred to the accountability debate about whether to use test scores to measure student proficiency or student growth.

Franken noted that the subject had been debated in the education community for years, and said, when she didn’t weigh in and just looked at him without much of an expression on her face, “It surprises me that you don’t know this issue.”

• DeVos did not answer Sen. Michael F. Bennet (D-Colo.) when he asked her what she had learned about the failures of the Detroit traditional public and public charter schools that would inform her decision-making as the secretary of education.

Bennet, a big supporter of charter schools, made the point that school choice isn’t much of a choice when schools aren’t held accountable and families have lousy choices wherever they look. He noted that the Detroit public schools — one of the country’s most troubled systems — has low student achievement, and charter schools in Detroit score only minimally higher.  He also cited a study that said charter schools across Michigan perform worse the traditional public schools do. But instead of answering his question, she told him she wanted to give him “context” about Detroit, to which he responded, “With respect, I’m not asking for a history of Detroit.” She also said, “I think there is a lot that has gone right” there, but she never answered his question.

• And here’s a bonus:

DeVos said her name should not have been included on tax forms for her mother’s foundation, which has contributed to controversial causes. The forms say that she was vice president and a member of the board.

“That was a clerical error,” DeVos said. “I have never made decisions on my mother’s behalf.”

[Betsy DeVos’s 13-year ‘clerical error’]

Correction: An earlier version of this article had an incorrect spelling of Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy’s (D) name. The article has been updated.

More from Answer Sheet:

To Trump’s education pick, the U.S. public school system is a ‘dead end’

Teachers have some tough questions for Trump’s education nominee, Betsy DeVos

How Sen. Lamar Alexander slammed Betsy DeVos’s confirmation hearing through his committee