COLOMBO: The reinstated government of Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe pledged to speed up development and national reconciliation as the new Cabinet was sworn in here on Thursday.
A total of 29 legislators, including the premier, were sworn in as ministers in the presence of Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena.
The US, EU and Australia offered their greetings and their cooperation to the new government headed by Wickremesinghe.
Rishath Bathiudeen, the new minister of industry and commerce and resettlement and cooperative development, said that his government would work with renewed energy and confidence for sustainable economic and political developments in the country.
In his speech following his swearing in, Bathiudeen said: “I am happy to be a part of the of the new Cabinet. We will resume our forward march which was halted on Oct. 26 due to the constitutional crisis which crippled all the government machinery.”
He pointed out that democracy had eventually prevailed and minority interests had also been well protected with the restoration of democracy after more than 50 days.
Harin Fernando, minister of telecommunication, digital infrastructure facilities, foreign employment and sports, said that immediately after the ministers’ swearing in, the Cabinet had passed a proposal for a vote to allow state spending from January; the government will vote on this on Friday. He also said that both deputy ministers and state ministers would be announced in the coming days.
Leader of the National Unity Alliance and well-known political analyst, Azath Salley, told Arab News: “It is the same old Cabinet except for a few new ministers.”
He predicted that the new government would not last longer than four months. He said he was glad that the president had not accommodated opportunists who crossed over to the winning side vying for ministerial posts.
With President Sirisena retaining the portfolio of law and order, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe took the oath as minister of national policies and economic affairs, Ministry of Rehabilitation and Prison Reforms, Northern Development, Vocational Training, Skill Development and Youth Affairs.
The four Muslim ministers who were sworn in included Rishath Bathiudeen; Rauf Hakeem, minister of town planning, water supply and higher education; Kabeer Hashim; minister of highways and road development and petroleum resources development, and Abdul Haleem Mohamed Hashim, minister of postal services and Muslim religious affairs.
Field Marshall Sarath Fonseka who played a key role in defeating the Tamil Tigers during the regime of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa was not included in the Cabinet.
The legislators who crossed over to the ruling party immediately after Wickremesinghe took over the premiership were not given portfolios.
Ravi Karunanayake, who previously resigned from the Cabinet over corruption allegations, was appointed minister of power and energy and business development
Calling Sri Lanka a valued partner in the Indo-Pacific, US State Department spokesman Robert Palladino said the US looked forward to working with Wickremesinghe to advance cooperation on bilateral and regional issues.
Palladino said he was pleased that the leadership in Sri Lanka had resolved the political crisis of the past several weeks in accordance with constitutional norms and the rule of law.
“Sri Lanka is a valued partner in the Indo-Pacific and we look forward to engaging with Prime Minister Wickremesinghe and his Cabinet to advance cooperation on bilateral and regional issues of common interest,” Palladino said.
The US Ambassador in Colombo, Alaina Teplitz, said the US welcomed this weekend’s political developments which upheld Sri Lanka’s democratic and constitutional norms. “Sri Lanka is a valued partner in the Indo-Pacific,” the ambassador said, “and we look forward to continuing to develop our relationship with the government and people of this country.”
A statement issued by the delegation of the European Union stated: “As steady friends of Sri Lanka, we welcome the peaceful and democratic resolution of the political crisis in accordance with the constitution. We commend the resilience of Sri Lanka’s democratic institutions and will continue to support its efforts toward national reconciliation and prosperity for all.”
The Australian High Commission in Colombo welcomed the resolution by constitutional means of the political uncertainty in Sri Lanka.
New Sri Lanka Cabinet vows to speed up national reconciliation
New Sri Lanka Cabinet vows to speed up national reconciliation
- The Australian High Commission in Colombo welcomed the resolution by constitutional means of the political uncertainty in Sri Lanka
- Palladino said he was pleased that the leadership in Sri Lanka had resolved the political crisis of the past several weeks in accordance with constitutional norms and the rule of law
Ukraine braces for ‘heavy battles’ as Putin says Russia carving out Kharkiv buffer zone
“We understand there will be heavy battles and that the enemy is preparing for that,” the head of the Ukrainian armed forces wrote on Telegram
KYIV: Ukraine’s top commander warned on Friday of “heavy battles” looming on the war’s new front in the northeastern Kharkiv region as Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow was carving out a “buffer zone” in the area.
Russian forces attacked the Kharkiv region’s north last Friday, making inroads of up to 10 kilometers (6 miles) and unbalancing Kyiv’s outnumbered troops who are trying to hold the line over a sprawling front nearly 27 months since the full-scale invasion.
Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi said the attack had expanded the area of hostilities by around 70km and that Russia had launched its incursion ahead of schedule when “it noticed the deployment of our forces.”
“We understand there will be heavy battles and that the enemy is preparing for that,” the head of the Ukrainian armed forces wrote in a statement on the Telegram app.
Speaking during a state visit to China, Putin said Moscow’s forces were creating a “buffer zone” to protect Russian border regions, but that capturing the city of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest, was not part of the current plan.
The Russian leader told a news conference the assault was a response to Kyiv’s shelling of Russian border regions such as Belgorod.
“Civilians are dying there. It’s obvious. They are shooting directly at the city center, at residential areas. And I said publicly that if this continues, we will be forced to create a security zone, a buffer zone. That is what we are doing,” Putin said.
Russian forces were able to advance 10 kilometers in one place, but Ukrainian forces have “stabilized” the front, President Volodymyr Zelensky told Ukrainian media outlets in comments published on Friday.
HEAVIEST ASSAULTS IN EAST
Moscow’s forces are mounting their heaviest assaults in the eastern Donetsk region, according to data compiled by the Ukrainian General Staff, which said the eastern Pokrovsk front had faced the most regular assaults in recent days.
In his comments, Syrskyi said Ukrainian forces were preparing their defensive lines for a possible new Russian assault on the Sumy region, which would mark another front more than a hundred kilometers to the north of Kharkiv.
Kyiv has warned that Russia has small units of forces near the Sumy region.
Volodymyr Artiukh, head of the Sumy region’s military administration, said Russian military activity along the northern Ukrainian region was at a high level.
“We note that the actions (of Russian forces) are systematic. Shelling continues, in fact, along the entire border, with an intensity of 200-400 explosions per day... The intensity of enemy sabotage groups has increased,” he said.
Indian UN peacekeeper killed by Israeli forces in Gaza repatriated for burial
- Col. Waibhav Anil Kale was hit by Israeli fire while in UN-marked vehicle
- Indian veterans condemn Israel for indiscriminate killing, ‘barbaric’ use of force
NEW DELHI: Indian veterans joined in condemning Israel’s killing of a former army officer and UN staffer Col. Waibhav Anil Kale, whose body was returned to India for burial on Friday.
Kale was on duty with the UN Department of Safety and Security when he was targeted in his UN-marked vehicle in southern Gaza on Monday.
A former peacekeeper, he was hit by what the UN said it had no doubt was Israeli tank fire.
The Indian Embassy in Tel Aviv shared a photo on Friday morning showing UN officials paying their last respects to Kale, before his remains were flown to Delhi.
While the Indian Ministry of External Affairs issued a statement saying it was “deeply saddened by the death,” civil society has urged the government to hold Israel accountable. Former servicemen also joined the call.
“Israel must be held accountable. Killing a veteran officer engaged in the UN is a serious issue,” said Indian Army Maj. Gen. (retd.) Yashpal Mor.
A former UN staffer himself, Mor told Arab News that Kale had a “brilliant career” and was known in the army circles.
“When you work with the UN, you are in an international environment, but you have the ethos and ethics of the Indian army. It was very sad and very shocking. He actually died in the line of duty,” he said.
“Israelis have been doing this since the beginning. They are not worried about anyone. They are going berserk.”
Israel’s deadly siege and bombardment of Gaza has since October killed over 35,300 people, wounded 70,000, and left most of the enclave’s population starving and with no access to food, water, and medical supplies.
“Israelis will lose sympathy by doing this indiscriminate firing,” Col. Anil Bhat (retd.), former spokesperson of the Ministry of Defense, said. “In the Indian army, we are so attentive to civilian casualties that we lose more men by not doing indiscriminate firing … Indiscriminate killing is not good. Israelis will lose sympathy.”
The UN estimates that more than 190 of its staff members have also been killed in the ongoing onslaught. Kale was the first international UN employee to be killed.
New Delhi had always been sensitive to assaults on UN personnel given that it is one of the largest contributors of the organization’s peacekeepers.
But the government’s statement did not contain condemnation of Kale’s killing, unlike in July 2022, when two Indian peacekeepers were killed in an attack on a UN Organization Stabilization Mission base in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
At that time, India’s foreign minister said the perpetrators “must be held accountable and brought to justice” and convened a special meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the attack.
“India has good bilateral relations with Israel, but that shouldn’t prevent it from strongly condemning the latter,” said Air Marshal (retd.) Kapil Kak of the Indian Air Force.
“One is deeply pained and distressed at Israel’s barbaric force in Gaza, which has led to the death and maiming of thousands of children and monumental human suffering. This is in sharp contrast to past India-Pakistan wars. I took part in two of these, which were far more civilized in character and caused no collateral damage, despite the absence of precision-guided munition.”
Majority of UK voters support Gaza ceasefire, suspending arms sales to Israel: Poll
- Only 13% of respondents want continuation of arms sales to Israel, just 8% oppose ceasefire
- Govt, opposition ‘continue to lag sluggishly behind British public opinion’: Council for Arab-British Understanding
London: Most British voters support an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and ending arms sales to Israel for the duration of the conflict, according to a new poll.
Commissioned by the Council for Arab-British Understanding and Medical Aid for Palestinians, the YouGov survey reinforces the results of polls conducted earlier in the year.
It found that 55 percent of voters support ending arms sales to Israel for as long as the war in Gaza continues, and 73 percent support an immediate ceasefire.
Among people who voted for the governing Conservative Party in 2019, 40 percent support the suspension of arms sales, with 24 percent opposed.
Among Labour Party voters, 74 percent support an arms sales suspension, with 7 percent opposed.
Only 13 percent of all respondents want a continuation of arms sales to Israel.
“Seven months of Israel’s indiscriminate bombardment and siege have wrought the worst humanitarian crisis ever seen in Gaza,” said Rohan Talbot, MAP’s director of advocacy and campaigns.
“In recent days, Israeli forces’ escalating attacks on Rafah and the north have further displaced hundreds of thousands more people, many of them for the second or third time, and pushed humanitarian operations to the brink of total collapse.
“The feeling among the British public reaffirms the demands of humanitarians: UK leaders must do more to end the killing in Gaza, including halting arms sales so they cannot be used in further violations of international law.”
The statement for a ceasefire in Gaza is supported by 67 percent of Conservative voters and 86 percent of Labour voters.
Just 8 percent of all respondents said there should not be a ceasefire.
Both the government and opposition recorded low public approval in the YouGov poll. Only 18 percent of respondents approve of the government’s response to the war, while just 12 percent agree with the Labour response.
“What this and earlier polls continue to demonstrate is that the government and the Labour leadership continue to lag sluggishly behind British public opinion by failing to take the decisive actions needed to help bring the horrors we see in Gaza to a swift end — a trend also highlighted in polls across Europe,” said Chris Doyle, CAABU’s director.
“There is little confidence in the leadership of both the main parties in the handling of this major international crisis.”
8 EU members say conditions in Syria should be reassessed to allow voluntary refugee returns
- Officials from Austria, the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Denmark, Greece, Italy, Malta and Poland said they agree on a re-assessment that would lead to “more effective ways of handling” Syrian refugees
- The eight countries said the EU should further boost support for Lebanon
NICOSIA, Cyprus: The governments of eight European Union member states said Friday the situation in Syria should be re-evaluated to allow for the voluntary return of Syrian refugees back to their homeland.
In a joint declaration, officials from Austria, the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Denmark, Greece, Italy, Malta and Poland said they agree on a re-assessment that would lead to “more effective ways of handling” Syrian refugees trying to reach European Union countries.
The eight countries, which held talks during a summit meeting in the Cypriot capital, said the situation in Syria has “considerably evolved,” even though complete political stability hasn’t been achieved.
Cyprus has in recent months seen an upsurge of Syrian refugees reaching the island nation primarily from Lebanon aboard rickety boats.
Earlier this month, the EU announced a 1 billion euro ($1.06 billion) aid package for Lebanon aimed at boosting border controls to halt the flow of asylum seekers and migrants to Cyprus and Italy.
The eight countries said the EU should further boost support for Lebanon to “mitigate the risk of even greater flows from Lebanon to the EU.”
“Decisions as to who has the right to cross a member state’s borders, should be taken by the government of the relevant member state and not by criminal networks engaged in migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings,” the joint declaration said.
A Cypriot official said that any re-evaluation of conditions within Syria would not necessarily mean that Syrian refugees would be deported back to their country. Instead, Syrian refugees hailing from areas re-designated as safe would lose any allowances, benefits and the right to work, creating a disincentive to others to come to Cyprus.
The official was speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t allowed to speak publicly about details of the proposal.
The countries said that while they “fully embrace” the need to support Syrian refugees in line with international law, they hoped their talks could open a wider debate within the 27-member bloc on the process of granting the migrants international protection.
In Lebanon, where anti-refugee sentiment has been surging recently, more than 300 Syrian refugees returned to Syria in a convoy earlier this week.
Lebanese officials have long urged the international community to either resettle the refugees in other countries or help them return to Syria.
Belgium’s Ghent university severs ties with three Israeli institutions
- Ties being cut with Holon Institute of Technology, MIGAL Galilee Research Institute, and the Volcani Center, which carries out agricultural research
- The three Israeli institutions did not immediately comment
BRUSSELS: Belgium’s University of Ghent (UGent) is severing ties with three Israeli educational or research institutions which it says no longer align with UGent’s human rights policy, its rector said.
Pro-Palestinian protesters in Ghent have been protesting against Israel’s military offensive in Gaza and have been occupying parts of the university since early this month.
The university’s rector, Rik Van de Walle, said in a statement that ties were being cut with Holon Institute of Technology, MIGAL Galilee Research Institute, and the Volcani Center, which carries out agricultural research.
“We currently assess these three partners as (very) problematic according to the Ghent University human rights test, in contrast to the positive evaluation we gave these partners at the start of our collaboration,” Van de Walle said.
Partnerships with MIGAL Galilee Research Institute and the Volcani Center “were no longer desirable” due to their affiliation with Israeli ministries, an investigation by the University of Ghent found, and collaboration with the Holon Institute “was problematic” because it provided material support to the army for actions in Gaza.
A spokesperson for the university said the move would affect four projects.
The three Israeli institutions did not immediately comment.
The protesters told Belgian broadcaster VRT they welcomed the decision but regarded it as only a first step. They said they would continue their occupation of parts of the university “until UGent breaks its ties with all Israeli institutions.”
The actions mirror those of students in the United States and elsewhere in Europe, calling for an immediate permanent ceasefire and for schools to cut financial ties with companies they say are profiting from what they regard as the oppression of Palestinians.
