ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka will implement its already announced visa free scheme from the first quarter of this year, Foreign and Foreign Employment Minister Vijith Herath said. The scheme was announced last year, but it is yet to be implemented. “It will be implemented from the first quarter of this year,” the Minister said. In July last year, Sri Lanka announced that it will add another 33 countries to the list of countries exempted from paying ETA visa fees in a bid to facilitate recovery in its tourism sector. The 33 countries are in addition to At China, India, Indonesia,…
The Sri Lankan Report
Photo courtesy of Harvey Wallbanger “The true test of international law is not how it restrains the weak, but whether it can restrain the powerful.” In an extraordinary and unprecedented escalation of global geopolitics, the US launched a large scale military operation in Venezuela in the early hours of January 3 resulting in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, whom US authorities transported to the US to face criminal charges. The operation stunned the world raising urgent legal, humanitarian and diplomatic questions that go far beyond Venezuela’s borders. More than a bilateral confrontation, the…
ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka has recorded around 7.8 billion U.S. dollars through foreign remittances sent by the island nation’s expatriates, Foreign and Foreign Employment Minister Vijitha Herath said. “We still don’t have the official December figure from the central bank. But it is around 650-700 million U.S. dollars,” the Minister told reporters at a media briefing. “With that, our total remittances in 2025 would have been around 7.8 billion U.S. dollars, which is the highest ever in the history.” The island nation surpassed the 2017 record high remittances of USD 7.16 billion in the first 11 months of 2025. Worker…
Photo courtesy of Al Jazeera In the wake of a rising wave of pro-Palestine movement and condemnation of Israel’s unrelenting genocide in Gaza, which is threatening to enter Occupied West Bank the Global North, which endorses Israel’s annexation of the entire Palestine into Greater Israel, has resurrected the bogey of its antisemitism and hatred of Jews to denigrate the growing anti-Israeli sentiments. It became starkly clear in the reaction of the Australian government in response to the recent massacre of Jews in Bondi Beach, Sydney. Israel’s propaganda war funded generously from its national budget and the Global North’s corporate media…
ECONOMYNEXT – The abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife by the United States will strengthen the hands of other aggressive authoritative leaders who threaten neighbors, a UK based think tank has said. “The consequences will take time to play out,” Bronwen Maddox, Director and Chief Executive, Chatham House said in a statement. “Russia will use US actions to bolster its justifications for its invasion of Ukraine. China may cite Venezuela in its rhetoric regarding Taiwan.” Pre-communist China which was then under the KMT ‘inherited’ Taiwan, then a colony of Japan, after the US defeated Japan and divided…
ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s rupee was quoted at 309.85/92 to the US dollar in the spot market Monday, weaker from 309.75/85 Friday, dealers said, while bond yields were somewhat steady. The rupee has weakened from 293.25/75 to the US dollar last year, amid record current account surpluses and improvement in budget, denying the usual scapegoats macro-economists point to after depreciating currencies. A bond maturing on 15.10.2028 was quoted at 9.15/24 percent. A bond maturing on 15.10.2029 was quoted at 9.65/75 percent. A bond maturing on 01.07.2030 was quoted at 9.75/85 percent, up from 9.75/80 percent. A bond maturing on 01.11.2033…
ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka will support United Nations action, Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath said, after the United States abducted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro after attacking defense installations in Venezuela. “It is essential that actions should be taken in a way that is according to United Nations Conventions, to protect international law the and independence of countries,” Minister Herath told reporters Sunday. “All members of United Nations committed to doing that. A meeting of the UN Security council has been called for Sunday. “From our side we are also calling for it to be hastened,” Herath said. “The UN has to…
ECONOMYNEXT – American action in Venezuela set a dangerous precedent, which did not respect international law, United Nations Secretary General António Guterres said, after the abduction of President Nicolás Maduro by the the US. “The Secretary-General is deeply alarmed by the recent escalation in Venezuela, culminating with today’s United States military action in the country, which has potential worrying implications for the region,” the statement said. “Independently of the situation in Venezuela, these developments constitute a dangerous precedent. “The Secretary-General continues to emphasize the importance of full respect – by all – of international law, including the UN Charter. “He’s…
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio renewed a warning to Cuba on Sunday, a day after the United States carried out a military operation that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife. Speaking to NBC News’ Meet the Press, Rubio said Cuba’s leadership was facing serious consequences, accusing Havana of backing Maduro’s government. “They’re in a lot of trouble,” Rubio said, without elaborating on what actions Washington might take next. “I’m not going to talk to you about what our future steps are going to be and our policies are going to be right…
The Frontline Socialist Party is set to stage a protest in Colombo today against United States intervention in Venezuela. According to organisers, the demonstration is scheduled to take place in front of the US Embassy in Colpetty, where protesters are expected to call for an end to US involvement in Venezuelan affairs and broader interventions in Latin America. Posters circulated on social media ahead of the protest accuse the United States of pursuing imperialist policies and attempting to influence political outcomes in Venezuela. (Newswire) The post Protest planned in Colombo against US attack on Venezuela appeared first on Newswire.
The Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL) made history by organizing the world’s first carbon-neutral university convocation during its General Convocation 2025 (I) recently at the BMICH, Colombo.
Bangladesh will not play their Twenty20 World Cup matches in India after Mustafizur Rahman was released by his Indian Premier League team amid growing tensions between the countries, Bangladesh’s cricket board (BCB) said on Sunday.
General Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), will visit the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Sri Lanka from January 5 to 8 as part of India’s continued engagement to strengthen defence cooperation and military-to-military ties with friendly foreign countries.
Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) National Organizer and Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa has called for Education Minister Harini Amarasuriya to resign over the controversial Grade 6 English module, stating that the responsibility lies with her rather than any ministry official.
The Unawatuna Tourist Police have arrested a suspect in connection with the theft of a handbag belonging to an Australian journalist near a restaurant along the Unawatuna beach.
Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath said the internal committee appointed to review the controversial Grade 6 textbook module has submitted its report.
The Communist Party of Sri Lanka (CPSL) expressed its strongest condemnation of the abduction of President of the Bolivarian Republic Venezuela Nicolás Maduro and his wife by the United States.
Action by the United States to invade Venezuela cannot be approved by anyone, a prominent member of former President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s camp said today.
Sri Lanka Police on Sunday issued a clarification warning the public about a message circulating on social media that is falsely attributed to the police. In a statement, police said the message, described as a “Police Notice” and containing a list of safety instructions, was not issued by Sri Lanka Police and should not be treated as an official communication. Police said the contents, wording and directives in the circulating message are unauthorised and misleading, and warned that sharing unverified information could create unnecessary fear and disrupt public order. The statement urged the public to verify information before sharing messages,…
The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) strongly condemned the United States of America’s military aggression against the independent and sovereign state of Venezuela and the abduction of democratically elected President Nicholas Maduro and his wife.