Sri Lanka’s Immigration Department has reverted to issuing on-arrival visas at the points of entry, and airport after the Supreme Court suspended a controversial deal outsourcing online visa issuing to a tripartite joint venture, including an Indian company.

Issuing of online visas for visitors to the island nation ground to a halt when the Supreme Court on Friday suspended the agreement signed by the Sri Lanka Immigration Department with three parties — Singapore-registered GBS Technology Services, the UAE-registered IVS Global-FZCO and the Dubai-headquartered VFS VF Worldwide Holdings Ltd.

Though now based in Dubai, VFS was originally founded in India and the majority of the company is owned by an American investment firm, Blackstone.

Sri Lanka’s Opposition had charged that the government had amassed $10 million from the controversial deal which was diverted to the upcoming election campaign. However, the government denied the allegation.

The country’s apex court issued the suspension until the final hearing of several fundamental rights petitions filed by three lawmakers and Translation International Sri Lanka (TISL), among others.

The petitioners had charged that the procedural violations and abuse of public trust had been caused by officials in the procurement of private entities to handle the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system for issuing visas to tourists visiting Sri Lanka.

They claimed the deal had affected the tourism industry, national economy and national security.

The petitioners had cited the Public Security Minister, the Controller General of Immigration, the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, GBS Technology Services & IVS Global-FZCO, VFS VF Worldwide Holdings LTD, the Cabinet of Sri Lanka and the Attorney General.

While suspending the operation of foreign companies from issuing online visas, the Supreme Court had ordered the Immigration Department to return to the ETA system that was there before last April run by a local company Mobitel, which provided the service for one dollar.

Depending on the visa category, VFS Global was charging different prices, from $10 to much more.

However, Public Security Minister Tiran Alles has told the media that the ETA system run by Mobitel cannot be restored as many changes have been introduced. There were changes in laws which were passed in the Parliament. AGENCIES

The nationwide heat wave has led to a surge in the number of patients with heat-related illnesses to 1,546 while causing the deaths of over 257,000 livestock, the interior ministry said on Monday.

The previous day, temperatures in Yeoju, 64 kilometres southeast of Seoul, reached 40 degrees Celsius, marking the first time since 2018, which was recorded as the hottest year on record, reports Yonhap news agency.

The Interior Ministry said that the total number of patients with heat-related illnesses from May 20 to last Saturday reached 1,546 — 10 more than last year’s figure.

During the period, 11 people died from illnesses caused by extreme heat.

The heat wave also killed 257,483 livestock from July 11 to last Saturday, including 235,880 poultry.

Additionally, 5,867 flatfish from six fish farms died due to the heat.

The weather agency has said that the current heat wave is expected to continue for at least another 10 days, with daytime temperatures remaining above average, ranging from 30 degrees C to 36 degrees C across the country.

Last week, the interior ministry issued its highest heat wave warning of “serious” and upgraded its response posture to Level 1, also the highest level.

The ministry has advised people to avoid outdoor activities between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. and seek cool places if they feel dizzy, nauseous or have a headache. AGENCIES

Sudan’s Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) on Sunday refuted claims of a famine at Zamzam, one of the largest camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in North Darfur State of western Sudan.

“What was stated in the report of the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) has nothing to do with the truth,” the HAC said in a statement.

“A report by the HAC in North Darfur State on August 3 indicated that a joint visit by the concerned government agencies and some international organisations to Zamzam camp on July 23 revealed the stability of the humanitarian situation there,” it said.

“The HAC denies these allegations and stresses that the shortage of food and humanitarian aid at these sites and camps is mainly due to the siege imposed by the rebel Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the ongoing artillery shelling by this militia on health facilities and IDP centres and camps,” reports Xinhua news agency, quoting the HAC.

It stressed that talking about famine in these camps is not consistent with the criteria and conditions necessary for declaring a famine.

On Thursday, the FEWS NET, an analysis agency monitoring food security worldwide, announced in an alert that famine was ongoing in the Zamzam camp.

Meanwhile, the United Nations said famine was prevalent in some areas of war-torn Sudan and would continue through the next two months.

The country’s two warring parties, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF have traded accusations over the responsibility for the famine.

Since May 10, fierce clashes have been raging in El Fasher, the capital city of Sudan’s North Darfur State.

The World Food Programme has previously warned that the ongoing war in Sudan between the SAF and the RSF “risks triggering the world’s largest hunger crisis.”

Sudan has been witnessing a deadly conflict between the SAF and the RSF since April 15, 2023, resulting in the loss of at least 16,650 lives. An estimated 10.7 million people are now internally displaced in Sudan, with approximately 2.2 million others seeking refuge in neighbouring countries, according to the UN data. AGENCIES

Tanzanian health authorities said that they had reinforced surveillance at the country’s border entry points after cases of mpox (monkeypox), an infectious disease caused by the mpox virus, were reported in neighbouring countries, including Burundi, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Englibert Kayombo, acting head of government communications in the Ministry of Health, on Sunday, said teams of health workers are deployed to the country’s border points to step up surveillance against the viral disease.

“The health workers are screening people arriving in the country and those departing from the country,” Kayombo told Xinhua news agency in an interview. “Until now, we don’t have any Tanzanians diagnosed with mpox.”

He also said since Tanzania is not an island, contingency plans have been put in place in case anyone is diagnosed with the disease.

On Monday, the East African Community (EAC), a regional bloc, called on its eight member states to educate their citizens on how to protect themselves and prevent the spread of mpox.

The alert followed reports from the World Health Organization that Burundi and the DRC, both members of the EAC, were experiencing an outbreak of the viral mpox disease.

Reports also indicated that Kenya recently confirmed its first mpox case at the Taita-Taveta border point. The virus was detected in a long-distance truck driver, travelling from Uganda to Rwanda through Kenya.

The mpox virus spreads from animals to humans and is transmitted between people through close contact, contaminated objects, and respiratory droplets.

Mpox symptoms include skin rash or lesions, fever, intense headache, muscle aches, back pain, general body weakness, and swollen lymph nodes, typically lasting two to four weeks. AGENCIES

Tamil Nadu BJP President K. Annamalai will meet Union Minister for External Affairs S. Jaishankar in New Delhi on Monday, along with fishermen representatives.

This visit is to petition the Union Minister about the regular attacks on Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu by the Sri Lankan Navy in mid-sea.

Recently, a fisherman was killed while the boat in which he was fishing near the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) was subject to attack by the Sri Lankan Navy. While the deceased is identified as Malaisami two other fishermen of the same boat, Muthu Maniyandi and Mookaiya were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy and later handed over to Indian authorities.

At present, 87 fishermen and 120 mechanised boats from Tamil Nadu are in the custody of the Sri Lankan Navy.

Annamalai taking the fishermen’s representatives to New Delhi and holding a meeting with the Union Minister for External Affairs is a move that would give a major setback to the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu.

Fishermen of Ramanathapuram district are on an indefinite strike following the death of Malaisami and are not entering the seas for fishing.

Tamil Selvam, a fisherman from Ramanathapuram, while speaking to IANS said: “Sri Lankan Navy is creating major problems for us in the sea, and even if we are not crossing the IMBL and are well within Indian waters, we have been targeted. We are not able to venture out into the sea for our daily living and this has to stop. Both Central and state governments should work in unison and make sure that we are in a comfortable fishing zone.” AGENCIES

The Turkish Foreign Ministry advised its citizens to leave Lebanon and avoid travelling to the country amid rising regional tensions.

“There is a possibility that the security situation in Lebanon could deteriorate rapidly due to recent developments in our region,” the ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

“Our citizens should avoid travelling to Lebanon unless it is essential,” it said.

The ministry also advised Turkish citizens in Lebanon to exercise caution and avoid travelling to Nabatieh, South Lebanon, Bekaa, and Baalbek-Hermel provinces unless it is mandatory, reports Xinhua news agency.

It also advised Turkish citizens “to leave Lebanon if possible while commercial flights are still in operation.”

Confrontations between the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah and Israel rose recently after the latter accused Hezbollah of attacking a football pitch in the town of Majdal Shams in the occupied Golan Heights, killing a dozen people. Israel retaliated by launching three missiles on Tuesday evening in Beirut’s southern suburbs, killing Fouad Shokor, Hezbollah’s top military commander, and seven civilians.

Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah has threatened a definite and painful response to the Israeli attack at the appropriate time and place. AGENCIES

 The United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned “far-right thuggery” in his televised address as riots continue across the country following the deadly knife attack in Southport.

“I guarantee you will regret taking part in this disorder, either directly or those whipping up this disorder online,” Starmer said on Sunday.

Three children died, and multiple others were injured after the attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop in Southport last Monday, reports Xinhua news agency.

A 17-year-old boy named Axel Rudakubana, born in Cardiff to Rwandan parents has been charged with murder.

However, disinformation spreading online about the nationality of the boy and his religious affiliation has fueled hatred towards Muslims and the immigrant population in general, leading to violent clashes between far-right protesters and police officers across the UK. The protests reached a climax during the weekend.

National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for public order, BJ Harrington, said on Sunday that since Saturday night, there have been 147 arrests connected to violence. He said he expected that the number would rise in the coming days.

“Disinformation is a huge driver of this appalling violence, and we know a lot of those attending these so-called protests are doing so in direct response to what they’ve read online,” Harrington said.

Following violent protests in major cities including London, Manchester, Liverpool, Bristol, Leeds, Nottingham, Sunderland and Belfast on Saturday, riots were seen in places such as Middlesbrough, where burning wheelie bins were thrown at police, and Rotherham, where at least one police officer was injured as rioters hurled missiles and stormed a Holiday Inn Express thought to have housed migrants. In Bolton, police have been given extra powers to calm violence after bottles and missiles were thrown at them.

Referring to the violent attack on the Rotherham hotel, Starmer said: “There is no justification for taking this action.”

The Prime Minister said he would not “shy away from calling it what it is” and called the violence “far-right thuggery.”

In a press conference on Friday, Starmer urged big social media companies to take responsibility for combatting misinformation and disinformation.

Former UK Prime Minister and leader of the opposition Conservative Party, Rishi Sunak said the unrest across the country is “violent, criminal behaviour that has no place in our society.”

“The shocking scenes we’re seeing on the streets of Britain have nothing to do with the tragedy in Southport,” Sunak said on X, adding that the police have “our full support to deal with these criminals swiftly.”

Humza Yousaf, former first minister of Scotland, said on X that the police “clearly do not have a handle on this situation” and called for military intervention. AGENCIES

A US armored unit is conducting a routine exercise to quickly deploy soldiers from the US mainland to South Korea as part of efforts to maintain rapid response capabilities, the US Army stationed in the South said Monday.

Last month, a battalion under the 1st Armored Division in Texas was mobilised to a US military base near Daegu, 233 kilometers southeast of Seoul, to take part in the Pacific Fortitude exercise, according to the 8th Army, Yonhap news agency reported.

The troops were notified of the drills on July 17, and just six days later, they began drawing out combat equipment at Camp Carroll, alongside the 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, it said. The exercise also tests the use of equipment already in South Korea.

Photos released by the 8th Army showed troops transporting M1 Abrams tanks and M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles at the base to a training area.

“Having this critical equipment already in place allows us to project this power at the right time and at the right speed,” Brigadier General Jin Pak, commander of the 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, said in a release.

“This deployment readiness exercise proves to our allies that the United States is committed to the defence of the ROK-US alliance,” he said, using the acronym for the South’s official name — Republic of Korea. AGENCIES

The Yemeni government issued a formal warning regarding an impending healthcare crisis, as a severe reduction in international funding threatens the closure of key medical facilities nationwide.

The imminent closure of more than 1,000 key health facilities due to declining international funding could potentially endanger the lives of 500,000 women in the war-ravaged Arab country, according to an official statement released by the state-run Saba news agency.

Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak on Sunday convened a high-level government meeting in Aden, the country’s southern port city, to address the crisis, Xinhua news agency reported.

During the meeting, he called for the formation of a government committee to develop a strategic plan for assessing the health sector’s needs and identifying necessary international interventions.

He also urged international and regional partners to renew their “vital and continuous support” for health services to avert a potential humanitarian disaster.

According to a report presented by Yemeni Minister of Public Health and Population, Qasim Buhaibeh, during the meeting, the funding shortfall threatens to deprive 600,000 children of essential vaccination and healthcare services, weakening the country’s ability to combat epidemic outbreaks.

Across Yemen, 46 per cent of health facilities are only partially functioning or completely out of service due to shortages of staff, funds, electricity, medicines and equipment, according to the World Health Organization. AGENCIES

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has confirmed that long-awaited F-16 fighter jets have arrived in Ukraine.

“F-16s in Ukraine. We ensured this,” Zelensky said on Sunday in a post on Telegram.

The Ukrainian pilots have already started using the F-16 aircraft, he added, not specifying how many jets were supplied to Ukraine, Xinhua news agency reported.

Zelensky thanked Denmark, the Netherlands, the US and Ukraine’s other partners for accepting Kiev’s request for F-16s.

Western media reported that Ukraine received the first 10 F-16 fighter jets on the last day of July. AGENCIES