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A major reshuffle of the Sri Lankan defence establishment took place last week. General Sarath Fonseka took over as the Chief of Defence Staff, a newly created post, with powers to map out military strategy and planning. Gen.
“With improved implementation of the plan of action for South Asia, Trump has impelled the region to constantly recalibrate strategic choices while
Global data governance is at a crossroads—intensely contested by nations and industry players seeking to shape rules of the road to benefit their strategic interests. India has placed itself at the heart of the battle, its foreign policy vision fuelled by the principle of ‘data sovereignty’—a broad notion that supports the assertion of sovereign writ over data generated by citizens within a country’s physical boundaries. While this visi
With the U.S. having shut down one of its major Space situational awareness networks, major Spacefaring powers need to make it a priority to contemplate possible solutions to track satellites and orbital debris on a continued basis.
The space domain has changed in significant ways in the last two decades, not only because of a multitude of new players but also the increasing incap
There is a growing need for global governance of space technology. India, being one of the earliest and most successful spacefaring states, could play
The speed limit on Indian roads should be reconsidered only after stringent road regulations are in place to deal with issues unique to India
The adoption of astroturf in sporting facilities poses a health hazard to humans and aggravates climate issues, thus, urban planning must focus on gre
Work authorisation for H4 covers dependent spouses of H1B non-immigrants on two conditions.
More than two years after the Government of Sri Lanka and the leadership of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) reached an agreement on a ceasefire in their military and para-military operations against each other, with Norway playing the role of a facilitator, and embarked on a process of negotiations in order to find a political solution to the demands of the LTTE for an independent
In South Asia, Sri Lanka — with its geographically unique position in the Indian Ocean, and with a strong BRI partnership established during the pre
The events in Sri Lanka yesterday have shocked many around the world. An Easter day attack on three churches and an equal number of hotels, in such coordinated fashion, sounds surreal, even bizarre. Latest reports say over 200 people are dead and over 500 injured. It suggests the attacks were planned in meticulous fashion to inflict maximum damage. While no organization has stepped forward to take responsibility, there is speculation that this mi
Sri Lankans still hope to get jobs and incomes from Trinco development plans — it has not happened in the case of Hambantota.
Not many in Sri Lanka, particularly on the Government side, had expected China to play evasive on the report of the panel appointed by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on issues of accountability pertaining to the end-game of 'Eelam War IV'.
In an observation recently in the Sri Lankan Parliament, External Affairs Minister G L Peiris asserted that the country could not achieve its development goals without India, which was going to play a vital role in achieving such targets.
Sri Lanka's Northern Province Tamil Chief Minister C V Wigneswaran seems to be sending contradictory signals to India through his actions. On the one hand, he wants India to play an active role in finding a 'political solution' to the ethnic problem. On the other, he boycotted the India-funded Colombo-Jaffna railway inauguration and earlier President's invitation to be part of the delegation to India.
The increasing effort at marginalisation of Sri Lanka in the international arena, with hopes that a vote against the country at UNHRC could well shame the Government into taking pro-active measures at an early political solution are misplaced, at best.
जैसे ही कर्ज़ जाल सबंधी आलोचना तेज़ होती जा रही है, चीनी प�
At the Galle Dialogue 2016, Sri Lanka sought not only to stress its critical geographical location at the crossroads of important Indian Ocean sea lines of communication, but also to display a catalytic ability to spur regional collaboration in securing the vulnerable commons.
Against several odds, what began as the Srinagar conversation has transformed into the Srinagar Consensus, making it arguably the most far-reaching po
How has Elon Musk's Starlink Satellite Network played an important role in strengthening the Ukrainian military's might?
Why is Indonesia’s plans to shift its capital met with criticisms?
The BJP is the best placed in next month’s electoral battle.
The under-representation of women in STEM sectors puts them at a high risk of being displaced by technology.
It is necessary to detail the steps that our transit agencies can take in the face of the restart after 17 May.
A year is a lifetime in an intensely contested, democratic polity. This is why the government must squeeze out the "fat" in the system whilst planning for the future. Given the head winds building up, it is critical for the government's longevity to redeem its compact with voters by delivering real, near-term, fiscally neutral improvements in consumer welfare.
Time used to be when even in the post-Cold War era, where a new Russia — struggling both internally and externally to find its place in the new world without the Soviet Union — would be on Sri Lanka’s side, almost always. Not any more.
India placed on the agenda the need for strengthening civil society organisations and think-tanks
While resource exploitation in the Artic may offer short-term gains, the long-term consequences for the planet outweigh them
What does the quest by Chinese companies for "top-to-bottom" domination of digital platforms mean for India?
The discussion covered various aspects of video streaming ecosystem interspersed with insightful panel discussions.
Large numbers of people, most of them women, are trafficked in the Bay of Bengal region. Despite these countries having anti-trafficking laws in place in line with the United Nations Trafficking in Persons Protocol, the incidence of the criminal activity continues unabated. This brief gives an overview of human trafficking in the Bay of Bengal region, particularly around the contiguous zone of India–Nepal–Bangladesh, which has become a hub of
The question of municipal leadership is of great significance in urban governance in India. There are various models of the position of chief executive of an urban local body (ULB), predominantly tilting towards the ‘strong mayor’ model either through ‘presidentialisation’ of the office or through a ‘mayor-in-council’[1] system. In India, it is the ‘state appointed municipal commissioner’ model that holds sway, sitting over a popu
Small satellites have gained considerable importance in recent years. Although small spacecraft have existed for decades, their military applications have recently gained prominence owing to technological advances in their development and integration into the armed services of the major spacefaring countries across the world. This paper analyses the significance of small satellites in the C4ISR capabilities of the three service branches of the In
Street vending was illegal in urban India for almost six decades until the passage of the Street Vendors Act in 2014. Despite the law having legalised the activity, however, the default policy in most cities across India is to clamp down on street hawkers. Yet street vending remains a viable source of employment for many. As the pace of urbanisation increases across India, it is only likely that a greater number of street traders will contest for
Safer cities are a product of technology, policing, community participation, education, and planning and architectural design. In the policy frame, focus should be on inclusive development, participatory approaches, identity mainstreaming, and sustainable urban development to create a more equal and tolerant urban society.
As a tool of diplomacy, forum summits have allowed countries to interact, exchange views, and work together to cooperate on issues of mutual interest. This is true for the African continent, where there is a recent surge in high-level summits involving heads of state, ministers, and civil society organisations. These ‘Africa+1’ summits have provided countries in the continent with an institutional platform to engage with both traditional and
Purchase of F/A-18 Super Hornets can herald the beginning of a closer long-term relationship with the US, which shall be beneficial for India and espe
Indian climate policy-making should 'mainstream' adaptation strategies into development planning to better address climate change. The Indian Government had formulated the National Action Plan on Climate Change in 2008.
What has emerged out of the consultations on the Surrogacy Bill is disappointing. The government has chosen to play an authoritarian, moralistic role.
While sustainable development and green growth are replacing conventional notions of economic growth and development, conventional finance is being re
The circular economy plays a pivotal role in tackling the climate crisis and achieving the SDGs
Integrating the use of bicycles and establishing a sound cycling infrastructure will help India in its quest to achieve sustainable development
After Sushma Swaraj's successful visit to Beijing, which managed to create a certain degree of 'warmth' in China's attitude towards India, now all eyes will be on Mr Modi's visit to China in May. But before that the border talks that are going to be held soon will play a key role in determining the course of events.
Over the past many months, a tectonic shift has taken place as the traditional foreign hegemonic presence in the region, the United States, increasing
This brief argues that the understanding of city-level air quality could be strengthened if residents who live in spaces where industries are present, are able to access information about industrial emissions in their areas. Indeed, even as there are some 4,000 OCEMS (online continuous emissions/effluents monitoring systems) in place in different pollutive industries across the country, the data they collect—inarguably vital for public health�
The findings of Working Group-III (WG-III) of the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) clearly highlight the global failure to scale-up mitigation actions to achieve the Paris Climate targets. Immediate and unprecedented action will now be needed to avoid catastrophic global warming in this century. The WG-III report details some of the policy actions needed at the global level to enable a sustai
India and Singapore's efforts and strategic planning have brought the bilateral linkages between them to such a juncture that further opening up and adhering to the '5s plan' of the Indian foreign Minister will enhance their partnership and make them achieve newer heights.
Reconciliation with the Taliban is critical to the US transition plan for Afghanistan. Although there have been secret and persistent talks with some key elements of the Taliban leadership during the last two years, a tangible outcome has yet to emerge from these negotiations.
The TAPI pipeline is not merely about economics. Geo-political concerns have played a crucial role in pushing the project, especially the deteriorating US-Iran relationship, amongst others. Two US companies have evinced also keen interest.
