Prime Minister Narendra Modi today attended the International Vesak Day celebrations in Colombo, the largest festival of Buddhists. Attending the grand Buddhism summit on Day 2 of his visit to the island nation, Modi announced a direct flight between Varanasi and the Sri Lankan capital from August. Rajapaksa said that New Delhi and Colombo may have signed deals on economic cooperation before Prime Minister Modi's arrival in the country. HOLD NOTHING AGAINST MODI's VISIT: RAJAPAKSAThe Sinhala strongman, who ruled the country for a decade, said he held nothing against Modi's visit. (WITH INPUTS FROM PTI)Also read | Did Modi's Sri Lanka visit influence Colombo to reject China submarine request?

Source: India Today May 12, 2017 05:21 UTC