July 15, 2016 Reading Time: 2 minutes
Poll reveals public preference for a state-run national airline. Image credit - masuti / depositphotos
Reading Time: 2 min read
Standard Chartered CEO visits Sri Lanka
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Standard Chartered, Bill Winters, arrived in Sri Lanka on 15 July. Mr. Winters is the first head of a major multinational banking corporation to visit the country.
Mr. Winters will meet with the Minister of Development Strategies and International Trade, Malik Samarawickrama, the Central Bank Governor, Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy, industry leaders, and Standard Chartered staff and clients.
Poll reveals public preference for state-operated national airline
A nationwide survey carried out by research institute TNS Lanka has determined that 74% of people believe Sri Lankan Airlines should continue to be run by the government. One view shared by poll respondents is ‘if the Government operates it properly, it can earn huge profits’.
Similarly, the survey revealed that 48% of the respondents believe that management by the private sector would not benefit the airline.
Sri Lankan economy grows year-on-year in first quarter
The Mid-Year Fiscal Position Report, published by the Ministry of Finance, has revealed that the economy grew at a rate of 5.5% in the first quarter of 2016, higher than the rate of 4.4% in the first quarter of 2015.
The Report also revealed that national income increased by 19.5% in the first quarter of 2016, and inflation was maintained at a single digit level.
US Secretary of State meets Russian president
The US Secretary of State, John Kerry, has met with Russian President, Vladimir Putin, to discuss furthering bilateral cooperation in military and intelligence, in the fight against terrorism in Syria.
According to a draft published by the Washington Post, the US is expected to propose the formation of a Joint Implementation Group to end hostilities and to counter Daesh and Jabhat al Nusra, an offshoot of Al-Qaeda.
European officials react to appointment of UK foreign secretary
Officials of the European community, including the French Foreign Minister, have expressed dissatisfaction at the recent appointment of Boris Johnson as Britain’s Foreign Secretary.
The newly appointed Foreign Secretary was a proponent of the Brexit campaign, and previously served as Mayor of London from 2008-2016.
UN resumes briefings to select next Secretary-General
The UN has resumed its series of informal briefings with candidates for the position of UN Secretary-General. The latest candidate to present her vision statement and answer questions from the General Assembly was Christiana Figueres from Costa Rica.
The reopening of informal hearings follows the recent televised debate between ten of the twelve candidates for the position of Secretary-General, which was held on 12 July.
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