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Putin hails election victory
Vladimir Putin said Russia would not be "intimidated" as he hailed an election victory that will make the former spy the longest-serving Russian leader in more than 200 years.
All of the 71-year-old's major opponents are dead, in prison or exiled, and he has overseen an unrelenting crackdown on anybody who publicly opposes his rule or his military offensive in Ukraine.
"I want to thank all of you and all citizens of the country for your support and this trust," Putin told a news conference at his campaign headquarters…
Haiti situation resembles chaos of Mad Max
The UN children’s agency chief offered a dire assessment of the chaotic situation in Haiti, saying it was “almost like a scene out of Mad Max,” which depicted a violent and lawless post-apocalyptic future.
“Haiti is a horrific situation,” UNICEF executive director Catherine Russell said on the CBS talk show Face the Nation.
“Many, many people there are suffering from serious hunger and malnutrition, and we are not able to get enough aid to them,” with gangs controlling large parts of the capital, Port-au-Prince, as…
ADB approves $100m loan to support SMEs
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $100 million loan to provide small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Sri Lanka more access to finance and build their resilience to external shocks, such as the economic crisis and climate change.
“SMEs play a critical role in Sri Lanka’s economy, contributing 52% to the country’s gross domestic product and employing 45% of the population,” said ADB Senior Financial Sector Specialist Manohari Gunawardhena. “It is therefore important to provide SMEs, particularly…
Stalin slams PM Modi over Katchatheevu issue
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin accused Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi of ‘‘uttering a lie’’ on the Katchatheevu issue to target the DMK and blamed him for ‘‘staying silent’’ over projects for the state.
In a post on social media platform X, Stalin alleged that the Indian Prime Minister had ‘‘blatantly lied’’ in his rally at Kanyakumari on March 15 that Tamil Nadu fishermen are facing trouble from Sri Lanka only due to the past ‘‘sin’’ of the DMK.
‘‘The Tamil Nadu people know the true history pretty well;…
2024 Lok Sabha election results on June 4
India will go to the polls from April 19 to June 1, in a marathon seven-phase exercise to elect the 543 members of the 18th Lok Sabha, the Election Commission announced.
Assembly elections will be held simultaneously in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh
The dates of polling for the Lok Sabha are April 19, April 26, May 7, May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1. In Bihar, West Bengal, and Uttar Pradesh, voting will take place in all seven phases.
The counting of votes will take place on June 4.…
Bollywood singer Anuradha Paudwal joins BJP
Noted Bollywood singer Anuradha Paudwal joined the BJP in New Delhi on March 16 ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
Addressing a joint press conference with BJP leaders at the party's headquarters, Ms. Paudwal praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said she was happy to join the party led by him.
The famous playback singer, who was conferred the Padma Shri, the country's fourth-highest civilian award, joined the BJP in the presence of its senior leaders, including national general secretary Arun Singh and chief…
US probing Gautam Adani, Adani Group over potential bribery
The US has widened its investigation of Adani Group to focus on the conduct of its founder, Gautam Adani, and whether the company may have engaged in bribery, Bloomberg News reported.
The report, citing people with direct knowledge of the matter, said prosecutors are investigating whether an Adani entity or people linked to the company, including Mr. Adani, were involved in paying officials in India for favorable treatment on an energy project.
The US Attorney’s office for the Eastern District of New York and the…
Petition challenging IGP appointment fixed for consideration
The Supreme Court has fixed a fundamental rights (FR) petition filed against the IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon's appointment, which was to be considered on April 02.
The petition had been filed by Prof. Savitri Gunasekara earlier this month.
When the petition was called before a 3-member Supreme Court judge bench led by Justice Preethi Padman Surasena, the petitioning party was ordered to send notices to the respondents.
Subsequently, the petition was fixed for consideration on April 02.
The petitioner has sought a…
Lanka, India to co-host ICC Men’s T20 World Cup
The Board of International Cricket Council (ICC) has green-lighted the qualification process for the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by Sri Lanka and India.
Approval was given at the Board meeting in Dubai earlier this week.
ICC said the future structure and context of international bilateral cricket was top of the agenda of this meeting.
The 10th edition of the event will feature 12 automatic qualifiers. These will include the joint hosts and the top 8 teams from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.…
Top US Democrat Schumer calls for new elections in Israel
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called on Israel to hold new elections, saying he believes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has “lost his way” and is an obstacle to peace in the region amid a growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Mr. Schumer, the first Jewish majority leader in the Senate and the highest-ranking Jewish official in the U.S., strongly criticized Mr. Netanyahu in a 40-minute speech Thursday morning on the Senate floor. Mr. Schumer said the Prime Minister has put himself in a coalition of…
Indian troops begin withdrawal from Maldives
Indian troops stationed in the Maldives have begun withdrawing from the island nation, its defence authorities said, in line with President Mohamed Muizzu’s ‘India out’ promise to his supporters.
“We can confirm that the Indian troop withdrawal is underway,” the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) said in a statement to news agency AFP on Tuesday, confirming the development.
Last month, the Ministry of External Affairs said a technical team from India had reached the Maldives to replace the troops stationed to…
Kavan Ratnayaka is new Bank of Ceylon chairman
Mr. Kavan Ratnayaka, a senior public and private sector figure/official, has been appointed head of the country’s leading state bank, the Bank of Ceylon (BOC), and is assuming the duties of its chairman.
He takes over from Mr. Ronald C. Perera (PC), who has been Chairman of the Bank since January 2023.
Mr. Ratnayaka has headed a wide cross-section of private and public sector entities in finance, banking, telecommunication, technology, tourism, and media.
Mr. Ratnayaka currently serves on the Boards of KBSL (Pvt)…
Harsha: ‘Don’t play politics with our economy’
Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Dr. Harsha de Silva has refuted recent claims that he requested for a meeting with the visiting delegation of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Taking to ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) in response to a statement made by State Minister of Finance Shehan Semasinghe, the SJB MP stated that he had merely requested for the Opposition to be involved in the External Debt Restructure (EDR).
MP Dr. Harsha de Silva further highlighted that he had requested this, given the crucial importance of the…
AI in ICT curriculum from Grade 8
Measures have been taken to revise the current Information and Communication Technology (ICT) curriculum for students from Grade 08 onwards in Sri Lanka.
Accordingly, Minister of Education Susil Premajayantha said, Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be introduced into the prevailing ICT curriculum for the students of the aforesaid grades in schools.
The pilot project for launching the new curriculum will commence on March 19, and 17 schools will participate.
Premajayantha assured that Microsoft Corporation has joined…
AKD, Canada envoy discuss Lanka political situation
The Canadian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Eric Walsh, called on the Leader of National People’s Power (NPP), MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
The meeting, which took place at the JVP head office, discussed the current socio-economic and political situation in Sri Lanka at length.
Taking to his X handle (formerly Twitter), Dissanayake said views were also exchanged between the two sides on the National People’s Power plans to build national unity.
“The High Commissioner also took this opportunity to congratulate us on…
Russia is ready for nuclear war: Putin
Russia remains in a state of combat readiness and is fully ready for a nuclear war, but not "everything is rushing to it" at present, President Vladimir Putin said in remarks published on March 13.
In an interview with state media, Mr. Putin, who launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine and is nearly certain to win the March 15 to 17 presidential election, said Russia would be ready to use nuclear weapons if its sovereignty was threatened. "From a military-technical point of view, we are, of course, ready," Mr. Putin…
‘Don’t fall into BJP trap and take to streets over CAA’
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said the move to notify the rules of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) was to trigger communal tension and appealed to Muslims not to fall into the “BJP’s trap."
“I appeal to all, especially Muslims, not to fall into the trap of the BJP. There is no need to come out on the roads and protest. It’s time to reply with the power of vote. It’s a constitutional battle. The Supreme Court’s recent judgments are very hopeful,” Ms. Mufti said at a press conference.
Ms.…
India, Sri Lanka discuss renewable energy cooperation
Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera has held discussions with an Indian government delegation regarding the renewable energy cooperation between the two countries, capacity-building programs, technology transfer, investments, opportunities, and policies related to the sector.
The delegation is led by Shri Bhupinder Singh Bhalla, Secretary to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy of India.
He is on a three-day visit to discuss possible investments and engage with renewable energy stakeholders and…
New Chief Secretaries for Northern, N. Western provinces
President Ranil Wickremesinghe appointed new chief secretaries to the Northern and North Western provinces.
Accordingly, L. Ilangovan, a distinguished officer of the Sri Lanka Administrative Service, was appointed as the new Chief Secretary of the Northern Province.
He previously served in various ministries in the Northern Province and held the position of Northern Province Governor’s Secretary. Before he was appointed the Chief Secretary, Ilangovan was the President’s Additional Secretary for Northern Province…
Pro-Khalistan protesters raise slogans in Canada
At least 80 pro-Khalistan protesters raised derogatory slogans when Indian High Commissioner to Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma attended an event organized by the Indo-Canadian Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) in Edmonton on March 11.
The event had earlier gained prominence after Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun called for the Khalistan sympathizers to “challenge, target and question” the Indian envoy over the alleged Indian involvement in the murder of Sikh preacher Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia, in…