International

How war in Ukraine turned Sri Lanka’s economic crisis into a calamity

Published

4 years ago

April 17, 2022

hoppers buy groceries at Wellawatte Market in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on April 12, as the country warned of an unprecedented default and halted payments on its foreign debt

Life for Hasun Peiris began to unravel a year ago under the pull of powerful forces he didn’t understand.

Climbing food prices drained the 32-year-old woodcutter’s savings, and his family sold their truck. Hunger began to gnaw at their bellies, and they pawned off their gold.

Then, after war erupted thousands of miles away in Ukraine, diesel grew more and more scarce in Sri Lanka, leading to daily power cuts starting last month. Now, Peiris has been forced to scale back his lumber shipments — and his diet. What money he has goes to buying eggs for his pregnant wife.

“I can’t remember the last time I ate chicken or coconut milk,” Peiris said, sitting inside his half-finished house while his five employees idly sorted matchwood in the yard. It was another afternoon wasted, with no electricity or diesel to power his tools and make a living. “I’m afraid,” he said. “I don’t know how to continue.”

Sri Lanka is mired in an unprecedented economic crisis brought on by mostly domestic factors: Years of foreign-debt-fueled government spending, badly timed tax cuts, policies that hurt crop yields and a precipitous drop in tourism during the coronavirus pandemic have hollowed out its foreign reserves.

But Sri Lanka’s teetering finances were dealt another blow this year when war in Europe sent global fuel and food prices surging, turning the small country’s uphill economic struggle into something insurmountable.

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Sir Lanka said Tuesday it needed to suspend international debt payments to save its dwindling dollar reserves for importing fuel and food, both of which are in short supply here, contributing to a devastating inflationary spiral. Over the past six months, central bank data shows, market prices for rice and wheat have doubled.

Diesel prices have shot up 60 percent, leading to widespread shortages and blackouts that have fanned protests across the country demanding President Gotabaya Rajapaksa step down.

“Sri Lanka would be in crisis even if you didn’t have a war in Ukraine, but it’s compounding everything,” said Alan Keenan, an analyst at the International Crisis Group consultancy. “This is the Ukraine effect: a credit line for fuel you thought could last two months now lasts one. Even if you get a bailout, you’re buying less food, less fuel, less medicine.”

“Now,” Keenan added, “is a terrible time to be crashing your economy.”

Last week, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization warned that global food prices had risen to the highest level since it began tracking them in 1990, partly due to the war in Ukraine, a major wheat producer. Inflation, the agency’s chief said, will impose “extraordinary costs on global consumers, particularly the poorest.”

As Sri Lanka’s foreign currency reserves fell dangerously in February, the country negotiated a $500 million credit line with India to import oil, which not only powers transportation and industry across the island but also accounts for 40 percent of its electricity generation. That credit line will already be exhausted by this month, said finance minister Ali Sabry, who is seeking more emergency financing from India and other governments.

“Our import bill for essential fuel has almost doubled, particularly with the unfortunate situation in Ukraine,” Sabry said in an interview this week before his ministry announced it would default on nearly $50 billion in foreign loans to prioritize imports.

“Wheat prices have gone up. Freight prices have gone up. It’s all affecting our reserves in a big way,” he said. “Even the United States has high inflation. Everybody is suffering, more or less.”

Growing protests

So far, Sri Lanka’s protests have been mostly made up of young, middle-class professionals who grew up in a decade of relative prosperity, as the nation emerged from decades of civil war, expanded its manufacturing and white-collar jobs, and looked poised to become the next Asian success story.

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In the past year, these workers have seen their purchasing power and their middle-class futures evaporate. Families gather nightly in places such as the downtown waterfront of the capital, Colombo, to chant slogans against Rajapaska and honk their horns in protest. The atmosphere is festive, but frustration is mounting.

Jay Tissera, a 28-year old graphic designer, took a break from protesting outside the presidential office on a recent afternoon and smoked with his friends — a computer programmer and a journalist — in the shadow of a seaside tower that boasted $1.4 million apartments with sweeping views of the Indian Ocean and interiors designed by a French architect.

“They point to this as development,” Tissera said, pointing up. “But you see, for years the people haven’t developed.”

So far, these demonstrations have been largely peaceful, but officials in both the ruling party and the opposition are worried about where they will lead. They fear a deeper rage could erupt if the poor, who are working overtime just to survive and have not joined the protests en masse, are driven to the streets by hunger.

Eran Wickramaratne, an opposition politician and former state minister of finance, said the government needed to import more food immediately. Last week, India began shipping 40,000 tons of rice to Sri Lanka. But Wickramaratne said it wasn’t enough.

“Those protests are now calm and collected but they might quickly take a different direction,” he said. Wickramaratne shook his head, then waved away the thought. “I don’t even want to imagine it,” he said.

Anger and despair

For many across the capital and on its outskirts, desperation is already setting in.

Outside a busy hospital, Pasinda Fernando, a young pharmacist, confessed with shame and anger that he was beginning to hoard heart medication for his most loyal customers because of a nationwide shortage in imported medicines. “I’m trying my best to reduce prices but the customers are suffering,” he said. “Only when we have a change in government will things get better.”

In another neighborhood, at the front of a line for gasoline that stretched three blocks, K.P. Wimalavathrne, a 61-year old rickshaw driver, said he was eating nothing except five balls of rice noodles a day and sleeping in his back seat. With so much of his time spent waiting for gasoline, “how else can I make money?” he asked, drawing murmurs of sympathy from the crowd of sweaty rickshaw drivers, all of whom had stood for more than two hours to fill up a small jerry can or soda bottle.

Down a coastal road, a group of fishermen were fuming at their elected leader about government officials sneaking into their diesel depot at night to fill up their own vehicles.

Fuel was practically out of reach already, said one of the men, Joseph Anthony Silva. The smaller skiffs lining the pier sit unused, with kerosene unobtainable. Ten-day fishing trips in the bigger boats have been cut to three days because diesel is so expensive, he said. Three meals a day have been cut to two.

Silva fretted about how to feed his family of five and pay loan sharks who he, and other fishermen, are increasingly indebted to as the community has floundered over the past year. Silva owes about $750, or several months’ income, at 20 percent interest, he calculated.

“The loan sharks’ business is so good they’re now open 24 hours a day,” interjected Linton Fernando, another fisherman with growing debts. “They come to our doors and shame us by taking away furniture and gold.”

If fuel and food prices don’t fall, the two men agreed, they would be ruined. As they spoke, a train emerged from a dense palm grove and rumbled across the inlet. Silva nodded toward the barreling locomotive. His mood darkened, his anger folded into despair.

“Soon, there will be no way out of debt,” he said. “No way except death.”

THE WASHINGTON POST

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International

ICE Arrests African Migrant Who Claimed to Be Gay for Asylum, Then Married Sheriff’s Daughter

Published

16 hours ago

June 2, 2026

Trends Admin

File photo

ICE Arrests African Migrant Who Claimed to Be Gay for Asylum, Then Married Sheriff’s Daughter

Washington D.C. – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested a Mauritanian national, Selah Dine Habib (also known as Habib Selah), after federal investigators discovered he allegedly submitted a fraudulent asylum claim based on homosexuality before marrying an American woman and working as a taxpayer-funded corrections officer in Portland, Indiana .

Habib, 28, a native of Mauritania in northwest Africa, was taken into custody on May 21, 2026, and remains in ICE custody pending removal proceedings . According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) , Habib entered the United States illegally in March 2023 near Lukeville, Arizona, and was released into the country by the Biden administration . “He entered the country illegally in March 2023 near Lukeville, Arizona, and was released into the country by the Biden administration, where he was reportedly hired as a corrections officer in Indiana,” DHS stated .

Upon entering the United States, Habib filed an asylum application in which he claimed to be homosexual . In Mauritania, same-sex conduct is criminalized, and individuals perceived as LGBTQ face severe persecution, including the risk of capital punishment under the country’s interpretation of Islamic law . Federal law allows migrants to make LGBTQ-specific asylum claims if they can demonstrate a well-founded fear of persecution in their home country based on sexual orientation or gender identity . However, DHS now alleges that Habib’s claim was fraudulent . “His pending asylum application is believed to be fraudulent, as he applied based on homosexuality in 2023 but married a woman in 2025,” officials said .

Investigators reportedly discovered that Habib married an American woman in September 2025 — approximately two years after filing his asylum claim based on homosexuality . According to local outlet WIBC, which first broke the story, the woman he married is Chelsea, the stepdaughter of Jay County Sheriff Larry Ray Newton . Wedding photos and videos from the ceremony were shared on social media, showing Sheriff Newton posing with his family and delivering a speech to wedding guests . These publicly available images ultimately drew the attention of federal authorities, who began scrutinizing Habib’s immigration status .

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Before his arrest, Habib was employed as an unarmed correctional officer at the Jay County Jail in Portland, Indiana . Sheriff Larry Ray Newton confirmed that Habib was hired by the department before he married the sheriff’s stepdaughter, meaning his employment was not a direct result of the marriage . During the hiring process, Habib presented a Social Security card and a driver’s license, and the Jay County Auditor’s Office confirmed that he passed the federal E-Verify employment-authorization check .

“I am able to confirm that Mr. Habib submitted an I-9 with documentation, and an E-Verify Check was completed at the time of employment. The report came back as employment authorized,” the Jay County Auditor’s Office told WIBC . The Auditor’s Office also noted that departments are responsible for completing background checks and other screenings before submitting new employees, and any discrepancies flagged by the E-Verify system would have halted the onboarding process immediately .

Habib is currently being held at the Clay County Jail detention facility in Brazil, Indiana, pending removal proceedings . According to WIBC, he is contesting a final deportation order from the United States . ICE issued a statement following the arrest, emphasizing its commitment to enforcing immigration laws: “To be clear: Work authorization does NOT give someone legal status to be in our country” . The agency added that Habib “will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings and will receive full due process under federal law” .

The Department of Homeland Security also commented on the broader implications of the case: “Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, ICE is restoring law and order. Illegal aliens have NO PLACE in our communities, especially in positions of law enforcement” . The case comes amid heightened scrutiny of immigration enforcement under the Trump administration, which has prioritized the arrest and deportation of individuals who entered the country illegally or are accused of gaming the asylum system . The administration has also focused on ensuring that individuals with pending immigration cases do not hold positions within law enforcement .

While the case has drawn significant attention as an apparent example of asylum fraud, legal observers have noted that the situation may be more nuanced than it initially appears . Some legal experts have pointed out that marriage to a woman does not automatically prove that an asylum applicant lied about their sexual orientation, as individuals may identify as bisexual or may have married due to cultural, religious, or family pressure . The U.S. government would need to present additional evidence beyond the marriage itself to successfully prove immigration fraud in court . As of this report, DHS has not released further details about the specific contents of Habib’s asylum application or any additional evidence supporting the fraud allegation .

Mauritania, Habib’s country of origin, has been cited by human rights organizations as one of the most dangerous countries in the world for LGBTQ individuals. According to the Human Dignity Trust, the country imposes severe penalties for same-sex conduct, including the death penalty in certain cases . This context underscores the high stakes of legitimate LGBTQ asylum claims from the region while also highlighting why fraudulent claims are considered particularly damaging to the integrity of the asylum system .

ICE Arrests African Migrant Who Claimed to Be Gay for Asylum, Then Married Sheriff’s Daughter

International

US Slashes African Visa Centres from 50 to 20 in Major Immigration Crackdown

Published

16 hours ago

June 2, 2026

Trends Admin

US Slashes African Visa Centres from 50 to 20 in Major Immigration Crackdown

Washington D.C. – Thousands of Africans applying for US visas are expected to face higher travel costs and longer processing times after the United States announced it will consolidate its visa services across the continent, slashing the number of diplomatic missions handling visa applications from nearly 50 to just 20 designated hubs . The directive, approved by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and detailed in an internal State Department memorandum obtained by the Associated Press, is part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to tighten immigration controls, strengthen security screening for both immigrant and non-immigrant visa applicants, and crack down on individuals who overstay temporary visas . The changes are expected to take effect in June 2026, according to three U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity .

Under the restructuring plan, full visa-processing services will only be available at 20 strategic locations across Africa. Embassies and consulates in non-hub countries will remain operational but will have their services significantly scaled back. These missions will primarily handle U.S. citizen services, including passport renewals, emergency consular assistance, diplomatic visas, and select cases deemed to be in the U.S. national interest . U.S. diplomats, including consular chiefs, were informed of the changes during a conference call on Friday, May 29, 2026 . One official who was on the call told the Associated Press that the directive represents a major shift in how the United States will engage with African visa applicants moving forward .

The 20 designated visa-processing hubs are: Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire; Accra, Ghana; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Cape Town, South Africa; Dakar, Senegal; Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Djibouti, Djibouti; Johannesburg, South Africa; Kampala, Uganda; Kigali, Rwanda; Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo; Lagos, Nigeria; Lomé, Togo; Luanda, Angola; Malabo, Equatorial Guinea; Monrovia, Liberia; Nairobi, Kenya; Port Louis, Mauritius; Praia, Cape Verde; and Yaoundé, Cameroon . Each of these hubs will maintain full visa-processing capabilities, including interview scheduling, document submission, and visa issuance for tourists, students, business travellers, and immigrants .

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The consolidation will create seismic travel disruptions across the continent, with applicants from non-hub countries now required to travel across borders — sometimes through multiple countries — to reach one of the 20 approved centres for visa interviews and document submission . For example, a visa applicant in Togo may now have to travel to Accra, Ghana, or Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire — both designated hubs . Someone in Zambia or Zimbabwe could be required to travel to Johannesburg, South Africa — a journey that involves crossing multiple borders and incurring significant transportation and accommodation expenses . In West Africa, Abidjan will serve as the primary visa hub for applicants from neighboring countries such as Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger . While the city’s infrastructure is well-established, experts predict that increased demand could lead to appointment backlogs and accommodation shortages .

One of the most significant changes affects Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation. While Lagos made the list of 20 hubs, the country’s capital, Abuja, has lost its visa-processing status. Nigerians seeking U.S. visas will now be required to travel to Lagos — a journey that poses logistical and financial challenges for applicants from northern regions who previously accessed visa services in Abuja . In East Africa, Nairobi, Kenya, has emerged as the dominant regional hub, alongside Kampala, Uganda; Kigali, Rwanda; Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia . Diplomatic observers note that Nairobi has increasingly become East Africa’s diplomatic and consular hub, mirroring trends among other Western governments that have scaled back services elsewhere in the region . Southern African applicants from countries including Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique will now need to travel to either Cape Town or Johannesburg in South Africa. Johannesburg, as the primary economic centre of the region, is expected to see the highest volumes of visa applicants .

The visa-processing reduction is the latest in a series of immigration measures introduced under the Trump administration. Previous actions have included travel bans affecting several African and Asian countries, a requirement for some visa applicants to post a bond of up to $15,000, staff reductions at U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide, suspension of immigrant visa processing from dozens of countries over public assistance concerns, and health-related restrictions following recent Ebola outbreak declarations . These measures have collectively made it more difficult and expensive for African citizens to obtain U.S. visas, and the latest consolidation is expected to exacerbate these challenges .

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Despite the reduction in visa-processing locations, U.S. embassies and consulates in affected countries will continue to operate for American citizens. These services include passport renewals for U.S. citizens, emergency consular assistance, diplomatic visa cases, and applications considered to be in the United States’ national interest . However, routine visa processing for tourists, students, business travellers, and immigrants will no longer be available at these locations .

The State Department did not directly address the specific details of the internal memo but provided a statement to multiple news outlets . “The Department is constantly evaluating its overseas operations in order to deploy taxpayer resources in a way that advances America’s priorities as efficiently and effectively as possible,” the statement read. “This includes a visa process that maintains rigorous standards of security screening and vetting and aligns resources and operational capacity with America’s national interests” .

African diplomats and immigration consultants have expressed concern that the policy could slow legitimate travel and weaken trade ties between the United States and Africa . Critics argue that the centralisation of visa services may disproportionately affect applicants from poorer and more remote regions who can least afford the added travel costs. “The move, which forms part of a broader effort to restrict immigration by limiting visa issuance and tightening controls on overstays, will concentrate resources at larger posts and reduce staffing at smaller ones,” according to analysis from The Kenya Times .

Experts predict that the increased concentration of visa applicants at the 20 hubs could lead to bottlenecks, particularly during peak travel seasons or for high-demand visa categories such as student and employment-based visas. Travelers may need to plan months in advance, account for transit logistics, and prepare for higher overall costs . The consolidation follows years of strained consular operations in Africa, where visa processing has faced backlogs due to staffing shortages, the COVID-19 pandemic, and security concerns at some posts. By centralising services, the State Department aims to manage workloads more efficiently while advancing the administration’s goal of lower overall immigration levels .

For thousands of Africans planning to travel to the United States for tourism, education, business, or family visits, the shake-up means that securing a visa will now require an additional journey — often across international borders — before the journey itself . Key considerations for applicants include increased travel costs for flights, ground transportation, and accommodation at hub locations; extended processing times due to higher demand concentrated at fewer centres; potential appointment backlogs during peak seasons; and additional documentation requirements for border crossings between African countries .

As of June 2026, no exact implementation date has been announced beyond the June target window. Embassies in non-hub countries are expected to update their websites and notify applicants in the coming days . The State Department has not released a detailed implementation timeline for phasing out visa services at the affected missions. The long-term impact of this consolidation on U.S.-Africa relations remains to be seen. While the administration maintains that streamlined operations will allow for stronger security screening without reducing core diplomatic functions, critics warn that the move could discourage legitimate travel and investment between the United States and Africa . Regional governments may need to coordinate transportation, accommodation, and local support to assist their citizens in accessing these hubs. The development underscores the evolving nature of U.S. diplomatic and immigration policies in Africa and their far-reaching effects on international mobility .

Applicants are advised to monitor the websites of their local U.S. embassies for updated information on visa services and to plan accordingly for potential travel to designated hub locations. Experts recommend scheduling appointments well in advance and budgeting for additional travel and accommodation expenses when applying for U.S. visas from African countries.

US Slashes African Visa Centres from 50 to 20 in Major Immigration Crackdown

International

Iran to US: No Nuclear Deal Without Guarantee of Our Rights

Published

3 days ago

May 31, 2026

Trends Admin

Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf

Iran to US: No Nuclear Deal Without Guarantee of Our Rights

TEHRAN – Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, has firmly ruled out any agreement with the United States unless the rights of the Iranian people are fully guaranteed, signaling a major hurdle in ongoing diplomatic efforts to end the Middle East conflict that erupted on February 28.

In a video broadcast on state television on Sunday, Ghalibaf declared, “We will not approve any agreement until we are certain that the rights of the Iranian people have been upheld.” He added that Tehran’s negotiating team “neither trust the enemy’s words nor its promises,” underscoring a deep and persistent distrust of US guarantees that has defined the Islamic Republic’s bargaining stance for decades.

The强硬 Iranian position comes as the White House pushes forward with a revised proposal. On Saturday, The New York Times and Axios reported that US President Donald Trump returned a draft framework to Tehran with “tougher” terms than previously discussed. According to US officials cited by Axios, the revisions focus on stricter clauses regarding Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz —a chokepoint through which nearly 20% of global oil passes. One senior official said the changes include “more specifics about how the US gets the material and the timing” regarding Iran’s nuclear activities. President Trump, while publicly expressing a desire for a deal, has kept military action on the table. “We are making a great deal; otherwise we’ll just go back and finish it off militarily,” Trump told Fox News this week.

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Tehran has laid out a clear list of rights it says must be enshrined in any final agreement. First among these is sanctions relief: Iran demands the lifting of all US economic sanctions imposed since 2018, as the Iranian rial has lost over 80% of its value under the current regime of restrictions. Second, Tehran is seeking the release of approximately $12 billion in frozen assets held in banks abroad, which it views as Iranian property unlawfully withheld. Third, since the war began on February 28, Iran has maintained tight military and naval control over the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei recently stated that future management of the waterway “concerns only Iran and Oman,” and local media reports indicate a parliamentary plan to codify Iranian sovereignty over the strait is imminent.

Despite the tough rhetoric, a draft 60-day truce memorandum of understanding (MOU) had reportedly been agreed upon by negotiators from both sides pending Trump’s approval. The MOU allegedly includes provisions for mine clearance by Iran, the reopening of the strait, and preliminary discussions on sanctions relief. However, Trump’s decision to return the framework with tougher conditions has introduced fresh delays. Iranian officials are expected to issue a formal response within approximately three days. Meanwhile, a ceasefire that has largely held since April 8 remains fragile, with both sides accusing each other of violations.

The stalemate has kept the entire Middle East on edge. The war that began on February 28 has already displaced over 1.2 million people, according to UN estimates, and has drawn in proxy forces from Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen. A failure to reach a deal could trigger a wider regional conflagration, while a successful agreement—however unlikely under current terms—would reshape Gulf security and global energy markets.