September 1, 2016 Reading Time: 2 minutes
Prime Minister Wickremesinghe to travel to Singapore on official visit. Image credit - fazon1 /depositphotos
Reading Time: 2 min read
Sri Lanka and US enhance relations through trade framework
The Assistant US Trade Representative for South Asia, Michael J. Delaney, has arrived in Sri Lanka to complete the work plan under the US-Sri Lanka Joint Action Plan to Boost Trade and Investment. Once completed, the work plan is expected to go into effect immediately.
The Joint Action Plan was adopted under the US-Sri Lanka Trade and Investment Framework (TIFA), at the 12th US-Sri Lanka TIFA Council meeting held on 28 April 2016 in Washington, DC.
Cabinet approves Japanese loan and Partnership Secretariat
The Cabinet has approved a loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency worth LKR 14.5 billion, to improve governance, fiscal consolidation, and capacity within the private sector.
The Cabinet has also approved Prime Minister Wickremesinghe’s proposal for a Japan-Sri Lanka Joint Comprehensive Partnership Secretariat in Colombo and Tokyo, to facilitate cooperation in science and technology, economics, and social development.
Prime Minister to attend 2016 Indian Ocean Summit
Prime Minister Wickremesinghe will leave for Singapore on 1 September to attend the 2016 Indian Ocean Conference, organised by the India Foundation.
Leaders and delegates from South Asia and the Asia-Pacific will attend the conference, to address Indian Ocean Region issues related to economics, defence, environment, and culture.
President of Brazil impeached
The President of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff, was impeached after sixty-one senators voted in favour of her dismissal and 20 against. The impeachment vote ended the left-wing Workers’ Party’s 13 year reign.
Vice President, Michel Temer, has been sworn in as president, and will serve out Ms. Rousseff’s term, which ends on 1 January 2019. Venezuela reacted to the impeachment by recalling its Ambassador to Brazil and declaring the impeachment a coup. Brazil also recalled its Ambassador to Venezuela, as well as its envoys in Bolivia and Ecuador.
Ali Bongo re-elected President of Gabon
The incumbent President of Gabon, Ali Bongo, has been re-elected as president. President Bongo won 49.80% of the vote, while his rival, Jean Ping, won 48.23% of the vote.
Mr. Ping declared that the election process was subject to fraud, and has called for the voting figures of each polling station to be made public. The US and EU have also called for the results to be made public, while UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged calm.
Myanmar holds major peace conference
Myanmar’s leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, has opened the 21st Century Panglong Conference in Naypyidaw, Myanmar on 31 August, to bring together the country’s ethnic armed groups to restore peace. The conference marks the first time in seven decades that so many groups have gathered together for discussions.
Delegates of the conference are expected to meet every six months, to discuss a range of challenges facing Myanmar. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged Myanmar to consider the state of the Rohingya community in these deliberations.
Tags: Sri Lanka, Japan, US, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe, Myanmar, Singapore, Brazil, Gabon
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