Category: World
‘s developing country status that includes wealthiest countries
Oct 25, 2019 (LBO) – South Korea is to give up special treatment reserved for developing countries by the World Trade Organization in future negotiations given its enhanced global economic status, its finance minister said on Friday. South Korea, Asia’s fourth-largest economy, has maintained its developing country status as a member of the WTO since […]
Sec Aryasinha on Sri Lanka’s obstacles on peacekeeping contribution to UN
Oct 01, 2019 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Foreign Secretary Ravinatha Aryasinha at the 74th UN General Assembly Session, met with Jean-Pierre Lacroix, under secretary general of the United Nations Department of Peace Operations (USSG/UNDPO) in New York to discuss obstacles placed on Sri Lanka’s peacekeeping contribution to the UN. Upon the Foreign Secretary seeking clarification on […]
Fitch downgrades China and US growth on trade dispute
Sep 10, 2019 (LBO) – Disruptions from the sharp escalation in the US-China trade dispute are darkening the global economic outlook, causing us to revise our global economic outlook, Fitch Ratings said. Issuing a statement the rating agency said it has issued downward revisions to their eurozone and US GDP forecasts. “We now expect Chinese […]
Sri Lankan billionaire Raj Rajaratnam released after 8 years in prison
September 9, 2019 (LBO) – Former hedge fund titan and billionaire Raj Rajaratnam has been released from prison early after being incarcerated for almost 8 years. He was released approximately 2-3 years early due to a new law passed in the United States which proffers leniency to those who are over 60 years of age […]
IMF removes age limit for the position of Managing Director
Sep 06, 2019 (LBO) – The Board of Governors of the IMF has approved the proposal by the Executive Board to remove the age limit for the position of IMF Managing Director. Approval of the proposal required a simple majority of the votes cast, with a minimum participation requirement of a majority of Governors holding […]
‘s revises its growth forecasts for 16 Asian economies
Aug 23, 2019 (LBO) – Moody’s Investors Service in a newly released report has revised downwards its GDP growth forecast for 16 economies in Asia Pacific. Of the 16, Hong Kong and Singapore have shown particularly weak expansions this year, with very large deteriorations in real GDP growth when compared to the first half of […]
Pakistan suspends trade with India, downgrades diplomatic relations
Aug 08, 2019 (LBO) – Pakistan on Wednesday expelled India’s high commissioner and suspended bilateral trade as a response of India’s move to end special status for Jammu and Kashmir and split it into two union territories. Indian officials, however, says that Islamabad’s decision to suspend trade with its neighbor will hit Pakistan not India. […]
Sri Lanka expects to resume tea exports to Iran from August
July 25, 2019 (LBO) – Sri Lanka expects to resume Ceylon Tea exports to Iran under a special barter agreement between the two countries by the end of next month, the Plantation Ministry said. According to the ministry, Ceylon Tea will be exported to Iran to settle a due amount of 240 million US dollars […]
Foreign Minister clarifies appointments for UN Special Rapporteur
Special Statement by Tilak Marapana, Minister of Foreign Affairs in Parliament – 25.07.19 It has been brought to my notice that last Tuesday (23 July) and Wednesday (24 July) several Members of the Parliament have brought up the issue of the visit of the Special Rapporteur on the freedom of assembly and of association, Mr. […]
IMF downgrades global growth to 3.2-pct in 2019
Jul 25, 2019 (LBO) – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has cut its growth forecasts for the global economy for this year and next, a statement said. It predicts growth of 3.2 percent in 2019, down from its April forecast of 3.3 percent while next year it is set to pick up to 3.5 percent […]
EU offers EUR 8.5mn for Sri Lanka to focus on counter-narratives, online radicalisation
July 15, 2019 (LBO) – The European Union (EU) and Sri Lanka held on Monday an informal counterterrorism dialogue, chaired on the EU side by EU Counterterrorism Coordinator Gilles De Kerchove, accompanied by EEAS Head of Division for Counterterrorism John Gatt-Rutter, and on the Sri Lankan side by Acting Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Ahmed A. […]
Ambassador of Sri Lanka to US Rodney Perera presents credentials to President Trump
July 11, 2019 (LBO) – Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the United States, Rodney M. Perera, presented his credentials to the President of the United States, Donald Trump, at the Oval Office of the White House on Monday. Ambassador Perera conveyed to President Trump the greetings and best wishes of the President, the Government and […]