India supports efforts aimed at ending the Ukraine conflict as it believes in finding a way forward through diplomacy and dialogue, external affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Friday against the backdrop of the Brics grouping backing mediation proposals. A joint statement issued after a meeting of foreign ministers of Brics (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) member […...

Two years into the military recapturing power, there does not seem to be a let-up to the torment of the people of Myanmar. The latter are putting up sustained and spirited armed opposition to the military but the ruling junta is yet to contemplate backing down from its harshly repressive treatment of the resisting public. […]

By Chani Imbulgoda “We suffer today, because leaders in the past have failed to govern this country properly”. Oh, the predecessor has not done things well, they all have let the place go haywire”. Familiar excuses… When one takes over the leadership be it the country, be it an organisation, or be it a new […]

BBC reported that thousands of people are being evacuated downstream of a major dam which has been blown up in Russian-held Ukraine. President Zelensky said 80 towns and villages were at risk of flooding after the destruction of the dam at Nova Kakhovka, which he blamed on Russia. Water is surging down the Dnipro river […]

Oil-producing countries have agreed to continued cuts in production in a bid to shore up flagging prices. Saudi Arabia said it would make cuts of a million barrels per day (bpd) in July and Opec+ said targets would drop by a further 1.4 million bpd from 2024. Opec+ accounts for around 40% of the world’s […]

Comparing special military operation in Ukraine with the presence of the limited contingent of the Soviet Army in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan is not correct. If the author of the article “‘Containment Theory’ returns to West’s ties with East” in The Island of 18 May does some serious research of the pre-military period of […]

Zamir Kabulov, the Russian Presidential Envoy to Afghanistan, said that the Taliban’s participation in the Kazan Forum “absolutely did not mean” its recognition from Russia. The Russian envoy also said that the UN Security Council does not sanction the Taliban delegation that participated in the Russia-Islamic World Kazan forum event. The Taliban delegation, prohibited in […]

India has done more for Sri Lanka than the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Union Minister for External Affairs Dr S Jaishankar, has told the Indian Express. The IE story, filed from Ahmedabad, said: The Modi government, he [Jaishankar] underlined, is working on developing an “extended neighbourhood” that involves islands in the Indian Ocean, Gulf countries and […]

China sought to forge closer economic and security ties with its Central Asian neighbours on Friday as the US and its allies met next door to build a common strategy to curb Beijing’s challenge to the Washington-led world order. Chinese President Xi Jinping rolled out the red carpet for his counterparts from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in […]

Ireland’s embassy in Beijing has not removed visible displays of support for Kiev on its premises, despite the Chinese government’s request that all foreign embassies remove what it referred to as “politicized propaganda” on the exteriors of their buildings. Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs has insisted that it will continue to display “visual reminders&#...

Bangladesh will get global recognition of the “1971 genocide” which was committed by the Pakistan army in 1971, a former member of the Dutch Parliament and human rights activists Harry van Bommel said on Sunday, reported Bangladesh Sangbad Sangsta (BSS). “Even if it takes a hundred years to get global recognition of the Armenian Genocide, […]

By Y P Prakash A generator unit at The Norochcholai Power Plant recently suffered another breakdown, as reported by the Minister of Power and Energy, Kanchana Wijesekera, in a tweet. The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) had informed him about the breakdown in unit 3 of the Norochcholaipower plant. Unit 3 was scheduled for major overhaul […]

Russia said it scrambled an Su-27 fighter jet to “prevent violations of the state border” by two United States Air Force strategic bombers flying over the Baltic Sea. Russia’s Defence Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that the military had prevented any border violation by the US planes and “the flight of the Russian […]

As the G7 leaders sent a strong message to Russia by inviting Volodymyr Zelensky to Hiroshima, another rival was also on their minds - China.

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 […]

tokyo – Japan adopted a new five-year ocean policy on Friday that calls for stronger maritime security, including bolstering its coast guard’s capability and cooperation with the military as China grows increasingly assertive in regional seas. The new Basic Plan on Ocean Policy adopted by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s Cabinet also says Japan must accelerate […]

While delivering his remarks at the MIREX, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Dominican Republic, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that India’s each engagement has its own particular weight and focus. Whether it is the United States, Europe, Russia or Japan, India is trying to ensure that all ties advance without seeking exclusivity. […]

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.

Sri Lanka Atomic Energy Board says the first nuclear power plant can be built on the island by 2032 with technical support from Russia, if all things go as planned.

The Picturesque region of Kashmir is gearing up to host the prestigious G20 Summit for the first time in its history. The event, which will take place from May 22 to 24 at the SKICC on the banks of the famous Dal Lake in Srinagar, is expected to have a positive impact on the tourism […]