Sri Lanka

The status quo—broad-based government interference—only exacerbates inflation and other economic issues in Sri Lanka. The only viable solution is a gradual liberalization of the economy.

Sri Lankans have taken to the streets and stormed official buildings in the capital, Colombo, for a combination of reasons, including an economic crisis and creeping authoritarianism. Many of the country's nearly 22 million people are having trouble buying even basic commodities, like food and cooking oil, while the country is unable to pay its debts to bondholders around the world.

Some observers have blamed Sri Lanka's troubles on its dealings with China, which has made substantial investments in the country. Recently, CIA Director William J. Burns became the latest U.S. official in recent years to attribute Sri Lanka's economic crisis to Chinese debt. Of Sri Lanka's total foreign debt, loans from China's government are in the range of 10 percent to 12 percent. Adding Chinese commercial loans to a wider base of public and publicly guaranteed debt, a new analysis...

With declining tax collection squeezing government revenue and spending, foreign borrowing—at higher rates, with shorter maturities—increasingly financed budget deficits.

Tensions are high as the country is experiencing a major economic crisis with people struggling to to get food, fuel and medicine.

Countries, in our era of deglobalization, have just found new weapons.

The international community needs to pay attention to the crisis in Sri Lanka, and the potential for renewed terrorism is not the only reason.

"India has stepped up its game in crisis-hit Sri Lanka at a time when China has hesitated to provide debt relief," Overseas Development Institute's Ganeshan Wignaraja told Newsweek.

"People are suffering," said a man who was interviewed in the video. "People are living with one meal per day. Can you imagine?"

The coming days could define Sri Lanka's future.

Sri Lanka is experiencing one of the worst recessions in the country since 1948, when it became independent.

"Our work is crucial and it is being silenced," Tamil Guardian said in a statement after their account was disabled.

The new regulations will require all owners to obtain "photo identity cards with a DNA stamp for all animals under their care," according to the State Minister of Wildlife Protection.

A new surge of infections took over the country, registering over 20,000 new coronavirus cases and around 600 deaths every day since last Thursday. On Tuesday, 20,616 new cases were recorded.

A U.N. representative in Sri Lanka said the chemicals released by the X-Press Pearl sinking caused "significant damage." "An environmental emergency of this nature causes significant damage to the planet by the release of hazardous substances into the ecosystem," Hanaa Singer-Hamdy said.

The U.K. recorded over 8,000 new cases, the highest since late February, mostly all connected to the Delta variant. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will announce on Monday if England will still lift social distancing restrictions.

The processors allege a cover-up about what the crew knew before the ship entered Sri Lankan waters.

The Centre for Environmental Justice called the chemical spill from the accident "the worst marine disaster" in the country's history.

"This tragic incident—inundating beaches on the west coast of Sri Lanka with tonnes of microplastics—will have immediate and long-term effects on this coastal ecosystem," the World Wildlife Fund told Newsweek on Thursday.

Sri Lankan officials prepare for an oil spill after the cargo ship that caught fire on May 20, X-Press Pearl, sinks deeper into the Indian Ocean. The fishing industry is still halted as non-biodegradable plastic pellets continue to wash ashore.

One expert said the pellets, known as nurdles, "will persist in the marine environment forever as they are not biodegradable."

"The ship has dealt a death blow to our lives. We can't go into the sea, which means we can't make a living," Joshua Anthony, head of a region fishing union.

Environmentalist Ajantha Perera said potential leaks from the vessel's fuel tanks when it sinks could lead to "a terrible environmental disaster."

Malaysian Senior Minister Ismail Sabri said many Muslims ignored the COVID-19 safety rules that prevented them from seeing each other during the Eid festival

Beauty queen and Mrs. World 2020 title-holder Caroline Jurie is stepping down after snatching the crown off the head of the Mrs. Sri Lanka pageant winner on Sunday, allegedly causing injuries that resulted in Jurie's arrest.

A video showed Mrs. World Caroline Jurie removing the crown of Mrs. Sri Lanka World 2021 winner Pushpika De Silva on Sunday after Jurie claimed that De Silva was divorced and therefore could not win.

With the historically pro-China Rajapaksa brothers back in power, Sri Lanka is being asked by the U.S. to shun the Belt and Road Initiative and prioritize "a transparent, private sector-driven investment, grant, and business model."

The virus has killed almost 200 people since it emerged in the city of Wuhan in late 2019.

A month after the appointment of Lt. General Shavendra Silva as chief of the Sri Lankan army, the United Nations announced a ban on Sri Lankan troops, citing concern over Silva's involvement in the death of tens of thousands of Sri Lankan Tamils during civil war.

"She walks many kilometers every night so that people will feel blessed during the ceremony. No one sees her bony body or her weakened condition, because of her costume," the Save Elephant Foundation said.