By Uditha Devapriya
There are decades when years happen, years when months happen, and days when decades happen. Then there is Bangladesh. The images coming out of Dhaka over the last few weeks should astonish anybody who thought that Sheikh Hasina, who won a fifth consecutive term as Prime Minister in January this year, would…
By Britney Martil
In a dramatic escalation of unrest, Bangladeshi students have targeted the state broadcaster, Bangladesh Television (BTV), setting fire to its reception building and numerous vehicles parked outside.
This violence signifies a significant intensification of the ongoing protests against the country’s civil service hiring rules, with the death toll now reaching at least…
By Ramindu Perera
“Is there any reason why we in India should inherit the age-long rivalry of England against Russia? That is based on the greed and covetousness of British imperialism and our interests surely lie in ending this imperialism and not in supporting and strengthening it”
Jawaharlal Nehru (1929)
The recent meeting between Indian…
By Aakil Riyaz
News outlets were recently in a frenzy over Putin’s recent visit to North Korea. Reports of a pact between the Russian premier Vladimir Putin and the supreme leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) initially led to much speculation.
These rumors were not without a basis. It was later revealed…
By Natasha Gooneratne
Imagine this:
A developing country is in the midst of its most complicated economic crisis. Unemployment levels are rising, but not as precipitously as Inflation. Foreign currency coffers in national banks are as good as empty. As are fuel and gas reserves. International financial agencies have come knocking, they’re not happy about…
By Rumeth Jayasinghe
“Blood is thicker than water. It was natural for India to see what it could do to stand by Sri Lanka at this very difficult time”
S. Jaishankar
Sri Lanka’s relations with India go back a long way. The first inklings of trade consolidated economic, cultural, and religious ties in both countries.…
By Aavin Abeydeera
On June 1, the world’s largest democratic exercise came to a close. India’s general elections ran for seven weeks through six weeks from the April 19 to June 1, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA coalition once more coming on top.
However, this time around, Prime Minister Modi’s government will not…
By Nilanthan Niruthan
The unexpected and tragic death of Ebrahim Raisi reveals the true brutality of geopolitics. While basic compassion dictates that we mourn the loss of human life first, almost all the media coverage on his death has focused instead on the political ramifications of the tragedy.
Although unfortunate, this is also inevitable. Iran…
By Uditha Devapriya
At the time of his death on May 19, in a helicopter crash that has yet to be fully investigated, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi had risen through the ranks. Sanctioned by the West and nicknamed the “Butcher of Tehran” for his uncompromising attitude to protesters, he was seen as the successor to…
By Britney Martil
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's visit to Sri Lanka marks a significant milestone. The inauguration of the Uma Oya Multipurpose Project, a hydro power project supported by Iran, symbolizes the potential for further collaboration in energy generation and infrastructure. Despite challenges like funding delays, the completion of the project underscored a sustained dedication…
By Uditha Devapriya
In the face of growing unrest, turmoil, and chaos, the military junta governing Myanmar decided last week to move Aung San Suu Kyi – the democratically elected leader ousted in a coup in 2021 – into house arrest.
The decision stemmed ostensibly from concerns over her health: Suu Kyi is 78, and…
By P. K. Balachandran
There is hullabaloo in India over the tiny and uninhabited Kachchativu island in the Palk Strait. It was triggered earlier this month by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is also the supremo of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
To everyone’s surprise, Modi accused the opposition Congress party of giving…