Hafsa Mustafa Posted in World
Sri Lanka refused permission to the United States to station two of its warplanes at an airport in the island's south in early March, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake told parliament. "They wanted to bring two warplanes armed with eight anti-ship missiles from a base in Djibouti to the Mattala International Airport from March 4 to 8 and we said 'no'," Dissanayake said. Read More…
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Sri Lanka is drawing praise from analysts and social media commentators after stepping in to rescue and assist more than 200 Iranian sailors caught in the widening conflict in the Indian Ocean, with many calling the island nation’s response both courageous and principled. The move by the Sri Lankan government to take over the vessel came after the US sank the Iranian warship IRIS Dena off Sri Lanka’s coast on Wednesday. Read More…
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Sri Lanka's former intelligence chief has been arrested in connection with the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed 279 people, including 45 foreigners, a police spokesman said. Suresh Sallay was arrested on Wednesday by the Criminal Investigation Department, spokesman Fredrick Wootler said. The co-ordinated suicide bombings targeted three upmarket hotels in Colombo, two Roman Catholic churches, and an evangelical Protestant church outside the city. The attacks were blamed on a homegrown jihadist group. The department is investigating possible “links or lapses” by Mr Salley in connection with the attacks, Mr… Read More…
0 CommentsAlina Hashmi Posted in World
As Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand and parts of Malaysia reel from deadly floods and mudslides, Pakistan is another country in Asia that has faced catastrophic flooding this year. Since June, flooding across Pakistan has displaced more than four million people, killed at least 1,000, damaged more than 230,000 houses and washed away almost 23,000 livestock. Climate change is seen as one of several factors contributing to the deluge. Pakistan ranks among the top 10 most climate-vulnerable nations, but it contributes less than 1 percent of global emissions. Read More…
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Sri Lanka declared a state of emergency on Saturday and appealed for international assistance as the death toll from heavy rains and floods triggered by Cyclone Ditwah rose to 132, with another 176 reported missing. The extreme weather system has destroyed more than 15,000 homes, sending 78,000 people to state-run temporary shelters, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said. Read More…
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Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Thursday that Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir personally intervened to address Sri Lanka’s security concerns after the visiting cricket team expressed apprehensions about continuing their tour in the wake of the Islamabad suicide attack. "Our field marshal himself spoke to the Sri Lankan defence minister, secretary and convinced, reassured them of ,” said Naqvi while speaking in the Senate. Read More…
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Sri Lanka has secured its biggest-ever foreign investment after signing a deal with Chinese state-run oil giant Sinopec, officials said on Thursday. Sinopec has agreed to invest $3.7 billion to construct a “state-of-the-art oil refinery” with a capacity of 200,000 barrels in the southern Hambantota region, according to the Sri Lanka president’s media division. “During President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s four-day state visit to China, Sri Lanka marked a significant milestone by securing the largest foreign direct investment to date,” it said. Read More…
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Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake reappointed Harini Amarasuriya as the prime minister of the Indian Ocean island nation on Monday. Dissanayake, whose leftist coalition won 159 seats in the 225-member parliament in general election, also reappointed veteran legislator Vijitha Herath to helm the foreign affairs ministry. Dissanayake did not name a new finance minister during Monday’s swearing-in, signaling that he will keep the key finance portfolio himself as he had done in September after winning the presidential election. Read More…
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Police in Sri Lanka have arrested three people on suspicion of planning to attack Israeli tourists on the Indian ocean island, a government minister said on Thursday. Authorities said on Wednesday they had increased patrols around Arugam Bay, a popular surfing destination in the country’s east, after receiving intelligence from another country about a possible terrorist threat to Israeli travellers. Three Sri Lankans have been taken into custody and are now being interrogated, said Minister of Public Security and Foreign Affairs Vijitha Herath. Read More…
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The Israeli Foreign Ministry has called on its nationals to "immediately leave" Sri Lanka's Arugam Bay and coastal areas in the south and west because of terrorism threats. Israelis in Arugam Bay, including the cities of Ahangama, Galle, Hikkaduwa and Welligama are to leave the area immediately and travel to the capital Colombo, the ministry said. Travel advice has been updated "in light of recent information about a terrorist threat focused on tourist areas and beaches", it added. Read More…
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