News

Prez to attend COP26 in Glasgow

Published

4 years ago

2021/10/24

by Sujeeva Nivunhella reporting from London

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is to attend the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) scheduled to be held at the Scottish Event Campus in the city of Glasgow, Scotland from next Sunday (31) to Nov 12.

Diplomatic sources said that the President would be accompanied by Foreign Minister G.L. Peiris, Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera, State Minister of Solar, Wind and Grid Power Generation Projects Development Duminda Dissanayake, Foreign Secretary Admiral Jayanath Colombage and Lankan High Commissioner in London Saroja Sirisena.

COP26 is the 26th United Nations Climate Change conference bringing parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

World Leaders will agree to step up efforts to adapt to the impacts of climate change and to make finance flows consistent with a pathway towards low greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilient development and by uniting behind a green recovery from coronavirus, which creates sustainable jobs and addresses the urgent and linked challenges of public health, climate change, and biodiversity loss, we can safeguard the environment for future generations.

There will be around 120 heads of state attending this summit. Queen Elizabeth II has confirmed her attendance. While former US President Donald Trump decided to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, incumbent President Joe Biden is planning to rejoin and said that he cannot wait to attend the Glasgow summit.

The summit took an early blow as the Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s invitation and the Kremlin confirmed that he would not attend. So far, Chinese President Xi Jinping has not confirmed his participation and it is widely expected that he too would turn down the invitation.

Observers note that while the conference is aimed at tackling global carbon emissions, it will be harder to make meaningful international progress if big emitters like China and Russia fail to participate.

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News

SAARC journalists meet in New Delhi

Published

5 hours ago

2026/02/6

Priyan

President of SJF Sri Lanka Chapter Rahul Samantha Hettiarachchi hands over a memento to Dr Alok Kumar Mishra Joint Secretary of the Association of Indian Universities

Members of the South Asian Journalists Forum have gathered at the University of New Delhi for a two day conference themed ‘Peace and Co-operation’.

Journalists from Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and India are attending the conference hosted by the University of Delhi in collaboration with the India Chapter of SJF, and will deliberate on how the media can act as a catalyst for regional stability and mutual coexsistence.

A tree plantation campaign was also held at the Ghandi Bhawan premises of the University to mark the event and symbolize growing regional ties.

The Sri Lanka delegation is led by President of SJF’s Sri Lanka Chapter Rahul Samantha Hettiarachchi.

News

Governor of Gujarat met with Sri Lanka PM to discuss exposition of Devnimori Relics

Published

7 hours ago

2026/02/6

Priyan

The Governor of the of Gujarat, Acharya Devvrat, along with the Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat, Harsh Sanghvi, met with Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya on Thursdy [February 05] at the Parliamentary Complex to discuss the arrangements related to the exposition of the Devnimori Sacred Relics of Lord Buddha, which have been brought to Sri Lanka under the patronage of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Government of India.

These sacred relics of Lord Buddha were discovered during archaeological excavations conducted in the 1960s at the historic Devnimori site in Gujarat, the home state of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Until now, these relics had never been taken outside India. As a result of discussions held between President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his recent visit to Sri Lanka, the people of Sri Lanka have been granted this rare opportunity to venerate these sacred relics.

The exposition of the relics is being held for a period of seven days, from February 05 to February 11, at the Gangaramaya Temple in Hunupitiya, Colombo. Discussions were held between both parties regarding the arrangements related to this event.

The discussion was attended by Samar Nanda, Joint Secretary of the Indian Ministry of Culture; Dr. Satyanjal Pandey, Acting High Commissioner of India in Sri Lanka; Abhijit Halder, Director General of the International Buddhist Confederation; along with several others.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]

News

INS GHARIAL makes port call in Colombo

Published

14 hours ago

2026/02/6

Priyan

The Indian Naval Ship (INS) GHARIAL made a port call in Colombo for operational turnarounds on 04 Feb 26. The Sri Lanka Navy welcomed the visiting ship in compliance with naval traditions.

Commanded by Commander Gaurav Tewari, INS GHARIAL is a vessel with a length of 124.8 meters.

During this visit, ten (10) Bailey Bridges, brought by ship, through the coordination of the High Commission of India in Sri Lanka, will be handed over to the Disaster Management Center. These bridges will provide temporary transportation links while bridges damaged across the island by adverse weather conditions are repaired.

The crew’s itinerary features scheduled goodwill activities with the Sri Lanka Navy, alongside visits to several tourist attractions across the island.