Delhi plans to create a special home for both elderly people and some of the Indian megacity's thousands of cows, in a new animal welfare blitz also aimed at reducing numbers of monkeys and stray dogs.
The local development minister Gopal Rai said as he unveiled the programme on Wednesday that "cows and senior citizens will co-exist, taking care of each other" in the planned pilot facility in southwest Delhi.
"When a cow dries up, people leave her and she ends up in a gaushala (cow shelter). Similarly, humans too are abandoned and sent to old age homes, even by rich families," local media quoted Rai as saying.
Other steps include "birth control" measures for the Indian capital's ubiquitous, mischievous and occasionally dangerous monkeys, the sterilisation of stray dogs and electronic chips for cows and pets.
In addition, people unable to look after their cows - a common sight on Delhi's roads, impeding traffic and eating rubbish - will be able to house the animals in special hostels for a small fee.
Ever since Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi's right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party stormed to power in 2014, cows - sacred for Hindus - have won a near-VIP status.
Rumours of cows being taken for slaughter have sparked murderous reprisals and religious riots.
Every month, some 600 cattle are rounded up in Delhi and relocated to five shelters.
A 2012 livestock census found there were more than five million stray cows across India and more than 12 000 in Delhi.
According to a recent report from the UN titled “Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion: 2018” scientists have found that the hole in the ozone layer has been gradually getting smaller by about 2% each year since 2000.
The ozone layer shields humans, crops and animals from the sun’s ultraviolet light which can cause skin cancer, cataracts and destroys plant life and marine habitats.
Scientists have found that the hole in the ozone layer has been gradually getting smaller by about 2% each year since 2000
The decrease is proof that if worldwide governments join together to tackle environmental problems, they can create earth saving change. Take the Montreal Protocol for example. Created in 1987, the treaty was originally signed by 46 countries that aimed to regulate the production and use of chemicals that contribute to the depletion of Earth’s ozone layer known as ODS (ozone depleting substances). The result of that first treaty? The complete phasing out of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), a gas that was commonly used in fridges and aerosol cans as well as other ozone depleting substances that were discovered over the years.
Before the Montreal Protocol was enacted, scientists predicted that by 2060 the ozone layer would be completely destroyed. Because of the action that governments took in 1987 the new prediction is that by 2060 the ozone layer will actually be fully healed.
While banning CFCs has certainly helped the rejuvenation of the ozone layer, another environmental issue has replaced it, literally.
Hydrofluorocarbons (HFC’s) is a gas used to replace CFC’s as it was originally thought to be safer. While that is certainly true when it comes to protecting the ozone layer, scientists have since discovered that HFC’s are actually a greenhouse gas a thousand times more powerful than carbon dioxide which is a huge contributor to climate change.
HFC’s are actually a greenhouse gas a thousand times more powerful than carbon dioxide which is a huge contributor to climate change
Once again, a meeting of the Montreal Protocol was held, this time in 2016 in Kigali. This time 197 countries participated and made an agreement to start the phasing out process of HFC’s also in a bid to slow down climate change. Phasing out is going to be hard - according to Greenpeace, HFC’s are still increasing at a rate of 10% to 15% a year, making them the fastest-growing greenhouse gas in the world. The main culprit – air conditioners.
The decision at the time was to phase out HFC’s in three stages with differing deadlines. The period for developing countries to come into compliance is slightly longer, owing to the fact that they have fewer technical and financial resources to introduce substitutes.
Developed nations, including the US and many European countries, will start reducing HFC emissions in 2019 and hope to have ceased consumption by 2024.
The second group of around 100 developing nations, including China, will start reducing in 2024.
The third group of mainly developing countries including India, Pakistan and some Persian Gulf states will begin their phase-outs even later, in 2028. These countries will also be able to seek financial assistance from developed countries to help them in transition to climate friendly alternatives.
While the measures put in place to save our ozone layer is proving to be successful, the world will be watching to see if the world leaders can band together in a similar way to combat greenhouse gases and save our planet.
Source: United States Environmental Protection Agency
Malaria cases are rising, after years of steady declines
By Jane DreaperHealth correspondent, BBC News-11 January 2019
A key fund which finances the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria is seeking fresh investment worth £11bn.
The French President Emmanuel Macron is launching the latest round to replenish the Global Fund in Paris.
It is being called "a decisive moment".
The fund says progress has slowed down because of wavering political commitment, and increasing insecticide and drug resistance.
Raising the target amount could help save 16 million lives, it is claimed, as well as halving the death rate from these three significant diseases.
The £11bn ($14bn) would be spent on medicine which treats and prevents HIV transmission, TB drugs and mosquito nets to protect against malaria.
'Progress has stalled'
The fund's executive director Peter Sands told BBC News: "We've made extraordinary progress in reducing these deaths - but that progress has stalled.
"Coming in new to this post, I've been really struck by the strength of political support for the Global Fund across many different capitals.
"I'm not at all complacent about the challenge of raising the money we need - and obviously the geopolitical environment is complicated.
"But we are confident we have a strong investment case - and a demonstrable level of delivering impact," he said.
More than 10 million people fall ill with tuberculosis every year - and nearly 40% go untreated
The Global Fund has generally been regarded as a success story in how it collects and uses global health funds from governments and other donors.
But the investment case warns of shortfalls in funding, and it says this could threaten the third Sustainable Development Goal - an internationally agreed target to end disease epidemics, and create resilient health systems for all people.
'New infections threat'
Malaria cases are rising, after years of steady declines. Two-thirds of all malaria deaths affect children aged under five.
And although anti-retroviral drugs have stopped millions of people dying from AIDS, the massive increase in Africa's young population poses a threat of more new infections than at the height of the epidemic at the start of this century.
Tuberculosis kills more people than any other infectious disease - and drug-resistant cases form one-third of all global deaths due to antimicrobial resistance.
The World Health Organization's Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus paid tribute to the Global Fund's "truly impressive growth in impact" during its 17 years.
The head of Sri Lanka’s notorious 58 Division, an army unit that committed grave violations of international law during a military offensive that killed tens of thousands of Tamils, has been named as the army’s new Chief of Staff.
Shavendra Silva assumed office this week after a controversial appointment to second-in-command of the army, a move that has sparked widespread condemnation.
He marked taking up his post by giving offerings to Buddhist monks.
Silva, an ardent Sinhala nationalist who once penned a book to mark the anniversary of Buddha’s enlightenment, was reportedly bestowed upon him the most “prestigious awards that a lay-person can receive by all three sects of the Sri Lankan Buddhist order for true devotion to preserve the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of the motherland”.
His promotion was also praised by Sri Lanka’s president who commended the commander’s “experience and leadership” for the new role.
Head of a notorious military unit
Silva’s “experience” includes leading the 58 Division as the government launched a massive military assault that saw hospitals repeatedly bombed, widespread sexual violence, torture and the execution of surrendering Tamils.
The 58 Division in particular stands accused of the most egregious of crimes.
In 2011, Channel 4 News interviewed an army officer on the front lines of the offensive, who told of the crimes committed by troops from the unit. He stated,
“They shot people at random, stabbed people, raped them, cut out their tongues, cut women’s breasts off. I have witnessed this with my own eyes. I saw the naked dead bodies of women without heads and other parts of their bodies. I saw a lot of small innocent children getting killed in large numbers. I saw people soaked in blood.
They could do whatever they wanted there. It was their empire.”
One of the most disturbing crimes that Silva is accused of directing is the mass murder of surrendering Tamil civilians and LTTE cadres, since dubbed the “White Flag” incident. The officer quoted Silva as telling troops on the frontline;
“This is a very decisive day for us because last night I got a call from the defence secretary. He told me that we only have a small chunk of land left to capture. Do whatever it takes, however it is done… finish it off the way it has to be done.”
Dozens of LTTE leaders, injured cadres and Tamil civilians were massacred by the military as they attempted to surrender. Photographs taken by Sri Lankan troops show Silva standing before the bodies of killed Tamils.
An officer from Silva's 58 Division went on to tell Channel 4 News,
“I can confidently state that those who ordered the killing of people who surrendered were defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and Brigadier Shavendra Silva”.
See the report from Channel 4 below.
Sarath Fonseka, the then commander of the Sri Lankan army who has since been made Sri Lanka’s first ever four star general, also told journalists in later years that Silva gave orders “not to accommodate any [Tiger] leaders attempting surrender and that they must all be killed”.
Silva has personally been named in several reports, including from the United Nations, for his role in overseeing the crimes.
In 2015, the International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) stated that,
“Several witnesses and security force insiders have clearly identified Major General Silva, and two other Major Generals, as being present at the frontline in the final days of the war when troops were involved in executing surrendered LTTE suspects and sexually violating them and/or sexually mutilating their corpses.”
Several United Nations reports have also repeatedly named Silva for his role in overseeing military operations.
At least fourteen habeas corpus petitions have been filed on behalf of 22 Tamils who are alleged to have been forcibly disappeared in army custody, stated the OHCHR Investigation on Sri Lanka. "All of the petitions state that the disappeared were last seen in the custody of the 58th Division of the Sri Lankan Army," it continued.
The OISL went on to say the repeated targeting of medical facilities “was part of a pattern” adding that the “attacks reflect the systematic use of indirect fire weapons, such as MBRLs, in a way that was inappropriate in areas that were densely populated, and where the SLA knew that protected objects were located”.
The report also stated Silva confirmed that the military had drones fitted with high definition cameras (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) providing live images to his headquarters.
“At the last stages of the operation we just did not go blind, everything was planned through UAV pictures and where we exactly knew where the civilians and the LTTE were,” he was quoted as stating.
“My Division was tasked for this entire operation along with commandos and special forces.”
Turbulent posts abroad
Shavendra Silva pictured with then UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon.
Despite his role in the crimes, Silva was promoted by the Sri Lankan government to the post of deputy permanent representative to the UN in New York - a move that shielded him from prosecution of war crimes through diplomatic immunity.
The government gave similar positions to several other military commanders who had leading roles during the final months of the armed conflict.
This was not the first time Silva was in the United States, with his profile boasting that “he is a graduate from the Harvard University”. “He has been trained and qualified in psychological operations by the United States Army,” it added.
It was whilst Silva was deployed to the United Nations that attempts were made to prosecute the commander. A lawsuit was filed in a US court seeking damages for violations of international, Sri Lankan and domestic law under the Alien Torture Claims Act (ATCA) and Torture Victim Protection Act (TVPA).
“The United Nations has a war criminal within its ranks,” said the lead counsel on the case at the time, Ali Beydoun. "Silva should not be allowed to manipulate diplomatic immunity to use it as a shield for his crimes.”
A group of ten international human rights organisations also wrote to the UN, urging the global body to suspend Silva’s diplomatic credentials.
“Permitting General Silva to retain his credentials would send a message to lawbreaking governments around the world that the United Nations will not defend the cause of justice and that it will shelter war criminals and perpetrators of mass atrocities,” said the joint letter.
"Sri Lanka should not be rewarded with unlimited immunity for war crimes for militarizing its diplomatic positions."
The United Nations instead appointed Silva to the Special Advisory Group on Peacekeeping Operations, prompting condemnation as being "outrageous on many levels” by several human rights organisations.
Then UN high commissioner for human rights, Navi Pillay also raised concern at the appointment, stating,
"We keep a list of individuals who are suspected of committing human rights violations and I have addressed a letter of concern to the secretary-general about this individual”.
The US Ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice was also quoted as saying,
"It's very concerning that someone with his background would be selected to serve on this advisory group. We have conveyed this to member states, as well as to the Secretariat.
There are a lot of efforts underway to address [this], probably best not to be discussed publicly."
With pressuring mounting on the United Nations, Silva was eventually barred from the committee, in a humiliating reversal.
"Following careful consideration and consultation with other special advisory group members, the chair, Louise Frechette, has advised Major General Shavendra Silva of Sri Lanka, that his participation is not appropriate or helpful for the purposes of this group," said a statement released by Frechette. The Sri Lankan government was outraged, stating the shunning of Silva amounted to a "public lynching".
Though Colombo then attempted to post Silva as a diplomat in South Africa, his appointment was refused as Tamil organisations and legal NGOs argued against his entry into the country.
Return to the island
In 2017 Silva was brought back to Sri Lanka, where the government swiftly promoted him to the new position of Adjutant General of the army. The appointment raised questions regarding the vetting of Sri Lankan troops to senior military positions - a key aspect of security sector reform that the Sri Lankan government agreed to in a 2015 UN Human Rights Council resolution.
His latest promotion to chief of staff though comes as Colombo remains steadfast in its refusal to hold troops accountable for violations of international humanitarian law, and has stirred even more criticism. Sri Lanka's president Maithripala Sirisena, seen above awarding SIlva a medal, has been one of Colombo's leaders who have repeatedly vowed to protect troops from war crimes trials.
“Sri Lanka now has a chief of army staff who risks arrest every time he travels abroad, if any country is foolish enough to give him a visa” said the executive director of the ITJP, Yasmin Sooka.
“We have prepared a substantial dossier on Major General Silva which we shall be releasing shortly; we believe there is more than enough evidence to charge him for international crimes should the opportunity arise.”
“This is arguably the most wanted man in Sri Lanka – a decade on, tragically, he is being promoted instead of standing trial.”
Silva took part in a massive assault in 2009, during which the Sri Lankan army committed gross abuses against civilians.
Silva was accused of committing war crimes during Sri Lanka's civil war, which ended in 2009 [File: Reuters]
Sri Lanka's President Maithripala Sirisena has appointed a general accused by the United Nations of war crimes to the country's second-highest army ranking, evoking an outcry from rights groups.
Major General Shavendra Silva was accused of committing war crimes during the civil war in Sri Lanka, which ended after 37 years in 2009.
Silva took part in a massive assault on Tamil Tiger separatists in the war, during which the Sri Lankan army committed gross abuses against civilians.
Silva formally assumed the duties of his new position on Thursday, the army said in a statement.
Human rights organisation International Truth & Justice Project (ITJP), which has focused its work on atrocities committed during the Sri Lankan civil war, called the appointment "a shocking new low for Sri Lanka".
"Major General Shavendra Silva was named by a United Nations investigation for his part in commanding the 58 Division, which was the unit responsible for repeated and deliberate attacks on hospitals, food distribution queues and displacement camps in 2009, resulting in tens of thousands of civilian deaths in a matter of months," a statement by the organisation said.
ITJP@itjpsl
Our press release on Shavendra Silva's appointment as #lka COAS. “#SriLanka now has a chief of army staff who risks arrest every time he travels abroad, if any country is foolish enough to give him a visa,” says Yasmin Sooka. ITJP soon 2 release substantial dossier on Silva.
According to Yasmin Sooka, the executive director of ITJP, Silva could and should be arrested if he ever travels abroad in his current role.
"Sri Lanka now has a chief of army staff who risks arrest every time he travels abroad, if any country is foolish enough to give him a visa," said Sooka.
The statement added that "there is more than enough evidence to charge him for international crimes should the opportunity arise".
"This is arguably the most wanted man in Sri Lanka. A decade on, tragically, he is being promoted instead of standing trial."
A number of Sri Lankan army generals have been denied visas to travel to Western nations over their alleged role in attacks against civilians.
President Sirisena said Silva's "experience and leadership will bring strength and courage" to Sri Lanka's armed forces.
According to rights groups, at least 40,000 ethnic Tamils were killed by government forces during their final push to defeat the separatist rebels.
Sri Lanka's successive governments have resisted calls for an independent investigation into the conduct of troops during the final months of the conflict.
President Sirisena came to power in January 2015, promising justice for war victims but his administration has been accused of dithering ever since.
Sirisena, unlike his predecessor Mahinda Rajapaksa, agreed to investigate war crimes but no generals have stood trial or been brought to justice.
The killing of eleven Tamils by Sri Lankan police officers at the 1974 World Tamil Research Conference in Jaffna was remembered today.
Residents and former members of the Northern Provincial Council gathered 45 years on by the memorial in Jaffna town, erected in memory of the victims of the massacre.
On January 10, 1974, the final day of the conference, Sri Lankan police officers, led by the Deputy Inspector of Police for Jaffna, Chandrasekara, opened fire at the audience, killing 11 civilians.
Chandrasekara was later promoted to the post of Inspector of Police by the then prime minister, Srimavo Bandaranayaka.
The conference which is worldwide and held annually was being held in Jaffna that year for the first time.
TNA MP M.A.Sumanthiran called for an international investigation for war crimes committed during the war.
He said a party involved in a dispute cannot inquire into that dispute and they need an independent arbiter to conduct that inquiry and there are no laws in this country yet to address international crimes or war crimes.
He blamed the current government for their failure to take action over the past four years alleging that the government is unwilling to bring the perpetrators to book. He said he was not afraid to accept that both parties engaged in the war have committed crimes, even though he would come under fire by his people and urged the government to also admit to such crimes and initiate an investigation with independent arbiters.
Joining the debate under the Mutual Assistance in the Criminal Matters Act, he said despite the killings and disappearances of Lasantha Wickrematunge, Wasim Thajudeen and Prageeth Ekneligoda being spoken about, nothing has been done regarding these cases to date.
“It’s been four years since you came into power but you only come and mouth these words and go. You haven’t taken any action and the killers have not been apprehended.It’s only words and nothing else,”he said.
A forum titled ‘10 Years after Lasantha: Whither Investigative Journalism in Sri Lanka was held on January 8 in Colombo
2019-01-11
emocracy depends on the ability of journalists to speak truth to power, investigate abuses and provide people with information about the world around them. Every attack on a journalist, every threat or undue restriction is an attack on every citizen.
Perpetrators enjoying impunity
Sri Lanka, ranked 131 in the 2018 World Press Freedom Index, starting from former chairman of Independent Television Network (ITN) Thevis Guruge, who was killed in 1989 to former Editor of the Sunday Leader Lasantha Wickrematunge who was murdered on January 8, 2009 in Colombo, there are dozens of unsolved crimes against journalists who have been murdered, harassed and threatened.
Despite promises that President Maithripala Sirisena made to end impunity for crimes against journalists, especially the murder of Lasantha Wickrematunge, the perpetrators still enjoy impunity.
"They took Lasantha, but we’re still here and will keep fighting” -Dharisha"
January 8, 2019 marked a decade since the brutal murder of one of the bravest journalists in Sri Lankan journalism industry, Wickrematunge. Journalists, activists, politicians, diplomats along with his family gathered at his grave at Borella Cemetery and held a service, remembering him. Those who gathered at the service also paid tribute to other journalists whose voices have been silenced for their journalistic work.
10 Years after Lasantha
On the same day, a forum and a panel discussion titled ‘10 Years After Lasantha: Whither Investigative Journalism in Sri Lanka?’ was held at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute, Colombo 7 to mark the 10th anniversary of his assassination.
The panellists of the forum included AFP Sri Lanka and Maldives Bureau Chief, Amal Jayasinghe, Sunday Observer Editor and former Sunday Leader journalist Dharisha Bastian, Nikkei Asian Review Regional Correspondent and former Sunday Leader Features Editor, Marwaan Macan-Markar and Groundviews Editor and former Sunday Leader journalist, Raisa Wickrematunge.
The forum began with a Skype call by the brother of Lasantha Wickrematunge, Lal Wickrematunge.
CID is prevented from taking legal action: Lal
He said by today, the perpetrators, the names of the motorcyclists, and those who gave orders to kill his brother have been identified by the CID, although the CID is prevented from moving ahead in the inquiry.
“The investigation into Lasantha’s murder was stuck in Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) for six years. After the Government change, the inquiry was handed over to the CID. The evidence has been tampered with. “It becomes so clear for even someone who doesn’t have a legal background as to why senior police officers tamper with evidence of the murder to cover up someone higher to them,” Lal Wickrematunge said.
Perpetrators will gain power to cause more terror: Ahimsa Wickrematunge
A voice recording of Ahimsa Wickrematunge, the daughter of Lasantha was also played at the forum. In the recording, Ahimsa asked what kind of a monster would kill an innocent person just because you were afraid of his pen?
She further said that if the CID is not given necessary support to bring her father’s killers to justice, the perpetrators will gain power to cause more terror.
“I want those who are responsible for my father’s murder to be behind bars before they harm someone else,” said Ahimsa.
Ensuring safety of journos
AFP Bureau Chief Amal Jayasinghe said that apart from the very few names including Lasantha Wickrematunge and Prageeth Ekeneligoda, whom we talk about every day, there were so many journalists who have been killed or abducted during the past three decades. Unfortunately, there is no database available as to how many journalists have been killed and further information with regard to such cases, he said.
He posed a question as to what the journalistic community has done to push authorities to make sure the investigations into crimes against journalists are brought to a logical conclusion.
“Do the journalists in Sri Lanka have minimum protection in case of threats to their lives? Is there a mechanism to ensure the safety of journalists? These topics should not be forgotten in a week or so because when the journalists are in trouble, their families are left without any support,” said Jayasinghe.
Speaking about the inquiry into the murder of Lasantha, he said that after the change of government, they witnessed a tremendous progress in the investigation with the new found energy of the CID, who have identified the killers and those responsible for tampering the evidence of the investigation.He further said that although the CID has been able to find much details into crimes, political interference is holding them back.
He opined that in addition to the Constitutional reforms, we also need to look into the reforms into the criminal judiciary system of Sri Lanka.
Lasantha, beyond a tough investigative journalist
Meanwhile, Nikkei Asian Review Regional Correspondent and former Sunday Leader Features Editor, Marwaan Macan-Markar explained what kind of a courageous and supportive editor Lasantha Wickrematunge was.
“He was an inspiration to those who were less courageous than he. Behind this investigative journalist who went after corrupt government officials and political establishments, there was a very lovely human being,” he said.
‘Truth is the right you deny and the wrong you justify’
Just before the end of the forum, an amazing speech was delivered by one person in the audience. He was none other than veteran journalist Vijitha Yapa, first Editor of Lasantha when he served The Island.
Yapa reminisced how he first met Lasantha as an inexperienced legal reporter.
“Lasantha had an uneventful life at The Island. At that time, there was no one to do to investigative journalism. He had been receiving threats even when he was working at the Sunday Times. Once he wrote a story regarding Former President Premadasa and Sirisena Cooray. There were threats to his life due to that article. That was when he decided to leave journalism for a little while and leave for Australia for his safety.
Later, President Premadasa said that he had nothing against Lasantha and asked him to return to Sri Lanka. There are so many stories about Lasantha and right now I cannot go relating them,”
However, Yapa emphasised that there has to be institutional support to train journalists and guide them towards investigative journalism.
“One of the main problems regarding journalism in Sri Lanka is that we do not have an institution to train journalists whether it be for investigative journalists or others. There is an attempt being made by Sri Lanka College of Journalism, but such effort did not exist in the 1980s” he said.
Yapa recalled a well-known Daily Express journalist saying that ‘the truth is the right you deny and the wrong you justify’. Even today it is very easy to hide behind power and all other things. But, the truth will surface one day,” Yapa concluded his speech amidst a round of applause.
In fact, there are important roles to be played by political leaders, opinion makers and influencers to make a safe background to exercise journalism, fight impunity and to protect press freedom. Sunday Observer Editor and former Sunday Leader journalist Dharisha Bastian said at this discussion, although “they” took a great journalist like Lasantha Wickrematunge, we are still here and we will keep fighting.
a section of the audience Pics by Pradeep Pathirana
2019-01-10 18:06
The local development minister Gopal Rai said as he unveiled the programme on Wednesday that "cows and senior citizens will co-exist, taking care of each other" in the planned pilot facility in southwest Delhi.
![Silva was accused of committing war crimes during Sri Lanka's civil war, which ended in 2009 [File: Reuters]](https://www.aljazeera.com/mritems/imagecache/mbdxxlarge/mritems/Images/2019/1/10/28b7ea48e21e4acb90ff2c85fd0c6549_18.jpg "Alleged war criminal named second-in-command of Sri Lanka army")
emocracy depends on the ability of journalists to speak truth to power, investigate abuses and provide people with information about the world around them. Every attack on a journalist, every threat or undue restriction is an attack on every citizen.
