Category: South Asia
US BUILD act passes House; aims to counter China’s debt-trap diplomacy
Sept 27, 2018 (LBO) – United States House of Representatives have approved the inclusion of the Better Utilization of Investments Leading to Development (BUILD) Act in the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018.The House yesterday passed the Act by a vote of 398-23 and the legislation now heads to the Senate for consideration. BUILD Act is […]
Feature: Building Sri Lanka’s resilience to climate change
By World Bank 38-year-old Sivasidambaram Vasugi is the General Manager of one of the first cooperative-owned seed paddy processing centers in Killinochchi, Si Lanka. The Integrated Farmers Thrift and Credit Cooperative Society (IFTCCS) provides local farmers with high-quality seeds, but these days, there are no buyers walking in the door. Her community is facing a […]
Maldives elects new President: Abdulla Yameen concedes defeat
Sept 24, 2018 (LBO) – The Maldives, has voted Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, the opposition candidate, as the islands new President, foreign media reports said. Incumbent Abdulla Yameen, conceding defeat said, the citizens of the Maldives had their say and I accept that result. “I have congratulated him,” media reports quoted the out going President as saying. Solih […]
Sri Lanka tops South Asia in human development index 2017
Sept 18, 2018 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has been classified under the “High Human Development” category, with a Human Development Index value of 0.770 , and ranked 76 out of 189 countries in 2017, a statement said. Between 1990 and 2017, Sri Lanka’s HDI value increased from 0.625 to 0.770, an increase of 23.2 percent. […]
China plans high speed train to India via Bangladesh and Myanmar
Sept 13, 2018 (LBO) – Chinese Consul General in Kolkata Ma Zhanwu has revealed that his country was proposing a 2,800 km long high-speed rail link between China’s Kunming and India’s Kolkata via Myanmar and Bangladesh.According to Indian media reports, the rail route was aimed at boosting trade flow in the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) corridor. “With […]
BIMSTEC leaders decide to rationalize organization
Sept 03, 2018 (LBO) – The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) leaders, at the conclusion of the 2018 Summit laid the foundation for institutional mechanisms to accelerate the BIMSTEC process. The leaders agreed to establish a BIMSTEC Permanent Working Committee (BPWC), to draft a Charter for the organization, to […]
Sri Lanka to receive BIMSTEC Chairmanship; President to lead Sri Lanka delegation
Aug 28, 2018 (LBO) – President Maithripala Sirisena will lead the Sri Lanka Delegation to the 4th Summit of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multisectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), which will be held from 30-31 August 2018 in Kathmandu. Ministry of Foreign Affairs said at the conclusion of the Summit, the Chairmanship of BIMSTEC […]
Sri Lanka to expand Electronic Document Attestation System to DS level
Aug 20, 2018 (LBO) – Sri Lanka is to expand Electronic Document Attestation System (e-DAS) of the Foreign Ministry to Divisional Secretariat level of the country. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Ministries of Foreign and Home Affairs recently enabling the expansion of the system initially as a pilot project at 19 Divisional […]
Pakistan maritime security ship “Kashmir” to visit Sri Lanka
Pakistan Maritime Security Ship (PMSS) “Kashmir” is scheduled to arrive at Colombo Port on a four-day goodwill visit from August 13 to 16, 2018. Pakistan Naval ships frequently pay port calls to Sri Lanka, as both countries enjoy warm diplomatic and strong military ties. Such interactions also demonstrate both navies’ resolve to contribute towards achieving […]
Reports about textile imports from North Korea are erroneous: Foreign Ministry
Aug 08, 2018 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday said news reports regarding textile imports from the North Korea to Sri Lanka during the period October 2017 and March 2018 are erroneous.The ministry said in keeping with Sri Lanka’s international obligations as a member of the United Nations, the Government of Sri Lanka […]
Sri Lanka ranks first out of 76 countries in early initiation of breastfeeding: UNICEF
July 31, 2018 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has been ranked number one out of 76 countries in the UNICEF’s latest ranking of early initiation of breastfeeding. The report titled ‘Capture the Moment’ released today shows that 90.3 percent of Sri Lanka’s newborn babies are subjected to early initiation of breastfeeding. According to the report, nearly […]
Sri Lanka remains Human Rights Priority Country of UK with limited progress
July 16, 2018 (LBO) – Sri Lanka remains a priority country in the United Kingdom’s Annual Human Rights Report 2017. Sri Lanka is one of 30 ‘Human Rights Priority Countries’ (HRPCs); countries where the UK has serious human rights concerns and hopes to engage positively to develop human rights performance. The report acknowledges that there […]