Page 15 - Sri Lanka

22 fishermen held, 3 boats seized by Sri Lanka: Stalin tells Centre

As many as 22 Tamil Nadu fishermen were arrested and their three boats were seized by Sri Lanka, Chief Minister M K Stalin conveyed to the Centre on Monday and sought immediate steps to secure the release of all the fishers arrested so far and their boats. Writing to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Stalin referred to continuing loss of livelihood for fishermen due to 'incidents of arrest and intimidation' by Sri Lanka and said that on June 22, twenty-two fishermen from Rameswaram fishing harbour were apprehended by the island nation along with their three mechanised fishing boats. "I request you to ensure the immediate release of the apprehended fishermen and their boats. I would also like to inform that permission is yet to be granted for the salvage boats and crew for bringing back the released boats from Sri Lanka. Similarly, the requests of various Fishermen Associations in Tamil Nadu to visit the fishermen jailed in Sri Lanka, to provide them with some consolation and ..

Baltimore bridge collapse: Ship crew may leave US if they comply with probe

Crew members on the cargo ship Dali can head home as soon as Thursday under an agreement that allows lawyers to question them as part of investigations into the cause of the deadly collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge. Attorneys had asked the judge Tuesday to prevent the roughly two dozen total crew members - all hailing from India or Sri Lanka - from leaving. Eight of the Dali's crew members were scheduled to return home, according to emails included in court filings. None of the crew members has been able to leave the U.S. since their ship lost power and crashed into one of the bridge's supporting columns on March 26. Under the agreement, which was confirmed by U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar during a hearing Thursday, the crew can return home but must be available for depositions. In the court filings, attorneys representing the City of Baltimore said the men should remain in the U.S. so they can be deposed in ongoing civil litigation to decide who is responsible

Google launches Gemini Chatbot service in India, other South Asian nations

This announcement marks a significant step in Google's efforts to broaden the reach of its chatbot technology beyond select markets, as per reports by GSM Arena

EAM Jaishankar to visit Sri Lanka on Jun 20, discuss wide-ranging issues

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will travel to Sri Lanka on Thursday in his first bilateral visit abroad in his second consecutive term in office. The visit reaffirms India's 'Neighbourhood First Policy' and underlines New Delhi's continued commitment to Sri Lanka as its "closest" maritime neighbour and time tested friend, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. The MEA said Jaishankar's visit will add momentum to connectivity projects and other mutually beneficial cooperation across sectors between the two countries. Jaishankar was last week part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's delegation at the G7 Outreach summit in Italy's Apulia region. The trip to Sri Lanka will be Jaishankar's standalone bilateral visit after he assumed charge as the external affairs minister for the second term on June 11. The MEA said the external affairs minister will have meetings with the Sri Lankan leadership on wide-ranging issues. "This will be the external affairs minister's first ..

Sri Lanka SC asks govt & Adani group to respond over wind power project

Sri Lanka's Supreme Court has given Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, the Cabinet and the Adani Group three weeks to file preliminary objections to a petition filed by an environmental group against the wind power project undertaken by the Indian conglomerate in the country. Sri Lanka's Adani Group renewable project entails two wind energy projects; a 250 MW in the northeastern district of Mannar and a 234 MW project at Pooneryn in the north. The total investment was to be USD 750 million. On Tuesday, a three-member bench of the apex court gave the prime minister, the Cabinet and the Adani Group three weeks to file preliminary objections to the rights petition against the project. An environmental rights group had claimed in court that a decision by the Cabinet to treat the Adani wind power project as a Sri Lanka-India government-to-government venture was illegal and that it would cause immense damage to the migratory bird population causing environmental hazards. They had also .

EAM Jaishankar likely to visit Sri Lanka next week, say officials

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is set to visit Sri Lanka on June 20, Foreign Ministry sources said here on Saturday. Sri Lanka was anticipating a visit by Jaishankar and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi too was expected to visit the island nation at a later date, Foreign Minister Ali Sabry told reporters on Friday. Sabry said the visits were a sequel to President Ranil Wickremesinghe's visit to New Delhi last week to attend Modi's swearing-in ceremony after he won the third term. However, there was no official announcement on Jaishankar's visit from India's Ministry of External Affairs. If confirmed, this could be Jaishankar's first official stand-alone visit abroad after he was appointed India's External Affairs Minister in the new government. The last time that Jaishankar was in Colombo was in October 2023 to participate in the 23rd Council of Ministers' meeting and the 25th Committee of Senior Officials of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA). News portal Adadera

Penna Cement acquisition: Adani spells out Lanka, South India strategy

Company sets target to achieve 140 MTPA capacity by 2028, aided by greenfield expansions

Sri Lanka economic recovery hinges on sustaining ongoing reforms: IMF

The key to Sri Lanka's transition from stabilisation to full economic recovery is sustaining the ongoing reform momentum, the IMF said on Friday after it decided to release the third tranche of USD 336 million from the USD 2.9 billion four year bailout package to the island nation. While releasing the third tranche, the IMF on Thursday noted that Sri Lanka's economy has started recovering, inflation remained low, revenue collection was improving, and reserves continued to accumulate but warned that despite these positive developments, the economy is still vulnerable and the path to debt sustainability remains knife-edged. We encourage the (Sri Lankan) authorities to continue to build on these hard-won gains and remain steadfast with their reform commitments, Peter Breuer, the head of the Sri Lanka IMF mission, told reporters here on Friday. In April 2022, Sri Lanka declared its first-ever sovereign default since gaining Independence from Britain in 1948. The unprecedented financial

Sri Lanka President recalls crisis help from SAARC nations including India

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Thursday recalled the assistance received from India and Bangladesh during the early days of the worst economic crisis and said the island nation would not have been able to recover from the turmoil had these countries not helped. Expressing gratitude to the government and Reserve Bank of India, as well as the government and Central Bank of Bangladesh, for their financial support, which he described as lifesaving, the president in his keynote address at the inaugural session of the 45th SAARCFINANCE Governors' Meeting and Symposium here said the assistance, along with aid from the United States Agency For International Development (USAID) and the World Bank, was pivotal in stabilising the country's economy. I must thank the government and the Reserve Bank of India and the government and the Central Bank of Bangladesh. That USD three and a half billion and that USD 200 million were lifesavers. Without that, we wouldn't be here today; there

IMF extends $336 mn to Lanka amid 'knife-edged' path to debt sustainability

The International Monetary Fund in March this year approved a 48-month, $2.9 billion extended arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) to support Sri Lanka's economic policies and reforms

Look forward to India, Maldives working together closely: Jaishankar

Union Minister S Jaishankar on Monday held separate bilateral meetings with Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe. Muizzu, Hasina and Wickremesinghe were among seven leaders from India's neighbourhood and the Indian Ocean region to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Council of Ministers on Sunday. "Delighted to call on President Dr Mohamed Muizzu of Maldives today in New Delhi. Look forward to India and Maldives working together closely," Jaishankar said on 'X'. Jaishankar was the external affairs minister in Modi's previous Cabinet. He took oath as a Union minister on Sunday. It was Muizzu's first visit to India after he became the island nation's president on November 17 last year. The ties between India and the Maldives came under severe strain since Muizzu, known for his pro-China leanings, took charge of the top office. Within hours of his oath, he ha

Sri Lanka has made 'strong progress' on debt restructuring front, says IMF

Sri Lanka's macroeconomic policy reforms have started to "bear fruit" and the country is expected to reach agreements with external commercial creditors soon, the IMF has said ahead of the second review of it's USD 2.9 billion bailout programme to the cash-strapped country. Addressing a press conference on Friday, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Communication Department Director Julie Kozack asserted that Sri Lanka has made "sufficiently strong progress on the debt restructuring front". She said that the island nation's programme performance is "strong", with most quantitative and structural conditionality for the second review met or implemented with delay, adding that reforms are still ongoing in some areas. The second review of the IMF's Extended Fund Facility under the USD 2.9 billion bailout of Sri Lanka has been set for June 12. Kozack confirmed that the IMF's Executive Board will meet to discuss the second review and the Article IV Consultation. Under Article IV of the IM

Adani Group plans to invest over $1 billion in Sri Lankan wind projects

Adani Group plans to invest over USD 1 billion in setting up projects in Sri Lanka to generate electricity from wind in what would be the island nation's single largest foreign direct investment and the biggest ever power project, sources said. Group firm Adani Green Energy Ltd (AGEL) will set up two wind farms in Sri Lanka's Mannar town and Pooneryn village in the northern provide with a total installed capacity of 484 megawatt at an investment of about USD 740 million. The related infrastructure that would transmit electricity to consumption centres will see further investment of over USD 290 million, two sources with knowledge of the matter said. The projects will not just be Sri Lanka's largest renewable energy project but also the nation's biggest power project to date. Last month, Sri Lanka had entered into an agreement to buy electricity from Adani's wind power stations for 20 years. AGEL will be paid 8.26 cents per kilowatt-hours (kWh) as per the agreement. This is lower t

Modi's swearing-in: Top leaders of neighbouring countries to be invited

India is likely to invite leaders of a number of its neighbouring countries, including Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, to the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the weekend, people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. Modi is all set to take charge as the prime minister for a historic third consecutive term with the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) winning 293 seats in the Lok Sabha polls. The people cited above said top leaders of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal and Mauritius are likely to be among the foreign leaders to be invited for Modi's oath-taking ceremony. The media division of Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe's office said Modi invited him to the swearing-in ceremony. It said Wickremesinghe accepted the invite. It said Wickremesinghe congratulated Modi on the electoral victory in a phone call. "During the conversation, Prime Minister @narendramodi invited President Wickremesinghe to his swearing-in ceremo

World leaders congratulate Modi ahead of third term as Prime Minister

Over 50 world leaders have congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he is set to take oath this week for a third straight term at the top office following the National Democratic Alliance's victory in the Lok Sabha polls. From India's neighbourhood and extended neighbourhood, presidents of Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Iran, Seychelles and prime ministers of Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Mauritius have sent congratulatory greetings to Modi. In a post on X, Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong described the victory of the NDA alliance as "historic" and said he was looking forward to working with his Indian counterpart to celebrate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two nations next year. "Congratulations @narendramodi on the historic victory by the NDA for the third consecutive term. Look forward to working with you to deepen the Singapore-India partnership and to celebrate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties next year," Wong said on X. Among G20 ...

Leaders of Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal, congratulate PM Modi on poll victory

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' on Tuesday congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the victory of the BJP-led NDA coalition in the general elections and expressed their desire to work closely with him. "I extend my warmest felicitations to the BJP-led NDA on its victory demonstrating the confidence of the Indian people in the progress and prosperity under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi," the Sri Lankan president wrote on X. As the closest neighbour Sri Lanka looks forward to further strengthening the partnership with India, he added. Nepal Prime Minister 'Prachanda' congratulated his Indian counterpart on the electoral success of his party-led alliance. "Congratulations to PM @narendramodi on the electoral success of BJP and NDA in the Lok Sabha elections for the third consecutive term. We are happy to note the successful completion of the world's largest democratic exercise with enthusiastic participati

IMF's second review for extended fund facility set for June 12: Sri Lanka

The second review of the IMF's Extended Fund Facility under the USD 2.9 billion bailout to Sri Lanka has been set for June 12, the cash-strapped island nation's minister of state for finance Shehan Semsinghe said on Monday. Semasinghe hoped that if everything goes according to the procedure, the review should lead to the release of USD 300 million from the international lender's third tranche. "The second review of the International Monetary Fund's extended fund facility under the USD 2.9 billion bailout to the cash-strapped Sri Lanka has been set for June 12," he said. He said that Sri Lanka expects continued support from all countries for a successful review to unlock the third tranche. "We look forward to the continued support of all countries for a successful review to unlock the third tranche which will further enhance economic stability, growth and reform efforts," Semasinghe said. The island nation, in April 2022, declared its first-ever sovereign default since gaining ...

Sri Lanka shuts schools as floods and mudslides leave 10 dead, 6 missing

Sri Lanka closed schools on Monday as heavy rain triggered floods and mudslides in many parts of the island nation, leaving at least 10 people dead and six others missing, officials said. The education ministry announced that the reopening of schools would depend on how the weather develops. Heavy downpours have wreaked havoc in many parts of the country since Sunday, flooding homes, fields and roads, and forcing authorities to cut electricity as a precaution. Six people died after being washed away and drowning in the capital, Colombo, and the remote Rathnapura district on Sunday, according to the disaster management center. Three others died when mounds of earth collapsed on their houses, and one person died when a tree fell on him. Six people have gone missing since Sunday. By Monday, over 5,000 people had been moved to evacuation centers and more than 400 homes had been damaged, the center said in a statement. Navy and army troops have been deployed to rescue victims and provi

15 yrs on, Tamil survivors of Lanka civil war live in fear, disempowerment

At the site of a bloody battlefield that marked the end of Sri Lanka's civil war, Singaram Soosaimuthu fishes every day with his son, casting nets and reeling them in. It is a skill he has known for much of his life and one that he had to relearn after a devastating injury. The former Tamil fighter lost both legs in 2009 as the nation's generation-long civil war drew to a close and the Tamils retreated in defeat. Making something of himself despite his injuries brought Soosaimuthu success an achievement in which he finds profound meaning. He sees his fellow ethnic Tamils in the same light: To regain their voice, they must thrive. But defeat bloody, protracted and decisive has brought Sri Lanka's minority Tamil community to a point of despair. Some parents have given up hope of ever learning the fate of the thousands of missing children. Parts of the Tamil lands are decimated, with poor infrastructure and fewer economic opportunities. Survivors have lived under surveillance for

Sri Lanka holds rates to control inflation, foster economic stability

Incoming data suggests that headline inflation is likely to be below the targeted level of 5 per cent in the upcoming months