August 30, 2016 Reading Time: 2 minutes
France to call for halt of trade partnership at meeting in Bratislava. Image credit - quixoticsnd / depositphotos
Reading Time: 2 min read
World Bank Vice President for South Asia visits Sri Lanka
The Vice President of the World Bank South Asia Region, Annette Dixon, has arrived in Sri Lanka on 28 August for a two-day visit. During her stay, Ms. Dixon visited World Bank projects in the Northern Province, and met with senior officials.
Ms. Dixon’s visit to the north involved inspecting economic and social development projects, including the development of Jaffna city, and the modernisation of the northern agricultural sector.
SAARC nations invited to invest in Financial City
The Minister of Finance, Ravi Karunanayake, has invited the member states of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) to invest in the Colombo International Financial City.
The invitation was extended during Minister Karunanayake’s address at the 8th SAARC Finance Ministers Summit in Islamabad, where he emphasised Sri Lanka’s plans towards creating ‘bilateral and multilateral free trade and economic agreements’
US navy vessel docks in Colombo
The ‘USS Frank Cable’, a submarine tender vessel of the US Navy, has docked at the Port of Colombo on 29 August for a four-day goodwill visit. Its Commanding Officer, Captain Drew St. John, called on the Deputy Commander of the Western Naval Area, Commodore Senarath Wijesuriya, to hold talks and exchange mementos.
The crew of the vessel has been granted shore leave in order to participate in programmes and activities organised by the Sri Lankan Navy.
Presidents of the US and the Philippines to meet
The US President, Barack Obama, is expected to meet with Philippine President, Rodrigo Duterte, on 6 September. President Obama plans to discuss human rights and security interests.
President Obama is also expected to raise concerns over the recent statements made by President Duterte on the topic of women and journalists. Both parties will also discuss political tensions in the South China Sea.
Houthi rebels open for peace talks
An official of Yemen’s Houthi movement, Saleh al-Sammad, has pledged that the group is ready to resume peace negotiations with the exiled Yemeni government, but stated that they would resist any attacks from the government.
UN sponsored talks between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government ended in failure, after the Houthis and Saleh’s General People’s Congress announced the formation of a 10-member ruling council on 6 August.
France to call for a halt on trade talks
France’s Minister of State for Foreign Trade, Matthias Fekl, will call for a halt to France’s negotiations on the EU-US Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, at the meeting of EU trade ministers in Bratislava next month.
White House Press Secretary, Josh Earnest, stated that the US wished to reach a deal by the end of the year. The German Minister of Economics and Energy, Sigmar Gabriel, has stated that both sides have yet to agree on a single common item, and placed responsibility on the US for the state of the talks.
Tags: Sri Lanka, Yemen, EU, US, Philippines, France, SAARC, World Bank
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