Sri Lanka had failed to attract substantial foreign investment in the mining industry during the last 50 years mainly due to the high sovereign risks associated with Sri Lanka, Chirantha Weerawardena, a mining engineer, said during a seminar, titled ‘Blueprint for Developing a Sustainable Sri Lankan Mining Industry by Attracting Foreign Investment,’ organised by the […]

Tuesday 30th January, 2024 The government has reportedly decided to enhance the fine for the offence of bribing voters. Candidates contesting elections bribe electors in various ways. The election laws governing the local government, Provincial Council, parliamentary and presidential elections are very explicit on what election bribes are. Bribing voters is the name of the […]

The recent conclave involving Gen. He Weidong, the vice chairman of China’s Central Military Commission (CMC), and the newly appointed Chinese academicians has ignited speculations among China analysts, suggesting an escalating schism between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and a faction within the military. This gathering, reported by Chinese state media on January 10, witnessed Gen. […]

Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha has said India and Sri Lanka are natural partners and their interests in matters of security or development are intertwined and interlinked. “The huge potential our partnership holds and the tangible impact it can have on the lives of the common people drives me to work harder to further deepen […]

by Lasanda Kurukulasuriya Sri Lanka’s remarks at the meetings of the 19th Summit of the Non Aligned Movement in Uganda, must surely have had observers of international relations, especially relating to West Asia, scratching their heads. President Ranil Wickemesinghe in Kampala on Friday (19 Jan.) said he welcomed the fact that the 19th Summit gave […]

ECONOMYNEXT –President Ranil Wickremesinghe has invited political party leaders in Parliament to discuss the IMF agreement implementation with the fund’s Managing Director. “I am willing to extend an invitation to the Managing Director of the IMF to participate in a collective dialogue here. Let us collaboratively explore different perspectives and propose modifications if deemed beneficial,...

President Ranil Wickremesinghe extended an invitation to all political party leaders in the Parliament to engage in discussions with the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on the implementation of the agreement with the IMF. Emphasizing the importance of unity in leading the country to success, he reiterated that withdrawing from the agreement […]

Friday 26th January, 2024 The recent burglary of the residence of former President Maithripala Sirisena’s daughter has triggered a social media feeding frenzy. Sirisena has come under a cyber piranha attack, as it were. He took great pains in Parliament on Wednesday to have the public believe that there was no truth in the media […]

President Ranil Wickremesinghe, addressing the 30th Annual General Meeting of the Lanka Confectionary Manufacturers Association (LCMA) yesterday (24) at Cinnamon Grand Hotel, Colombo emphasized the potential for Sri Lanka to become a global player in the confectionery industry. He encouraged Sri Lankan confectioners to expand their horizons and tap into international markets. The President emphasi...

Capital Market regulator, the Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka (SEC) held meaningful discussions with the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of stock broker firms and other Market Intermediaries in separate stakeholder engagements in January 2024. The meetings were aimed at fostering collaborative efforts to fortify the regulatory framework and operational infrastructure of the securit...

In recent days, there is internal strife within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), with each faction accusing the other of being rebellious and seeking to side-line them. Behind this lies a singular motive: how to eliminate their opponents and gain control over the party’s Central Committee. Over the past year, several incidents have occurred that […]

by Jehan Perera Under President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s leadership it looks like Sri Lanka is once again punching above its weight.  The President took centre stage at the 19th Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and the 3rd South Summit of the Group of 77 & China, currently taking […]

By Prof. Amarasiri de Silva Sri Lanka, renowned for its rich cultural heritage and diverse landscapes, is grappling with an unprecedented macroeconomic crisis. This crisis has given rise to acute shortages and sharp increases in the prices of essential products, creating a complex web of challenges. At the heart of this multifaceted crisis lies a […]

Sri Lanka is showing first signs of recovery as it finds itself in an election year, and therefore, what happens before the elections as well as after them will be crucial for the economic recovery in Sri Lanka, IMF’s Senior Mission Chief, Peter Breuer said on Friday. He said so at a press briefing held […]

China’s consumer price index (CPI) fell by 0.3 per cent year on year in December, marking a third consecutive monthly decline amid fears of deflationary risks Concerns have risen that China is facing similar issues to Japan’s so-called lost decades of stagnation China’s falling consumer prices in the fourth quarter have plunged full-year inflation to […]

Pakistan is currently suffering from political instability and uncertainty which has increased the political environment and polarization. Unfortunately, this has resulted in attacks on media protection and press freedom in the country. Political polarization and uncertainty affect media protection in Pakistan. State-level media bans continue unabated. The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Auth...

by Rex Clementine  On occasions, Zimbabwe (or Rhodesia as earlier known) have turned the cricketing world upside down. In the 1983 World Cup, they beat a star-studded Australian side. Yes, an Australian side that had Lillee, Thomson, Yallop, Hookes, Wessels, Border and Marsh ! Zimbabwe themselves had some quality players on that occasion. They were […]

The Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute (LKI) hosted a panel discussion ‘Sri Lanka as a Destination: From Antiquity to Modernity’ as part of its outreach activities to promote ‘Cultural Diplomacy’ in Koggala on Saturday (13 January 2024). Held with the Indian Ocean as the backdrop at the Long Beach Hotel, Koggala, this interactive discussion was organized as […]