By Shamindra Ferdinando Retired Foreign Secretary H. M. G. S. Palihakkara says Sri Lanka shouldn’t hesitate to recongise a Palestine state formally against the backdrop of Spain, Ireland and Norway having done so already.The veteran Foreign Service officer was responding to The Island query regarding what Sri Lanka’s response should be to the raging Gaza […]

Sri Lanka has again requested Canada not to repeat baseless allegations of genocide here. Foreign Secretary Aruni Wijewardane took up the issue when she met Canadian Deputy Minister for International Development Christopher MacLennan at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday (28) Recently, Foreign Ministry accused Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of repeatedly propagating lies […...

Sri Lanka s Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry says that the western countries have shown their double standards by turning a blind eye to the crisis in Gaza and that, serious amendments must be made to the international laws on how the United Nations functions in order to protect international democracy.

Among the positive fallouts from the recent decision by Norway, Spain and Ireland to recognize Palestinian statehood is an indirect vindication of the much derided ‘Two State solution’ in the Middle East. For those advocating a political settlement in the turbulent region, the latter solution, which recognizes the need for two peacefully coexisting states, is […]

By Dr Upul Wijayawardhana Whilst THE USA and its allies continue to hound Sri Lanka for defeating terrorism, finding flimsy excuses for their warped actions, they seem to be turning a blind eye to the atrocities committed by their ally, Israel which continues to massacre the innocent breaking all rules with impunity. Their hypocrisy seems […]

by Daya Gamage Foreign Service National Political Specialist (ret) US Department of State (Continued from yesterday) Williamson cable on ICRC statement Williamson cable further noted what Jacques de Maio said about the LTTE and its strategies: “On the LTTE, de Maio said that it had tried to keep civilians in the middle of a permanent […]

The world economy had not recovered from the daunting impact of coronavirus, the geo-political headwinds such as Russia-Ukraine war impacted the recovery process in 2022 and before this war settled, Israel-Gaza conflict deepened the geo-politics and geo-political fragmentation. The geo-political disturbances and geo-political fragmentations caused price escalations in the international commodity p...

By Shamindra Ferdinando Leader of the United Republican Front (Eksath Janaraja Peramuna) Patali Champika Ranawaka has alleged that the controversial outsourcing of the on-arrival visa processing to a foreign company violated the government procurement process, as well as the understanding with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in respect of anti-corruption measures. The former Minister said [&...

A fake report about a new cyber heist in Bangladesh Bank (BB) has hit news headlines in some media outlets in Bangladesh and some foreign countries. News coverage about the latest false rumour on cyber heist blames officials of the central bank of Bangladesh and aims to malign the Bangladesh government. It may be recalled […]

Azad Kashmir, or Pakistan-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), is experiencing a fresh wave of violence as locals take to the streets to demand subsidies on wheat flour, electricity prices, and the abolition of privileges for the elite class in the occupied territory. In response, local police and Pakistan Rangers were called in to suppress the […]

At first blush, it could be said that the outpouring of grief in Iran and other parts of the Islamic world over the passing away of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi recently, under tragic circumstances, is of phenomenal proportions. Very understandably, a considerable number of Iranians and other sections that are supportive of the Iranian theocratic […]

A13-year-old Christian girl, Sania Amin, went missing on April 4 after she left home to buy groceries in Anjotar, a village in Pakistan’s Punjab province. Local eyewitnesses reported that three Muslims took her by force and dragged her through the streets. Pakistani police refused to register a “First Information Report” (FIR) for Sania’s abduction. Christian […]

Fifteen years after the eradication of the LTTE, unsubstantiated allegations regarding the number of dead civilians, LTTEers and missing persons persist. Forced disappearances, as alleged by the UN, remains a major issue, with the concerned demanding accountability on the part of Sri Lanka. How many of those who had been categorized as missing are living […]