by Levan Dzhagaryan Ambassador of Russia to Sri Lanka On February 10, Russia celebrates Diplomats’ Day, the professional holiday of the Foreign Ministry’s current and retired staff members. It was established by the Presidential Decree in 2002. The date is closely associated with the history

By Shamindra Ferdinando Eric Walsh presented his credentials to President Ranil Wickremesinghe, on Feb. 02, at the President’s House in Kandy. Wickremesinghe was flanked by Foreign Minister Ali Sabry, PC, and Presidential Secretary Saman Ekanayake. Canada, with the concurrence of Sri Lanka, appointed Walsh as High Commissioner of Canada to Colombo. Walsh, who had served […]

The global economy will weaken this year as rising interest rates and Russia s war in Ukraine continue to weigh on activity. But economists are more optimistic than they were just a few months ago.

In my view, 2023 will be remembered for India’s emergence as the third pole of the world. A year ago, I predicted a stronger Xi Jinping and a weaker Joe Biden in my forecast for 2022. I was almost correct, but the reality turned out a little differently than I expected. Xi secured a third […]

USD 3 mn Japanese grant attached to ongoing project By Shamindra Ferdinando An agreement on the much advertised cash assistance, provided exclusively to paddy farmers by the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa government, was finalised several weeks before then President Gotabaya Rajapaksa stepped down on July 14, 2022 amidst violent protests. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has provided the […]

Tokyo (Japan), January 4 (ANI): The Editor-in-Chief of Nikkei Asia, Shigesaburo Okumura, said, in his view, 2023 would be remembered for India’s emergence as the third pole of the world. “A year ago, I predicted a stronger Xi Jinping and a weaker Joe Biden in my forecast for 2022. I was almost correct, but the […]

China’s lurch from extreme zero-Covid to extreme herd immunity is a watershed moment in the global ideological struggle of our age, an unanswerable illustration of why autocratic regimes are less successful in the end than messy liberal democracies. Leadership cults and totalitarian media control can at times enable breathtakingly destructive policies, and it is hard […]

The UN has freshly prioritized the ushering of international peace as one of its foremost tasks in the days ahead and sensible sections the world over are likely to back it overwhelmingly in this historic undertaking. There is no doubt that those quarters that are sensitive to the constantly rising human costs of war and […]

(AFP)Sri Lanka on Thursday welcomed the first Russian travellers aboard a new flight service that was launched after the bankrupt nation urged Moscow to help revive its beleaguered economy by sending tourists. Russia was Sri Lanka’s biggest source of visitors at the start of the year but arrivals

, Kazakhstan, Russia and Zimbabwe. The […]

Singapore, December 26 (Always First): In order to counter China’s assertiveness, Japan has raised its military spending to record levels, reported The Singapore Post. Japan’s new National Security Strategy pledged to increase its defence budget from 1 per cent of GDP to 2 per cent. The Kishida government approved a record USD 862 billion budget […]

As India assumes the G20 presidency, the Chinese State media have begun discussing what it means. Unlike Indonesia, which was the chair till recently, the discussion about India’s presidency is focused on Beijing’s strategic competition with New Delhi. The Chinese State media commentary suggests that Beijing wants to stop the border dispute from being discussed […]

New York [US], December 10 (ANI): India has reiterated its stance that dialogue and diplomacy remain the way forward to de-escalate tensions between Russia and Ukraine and bring both sides to the negotiating table. “We have emphasised that dialogue and diplomacy are the only way forward, answers

Having lost out to China considerably in its efforts to expand its influence in the global South and the ASEAN region, the West is giving every indication of making-up for lost time. While the US is in a stepped-up drive to cultivate the African continent, the EU is intensifying efforts to strengthen its economic ties […]

Analysis by Matthew Brooker It was the year that the scales fell from Europe’s eyes on China. Heading into 2023, the clarity engendered by Beijing’s stance on the Russian invasion of Ukraine is in danger of being lost. Leaders of a continent beset by soaring energy prices and economic hardship show signs of wanting to pick […]