Tuesday 7th May, 2024 The BIA (Bandaranaike International Airport) visa controversy has taken a dramatic turn with the Opposition accusing Public Security Minister Tiran Alles of having misled Parliament. The outsourcing of on-arrival visa processing to a foreign company has provoked a public outcry. The company reportedly charges about USD 20 or more as visa […]

VFS Global, the company at the centre of continuing controversy over the issuance of on arrival visa at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), yesterday (06) said that it had commenced operations in Sri Lanka in 2004. According to the company, it has been facilitating the visa application process for 23 governments, including the UK, Australia, […]

by Jehan Perera The visit of Japan’s foreign minister Yoko Kamikawa to Sri Lanka is an indication that the relationship between the two countries is on the mend.  The manner in which Japan was ousted from the special status it had once held by the previous government headed by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa would have caused […]

by Dr Upul Wijayawardhana “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” This is very sound advice to be followed at this time of distress in Sri Lanka, as there are many things that are broken and need fixing urgently. Some may say our ruling politicians are not smart enough to grasp the validity of such […]

VFS Global, the company at the center of controversy surrounding the issuance of on arrival visa at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), has issued a statement today in response to accusations and to clarify certain concerns which have been raised.

A Sri Lankan youth who had behaved in an unruly manner at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake on May 01 amidst a tense situation at the visa issuance counters, has been summoned to Airport Police today (06).

Sri Lanka Director of the National Mine Action Centre (NMAC) and the Secretary to the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing W. S. Sathyananda has assured the international community that the ongoing mine clearing operations will reach a successful conclusion within three years. The assurance has been given at the recently concluded 27th International Meeting […]

The second meeting of the strategic dialogue between Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom is scheduled to be held in Colombo tomorrow (07), at the senior officials’ level, the Foreign Ministry said. A senior Ministry official said: “The meeting will review developments in foreign and security policies, as well as progress in the areas of […]

by Jayasri Priyalal Jayasripriyalal59@gmail.com The greatest challenges confronting the nation-states in the current era revolve around; deplorable debt, depleted natural resources, and degraded environment. Economic growth and future prosperity for all living beings are stalled due to the varying degrees of the 3D problems emerging out of ill-conceived policy divergences propelling the linear eco...

… reminds the need for anti-corruption measures in line with agreement with IMF Sri Lanka will take delivery of a vessel equipped with a sonar (echo sounder) to be used in the compiling of maritime charts.Japanese Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko made this announcement at a joint media briefing held with her counterpart Ali Sabry, PC, […]

Lok Sabha elections: On the invitation of the Election Commission of India (ECI), two members of the Election Commission and eight members of PCOI (Presidential Commission of Inquiry to Make Recommendations for Election Law Reforms) are visiting India during Lok Sabha elections. The Island learns that initially there had been a problem with regard to […]

The security officers at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake have seized a consignment of gemstones that a Sri Lankan passenger had attempted to smuggle out of the country.

As the sun rises over the mountains surrounding the Magastota Estate in Nuwara Eliya, G.P.D. Padmakanthi, a dedicated midwife with over 35 years of experience, is making her way to visit a mother who is expecting her second baby. As a midwife, Padmakanthi has been a constant source of strength and guidance for the estate […]

A foreign company that has secured the exclusive right to process applications for Sri Lankan visas stands to earn at least 12.76 billion rupees ($42.5 million) for the same service that a local company had offered virtually free. Chaos broke out at the Bandaranaike International Airport on May Day when VFS Global set up an […]

by Rex Clementine Excitement among cricket enthusiasts is high with the T-20 World Cup less than a month away. After years of disappointing performances and underachievement, the team’s fortunes are back on track thanks to meticulous planning. A semi-final finish in the 20-team competition will be highly appreciated. The national selection panel under Upul Tharanga […]

An opinion piece on the island nation’s sovereign default by Bellwether published in Sri Lanka’s Economy Next news website is among the finalists for the prestigious Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) award under Excellence in Opinion Writing. Economy Next’s opinion piece titled ‘Sri Lanka’s collapse in new sovereign default wave is not really China’s […]

Japan Foreign Minister, Ms. Yōko Kamikawa, called on President Ranil Wickremesinghe this afternoon (4) at the Presidential Secretariat. Foreign Minister Kamikawa praised the President’s efforts to overcome the economic crisis, as well as pursuing an ambitious economic reforms agenda. During the discussions with President Wickremesinghe, Minister Yōko Kamikawa, stated her Government’s intention to ...

West Indies cricketer Devon Thomas has been handed a five-year period of ineligibility from all cricket after admitting to breaching seven counts of the anti-corruption codes of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), and the Caribbean Premier League (CPL). The ICC announced the period of ineligibility in its capacity as the Designated […]

by Dr B.J.C.Perera Specialist Consultant Paediatrician and Honorary Senior Fellow, Postgraduate Institute of Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. John Fitzgerald Kennedy or JFK was the 35th President of the United States of America. He served as President from 20th January 1961, until his assassination on 22nd November 1963. Though his presidency lasted only a […]