COLOMBO (TIP): Sri Lanka‘s inflation more than doubled to 3.4 per cent in November, the statistics office said November 30, a day after Colombo announced a deal to restructure nearly $6 billion in bilateral debt.
The benchmark Colombo Consumer Price Index rose to 3.4 per cent from 1.5 per cent in October, official statistics showed. However, the latest inflation number was still dramatically lower than the 61 per cent recorded a year ago when the country was in the grip of an unprecedented economic crisis after running out of foreign reserves.
The sharp price rises in November compared to the previous month were due to the increases in electricity and water tariffs and fuel prices, the statistics office said. On Wednesday, the finance ministry said it had reached an “agreement in principle” with its lenders, including China, to restructure nearly $6 billion in loans and unlock International Monetary Fund (IMF) funding for a bailout.
The country defaulted on its $46 billion debt in April last year after running out of foreign exchange to finance imports of even the most essential commodities, making life a misery for the island’s 22 million people.
The ministry said the deal included a mix of extending the tenure and reducing interest on around $5.9 billion in bilateral loans granted to the cash-strapped South Asian island.
Sri Lanka in March secured a four-year $2.9 billion bailout package from the IMF subject to Colombo ensuring debt sustainability in line with agreed targets.
However, the release of a second $330 million loan instalment had been held up since September due to delays in securing a deal with foreign creditors.
Sri Lanka’s largest single bilateral lender China had been reluctant to take a haircut on its loans and instead had offered to extend the term of its loans and adjust down interest rates. (AFP)
Nepal becomes the first South Asian country to officially register same-sex marriage
PRADHAN KATHMANDU (TIP): Five months after the Supreme Court legalised it, Nepal on November 29 formally registered the first case of same-sex marriage, making it the first South Asian country to do so.
Trans-woman Maya Gurung, 35 and Surendra Pandey, 27, a gay, got legally married and their marriage was registered at Dordi Rural Municipality of Lamjung district in Western Nepal, according to Sanjib Gurung (Pinky), president of Blue Diamond Society, an organization working for the rights and welfare of the sexual minorities in Nepal. Way back in 2007, Nepal’s Supreme Court had allowed same-sex marriage.
Even the Constitution of Nepal, adopted in 2015, explicitly states that there can be no discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
On June 27, 2023, the Supreme Court issued an interim order to legalise same-sex marriage in Nepal in a writ petition filed by multiple people, including Gurung.
But despite the historic order to temporarily register same-sex marriage, Kathmandu District Court four months ago rejected the move citing a lack of necessary laws.
Surendra Pandey and Maya’s marriage application was rejected at that time.
“It’s a great pleasure to learn about this, it is a great achievement for us, the third gender community of Nepal,” Pinky told PTI.
This is the first case not only in Nepal but also in the whole of South Asia, and we welcome the decision.
Married in the traditional manner with the approval of their families, Surendra, a resident of Nawalparasi district, and Maya, a resident of Lamjung district, have been living together as husband and wife for the past six years. (PTI)