BAE, Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair: the crimes of the UK's biggest arms company laid bare, ironically by the BBC





The BBC and the arms trade: the scandal no one is talking about By Harry Blain

The government has deeply associated the BBC with an industry known mainly for corruption, bribery and contempt for human rights.

The BBC Trust is “the governing body of the BBC”, with the responsibility to ensure that the Corporation delivers on its mission “to inform, educate and entertain.”
The Trust describes itself as “the guardian of license fee revenue”, aiming to make the Corporation “simpler, more efficient and more open.”

Remove arms dealer Roger Carr from his post as BBC vice Chair- CAAT

BAE vice-chair at the BBC

The Chair of BAE Systems, Roger Carr, has just been appointed as Vice-Chair of the BBC Trust. It's a position that comes with a lot of prestige, and puts him right at the heart of the organisation.

How the BBC gives Israel free rein to tell breathtaking lies about Gaza By Amena Saleem


Unchallenged by the BBC, Israel was allowed to lie at will as it pounded Gaza to rubble and wiped out entire Palestinian families.

Mark Regev
BBC's airwaves are always available for Israel's propaganda chief Mark Regev to spin his lies unchallenged.


The SLFP stood up for Socialism and Progress By Garvin Karunaratne

18 April 2015

In today’s context when some of our own leaders have thought it fit to balkanize the SLFP, it is necessary for the current leaders as well as the Sinhala masses to be aware that the SLFP was the only Political Party that stood for the masses of the Sinhala people- the downtrodden- those who have suffered since the colonial period. As Rohana Wasala recently said, “The SLFP is the only strong national party that honestly works to promote the interests of the majority community while doing the same for the minorities.”

“Mahinda and Sirisena should work together” Deputy Minister of Mass Media Shantha Bandara



 

Deputy Minister of Mass Media Shantha Bandara emphasised most Sri Lanka Freedom Party Parliamentarians who find fault with the present Government are only trying to secure votes from Mahinda Rajapaksa loyalists.

Don't bar opposition right to protest – Dr. Mahanamahewa


Ceylontoday, 2015-04-25 02:00:00
Read 18 Times

BY Ruwan Laknath Jayakody
Obtaining injunctions to prevent peaceful opposition protests and demonstrations violate the freedom of speech, expression, assembly and association guaranteed in Article 14 (1) (a) (b) (c) of the Constitution and constitutes an affront to good governance and democracy, Attorney-at-Law,
Dr. Prathiba Mahanamahewa said.

Veerakesari- 24.04.2001


 

Read more!

Veerakesari- 24.04.2001 

An election is on the horizon Without a party is MR geared for one?

2015-04-22
 
I didn’t waste Mahinda Rajapaksa’s time by seeking appointments when he was the President! But when he lost, I sought a meeting and was promptly told to come early next morning to a Colombo address. Probably he carried no diary being without an official secretary.

Sri Lankan government rules out corruption in Port City Project



English.news.cn   2015-04-23
 
COLOMBO, April 23 (Xinhua) -- The Sri Lankan government on Thursday said that there was no corruption involved in a multi billion dollar Port City Project in the island nation.
The Sri Lankan government also said that the only concern was if the proper procedures had been followed.

Good Governance in Sri Lanka By Asoka Bandarage


The World Bank Group's Worldwide Governance Indicators are: voice and accountability, political stability and absence of violence, government effectiveness, regulatory quality, rule of law and control of corruption. The defeat of Mahinda Rajapaksa at the Sri Lankan Presidential elections on January 8 is attributed to violations of these indicators, most notably the control of corruption. His regime was charged with nepotism, cronyism, abuse of financial transactions and conducting government business as if it were a "family company" (pavul samagama).

The new government led by Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe (appointed by President Maithripala Sirisena who won the January 8 elections) has directed much of its energy towards investigating the charges against the Rajapaksa regime. Undoubtedly, state monies were squandered and pocketed by corrupt officials during the Rajapaksa government. Conclusive evidence of massive financial wrongdoing, however, is yet to be provided.

Some charges have turned out to be either exaggerated or false. A case in point is the allegation that the contractor from China commissioned to build the Colombo Outer Circular Road had reduced a sum of Rs.30 billion (about USD 225 million) from the cost of the project as a commission to be paid to powerful figures in the Rajapaksa government. The Chinese Embassy in Colombo has denied the charge.

வட மாகாணசபையினதும் முதலமைச்சரதும் திட்டமிட்ட அரசியல் கபட நாடகம்! -சமரன்

ஏப்ரல் 16, 2015


மிழ் தேசியக் கூட்டமைப்பின் ஆளுகைக்குள் இருக்கும் வட மாகாணசபை இலங்கை அரசாங்கம் தமிழ் மக்களை இனப்படுகொலை செய்துள்ளதாகவும், அது சம்பந்தமாக சர்வதேச சமூகம் தகுந்த விசாரணை நடாத்தி அதற்குப் பொறுப்பானவர்களுக்கு தண்டனை வழங்க வேண்டும் எனக் கோரி சமீபத்தில் தீர்மானம் ஒன்றை நிறைவேற்றியிருக்கிறது.

இந்தத் தீர்மானம் திடீரென வந்த ஒன்று அல்ல. இந்தத் தீர்மானத்துக்கான முன்னறிவித்தலை மாகாணசபை உறுப்பினரும், இனப்பற்று என்ற விசம் அளவுக்கு அதிகமாக தலைக்கேறி சன்னதம் ஆடுபவருமான எம்.கே.சிவாஜிலிங்கம் கடந்த ஆண்டே கொடுத்திருந்தார். அப்பொழுது தமிழ் தேசியக் கூட்டமைப்புக்கு கொஞ்சமும் பிடிக்காத மகிந்த ராஜபக்ச ஜனாதிபதியாக இருந்தார். அவர்தான் தமிழர்களை இனப்படுகொலை செய்த சூத்திரதாரி என கூட்டமைப்பு குற்றம் சாட்டியும் வந்தது.

ஊடகங்களுக்கு சம்பந்தன் விடுத்த எச்சரிக்கை! -சானா



லங்கையின் தற்போதைய பிரதமர் ரணில் விக்கிரமசிங்காவிற்கும், வடக்கு மாகாணசபை முதலமைச்சர் சி.வி.விக்னேஸ்வரனுக்கும் இடையில் ‘பனிப்போர்’ ஒன்று நிலவி வருவதாக ஊடகங்கள் சிலாகித்து வருகின்றன. இந்தப் பிரச்சினை வடக்கிலிருந்து இராணுவத்தை வெளியேற்றுவது சம்பந்தமாக ரணில் தெரிவித்த ஒரு கருத்துச் சம்பந்தமாக உருவானது என்பது எல்லோருக்கும் தெரியும்.

ரணில் – மைத்திரி – சந்திரிகா அரசு இனப்பிரச்சினைக்குத் தீர்வு காணுமா? வானவில் இதழ் 52


ஏப்ரல் 16, 2015

ranil maithri chanthirika in cycle 1

னவரி 8ஆம் திகதி அதிகாரத்துக்கு வந்த புதிய ஜனாதிபதி மைத்திரிபால சிறிசேன நியமித்த அரசாங்கத்தின் 100 நாள் வேலைத்திட்டத்துக்கான காலம் முடிவுக்கு வந்துள்ளது. இந்தக் காலகட்டத்துக்குள் நாட்டு மக்களின் நன்மைக்காக அரசாங்கம் செய்யப்போவதாக அறிவித்திருந்த வேலைத்திட்டங்கள் எதுவும் நிறைவேற்றப்படவில்லை.


Lines - November 2003








Is There a Sell-out Being Perpetrated by the Ranil -Mangala Dispensation? By DR DAYAN JAYATILLEKA




It was none other—and no less—than Prime Minister Wickremesinghe, who in an interesting article in the world press, provides us with the key phrase in understanding what’s going on in this country, how we came to be at this point, who benefits and who were probably involved, what the agenda is and where we are headed. In a piece published in the Japan Times, he uses the phrase: “…resetting our strategic position in the world.” (‘Winning Sri Lanka’s Peace’, The Japan Times, April 8, 2015).

 

Maithri ready to show his true colours shortly



As dissension with the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) heightens, the political stage is certainly set to go for a general election with the possibility of the present Parliament being dissolved anytime after 23 April. The SLFP crisis has forced President Maithripala Sirisena to think of the future of his presidential administration as a section of the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) supporting his predecessor Mahinda Rajapaksa seems to stifle the 100-day programme initiated by him. Chances of getting the 19th Amendment passed in the House after 20 April looks remote as a section in the SLFP demands that electoral reforms too should be passed simultaneously, if they are to extend their support for the constitutional changes that prune the powers of the President. Returning from Islamabad in Pakistan President Sirisena made an announcement in Polonnaruwa that he would get the 19th Amendment passed in Parliament and dissolve Parliament. However, he did not specify the date he intends to dissolve Parliament. This announcement stunned the SLFP which stands divided.


COLOMBO MISSES GOTA BY K Godage




article_image
Gotabhaya Rajapakse it was who transformed Colombo from being yet another South Asian city into one of the cleanest in the whole of Asia, a city which we can be proud of. My ‘Gama’ is Colombo, where I was born and bred and it is here that I have lived most of my life and I hence remember what my city was like through the years. Without fear of contradiction I can say it was never like this and we certainly owe it to one man for having made the difference and that is Gotabhaya Rajapakse and his leadership; never has Colombo been so clean and looked so good.



With China's Help, the Iran-Pakistan Pipeline Might Finally Happen By Ankit Panda




Pakistan has been trying for a while now to build buzz regarding Chinese President Xi Jinping’s scheduled visit to the country — a visit that was originally scheduled to take place last fall during Xi’s broader tour of South Asia, but was postponed due to nationwide protests in Pakistan. It’s still unknown precisely when Xi is meant to arrive in Islamabad. China is keeping a tight lid on the specifics. Earlier reports suggested a visit this week, but that hasn’t panned out. Current expectations are for something in mid- to late-April. Despite all the ambiguity surrounding the visit itself, Pakistani sources have reportedly blown the lid on one of the big deliverables: China will fund a long-stalled pipeline that would connect Iran and Pakistan, supplying natural gas from the former to the latter.

சதுரங்கம் நிகழ்ச்சி - மார்ச் 2014

"நல்லாட்சி" இப்னு அசுமத்



நல்லாட்சி
----------------
நூறு நாட்கள்
வெற்றி நடை போடுமென்று
நாடெங்கும் கூறிக்கொண்டு
பலர் கூடி இயக்கி
கொண்டுவந்த திரைப்படம்....
'நல்லாட்சி'' –
இலங்கைத் திரையில் திரையிடப்பட்டது!

Confused Sirisena Yielding Ground to Resurgent Rajapaksa By PK Balachandran



Published: 08th April 2015

COLOMBO: The fledgling Maithripala Sirisena-Ranil Wickremesinghe government appears to be yielding ground to a resurgent former President Mahinda Rajapaksa because of internal disunity, contradictory policies and indecisive political leadership. 

The first concrete sign of deep trouble appeared on Tuesday when the government’s bid to get parliament’s nod for raising the threshold of Treasury Bills by LKR 400 billion to meet vital government expenditure was defeated by 21 votes.


From Iraq to Yemen: why Barack Obama is champion of the US illegal warmongers By Dave Lindorff


 

Obama is an insult to the Nobel Peace Prize, a bloody killer of innocent men, women and children, and a blight on America’s reputation.

US drone attack kills 12 guests at Yemen wedding
Funeral of 12 guests at Yemen wedding killed by US drone attack.


How UK 'looks after' war veterans: 10% of prisoners, 9000 homeless, suicides soaring BY Joe Glenton

The 'floodgates are about to open' as mental health problems among UK soldiers back from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars escalate.

UK soldier stress



Ex-British soldier Ben Griffin on why we will not fight for Queen and country



Ben Griffin

Ben Griffin is a former SAS soldier in the British army who in 2006 refused to fight in the Iraq war. The events that he witnessed in Iraq, and in particular the conduct of US forces, led him to decide not to return there. He informed his commanding officer of his intentions and also of his opinion that "Tony Blair and the Government had lied to the country and had deceived every British serviceman and woman serving in Iraq."
In 2013, at an Oxford University Union debate, Ben Griffin made this speech in favour of the motion "We Will Not Fight For Queen and Country"



100 Days Constructive change or election gimmick? By Kishani Samaraweera

  • Saturday, 28 March 2015 00:00

The 100-Day program promised during the election campaign of the then common candidate has failed to deliver some of the vital elements of its composition.

Overdue tasks of the 100-day program are establishing of  Independent Commissions, National Audit Bill and the RTI Bill,Code of Conduct to be  introduced and passed in the Parliament according to the stipulated time frame and the formulation of new election laws.

 However, it should also be noted that though some promises were not kept according to the expected or rather promised plan, the government was able to fulfill such promises as setting up a National Advisory Council, a Budget with several cost of living relief measures, a salary increase, commission to investigate corruption, implementation of the National Drug policy within the stipulated time frame.

Tharini's story By Sulochana Ramiah Mohan




A tale of remarkable courage and the pain of loss
Ceylontoday, 2015-04-02


Her story is one of amazing courage. She entered Velupillai Prabhakaran's 'medical college' and started training to be a doctor on the battlefield, attending to the wounded at the tender age of 17. Now, after nearly six years since the war between the LTTE and government forces had ended, she reminisces about what led to her joining the LTTE, her experiences at the warfront and the pain of personal loss. But, what is more remarkable is her courage to go on with life, leaving behind the loss and pain in the dark corners of the past. This is her story.
Tharini was the tomboy in the family. She never conformed to the norms of the traditional way of life that was around her. Even when she was a toddler she was quite adventurous. "I was a curious little girl. I could never stand still even for a minute or sit in one place unlike my classmates in school," recalls Tharini, now 37 years old.

மனித உரிமை, மனித உரிமை என்று பேசுகிறர்களே அது என்றால் என்ன?அதை யாரிடம் யார் கேட்பது? BY த ஜெயபாலன்

        எனக்கு விரைந்து புரிந்து கொள்ளும் ஆற்றல் குறைவு. இந்த மனித உரிமை, மனித உரிமை என்று பேசுகிறர்களே அது என்றால் என்ன?அதை யாரிடம் யார் கே...