A woman buys vegetables at a market, on the day President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who is also the island nation’s Finance Minister, presents the annual budget in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on November 13, 2023. | Photo Credit: Reuters Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe on November 13 presented his government’s 2024 budget, emphasising the need for tough … Read more
Ranil Wickremesinghe. File | Photo Credit: AP Dismissing the possibility of an international probe into the 2019 Easter terror attacks, Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has reiterated that such an investigation into the incident was not permissible under the country’s law. Responding to Sunday’s editorial in the Catholic Church’s Messenger newspaper titled “An international investigation … Read more
President of Sri Lanka, Ranil Wickremesinghe. | Photo Credit: ANI Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe plans to press ahead with his quest for the full implementation of the 13th Amendment as part of his reconciliation efforts with the country’s minority Tamil community, Presidential officials said on Wednesday. The minority Tamil community in Sri Lanka has … Read more
Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickermesinghe shakes hand with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron during a meeting in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Friday, July 28, 2023. | Photo Credit: AP French President Emmanuel Macron held discussions with his Sri Lankan counterpart on July 29 on an open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region in the first-ever visit by a … Read more
Team effort: Sonia Gandhi, second from right, and other leaders at the second day of the joint Opposition meeting in Bengaluru. | Photo Credit: ANI Coalitions of ‘negativity’ never successful, says PM The 25-year-old National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is a “coalition of contributions and not compulsion”, with development as its main agenda, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on July 18, drawing … Read more
Sri Lankan ethnic Tamil women wait to cast their votes during the 2013 northern provincial council election in Jaffna. | Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO A group of religious leaders, educationists, and professionals from Sri Lanka’s Tamil-majority north and east have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to “persuade” President Ranil Wickremesinghe to call for provincial council elections, without further delay. The civil society members handed over their letter at the … Read more
For Sri Lanka’s ruling establishment and its backers, March 20 was a good news day. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) finally responded to the government’s distress call following the collapse of the debt-ridden economy last year, by approving a $3 billion loan aimed at restoring economic stability and growth. “Sri Lanka will no longer be … Read more
Representational image only. | Photo Credit: Reuters The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on March 21 cleared a $3 billion-Extended Fund Facility (EFF) for Sri Lanka, potentially unlocking more loans for the debt-ridden island nation, struggling to recover from last year’s economic meltdown. “The objectives of the EFF-supported programme are to restore macroeconomic stability and … Read more
Sri Lankan president Ranil Wickremesinghe. File Photo | Photo Credit: AP Sri Lanka’s request for a $2.9-billion bailout was approved by the IMF on Monday, the cash-strapped South Asian nation’s President Ranil Wickremesinghe announced. “We are pleased that the IMF Executive Board approved our program, enabling Sri Lanka to access up to $7.0 billion in … Read more
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. | Photo Credit: ANI External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s visit to Colombo on Thursday will focus on “supporting Sri Lanka” in its current economic crisis, government sources said, adding that talks are ongoing in the field of energy security, food security, currency swap arrangements as well as talks about restructuring … Read more