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Ex-Lankan ambassador to Iran alleges Israel destroying two-state solution
The United States, Britain and other European countries must respect the growing global public opinion, mostly in the West, including by thousands of principled Jews against the horrific crimes being committed against the Palestinians under cover of a ‘war on Hamas’ for the past one month, former MP and Sri Lankan Ambassador to Iran, M. M. Zuhair has alleged.
The following is the text of statement issued by Zuhair, PC: “Western-complicit Israel continues to reject mass appeals for a ceasefire.
In terms of numbers, Israel aggression in what was left of Palestine in Gaza and the West Bank, had crossed 10,000 deaths of Palestinians, of which according to Palestinian counts, over 4,000 were children, 3,000 women, mostly mothers, with less than 50 Hamas fighters.
These unapologetic massacre of civilians, according to a report by the Director of the New York office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Craig Mokhiber, himself a US citizen, sent to the High Commissioner in Geneva, before he quit his well-paid central office said, “…the current wholesale slaughter of the Palestinian people, rooted in an ethno-nationalist settler colonialist ideology, in continuation of decades of their systemic persecution and purging, based entirely upon their status as Arabs, and coupled with explicit statements of intent by leaders in the Israeli government and military, leaves no room for doubt or debate. Across the land, apartheid rules.”
By continuing to revengefully and indiscriminately bombard Gaza, alarming the Palestinians to exode from their remaining lands, Israel is destroying even the two State solution, that had been dangled before the world for over 50 years, without being realistically offered! The US backed apartheid in Palestine is crossing all boundaries to one of shameful ‘genocide’ leaving the Palestinians, plundered of their homes and lands with nowhere to go.
These are international crimes for which, Netanyahu, Joe Biden, Sunak and others must be made to account in the International Criminal Court in the Hague and also in other countries under extra territorial jurisdictions. Of course, armed with nuclear weapons, the criminals amongst those leading the world know that will never happen and that nothing will stop Israel in the coming decades taking ownership of most of the rest of the Middle East as well, as planned by the ‘Elders of Zion’ a hundred years ago. Hamas and the Hesbullah possibly know this and it will be best for the world not to push Hamas or the Hisbullah to go for nuclear weapons as their next dangerous phase.
We need to be concerned that the United Nations as Craig Mokhiber in his report put it, “the UN itself carries the original sin of helping to facilitate the dispossession of the Palestinian people by ratifying the European settler colonial project that seized Palestinian land and turned it over to the colonists.”
“In recent decades, key parts of the UN have surrendered to the power of the US, and to fear the Israeli Lobby, to abandon principles and to retreat from international law itself.”
“We in Sri Lanka need to be deeply concerned that the creation of an exclusive racist State, armed with over 200 nuclear warheads has empowered Israel to profusely arm other countries in our region, bent on ethno-religious divisions, which eventually and necessarily will lead to both internal and external wars in the South East Asian region, leaving a terrible destruction of warring peoples and warring countries. Israel’s belligerence must be stopped, before schools supported by the corporate media teach children these ruthless atrocities as a heroic model, erasing off from history the millions of murders of innocent men, women and children.”
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US sports envoys to Lanka to champion youth development
The U.S. Embassy in Colombo welcomed the U.S. Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, former National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) players Stephen Howard and Astou Ndiaye, from June 8 through 14.
The Public Diplomacy section of the U.S. Embassy said that it would launch a weeklong basketball program intended to harness the unifying power of sports, made possible through collaboration with Foundation of Goodness and IImpact Hoop Lab.
While in Sri Lanka, Howard and Ndiaye, both retired professional basketball players, will conduct a weeklong program, Hoops for Hope: Bridging Borders through Basketball. The Sports Envoys will lead basketball clinics and exhibition matches and engage in leadership sessions in Colombo and Southern Province for youth aged 14-18 from Northern, Uva, Eastern and Western Provinces, offering skills and leadership training both on and off the court. The U.S. Envoys will also share their expertise with the Sri Lanka Basketball Federation, national coaches, and players, furthering the development of basketball in the country. Beyond the clinics, they will collaborate with Sri Lankan schoolchildren to take part in a community service project in the Colombo area.
“We are so proud to welcome Stephen and Astou as our Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, to build on the strong people-to-people connections between the United States and Sri Lanka,” said U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung. “The lessons that will be shared by our Sports Envoys – communication, teamwork, resilience, inclusion, and conflict resolution – are essential for leadership development, community building, equality, and peace. The U.S. Sports Envoy program is a testament to our belief that sports can be a powerful tool in promoting peace and unity.”
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Rahuman questions sudden cancellation of leave of CEB employees
SJB Colombo District MP Mujibur Rahuman in parliament demanded to know from the government the reasons for CEB suspending the leave of all its employees until further notice from Thursday.
MP Rahuman said that the CEB has got an acting General Manager anew and the latter yesterday morning issued a circular suspending leave of all CEB employees with immediate effect until further notice.
“We demand that Minister Kanchana Wijesekera should explain this to the House. This circular was issued while this debate on the new Electricity Amendment Bill was pending. There are many who oppose this Bill. The Minister must tell parliament the reason for the urge to cancel the leave of CEB employees,” the MP said.However, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena prevented Minister Wijesekera responding to the query and said that the matter raised by MP Rahuman was not relevant.
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CIPM successfully concludes 8th Annual Symposium
The Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) successfully concluded the 8th Annual CIPM Symposium, which took place on 31st May 2024. Themed “Nurturing the Human Element—Redefining HRM in a Rapidly Changing World,” the symposium underscored the pivotal role of human resource management (HRM) in today’s dynamic global landscape. Since its inception in 1959, CIPM has been dedicated to advancing the HR profession through education, professional development, and advocacy, solidifying its position as Sri Lanka’s leading professional body for HRM.
Ken Vijayakumar, the President of the CIPM, graced the occasion as the chief guest. The symposium commenced with the welcome address by the Chairperson, Prof. Arosha Adikaram, followed by the Web Launch of the Symposium Proceedings and Abstract Book by the CIPM President. The event featured distinguished addresses, including a speech by Chief Guest Ken Vijayakumar, President of CIPM, and an address by Guest of Honor Shakthi Ranatunga, Chief Operating Officer of MAS Holdings Pvt. Ltd., Sri Lanka.
The symposium also featured an inspiring keynote address by Prof. Mario Fernando, Professor of Management and Director of the Centre for Cross Cultural Management (CCCM) at the University of Wollongong, Australia.
Vote of Thanks of the inauguration session was delivered by Dr. Dillanjani Weeratunga, Symposium Co-chair.
The symposium served as a comprehensive platform for researchers to present their findings across a wide range of critical topics in HRM. These included Cultural Diversity and Inclusion, Talent Development and Retention, Ethical Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility, Adapting to Technological Advancements, Mental Health and Well-being at Work, Global Workforce Challenges, Employee Empowerment, and Reskilling and Upskilling.
The plenary session was led by Prof. Wasantha Rajapakse. Certificates were awarded to the best paper presenters during the valedictory session, followed by a vote of thanks delivered by Kamani Perera, Manager of Research and Development.
The annual symposium of CIPM was a truly inclusive event, attracting a diverse audience that spanned undergraduates, graduates, working professionals, research scholars and lecturers. This widespread interest highlights the symposium’s significance in the field of HRM, offering a unique opportunity for everyone to network and learn from scholarly brains.The CIPM International Research Symposium was sponsored by Hambantota International Port, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), E B Creasy & Co. PLC, and Print Xcel Company.