Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in Washington DC to try to rescue an imperilled US defence package to Kyiv worth billions of dollars. The aid has become embroiled in US domestic, partisan politics, with Republicans demanding concessions on border funding in exchange. It marks Mr Zelensky’s third visit to the US since Russia’s 2022 […]

Contrary to various local and foreign reports about the death of three Sri Lankan ex-military personnel in Ukraine last week, the Army said that one of the deceased identified as Captain Ranish Hewage of 1st Commando Regiment had been a Second Lieutenant of the Light Infantry, cashiered in 2012

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has given the green light to the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in the games next year as neutrals, drawing the ire of Ukrainian officials. Russian and Bellarusian athletes who qualify in their sport for the Paris 2024 Olympics will be able to take part without flags, emblems or […]

Lankan mercenaries in Ukraine: By Shamindra Ferdinando Justice Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, PC, yesterday (08) said that recruitment of foreign personnel for military forces of a particular country was the prerogative of the government concerned. Dr. Rajapakshe said so when The Island

Russian embassy in Colombo declines to comment By Shamindra Ferdinando Foreign Minister Ali Sabry, PC, yesterday (07) said that the government could not do anything about the activities of ex-military officers overseas.Minister Sabry said so in response to The Island query whether the Sri Lankan law prohibited Sri Lankans from joining the armed forces of […]

Russian President Vladimir Putin is making a rare trip abroad to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and is also scheduled to travel to Saudi Arabia. President Putin is expected to discuss the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, as well as oil production, with the UAE president.  The UAE is currently hosting

Russian President Vladimir Putin, staking out a more influential role in the Middle East, will visit the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia today (06), and host Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Moscow the following day. The talks will focus on bilateral relations and the Israel-Hamas war, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday. Peskov […]

The British government has announced a package of measures to cut net migration to the United Kingdom, including plans to raise the minimum salary required for foreign workers to be eligible for a work visa. The measure aims at raising the minimum salary migrants to the UK must earn in a job by a third […]

Meta has removed nearly 4,800 fake accounts that were part of a China-based influence campaign aimed at spreading polarising content about United States politics ahead of the 2024 presidential election, the tech giant has announced. The influence operation was one of two China-based campaigns detected by Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, in the third […]

US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping have concluded more than four hours of talks with a commitment to stabilise strained bilateral ties and restore some military-to-military communications. The two leaders met on Wednesday for the first time in a year at Fioli Estate, a country retreat about 40 kilometres (25 miles) south […]

By Sanjeewa Jayaweera The English cricketer Moeen Ali, who incidentally is also the vice-captain of the team, posted on his Instagram page a thought-provoking quote: “If you are not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed and loving the people who are doing the oppressing”. The quote is attributed […]

Oil prices have jumped on concerns that the situation in Israel and Gaza could disrupt output from the Middle East. Brent crude, the international benchmark, climbed by $2.25 a barrel to $86.83, while US prices also rose. Israel and Palestinian territories are not oil producers but the Middle Eastern region accounts for almost a third […]

The US says it is moving an aircraft carrier, ships and jets to the eastern Mediterranean and will also give Israel additional equipment and ammunition. It follows the Hamas attack on southern Israel, which President Biden called an “unprecedented and appalling assault”. The US was also working to verify reports its citizens were among those […]

The United States said it was “disturbed” by a Russian envoy’s announcement that Moscow will reverse its ratification of a 1996 treaty that banned the testing of nuclear weapons. Russia’s envoy to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), Mikhail Ulyanov, said on Friday that Moscow will revoke its ratification of the pact. The announcement by Ulyanov […]

A new vote is being held in the US House of Representatives among indications of a government shutdown beginning at midnight on Saturday. Faced with a rebellion by fellow hard-line Republicans, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is trying to secure agreement on a temporary 45-day respite. It’s not clear if the measure – stripped aid to […]