Sri Lanka is among three South Asian governments that increased borrowing from domestic banks to finance their record debt, and, as a result, sovereign-bank nexus increased, heightening the financial sector’s vulnerability, according to a World Bank report. The other two countries are the Maldives and Pakistan, says a WB report, titled ‘A mixed bag for […]

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s arrival at the G7 summit comes a day after winning long sought access to advanced US fighter jets and training for Ukrainian pilots. His surprise appearance in Japan follows shortly after he welcomed as “historic” Biden’s decision to allow Ukrainian pilots to train to fly F-16 fighters.  Until now the Biden […]

In a vital sense history could be considered as having come full circle in the Ukraine theatre. For those sections of international opinion that began to look upon military invasions of one country by another as things of the past, the brutal invasion of Ukraine by Russia came as a rude awakening. Power bloc rivalries […]

The symbolism will be palpable when leaders of the world s rich democracies sit down in Hiroshima, a city whose name evokes the tragedy of war, to tackle a host of challenges including Russia s invasion of Ukraine and rising tensions in Asia.

CPC, CEB need to recover costs until end of Fund’s loan package By Rathindra Kuruwita The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) and Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) had to recover costs until the end of the IMF programme, Sarwat Jahan, IMF Resident Representative in Sri Lanka, told a press conference in Colombo yesterday. The IMF also wanted the […]

Pope Francis has told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky he is constantly praying for peace after the two met privately at the Vatican. The pontiff also stressed on the urgent need to help “the most fragile people, innocent victims” of the full-scale invasion launched by Russia last year. Zelensky earlier met Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni […]

AP photographers Eranga Jayawardena and Rafiq Maqbool were named finalists for the Pulitzer Prize for breaking news photography for images capturing anger over economic collapse in Sri Lanka. The AP images from Sri Lanka captured the full range of human emotion with protesters pumping their fists in the air shouting anti-government slogans, and also shielding […]

The Asian region’s steady rise to economic, political and military dominance in the current world order is bound to have substantial foreign policy implications for the global South in particular. For the more prominent of the region’s powers these foreign policy dilemmas could prove to be considerably challenging. This is particularly so in the case […]

Russia claimed it foiled an attack by Ukrainian drones on the Kremlin early Wednesday, calling it an unsuccessful assassination attempt against President Vladimir Putin and promising retaliation for what it termed a Âterrorist act. The Ukrainian president denied it, saying- ÂWe don t attack Putin or Moscow.Â

Russia accused Ukraine on Wednesday of attacking the Kremlin with drones overnight in a failed bid to kill President Vladimir Putin.

As he kicks off his reelection campaign, President Biden is doubling down on his push for economic engagement with Beijing. Seeking such dialogue makes political sense, but it risks lifting U.S. pressure on China without achieving real gains in return. Biden begins his run for president in a chaotic political environment. The Ukraine war slogs […]

The Vatican is involved in a peace mission to try to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Pope Francis has said, declining to give further details. “I am willing to do everything that has to be done. There is a mission in course now but it is not yet public. When it is public, […]

Pope Francis thanked Hungarians  for welcoming Ukrainian refugees and urged them to help anyone in need, as he called for a culture of charity in a country where the prime minister has justified firm anti-immigration policies with fears that migration threatens Christian culture in Europe. On the second day of a visit to Hungary, Pope […]

Russian air strikes have hit cities across Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv, killing at least eight people.

Is there any place where China is not exacerbating security concerns? Nearly everywhere one looks, China is ratcheting up tensions and flexing its muscles, whether in the South China Sea, around Taiwan, along the border with India, in the East China Sea, is steadfastly supporting Russia in a maniacal war against Ukraine, penetrating foreign airspace […]

NATO countries have delivered more than 98% of the combat vehicles promised to Ukraine amid its war with Russia, the military alliance s chief said Thursday, giving Kyiv a bigger punch as it appears poised to launch a counteroffensive.

By Shamindra Ferdinando National Freedom Front (NFF) leader Wimal Weerawansa on Tuesday alleged that having failed to thwart Ranil Wickremesinghe’s ascent to presidency, the US was now working with the UNP leader to achieve its objectives. MP Weerawansa, the Chairman of the Uththara Lanka Sabhagaya said that President Wickremesinghe already consented to three of the […]

World military spending reached an all-time high of $2.24 trillion in 2022, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine fuelled a sharp jump in military spending across Europe, according to a leading defence think tank. Global spending rose for the eighth consecutive year, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said on Monday in its annual report […]

Supporting India’s candidature for a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council, Professor Robert AF Thurman, Co-founder and President of the Tibet House in New York, said that the five permanent members of the UNSC are unable to resolve conflicts diplomatically and engaged in wars while India has the potential to bring peace in […]