Few Lankans would have been surprised that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, now campaigning to lead his Bharatiya Janatha Party to ‘threpeat’ its election victories for the third consecutive time, has raked up a long dead Kachchativu issue to win votes in Tamil Nadu where the BJP fared badly at the last two elections. Both […]

Colombo has demonstrated its own brand of strategic autonomy on issues from Russia’s war in Ukraine to China’s global footprint By Michael Kugelman Most South Asian governments tend to have nonaligned foreign policies, balancing their relations with major powers. This maximizes their diplomatic flexibility and ability to operate independently on the world stage, also known as […]

There is a strong expectation that Sri Lanka will reach agreements with its commercial creditors, consistent with programme parameters, by completion of the second review, International Monetary Fund Communications Director Julie Kozack said on Thursday, addressing a press conference in Washington. She said that on December 12, 2023, the IMF’s Executive Board approved the first […]

A fine bowling performance in the death overs followed by Abhishek Sharma’s early blitz and Aiden Markram’s half-century helped Sunrisers Hyderaba  (SRH) to a six-wicket win. They chased down the 166-run target against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) with 11 balls to spare at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Uppal. With this win they have […]

Rajith Keerthy Tennakoon Director General of Community Affairs at the President’s Office delivering a special media statement today (05) stated that between the assumption of office by  President Ranil Wickremesinghe and February 2024, the Government of Sri Lanka has settled a total of US$ 1909.7 million in foreign debt and interest payments. He also highlighted […]

The International Monetary Fund said on Thursday that there is Âstrong expectation that Sri Lanka will reach a deal with its commercial creditors by the completion of the IMF s second review.

Often when Sri Lankan cricket teams tour South Africa, they return home with broken bones, embarrassing series defeats  or Mr. Ali Bacher going back on his words. The nation’s women’s cricket team on Wednesday created history by completing a come from behind series win over South Africa in East London. South Africa had won the […]

In a move of unadulterated foolhardiness, the powers-that-be published a gazette notification recently to revise Sections 363 and 364 of the Sri Lankan Penal Code. It attempted to lower the girls’ age of consent for sexual intercourse to 14 years and the punishment to be levied to the accused male who has engaged in such […]

By Lynn Ockersz ‘Sri Lankans are very good at writing plans but nothing very positive has resulted from these efforts over the years. Nevertheless, the country needs a new system of planning and an essential requirement for this is a sound institutional framework coupled with good governance, chairman of the Gamani Corea Foundation (GCF) and […]

Many Palestinians in the Gaza Strip will be wondering how they are going to feed their families after World Central Kitchen (WCK) paused its operations in response to the killing of seven of its aid workers in an Israeli air strike. Another US charity it works with, Anera, has also suspended work because of the […]

President Joe Biden has appointed Dr. Patrick Mendis—a Sri Lanka-born American diplomat—as an advisor to the prestigious U.S. National Security Education Board (NSEB), according to a press release by the White House. The 14-member National Security Education Board consists of eight Cabinet secretaries including defence, education, energy, homeland security, state, and the director of National [...

By Sanath Nanayakkare Minister of State for Finance Shehan Semasinghe said on Monday that the government is aware of the low deposit interest rate senior citizens are earning on their savings as the policy rates are taking a downward trajectory amid declining inflation and expanded economic activity. He, however, said that interest rate relief cannot […]

In the midst of rising tensions between Islamabad and Kabul, the Defense Minister of Pakistan has issued a stern warning to the Taliban government in Afghanistan. Khwaja Asif, in an interview with Voice of America on March 20, hinted at the possibility of Pakistan blocking the trade corridor that facilitates goods flow between Afghanistan and […]

‘Baltimore accident a blessing in disguise as it exposed a crime perpetrated here’ By Shamindra Ferdinando Sri Lanka’s former Ambassador to the World Trade Organization (WTO) Gomi Senadhira yesterday (02) said that the ill-fated Singaporean cargo vessel ‘Dali’ chartered by Maerask wouldn’t have taken on board containers carrying hazardous materials that were to be unloaded ...

By Dr Chani Imbulgoda Do we have to wait until March to talk about the issues faced by women? I don’t think so. As a woman, I feel it is right to speak about women and their tormentors. Men? No, not really. ‘Women against women’ is not a fashionable term, but we see and feel […]

Money, exchange rates, and money printing are crucial components of a nation’s monetary policy framework, wielding significant influence over economic and financial stability. This intricate relationship between these fundamental factors directly affects financial and economic dynamics. I am going to examine the nexus between these factors, clarifying their roles in the financial system and ...