【Colombo】Sri Lanka National Election Commission (NEC) has decided to postpone the Parliamentary Election -2020 scheduled to be held on April 25 due to the severity of the Covid-19 situation within the country.
NEC Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya said the electoral process was totally interrupted during the past five to six days due to the outbreak, which resulted in this decision.
○Chinese concessional loan of US $ 500mn to increase SL foreign reserves
【Colombo】Sri Lanka signed agreements on March 18 to receive a concessional loan of US $ 500 million from China Development Bank (CDB).
The loan is expected to increase official foreign reserves of Sri Lanka and help fight the coronavirus's economic impacts. A Chinese embassy statement said the agreement was signed at the Temple Trees in the presence of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, Chinese Embassy Chargé d'affaires Hu Wei and CDB Vice President Ma Xin. "The facility was urgently requested by the Sri Lankan government and supported by the Chinese side, under the current financial situation in Sri Lanka and the background of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic with all-out efforts," the embassy statement said.
【News source】