June 21, 2016 Reading Time: 2 minutes
Harim Peiris appointed as the advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Image credit - Foreign Ministry
Reading Time: 2 min read
Sri Lanka to issue development bonds
The Public Debt Department of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka has disclosed plans to sell USD 250 million worth of development bonds. The bonds will be available to eligible local and international investors.
The Central Bank further stated that these bonds will be exempt from income taxes.
New advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs appointed
Minister Mangala Samaraweera has appointed Harim Peiris as his advisor, following the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers.
Mr. Peiris has previously served in a number of government positions, including as Chairman of the Resettlement Authority and as Spokesman to former President Bandaranaike Kumaratunga.
Ceylon-German Technical Training Institute to be opened in Kilinochchi
The German Development Cooperation (GIZ), in collaboration with the Ceylon-German Technical Training Institute, has announced the launch of a training school in Kilinochchi.
The Minister of Skills Development and Vocational Training, Mahinda Samarasinghe, stated that the institute will initially provide training in automobile technology, electronics, civil engineering, and food processing technology.
Tensions rise between Bahrain and Iran
The Iranian government has criticized Bahrain’s decision to strip the nation’s top Shi’ite leader, Ayatollah Isa Qassim, of his Bahraini citizenship.
This follows a Bahraini court ban on the Shi’ite opposition group, al-Wefaq, accusing it of backing sectarian unrest and having ‘links to a foreign power’. Bahrain is a Shi’ite-majority country, ruled by a Sunni monarchy.
UNHCR releases displacement findings in Global Trends report
The Global Trends 2015 study, compiled by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), has found that 65.3 million people were displaced due to conflict and persecution at the end of 2015; the highest since World War II.
The report noted that although more than a million refugees have entered Europe, 86% of global refugees remain in low and middle-income countries.
UN urges Myanmar to address minority rights
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, has issued a report that urges the Burmese government to take action to end discrimination and human rights violations against minority communities, particularly the Rohingya Muslims.
The report stated that the Rohingyas have been deprived of nationality and suggested that the violence against them may amount to crimes against humanity. Aung San Suu Kyi has responded that the Burmese government will avoid using the term ‘Rohingya’ to describe the Muslim minority in the country’s north-west.
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