Category: Special Reports
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 […]
Sri Lanka up four notches in World happiness ranking
Mar 15, 2018 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has moved up to 116 position with a score of 4.471 from 120 in the World Happiness Report 2018. The report ranks 156 countries by their happiness levels, and 117 countries by the happiness of their immigrants. The island was also ranked 43rd in the sub-category of best […]
Elon Musk starts SpaceX mission to provide broadband from satellites
Feb 23, 2018 (LBO) – SpaceX made history yet again with the successful deployment of first two Starlink global internet demo satellites to orbit, opening a new generation of satellite technologies that will provide broadband services.Starlink is a satellite constellation development project underway by SpaceX. On Thursday, Falcon 9 launched the two demo satellites called […]
Sri Lanka up 4 notches to 91 on Corruption index
Feb 23, 2018 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has moved up four places to 91st from 95th, in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2017 released by Transparency International with the island failing to show significant improvement. The index ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption. This year, New Zealand and Denmark rank highest […]
Opinion: Cabinet decision to ban women from buying liquor is unconstitutional
By Verité Research Women are permitted to purchase liquor. On 10 January 2018, the Minister of Finance and Mass Media issued Excise Notification No. 02/2018 under the Excise Ordinance, No. 8 of 1912 (as amended). The new Notification amends Excise Notification No. 666 of 31 December 1979, and removes the ban on the sale of liquor […]
CMPort pays 2nd tranche of USD97.3mn in Hambantota Port investment
China Merchant Port Holdings (CMPort) made the payment of US$ 97.365million to the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) as the second tranche of its investment in the Public-Private Partnership (PPP). The payment, recently in January, takes the total paid by CMPort to date to US$ 389.462 million. The final payment is paid within six months […]
Sri Lanka to build its first ever pharmaceutical manufacturing zone
Jan 08, 2018 (LBO) – State Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Corporation and Pharma Zone Private Limited is to sign an agreement to build the first ever exclusive pharmaceutical manufacturing zone of Sri Lanka in Welipenna Area of Kalutara district. The Pharma Zone will facilitate the local pharmaceutical manufacturers with sufficient land for manufacturing plants and basic infrastructure […]
President, PM declared open Moragahakanda, biggest reservoir of Mahaweli
Jan 08, 2018 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s President and Prime Minister on Monday declared open Moragahakanda, the last but biggest reservoir of the multipurpose Mahaweli Project. Moragahakanda will irrigate parched dry lands in faraway Vanni in the Northern Province on one side and Rajarata, Wayamba, Central and Eastern Provinces on the other. Today also marks […]
Torture in Sri Lanka among “worst in the world,” says UN Special Rapporteur
By P.K. Balachandran Torture of persons in custody under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) in Sri Lanka is on an “industrial scale” and is “among the worst in the world”, the UN Special Rapporteur on torture and counter-terrorism, Ben Emmerson said here on Friday. Briefing the media here after a four-day tour of Sri […]
Sri Lanka press council law hinders RTI implementation: report
July 05, 2017 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Press Council Law, which is not consistent with the Right to Information (RTI) Act, can hinder the media from publishing information obtained through RTI, a research report said. The report, a collaboration between Verité Research and Democracy Reporting International, highlights for instance that obtaining information pertaining to cabinet […]
Eminent economist Dr. Saman Kelegama passes away
June 23, 2017 (LBO) – Dr. Saman Kelegama, the Executive Director of the Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka, has passed away at the age of 58 in Thailand today. The eminent Sri Lankan economist served as a research fellow of IPS prior to being appointed as the Executive Director in 1995. He served […]
Religious violence in Sri Lanka has chronic nature: Verité
June 21, 2017 (LBO) – Religious violence in Sri Lanka is not a post-war phenomenon and has persisted over a much longer period of time, Verité Research said in a report. The think tank studied a dataset between 1994 and 2014 compiled by the National Christian Evangelical Association of Sri Lanka (NCEASL). The data showed […]