Category: Special Reports
Easter Sunday attacks: Second interim report handed over to President
Mar 03, 2020 (LBO) – The second interim report of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry appointed to probe Easter Sunday attacks was handed over to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat, Monday. The first interim report was handed over on December 20th, 2019. The Commission was appointed by the former President Maithripala Sirisena on […]
Foreign Ministry succeeds in evacuating two Sri Lankans on board Diamond Princess
Feb 27, 2020 (LBO) – The two Sri Lankan crew members who were on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Yokohama, Japan, were evacuated last night (26 February) by a charter flight organised by the Indian Government to New Delhi upon a request made by the Sri Lankan Government. The two Sri Lankan crew […]
Foreign Ministry ensures welfare of Lankans following COVID-19 concerns in S Korea
Feb 22, 2020 (LBO) – The Ministry of Foreign Relations in coordination with the Sri Lanka Embassy in Seoul has been closely monitoring and coordinating efforts to ensure the safety of Sri Lankans residing in South Korea, following the recent rise of COVID-19 cases, particularly, in the city of Daegu. According to the Sri Lanka […]
Sri Lanka, Bangladesh agreed to IMF to provide debt relief for Somalia
Feb 17, 2020 (LBO) – Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have reportedly agreed to provide debt relief for Somalia under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative of the International Monetary fund (IMF). The Central Bank of Sri Lanka and the Ministry of Foreign Relations have expressed their concurrence to provide Sri Lanka’s contribution. Accordingly, the […]
“Timelines evolved externally would hinder process of reconciliation”: SL tells UN Security Council
Feb 17, 2020 (LBO) – “Timelines evolved externally in achieving stated objectives would only seek to hinder the process of reconciliation since they would be bereft of ground realities” emphasized Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Kshenuka Senewiratne. She was speaking at a one day debate at the UN Security Council titled […]
Opinion: Girls in STEM, How is Sri Lanka faring?
Ashani Abayasekara Written for International Day of Women and Girls in Science on 11 February 2020 Sri Lanka is well recognised as a leader in gender-equal education in the developing world; World Bank statistics show that primary and secondary school enrollments and completion rates are similar for girls and boys, while girls have higher enrollment […]
Our message is same for Tajikistan, Pakistan or Sri Lanka: US Ambassador Wells
Feb 07, 2020 (LBO) – US Ambassador Alice Wells says that on Belt and Road Initiative or on China–Pakistan Economic Corridor, their message is the same whether they are engaging with Tajikistan, Pakistan, or Sri Lanka. Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs at the State Department, Alice Wells […]
Opinion: Measuring poverty within Sri Lanka’s new reality as upper-middle-income country
Wimal Nanayakkara Sri Lanka achieved ‘Upper Middle Income Country’ (UMIC) status in July 2019, as the country’s Gross National Income (GNI) increased from USD 3,840 per capita in 2018 to USD 4,060 per capita in 2019. World Bank’s (WB) new threshold for UMICs is USD 3,996 – USD 12,375 GNI per capita. Sri Lanka scraped […]
Sri Lanka gifts a consignment of Ceylon Black Tea to China
Feb 06, 2020 (LBO) – President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Thursday gifted a consignment of world-renowned Ceylon Black Tea to the Chinese Ambassador Cheng Xueyuan to be sent to those affected by the Coronavirus. Ambassador Xueyuan on behalf of President Xi Jinping and the Government of the People’s Republic of China has thanked Sri Lanka for […]
Stax creates roadmap to fixing bad air quality
In November 2019, the US embassy’s Air Quality monitor in Colombo registered a value of 167, whereas the accepted value of air quality stands at 50. Even though the figures fluctuate as of February 2020, the current air quality index is yet at 97 – almost twice the recommended figure. While this issue has been […]
Coronavirus death toll upto 213 : WHO calls it global virus emergency
Jan 31, 2020 (LBO) – The World Health Organization said the virus represents a risk outside of China and is calling it a global virus emergency. The death toll in China had climbed to 213 by Friday with nearly 10,000 infections, according to foreign media reports. Global outbreak includes 98 cases in 18 countries […]
‘s request for landing special aircraft in Wuhan city
Jan 30, 2020 (LBO) – Foreign Secretary Ravinatha Aryasinha has said the Chinese Government is expediting the request made for a special aircraft landing in Wuhan City which will allow the evacuation of the Sri Lankan students and their family members. He said the Embassy in Beijing is in communication with the Hubei Foreign Office […]