Militaries, which are among the biggest consumers of fuel, account for 5.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. If the world’s militaries were a country, they would have the fourth-highest carbon footprint after China, the United States, and India. With 750 bases worldwide, the U.S. military’s emissions are the largest,Continue Reading
In its 2025 budget, the Sri Lankan government has allocated its Ministry of Defense (MoD) 442 billion Sri Lankan rupees (around $1.5 billion), a 3 percent increase from $1.45 billion in 2024, and up 15 percent from $1.3 billion in 2023. Only the Ministries of Finance, Planning and Economic DevelopmentContinue Reading
COLOMBO: IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva pledged to support Sri Lanka’s economic recovery, praising the cash-strapped nation’s “remarkable turnaround” during online talks with its president. The International Monetary Fund managing director promised unspecified help to the South Asian nation during a virtual meeting with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, his office said SaturdayContinue Reading
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka vowed on Thursday (Feb 27) to urgently tackle costly clashes between villagers and wild elephants after reporting the deaths of nearly 1,200 people and over 3,500 animals in a decade. Environment minister Dammika Patabendi told parliament that they will build more electrified fences and deploy additional staff toContinue Reading
In a speech on February 17, Sri Lanka’s President Anura Kumara Dissanayake presented the 2025 budget – the first budget of his government, which took office in September 2024. As Sri Lanka continues under an IMF-supported Extended Fund Facility (EFF) – initiated in response to the country’s macroeconomic crisis inContinue Reading
COLOMBO: A Sri Lankan passenger train derailed on Thursday (Feb 20) after smashing into a family of elephants, with no passengers injured but six animals killed in the island’s worst such wildlife accident, police said. The express train was travelling near a wildlife reserve at Habarana, some 180km east of theContinue Reading
Sri Lanka’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Vijitha Herath recently revealed in parliament that 59 Sri Lankans serving in the Russian Army have been killed on the Ukrainian battlefield as of January 20, according to data from the Sri Lankan Embassy in Russia. Sri Lankans are also known to be fightingContinue Reading
The recent reports that Sri Lanka has decided to revoke a 20-year power purchase agreement with India’s Adani Group has prompted considerable debate, highlighting the challenges that the nation’s leaders face in attempting to balance economic imperatives, relations with regional powers, and domestic accountability. The debate around the Adani projectsContinue Reading
China is drawing inspiration and ideas from Japan’s highly successful soft power strategy in Sri Lanka. Historically, Japan has played a pivotal role as an economic and trade partner for Sri Lanka. By the 1980s, Japan had become Sri Lanka’s largest aid donor, maintaining this position until 2007. During thisContinue Reading
