Sri Lanka and the United States have resolved to enhance cooperation on maritime security aimed at a safe maritime domain in the Indian Ocean, including through activities undertaken under Sri Lanka’s tenure as Chair of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA). 

Both countries affirmed the US commitment to a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region during the 5th Sri Lanka–USA Partnership Dialogue held in Washington on July 12, the Lankan Foreign Ministry stated on Tuesday.

The meeting was co-chaired by Acting Under Secretary for Political Affairs of the US Department of State John Bass and Foreign Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka Aruni Wijewardane.

In the joint Statement released on Tuesday, the two countries expressed their shared commitment to economic prosperity, security cooperation, sustainable development, democracy and human rights, and people-to-people exchanges.

“The United States welcomed the signs of economic stabilization in Sri Lanka and Sri Lanka’s steadfast commitment to the IMF programme and reforms, which will lay the groundwork for recovery, financial governance, and future growth,” it mentioned.

“Sri Lanka expressed its sincere appreciation for US economic assistance during the past crisis, totaling more than a quarter-billion dollars. The United States continues to support Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring and economic and governance reform agenda to promote sustainable growth,” it added.

Colombo also welcomed the planned arrival of the fourth High Endurance US Coast Guard Cutter transferred through the US Excess Defence Articles programme and a King Air aircraft to strengthen Sri Lanka’s maritime domain awareness and respond to humanitarian and post-disaster needs, totaling $30.18 million.

“The United States resolved to explore opportunities to increase support for Sri Lanka’s hydrographic mapping capabilities and training and development of personnel in this field,” the joint statement mentioned.

The USA delegation at the dialogue also included senior representatives of the US Department of State, the US Treasury, the US Department of Defence, the US Agency for International Development, and the National Security Council, the White House. AGENCIES

 Former US President and the putative Republican nominee for the White House, Donald Trump has named J.D. Vance, a first-time Senator from Ohio whose wife is an Indian-American, as his nominee for Vice President.

At 39 years of age, Vance is 40 years younger than Trump and brings to the ticket experience in the US military. He is a former venture capitalist and author of “Hillbilly Elegy”, an autobiography about growing up in a working-class American that first brought him to the national attention. He is new to politics and was elected to the US Senate in 2022, with, in no small measure, Trump’s endorsement.

“After lengthy deliberation and thought, and considering the tremendous talents of many others, I have decided that the person best suited to assume the position of Vice President of the United States is Senator J.D. Vance of the Great State of Ohio,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, a social media platform he owns.

“J.D. honorably served our Country in the Marine Corps, graduated from Ohio State University in two years, Summa Cum Laude, and is a Yale Law School Graduate, where he was Editor of The Yale Law Journal, and President of the Yale Law Veterans Association. J.D.’s book, ‘Hillbilly Elegy’, became a Major Bestseller and Movie, as it championed the hardworking men and women of our Country,” he added.

“J.D. has had a very successful business career in Technology and Finance, and now, during the Campaign, will be strongly focused on the people he fought so brilliantly for, the American Workers and Farmers in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Minnesota, and far beyond…,” the former President posted on Truth Social.

Don Trump Jr, who had emerged as Vance’s most avid advocate within Trump’s inner circle, told CNN that Vance was an “incredible” pick.

Vance is married to Indian-American Usha Vance, who was born Usha Chilukuri. She is an attorney, and a successful one. She clerked for Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts. She grew up with a strong emphasis on education and hard work in San Diego, California. She went to Yale University and also graduated from Yale Law School, like her husband.

Trump’s announcement came shortly after the Republican convention kicked off in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where he and Vance were formally nominated as the party’s candidates for president and vice-president respectively.

Vance is expected to broaden Trump’s appeal among working-class voters given his own background, recounted in “Hillbilly Elegy”. His contacts forged while working in venture capital in San Francisco are also expected to bring donors to the ticket. Besides, he is also seen as an effective and erudite exponent of Trump’s MAGA — Make America Great Again — vision on TV.

Vance was not always a Trump supporter though. He famously called him “America’s Hitler” once and counted himself among NeverTrumpers. After the assassination attempt on Trump, he blamed President Joe Biden for it. “Today is not just some isolated incident,” he wrote on X, adding, “The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs. That rhetoric led directly to President Trump’s attempted assassination.”

This post is likely to haunt him and his campaign as both parties dial down political rhetoric, led by both Biden and Trump.

The Biden-Harris campaign slammed Trump’s pick, saying in a statement that Vance was “picked because he would do what Mike Pence wouldn’t on January 6: bend over backwards to enable Trump and his extreme MAGA agenda, even if it means breaking the law and no matter the harm to the American people”.

“As Trump’s running mate, Vance will make it his mission to enact Trump’s Project 2025 agenda at the expense of American families. This is someone who supports banning abortion nationwide while criticizing exceptions for rape and incest survivors; railed against the Affordable Care Act, including its protections for millions with preexisting conditions; and has admitted he wouldn’t have certified the free and fair election in 2020..,” the Biden-Harris campaign stated. AGENCIES

 Former US President and the putative Republican nominee for the White House, Donald Trump has named J.D. Vance, a first-time Senator from Ohio whose wife is an Indian-American, as his nominee for Vice President.

At 39 years of age, Vance is 40 years younger than Trump and brings to the ticket experience in the US military. He is a former venture capitalist and author of “Hillbilly Elegy”, an autobiography about growing up in a working-class American that first brought him to the national attention. He is new to politics and was elected to the US Senate in 2022, with, in no small measure, Trump’s endorsement.

“After lengthy deliberation and thought, and considering the tremendous talents of many others, I have decided that the person best suited to assume the position of Vice President of the United States is Senator J.D. Vance of the Great State of Ohio,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, a social media platform he owns.

“J.D. honorably served our Country in the Marine Corps, graduated from Ohio State University in two years, Summa Cum Laude, and is a Yale Law School Graduate, where he was Editor of The Yale Law Journal, and President of the Yale Law Veterans Association. J.D.’s book, ‘Hillbilly Elegy’, became a Major Bestseller and Movie, as it championed the hardworking men and women of our Country,” he added.

“J.D. has had a very successful business career in Technology and Finance, and now, during the Campaign, will be strongly focused on the people he fought so brilliantly for, the American Workers and Farmers in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Minnesota, and far beyond…,” the former President posted on Truth Social.

Don Trump Jr, who had emerged as Vance’s most avid advocate within Trump’s inner circle, told CNN that Vance was an “incredible” pick.

Vance is married to Indian-American Usha Vance, who was born Usha Chilukuri. She is an attorney, and a successful one. She clerked for Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts. She grew up with a strong emphasis on education and hard work in San Diego, California. She went to Yale University and also graduated from Yale Law School, like her husband.

Trump’s announcement came shortly after the Republican convention kicked off in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where he and Vance were formally nominated as the party’s candidates for president and vice-president respectively.

Vance is expected to broaden Trump’s appeal among working-class voters given his own background, recounted in “Hillbilly Elegy”. His contacts forged while working in venture capital in San Francisco are also expected to bring donors to the ticket. Besides, he is also seen as an effective and erudite exponent of Trump’s MAGA — Make America Great Again — vision on TV.

Vance was not always a Trump supporter though. He famously called him “America’s Hitler” once and counted himself among NeverTrumpers. After the assassination attempt on Trump, he blamed President Joe Biden for it. “Today is not just some isolated incident,” he wrote on X, adding, “The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs. That rhetoric led directly to President Trump’s attempted assassination.”

This post is likely to haunt him and his campaign as both parties dial down political rhetoric, led by both Biden and Trump.

The Biden-Harris campaign slammed Trump’s pick, saying in a statement that Vance was “picked because he would do what Mike Pence wouldn’t on January 6: bend over backwards to enable Trump and his extreme MAGA agenda, even if it means breaking the law and no matter the harm to the American people”.

“As Trump’s running mate, Vance will make it his mission to enact Trump’s Project 2025 agenda at the expense of American families. This is someone who supports banning abortion nationwide while criticizing exceptions for rape and incest survivors; railed against the Affordable Care Act, including its protections for millions with preexisting conditions; and has admitted he wouldn’t have certified the free and fair election in 2020..,” the Biden-Harris campaign stated. AGENCIES

 Two hikers, a man and his daughter, have been found dead at a popular national park amid high temperatures in the western US state of Utah, said authorities.

San Juan County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that it was notified by the National Park Service of a deceased hiker in the Upheaval Dome area of Canyonlands National Park at 5.45 p.m. local time on Friday. About 15 minutes later, the Sheriff’s Office was notified of a second deceased hiker in the same area, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to park officials, the pair were a father and daughter who became lost while hiking a trail in the remote northwest portion of San Juan County.

The park service responded to the area after being notified by the Utah Department of Public Safety, which received emergency 911 texts from the hikers reporting that they were lost and out of water.

Due to the remote area and rugged terrain, the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office coordinated with the Department of Public Safety helicopter team to extract the decedents early Saturday morning, according to the news release.

San Juan County Sheriff’s Office and the National Park Service are investigating the incident.

Canyonlands National Park pointed out in a heat warning on its website that daily high temperatures in the park are reaching or exceeding 35 degrees Celsius.

The two visitors’ deaths are the latest in western US parks in recent weeks as the western part of the country continues to grapple with a widespread record-breaking heat wave.

Three visitors have reportedly died at Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona in less than a month since late June. All three deaths are still being investigated as park officials warned that most individuals will be at risk for heat-related illnesses without effective cooling or adequate hydration, especially with prolonged outdoor exposure.

A motorcyclist reportedly died on July 6 in Death Valley National Park in California as temperatures in the area reached 53.3 degrees Celsius. AGENCIES

 UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed has urged global leaders to redirect resources from warfare to peace and sustainable development initiatives.

Speaking on behalf of Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Mohammed on Monday called for immediate and decisive action to salvage the faltering Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Xinhua news agency reported.

“Conflicts in Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine, and beyond are causing a devastating loss of life and diverting political attention and scarce resources from the urgent work of ending poverty and averting climate catastrophe,” she said at the ministerial meeting of the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development.

She emphasized the need to slash military budgets and instead channel funds towards peace and development.

Highlighting the critical state of the SDGs, Mohammed noted that only 17 per cent of the targets are on track as the 2030 deadline approaches. “Future generations deserve more than 17 per cent of a sustainable future,” she emphasized, outlining a four-pronged strategy for urgent acceleration in a bid to meet the 2030 deadline for the goals.

The first step, she stressed, is to establish peace, underscoring that political and financial resources should be redirected from conflicts to development efforts.

She also emphasised the importance of advancing green and digital transition, urging nations to enhance their climate action plans by 2025, aligning them with the 1.5-degree Celsius limit in line with the Paris Agreement and investing in expanding digital connectivity.

Addressing the financial challenges impeding SDG progress, Mohammed pointed out the growing financing gap and destabilizing financial conditions in many developing countries.

She acknowledged the ongoing reform of multilateral development banks and the recycling of special drawing rights but called for more robust measures. “We must go further and faster to deliver an SDG Stimulus,” she urged, calling for increased lending capacity, expanded access to contingency financing, and comprehensive debt solutions.

Mohammed reiterated the SDGs’ promise to “leave no one behind.”

She emphasized the need to prioritize vulnerable populations, uphold the rights of persons with disabilities and combat gender inequality.

“Achieving this agenda means placing vulnerable people and groups at the forefront of national development plans, policies and budgets,” she said.

During its three-day ministerial segment, the HLPF will hold a general debate on the theme From the SDG Summit to the Summit of the Future.

Ministers and high-level representatives of participating states, as well as intergovernmental organisations, major groups and other stakeholders, will take action to realise the Political Declaration of the 2023 SDG Summit and accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the SDGs.

They will also contribute to the preparations for the Summit of the Future, to be held this September.

Held under the auspices of the UN Economic and Social Council, the forum will conclude on July 18 with the adoption of a ministerial declaration. AGENCIES

 Two UN agencies have called for a catch-up in child immunisation, warning global vaccinations of children stalled last year, leaving 2.7 million unvaccinated or with insufficient inoculations.

The latest World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) estimates of national immunisation coverage provide the world’s largest and most comprehensive dataset on immunisation trends for vaccinations against 14 diseases. The estimates “underscore the need for ongoing catch-up, recovery and system-strengthening efforts”, Xinhua news agency reported.

They said on Monday that childhood immunisation levels stalled in 2023, compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019, leaving many without life-saving protection, notably from measles. New data reveals that nearly three in four infants live in countries where low vaccine coverage is driving measles outbreaks.

“The latest trends demonstrate that many countries continue to miss far too many children,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “Closing the immunisation gap requires a global effort, with governments, partners, and local leaders investing in primary healthcare and community workers to ensure every child gets vaccinated and that overall healthcare is strengthened.”

The agencies’ data shows the number of children who received three doses of the vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP) in 2023 — a key marker for global immunisation coverage — stalled at 84 per cent (108 million). However, the number of children who did not receive a single dose of the vaccine increased from 13.9 million in 2022 to 14.5 million in 2023.

“More than half of unvaccinated children live in the 31 countries with fragile, conflict-affected and vulnerable settings, where children are especially vulnerable to preventable diseases because of disruptions and lack of access to security, nutrition, and health services,” they said. “Additionally, 6.5 million children did not complete their third dose of the DTP vaccine, which is necessary to achieve disease protection in infancy and early childhood.” AGENCIES

 The US State Department has “strongly and unequivocally” condemned the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump as he was holding a campaign rally in the state of Pennsylvania on Saturday.

“We know today that people around the world, governments around the world have questions about what happened on Saturday, just as Americans do. And our message to them is simple. As President Biden has made clear, there is no place for violence in our democracy, period,” State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller said on Monday.

“We condemn this attack and all political violence strongly and unequivocally, just as we condemn political violence in any country, and just as we condemn previous acts of violence in the United States, whether it be the attack on members of Congress practising for a baseball game, the brutal assault on Paul Pelosi, or of course, the horrific events of January 6, 2021,” he added.

Miller also said that Secretary of State Antony Blinken convened his senior leadership team to ask them to remind their teams and US allies and partners that “America has faced trying times before, but that we have emerged from them stronger because of our core values that we share as a nation”.

On Saturday, Trump was shot at an election rally in an assassination attempt just a day before the Republican Party was scheduled to begin its convention to formally declare him its nominee for the White House.

President Joe Biden, who called the former president after the shooting, said there is no place in the US for this kind of violence.

“It’s sick. It’s sick. It’s one of the reasons why we have to unite this country. We cannot allow this to be happening. We cannot be like this,” the President said.

The FBI has identified the shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks (20), who was killed by snipers of the US Secret Service that protect the previous and incumbent US presidents and their immediate families. AGENCIES

 The United States on Monday urged India to use its longstanding relationship with Russia to urge President Vladimir Putin to “end his illegal war and to find a lasting peace” in its conflict with Ukraine.

Mathew Miller, the State Department spokesperson, was asked about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Moscow and his meeting with President Putin, which continues to generate interest in Washington.

“India has a longstanding relationship with Russia,” Miller said, adding, “We have, speaking for the United States, encouraged India to utilise that relationship with Russia, that long-standing relationship in the unique position that they have to urge President Putin to end his illegal war and to find a just peace, a lasting peace to this conflict.”

He added that India should “tell Vladimir Putin to respect the UN charter, to respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. And that’s what we continue to impress upon the government of India which is an important partner of ours when it comes to its relationship with Russia.” AGENCIES

 Former US President Donald Trump on Monday picked JD Vance, a first-time senator from Ohio, as his running mate and nominee for the Vice-President post.

JD Vance, 40 years younger to Trump, is making global headlines not just for his selection in the race for V-P but also for his Indian connection. His wife Usha Chilukuri Vance is the daughter of Indian immigrants to the US and brings with her a deep connection to India and also the legacy of Indian culture and values.

Usha Chilukuri Vance’s parents hail from Andhra Pradesh, who migrated to the United States decades ago. Born and brought up in the US, Usha holds an impressive educational background, having graduated from top-notch American institutes. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in History from Yale University and then pursued Master’s in Philosophy from Cambridge University.

She also has a track record of a distinguished career, with professional engagements across multiple segments. She clerked for Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.

Usha and JD Vance met at the Yale Law School and it was there that they developed a close affinity for each other. They got married in Kentucky in 2014 and together they have three children.

Usha Chilukuri Vance also made some rare appearances along with her husband as the latter campaigned for the Ohio senator election in 2022.

In a 2017 interview, she told NBC News on how they met, “We were friends, and I liked that he was very diligent. He would show up at 9 a.m. appointments that I would set up for us to start working on the brief together.”

JD Vance, in the same interview, praised Usha for unflinching faith and commitment in things that she believed.

“The thing that I remember most about Usha is just how completely forward and comfortable with herself she was. She is so defensive about the things that she really cared about,” Vance said in the interview.

With US Presidential elections slated for November this year, the campaign has already reached a feverish pitch. The US elections will unequivocally be watched and followed here, given the likely Republican V-P nominee’s Indian connection. AGENCIES

Police have seized a variety of arms and ammunition from across north Afghanistan’s Balkh province over the past four months, provincial police spokesperson Mohammad Eisa Wasiq said.

The counter-terrorism police have collected 29 pieces of different types of arms and ammunition during a series of operations in different districts of the province, Wasiq added on Sunday.

Calling upon Afghans to help police in recovering arms and ammunition from the illegal possession of any person, the official added that the police are trying to recover and register any arms illegally kept by individuals over the past 20 years, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Afghan caretaker government has recovered a lot of arms and ammunition, including battle tanks and missiles, since taking over power following the withdrawal of the US-led forces from the war-ravaged Asian country in August 2021. AGENCIES