Tamil megastar Rajinikanth has cancelled his&nbsp;visit to Sri Lanka to inaugurate a housing scheme in Jaffna -- home to Sri Lankan Tamils -- after he met with opposition from pro-Tamil outfits in his state. 
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VCK chief Thirumavalavan&amp;MDMK chief Vaiko urged me not to visit Sri Lanka,accepted their request because of cordial relationship-Rajinikanth <a href="https://t.co/JURKDP3V1D">pic.twitter.com/JURKDP3V1D</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/845572586423533568">March 25, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Rajinikanth was to participate in a function in Jaffna in northern Sri Lanka, scheduled for April 9 and April 10, to formally hand over 150 free houses constructed for the internally displaced Tamils in the island nation.

According to reports, Tamil fringe groups like Viduthalai Chiruthaigal KAtchi (VCK), Marumarlarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMDK) and few others are opposing the actor&rsquo;s visit.&nbsp;

&ldquo;There are efforts to involve him in the ethnic issue. Superstar (Rajinikanth) should not get involved in this matter and I say this as a friend,&rdquo; VCK founder Thol. Thirumavalavan told a Tamil TV channel.&nbsp;

TVK founder and former MLA T Velmurugan said the actor should not &ldquo;fall prey&rdquo; to the efforts to paint a rosy picture of Sinhala-Tamil relations in the island nation.

&ldquo;At a time when Tamils are seeking justice for the ethnic violence in Sri Lanka, Rajinikanth&rsquo;s visit does not augur well. This is an attempt by Sri Lankan government through Lyca to create an image that Sinhalas and Tamils are living unitedly,&rdquo; he told PTI.

The homes have been constructed by Gnanam Foundation.&nbsp;The event is being organised by Lyca Productions, which is also producing the star&rsquo;s next release, 2.0 .&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from agencies)

Turkey sent troops, tanks and warplanes to support Free Syrian Army rebels, push IS fighters away from its border and stop the advance of Kurdish militia fighters

Tamil megastar Rajinikanth has cancelled his visit to Sri Lanka to inaugurate a housing scheme in Jaffna -- home to Sri Lankan Tamils -- after he met with opposition from pro-Tamil outfits in his state. VCK chief Thirumavalavan&MDMK chief Vaiko urged me not to visit Sri Lanka,accepted their request because of cordial relationship-Rajinikanth pic.twitter.com/JURKDP3V1D — ANI (@ANI_news) March 25, 2017 × Rajinikanth was to participate in a function in Jaffna in northern Sri Lanka, scheduled for April 9 and April 10, to formally hand over 150 free houses constructed for the internally displaced Tamils in the island nation. According to reports, Tamil fringe groups like Viduthalai Chiruthaigal KAtchi (VCK), Marumarlarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMDK) and few others are opposing the actor’s visit. “There are efforts to involve him in the ethnic issue. Superstar (Rajinikanth) should not get involved in this matter and I say this as a friend,” VCK founder Thol. Thirumavalavan told a Tamil TV channel. TVK founder and former MLA T Velmurugan said the actor should not “fall prey” to the efforts to paint a rosy picture of Sinhala-Tamil relations in the island nation. “At a time when Tamils are seeking justice for the ethnic violence in Sri Lanka, Rajinikanth’s visit does not augur well. This is an attempt by Sri Lankan government through Lyca to create an image that Sinhalas and Tamils are living unitedly,” he told PTI. The homes have been constructed by Gnanam Foundation. The event is being organised by Lyca Productions, which is also producing the star’s next release, 2.0 . (WION with inputs from agencies)

Turkey ends 'Operation Euphrates Shield' in Syria: PM

A Turkish soldier was killed and three more wounded in a rocket attack by the Kurdish militia as Turkey carried out a four-day cross border offensive against the Islamic State (IS) jihadists and the Kurdish rebels inside Syria. 
 
The self-proclaimed Kurdish authorities in northern Syria said in a statement that the local fighters backed by Kurdish forces &quot;destroyed two tanks and killed its crews&quot; near the village of Al-Amarneh. 
 
Turkey&#39;s state-run Anadolu news agency later said one Turkish soldier was killed and three more wounded in a rocket attack by Kurdish militia on two tanks taking part in the offensive.

The dead soldier, who has not been identified, is the first confirmed Turkish fatality in the Syrian offensive. 
 
The rocket fire came from members of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), Anadolu said. 
 
Turkey considers the PYD and its People&#39;s Protection Units (YPG) militia to be terror organisations. 
 
Tensions between Ankara and the Kurdish militia escalated on Saturday, with clashes taking place eight kilometres south of the town of Jarabulus.&nbsp; 
 
Jarablus,&nbsp;a border town, was recaptured from the IS this week by Turkish-backed Syrian rebels, a monitoring group and Kurdish sources said. 
 
Turkey has blamed the Kurdish militia in an increasingly combustible contest for control in the border region. 
 
Anadolu said the Turkish army responded to the rocket attack by shelling PYD targets in Syria, without giving further details. 
 
In a separate incident on Saturday, Kurdish militants fired four rockets at the airport in the southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir. 
 
No casualties were reported, the Dogan news agency said. 
 
The pro-Kurdish fighters said Turkey had for the first time carried out airstrikes on its positions. 
 
&quot;With this aggression, a new conflict period will begin in the region,&quot; said the Jarabulus Military Council which is linked to the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). 
 
Anadolu agency reported that the army had carried out strikes against a weapons arsenal and command post belonging to &quot;terror groups&quot;. 
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The fighting indicates Turkey is entering into a new and more dangerous phase in Syria. 
 
On Saturday, at the Turkish border village of Karkamis, six more tanks reportedly crossed into Syria, adding to the dozens of tanks and hundreds of troops already in the country. 
 
Anadolu said pro-Ankara fighters, backed by Turkish troops and firepower, had now taken five more villages from IS after the capture of Jarabulus. 
 
In Syria&#39;s northwest, at least 15 civilians were killed in barrel bomb attacks by Syrian regime aircraft on the rebel-held Maadi district in the battered city of Aleppo despite tentative plans for a 48-hour ceasefire, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory said. 
 
(WION with inputs from AFP) 
 
 
 
 
 
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Three other soldiers were wounded in a rocket attack by the Kurdish militia

A Turkish soldier was killed and three more wounded in a rocket attack by the Kurdish militia as Turkey carried out a four-day cross border offensive against the Islamic State (IS) jihadists and the Kurdish rebels inside Syria. The self-proclaimed Kurdish authorities in northern Syria said in a statement that the local fighters backed by Kurdish forces "destroyed two tanks and killed its crews" near the village of Al-Amarneh. Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency later said one Turkish soldier was killed and three more wounded in a rocket attack by Kurdish militia on two tanks taking part in the offensive. The dead soldier, who has not been identified, is the first confirmed Turkish fatality in the Syrian offensive. The rocket fire came from members of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), Anadolu said. Turkey considers the PYD and its People's Protection Units (YPG) militia to be terror organisations. Tensions between Ankara and the Kurdish militia escalated on Saturday, with clashes taking place eight kilometres south of the town of Jarabulus. Jarablus, a border town, was recaptured from the IS this week by Turkish-backed Syrian rebels, a monitoring group and Kurdish sources said. Turkey has blamed the Kurdish militia in an increasingly combustible contest for control in the border region. Anadolu said the Turkish army responded to the rocket attack by shelling PYD targets in Syria, without giving further details. In a separate incident on Saturday, Kurdish militants fired four rockets at the airport in the southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir. No casualties were reported, the Dogan news agency said. The pro-Kurdish fighters said Turkey had for the first time carried out airstrikes on its positions. "With this aggression, a new conflict period will begin in the region," said the Jarabulus Military Council which is linked to the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Anadolu agency reported that the army had carried out strikes against a weapons arsenal and command post belonging to "terror groups". The fighting indicates Turkey is entering into a new and more dangerous phase in Syria. On Saturday, at the Turkish border village of Karkamis, six more tanks reportedly crossed into Syria, adding to the dozens of tanks and hundreds of troops already in the country. Anadolu said pro-Ankara fighters, backed by Turkish troops and firepower, had now taken five more villages from IS after the capture of Jarabulus. In Syria's northwest, at least 15 civilians were killed in barrel bomb attacks by Syrian regime aircraft on the rebel-held Maadi district in the battered city of Aleppo despite tentative plans for a 48-hour ceasefire, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory said. (WION with inputs from AFP)

First Turkish soldier killed as conflict intensifies in northern Syria

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Turkey ends 'Operation Euphrates Shield' in Syria: PM

First Turkish soldier killed as conflict intensifies in northern Syria