United States Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung hosted an event in Colombo recently to mark the 247th anniversary of America’s Declaration of Independence. Ambassador Chung highlighted the anniversary of 75 years of a strong and enduring partnership between the United States and Sri Lanka. Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry attended the celebration as […]

By Rathindra Kuruwita Sri Lanka’s successful vaccination programmes will be undermined if the government continues to import low quality drugs, Education Secretary of the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) Pubudu Jagoda told The Island. “Sri Lanka is a role model for successful vaccination because people have no fear about vaccinating their kids. This is why the […]

Sri Lankan state can’t allow even a small bank to collapse because that will trigger a bank run with a devastating impact on the economy. Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka CBSL) Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe said, on Thursday night, taking part in a televised discussion. Dr. Weerasinghe said that Domestic Debt Restructuring (DDR) […]

With significant improvement in key parameters of energy equity & security, and environmental sustainability, India jumped 20 places to the 67th position among 120 countries in the ‘Energy Transition Index’ (ETI), according to a report released by the World Economic Forum Wednesday. ETI benchmarks the countries on the performance of their energy systems, and also their readiness […]

Crisis-hit Pakistan has reached a staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) over $3bn (£2.4bn) of funding. The deal, which still needs to be approved by the global lender’s board, comes after an eight-month delay. The South Asian nation is facing its worst economic

Banks, which pay taxes over 50%, least affected By Sanath Nanayakkare If the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) and other pension funds did not wish to participate in the proposed domestic debt restructuring process, there will be an application of higher annual income tax of 30%, Central Bank Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe said yesterday. The EPF […]

The World Bank yesterday (28) approved USD 700 million in budgetary and welfare support for Sri Lanka.This is the biggest funding infusion into the country since the International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout package approved in March. Through this funding, the World Bank said it aims to help Sri Lanka implement foundational reforms that restore macroeconomic stability and sustainability, mitigate ...

The World Bank approved $700 million in budgetary and welfare support for Sri Lanka on Thursday, the biggest funding tranche for the crisis-hit island nation since an International Monetary Fund (IMF) deal in March.

By Shamindra Ferdinando SJB MP Dr. Harsha de Silva said that the all-party Committee on Public Finance (COPF) would have to examine the proposals presented by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) and the Treasury as regards the proposed domestic debt restructuring. COPF Chairman de Silva said that the CBSL and Treasury representatives appeared […]

The first morning of the second Ashes Test at Lord’s was briefly disrupted by two climate change protesters from the activist group Just Stop Oil, who invaded the pitch carrying orange powder paint but were prevented from reaching the strip by players and security staff. Before the start of the second over, the two men […]

By DR. DAYAN JAYATILLEKA For a country with a deep crisis, galloping poverty and a very significant Left (JVP-NPP and FSP), there is a paradoxically thin contribution by the leftwing intelligentsia. This can be contrasted by a cursory glance at the volumes of back issues of the Lanka Guardian

Actually LKI owed public an explanation as to why it never addressed the accountability issue and related matters in spite of it being the toughest foreign affairs challenge faced in post-independence era. There is no harm in addressing a variety of issues of interest but the failure on the part of the LKI to examine […]

Sri Lanka will enter into an agreement with the World Bank for $500 million in budgetary support after the cabinet approved it on Tuesday, the biggest funding tranche for the crisis-hit nation since an International Monetary Fund deal in March.

Expressing strong opposition to the proposed domestic debt restructuring programme announced by the government, Prof. G. L. Peiris, MP, yesterday (26) accused the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa administration of being insensitive and irresponsible in addressing the issue. Instead of working on a social security net to protect the needy, the government was taking a dangerous path that would […]

There will be a Panel discussion on “The Role of Domestic Aviation in Sri Lankan Tourism” at the OPA on 27th June (Tuesday). A panel of eminent experts will discuss, among other things, how to attract foreign exchange amidst the country’s worst-ever economic crisis.

‘How can we sustain operations due to over 70 resignations in one year’ Airline Pilots Guild of Sri Lanka (ALPGSL) yesterday (25) said that the top Sri Lankan Airlines management should take responsibility for the pathetic situation that prevails in the national airline. Alleging that the crux of the matter is that over 70 pilots […]

by Rajan Philips Last week saw a spate of summits underscoring the global economic and geopolitical headwinds that governments and countries have to cope with and navigate through. First, there was the visit to China by the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. This was followed by a state visit to Washington by India’s Prime […]

By MEERA SRINIVASAN Accountability remains the “fundamental gap” in Sri Lanka’s attempts to deal with the past, a senior U.N. official has said while warning that “as long as impunity prevails, Sri Lanka will achieve neither genuine reconciliation nor sustainable peace.” Referring to the Sri Lankan government’s plans to set up a Truth Commission, to […]