Khalil eligible for deportation-Judge

 Louisiana judge rules university student Mahmoud Khalil eligible for deportation

The Trump administration has accused the legal permanent resident of being a threat to U.S. foreign policy for his involvement in pro-Palestinian activism.

The Washington Post 11-04-2025

Graduate student Mahmoud Khalil stands outside Columbia University in April 2024. (Seth Harrison/The Journal News/USA TODAY NETWORK/Imagn Images)

By David Nakamura

 and 

Susan Svrluga

A Louisiana immigration judge ruled Friday that Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil is eligible for deportation after the Trump administration accused the legal permanent resident of being a threat to U.S. foreign policy for his involvement in pro-Palestinian activism.

Judge Jamee Comans issued her ruling after a nearly two-hour hearing at the LaSalle Immigration Court in Jena, Louisiana, where Khalil, 30, has been detained since he was arrested at his New York City apartment last month and stripped of his green-card status.

She set a deadline of April 23 for Khalil’s legal team to apply for a wavier to delay or prevent the administration from removing him from the country, his attorneys said. If they fail to do so, the judge said, she he could be deported to either Syria, where he was born, or Algeria, where he is a citizen.

Khalil’s attorneys said they would appeal the decision if Comans orders him deported, and they are pursuing other legal avenues that could keep him in the United States.

FollowImmigration judges fall under the supervision of the Department of Justice and are separate from the federal court system. Khalil has filed a federal court lawsuit in New Jersey challenging his arrest as unconstitutional, and the outcome of that case could block his deportation if they are victorious, the legal team said.

U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz, who is overseeing the federal court proceedings, held a brief video conference with Khalil’s representatives and Justice Department lawyers to receive an update after Comans’ ruling.

“An immigration court determined our client Mahmoud Khalil to be removable from the U.S. based solely on his political speech,” the American Civil Liberties Union, which is representing him, wrote on social media. “The fight isn’t over — we’ll keep fighting for Mahmoud’s freedom and all of our First Amendment rights in federal court.”

The ruling in Louisiana marked a milestone victory for the Trump administration, which has targeted international university students and faculty for detention and deportation despite their legal immigration status in the United States. Some have been involved in campus activism and others are accused of unlawful activities.

The federal government’s attempts to remove them have ignited fierce blowback from immigrant rights groups and civil liberty advocates who say the Trump administration is trampling on free speech rights in service of the president’s deportation agenda.

In some cases, the scholars have been stripped of their legal status due to campus activism or based on relatively minor legal infractions that were dropped without convictions. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last month the administration had revoked about 300 visas.

Figures released Thursday by a nonprofit education group indicate the total figure is likely higher. The data collected by NAFSA: Association of International Educators indicates nearly 1,000 students and scholars have had their visas revoked and/or their records terminated in an ICE database, thus putting their legal status in the country in jeopardy.

Celebrating the outcome of Friday’s court hearing, the White House posted a Fox News headline on the social media site X, along with a photo of Khalil and separate one of President Donald Trump waving. (The Trump photo was taken during a campaign event last year as he leaned out of a McDonald’s drive through window.)

According to his legal team, Khalil addressed Comans in court by saying: “I would like to quote what you said last time — that there’s nothing that’s more important to this court than due process rights and fundamental fairness. Clearly what we witnessed today, neither of these principles were present today or in this whole process.”

Federal authorities had accused Khalil of fomenting antisemitic protests and supporting Hamas, a designated terror group. Khalil’s attorneys argued he is a peaceful protester who was advocating for the Palestinian people.

In a two-page State Department memo, submitted to the court this week, Rubio said Khalil and another student, whose name was redacted, helped foster “a hostile environment for Jewish students in the United States.”

Rubio wrote that their continued presence in the country would “undermine U.S. policy to combat antisemitism around the world and in the United States, in addition to efforts to protect Jewish students from harassment and violence.”

Khalil’s legal team vigorously rejected the government’s accusations. They said the Trump administration is targeting their client and others student activists over political views.

During the immigration court hearing, Khalil’s attorneys asked Comans for more time to gather evidence and for copies of Department of Homeland Security documents that Rubio had mentioned in his memo.

The judge denied the requests, saying immigration courts do not have the authority to develop the legal record beyond what is presented during the hearing, said Marc Van Der Hout, one of Khalil’s attorneys.

Comans held in abeyance a second government charge against Khalil that alleged he committed immigration fraud on his green card application, which his lawyers have denied.

Some Democratic lawmakers and free speech groups condemned the outcome.

“We cannot allow the Trump Administration to end our constitutional rights,” Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan), who is Palestinian American, said in a statement after Comans’ ruling. “The right to free speech obviously includes the right to protest the Israeli government’s genocide of Palestinians. This fascism won’t end with Mahmoud Khalil. It’s a threat to all of us.”

Will Creeley, legal director of Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, said in a statement that the “only 'crime’ the government has offered was that Mahmoud Khalil expressed a disfavored political opinion. If that’s a crime in America, every single one of us is guilty.”

Khalil was arrested March 8 by federal agents in plain clothes as he and his wife, a U.S. citizen who is nine months pregnant with their first child, returned to their university apartment after visiting a friend. In court filings, Khalil’s attorneys said the men described themselves as Department of Homeland Security agents and said they were revoking his student visa.

Khalil and his wife countered that he had a green card, which grants legal permanent residency in the United States, and showed them his papers.

Khalil’s lawyers have objected to his detainment in Louisiana, more than 1,300 miles from his home in New York. They filed a federal court lawsuit in New York calling his detention unconstitutional, and a judge ruled that the legal challenge could move forward in New Jersey, where Khalil was briefly detained before being sent to the Central ICE Processing Center in Jena.

After Khalil’s arrest, Trump said in a social media post that it was the “first arrest of many” for those “who have engaged in pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity.” He called Khalil a “Radical Foreign Pro-Hamas Student.”

Khalil’s supporters described him as a diplomatic, hardworking student. He was chosen as a negotiator between protesters and Columbia University’s administration as intense demonstrations were roiling campus last spring. He often spoke with reporters at protests, unmasked and using his full name, unlike many participants who sought to hide their identities.

Khalil told The Post earlier this year that he was not affiliated with Columbia University Apartheid Divest, a protest group that led many pro-Palestinian actions on campus. CUAD has at times used language supportive of Hamas.

Khalil was born and raised in a refugee camp in Syria and went to college in Lebanon. He and his wife, a U.S. citizen, moved to the United States in 2023 to begin his graduate studies at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs. That fall, protests over the Israel-Gaza war erupted on campus.

Khalil got his green card in November 2024.

In January, Trump said he would find and deport foreign students who joined in what he called “pro-jihadist” demonstrations.

“It sets a dangerous precedent,” Khalil told The Washington Post at the time, “where peaceful protest is met with severe consequences, eroding democratic principles and academic freedom.”🔺

April 11, 2025 at 4:48 p.

Release Mahmoud Khalil

Release Mahmoud Khalil

In this file photo from June 1, 2024, Mahmoud Khalil speaks to members of media about the Revolt for Rafah encampment at Columbia University during Israel's continuing assault on Gaza, in New York City [File: Jeenah Moon/Reuters]

US judge rules pro-Palestine activist Mahmoud Khalil can be deported

Donald Trump’s administration is pushing to deport Khalil over his participation in pro-Palestine university protests.

AJ Published On 11 Apr 2025

A United States immigration judge has ruled that the deportation case against Mahmoud Khalil can proceed, a month after the Columbia University graduate student was detained over his involvement in pro-Palestine protests.

Judge Jamee Comans made the determination on Friday at the end of a nearly two-hour hearing in the US state of Louisiana, saying the government had “established by clear and convincing evidence that he is removable”.

“Mahmoud was subject to a charade of due process, a flagrant violation of his right to a fair hearing and a weaponization of immigration law to suppress dissent,” one of his lawyers, Marc Van Der Hout, said in a statement after the hearing.

“This is not over, and our fight continues,” he added.

Khalil’s case has drawn widespread scrutiny as rights advocates accuse President Donald Trump’s administration of cracking down on free speech and pro-Palestine activism under the guise of fighting anti-Semitism.

The administration is trying to deport Khalil under a rarely used provision of an immigration law that gives the secretary of state the power to remove any non-citizen whose presence in the US is deemed to have “adverse foreign policy consequences”.

The government has not charged Khalil with a crime.

In a two-page letter submitted to the court and Khalil’s lawyers, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote that the 30-year-old should be removed for his role in “anti semitic protests and disruptive activities, which fosters a hostile environment for Jewish students in the United States”.

Rubio’s letter did not accuse Khalil of breaking any laws, but he said that his department can revoke an immigrant’s legal status even where their beliefs, associations or statements are “otherwise lawful”.

Khalil’s supporters say he engaged in peaceful protests against Columbia University’s ties to the Israeli military as part of the wave of campus demonstrations that swept the country last year amid Israel’s Gaza war.

Baher Azmy, the legal director of the Center for Constitutional Rights and another one of Khalil’s lawyers, told reporters on Thursday that Rubio’s letter “is a sort of tacky, Soviet-style diktat that’s equal parts empty and chilling”.

Reporting from outside the courtroom in Jena, Louisiana on Friday, Al Jazeera’s Shihab Rattansi said Khalil addressed the court during the hearing.

“He said nothing is more important than due process and fundamental fairness [and] neither of these principles were present” in his case, Rattansi reported.

Khalil has been held by the government since March 8, when he was arrested late at night by immigration enforcement agents in front of his pregnant wife, who is a US citizen.

He was then transferred to two different facilities without his family or lawyers being notified.

In a statement read out during a news conference outside the court in Louisiana on Friday afternoon, Khalil’s support team said the judge’s ruling was “as unjust as it is alarming”.

“Despite the government’s failure to prove that Mahmoud broke any law, the court has decided that lawful permanent residents can have their status revoked for pro-Palestine advocacy,” the team said.

“This is a blatant violation of the First Amendment [of the US Constitution] and a dangerous precedent for anyone who believes in free speech and political expression.”

In another statement read out by activists, Noor Abdalla, Khalil’s wife, said the court’s decision was “a devastating blow”.

“No person should be deemed removable from their home for speaking out against the killing of Palestinian families, doctors and journalists,” said Abdalla, referring to Israel’s Gaza war.

Over the past several weeks, US immigration authorities have cracked down on other international students who have taken part in pro-Palestinian protests or spoken out in defence of Palestinians in Gaza.🔺

பாதை திறப்பு பாதசாரிகளுக்குத் தடை!

35 ஆண்டுகளின் பின் கடுமையான கட்டுப்பாடுகளுடன் திறக்கப்பட்ட வீதி!

யாழ்ப்பாணம். வசாவிளான் சந்தி முதல் பொன்னாலை – பருத்தித்துறை வீதி வரையிலான பலாலி வீதி கடுமையான நிபந்தனைகள் மற்றும் கட்டுப்பாடுகளுடன் 35 ஆண்டுகளுக்கு பின்னர் மக்கள் போக்குவரத்துக்காக திறந்து விடப்பட்டுள்ளது.

இராணுவ உயர்பாதுகாப்பு வலயத்தின் ஊடாக செல்லும் சுமார் 2.5 கிலோ மீற்றர் நீளமான குறித்த வீதியானது கடந்த 1990ஆம் ஆண்டு முதல் மக்கள் போக்குவரத்திற்கு தடை செய்யப்பட்டிருந்தது.

அதனால் யாழ்ப்பாணத்தில் இருந்து பலாலி வடக்கு பிரதேசத்திற்கு செல்லும் மக்கள் காங்கேசன்துறை சென்று அங்கிருந்தே பலாலி வடக்கிற்கு செல்லும் நிலைமை காணப்பட்டு வந்த நிலையில் குறித்த வீதியின் ஊடாக போக்குவரத்திற்கு அனுமதிக்குமாறு யுத்தம் நிறைவடைந்த காலம் முதல் சுமார் 15 வருட காலமாக மக்கள் கோரிக்கை விடுத்து வந்தனர்.

இந்நிலையில் குறித்த வீதியானது இன்றைய தினம் வியாழக்கிழமை முதல் , பல்வேறு நிபந்தனைகள் மற்றும் கட்டுப்பாடுகளுடன் மக்கள் போக்குவரத்திற்காக திறந்து விடப்பட்டப்பட்டுள்ளது.

1. பாவனை நேரம் காலை 06 மணி முதல் மாலை 05 மணி வரை மட்டுமே.
2. வீதியின் இடையில் வாகனத்தினை நிறுத்த, திருப்ப தடை, 
3. பயண நேரத்தில் புகைப்படம், காணொளி எடுக்க தடை. 
4. பாதசாரிகள் (கால் நடைபயணம் ) தடை.
5.  பாரவூர்திகள்  செல்வதற்கு தடை.
6. பயண வேகம் மணித்தியாலத்துக்கு 40 கிலோமீட்டருக்கு மேல் தடை. 
7. சாரதிகளுக்கான அடையாள ஆவணங்கள் கட்டாயம் வைத்திருக்க வேண்டும்

மேற்படி கட்டுப்பாடுகளை மீறுவது சட்ட நடவடிக்கைக்கு உரிய குற்றமாகும். 

ஆகிய எச்சரிக்கைகள் அடங்கிய அறிவிப்புப்  பலகை வீதியில் தமிழ் மொழியில் மட்டும்,சரியாகவும் தெளிவாகவும் எழுதி காட்சிப்படுத்தப்பட்டுள்ளது.

யாழ்ப்பாணத்திற்கு நாளைய தினம் வெள்ளிகிழமை பிரதமர் ஹரிணி அமரசூரிய விஜயம் மேற்கொண்டு பல்வேறு இடங்களில் மக்கள் சந்திப்புக்களில் கலந்து கொள்ளவுள்ள நிலையில் , இன்றைய தினம் வீதி திறக்கப்பட்டுள்ளமை குறிப்பிடத்தக்கது.

பலாலி வீதியில் பொங்கல் பொங்கி மகிழ்ச்சியை கொண்டாடிய மக்கள்!

இந்நிலையில் , அப்பகுதி மக்கள் வீதியில் தேங்காய் உடைத்து பொங்கல் பொங்கி தமது மகிழ்ச்சியினை வெளிப்படுத்தியுள்ளனர்.

மாவிட்டபுரம் சென்ற பக்தர்களை அதிகாலையில் “சோதித்த” பிரதமர் பாதுகாப்பு பிரிவு!

யாழ்ப்பாணம், மாவிட்டபுரம் கந்தசுவாமி ஆலய சூழலில் பாதுகாப்பு கெடுபிடிகள் காரணமாக ஆலயத்திற்கு சென்ற பக்தர்கள் இன்னல்களை எதிர்நோக்கினர்.

சுமார் 50 வருட காலத்தின் பின்னர் மாவிட்டபுரம் கந்தசுவாமி ஆலய மகா கும்பாபிசேகம் இன்றைய தினம் வெள்ளிக்கிழமை காலை நடைபெற்றது.

கும்பாபிஷேக பெருவிழாவில் கலந்து கொள்ள நாட்டின் பல பாகங்களில் இருந்தும், வெளிநாடுகளில் இருந்தும் ஏராளமான பக்தர்கள் கலந்து கொண்டனர்.

இந்நிலையில் ஆலயத்திற்கு பிரதமர் ஹரிணி அமரசூரியர் செல்லவுள்ளதாக  தெரிவித்து, ஆலய சூழலில் பெருமளவான காவற்துறையினர், காவற்துறை  விசேட அதிரடிபடையினர், பிரதமர் பாதுகாப்பு பிரிவினர் குவிக்கப்பட்டு பாதுகாப்பு கெடுபிடிகள் அதிகரிக்கப்பட்டது.

அதிகாலை வேளையில் ஆலய வழிபாட்டிற்கு சென்ற  குருமாரையும் பக்தர்களையும் கடுமையான உடற்சோதைனைக்கு உட்படுத்தியே ஆலய வளாகத்தினுள் படையினர் அனுமதித்தனர்.

இதனால் பக்தர்கள் இன்னல்களை எதிர்கொண்டனர்.

கும்பாபிஷேக பெருவிழாவிற்கு வருகை தந்த தம்மை இவ்வாறு இன்னல் படுத்துவதற்கு பலரும் விசனங்களை தெரிவித்தனர்.

அத்துடன் பாதுகாப்பு பிரிவினர் ஆலய சூழலில் சாப்பாத்துக்களுடன் நடமாடுவதையும் அவதானிக்க முடிந்தது

அச்சுவேலி கூட்டுறவு சங்க காணியும் விடுவிப்பு:

யாழ்ப்பாணம் அச்சுவேலி பலநோக்கு கூட்டுறவு சங்கத்தின் தலைமை காரியாலய கட்டடம் மற்றும் அதனை சூழவிருந்த சுமார் 08 பரப்பு காணி இன்றைய தினம் வியாழக்கிழமை இராணுவத்தினரால் விடுக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது

சுமார் 30 வருட காலத்திற்கு மேலாக இராணுவத்தினரின் கட்டுப்பாட்டில் இருந்த குறித்த காணி மற்றும் அதனுள் இருந்த கட்டடம் என்பவற்றை வலி கிழக்கு பிரதேச செயலரிடம் இராணுவத்தினர் இன்றைய தினம் உத்தியோகபூர்வமாக கையளித்த நிலையில் , பிரதேச செயலரினால் அச்சுவேலி பலநோக்கு கூட்டுறவு சங்க பொது முகாமையாளரிடம் கையளிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது .

யாழ்.மாவிட்டபுரம் கந்தசுவாமி ஆலய வழிபாட்டில் ஈடுபட்ட பிரதமர்

யாழ்ப்பாணத்திற்கு (Jaffna) விஜயம் மேற்கொண்டுள்ள பிரதமர் ஹரிணி அமரசூரிய மாவிட்ட புரம் கந்தசுவாமி ஆலயத்திற்கு சென்று வாழிபாட்டில் ஈடுபட்டுள்ளார்.

மாவிட்டபுரம் கந்தசுவாமி ஆலய மகா கும்பாபிசேகம் இன்றைய தினம் (11) காலை இடம்பெற்ற நிலையில் மதியம் பிரதமர் ஆலயத்திற்கு சென்று வழிபாட்டில் பங்கேற்றார்.

பாதுகாப்பு கெடுபிடிகள்

பிரதமர் ஆலயத்திற்கு வருகை தரவிருந்த நிலையில் அதிகாலை வேளை ஆலய சூழலில், பொலிஸ் விசேட அதிரடி படையினர், பொலிஸார் மற்றும் பிரதமர் பாதுகாப்பு பிரிவினர் குவிக்கப்பட்டு, பாதுகாப்பு பலப்படுத்தப்பட்டதோடு, ஆலயத்திற்கு வருகை தந்த பக்தர்கள் சோதனையிடப்பட்டு கெடுபிடிகளுக்கு முகம் கொடுத்தனர்.

எனினும் பலரும் விசனம் தெரிவித்த நிலையில் ஆலய தர்மகார்த்த முக்கியஸ்தர்களுடன் பேசியதை அடுத்து, பாதுகாப்பு கெடுபிடிகள் தளர்த்தப்பட்டதாகத் தெரிகின்றது.

GTN April 10,11, 2025, Lanka Sri With ENB Inputs

China raises additional tariffs to 125 pct

Breaking: China raises additional tariffs to 125 pct on imported US products

By Global Times Published: Apr 11, 2025 

China will lift the additional tariffs on products imported from the US to 125 percent from 84 percent, effective from April 12, the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council announced Friday.

Given that there is no longer any possibility of market acceptance for US goods exported to China under the current tariff levels, if the US side subsequently continues to impose tariffs on Chinese goods exported to the US, the Chinese side will ignore it, according to the commission.🔺

Graphic Analysis: US tariffs

 Graphic Analysis: US tariffs spark opposition, eventually backfire

By Global TimesPublished: Apr 10, 2025

Gaza is a 'killing field'- UN

Gaza is a 'killing field', 

says UN chief, as agencies urge world to act on Israel's blockade

A woman wearing a head covering cooks on a makeshift stove in a tent in Gaza City,Image source,Getty Images,Image caption, Israel has blocked all goods from entering Gaza for more than a month

Megan Fisher BBC News 8 April 2025

The UN's secretary-general says "aid has dried up [and] the floodgates of horror have re-opened" in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has blocked the entry of all goods and resumed the war against Hamas.

"Gaza is a killing field, and civilians are in an endless death loop," António Guterres said on Tuesday.

His comments come after the heads of six UN agencies appealed to world leaders to act urgently to ensure food and supplies reached Palestinians there.

Israel's foreign ministry insisted there was enough food in Gaza and accused Guterres of "spreading slander against Israel".

Israel blockaded Gaza on 2 March

Israel blockaded Gaza on 2 March, after the first stage of a ceasefire expired. Hamas refused to extend that part of the truce, accusing Israel of reneging on its commitments.

Israel then renewed its aerial bombardment and ground offensive on 18 March and these have since killed 1,449 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza. The Israeli military insists it does not target civilians.

In his address to journalists, Guterres said Israel, as the occupying power, had obligations under international law to ensure that food and medical supplies get to the population.

"The current path is a dead end – totally intolerable in the eyes of international law and history," he said.

Responding to the comments, Israel's foreign ministry said there was no aid shortage in Gaza.

"As always, you don't let the facts get in the way when spreading slander against Israel," spokesman Oren Marmorstein said.

"There is no shortage of humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip - over 25,000 aid trucks have entered the Gaza Strip in the 42 days of the cease fire," he added.

Guterres's comments followed a joint statement issued by six UN agencies on Monday that said world leaders must act urgently to make sure food and aid supplies get to Palestinians in the Strip.

Gazans were "trapped, bombed and starved again", the statement said.

"The latest ceasefire allowed us to achieve in 60 days what bombs, obstruction and lootings prevented us from doing in 470 days of war: life-saving supplies reaching nearly every part of Gaza," it said.

"While this offered a short respite, assertions that there is now enough food to feed all Palestinians in Gaza are far from the reality on the ground, and commodities are running extremely low."

The statement was signed by the heads of:

• OCHA - UN's Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs
• Unicef - UN's children's agency
• WFP - World Food Programme
• WHO - World Health Organization
• Unrwa - UN agency for Palestinian refugees
• UNOPS - UN Office for Project Services

Because of the blockade, all UN-supported bakeries have closed, markets are empty of most fresh vegetables and hospitals are rationing painkillers and antibiotics.

The statement says that Gaza's "partially functional health system is overwhelmed [and]... essential medical and trauma supplies are rapidly running out."

"With the tightened Israeli blockade on Gaza now in its second month, we appeal to world leaders to act – firmly, urgently and decisively – to ensure the basic principles of international humanitarian law are upheld.

"Protect civilians. Facilitate aid. Release hostages. Renew a ceasefire."

The two-month pause in fighting saw a surge in humanitarian aid let into Gaza, as well as the release by Hamas of 33 hostages - eight of them dead - in exchange for about 1,900 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

Israel turns Gaza into ‘killing field’ as charity kitchen bombed, children starving

The UN's Antonio Guterres rejected Israel’s proposal to control and block aid deliveries coming into Gaza, while Israel pounded the Strip.

MENA The New Arab Staff 09 April, 2025

Continued Israeli bombing across the Gaza Strip targeted a charity kitchen in Khan Younis on Monday, and close to a clinic in what should have been the safe zone of al-Mawasi.

At least 26 Palestinians were killed on Tuesday, with the toll including children.

On Wednesday, at least four Palestinians, including a child, were killed in an airstrike that targeted two tents and a home in southern and central Gaza.

A medical source also reported that two Palestinians were killed in a strike that targeted tents housing the displaced in Khan Younis, while an additional two were killed in an apartment building belonging to the al-Hajj family in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.

Eyewitnesses told local media that the Israeli army is also continuing its policy of bombing residential buildings northwest of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip.

The heavy bombardment comes as a Hamas leader reiterated the "need to reach a ceasefire" in Gaza, adding that they remain in contact with mediators however, no new truce proposals have been put forward.

Hussam Badran, one of Hamas’ political bureau members, added: "This war can not continue indefinitely. It is imperative to reach a ceasefire".

The Palestinian Ministry of Health also raised the alarm over the health situation in Gaza on Wednesday, stating that around 60,000 children in the enclave are at risk of severe health conditions.

Israeli bombing across the Gaza Strip targeted a charity kitchen in Khan Younis on Monday [Getty]

The ministry added that Israel's closing of land crossings could exacerbate the number of people suffering from malnutrition, and the lack of clean drinking water could also compound health issues.

Meanwhile, the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, on Tuesday rejected Israel’s proposal to control and block aid deliveries coming into Gaza, stating it risks "further controlling and callously limiting aid down to the last calorie and grain of flour".

"Let me be clear: We will not participate in any arrangement that does not fully respect the humanitarian principles: humanity, impartiality, independence and neutrality," he added.

He further described Gaza as a "killing field," adding that "civilians are in an endless death loop".

Israel has blocked all aid, food, medicine, and vital resources from entering Gaza for over a month since 2 March.

Over 51,700 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since 7 October 2023. The war has plunged the Strip into a deep humanitarian crisis and levelled entire neighbourhoods.🔺

Tilvin நேர்காணல்- தேசியப் பிரச்சனை குறித்து (2)

 குறிப்பு: இந்நேர்காணல் 25 வருடங்களுக்கு முந்தியது.ENB

Interview

JVP for supremacy of parliament

By Shelani de Silva 

The Sunday Times 27th February 2000

The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna which is recognised as a third force by some political commentators has conspicuously been kept out of talks the government was holding with political parties on the proposed constitutional reforms. The party has, however, decided to continue its campaign for the abolition of the executive presidential system. It also opposes any move by the President to continue with the executive presidency while also functioning as Prime Minister during the transitional period under the new constitution.

Party General Secretary Tilvin Silva in an interview with The Sunday Times said the JVP would call for an executive fully responsible and accountable to parliament and equal rights to all communities if the party's views were sought for constitutional amendments.

Excerpts from the interview:

Q: The government is holding talks with political parties on the proposed constitutional reforms. What is the stance your party which is against the executive presidency, taking?

A: We have not been invited for any talks with the government but if invited we will ask for a copy of the draft constitution. The JVP firmly believes that without studying the draft, there is no purpose in holding talks. At present, not much is known about the proposed constitution. Whatever it is, the JVP has not been called for talks. We will not ask for an appointment with the President. A responsible government should know that not only Tamil parties and the UNP but all political parties should be involved in constitution-making. Bringing in a new constitution is definitely a serious issue and the people's views too should be taken into consideration.

Q: But the JVP and the SLMC had talks on the proposed constitution. What was the outcome of this meeting?

A: It was the SLMC which requested a meeting with us. The meeting was not only on the constitutional reforms but other issues as well. We could not give our views on the reforms. Even the SLMC was not in a position to elaborate on the subject.

Q: Will your support be conditional on the continuation of the executive presidency during the transitional period?

A: We will continue to carry out our campaign for the abolition of the executive presidency. But if the government is planning to continue with the executive presidency in another form we are definitely against it. We hear reports to the effect that instead of abolishing the executive presidency, there are moves to amalgamate the powers of premiership with it.

We are against such moves and it is an anti-democratic act. What the Government should now do is to abolish the executive presidency and form a system to suit the country — not to amalgamate the executive presidency and the premiership. The focal point in democracy is the 'check and balance' system. There has to be a balance, but if excess power is going to be vested in one institution, it is not democratic.

Q: Your party supported Chandrika Kumaratunga at the 1994 presidential campaign on the promise that she will scrap the executive presidency. Did your party take that promise seriously?

A: The party took the promise very seriously. The president gave us a written and verbal assurance that by July 15, 1995 the executive presidency will be abolished. When it did not occur we were told by the Government it is because the constitution has to be changed and certain amendments have to be brought in if it was to be abolished. And now with the President re-elected for a second term she is trying to bring in a new constitution. We believe the government was in a position to abolish the executive presidency. Instead of doing it, the President is now trying to take all the powers and use it during her full term and then bring about changes. It is clear that there is a conspiracy in the sharing of power.

Q: What are the changes your party would like to see in the new constitution?

A: It is difficult to go into detail because we have not studied the constitution. But we have made our representations to the Parliamentary Select Committee. Our main emphasis will be on the abolition of the executive presidency. We will call for an executive responsible to Parliament. There will also be changes where equal rights would be given to all communities. Equality among communities and religions should be ensured. The constitution should recognise the basic rights of all.

Q: How do you see the constitutional reforms as a solution to the ethnic issue?

A: From what we have gathered the new constitution will not solve the ethnic issue. A government should have a genuine interest to give all people their basic rights but we understand that the new constitution, like the present one, speaks of powers being vested in one person. That's why we say that the government is not genuine in its efforts. The ethnic problem has come up because a group of people have not got their basic rights.

Q: Your comments on the Norwegian involvement in peace talks or acting as a facilitator?

A: The Norwegian Foreign Minister did not meet the JVP, so we cannot express our views on the stand taken by Norway.

Q: Did the JVP request a meeting with the Foreign Minister?

A: We did not ask for an appointment but the correct method would be that when a party is getting involved in a country's national issue it should hold discussions with the main political parties in the country.

Q: What is the JVP's stand on resuming peace talks with third party involvement?

A: If we examine the history of peace talks we can see whenever they took place the war was stopped for about two months and then fighting resumed. We see peace talks as an interval taken by both parties. Judging from past experiences we have our doubts whether the talks will be successful. Of course the JVP is for peace talks but the intentions have to be genuine. We have doubts. The important thing is not the country which comes as a facilitator. The Government should give a firm assurance.

Q: Do you feel that the people still link the present JVP with the terror period of the late 1980s?

A: Once again the state media are carrying out a campaign by trying to instil fear in the people that a terror period will once again erupt. We have to make it clear and with responsibility we say that the JVP is not involved in such undemocratic acts and we will not get involved in such things. No matter what difficulties the party will have to face in future we will not act outside the democratic path.

Q: How is the party building its image after the elections?

A: We are preparing for a general election. The party is conducting discussions with trade unions, farmer and women groups. We are also selecting the candidates for the elections. We hope to send at least 10 MPs and we will not join with any other party to contest the general elections.

Q: What is Somawansa Amarasinghe's involvement with the party?

A: He is the party leader and member of the politburo. He is in charge of the party activities abroad, but he is in touch with us and he closely follows political activities here. We have a good rapport with him.

Q: Have you any plans to get Chitrangani Wijeweera, the widow of party founder Rohana Wijeweera, into the party?

A: We have gone to see her not with the intention of getting her into the party but to inquire about her children's welfare. We have come forward to help the children. It should be noted that the JVP is not a party to replace the leader with his widow. Our party has come this far after much sacrifice and hard work by all members. We won't gain anything or even lose anything with or without her in the party. But the Government is trying to use her. It did this during the elections by giving out leaflets alleged to have been signed by Ms.Wijeweera.

Q: In the past few weeks the media indicated that the JVP and the UNP were planning to topple the Western and the Southern Provincial Councils. Has the party any such idea?

A: There is no truth in such statements. We have no intention of getting together with the UNP to topple the councils.

For us the UNP is a party just like the PA which contributed to ruin the country.

---

Military road to independence

By Kumbakarana

In the Baghavath Geetha, Arjuna while preparing for battle is addressed by Lord Krishna in the following manner, "Arjuna the duties and responsibilities of Kshastriya is to protect Varnadharma (the caste system) and Swardharma (Duty). It is necessary to find liberation from both good and bad Karma in Sansara. In this, your duty is to act without concern for result (Karma Yoga), to comprehend the true nature of the Atman which transcends both life and death (Ghnana Yoga), and all your actions should be devoted to God (Bakhti Yoga).

Krishna thereby convinced Arjuna to accept death as a consequence of battle. The question now arises as to whether Prabhakaran could use a similar argument to convince a suicide bomber. Some historical background is necessary to answer this question. With the brutal massacres of Indians and the capture of Delhi by the British in 1858, the Hindus responded with a spiritual movement. This spiritual movement continued into the twentieth century and was politicized by gandhi as a non-violent movement against British imperialism (Ahimsa).

There was a Hindu faction, which questioned as to whether a military road to independence (Swaraj) was possible. There was a Christian tradition through the likes of Tolstoy who brought to prominence the possibility of non-violent action. This followed his reading of the new testament tradition. Others accused gandhi of having borrowed these ideas from Buddhism and Jainism and thereby being unfaithful to the Hindu tradition. Since the explosion of a nuclear bomb, groups such as the RSS and VHS and Shivashena have raised these issues once again. Others have used this tract from the Geetha as a war cry of the Black Tiger movement (Suicide Bombers). One can however question as to whether this advice to the Shoobtriya could be used to justify the phenomena of Suicide Bombers. There is another argument that this is a growth from the popular romanticism in Tamil culture. The most propagated popular argument is that this results from the repression of the Tamil community in Sri Lanka. The LTTE considers these suicide acts to be a hallmark of their determination to achieve liberation from the Sri Lankan State.

We need to examine a few statistics at this stage. The LTTE claims a total of 14,668 deaths in battle, of which 148 were Black Tigers. Further, between 1993 and 1999 there have been 1385 LTTE cadres who have surrendered with their cyanide capsules unused. The number 148 is a small minority compared to the total cadre, which were successfully brainwashed to do so. In recent times it is not only the LTTE who use this tactic, but other groups such as the Mujhideen, Hamas and Hizbollah and the Algerian FIS, the Kurdish PKK have suicide bombers. The technology of suicide however is probably most developed by the LTTE. There is an annual doubling of information on violence today. Sources like the Internet are full of such information. It is quite possible that the LTTE technology of suicide will be globalised.

There are cases of heroic sacrifice among the soldiers from the Sri Lankan Army. In Vietnam Nguyen giap used this tactic, against the American soldiers and Kampuchea's Pol-pot used this tactic as well as Han Semerin against Pol-pot. There were many extreme Nationalist groups and Racists who used this tactic such as the Zionist, the Nazis and the Japanese Kamikaze kids of the Imperial Army. The phenomena is therefore rather common and used by various extreme groups, and it can not simply be justified on the basis of injustice or oppression.

A mechanical causal theory, assumes that deep rooted underlying causal factors give rise to epi-phenomena. The epi-phenomena in this case is suicide bombing and the underlying causal reasons supposedly 'ethnic oppression'.

🔺

Tilvin நேர்காணல்- தேசியப் பிரச்சனை குறித்து

குறிப்பு; இந்நேர்காணல் 12 ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முந்தியது.ENB 

PC System not a panacea for present problems-Tilvin

03 Jun 2013 

     

Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) General Secretary Tilvin Silva speaks to the Daily Mirror on the Northern Provincial Council Elections and issues confronting the Tamil people. He noted that the government had failed to address the genuine grievances of the Tamil people.  Following are some excerpts of the interview:

Q:In the political circle, there is much talk of the 13th Amendment these days. The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) was a party that was opposed to the Provincial Council (PC) system right from the beginning. What are your views on this renewed criticism on the PC system established under the 13th Amendment?

The JVP is opposed to the PC system on principle. That is the policy we have taken right from the beginning. However, there is renewed criticism by some elements on it at a time, ahead of the Northern Provincial Council (NPC) elections.  Against this backdrop, we have to take serious note of this   political criticism against the 13th Amendment.  We see this diatribe against the PC system today despite President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s repeated assurances to the international community, particularly to India that these elections would be conducted. Therefore, any criticism of the 13th Amendment would be viewed negatively by the Tamil community in the north.  We, the JVP, do not believe that the PC system is the panacea for problems confronting the ethnic Tamils.

It is true that the Tamil people are enduring immense hardships. But, we should politically convince them that the PC system is not the way out for them. It has been proven unsuccessful.  The Eastern Provincial Council was constituted. But, the problems of the people remain unsolved or unattended.  Yet, instead of finding practical solutions to the genuine grievances of the Tamil people, the government has made way for a political harangue against the PC system. Therefore, Tamils will obviously view such criticism with suspicion.

Q:You mentioned that Tamil people are grappling with some serious problems. In your view, what are they?  
At the moment, they have serious land problems. They were dispossessed of their lands during the war. There is no proper plan to give back such lands to their rightful owners. Likewise, there is the issue of Tamil prisoners.  The government has also failed to look into the incidents of disappearances.  The government has still been unable to dispense with legal cases involving disappearances or to pay compensation to the next-of-kin of the victims. Instead of resettling people with proper facilities, the government has literally left them in the street. The government should resettle them after restoring their means of livelihood. Also, there are circumstances that have compelled the Tamil people to consider themselves as second class citizens of this country. The language problem is one of them. It has to be addressed. There are a lot of administrative issues – lack of Tamil speaking police officers and Grama Niladharis.  After the war was over, a semi-military rule has been imposed on the Tamil people.  Democracy should be strengthened in the north along with the establishment of civil administration.   These matters warrant urgent attention. If these problems are solved, the Tamil people will begin to think differently.

Q:In your view, what will the political repercussions be if the elections are held in the north under these circumstances?

It is a serious situation.  The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) is likely to win this election. Then, there may be attempts to reinforce the separatist ideology. Though the war is over, the separatist ideology remains intact. During the last four years of the post-war period, the government did not do anything to defeat separatism politically. Instead, the government’s actions only added force to this ideology.  Therefore, we can conclude that certain sections of the Tamil Diaspora and   the international forces including India and the United States may try to use this council as a base to push for further devolution of political power in conformity with their separatist agenda.   That is the imminent danger lying before us. But, the government has made repeated assurances before the international community that these elections would be conducted. The government can ward off the impending danger only by finding practical solutions to the problems of people in the north. They do not ask for power sharing or self-determination. They urge the government to address cases of disappearances, to release Tamil prisoners, to create economic opportunities and to restore civil administration.

In reality, the government should have acted to abolish this PC system a long time ago. Yet, the government conducted staggered PC elections in other parts of the country. All of a sudden, they talk against the system, ahead of the NPCE only. It creates suspicion in the minds of people. If it is applicable to other areas, why is it not for the north? That is the logical question arising in the minds of people. A complex situation has arisen today, and the government should be held   responsible.

Q:You mean the government is in a crisis situation?

Yes of course. The government is caught between the devil and the deep blue sea.  The government was unwise. They only tried to find solutions to the country’s problems   on a daily piecemeal manner instead of making a holistic approach with a farsighted vision. It is the typical way of the government. It has resulted in the present mess.

Q:If the Northern Provincial Council elections are conducted, will the JVP participate in it?

Yes, we will do it as a party. We will make it an opportunity to engage in politics with people in the north.  The government failed to defeat the separatist political ideology during the past four years. Again, they did not allow any political activity that can attract Tamil people to the mainstream of national politics. We, the JVP, were not allowed to carry out political work in the north.  Our comrade MP Sunil Handunnetti was assaulted in Jaffna. They placed a lot of hurdles before us. Through such foolish and adamant behaviour, they blocked the path for Tamil people to embrace national politics without confining themselves to politics based on their regional and ethnic identity.  

Q:Though you claim that Tamil people are not for power devolution or self-determination, the TNA which campaigns heavily on such demands won past elections in the north.  The TNA is on record that they repeatedly got mandates from their people to fight for such political rights.  How do you see it?
Tamil people naturally tend to vote for Tamil political parties, whichever are mentioned in manifestoes. The TNA has given its own political interpretation to this electoral behaviour of Tamil people.  Let’s take what happened in recent times. There were some demonstrations and protest rallies in Colombo by the Tamil people.   Once they held a demonstration holding aloft the posters and banners bearing the photos   of their disappeared relatives. They wanted to know what happened to those who went missing. In another demonstration, they urged the government to release Tamil prisoners.  The most recent one was against the land-grabbing in the north. Their main demands are linked with their normal lives.  Yet, the TNA did not play any role in any of these protest rallies or demonstrations.  They may have made a few statements. The TNA appears to be thriving on such concerns of the Tamil people for political gains.

Q:Will the demand for separatism be renewed in this context?

It can happen due to a few reasons.  The government has imposed its will on the Tamil people today. Its lies strengthen the ideological base for separatism to raise its head again. Though the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was defeated, their separatist ideology has not been dealt with politically. Therefore, there is a danger of Tamil politics in the north taking a separatist form once again.   The government should address the problems of Tamil people to avert separatism gaining its hold in northern politics.

Q:If you are against the Provincial Council system, what do you propose as an alternative?

There should be a public discourse on this. But, there is one principle. Equality is all the more important. People should have equal access to their rights such as education and employment opportunities, leaving aside their differences over language, ethnicity etc. There cannot be any discrimination. Besides, administrative power, people’s daily needs have to be given at grassroots level. Today, the most important administrative powers have not been decentralised. For example, the issuance of passports is done mainly in Colombo. It is a Colombo-centric activity. It should be changed. The issuance of National Identity Cards are done in Colombo. There is only one Eye Hospital in the country, and that too is in Colombo. Wherever we live, we have to come to Colombo for treatment. The Cancer Hospital is in Maharagama. The most essential services have not been decentralised. Instead, we talk about the 13th Amendment imposed on us by India.   

'' India has changed now ''-Tilvin

 “India has changed now” : Tilvin on JVP’s stance

April 9, 2025 News Fire

`மாறியது நானா? மாற்றியது நீயா?`

Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) General Secretary, Tilvin Silva, has refuted claims by certain opposition politicians claiming that the government has betrayed the country by entering into several agreements with India. 

Cartoon-Daily Mirror LK

Tilvin Silva challenged the opposition to prove if any of the agreements have been signed in a manner that could be detrimental to Sri Lanka. 

Stating that the agreements signed during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit have been openly announced to the public, he said they are beneficial to both nations. 

“Both Sri Lanka and India benefit from these agreements. The NPP Government has proven to be the government to have received the most international support in Sri Lanka’s history. Earlier, they claimed there was no international support or help, but now that we are receiving international help, they are claiming we are betraying the nation,” he said.

Tilvin Silva pointed out that the former Ranil Wickremesinghe-led government, together with the Rajapaksa clan, attempted to sell the local milk producer, MILCO, to an Indian company, but the move was stopped due to the NPP Government having approached India on the matter. 

''An issue arose then, for which we protested against India in 1987, and it was later over''.

Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) General Secretary, Tilvin Silva. April 9, 2025 News Fire

Acknowledging that the NPP/JVP had lobbied against several projects in the past, Tilvin Silva said they protested the Indo-Lanka Agreement in 1987, which saw the Indian Army entering Sri Lanka, as it was deemed a betrayal of the nation.

“Yes, we did protest against India in the past. However, India has changed now, and so has the world. Just because we protested in 1987, should we still hold on to that anger? No. An issue arose then, for which we protested, and it was later over. At times, they accuse us, claiming that we are not on par with global developments. But as we start working in such a manner, they are accusing us of betraying the nation,” he added.

The JVP General Secretary made the remarks while addressing a public rally in view of the upcoming local government elections. (Newswire)🔺

Asian markets fall

Pic: A woman walks by high-rise office buildings in the central business district of Beijing on Tuesday. The Chinese government has remained defiant in the face of President Donald Trump’s tariff threats, vowing to “fight to the end” of the trade war. (Andy Wong/AP)

Asian markets fall as Trump’s tariffs, including 104% on China, take effect

Tariffs on products from 86 countries have now kicked in, including a 104 percent duty on all imports from China. President Donald Trump signaled he was open to doing deals.

The WPost April 9, 2025 By Lily Kuo

President Donald Trump’s threatened 104 percent minimum tariff on all Chinese goods will come into effect at 12:01 a.m. Eastern time on Wednesday, sharply escalating the trade war between the world’s two largest economies.

China, the world’s biggest exporter, was hardest hit by Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariff blitz, but duties on 85 other countries — including 49 percent on Cambodia and 46 percent on Vietnam — have also now kicked in.

Stocks in Asia traded lower when they opened Wednesday after another day of wild gyrations in U.S. markets with the S&P 500 index closing down 1.5 percent, bringing its total loss since mid-February to almost 20 percent — nearing a bear market.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index, on which many Chinese exporters are listed, fell by almost 4 percent when trading opened Wednesday although it rebounded somewhat in later trading.

Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 was trading more than 4 percent lower in the early afternoon, while Australia’s ASX 200 index lost almost 2 percent and South Korea’s KOSPI was down 1.4 percent.

But she also suggested Trump was open to talking — as long as Beijing made the first move. “The president also wanted me to tell all of you that if China reaches out to make a deal, he’ll be incredibly gracious, but he’s going to do what’s best for the American people,” Leavitt said. “China has to call first.”

It was not clear on Wednesday how Beijing would respond. State media on Wednesday was awash with commentary saying China could not back down.

“The weaker you are, the happier the United States is and the harder it will hit you,” said an article on Niu Tanqin, an influential blog run by a former journalist with the state news agency, Xinhua.

The longer that the trade fight goes on, the more Beijing sees U.S. moves as simply an effort to contain China. “Beijing is losing patience with the Trump team, believing that they have no sincerity in negotiating,” said Zhao Minghao, a professor at Fudan University’s Center for American Studies.

Other countries are trying hard to broker deals with the Trump administration to avert tariffs, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent telling CNBC that nearly 70 countries had approached the United States about negotiating over trade barriers.

Argentina, Vietnam and Israel have indicated they will drop their tariff and regulatory barriers to U.S. exports, while South Korea and Japan are now actively pursuing negotiations.

Trump said on social media Tuesday he had a “great call” with South Korea’s acting president about a potential deal to remove the 25 percent tariff Trump threatened to impose on the ally’s exports.

The steep tariffs on Chinese goods will almost certainly raise prices for American consumers on products including clothes, shoes and electronics — something Chinese state media have been at pains to point out.

“Manufacturers here cannot absorb the burden,” Liang Mei, president of the China Toy and Juvenile Products Association, was quoted as telling the state-affiliated Global Times newspaper Wednesday. U.S. retailers would shoulder part of the cost and the rest “will be passed on to American consumers,” Liang said.

Naomi Fink, chief global strategist at Nikko Asset Management in Tokyo, said the new tariffs will “first and foremost be a blow to U.S. consumers,” which will ultimately affect exporters to the U.S. But the ultimate impact on domestic U.S. interests is significant, and countries on the receiving end of tariffs recognize that, she said.

“The thing here, and I think China even stated it, is that the only reason they’re retaliating is because they know it’s a credible threat to the U.S. consumer, who’s also the U.S. voter, and they know the U.S. consumer is wearing the cost,” Fink said.

Trump on Tuesday tripled the tariff rate he had announced on low-value packages from China, closing a loophole that allowed Chinese companies like Shein and Temu to sidestep duties on shipments worth less than $800. From June 1, those packages will face a tax of 90 percent of their value, up from the originally planned 30 percent duty.

While other countries have approached the White House to negotiate, Beijing has instead hit back with its own tariffs and deployed other measures like export controls and import bans. Escalation on both sides makes the possibility of talks less likely, analysts said.

“Beyond a certain point, further escalation loses meaning,” said Lizzi C. Lee, an economy expert at the Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Analysis. “China would likely decide there’s no point in continuing to engage — and at that stage, retaliation could take forms the U.S. isn’t ready for.”

Retaliation could involve suspending cooperation to stop fentanyl and related chemicals from reaching the United States; cutting off imports of U.S. products that depend on the Chinese market like farm products, services or energy; or rapidly opening trade channels with other countries hit hard by the tariffs, Lee said.

Well-connected Chinese blogs have also suggested Beijing might ban on the importation of U.S. movies to China.

Here’s how the tariff on Chinese goods got to 104 percent:

• With a Feb. 1 executive order, Trump imposed a 10 percent tariff on Chinese goods, saying it was punishment for Beijing’s lack of progress in stopping the flow of fentanyl and precursor chemicals to the United States.
• Beijing responded with a 15 percent levy on imports of U.S. coal and liquefied natural gas, as well as a 10 percent tariff on agricultural equipment and crude oil.
• At the end of February, Trump announced an additional 10 percent tax on Chinese goods, again citing the opioid epidemic. Beijing, which insists that this a U.S. public health issue, imposed a 15 percent duty on imports of American farm products including chicken, pork and soy — a move designed to inflict pain in Trump-supporting agricultural states.
• In his “Liberation Day” tariff blitz, Trump imposed a further 34 percent tariff on all Chinese goods, to come into effect April 9, taking the blanket tariff to 54 percent.
• China responded two days later by levying a 34 percent blanket tariff on all products from the United States and condemned the Trump administration’s “unilateral bullying.” It also further restricted exports of rare earth minerals, blacklisted a slew of American companies, and filed a lawsuit with the World Trade Organization.
• Trump said Monday that if Beijing did not promptly withdraw the blanket measure, he would increase the duty on all Chinese goods by a further 50 points, taking the minimum tariff to 104 percent.

Lyric Li in Seoul, Michelle Ye Hee Lee in Nagoya, Japan, and Christian Shepherd in Singapore contributed to this report.