Turkey condemns Israeli settlement plan, says it breaches international law
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The Hindu
27 minutes ago
- The Hindu
UNHCR suspends repatriation of refugees to Sri Lanka
UNHCR, the refugee agency of the United Nations, has temporarily suspended the process of facilitating the repatriation of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees apprehending arrest upon their arrival in Sri Lanka. The repatriation of seven refugees from Tiruchi to Colombo on August 14, 2025, was called off in the last minute amid reports of at least four refugees being detained on charges of violating immigration laws on arrival in Sri Lanka. According to official sources, Freeman Richard Velvavandram (54), whose return was facilitated by the UNHCR was arrested on arrival at the Colombo international airport on August 12, 2025. He was produced before a Judicial Magistrate and let on bail. However, a review of the voluntary repatriation documentation revealed no prior security concerns associated with his return, the sources said. Similarly on May 28, 2025, another Tamil refugee who left the country decades ago during the civil war was arrested after he landed in Jaffna. A Sri Lankan Tamil couple that flew to the Jaffna international airport without UNHCR facilitation in the first week of August was also arrested. The couple had reportedly been residing in India since 1996 in the Mandapam refugee camp in Tamil Nadu. Upon arrival, they were detained by the immigration authorities and handed over to the police for further investigation, the sources said. This is the first time that Sri Lankan authorities are arresting voluntarily returning refugees on charges of leaving the country without a valid passport or travel documents. Since 2002, the UNHCR has repatriated 18,643 Sri Lankan Tamil refugees to their home country. 'The fundamental principle is to ensure the safety and dignity of the voluntarily returning refugees. Arrests are not made unless there is a criminal case pending. Violation of immigration laws are condoned since the refugees fled the country fearing threat to their lives in the ethnic conflict,' a senior official involved in the repatriation process told The Hindu on Monday (August 18, 2025). Taking diplomatic route Confirming that voluntary repatriation of Tamil refugees had been temporarily suspended since the organisation wanted to avoid the risk of their getting arrested, the official who did not want to be quoted said the issue of returnees being arrested upon arrival in Sri Lanka was being taken up through diplomatic channels. 'The process of repatriation would be put on hold till such time there is an assurance from the Sri Lankan authorities that the refugees would not be arrested for violating immigration rules and will be treated with dignity,' the official said. The arrests began only May this year. Otherwise, it was a smooth exit for refugees who went back home, the official said and added that the matter was taken up with the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, and Sri Lanka.
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Iran warns war with Israel could resume at any time
A senior Iranian official warned Monday (August 18, 2025) that war with Israel could erupt at any moment, describing the current lull after June's 12-day conflict as only a temporary halt. "We must be prepared at every moment for confrontation; right now, we are not even in a ceasefire (agreement); we are in a cessation of hostilities," said First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref. The fighting in June saw Israel bombard Iranian nuclear and military sites, as well as residential areas, killing more than 1,000 people, including senior commanders and nuclear scientists. Iran retaliated with missile and drone strikes that killed dozens in Israel. The United States announced a halt in fighting on June 24, two days after it joined the war by bombing Iranian nuclear facilities. But there was no agreement formalising the ceasefire, only an undeclared pause in hostilities. On Sunday, Yahya Rahim Safavi, a military adviser to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, told Iranian media the country was "preparing plans for the worst-case scenario". "We are not in a ceasefire now, we are in a war phase, it could break down at any time, there is no protocol, no regulations, no agreement between us and the Israelis, between us and the Americans," he said in remarks carried by the Shargh daily. "A ceasefire means ceasing attacks; that could change at any time," he added. Since then, Iranian officials have insisted the country is not seeking war but is ready for another confrontation. Western powers accuse Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons through its atomic programme, a charge Tehran strongly denies. Following the war, Israel and the United States repeatedly threatened to attack Iran again should Tehran relaunch its nuclear sites and resume its nuclear enrichment programme. The United Nations nuclear watchdog has warned that Iran is the only non-nuclear-armed country that enriches uranium to 60 percent -- far beyond the 3.67 percent cap set by a landmark international accord reached in 2015. The level is a short step from the 90-percent enrichment required for a nuclear weapon. Last week, Britain, France and Germany, all signatories to the 2015 deal, threatened to reimpose sanctions lifted under the agreement. Iran has warned of serious consequence with some officials in the country hinting at withdrawal of Tehran from the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Hamas REVIEWS New Gaza Truce Deal; 10 Living, Dead Hostages During 60-day Ceasefire
/ Aug 18, 2025, 10:00PM IST Egypt and Qatar are stepping up pressure to broker an urgent ceasefire in Gaza as Hamas reviews a new 60-day truce proposal amid a deadly hostage crisis. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty confirmed that the framework calls for a temporary halt in fighting, the flow of aid, and the release of hostages and Palestinian detainees. The proposal reportedly includes two batches of hostages, with 10 living and several bodies. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump has emphasised that Israel's military operations will continue until Hamas is confronted and destroyed. Watch.
