South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol pledged his support for President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s economic recovery plan for Sri Lanka.
He praised President Wickremesinghe’s programme aimed at alleviating the severe economic crisis in the country and commended his dedication.
Additionally, President Yoon mentioned the potential for expanding the scope for job opportunities in South Korea for Sri Lankan youth in the future.
The South Korean leader lauded President Wickremesinghe’s efforts to address Climate Change issues based on the COP 27 agenda and proposed for Sri Lanka and Korea to enter into a Bilateral Climate Change Agreement.
He further proposed the need to expedite the conclusion of a Bilateral Trade and Investment Agreement with a view to facilitating more Korean investment bringing in new technology to Sri Lanka.
The official meeting between Presidents Wickremesinghe and President Yoon occurred alongside the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly at the South Korean Permanent Resident Mission to the United Nations in New York.
The leaders discussed the strengthening of diplomatic relations that began in 1978 and explored opportunities for further expansion.
President Wickremesinghe emphasised the importance of expeditiously finalizing a trade agreement between the two nations.
Both leaders prioritised enhancing trade and investment relations between Sri Lanka and South Korea.
Additionally, President Yoon expressed gratitude for the valuable contributions of Sri Lankan youths working in South Korea to the country’s economy.
Furthermore, the South Korean President highlighted that Sri Lankan workers who have gained skills in South Korea will return to contribute to Sri Lanka’s economy positively.
He also applauded the commitment of the Sri Lankan President to address climate change. President Ranil Wickremesinghe emphasised Sri Lanka’s digitization efforts, while the South Korean President noted that Sri Lanka can draw valuable lessons from South Korea’s remarkable achievements in digitization.
In a friendly gesture, President Yoon extended an invitation to President Ranil Wickremesinghe for an official visit to South Korea in the near future.
Foreign Minister Ali Sabry, Secretary to the President Saman Ekanayake, Foreign Secretary Aruni Wijewardane and other senior officials from Sri Lanka and Korea participated in the meeting.
The Cinnamon Gardens Police has informed the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court yesterday (Oct. 07) that copper strips of the lightning conductor installed to secure the properties of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) have been stolen despite the deployment of 97 security officers.
Following a complaint made by the CMC’s Chief Security Officer – Ashoka Jayaratne, investigations based on CCTV footage are being carried on to arrest suspects, the police had added, submitting a report to the Colombo Chief Magistrate Thilina Gamage.
In his complaint, Mr. Jayaratne had stated that a 6 1/2-foot section of the copper strip had been cut off from the building where the lightning conductor has been installed.
Also, a 75 metre section of the copper strip located on the building roof has been cut off.
In addition, a 10-foot section of the copper strip has also been cut off from the building the building housing the child care centre.
A new panda-themed film with world-renowned action movie star Jackie Chan as the leading actor was premiered in Beijing on Sep. 28.
It tells a story about an international Kung Fu star who fights against a criminal group to rescue a panda.
At the premiere, Chan shared his understanding on the purpose of this movie.
“I always want to shoot a movie about panda, but I don’t know how to get it started, until director Zhang Luan approached me. With this film, I hope more children around the world will know pandas, and know how cute these creatures are, who represent friendship and peace,” he said.
Several Chinese film stars also attended the premiere, where they expressed how Chan has inspired and motivated them.
“After all these years, you are still making movies. I think you put audience, Chinese people in your heart. I could learn a lot from you,” said Sun Honglei, an actor.
“See Jackie still presenting such wonderful action movie for us, I’m really moved,” said Wang Zhi, an actress.
The Meteorology Department has said that the Intertropical Convergence Zone, where winds from the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere converge, will further affectnn the island’s weather.
Accordingly, showers or thundershowers will occur at times in Western, Sabaragamuwa and North-western provinces and in Galle and Matara districts, it said.
Showers or thundershowers will occur elsewhere at several places in the island during the afternoon or night.
Heavy showers above 100 mm are likely at some places in Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, Uva and Eastern provinces and in Galle, Matara and Puttalam districts.
The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.