Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday paid homage to Sri Lanka’s sacred Buddhist tree before wrapping up a state visit during which he secured defense and energy deals, seen as a move to counter rival China’s growing influence in the region.
Modi offered flowers to the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi, an object of worship and a symbol of sovereignty for the Buddhist-majority island, in the pilgrim city of Anuradhapura.
The tightly guarded fig tree is believed to have grown from a sapling of the tree in India under which the Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment more than 2,500 years ago.
Photo: EPA-EFE / Sri Lankan President Media Division
The tree — which is guarded around the clock by monks, police and armed troops — is worshiped daily by thousands as a symbol of the “living Buddha,” its branches propped up by gold-plated iron supports.
“This visit has reaffirmed the deep cultural, spiritual and civilizational ties between our two nations,” Modi wrote on social media, before returning to India.
On Saturday, Modi and Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake oversaw the signing of seven agreements including on defense and energy.
Dissanayake rolled out the red carpet for Modi and conferred on him the country’s highest civilian honor for “the deep personal friendship” shown to Sri Lanka.
“We believe that our security interests are aligned,” Modi said on Saturday. “Our security is interdependent and interconnected.”
A five-year defense cooperation agreement provides training of Sri Lankan military personnel in India as well as information and technology sharing.
Dissanayake said he had assured Modi that Sri Lankan territory “will not be allowed to be used by anyone to undermine India’s security.”
India has previously objected to Chinese submarines and research vessels that have called at the main seaport in Colombo.
Sri Lanka has not allowed Chinese submarines to dock since 2014, after India raised concerns over two such visits.
Last year, Colombo imposed a ban on foreign research vessels following New Delhi’s accusations that Chinese ships were being used to spy on India.
‘EYE FOR AN EYE’: Two of the men were shot by a male relative of the victims, whose families turned down the opportunity to offer them amnesty, the Supreme Court said Four men were yesterday publicly executed in Afghanistan, the Supreme Court said, the highest number of executions to be carried out in one day since the Taliban’s return to power. The executions in three separate provinces brought to 10 the number of men publicly put to death since 2021, according to an Agence France-Presse tally. Public executions were common during the Taliban’s first rule from 1996 to 2001, with most of them carried out publicly in sports stadiums. Two men were shot around six or seven times by a male relative of the victims in front of spectators in Qala-i-Naw, the center
Incumbent Ecuadoran President Daniel Noboa on Sunday claimed a runaway victory in the nation’s presidential election, after voters endorsed the young leader’s “iron fist” approach to rampant cartel violence. With more than 90 percent of the votes counted, the National Election Council said Noboa had an unassailable 12-point lead over his leftist rival Luisa Gonzalez. Official results showed Noboa with 56 percent of the vote, against Gonzalez’s 44 percent — a far bigger winning margin than expected after a virtual tie in the first round. Speaking to jubilant supporters in his hometown of Olon, the 37-year-old president claimed a “historic victory.” “A huge hug
Two Belgian teenagers on Tuesday were charged with wildlife piracy after they were found with thousands of ants packed in test tubes in what Kenyan authorities said was part of a trend in trafficking smaller and lesser-known species. Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx, two 19-year-olds who were arrested on April 5 with 5,000 ants at a guest house, appeared distraught during their appearance before a magistrate in Nairobi and were comforted in the courtroom by relatives. They told the magistrate that they were collecting the ants for fun and did not know that it was illegal. In a separate criminal case, Kenyan Dennis
The US will help bolster the Philippines’ arsenal and step up joint military exercises, Manila’s defense chief said, as tensions between Washington and China escalate. The longtime US ally is expecting a sustained US$500 million in annual defense funding from Washington through 2029 to boost its military capabilities and deter China’s “aggression” in the region, Philippine Secretary of Defense Gilberto Teodoro said in an interview in Manila on Thursday. “It is a no-brainer for anybody, because of the aggressive behavior of China,” Teodoro said on close military ties with the US under President Donald Trump. “The efforts for deterrence, for joint resilience
RSS