Category: World
Sri Lanka calls on US House Foreign Affairs Committee not to proceed with resolution on SL
Sri Lanka, through its Ambassador in Washington Ravinatha Aryasinha, formally called on the US House Foreign Affairs Committee (FAC) not to proceed with H. RES. 413 on Sri Lanka moved by Congresswoman Deborah Ross (Democrat/North Carolina) on 18 May 2021. In a communication addressed to FAC Chair Representative Gregory Meeks (Democrat/New York) and Ranking Member […]
Palitha Kohona formally presents Credentials to Chinese President
Ambassador Dr. Palitha Kohona presented Letters of Credence to President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping on 14 April 2021 at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.He also formally handed over the letter of recall of the former Ambassador. By the presentation of the credentials, Dr. Kohona has been formally recognised […]
World GDP forecasts revised up after US fiscal stimulus package: Fitch Ratings
Global growth prospects are improving as fiscal support is stepped up sharply, economies adapt to social distancing and vaccination rollout gathers momentum, says Fitch Ratings in its latest Global Economic Outlook (GEO) released today. We now expect global GDP to expand by 6.1% this year, revised up from 5.3% in our December 2020 GEO. GDP […]
Sri Lanka discusses with US Justice Dept charges against accused in Easter Sunday bombings
Ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinha had a virtual discussion with Dan Stigall, Deputy Chief of Staff & Counselor for International Affairs, Department of Justice (DoJ) recently to follow-up on the charges filed last month by the US District Court in Los Angeles against 3 Sri Lankans for “Conspiring to Provide Material Support to ISIS” in the Easter […]
UNICEF signs supply agreement for Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine
NEW YORK: UNICEF announced the signing of an agreement with Pfizer on behalf of the COVAX Facility for the supply of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine through 2021. Deliveries of the vaccine are anticipated to start as early as the first quarter of 2021, once the countries that were allocated Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine doses in the COVAX allocation confirm that they are in full compliance […]
Global economy to expand by 4-pct in 2021: World Bank
Jan 06, 2021 (LBO) – The global economy is expected to expand 4% in 2021, assuming an initial COVID-19 vaccine rollout becomes widespread throughout the year. A recovery, however, will likely be subdued, unless policy makers move decisively to tame the pandemic and implement investment-enhancing reforms, the World Bank says in its January 2021 Global […]
Sri Lanka raises concerns on reference to SL in OHCHR press release
Jun 09, 2020 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Acting Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Dayani Mendis, in a letter addressed to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, has raised concerns regarding the allegations made in a press release issued by the High Commissioner on 03 June 2020 regarding “clampdown” […]
Lebanon to conduct free PCR tests for Sri Lankans seeking to be repatriated
Jun 06, 2020 (LBO) – The government of Lebanon has agreed to conduct free PCR tests for Sri Lankans seeking to be repatriated, the Ministry of Foreign Relations said. In line with the Sri Lanka policy on repatriating Sri Lankans overseas, Ambassador Shani Calyaneratne Karunaratne had discussions with the Lebanese Minister of Labour, Madame Lamia […]
Seychelles HC clarifies on the arrival of 35 Seychelles nationals to Sri Lanka
STATEMENT from SEYCHELLES HIGH COMMISSION On behalf of the Government of Seychelles, we wish to place on record our gratitude to the Government of Sri Lanka, its Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Health, for enabling the visit of a group of 35 citizens of Seychelles, 24 of whom require urgent medical care, of […]
WHO and DFAT donate vital equipment and supplies to fight COVID-19 in Sri Lanka
May 11, 2020 (LBO) – The World Health Organization (WHO) handed over a donation of essential laboratory equipment, hospital equipment, personal protective equipment, and consumables to the Government of Sri Lanka to address the COVID-19 crisis. The procurement, of over 800,000 USD, focused on equipment that is essential to effectively controlling COVID-19 in Sri Lanka. […]
Lifting curfews not the end of epidemic in any country: WHO
Apr 24, 2020 (LBO) – Lifting so-called lockdown restrictions or curfews are not the end of the epidemic in any country, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in their latest update. WHO insists that countries must ensure they can detect, test, isolate, and care for every case, and trace every contact. “This virus will be […]
Commodity prices to drop in 2020 as COVID-19 depresses demand & disrupts supply: WB
Apr 24, 2020 (LBO) – The global economic shock of the COVID-19 pandemic has driven most commodity prices down and is expected to result in substantially lower prices over 2020, the World Bank said in its April Commodity Markets Outlook. Energy and metals commodities are the most affected by the sudden stop to economic activity […]