Canada’s parliament unanimously passed a motion calling on the United Nations to establish an international and independent investigation into the allegations of genocide committed against Tamils in Sri Lanka.
Tamil News
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A Tamil political prisoner, who was detained for the past 14 years, died last week.
Muthaiya Sahathevan, 61, was arrested in 2005, accused of being involved in the assassination of the former Sri Lankan foreign minister Lakshman Kadirgamar.
He died following an admission to Colombo National Hospital for health reasons.
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Canada’s parliament unanimously passed a motion calling on the United Nations to establish an international and independent investigation into the allegations of genocide committed against Tamils in Sri Lanka.
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President Sirisena has called for the repealing the 19th amendment of the Sri Lankan constitution to ensure political stability despite the amendments forming a central component of his 2015 manifesto.
Sirisena claims that the 19th amendment was introduced because the 18th amendment had overexpanded the powers of the presidency and become monarchical. However, he has since described the amendment as the biggest mistake the government has made. He has that if Sri Lanka repealed both...
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The social media platform, Facebook is to limit message sharing in Sri Lanka in an effort to curb hate speech.
Artificial intelligence (AI) will also be used to identify posts in Sinhalese which are inflammatory, Facebook said.
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Sri Lanka's army commander confirmed they were working with Indian counterparts on intelligence following the Easter Sunday bombings by Islamist extremists supportive of Islamic State.
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The former Sri Lankan defence secretary, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa will be the presidential candidate for the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), Basil Rajapaksa told a meeting of party parliamentarians this week.
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A tank which formerly served Tamil agricultural villages in Manalaru was reopened by the Sri Lankan president for Sinhalese settlers earlier this month.
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An official with the US Department of Justice said the country had the tools to prosecute dual citizen Sri Lankan defence personnel accused of torture and other seriour crimes.
"Jurisdiction Congress has given us allows to prosecute US citizens who have committed acts of torture abroad," David Rybicki, a deputy assistant attorney general, criminal division, Department of Justice told Representative Jim McGovern, during a House Tom Lantos Commission for Human Rights hearing.
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The Sri Lankan government extended the state of emergency by another month yesterday issuing an extraordinary gazette to that effect.
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The Sri Lankan army was seen distributing its magazine praising its activities in the Northern province, to schools in Mullaitivu this week.
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United States Representatives Ilhan Omar, Bill Johnson and Jim McGovern on Friday urged the State Department to assert the need for respect for due process, religious minorities and the rule of law.
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The Sri Lankan military has built a large Buddhist vihara over the site of an occupied Hindu temple in Karaithuraipattu division in Mullaitivu.
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The ratings agency, Moody's Investors Service warned this week that the Easter Sunday bombings would hit GSP grwoth and add greater pressure of the country's debt refinancing.
"The primary challenge facing Sri Lanka is its large external debt refinancing needs over the next five years, with over $3 billion principal payable annually on external government debt over 2020-2024," Moody's analyst, Matthew Circosta.
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Drought in Mullaitivu has affected 13889 families, the district’s government agent said.
The agent Roobavathy Ketheeswaran said that families who rely on agriculture had been the most badly affected.
Officials were attempting to distribute drinking water to those who needed it, she said.
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Sri Lanka Finance Minister, Mangala Samaraweera, has stated that he is currently in discussion with a Chinese-backed Asian Infrastructure Development Bank for a loan of up to a billion US dollars.
In parliament, Samaraweera said he was "in talks with AIIB for close to a billion US dollars in funds for the power sector and highways development,"
The Chinese-backed bank has already confirmed it will provide 280 million US dollars for Colombo Urban Development and a project for...
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A prominent Buddhist monk in Sri Lanka has accused Muslims of destroying the island’s majority Sinhalese community and called for a boycott of Muslim- run shops and businesses.
Monk Warakagoda Sri Gnanarathana, the chief prelate of the Asgiriya Chapter of Buddhism said, “Don’t eat from those (Muslim) shops. Those who ate from those shops will not have children in the future. In another 10 to 15 years, we will know the consequence.”
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Kabir Hashim and MHA Haleem, who resigned earlier this month, have been reappointed to their previous ministerial posts.
Both of the UNP politicians were sworn in as ministers before President Maithripala Sirisena. Kabir Hashim was sworn in as Minister of Highways, Road Development and Petroleum Resources Development and MHA Haleem was sworn in as Minister of Postal Services and Muslim Religious Affairs.
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Residents from Iluppaikulam in Vavuniya protested yesterday against the lack of adequate housing, calling on the government to establish a housing scheme.
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Two Sinhalese men were arrested yesterday in Jaffna.
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The US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo has cancelled his planned trip to Sri Lanka, the US embassy said in a statement today.
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An elderly Tamil man has been hospitalised after being hit by a Special Task Force (STF) vehicle in Vavuniya.
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A mission is under way to save Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka’s former defence secretary, from two separate civil lawsuits filed against him, local papers report.
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Major General Shavendra Silva's term as the army's Chief of Staff has been extended by six months from June 22 to December 31 despite international pressure for him to resign.
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Sri Lanka's former army commander, and current UNP MP, Sarath Fonseka warned the public to be on alert, following the Easter Sunday suicide bombings.
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Ammunition was reportedly found in Jaffna on Friday in Siruththevu near the town centre.
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India’s prime minister Narendra Modi has invited senior Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MPs to New Delhi to discuss Tamil issues, Daily Mirror reports.
TNA leader R Sampanthan and MPs M A Sumanthiran, Selvam Adaikalanathan and Mavai Senathirajah are reportedly preparing for the trip.
Among the topics for discussion will be constitutional reform and a political solution, as well as further talks on Indian support for developing Palaly into an international airport.
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A roadside Christian shrine in Jaffna was vandalised and its statue smashed by unknown attackers on Sunday night.
The shrine to the Virign Mary in Maniyam Thoddam was one frequently used by local worshippers.
Police said they were investigating the incident.
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The human rights situation in Sri Lanka was “mixed” in 2018, a UK government report stated, citing key concerns including increased inter-communal tensions, the slow delivery of key reconciliation commitments, delays in introducing new human rights compliant counter terrorism legislation and a stalled transitional justice process.
The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s annual report, ‘Human Rights and Democracy in 2018’ said that “throughout the year, human rights defenders in the...
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Sri Lanka on Saturday released 18 Tamil Nadu fishermen following over two months of detention for alleged illegal fishing.
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Sri Lanka's prime minister, Maithripala Sirisena held discussions with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin on Saturday, on strengthening bilateral relations.
World News
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United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, has demanded that Sudanese authorities must end its repression of protesters; the shutdown of the internet; and grant human rights monitors access to the country.
Bachelet said that her office has received reports that detail the deaths of over 100 protestors and many more were injured by security officials during a peaceful sit-in on July 3.
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Luis Enrique Mendoza has been arrested by Guatemala police and is facing charges of genocide and crimes against humanity for his role in the 1982 massacre of Maya Ixil people.
The Guatemalan police made the arrest outside an elementary school serving as a polling station just north of Guatemala City. He had come out to cast his ballot in the general election held on Sunday.
Mendoza is the father-in-law of Estuardo Galdamez, a legislator and the ruling FCN party's presidential...
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Amnesty International has called for an impartial inquiry into the death of former Egyptian President, Mohamed Morsi, who died in court on 17 June.
In a statement Magdalena Mughrabi, Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa said:
“The Egyptian authorities must immediately order an impartial, thorough and transparent investigation into the circumstances of his death, as well as his detention conditions and his ability to access medical care”....
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Myanmar’s most prominent nationalist group has condemned sedition charges brought against one of its leading members, Ashin Wirathu, after he had made defamatory remarks about State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the government.
Wirathu had previously been arrested and sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2003 for preaching ultranationalism and anti-Muslim ideas but was released in 2012. Since the defamatory remarks on the 5 May, he has been able to avoid arrest.
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A suspected separatist attack has killed four police and wounded six in Cameroon’s English speaking region.
The attack follows another attack in the south-west district of Eyumojock on Saturday. No group has claimed responsibility for the most recent attack. The most recent attack marks the first deadly strike using a bomb.
The government released a statement which stated:
“The government condemns in the strongest terms this criminal act, perpetrated by...
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An unidentified group killed 19 people and wounded 13 in and around the town, Arbinda in northern Burkina Faso on Sunday, the government reports.
Reuters notes that over 150,000 have been forcibly displaced due to Islamist violence and hundreds of people have been killed in the last few months across the Shel region.
In December, the government declared a state of emergency in several northern provinces bordering Mali. This was extended by six months after jihadists attacked...
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A top US diplomat for Africa, Tibor Nagy, was due to arrive in Khartoum, Sudan, to join an international push to salvage a deal between Sudan’s opposition groups and the military council.
Talks between the transitional military council and the civilian opposition broke down when Sudan’s security forces attacked a sit-in protest.
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Police have fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters in Hong Kong as protests turn violent.
Tens of thousands of demonstrators filled the streets, surrounding the Legislative Council, ahead of the scheduled debate, to express their anger against government plans to allow extraditions to China.
Police officers have used tear gas, rubber bullets, batons, pepper spray and water hoses against the demonstrators. 22 people are reported to have been taken to hospital for...
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India’s Supreme Court has ordered the release of a journalist, Prashant Kanojia, who had posted controversial tweets about Yogi Adityanath, the leader of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Utter Pradesh current Chief Minister.
According to a petition his wife sent to the Supreme Court; Kanojia, age 26, was detained by plainclothed police after he tweeted about a woman claiming to be in love with Utter Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
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According to local officials, at least 95 Fulani villagers have been killed in an attack on Sobane-Kou, by suspected ethnic Dogon villagers in central Mali, and 19 are reported missing.
The attackers also burned down houses and killed livestock. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet but there have been rising tensions between the Dogon and Fulani ethnic groups.
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Canada’s National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (NIMMIWG) has found the country is complicit in “race-based genocide” against the Indigenous People.
The report identified that indigenous women are 12 times more likely to be killed or to disappear than other women in Canada. In total, the inquiry cost over C$92 million and heard over 2,300 testimonies which included survivors of violence and family members.
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The Indian government has revised a controversial draft bill following strong opposition from the southern state of Tamil Nadu.
The education bill that looked to make Hindi a mandatory third language across the country, removed specifying Hindi as the third language.
The removal has not completely quelled tensions in Tamil Nadu, as the introduction of a third compulsory language is stills seen as a method to impose Hindi.
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Security forces in Sudan have used live ammunition to disperse protesters in the capital, Khartoum.
The Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors, a medical group affiliated with the protesters said 13 people have been killed and hundreds injured.
Protesters have been staging a sit-in for several weeks now, demanding an end to military rule since the fall of Omar al-Bashir in April.
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Former foreign secretary and Ambassador to the US, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, has been appointed as India’s foreign minister, in what marks the first time a diplomat has been appointed as foreign minister without running for election.
Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, who is not officially affiliated with any party, previously served as India’s ambassador to the United States, China and Singapore. During his time as ambassador to the US, under the Obama administration, he played an...
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Carles Puigdemont, an exiled Catalan leader, has been denied access to the European Parliament after he was successfully elected as an MEP in the recent European election.
Puigdemont told his supporters on Twitter that he, as well as Catalan minister Toni Comin, were prohibited access to the parliament by the secretary-general.
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Amnesty International has found that Myanmar's army is committing new war crimes against ethnic Rakhine rebels.
Photograph: Amnesty International
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Human Rights Watch (HRW) say that Egyptian security forces and militants in the Sinai governorate, Egypt are responsible for crimes against humanity.
Photograph: Human Rights Watch
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The British Prime Minister has announced that she will step down as Conservative leader on June 7th, in a press address today.
In a statement made in front of 10 Downing Street the Prime Minister said that it was with ‘deep regret’ that she had made the decision to step down after failing to secure parliamentary backing on her Brexit deal.
The Conservative Party said that a new leader could be in place by the end of July.
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The bombing of a mosque on Friday in Pakistan’s western city, Quetta, has killed 3 people and wounded 28, leaving three in a critical condition.
Abdul Razzaq Cheema, Quetta’s police chief, told reporters that the attack occurred before Friday prayers. The local police officer, Tauseef Farman, reported that an explosive device went off next to the prayer leader, who was among the killed.
Quetta is the capital of Baluchistan, a region of Pakistan that has suffered from cycles of...
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Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is to secure a second five-year term with a resounding majority.
Results so far project that the BJP is set to win over 300 of the 543 seats in parliament, while the main opposition led by Rahul Gandhi’s Congress Party is expected to win fewer than 100.
Modi’s victory is certain but results are still being declared. Rahul Gandhi has accepted defeat and congratulated Modi on his win during a press conference.
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Britain lost a vote at the United Nations General Assembly, urging Britain to withdraw its colonial administration from the Chagos Islands within six months.
Photograph: UN News
116 countries voted in favour of the motion, six voted against and 56...
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Six people have been killed and 200 injured during protests in Jakarta, Indonesia, against the official election results of last month’s election which declared Joko Widodo as president.
National Police spokesperson, Dedi Prasetyo, said that police were checking reports of casualties but stressed that the police and military personnel present at the protests were not equipped with live bullets.
Protesters are mainly supporters of unsuccessful presidential candidate, Prabowo...
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Penny Mordaunt, the new defence secretary, has promised to introduce an amnesty against prosecution of British soldiers for alleged offences committed in the course of duty more than ten years ago covering wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and aorund the world but not in Northern Ireland.
“It is high time that we change the system and provide the right legal protections to make sure the decisions our service personnel take in the battlefield will not lead to repeated or unfair investigations...
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Colombia’s Revolutionary Alternative Common Force (FARC) accused the far right of assassinating its members, whilst pledging to continue the process of peace and integration into politics.
The statement came after, the FARC’s most senior commander Jorge Enrique Corredor was shot dead, on Tuesday.
“We won’t hesitate to point the finger at the right-wing and paramilitary sectors closely linked to the state security agencies, who are behind these murders, “ FARC Senator Pablo...
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Sudan’s military council and opposition groups have agreed to a three-year transition period to transfer power to a fully civilian administration.
“We vow to our people that the agreement will be completed fully within 24 hours in a way that meets the people’s aspirations,” Lieutenant General Yasser al Atta said.
He said that the Parliament will have 300 members with the Alliance for Freedom and Change making up 67 per cent of it while the rest will be made up of other...
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The International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda called on the need for governments to act on arrest warrants for Libyan’s accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Speaking at the United Nations Security Council in New York, Bensouda said the ICC has issued multiple warrants for Sail Al-Islam Gaddafi, Al-Tuhamy Mohamed Khaled and Mahmoud Mustafa Al-Werfalli for crimes ranging from unlawful imprisonment, torture and mass murder.
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The Untied States has seized a North Korean shipping vessel that violated American law and international sanctions.
IN an announcement released by the US Justice Department on Thursday, prosecutors said a carrier ship that was being used to export sanctioned North Korean coal , was seized.
In what was the first time the United States had seized a North Korean cargo vessel for violating international sanctions, the head of the Justice Department John Demers, said,
“This...
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Singapore has passed a bill that forces media to correct and remove content that the government considers to be false, a move which will have a “chilling effect on internet freedom” according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).
The bill has been criticised by rights groups, journalists and tech firms as it could be used to clamp down on freedom of speech.
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Two Reuters journalists have been freed in Myanmar after spending over 500 days in jail after being convicted of breaching the Official Secrets Act.
Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were charged on September 3 2018 and sentenced to seven years in prison.
The journalists were released under a presidential amnesty for 6,520 prisoners. Mass amnesties take place annually around the new year in Myanmar.
“I’m really happy and excited to see my family and my colleagues. I can’t wait...
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The United Nations Security council, last week, extended the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), reiterating the right of the Sahrawi people to self determination.
The resolution extending the MINURSO mandate until 31 October 2019 was passed with 13 votes in favour with 2 abstentions from Russia and South Africa, reports Sahara Press Service....