Sri Lankan and Iranian presidents embrace at Rio+20 sidelines. Photograph DailyMirror.lk
Meeting at the Rio+20 UN conference on sustainable development on Friday, President Rajapaksa and Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared the need for a "new order" in the world.
“Cooperation among independent states is essential for their progress forward; the justice-seeking nations should cooperate to design a new global order; those who are behind today problems do not deserve designing the new order.”
“Independent states are under great pressures from hegemonic powers but they should understand the fact that the pressures including the sanctions and resolutions will not affect nations’ desire to resist; the biggest violators of human rights use the issue as an excuse to confront sovereign nations.”
“Arrogant powers use also environmental issues as an excuse to pressure developing nations but if they were real defenders of environment; they would change their polluting technologies.”
Iranian news agency reported that Rajapaksa welcomed bilateral relations with Iran, and urged NAM states to be 'stronger to confront the pressures posed by arrogant powers.'
Following the violent scenes of Tamil 'Boycott Sri Lankan Cricket' activists being assaulted by Sri Lankan cricket fans, on Monday night outside the Oval in London, Tamil Guardian spoke to one of the organisers, Thusiyan.
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University Tamil societies from across the UK have released a statement condemning the racist attacks outside the Oval on Monday.
21 Tamil societies joined together to denounce the attacks and commend the peaceful campaign of the activists,
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A Tamil doctor, who was arrested in December 2012 after attempted to release a Tamil woman from a Sri Lankan military base, was released on Monday morning.
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The British Council will hold a global education forum in Colombo, with attendees from several countries coming together to discuss international higher education issues.
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TNA's Batticaloa MPs have complained that hundreds of Sinhalese families, unaffected by the war, will benefit from the Indian housing project in the East while displaced Tamils are ignored.
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Sri Lankan cricket fans throw rocks and bottles at 'Boycott Sri Lankan Cricket' activists handing out leaflets outside the Oval, London. BST: 21:24
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The Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs, Karunathilake Amunugama said that through the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, the 'correct image of Sri Lanka could be depicted to the international'.
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