Category: South Asia
Sri Lanka to bring down Chinese suppliers who supply canned fish with worms
Stepping in and mediating on time, Sri Lanka has successfully turned around the issue of spoilt canned fish imports muddle following in-depth and multi-level talks with all the key stakeholders in Colombo on 10 July. “We invite a canned fish supplier delegation from China to Sri Lanka for discussions” said the Minister of Industry and […]
Global black tea production to go up 2.2-pct annually over next decade: Report
May 28, 2018 (LBO) – World production of black tea is projected to rise annually by 2.2 percent over the next decade to reach 4.4 million tonnes in 2027, reflecting major output increases in China, Kenya and Sri Lanka. Releasing a new report about global tea consumption and production, Food and Agriculture Organization’s Intergovernmental Group (IGG) […]
Johann Peries successfully summits Mount Everest
May 22, 2018 (LBO) – Johann Peries has summited Mount Everest today becoming the second Sri Lankan to summit Everest after Jayanthi Kuru Utumpala in 2016. PR & Media Consultant Kumar de Silva said in a Twitter post that after having summitted Mount Everest at 5.55 AM Nepal time today, Johann Peries has now begun […]
US–China trade war escalates as China imposes tariffs on US goods
Apr 02, 2018 (LBO) – China has suspended tariff concessions on 128 items of U.S. products including pork and fruits starting Monday, Country’s Finance Ministry said. China’s Finance Ministry said in a statement that the measure was taken in order to safeguard China’s interests and balance the losses caused by the United States. “China’s advocacy […]
Maldives declares state of emergency, arrests top judges
Feb 06, 2018 (LBO) – President of Maldive Islands, Abdulla Yameen declared a 15-day state of emergency, Monday night and later arrested Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed and another Supreme Court judge, foreign media reports said. The moves comes following a Supreme Court ruling that overturned “terrorism” convictions against nine of the Presidents political opponents. The emergency decree gives […]
Sri Lanka and Bangladesh envisage JVs in various fields
By P.K. Balachandran Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are envisaging the setting up of Joint Ventures between the private and public sector entities of the two countries in a wide variety of fields including apparels and pharmaceuticals according to a joint statement issued by the two countries at the end of the three day visit of […]
Sri Lanka President heads 73-member delegation to Bangladesh
By P.K. Balachandran July 13, 2017 (LBO) – Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, accompanied by a 73-member delegation including representatives of 40 private sector companies, is currently in Bangladesh on a three-day visit to sign ten agreements on a variety of areas. Bangladesh officials said that the agreements relate to cooperation in coastal shipping; agriculture; […]
India will move on ETCA at a pace set by Lanka: envoy
By P.K. Balachandran Assuaging fears that India is set to “impose” an Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) on Sri Lanka, the Indian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, has said that India is ready to move on the ETCA at a pace Sri Lanka is comfortable with. “The proposed Economic and Technical […]
Japanese ambassadors in five SAARC countries meet Foreign Minister Ravi
June 28, 2017 (LBO) – Japanese ambassadors in five SAARC countries India, Nepal, Maldives, Pakistan and Bangladesh met Foreign Minister Ravi Karunanayake Tuesday at the Ministry. “The ambassadors hailed the ongoing development activities in Sri Lanka and pointed out the growth in the country is a matter of pride for other nations in the region,” […]
Opinion: Despite Trump-Modi bonhomie, Indo-US economic relations in doldrums
By P.K.Balachandran Despite words signifying undying friendship and bear hugs, which marked President Donald Trump’s interaction with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington on Monday, economic relations between the United States and India seem destined to remain in the doldrums indefinitely. While there was a strong understanding on cooperation to tackle terrorism and on […]
Opinion: India ruling party’s choice as Presidential candidate is a masterstroke
By P.K. Balachandran The choice of Ram Nath Kovind as the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s candidate for the Indian Presidential election, to be held on July 17, is a political masterstroke by its political managers. Kovind is a “Dalit”. The Dalits are the lowest caste in the Hindu social hierarchy who were once dubbed and […]
Sri Lanka Foreign Minister Ravi Karunanayake visits India
Foreign Minister Ravi Karunanayake on his first visit overseas as Minister of Foreign Affairs, called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and held discussions with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj yesterday, 6 June 2017. He will have discussions today with Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar and others before returning to Colombo tonight. Ministry of Foreign Affairs Colombo