The Cabinet of Ministers approved the following steps to be taken in accordance with the joint proposals presented by the Prime Minister, Minister of Tourism and Lands, Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Public Security with the aim of increasing the number of tourist arrivals to 5 million a year in the next […]

Sri Lanka s Cabinet has approved visa-free entry for visitors from seven countries including India, China and Russia as a pilot project until 31 March 2024, Tourism Minister Harin Fernando said.

by Vijaya Chandrasoma War does not determine who is right. Only who is left. Bertrand Russel Saturday, October 7, 2023 was yet another Day that will live in Infamy, like December 7, 1941, when US President Roosevelt coined the phrase after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, which paved the way for America’s involvement in World […]

This week, China is throwing a huge party to celebrate one of its biggest experiments in engaging with the world: its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Officials and leaders from all over the globe are in Beijing to attend a high-level summit marking the BRI’s 10th anniversary. Participants expected to show up range from Vladimir […]

US President Joe Biden will visit Israel on Wednesday to be briefed on its plans for war against Hamas militants. The announcement that President Biden will visit Israel was made at the US embassy in Jerusalem after a marathon seven hour meeting between top US diplomat Antony Blinken and PM Netanyahu on Monday. Biden will […]

Poland elects a new parliament this weekend after a bitterly fought campaign that has seen each side paint the other аs a dire, national threat. The governing, right-wing Law and Justice party, or PiS, is battling to secure a record third term in office. It says the opposition would weaken Poland with mass migration and […]

The International Olympic Committee’s executive board has suspended the Russian Olympic Committee “with immediate effect until further notice”. The move comes after the ROC recognised regional organisations from four Ukrainian territories illegally annexed by Russia

Militant group Hamas could very well have ‘bitten off more than it could chew.’ Hamas’ ongoing morbidly bloody and dramatic military onslaught on Israeli territory bordering the Gaza strip is by any standard daring but isn’t it more foolhardy than bold and courageous? The more seasoned Middle East commentator could not be faulted for raising […]

Oil prices have jumped on concerns that the situation in Israel and Gaza could disrupt output from the Middle East. Brent crude, the international benchmark, climbed by $2.25 a barrel to $86.83, while US prices also rose. Israel and Palestinian territories are not oil producers but the Middle Eastern region accounts for almost a third […]

The United States said it was “disturbed” by a Russian envoy’s announcement that Moscow will reverse its ratification of a 1996 treaty that banned the testing of nuclear weapons. Russia’s envoy to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), Mikhail Ulyanov, said on Friday that Moscow will revoke its ratification of the pact. The announcement by Ulyanov […]

A Russian missile strike on a grocery store and café in Ukraine s east killed at least 49 people on Thursday, Ukrainian officials said.

The price of oil will continue to stay elevated as demand for energy increases, says the secretary general of Opec+. Opec+ is a group of 23 oil-exporting countries which decides how much crude oil to sell on the world market. “We see demand growing about 2.4 million barrels a day,” Haitham Al Ghais told the […]

Monday 2nd October, 2023 There are no signs of an early détente between India and Canada. The two countries continue to trade allegations. Other nations are divided along the lines of strategic alliances rather than anything else. Interestingly, the US government is seen to be tilting towards Canada. What the ongoing diplomatic row of epic […]

Five people accused of being part of a Russian spy ring operating in the UK have appeared in court. Bulgarian nationals Orlin Roussev, Bizer Dzhambazov, Katrin Ivanova, Ivan Stoyanov, and Vanya Gaberova allegedly conspired to gather information which would be useful to an enemy. It is alleged they carried out surveillance on people and places […]

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and South Korean, Japanese counterparts expressed Âserious concern over the discussion of military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, including possible arms trade, South Korea s Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.

by Neville Ladduwahetty In order to assuage the apprehensions of India regarding the intended arrival of the Chinese research vessel Shi Yang 6 to Sri Lanka, an informed source of the National Aquatic Resources Research Agency (NARA) is reported to have said “a team of officials from the NARA would board Shi Yang 6 to […]

Russia has temporarily banned exports of gasoline and diesel to all countries outside a circle of four ex-Soviet states with immediate effect in order to stabilise the domestic market, the government said on Thursday.

Three men and two women are to be charged with conspiracy to conduct espionage, UK prosecutors say.

Five people suspected of spying for Russia are to be charged with conspiracy to conduct espionage, prosecutors say.

Thursday 21st September, 2023 The recent killing of a prominent Sikh activist named Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in Canada, has triggered a diplomatic row between Ottawa and New Delhi. Canada lost no time in ordering an Indian diplomat out of the country, accusing India of having had a hand in the assassination. Denying Canada’s allegation, New […]

Russia could very well be questioning the legitimacy of the UN system by currently challenging the right of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to arbitrate in the conflicting accusations of genocide brought against each other by it and Ukraine. Russia has countered Ukraine’s charge