April 8, 2016 Reading Time: 2 minutes
Bilateral agreements signed in China. Image credit: www.news.lk
Reading Time: 2 min read
Multiple agreements signed during PM’s visit to China
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe’s ongoing visit to China has resulted in seven agreements being signed, to enhance bilateral economic cooperation.
The Hambantota development projects, the Colombo Port City project, an extension to the Southern Railway, and the development of the Colombo-Ratnapura expressway are to receive economic assistance under these agreements.
AmCham to promote intellectual property rights
The American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Sri Lanka has highlighted the importance of enhancing public awareness on intellectual property rights (IPR), to combat counterfeiting and piracy.
The Secretary of the AmCham IPR committee, Sanjaya Fernando, stressed the importance of having a stringent IPR regime to encourage investments and build confidence among manufacturers in Sri Lanka.
More IT related jobs for women
The Minister of Telecommunication and Digital Infrastructure, Harin Fernando, has stated that the government is planning to create more job opportunities for women in the IT sector by offering 10,000 vocational training scholarships by 2017.
This initiative is expected to reduce unemployment among women, which stands at 7.6%, and increase their labour force participation from the current 36%.
National Salvation Government refuses to hand over power
In a turn of events, the Tripoli based National Salvation Government has refused to hand over its power to the UN-backed Government of National Accord.
While the reasons behind this change in stance remain unclear, it has derailed UN efforts to bring stability to the nation ruled by competing authorities since 2014.
Wikileaks criticizes the ICIJ
The whistle-blowing group Wikileaks has condemned the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) for not releasing more than 99% of the 11.5 million documents that make up the dossier of the Panama Papers, to the public.
Initially Wikileaks had backed the work of the ICIJ. However, it changed its stance once it was revealed that the reporters had decided not to publish all the files online.
IS abducts 300 workers
Reports claim that the Islamic State has abducted over 300 workers from a cement factory located on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria.
This action is seen to be in retaliation to the loss of significant territory in the North of the country, in the recent weeks.
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