News
‘Indian Ocean Region will feel ripple effects of power rivalry in western Pacific’
NEW DELHI: DECEMBER 20, 2020 (PTI)
Countries operating in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) will feel the ripple effects of the great power rivalry intensifying in the western Pacific Ocean Region, Vice-Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, Director General Naval Operations, said on Friday.
He was alluding to naval operations by the U.S. and China in the South China Sea, which is an arm of the western Pacific Ocean.
“There is considerable churn in the geopolitical situation in the IOR and broader Indo-Pacific. As great power rivalry intensifies in western Pacific, the IOR will feel its ripple effects. No doubt,” Mr. Tripathi said at a webinar.
This will be a true test for our “military diplomatic outreach as we face the consequential opportunities and challenges”, he added.
“We therefore have to continue playing an increasingly important role, not only for the security and prosperity of our nation, but also the larger Indian Ocean region,” he said.
The U.S. has been regularly sending warships to the South China region in the wake of China’s growing military assertiveness in the region.
The latest incident between the two countries’ navies took place in the South China Sea in August when China claimed it drove out an American warship from the disputed Paracel archipelago.
On Thursday, the U.S. military released a document warning that it would be more assertive in countering Chinese violations of the international law in the South China Sea.
The armies of India and China are locked in a tense border standoff in eastern Ladakh since early May. Both sides have held multiple rounds of military and diplomatic talks. However, no breakthrough has been achieved yet.
Tripathi said: “India’s outlook towards the IOR is shaped by the civilisational ethos which stresses upon the greater good of humanity at large. The ancient Indian concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, meaning the entire world is one family, is well ingrained in our polity and people and is also enshrined at the entrance of our Parliament.”
“The navy engages in military diplomacy on four pillars, namely, capacity building, capability enhancement, cooperative engagements and collaborative efforts,” he stated.
Foreign News
One dead in US after being struck by taking off Frontier Airlines plane
A person has died after jumping an airport perimeter fence in the US state of Colorado and being struck by a Frontier Airlines plane, according to authorities.
Denver International Airport said the unusual incident occurred late Friday, after the unidentified individual gained access to the tarmac.
It said the “pedestrian jumped the perimeter fence and was hit just two minutes later while crossing the runway”.
A brief engine fire followed the collision, which was put out by emergency responders, according to the airport.
It said that 12 of the 231 people on board suffered minor injuries, with five hospitalised.
The airport said investigators had examined the fence line where the individual entered and “found it to be intact”.
It added that the struck individual “is not believed to be an employee of the airport”.
“We are extremely saddened by this incident and express our sympathies to those involved,” the airport said.
Both local authorities and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) were investigating the incident.
Airport safety in the US came under renewed scrutiny earlier this year amid a prolonged shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which temporarily left both Transportation Security Agents (TSA) and air traffic controllers working without pay.
While instances of people being killed on airport tarmacs are rare, Friday’s incident came a day after a Delta employee was killed after an airport vehicle struck an airbridge at Orlando International Airport.
In March, two pilots were killed after an Air Canada Express plane crashed into a fire-rescue vehicle at LaGuardia Airport in New York.
About 225,000 people travel through Denver International Airport a day.
[Aljazeera]
Latest News
Showers above 100 mm are likely at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, Southern, Uva, North-western and Northern provinces and in Anuradhapura district.
WEATHER FORECAST FOR 10 MAY 2026
Issued at 05.30 a.m. on 10 May 2026 by the Department of Meteorology
The low-level atmospheric disturbance in the vicinity of Sri Lanka is likely to develop into a low-pressure area around 11th of May. Therefore, the prevailing showery conditions over the island are expected to continue during the next few days.
Showers or thundershowers will occur at most places over the island, and cloudy skies are expected over the island. Heavy showers above 100 mm are likely at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, Southern, Uva, North-western and Northern provinces and in Anuradhapura district.
The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damage caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.
News
Lanka Port City officials to meet investors in Dubai
ECONOMYNEXT –Colombo Port City (CPC) officials will head to Dubai to meet with investors on June 11, as Sri Lanka’s most ambitious economic zone looks for further foreign investments.
“We are meeting people in Dubai and the Middle East in order to demonstrate that Colombo Port City can be a supplementary zone of investment,” Harsha Amarasekara, Chairman, Colombo Port City Economic Commission (CPCEC), told Economynext.
The meeting will be organised by CPCEC, China Harbour Engineering Company, Consulate General of Sri Lanka – Dubai, and the Embassy of Sri Lanka – Abu Dhabi.
Foreign investor meetings have been a consistent factor in marketing CPC, and identifying potential markets has been a priority for CHEC and CPCEC.
“We have shortlisted and identified primary markets and we have combed the globe in that to say have a rationale behind why you would want to do certain things, a road show in a particular country,” Thulci Aluwihare, Deputy Managing Director, CHEC Port City Colombo, told Echelon Media.
“Once we kind of shortlist on that, then we aggressively go and market Port City, first Sri Lanka I should say, then Port City.”
“Sri Lanka is known in the world as a tourist destination, not essentially for a doing business capital. That is the narrative that we are trying to change,” he added.
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