OIC, Malaysia Advise India On Citizenship Law. #Gravitas #WIONEdit #OIC #IndianMuslims

WION Edit: OIC, Malaysia Trying To Fish In Troubled Waters?

Analysing The Statement Of OIC Expressing Concerns On The Safety Of Muslims In India. #Gravitas #OIC #IndianMuslims

Gravitas: OIC Lectures India On Minorities

Summarising The Condition Of Muslim Community In India. #Gravitas #IndianMuslims #India

Gravitas: Muslims In India: An Analysis

What Are The Muslim Countries Doing To Help Uighur Muslims In China? #Gravitas #China #Xinjiang

Gravitas: How Muslim World Overlooks The Plight Of Uighur Muslims In China

What Happens To Muslims In China. #Gravitas #China #Xinjiang

Gravitas: Video Of Uighur Muslims In Xinjiang Exposes China's Rights Violations

Chilling Video Of A Man Handcuffed To Chair In China; The Brutal Treatment Is Because He Spoke Out Against China's Surveillance Program. #Gravitas #China

Gravitas: How China Punishes Dissent

Turkey's President Erdogan: We Will Not Take More Refugees #Gravitas #Turkey #Erdogan #WION

Gravitas: Turkey Says No To More Refugees

Turkey cannot handle a fresh wave of migrants from Syria, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday, warning that European countries will feel the impact of such an influx if violence in Syria’s northwest is not stopped. #Turkey #RecepErdogan #Turkeymigrants #Idlib

80,000 Syrian migrants marching to Turkey, says Recep Erdogan

A total of 14 athletes from 10 countries including China, the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Australia jumped one after another from sky, 2,000 meters above sea level. #WION #SouthWestChina #China #Wingsuitcompetition

2019 Wingsuit Flying World Cup held in southwest China

The small village of Balmoral, south-west of Sydney, has been all but wiped out by the Green Wattle Creek firestorm that roared through the area twice in three days. #WION #Balmoral #Australia #Australiafires

Australia catastrophic fires: 'Not much left' in Balmoral village

Sri Lanka's Kushil Gunasekera, helped rebuild&nbsp;a village which was decimated by a tsunami with his " Foundation of goodness". When he returned to Seenigama in Sri Lanka's Galle district days after it was wiped out by a massive tsunami on December&nbsp;26, 2004, he got to work.

Houses had collapsed, bodies floated in the seawater that had invaded inland, and one in four residents of the community of about 1,200 people had been killed by the deadliest tsunami to sweep across the Indian Ocean in decades.

Gunasekera had dreamed of helping the villagers long before the deadly tsunami almost wiped it off the map.

December 26 will mark the 15th anniversary of the deadly tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people, which was triggered by a 9.0-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Indonesia's Sumatra island.

In an exclusive interview with WION, Kushil Gunasekera, who helped breathe life back into the village with the help of cricket stars like Muttiah Muralitharan and Kumar Sangakkara, told his story.

WION:&nbsp;How has been your journey to rehabilitate and turning the tide, now that it's been 15 years since the disaster?&nbsp;

Gunasekera:&nbsp;When I recall that tragic occurrence, I myself had to encounter those&nbsp;furious waves and had to overcome that setback and turn into a blessing, especially with the worldwide compassion we received from countless donors to powers of destructions has been absolutely astounding, to say the least. But we have never given up, stayed positive, looked ahead and did the best possible to have this amazing outcome of a beautiful facility by way of a community model that now serves 28,000 beneficiaries across the island. Not only in the village we were ruined in the rubble but also across the country serving over 400 villages making rural disadvantage communities excel in life greatly as we move on.&nbsp;When we do best, we experience best.

WION: Big cricketing names of your time seem to have rallied to bring this village that you picked to build as a model village, can you tell us something about it?

Gunasekera: I must say that Muthai Muralidharan actually went alongside me to establish the foundation of goodness being the champion that he is. It is such a lovely gesture on his part to consent, to join the foundation of goodness in 1999 way back 20 years ago. And then, of course, legendary other cricketers, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and Russel Arnold who joined in at the same time I cannot forget. All of the other six&nbsp;trustees on board who have worked equally hard. &nbsp;But having said that, it is always an advantage to have cricketers from all around the world and their campaign goes a long way in trying to support the foundation of goodness. Create that kind of attraction to serve rural communities to become better than they use to be and provide those opportunities and all of the facilities we are blessed with. They have done so many different campaigns in the last 20 years of working together with me. I can not emphasise adequately enough their role, especially Murali leading from the forefront very very caring and humane that he is along with the rest of the cricketers.

WION:&nbsp;Post this natural tragedy Sri Lanka recently was struck with terror; Easter attacks giving once again a jolt to Sri Lankan tourism which is kind of mainstay. Do you think that the efforts you made are pushed backwards after such attacks?

Gunasekera: Yes, the terror attack that unfortunately caused havoc on the April 21,&nbsp;had set a huge impact on the foundation of goodness as we strive to generate sustainable income to become self-sustainable which is one of our goals into the future and you know 60 cricket teams from overseas, especially from England and Australia come and play cricket annually in our village and lots of sports tourism, community aid tourism, individual volunteers, corporate companies that come out to our village experiencing bliss of volunteering and doing other engagements to add value to the work we do. So, we had 24 cancellations this year of such sports tours and many community groups coming to work with us to elevate rural disadvantaged communities. It has been a setback but these are the one that you expect since nothing is permanent in life. &nbsp;We have to serve 28,000 beneficiaries. I must say that we have actually strategised avenues that bring us revenues that help us in serving humanity. Sport is an integral part of FOG. We never give up and learn other lessons from all the adversities. Adversity sometimes and many times bring blessings. Yes, things happen and then we look forward to making them work again.

Sri Lanka's Kushil Gunasekera, helped rebuild a village which was decimated by a tsunami with his " Foundation of goodness". When he returned to Seenigama in Sri Lanka's Galle district days after it was wiped out by a massive tsunami on December 26, 2004, he got to work.

Sri Lanka's Kushil Gunasekera, helped rebuild a village which was decimated by a tsunami with his " Foundation of goodness". When he returned to Seenigama in Sri Lanka's Galle district days after it was wiped out by a massive tsunami on December 26, 2004, he got to work. Houses had collapsed, bodies floated in the seawater that had invaded inland, and one in four residents of the community of about 1,200 people had been killed by the deadliest tsunami to sweep across the Indian Ocean in decades. Gunasekera had dreamed of helping the villagers long before the deadly tsunami almost wiped it off the map. December 26 will mark the 15th anniversary of the deadly tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people, which was triggered by a 9.0-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Indonesia's Sumatra island. In an exclusive interview with WION, Kushil Gunasekera, who helped breathe life back into the village with the help of cricket stars like Muttiah Muralitharan and Kumar Sangakkara, told his story. WION: How has been your journey to rehabilitate and turning the tide, now that it's been 15 years since the disaster? Gunasekera: When I recall that tragic occurrence, I myself had to encounter those furious waves and had to overcome that setback and turn into a blessing, especially with the worldwide compassion we received from countless donors to powers of destructions has been absolutely astounding, to say the least. But we have never given up, stayed positive, looked ahead and did the best possible to have this amazing outcome of a beautiful facility by way of a community model that now serves 28,000 beneficiaries across the island. Not only in the village we were ruined in the rubble but also across the country serving over 400 villages making rural disadvantage communities excel in life greatly as we move on. When we do best, we experience best. WION: Big cricketing names of your time seem to have rallied to bring this village that you picked to build as a model village, can you tell us something about it? Gunasekera: I must say that Muthai Muralidharan actually went alongside me to establish the foundation of goodness being the champion that he is. It is such a lovely gesture on his part to consent, to join the foundation of goodness in 1999 way back 20 years ago. And then, of course, legendary other cricketers, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and Russel Arnold who joined in at the same time I cannot forget. All of the other six trustees on board who have worked equally hard. But having said that, it is always an advantage to have cricketers from all around the world and their campaign goes a long way in trying to support the foundation of goodness. Create that kind of attraction to serve rural communities to become better than they use to be and provide those opportunities and all of the facilities we are blessed with. They have done so many different campaigns in the last 20 years of working together with me. I can not emphasise adequately enough their role, especially Murali leading from the forefront very very caring and humane that he is along with the rest of the cricketers. WION: Post this natural tragedy Sri Lanka recently was struck with terror; Easter attacks giving once again a jolt to Sri Lankan tourism which is kind of mainstay. Do you think that the efforts you made are pushed backwards after such attacks? Gunasekera: Yes, the terror attack that unfortunately caused havoc on the April 21, had set a huge impact on the foundation of goodness as we strive to generate sustainable income to become self-sustainable which is one of our goals into the future and you know 60 cricket teams from overseas, especially from England and Australia come and play cricket annually in our village and lots of sports tourism, community aid tourism, individual volunteers, corporate companies that come out to our village experiencing bliss of volunteering and doing other engagements to add value to the work we do. So, we had 24 cancellations this year of such sports tours and many community groups coming to work with us to elevate rural disadvantaged communities. It has been a setback but these are the one that you expect since nothing is permanent in life. We have to serve 28,000 beneficiaries. I must say that we have actually strategised avenues that bring us revenues that help us in serving humanity. Sport is an integral part of FOG. We never give up and learn other lessons from all the adversities. Adversity sometimes and many times bring blessings. Yes, things happen and then we look forward to making them work again.

WION interviews Kushil Gunasekera, man who breathed life back into Sri Lankan village after tsunami

Colombian artists banded together in Medellin on Sunday for a concert to rally protesters calling for socio-economic change in the country. #WION #Colombia #Colombiaprotest

Colombian artists band with protesters in call for change

The World is One News, WION examines global issues with in-depth analysis. We provide much more than the news of the day. Our aim is to empower people to explore their world. #WION #WIONSpeedNews #Australia #Australiabushfires

WION Speed News: Watch top national and international news of the morning - December 23, 2019

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Sunday said it was closely following the recent developments "affecting" Muslims in India as it voiced concern over the Citizenship Amendment Act. #OIC #WION #CAA #India #Indianminorities

OIC expresses concern over CAA, minorities in India

Addressing a rally at Ramlila Maidan, he said the citizenship law and the proposed National Register of Citizens have nothing to do with Indian Muslims. #India #PMModi #NRC #CAA #IndianMuslims #Delhi

Has Modi govt underestimated public anger against CAA?

The leaders of China, Japan and South Korea will be holding a trilateral summit in China this week amid feuds over trade, military manoeuvring and historical animosities. Most striking has been a complex dispute between Seoul and Tokyo, while Beijing has recently sought to tone down its disagreements with its two neighbours. Ahead of the trilateral summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping met the South Korean President Moon Jae-in in Beijing. #TrilateralSummit #China #SouthKorea #NorthKorea #Japan

WION Dispatch: China to hold trilateral summit over trade, regional disputes

Saudi Arabia on December 23 sentenced five people to death and three more to jail terms totalling 24 years over the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul in October last year. #SaudiArabia #Khashoggi #KhashoggiMurderCase

WION Dispatch: 11 found guilty in Khashoggi murder case, 5 sentenced to death

The organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has rewarded some of its member nations for giving the Kuala Lumpur summit a miss. The OIC has released a statement on India's internal matters. most specifically they have expressed concern over the Citizenship law and Ayodhya verdict that came out last month. #Pakistan #OIC #KLSummit #OICRewardsPakistan

WION Dispatch: OIC rewards Pakistan for skipping KL Summit

Just a few years ago it would have been unthinkable to see owners walking their dogs around the streets of Amman. Now pet hotels are sprouting up across Jordan as the country has ended its hold war on dogs. #Jordan #JordonEndsWarOnDogs

Jordan ends holy war on dogs, owners now freely walk dogs on Amman street

Saudi sentences five to death, three to jail in Khashoggi murder case

Counting of votes is underway for 81 Assembly seats in Jharkhand. Latest trends indicate that Congress-JMM is close to majority. #JharkhandAssemblyElectionVideo #Jharkhand

Jharkhand Election results: Counting underway for 81 seats

Turkey's Ambassador To India Discusses Turkey's Offensive In Syria, U.S. Threat To Turkey & India's Stance On Kashmir

Gravitas Exclusive: Turkey's ambassador to India speaks to Wion

The death toll from storms that have battered Spain, Portugal and France rose to nine on Sunday as the region braced for more violent winds and heavy rain. #Europe #StormElsa #EuropeStorm #Portugal

Storms Elsa and Fabian leave nine dead across southern Europe

In India, Over 26 people lost their lives and more than 6,000 got arrested for violence during protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC).

Anti-CAA protests: Internet sevices resume in Aligarh

Water levels rose in Venice on Saturday, The high tide, known as acqua alta hit the city just weeks after the city suffered worst flooding in more than 50 years.

High tides hit Venice weeks after floods

Anti-CAA protests in India: More than 6,000 people arrested

Hong kong protests: Violent clashes at Uighur support rally. For further details watch this story. #HongKong #uighur #HongKongprotest

Hong kong protests: Violent clashes at Uighur support rally

CAA & NRC have nothing to do with Indian Muslims: PM Modi at Delhi rally

The streets were flooded and the strong wind led to waves in St Mark’s Square. High tides hit Venice weeks after floods led Damage estimated at $1.11 billion.

High tides hit Venice weeks after floods; Damage estimated at $1.11 billion

French President Emmanuel Macron has appealed to transport unions to suspend strikes that threaten travel chaos over the Christmas holidays. #WION #Emmanuel Macron #France

Emmanuel Macron calls on strikers not to ruin Christmas

While addressing the people of Delhi at Ramleela Maidan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi lashes out at the opposition for provoking violent protests against CAA & NRC all over the nation. He also washes out several doubts over CAA and NRC. #WION #PMModi #Delhi #India #CAA #NRC

Unity in diversity is India’s speciality, says PM Modi at Delhi rally

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