Japan has deployed a 30-member medical team to Sri Lanka to assist ongoing rescue and relief operations. The team departed from Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, with Sri Lanka’s Ambassador Pivithuru Janak Kumarasinghe and JICA officials present to see them off. The team, led by Iwase Kiichiro, will spend about two weeks providing medical care in Chilaw, one of the worst-affected areas. They noted that hospitals in the region have also suffered significant damage.

Japan sends medical team to support Sri Lanka’s disaster relief efforts

The Trump administration on Wednesday announced increased vetting of applicants for H-1B visas for highly skilled workers, with an internal State Department memo saying that anyone involved in "censorship" of free speech be considered for rejection. H-1B visas, which allow U.S. employers to hire foreign workers in specialty fields, are crucial for U.S. tech companies which recruit heavily from countries including India and China. Many of those companies' leaders threw their support behind Trump in the last presidential election. The cable, sent to all U.S. missions on December 2, orders U.S. consular officers to review resumes or LinkedIn profiles of H-1B applicants - and family members who would be traveling with them - to see if they have worked in areas that include activities such as misinformation, disinformation, content moderation, fact-checking, compliance and online safety, among others. "If you uncover evidence an applicant was responsible for, or complicit in, censorship or attempted censorship of protected expression in the United States, you should pursue a finding that the applicant is ineligible," under a specific article of the Immigration and Nationality Act, the cable said. Details on the enhanced vetting for H-1B visas, including the focus on censorship and free speech, have not been previously reported. The cable said all visa applicants were subject to this policy, but sought a heightened review for the H-1B applicants given they frequently worked in the technology sector "including in social media or financial services companies involved in the suppression of protected expression." "You must thoroughly explore their employment histories to ensure no participation in such activities," the cable said.The new vetting requirements apply to both new and repeat applicants. "We do not support aliens coming to the United States to work as censors muzzling Americans," a State Department spokesperson said, but added that it does not comment on "allegedly leaked documents." "In the past, the President himself was the victim of this kind of abuse when social media companies locked his accounts. He does not want other Americans to suffer this way. Allowing foreigners to lead this type of censorship would both insult and injure the American people," the spokesperson said. The Trump administration has made free speech, particularly what it sees as the stifling of conservative voices online, a focus of its foreign policy. Officials have repeatedly weighed in on European politics to denounce what they say is suppression of right-wing politicians, including in Romania, Germany and France, accusing European authorities of censoring views like criticism of immigration in the name of countering disinformation. In May, Rubio&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/us-visa-policy-targets-foreign-nationals-who-censor-americans-state-dept-2025-05-28/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">threatened visa bans</a>&nbsp;for people who censor speech by Americans, including on social media, and suggested the policy could target foreign officials regulating U.S. tech companies. Source : Reuters

Trump administration orders enhanced vetting for applicants of H-1B visa

China has donated $1 million in financial assistance and RMB 10 million worth of emergency relief supplies to Sri Lanka following Cyclone Ditwah.&nbsp; An additional $100,000 was provided through the Red Cross Society of China, while Chinese companies and citizens in Sri Lanka contributed $10 million. The aid was handed over by Chinese Ambassador Qi Zhenhong and accepted by Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath, who thanked China for its continued support.&nbsp; China expressed solidarity with affected families and reaffirmed its commitment to helping Sri Lanka recover, stating that “a friend in need is a friend indeed.”

China donates over $1 mn and relief supplies to support Sri Lanka’s Cyclone recovery

Meta has started booting Australian children under 16 years off its Instagram, Facebook and Threads platforms, a week before an official teen social media ban begins. The tech giant announced last month that it had begun notifying users aged between 13 to 15 years old that their accounts would start being shut down from 4 December. An estimated 150,000 Facebook users and 350,000 Instagram accounts are expected to be affected. Threads, similar to X, can only be accessed via an Instagram account. Australia's world-first social media ban starts on 10 December, with companies facing fines of up to A$49.5m (US$33m, £25m) if they fail to take "reasonable steps" to stop under-16s from having accounts. A spokesperson for Meta told the BBC on Thursday that "compliance with the law will be an ongoing and multi-layered process". "While Meta is committed to complying with the law, we believe a more effective, standardised, and privacy-preserving approach is needed," she said. The government should require app stores to verify the age of users when they download apps and ask for parental approval for under-16s, Meta said, as this would eliminate the need for teens to verify their age across different apps.Last month, Meta said users it had identified as under 16 would be able to download and save their posts, videos and messages before their accounts are deactivated. Teens who believe they have been wrongly categorised as under 16 can ask for a review and submit a "video selfie" to verify their age. They can also provide a driver's licence or a government-issued identification.Alongside Meta's three platforms, the other social media sites affected by the ban are YouTube, X, TikTok, Snapchat, Reddit, Kick and Twitch. The government says the ban is aimed at protecting children from the harms of social media but critics say the move may isolate certain groups who depend on platforms for connection and push children to less-regulated corners of the internet. Communications Minister Anika Wells on Wednesday said&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp341gz24p5o" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">she expected teething problems</a>&nbsp;in the first few days and weeks of the ban but it was about protecting Gen Alpha - anyone under 15 years - and future generations. "With one law, we can protect Generation Alpha from being sucked into purgatory by the predatory algorithms&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-44640959" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">described by the man who created the feature</a>&nbsp;as behavioural cocaine," Wells said. She described youngsters as being connected to a "dopamine drip" from the moment they got a smartphone and social media accounts. YouTube, which was originally exempt from the ban but then later included, labelled the law as "rushed" and claimed that banning children from having an account - which comes with parental controls - will make its video-sharing platform "less safe". Australia's social media ban, the first of its kind in the world, is being closely watched by global leaders. The government commissioned a study earlier this year which found that 96% of Australian children aged 10-15 used social media, and that seven out of 10 of them had been exposed to harmful content such as misogynistic and violent material as well as content promoting eating disorders and suicide. One in seven also reported experiencing grooming-type behaviour from adults or older children, and more than half said they had been the victim of cyberbullying. Source : BBC

Meta starts kicking Australian children off Instagram and Facebook

The Albanese Government has pledged an additional $5 million in emergency assistance to support countries hit by recent cyclones, floods and other disasters across the Indo-Pacific. This brings Australia’s total aid since October to over $14 million. Sri Lanka will receive an extra $2.5 million for Cyclone Ditwah recovery, increasing Australia’s total support to $3.5 million. Aid will be delivered through Australian NGOs and UN agencies to provide urgent relief such as food, water, shelter, healthcare and sanitation, with priority given to vulnerable groups. Australia reaffirmed its commitment to helping regional partners in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam recover from recent severe weather events. Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Minister for International Development Dr Anne Aly said Australia remains a reliable partner in both good times and crisis.

Australia announces extra $5 mn for Indo-Pacific disaster relief, including $2.5 mn for Sri Lanka

Netflix has insisted its new documentary about Sean “Diddy” Combs, produced by rapper 50 Cent, is “not a hit piece or an act of retribution”, following criticism from the jailed former hip-hop mogul. A spokesman for Combs called the four-part documentary, titled Sean Combs: The Reckoning, “a shameful hit piece” that “relied on stolen footage”. It includes what Netflix described as “explosive” footage filmed in the days before his arrest, including a phone conversation with his lawyer. Combs was convicted of prostitution-related charges in July. His spokesman said it was “fundamentally unfair, and illegal” to use his private recordings, but Netflix said the material was obtained legally. ‘Personal vendetta’ Combs’ spokesman also said it was “staggering” that Netflix had given creative control to Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, who he described as “a longtime adversary with a personal vendetta”. “Netflix is plainly desperate to sensationalise every minute of Mr Combs’s life, without regard for truth, in order to capitalise on a never-ending media frenzy,” the statement said. “If Netflix cared about truth or about Mr Combs’s legal rights, it would not be ripping private footage out of context - including conversations with his lawyers that were never intended for public viewing. No rights in that material were ever transferred to Netflix or any third party.” The statement added: “For Netflix to give his life story to someone who has publicly attacked him for decades feels like an unnecessary and deeply personal affront. At minimum, he expected fairness from people he respected.” The documentary opens with footage of Combs in a hotel room six days before arrest in September 2024, talking on the phone to attorney Marc Agnifilo and telling him he wants to “fight for my life”. Pushing Agnifilo to have a more upfront media strategy to protest his innocence, Combs told him: “We have to find somebody that’ll work with us. It has to be somebody that has dealt in the dirtiest of dirtiest of dirty business of [the] media and propaganda.” At another point, viewers see Combs talking to his son Justin on the phone five days before his arrest. “God told me to do nothing... [but] other people need to do something ‘cause this is ridiculous,” he said in the clip. Combs’ spokesman said the documentary contained footage that was “never authorised for release”. “As Netflix and CEO Ted Sarandos know, Mr Combs has been amassing footage since he was 19 to tell his own story, in his own way. It is fundamentally unfair, and illegal, for Netflix to misappropriate that work.” In response, Netflix said: “The claims being made about Sean Combs: The Reckoning are false. “The project has no ties to any past conversations between Sean Combs and Netflix. The footage of Combs leading up to his indictment and arrest were legally obtained. This is not a hit piece or an act of retribution. “Curtis Jackson is an executive producer but does not have creative control. No one was paid to participate.” The long-running feud between Jackson and Combs stretches back two decades. Jackson told ABC News’ Good Morning America on Monday: “If I didn’t say anything, you would interpret it as that hip-hop is fine with his behaviours. There’s no-one else being vocal.” Speaking about the new footage, the documentary’s director Alexandria Stapleton has said: “It came to us, we obtained the footage legally and have the necessary rights. We moved heaven and earth to keep the film-maker’s identity confidential.” The documentary was released on Tuesday and is billed as a “staggering examination” of Combs’ career as one of the most powerful men in hip-hop. It includes allegations that he was involved in the murder of rapper Tupac Shakur in 1996, and includes tapes of a police interview in which former gang member Duane “Keffe D” Davis claims that Combs offered him $1m (£769,000) for a hit on Shakur. Mr Davis is set to stand trial for Shakur’s murder in 2026. He now says his proffer agreement with police, under which he agreed to tell them what he knew but it couldn’t be used against him in court, was given under duress, according to Netflix. The programme also includes Kirk Burrowes, who co-founded Bad Boy Entertainment with Combs, claiming that he believes Combs “had a lot to do with the death of Tupac”. Combs has always denied any involvement in Shakur’s death. The documentary also features further claims of violence and threats, many of which have previously been made public in dozens of lawsuits, including alleged abuse against former girlfriend Cassie, which ended in a settlement.Combs has previously denied the complaints, calling them “sickening” and “full of lies”. In a media statement earlier this year, his lawyers said “anyone can file a lawsuit”, adding: “No matter how many lawsuits are filed it won’t change the fact that Mr Combs has never sexually assaulted or sex trafficked anyone – man or woman, adult or minor.” The documentary also includes interviews with two jurors from Combs’ trial. In July, he was convicted on two charges of transportation to engage in prostitution but found not guilty of the most serious charges - racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking of two ex-girlfriends. He is now serving a 50-month prison sentence and has said he will appeal. Source: BBC

Netflix hits back at Diddy’s criticism of ‘shameful’ documentary

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake stated tat the government remains committed to ensuring relief reaches all affected communities without financial delays.&nbsp; The President’s Media Division(PMD) said instructions were issued to state officials to submit required information promptly and ensure accurate data collection for compensation.&nbsp; During a meeting at the Presidential Secretariat with ministry secretaries and Finance Ministry officials, a specialised team was appointed to speed up data gathering.&nbsp; The discussion focused on identifying displaced persons, affected schoolchildren, damaged homes and losses in crops and livestock, and on setting procedures and timelines for disbursing relief.

Govt. pledges timely relief for affected communities - President

Sri Lanka is set to receive about $350 million from the IMF within two weeks, the sixth tranche of the Extended Fund Facility, an IMF representative announced at a high-level donor forum held at the Finance Ministry. The meeting brought together diplomatic missions, development partners and government officials to coordinate relief and long-term recovery following Cyclone Ditwah. Development partners reaffirmed their support, with several offering immediate assistance including food, water, medical supplies and emergency teams. Authorities highlighted extensive cyclone damage and the need for rapid humanitarian aid, concessional financing and support for economic recovery, including tourism. Partners also agreed to repurpose existing loans and explore new funding for rebuilding key infrastructure. The World Bank has begun a rapid post-disaster assessment to guide medium- and long-term recovery efforts.

Sri Lanka to receive $350 mn IMF tranche as donors mobilise post-Cyclone aid

The Kandy–Colombo main road has been reopened for traffic, the Ministry of Transport, Highways and Urban Development announced.&nbsp; One lane in the previously closed Pahala Kadugannawa area was reopened on 3 December, with vehicle movement permitted only between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m.&nbsp; The Road Development Authority said 159 roads blocked by recent heavy rainfall have also been cleared, including, * A-004: Colombo – Ratnapura – Wellawaya – Batticaloa Road* A-026: Kandy – Mahiyanganaya – Padiyathalawa Road* AA-006: Ambepussa – Kurunegala – Trincomalee Road* AA-010: Katugastota – Kurunegala – Puttalam Road* AA-003: Peliyagoda – Puttalam Road The authority added that engineering teams continue repair and maintenance work following damage caused by Cyclone Ditwah and aim to reopen the remaining closed roads promptly.

Japan sends medical team to support Sri Lanka’s disaster rel ...

Trump administration orders enhanced vetting for applicants of H-1B vi ...

Trump administration orders en ...

China donates over $1 mn and relief supplies to support Sri Lanka’s Cy ...

China donates over $1 mn and r ...

Meta starts kicking Australian children off Instagram and Facebook

Meta starts kicking Australian ...

Australia announces extra $5 mn for Indo-Pacific disaster relief, incl ...

Australia announces extra $5 m ...

Netflix hits back at Diddy’s criticism of ‘shameful’ documentary

Netflix hits back at Diddy’s c ...

Govt. pledges timely relief for affected communities - President

Govt. pledges timely relief fo ...

Sri Lanka to receive $350 mn IMF tranche as donors mobilise post-Cyclo ...

Sri Lanka to receive $350 mn I ...

Kandy–Colombo road reopened for traffic

Kandy–Colombo road reopened fo ...

Trump administration orders enhanced vetting for applicants of H-1B vi ...

Trump administration orders en ...

China donates over $1 mn and relief supplies to support Sri Lanka’s Cy ...

China donates over $1 mn and r ...

Meta starts kicking Australian children off Instagram and Facebook

Meta starts kicking Australian ...

Australia announces extra $5 mn for Indo-Pacific disaster relief, incl ...

Australia announces extra $5 m ...

Netflix hits back at Diddy’s criticism of ‘shameful’ documentary

Netflix hits back at Diddy’s c ...

Govt. pledges timely relief for affected communities - President

Govt. pledges timely relief fo ...

Sri Lanka to receive $350 mn IMF tranche as donors mobilise post-Cyclo ...

Sri Lanka to receive $350 mn I ...

Kandy–Colombo road reopened for traffic

Kandy–Colombo road reopened fo ...

Bringing the news paper to your fingertips

Trump administration orders enhanced vetting for applicants of H-1B vi ...

Trump administration orders en ...

China donates over $1 mn and relief supplies to support Sri Lanka’s Cy ...

China donates over $1 mn and r ...

Bringing the news paper to your fingertips

Meta starts kicking Australian children off Instagram and Facebook

Meta starts kicking Australian ...

Australia announces extra $5 mn for Indo-Pacific disaster relief, incl ...

Australia announces extra $5 m ...

Netflix hits back at Diddy’s criticism of ‘shameful’ documentary

Netflix hits back at Diddy’s c ...

Govt. pledges timely relief for affected communities - President

Govt. pledges timely relief fo ...