Under the leadership of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, bilateral summits and discussions at political and official levels have increased, further strengthening the bond between the two nations. On Sept 6 in 2022, Indian PM Narendra Modi and Sheikh Hasina signed several significant agreements further strengthening the bilateral relationship between […]

Religious minorities in Pakistan, including Christians, Hindus, and Shia Muslims, also encounter discrimination and persecution, notably through the country’s blasphemy laws. Advocacy organizations representing Christians and Hindus, as well as other minority groups, criticize the electoral system, asserting its undemocratic nature and its marginalization of religious minorities from mainstream po...

By Rathindra Kuruwita The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has significantly overestimated the cost of electricity production and transmission for 2024 and this is reflected in their estimated cost of production, says MP Gamini Waleboda, head of the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Alleviating the Impact of the Economic Crisis. The overestimation is around Rs 140 billion, […]

In a welcome development in relation to Sri Lanka’s regional policy, some state functionaries of the Ranil Wickremesinghe regime have gone on record as having stated that Sri Lanka would be taking notable cognizance of India’s security concerns, going forward. This is as it should be. None of India’s immediate neighbours could afford to overlook […]

Foreign Affairs Minister Ali Sabry has urged the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to refrain from allowing short-term political gains or Âdomestic vote bank politics to overtake the work of the Council.

By Shamindra Ferdinando With the presidential election scheduled for later this year, political parties represented in Parliament have stepped up efforts to forge alliances. In terms of the Constitution, presidential elections will have to be conducted between Sept 18 and Oct 18, 2024. The last presidential election was held in Nov 2019. Even though the […]

JVP-led Anti-Corruption Voice convener Wasantha Samarasinghe says that 118 files on allegations investigated by the Financial Crimes Investigation Division of the police and ready for prosecution are gathering dust at the Attorney General’s Department. “We have submitted 570 files with our complaints to the FCID, CID and Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption. We know...

Tuesday 27th February, 2024 Sri Lankan politics is turning red in tooth and claw; the battle for the coveted executive presidency is getting down and dirty with every passing day. The presidential election is about eight months away, but the prospective contenders are already trading blows below the belt. At this rate, they might even […]

On 24 January this year, the Chinese Vice-Premier Li Guozhong made a brief transit halt in the Maldives. During the stopover, he met with the Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer. The Vice-Premier was on his way back after attending the Non-Aligned Summit and the third South Summit in Uganda from 19-24 January. This came after President […]

Across South Asia, an ominous great game is unfolding. China is battling for regional influence, with smaller buffer states caught in the middle as pawns. Far from peaceful rise, China’s tactics reveal a belligerent dragon pulling neighbors ever tighter into its orbit through debt-trap diplomacy, data colonialism and brazen political interference – a 21st century […]

Foreign Minister Ali Sabry PC has said that in the emerging multipolar world, countries like Sri Lanka cannot afford to take sides and must be open to working with anyone. Minister Sabry made these observations when he delivered the opening address at the 3rd ‘LKI Foreign Policy Forum’, held on the theme ‘Reassessing Non-Alignment in a Polarised […]

Colombo (Sri Lanka) (AFP) – Cash-strapped Sri Lanka said Wednesday it had exported tea worth $20 million to Iran to partially repay its $251 million oil debts, with Colombo saying Tehran’s visiting foreign minister had expressed “satisfaction” at the deal. “So far $20 million worth of tea has been exported to Iran under the barter […]

Leader of the United Republic Front Member of Parliament Patali Champika Ranawaka, presented the proposal titled “A United Step for the Country” to President Ranil Wickremesinghe , at ‘Srikota’, the United National Party headquarters in Colombo this morning (24). Speaking at the event President Ranil Wickremesinghe, highlighted the government’s concerted efforts over the past two […]

As Pakistan grapples with the aftermath of controversial elections, political chaos is threatening to cloud its $3bn deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which analysts say is key to the country’s economic stability. On Thursday, the global lender said Pakistan’s interim government had “maintained” economic stability. The IMF’s communications chief, Julie Kozack, said the […]

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Tharaka Balasuriya spoke to WION’s diplomatic correspondent Sidhant Sibal on the sidelines of Raisina Dialogue 2024 in New Delhi.Balasuriya weighed in on several issues ranging from the India-Lanka relationship, Colombo’s ties with China, tourism, Unified Payments Interface (UPI), and more. While speaking on China, Balasuriya said that “both countries [&...

Across South Asia, an ominous great game is unfolding. China is battling for regional influence, with smaller buffer states caught in the middle as pawns. Far from peaceful rise, China’s tactics reveal a belligerent dragon pulling neighbors ever tighter into its orbit through debt-trap diplomacy, data colonialism and brazen political interference – a 21st century […]

Following Iranian FM’s visit The Foreign Ministry said yesterday that Iranian Foreign Minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian, during high level meetings in Colombo this week, expressed hope that with this trip, the bilateral ties in all fields, including political, economic, commercial, and tourism, would be expanded. Amirabdollahian was here at the official invitation of the Sri Lankan […]

Nothing could be more vital at present in the conflict and war zones of the world than positive mindset changes and the wish of the humanist is likely to be that such momentous developments would quickly come to pass in particularly the Middle East. Because in the latter theatre almost every passing hour surfaces problems […]

Manusha accuses Wimal of having taken parts of Fernando’s speech out of context By Saman Indrajith Labour and Foreign Employment Minister Manusha Nanayakkara told NFF leader Wimal Weerawansa in Parliament to refrain from taking chunks of others’ speeches out of context and misinterpreting them for political mileage. The Minister said so following concerns raised by […]