Sri Lanka: Repression of Civic Space Threatens Financial Reform The International Monetary Fund (IMF) should urge Sri Lanka’s government to abandon draft legislation that would severely curtail civil society and jeopardize the IMF’s programme in the country, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to the IMF that was released on Tuesday (12). The proposed […]

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Peter Breuer, Chief of IMF Mission to Sri Lanka has claimed that the Sri Lankan economy is showing signs of progress. The monetary and fiscal measures like tax increases and particularly the debt moratorium may have resulted in giving some breathing space for the country to recover from the period of extreme hardship caused by […]

By Neville Ladduwahetty During President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s India visit in July 2023, five Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) were signed by India and Sri Lanka to establish physical connections between the two countries. This was followed more recently by the launch of the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) – a mechanism that claims to reduce the cost […]

India presented a new perspective to conceptualise its relationship with the West. The perspective is based on emphasizing its distinctions from BRICS co-founders China and Russia. The new approach came through by way of a response to a query, during the recently concluded 60th Munich Security Conference, about India’s freedom to choose between multiple partners […]

Pakistan must navigate challenges in the finance sector by diversifying its economic alliances, reducing dependence on singular partners, and negotiating funding arrangements that align with its long-term developmental objectives. The road ahead demands astute diplomatic manoeuvring, a commitment to economic resilience, and a proactive approach to curb corruption and inefficiencies of the Pakistan...

By Shamindra Ferdinando Gevindu Cumaratunga, MP, has sought Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena’s intervention to ensure State Finance Minister Shehan Semasinghe on behalf of President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who holds the Finance portfolio, provided a satisfactory answer to several queries he raised regarding the status of the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) as at 31 Dec., 2022. In […]

… several countries undertaking criminal investigations against Lankans By Shamindra Ferdinando Sri Lanka had failed again to counter unsubstantiated accusations pertaining to the Eelam conflict, at the ongoing 55th session of the Human Rights Council, authoritative military sources said. Western powers had taken specific punitive actions against selected Sri Lankan military officers as well as po...

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 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 […]

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 [&...