Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan is being mocked for taking a helicopter into Islamabad most days, after declaring he would eschew luxury perks. Information Minister Chaudhry argued that the helicopter uses less fuel than a motorcade, saying at one at one point it cost only 50 Pakistani rupees (40 cents) per kilometer. That calculation provoked ridicule.…
The Center for Policy Alternatives (CPA) has said that it is concerned with media reports indicating that some members of the Sri Lankan government have expressed reservations about the more liberal provisions of the anti-terrorism Bill, and there is a threat that retrograde features might be reintroduced into the Bill by way of committee-stage amendments. CPA has consistently raised concerns with such practices of committee-stage amendments which are beyond the scrutiny of the judiciary and citizens of Sri Lanka..…
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is worth just over Rs 20 million (US$ 275,000), according to the latest declaration of assets released by the Prime Minister's Office. PM Modi holds a little under Rs 50,000 in hard cash and a little over Rs 10 million in banks. PM Modi also owns gold worth more than Rs 100,000 and has less than Rs 200,000 tied up in investments. The prime minister also holds a one-fourth share worth approximately Rs 10 million in a residential building in Gandhinagar, a plot that Modi bought in 2002 for Rs 130,000, reports NDTV.…
Nepalese officials say that the Chinese side proposed India-China-Nepal talks to resolve thorny issues. Called the “two-plus one” mechanism, it was proposed by China during Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli’s visit to Beijing in June this year.“We welcome the two- plus-one format as we are confident that such a dialogue will be conducted in a spirit of equality and mutual respect,” Shakti Bahadur Basnet, Nepal’s Minister of Forests and Environment, earlier told The Hindu.…
For the first time in the past several decades, a high-level delegation from Sri Lanka is likely to visit Chennai soon “to carry the message of peace and collaboration” between the people of the island country and “the brethren” in Tamil Nadu. Announcing this at the MGR centenary celebration at his birthplace Kandy on Sunday, Sri Lankan Parliament Speaker Karu Jayasuriya said it was a momentous occasion for the people of the two countries that Tamil Nadu education minister KA Sengottaiyan had brought a large team of experts from various fields, including education, healthcare, hospitality and industry, besides film personalities to relive the MGR saga on screen and in politics.…
The Sinhalese nationalist party, the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), an ally of the government, today called for a general amnesty to all the military personnel and LTTE cadres charged for war crimes.Members of Tamil parties that helped the military should also be granted amnesty.…
Bangladesh is to have its 11 th. parliamentary elections in November-December this year. As in the past, the elections are expected to take place in the midst of several controversies, some new and some enduring. Again, as in the past, ensuring free and fair elections in Bangladesh’s highly divisive, politicized and violence-ridden environment is going to be a major challenge for the State, writes P.K.Balachandran in Daily Mirror.…
The Uttarakanda of Valmiki’s Ramayana, says that Sri Lanka was created by the celestial architect Vishwakarma for the Gods in heaven. Another lore has it that after Lord Shiva married Parvati, he instructed Vishwakarma to construct Lanka so that the couple might reside there, says cultural anthropologist Dr.Lopamudra Maitra Bajpai in newsin.asia…
The Joint Opposition alleges that the polling agents of the opposition will not be able to scrutinize every vote being counted. Also any complaints about counting can be made only after the publication of the results.…
The project envisages construction of a 5000-metric ton temperature controlled warehouse for fruits and vegetables to minimize its post-harvest losses, which presently are around 40%.…
Bandula, the old and feeble jumbo in captivity for the past 66 years, has become a symbol for the liberation of all elephants held in captivity in Sri Lanka’s zoos, writes Jagriti Chandra in The Hindu.…
Colombo, Sept 17 (newsin.asia) – The Sri Lankan government will soon implement digital identification cards for its citizens which is aimed at strengthening the island’s digital economy, Daily FT reported Monday. Vice Chairman of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and Dialog Axiata…
"In the past decade, China-Russia military drills mainly focused on anti-terrorism and other non-traditional threats," Major Li Jinpeng, the battalion commander for a Chinese artillery battalion, told Chinese state-run broadcaster CGTN, noting that these exercises appear focused on classical battle campaigns. A military researcher told Chinese media that the Chinese People's Liberation Army could learn from Russia how to "fight in cities, in deserts, and in mountains." China,unlike Russia, has not fought a modern war since 1979.…
While India is to be given road development projects in the North in place of the already chosen Chinese company “for geopolitical reasons”, China will be compensated by giving it a road development project in the East, which is the biggest of the projects on hand, according to The Sunday Times.…
“Forty years ago, it was all but impossible for a foreign man or woman to live in China, let alone marry a Chinese,”Al Jazeera’s Adrian Brown of Al Jazeera observed. “But today, marriages like this are no longer exceptional … marrying a foreigner is no longer regarded as marrying down in the way it perhaps once was here.”…
The objective is to empower war affected women by building their capacities in vocations, leadership, entrepreneurial and management skills by setting up a Trade Facilitation Center and a Community Learning Centre in Batticaloa and Ampara. Under the project, SEWA has trained 40 war affected/destitute women from Batticaloa District. These women were trained in various vocational areas such as Textiles and Garments; Surface Ornamentation; Agro food processing; Computers; Enterprise Development; Solar lantern and roof rain water harvesting.…
While many of the member countries of the UNHRC might agree with the charges made in the resolution, they may not recommend the actions sought by it, given the changed political context in Lanka and the changed geo-political situation in South Asia.…
Colombo, Sept 17 (newsin.asia) – The following are the foreign exchange rates against the Sri Lankan rupee released by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka on Monday. Buying Selling Australian Dollar 114.63 119.38 Canadian Dollar 123.30 127.73 Chinese Yuan…
Colombo, Sept 14 (newsin.asia) – The following are the foreign exchange rates against the Sri Lankan rupee released by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka on Friday. Buying Selling Australian Dollar 114.57 119.38 Canadian Dollar 123.13 127.64 Chinese Yuan…
Colombo, Sept 12 (newsin.asia) – Sri Lanka’s Tourism Ministry has launched a new travel campaign to promote the island as a ‘year round’ tourist destination in order to boost arrivals during the lean months, local media reported Wednesday. Tourism Minister, John…
Singapore, Sept 9 (The Straits Times) – A rampant Sri Lanka outplayed Singapore 69-50 on Sunday (Sept 9) in the final of the M1 Asian Netball Championship at the OCBC Arena to win their first…