News & Media

DAILY BRIEF: FRIDAY, 26TH FEBRUARY 2016

February 27, 2016    Reading Time: 2 minutes

Get the latest news roundup here:

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mangala Samaraweera, at the UN headquarters, New York. Image credit - www.news.lk

Reading Time: 2 min read

LOCAL NEWS

Minister of Foreign Affairs attends UNDP anniversary meeting

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mangala Samaraweera, concluded a visit to the United Nations Headquarters in New York to mark the 50th anniversary Ministerial Meeting of the United Nations Development Programme.

The Minister engaged with key donor nations at the meeting and spoke about the peace-building efforts of the Sri Lankan government, including the challenges associated with post-conflict reconciliation.

ADB and Sri Lanka Ports Authority to work in partnership

The Sri Lanka Ports Authority and the Asian Development Bank have joined in a public-private partnership to develop the East Container Terminal of the Colombo Port.

According to the Asian Development Bank’s Country Director for Sri Lanka, Sri Widowati, the terminal will maintain the Colombo Port’s “strategic position as a key trans-shipment hub for global and regional trade.”

Prime Minister chairs Asia Pacific Democrat Union session

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe chaired a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Asia Pacific Democrat Union, a regional wing of the International Democrat Union.

Speaking at the meeting, held yesterday in Colombo, the Premier urged collective action  to undo the collapse of democratic institutions in the past decade.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Elections underway in Iran

Iran’s 55 million eligible voters have headed to the polls to elect their parliament and the Assembly of Experts, a clerical body with authority to appoint a new supreme religious leader to succeed Ayatollah Khamenei.

The List of Hope, one of the contesting parties in the parliamentary election, comprises of reformist and moderate supporters of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.

Study discovers possible after-effects of Ebola

Research conducted in Liberia suggests that survivors of Ebola continue to be affected neurologically for up to six months after they recover from the initial symptoms.

In addition to physical effects like muscle pains and headaches, the disease leaves victims experiencing memory loss and depressed moods long after recovery.

U.S. to join fight against Boko Haram

The United States is to deploy troops to Nigeria to assist the country’s war against the West African terrorist group, Boko Haram.

In addition to Nigeria, the reach of Boko Haram currently extends also to Chad, Cameroon and Niger.

Untitled Document