Israel Continues to Fight in Rafah, Despite the World Court Order!

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Israel Continues to Fight in Rafah, Despite the World Court Order, Officials Say

The court on Friday ordered Israel to suspend its military offensive and “any other action” in Rafah that might wholly or partly destroy the Palestinian population there.

By Patrick Kingsley 

Reporting from Jerusalem May 25, 2024 NYT

The Israeli military was pressing ahead with its operation in Rafah on Saturday, according to three Israeli officials, a day after the world’s top court appeared to order Israel to “immediately” cease its military campaign in the southern Gaza city amid a growing international outcry over the offensive.

The officials did not say exactly where in the city its forces were striking and fighting. One official said the military continued to advance slowly, but cautioned that it was too early to conclude how Israel would ultimately respond to the court order because it takes time for a military ground operation to change course. The officials all spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

Palestinian news media reported that an Israeli strike had killed one person in central Rafah and that there was also fighting in the eastern suburbs of the city. Strikes were also reported in other parts of the territory, and the Israeli military confirmed that it also continued to operate in Jabaliya, northern Gaza.

The International Court of Justice ordered Israel on Friday to suspend its military offensive and “any other action” in Rafah that might wholly or partly destroy the Palestinian population there. Some of the court’s judges said that Israel could still conduct some military operations in Rafah under the terms of their decision.

The court has few effective means of enforcing its order, but the ruling adds to a growing list of moves against Israel that have undermined its international standing.

In the immediate aftermath of the ruling, the Israeli government had suggested that it would continue the fight in Rafah, defying a growing group of international partners that feel Israel has gone too far. It said in a written response that its military “has not and will not” take actions that would lead to the destruction of the Palestinian population in Rafah — in effect saying that the court’s decision has no bearing on Israel’s offensive.

Israel’s offensive in Rafah has so far displaced more than 800,000 people, most of whom had already been displaced from other parts of Gaza and have been met with miserable conditions in their new encampments. Israel has meanwhile continued to bombard other areas of the enclave, with fighting particularly intense in Jabaliya, where Israel believes Hamas is trying to regroup.

In a news briefing on Friday after the decision, a spokesman for the U.N. secretary general, António Guterres, said that the U.N. chief “trusts” that Israel would “duly comply” with the court’s order. The spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric, later added that countries have “a responsibility to enact and to abide” by the court’s decisions.

The court decision came as officials from Israel, the United States and Qatar — a mediator between Israel and Hamas — gathered in Paris to try to revive efforts to establish a cease-fire. Negotiations faltered earlier in the month, mainly because Hamas wants a permanent cease-fire whereas Israel wants to continue the war after a brief exchange of captives.⍐

ENB-TENN:தமிழீழச் செய்தியகம்: மலையக ரயில் மார்க்கத்தின் பல இடங்களில் மரங்கள் முற...

ENB-TENN:தமிழீழச் செய்தியகம்: மலையக ரயில் மார்க்கத்தின் பல இடங்களில் மரங்கள் முற...:   மலையக ரயில் மார்க்கத்தின் பல இடங்களில் மரங்கள் முறிந்து வீழ்ந்துள்ளதால், இன்றும் ரயில் சேவைகளுக்கு இடையூறு ஏற்பட்டுள்ளது. கடுகன்னாவை பகுதி...

ENB-TENN:தமிழீழச் செய்தியகம்: Gujarat police say BJP among those targeted byISIS...

ENB-TENN:தமிழீழச் செய்தியகம்: Gujarat police say BJP among those targeted byISIS...: Gujarat police say, BJP  among those targeted by ISIS of Sri Lankan origin Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad Sunil Joshi      I n a widening inve...

ENB-TENN:தமிழீழச் செய்தியகம்: Sri Lanka state interference in plantation wages e...

ENB-TENN:தமிழீழச் செய்தியகம்: Sri Lanka state interference in plantation wages e...: ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s state interference in privatized plantations wages has escalated into a threat to grab the leased land if the comp...

மலையக ரயில் மார்க்கத்தின் பல இடங்களில் மரங்கள் முறிந்து சேவைகளுக்கு இடையூறு.

 

மலையக ரயில் மார்க்கத்தின் பல இடங்களில் மரங்கள் முறிந்து வீழ்ந்துள்ளதால், இன்றும் ரயில் சேவைகளுக்கு இடையூறு ஏற்பட்டுள்ளது.

கடுகன்னாவை பகுதியில் மரமொன்று முறிந்து வீழ்ந்தமையினால், கொழும்பிலிருந்து பதுளை நோக்கிச் செல்லும் பொடி மெனிக்கே ரயில் குறித்த பகுதியில் நிறுத்திவைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.

இதல்கஸ்ஹின்ன பகுதியில் மரமொன்று முறிந்து வீழ்ந்தமையினால், பதுளையிலிருந்து கொழும்பு நோக்கி பயணிக்கும் உடரட்ட மெனிக்கே ரயில் சேவையும் பாதிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.

இதனிடையே, அதிக மழை மற்றும் காற்றுடனான வானிலையினால் ரயில் மார்க்கங்களில் ஏற்பட்டுள்ள பாதிப்புகளை கருத்திற்கொண்டு கொழும்பு – பதுளைக்கிடையிலான இரண்டு இரவு நேர தபால் சேவைகளும் இரத்து செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளன.

தினக்குரல் 25-0-2024

Gujarat police say BJP among those targeted byISIS of Sri Lankan origin

Gujarat police say, BJP 

among those targeted by

ISIS of Sri Lankan origin

Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad Sunil Joshi

    In a widening investigation into an ISIS plot to use a group of Sri Lankans to carry out attacks in India, police have arrested a person who allegedly facilitated the four-member group, now held in Gujarat, on terrorism charges, to obtain air tickets. According to the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of Gujarat, among their targets were leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the BJP’s ideological mentor.

Officers of the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) took the suspect into custody in Maligawatte a few days ago.

Authoritative sources said the group of ISIS terrorists, of Sri Lankan origin, had been arrested at the Ahamedabad International Airport in India. Security authorities in both countries are trying to establish whether other ISIS terrorists, of Sri Lankan terror cells, had arrived in India before the four, arrested last Sunday.

The group of four were arrested by the anti-terrorist squad of Gujarat, at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahamedabad.They were identified as Mohammad Nusrat (33), Mohammad Farish (35), Mohammad Nafran (27) and Mohammad Rashdeen (43).

According to the Gujarat police, interrogations revealed that the suspects were encouraged to carry out a terror attack in India.Following this development, Inspector General of Police Deshabandu Tennakoon said the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), the TID, and the intelligence authorities have launched a joint investigation into the four ISIS members from Sri Lanka.

As a part of their investigations, the TID requested information on the four suspects who are currently held under the custody of Gujarat police. Further, investigations were also launched to detect those who were close associates of these suspects.

Having interrogated the suspects, the Gujarat police said that of the four suspects, two had previously visited India on 40 and 38 occasions.

The Indian media quoted Sunil Joshi, Superintendent of Police of Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), as having said at a media briefing in Ahmedabad: “Their visits to India were also investigated. Nusrath and Nafran have been here 38 and 40 times, respectively. These people are highly radicalised. They have shown their radical mindsets earlier, too, through other organisations.”⍐

The Island 2024/05/25

Sri Lanka state interference in plantation wages escalates into land grab threat

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s state interference in privatized plantations wages has escalated into a threat to grab the leased land if the companies fail to pay the government ordered salaries due to ‘mismanagement’.

Sri Lanka is 2011 expropriated several private companies including two privatized sugar plantations, and a publicly listed hotel, claiming their assets were ‘under utilized’. 

Sri Lanka has been unable to attract foreign investment in the scale of countries like Vietnam despite being socialist one party state, who have created better perceptions about investor protection and labour laws, analysts say.

Sri Lanka’s President Ranil Wickremesinghe in the presence of several plantations sector legislators announced on May Day that a 1,700 rupee a day wage had been ruled by a gazette. 

Plantations and worker unions ended collective bargaining after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa ordered a 1,000 rupee a day wage under gazette rule. 

Privatized plantations have protested that they cannot pay such wages and a pay system that is broadly based on smallholder system partly based on productivity is being adopted by some workers.

Cabinet spokesman Bandula Gunawardana said a committee had been set up to examine whether or not the companies can pay the wage taking into consideration cost of production and the competitiveness of Sri Lanka tea in the international market.

“The government has given 22 companies under long term lease,” Minister Gunawardana said.

“The president also asked to examine if they are being managed so inefficiently that salaries cannot be paid, to cancel these long-term leases and given them to individuals who can manage them better.” 

“Cabinet approval was given to set up a special committee to examine matter relating to cancelling the lease and giving to other parties, if they cannot pay the salaries and develop this land assets.”

Minister Gunawardana was asked how reasonable was the demand by the state to pay mandate wages when plantations which were still under full state ownership in the Sri Lanka State Plantations Corporation and Janatha Estate Development Board, could not even pay the EPF of workers and tax payers have to fork out cash to pay that. 

Elkaduwa Plantations, another company under state control also owes workers EPF and ETF according to reports in the public domain.

State Minister for Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said recently that 5 billion taxes collected from the people would be given to state plantations to pay EPF and ETF arrears.

The plantations were privatized in the 1990s because they could not pay wages and tax payer funds of hundreds of millions of rupees, were being made monthly and no replanting was also being done due to inability to pay wages. 

Minister Gunawardana was also asked whether threatening expropriation at this juncture, when the country was desperately trying to attract foreign investment was a wise decision.

“ it is not a threat,” Minister Gunawardana said. 

“It is to examine the matter (karunu adyanayak) widely that the President put forward a cabinet paper under the leadership of the Presidential Secretary.

“The idea is to examine whether they are not being managed well enough to pay salaries and if not give them to another investor. 

Then the investors will get another chance. ”

The plantations were privatized under several conditions including restrictions on diversification without the approval of a ‘golden shareholder’ which was the state. 

However, it is not clear whether payment of politically decided salaries mandated by gazette, was a condition of the lease. 

All Sri Lankan workers have suffered a steep fall in real wages after macro-economists printed money suppress rates to boost ‘growth’ (targeting potential output) leading to a collapse of the rupee.

There has been no official rise in wages by plantation companies since the currency collapse other than the productivity based formula.

(Colombo/May24/2024)⍐