Speaking to newsin.asia in the context of the government’s actions such as the controversial dismissal of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, the prorogation of parliament, and its subsequent dissolution, Dr.Amunugama said that criticisms from the Western world have to be taken in the stride and its concerns addressed within the framework of Lanka’s law and constitution and not by assuming a confrontational posture.
The US-led IMF had threatened to ask Pakistan to cut down on projects linked to the China-funded multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which Washington describes as a “debt trap”, and the Trump administration had clearly stated that it will not disburse funds to help Pakistan if the objective is basically to repay its debt to China, thus forcing Pakistan to look out for financial packages from Saudi Arabia and China.
Sri Lanka’s new Foreign Minister, Dr.Sarath Amunugama, on Wednesday met envoys of South Asian countries to get South Asia’s assistance to face mounting pressure from the Western bloc on the on-going political and constitutional crisis in the island nation. Sources said that Dr.Amunugama appealed to South Asian countries to stay together and act together to face common threats from the outside world.
At the meeting between Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and foreign envoys here on Monday, the European Union (EU) Ambassador Tung-Lai Margue warned that if democratic norms and constitutional provisions are not observed in handling the on-going political crisis in Sri Lanka, the EU may consider withdrawing the trade concessions the island nations enjoys under the General System of Preferences Plus (GSP Plus).
Sri Lanka is nestled like a jewel that has been delicately placed by hand in the middle of the Indian Ocean. It offers a glimpse into a pristine and unspoiled coastline that’s ripe for exploring, says Jeremy Drake in www.escape.com.au
The bridge, which connects Hong Kong and Macau with mainland China, is 55 km long and six lanes wide. The project is aimed at bringing these three places closer by reducing the journey time to just about an hour long. Reportedly built using more steel than as many as 60 Eiffel Towers, the multi-billion dollar project has been touted as the result of an international collaboration.
Speaking outside Court on Friday, Nizamdeen’s lawyer Moustafa Kheir said the process had taken a toll on the student, who spent a month in a maximum-security prison after being charged. “He’s gone through super max jail — unforgivable circumstances.”
The international media has been portraying Pakistan as a hotbed of Islamic fundamentalism, especially after the Americans carried out a surgical strike there to kill international terrorist and fugitive, Osama bin Laden.
But for about a decade now, Pakistan has been trying hard to live down its sectarian image and portray itself as a tolerant society equally proud of its Islamic and pre-Islamic Hindu, Buddhist and Sikh past, writes P.K.Balachandran in DailyFT.
“Based on contributions to date we expect funding for 2018 to meet just 55 per cent of the US$ 8.2 billion that is needed. This contrasts with 56.6 per cent in 2017 and 58 per cent in 2016. In short, donor funding is falling increasingly behind as the number of forcibly displaced worldwide has grown,” spokesman of the UNHCR Babar Baloch said in Geneva on Tuesday.
