Former Speaker and the National Movement of Social Justice (NMSJ) Chairperson Karu Jayasuriya, yesterday stressed the critical importance of effectively utilising the third tranche of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout package. Jayasuriya has, in a media statement, said steps must be taken to ensure proper use of the funds. The IMF released the third […]

Washington (District of Columbia, United States) The International Monetary Fund released $336 million as part of a bailout loan instalment for Sri Lanka despite delays in the crucial restructuring of its foreign debt, including to China, the Washington-based lender said Wednesday. The South Asian nation was starting to recover, but the economy was “still vulnerable and the path […]

A high level delegation headed by the State Minister of Foreign Affairs Tharaka Balasuriya is scheduled to visit Russia to arrange for the repatriation of Sri Lankan ex-military personnel deployed in Russia for military purposes and the related discussions will be held on June 26 and 27, said Minister of Foreign Affairs, President’s Counsel Ali […]

Chair of the Sectoral Oversight Committee on National Security retired Vice Admiral Sarath Weerasekera has said an external mechanism is in place to prepare the ground for a war crimes probe against the Sri Lankan military and those who provided political leadership for the country’s war on terror. Addressing the last SOC held in the Parliamentary complex, […]

Arrangements are being made by the Faculty of Social Sciences and Languages of the Sabaragumawa University to hold its second International Conference on Social Sciences and Languages (ICSSL) on the 18th and 19th of December 2024. A press release said that the conference will feature a wide range of presentations on multidisciplinary research activities in the fields of social sciences […]

Sri Lanka’s HC in the UK Rohitha Bogollagama has sought an opportunity to engage in further discussions on the UK models of devolution with the Ministry of Justice and the Scottish government representatives.The Foreign Ministry revealed this in a press release issued on Wednesday (12) regarding a team led by HC Bogollagama with the UK […]

The Colombo Stock Exchange’s (CSE) implementation of the shortened settlement cycle for equity trades has been executed seamlessly with the first settlement under the T+ 2 cycle taking place on 12th June 2024, marking a significant milestone in Sri Lankan Capital Market operations. Investors have experienced swift payment processing, receiving their funds within two days […]

Friday 14th June, 2024 The US presidential race has taken another dramatic turn with a federal jury finding President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, guilty of having illegally purchased and possessed a gun while being addicted to crack cocaine. A sentencing date has not yet been set. The offence carries a prison term. Hunter is reportedly […]

The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) completed the second review under the 48-month Extended Fund Facility (EFF) Arrangement, allowing the authorities to draw SDR 254 million (about US$336 million). This brings the total IMF financial support disbursed so far to SDR 762 million (about US$1 billion). The Executive Board also concluded the […]

Twenty newly recruited officers to the Sri Lanka Foreign Service were welcomed to the Ministry by Foreign Secretary Aruni Wijewardane on Tuesday (11). The Foreign Secretary highlighted the important role of the Sri Lanka Foreign Service (SLFS) and the special responsibilities of all officers as public servants. She referred to the skills required in the […]

Ambassador comments on 2024 prez poll Russian Ambassador Levan Dzhagaryan said that regardless of the outcome of the presidential election later this year in Sri Lanka, the Russian Federation expected the new government to continue with what he called independent neutral foreign policy and preserve the continuity in friendly relations with Russia. Declaring that Russia […]

The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved Sri Lanka s second review under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) programme, paving the way for the country to receive the third tranche of around USD 330 million, Sri Lanka s Foreign Minister Ali Sabry said.

Nepal, which earlier hesitated to completely pivot towards China because of several economic and geopolitical factors, seems to have tilted heavily towards its big northern neighbor, giving it an opportunity to further increase its footprint in the Himalayan country’s political, economic, and social space. Yet what concerns Nepal watchers the most is the Himalayan nation’s […]

Director-General of the International Labour Organisation Gilbert F. Houngbo has lauded the Sri Lankan government’s recent move to grant a 70 percent salary increment to plantation sector workers. Houngbo commended the government for increasing the estate workers’ salaries when Labour and Foreign Employment Minister Manusha Nanayakkara met him on the sidelines of the Annual International Lab...

‘A violation of unanimous parliamentary resolution’ By Saman Indrajith The SJB yesterday said that the government had published a gazette allowing the incumbent Sri Lanka Cricket President and Secretary to remain in their positions, purportedly in exchange for providing funds for government members to contest future elections. Addressing the media at the Opposition Leader’s Office […]