United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday said the US is committed to deeper relations with Africa despite global crises as he opened a four-country tour of the continent. Blinken is touring four democracies on the Atlantic Coast – Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Angola – as security deteriorates in the Sahel […]

India’s domestic and foreign situation has changed tremendously compared to four years ago and it has achieved outstanding results in economic development and social governance, said an article published in China’s state-run Global Times. The article authored by Zhang Jiadong, director of the Center for South Asian Studies at Fudan University, said India has made […]

Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan has been granted bail in a case alleging he leaked state secrets, but he remains in jail on other charges ahead of the general election due in February. The Supreme Court on Friday granted Khan bail in the case, but it was not clear how he could be released […]

[An article based on the Keynote Address delivered by Dr. P. Nandalal Weerasinghe, Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, recently at the Annual Research Symposium 2023 of the University of Colombo] Introduction Inflation affects every aspect of our lives; it is a force that shapes our purchasing power, influences our financial decisions, and […]

With Christmas less than a week away, we highlight what some of our popular figures have to say about Christmas 2023…yes, their Wishes for Christmas 2023. *  Merlina Fernando (Singer): My Christmas wish this year is a little different to any other year as our people went through a lot throughout the past few years. […]

The US House of Representatives has voted to formalise its impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. Lawmakers voted along party lines to back a resolution that Republicans say will give them more power to gather evidence and enforce legal demands. Three Republican-led House committees allege bribery and corruption during Mr Biden’s tenure as vice-president but […]

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 […]