Author: Tolay Gadai

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka is planning to boost Buddhist tourism by linking temples in the country with those in East Asia, Foreign Minister Ali Sabry said after to welcoming a delegation of monks from Vietnam. President Ranil Wickremesinghe, and Minister Sabry have initiated a temple-to-temple program where 100 Sri Lanka temples will be linked with counterparts in the Association of South East Asian Nations region. “Tourism development will get a lot of growth with the temple-to-temple program,” Minister Ali Sabry said. Along with the delegation of monks, five travel agents from Vietnam were also invited. Under the first phase of…

Last week, Tamils in Sri Lanka and across the globe observed Maveerar Naal, an annual commemoration honoring fallen Tamil separatist soldiers of the Sri Lankan Civil War. In the aftermath of their observance, the Sri Lankan government conducted widespread arrests against Tamils who had participated. By November 30, the government had arrested at least 10 Tamil civilians, apparently as reprisals for celebrating Maveerar Naal under the nation’s draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). Initially enacted in 1979 as a temporary measure, the PTA became permanent in 1982. Despite promises of reform, the draconian law persists, disproportionately affecting Sri Lankans, especially minorities. It allows…

Islamabad: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has finalised a plan for promotion of cycling as an alternate transport system across the federal capital. Along with promoting healthy habit of cycling, the project which would be completed in three phases would also serve purpose of reduction in environmental pollution. The Planning and Evaluation of wing of CDA has also finalised Rs1.265 billion PC-1 of the project for developing cycling lanes all over Islamabad. There would cycling lanes to be developed along roads for mechanical and electric cycles as the project would also help in resolving problem of car parking in Islamabad.…

LAHORE: PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif is going to Balochistan on a two-day visit on Tuesday (today) as part of his party’s policy to form strategic alliances in all provinces ahead of the Feb 8 general elections. As a delegation of senior MQM-P leaders visited the elder Sharif in Lahore last week on his invitation to forge an alliance with the PML-N against the PPP in Sindh, sources said the ‘Sardars of Balochistan’ asked him [Nawaz] to come to Quetta and honour them if he wanted to go along with them in the upcoming polls. PML-N senior leader Sardar Ayaz Sadiq…

The biggest obstacle to the government’s official reserves is the rising oil prices in the global market, Finance Minister Ibrahim Ameer said today. Presenting the budget for next year at the Parliament today, Minister Ameer acknowledged challenges to the Maldives’ official reserves. “There are constraints on the Maldives’ official reserves, with the most significant being the escalating oil prices in the global market,” he said. The minister said that the official reserves stood at $550 million as of October 26 this year, projected to increase to $618 million by year-end if planned financing is secured. However, he cautioned that the…

In an international gathering of diverse voices of women leaders from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Indonesia, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, Afghan women’s rights took center stage, highlighting the enduring struggle they face amidst the crossfire of war and political turmoil. The discussionsat the virtual consultation on “Women’s Rights in Afghanistan – Regional Perspectives and Role of Islamic World”, organized by the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), underscored the need for women’s inclusion in decision-making processes as equal partakers, given their unique perspectives and compassion they bring. The urgent call to eradicate archaic notions and empower women to lead nations for…

President Ramchandra Paudel received the Dashain tika, jamara, prasad and blessings from his sister-in-law, 91-year-old Bishnu Maya Paudel, on the occasion of the Bada Dashain festival today. On the occasion, the President also received tika, jamara and prasad from the priest at the President House. President Paudel received the tika and prasad at the auspicious hour of 11:2 am at the President House, Shital Niwas here. After receiving the Dashain tika, he gave the tika to the members of his family. The President is scheduled to give tika and prasad to VVIPs and VIPs from 2pm to 3pm and to…

A group of business owners, including developers behind the $30 million project to build an Asian grocery store and food hall inside the empty Gordmans at the Burnsville Center, have purchased a major chunk of the half-empty mall. Burnsville Center’s new owners are no strangers to the troubled shopping center and the Twin Cities. A group of business owners, including developers behind the $30 million project to build an Asian grocery store and food hall inside the empty Gordmans at the mall, have purchased the rest of the shopping center, minus the anchor tenants. Wyn Group, the new brokerage and…

Nepal, one of the neighbouring countries, has offered to import electricity from Bangladesh in the winter season. If both parties agree, a deal will be signed within a short time, confirmed Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources. However, Bangladesh wants to import hydropower from Nepal in the summer. The Ministry of Power Division has confirmed that Nepal has made such a proposal during the negotiations regarding the import of that 40MW of hydropower from Nepal. According to the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB), the electricity demand drops below 9,000MW in winter in Bangladesh. Besides, due to the severe cold…

Bangladesh is expected to receive the second installment of the USD$4.7 billion loan from the IMF by November this year. “Officials of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) visited Dhaka several times and found satisfactory achievement in different sectors. The second instalment of the loan will be released timely,” a senior official of the finance ministry told UNB on Monday. Meanwhile, Bangladesh made reforms in some sectors and updated the latest information in line with IMF’s requirements. So there are no doubts about receiving the next instalment of the loan on time from the global lender, he said. The forex reserves…