May 26, 2016 Reading Time: 2 minutes
UN Security Council lifts Liberian arms embargo. Image credit - msavoia /depositphotos
Reading Time: 2 min read
Sri Lanka to set up Office of Missing Persons
The Foreign Minister, Mangala Samaraweera, has stated that the Cabinet of Ministers has approved a proposal to set up an Office of Missing Persons (OMP).
The OMP will have the power to investigate the circumstances of missing persons, before recommending action to assist the families of the deceased or disappeared. The establishment of the OMP comes a month before the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al-Hussein, will present an update on Sri Lanka.
USD 1.5 billion needed to rebuild flood affected houses
The Finance Minister, Ravi Karunanayake, has estimated that over USD 1.5 billion is needed to rebuild houses damaged by the floods.
The Minister stated that over 25,000 houses and 25,000-30,000 small and medium enterprises need to be reconstructed.
Sri Lanka seeks USD 3.5 billion from foreign sources
Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake stated that Sri Lanka is in the process of borrowing USD 3.5 billion through syndicated loans, sovereign bonds, and sukuk, in order to ease its balance of payments position.
The Minister stated that a USD 500 million syndicated loan will be finalised with Credit Suisse. Following this, it is expected that another syndicated loan of an equal amount will be sought.
UNSC lifts Liberian arms embargo
The UN Security Council (UNSC) has unanimously agreed to terminate a 13-year arms embargo against Liberia. The decision was welcomed by UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon.
The UNSC encouraged the Liberian government to establish the necessary frameworks to combat illicit trafficking of arms and ammunition.
Somali President warns against Kenyan closure of refugee camp
The President of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, has called for more appropriate mechanisms of returning Somali refugees from the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya. The President emphasized that refoulement was not in the best interest of either country.
Kenya’s decision to close down the Dadaab refugee camp follows attacks on its soil and growing security concerns.
Lieberman named Israeli Defence Minister
The right-wing Israeli politician Avigdor Lieberman has been appointed Minister of Defence, replacing Moshe Ya’alon, who resigned last Friday.
Mr. Lieberman, who previously served as the Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs, has agreed to bring his Yisrael Beitenu party into the country’s governing coalition.
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