International Affairs

WASHINGTON - The United States, South Korea and Japan agreed in high-level security talks Friday to work together to keep up pressure on North Korea to give up its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis celebrated a surprise Holy Thursday Mass with the cardinal he fired last year, extending an extraordinary gesture to Cardinal Angelo Becciu by celebrating the liturgy that commemorates Jesus' Last Supper with his apostles before his crucifixion.

The Federation of St Kitts and Nevis and the Republic of Sri Lanka have formally established diplomatic relations.

NEW DELHI - A Chinese push to create civilian settlements along disputed borders in the Himalayan region has emerged as a major new concern for India as, analysts in India say, it replicates Beijing’s strategy to consolidate claims in the South China Sea.

පසුගිය වසරේ පැවති මහමැතිවරණය නිදහස් හා සාමකාමී වාතාවරණයක් තුළ පැවති බව අමෙරිකානු රාජ්‍ය දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව පවසනවා.

The Government of Japan has provided nearly $3 million through UNICEF to support the cold chain system in Sri Lanka and strengthen delivery of immunization services, including in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sri Lanka has dropped 14 places in the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2021.

GENEVA (Reuters): Chinese vaccine makers Sinopharm and Sinovac have presented data on their COVID-19 vaccines indicating levels of efficacy that would be compatible with those required by the World Health Organization, the chair of a WHO advisory panel said on Wednesday.

A consignment comprising 600,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, gifted by China to Sri Lanka were handed over to Dr. Palitha Kohona, the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to China yesterday (30) at the embassy in Beijing.

Sri Lanka will take part in a joint military exercise along with India, Bangladesh and Bhutan from April 4 to 12, in the first such multi-nation venture with neighbouring countries.

Prospects of an economic rebound in South Asia are firming up as growth is set to increase by 7.2% in 2021 and 4.4% in 2022, the World Bank said in its latest regional report, but warned recovery would be uneven, calling on governments to ramp up vaccination programs and redouble focus on reforms.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. State Department has ordered the departure of non-essential diplomats from Myanmar, it said in a statement Tuesday, amid a crackdown on protesters that has killed hundreds since the country's military coup began.

Reuters: Europe’s medicines regulator reiterated its backing of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, saying no particular group of age, sex or a previous medical history was especially susceptible to blood clotting after receiving the shot.

The U.N. Special Envoy for Myanmar warned Wednesday that "a bloodbath is imminent" and there is an increasing "possibility of civil war" in the country if civilian rule is not restored.

The United States and other key members of the global coalition to defeat Islamic State are voicing renewed concerns about the terror group against the backdrop of a massive campaign to root out operatives trying to turn a once-liberated area into a new stronghold.

GENEVA - A new study warns developing countries will have difficulty recovering from the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic without relief from crushing debt burdens keeping them mired in poverty. The U.N. Development Program (UNDP) is releasing the study ahead of next week’s World Bank-International Monetary Fund meetings.

For Serbia and Hungary, Russia's coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V has been a godsend, allowing both countries to accelerate their inoculation drives. Austria announced midweek it is negotiating to buy a million doses.

Pakistan alerted Sri Lanka on August 10, 2018 about a Sri Lankan national involved in extremism and planning for development of explosive devises with the use of readily available chemical materials, but the authorities here had not paid attention on him, the Presidential Commission that probed the serial bombings on 2019 Easter Sunday observes.