Sri Lanka stuns with 100-bp rate hike as Iran war rattles currency, fuels inflation

"Sri Lanka's central bank stunned markets by raising its policy rate by an outsized 100 basis points on Tuesday, the biggest hike in four years, as policymakers scrambled to stem inflation and support a currency buckling under soaring energy prices." msn

Iranian Warship Surrenders to Sri Lankans, First Time Ship Interned By Neutral Nation Since Second World War

"The captain of a ship of the Iranian Navy has handed his vessel over to the Sri Lankan

government, a neutral party, for internment, saving the lives of his crew hours after another Iranian warship was destroyed nearby by the United States Navy.
Sri Lanka (Ceylon) has assumed control of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ship (IRIS) Bushehr, a fleet supply ship (oiler). Sri Lanka has sent craft to receive the 1970s-era ship within its territorial waters and, per local media, has taken off 208 officers and men, who are to be sent ashore. The ship will now be taken by the Sri Lankans to Trincomalee for internment for the duration of hostilities.
Given the facts as known, this is the first time since the Second World War that a warship has been interned by the government of a neutral power." Breitbart

U.S. Commandos Raided Cargo Ship Travelling From China To Iran, Seized 'Dual Use' Tech

"U.S. special forces raided a cargo ship travelling from China to Iran that was allegedly

transporting "dual-use military technology," according to a report published by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
Citing unnamed U.S. officials, the WSJ revealed that a special operations team boarded the ship several hundred miles from Sri Lanka and seized the cargo, which was described as “dual-use components that could be used either for civilian applications or to make conventional weapons." 

ZeroHeddge

Severe floods in Sri Lanka kill over 30 as Cyclonic Storm Ditwah renews severe weather threat

 "Floods and landslides triggered by heavy rainfall across Sri Lanka over the weekend have
killed at least 31 people. The heavy rain and severe weather are likely to persist as Cyclonic Storm Ditwah, moves along the island’s eastern coast." W

Very strong mag. 6.0 Earthquake - Matanuska-Susitna Borough, 37 mi northwest of Anchorage, Anchorage Municipality, Alaska

 "A very strong magnitude 6.0 earthquake hit 60 km (37 mi) away from Anchorage,
Alaska, United States, in the morning of Thursday, Nov 27, 2025 at 8.11 am local time (America/Anchorage GMT -9). The quake had a shallow depth of 69 km (43 mi) and was felt over a large region. The shallow depth of the quake caused it to be felt more strongly near the epicenter than a deeper quake of similar magnitude would." VD

Global confidence in Zelensky has ‘declined significantly’ – poll

"Some 46% of respondents have “not too much” trust in the Ukrainian leader or “none at all,” Pew Research has found. According to Pew, the results were mixed but only 40% of

respondents reported having at least “some” confidence in Zelensky regarding world affairs. The reported levels of trust were the highest in Sweden (80%), the UK (72%), the Netherlands (66%), Canada (64%), and Japan (63%).
At the same time, Hungary (83%), Greece (72%), Tunisia (69%), Mexico (67%), Malaysia (61%), Italy (60%) were the most skeptical of Zelensky.
In many places a large portion of respondents – including 45% in India and 38% in South Africa and Sri Lanka – did not express any opinion of Zelensky whatsoever. Asked about their nation’s level of military and other support to Kiev, some 24% of Americans said it was “not enough,” while 31% said that Washington was providing “too much.” " RT

Iran and Russia Move into Sri Lanka After China’s Belt and Road Disaster

"Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi visited Sri Lanka to inaugurate a hydropower plant and irrigation project, while Russia took partial control of an airport built by China – two signs that other members of the axis of tyranny are stepping in to clean up the wreckage from China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) debacles.

Sri Lanka is a prime example of a developing nation lured into ruinous debt by BRI, which tends to saddle China’s client states with loans they can never repay for infrastructure projects that prove much less profitable than promised. Sri Lanka infamously handed over control of its Hambantota Port to China in 2017 when it was unable to make its BRI loan payments.
Sri Lanka’s finances continued to crumble after China collected the port as collateral, leading to a fiscal meltdown, rolling blackouts, a fuel crisis, and food shortages.
Another notorious Chinese-funded project in Sri Lanka was the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA), a $209 million boondoggle that became operational in 2013 despite the low number of flights Sri Lanka needs to service. Forbes dubbed it “the world’s emptiest international airport”.
China apparently had little trouble convincing former President Mahinda Rajapaksa that the sleepy fishing hamlets of his hometown, Hambantota, could be fused into a gleaming ultramodern wonder city in which half of the buildings would be named after his family, if he only borrowed about five billion dollars from Chinese banks to finance his vision.
China was eager to pry strategically important Sri Lanka from its longtime partnership with nearby India and turn the island into a trade hub of the New Silk Road, China’s effort to rebuild the fabled trade route of old. Five billion dollars in loans bought Rajapaksa’s support for a while, but much of the money vanished into thin air, construction of the airport was an environmental disaster that wiped out thousands of acres of elephant habitat and disrupted bird migration routes, most of the flights announced with much fanfare at the inaugural ceremony were quickly canceled, and the facility began losing $18 million a year. Several of the few planes that tried to use the airport were grounded when migrating birds flew into their jet turbines and the military has been called out to chase away elephants and buffalo that decided to camp on the runways." Breitbart

Ukrainian drone strike injures foreign students from eight countries

"A Ukrainian

military drone strike near the Russian city of Elabuga on Tuesday has left
students from eight foreign countries injured. The attack has left a total of 14 people wounded. Citizens of Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Congo, Kenya, Nigeria and South Sudan” were among them." RT

Sri Lankans describe abuse as Russian captives in Ukraine

"A group of Sri Lankans held captive by Russian forces in an agricultural factory in eastern Ukraine has alleged torture for months before escaping on foot as the Russians withdrew from the Kharkiv region.

Group was captured at a checkpoint near Ukraine’s Kupiansk city and Russian troops shot one in the foot and beat them with rifle butts." AlJazeera

Sri Lanka seizes Russian plane

"The authorities in Sri Lanka have grounded a civilian aircraft belonging to Russian carrier

Aeroflot, and seized the plane.

The Colombo High Commercial Court reportedly issued the arrest warrant following a complaint filed by Irish company Celestial Aviation Trading Limited, which is affiliated with aircraft lessor GECAS.

After Western states placed sanctions on Russia, aircraft lessors demanded that Moscow return leased planes for fear of secondary sanctions, as the restrictions barred them from pursuing financial relations with Russian air carriers." RT

Crisis-Hit Sri Lanka Defaults On Debt As It Runs Out Of Fuel

"There's no money to buy petrol, the crisis-hit Sri Lankan government said Wednesday as it
urged citizens to "not to wait in line" for fuel, and following violent protests in the streets.

Sri Lanka is expected to be placed into default by rating agencies on Wednesday after the non-payment of coupons on two of its sovereign bonds." ZeroHedge

Sri Lanka: Rioters Burn Down Prime Minister’s House, 150+ Hospitalized, Lawmaker Killed

"Local media outlets reported on Monday night local time that over 150 people had been
hospitalized and several found dead, including a member of Parliament, in Sri Lanka following a violent mob attack on a protester encampment in the capital, Colombo.

Sri Lanka’s Daily Mirror has published multiple shocking videos of the homes of ministers, members of parliament, former government officials, and the most powerful person in the country, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, completely engulfed in flames. Rajapaksa announced his resignation before his house was set on first on Monday.

Sri Lanka has been experiencing months of protests – most of them peaceful prior to Monday – in response to the worst economic crisis in its history. The country, a democratic socialist republic, is facing all-consuming shortages of gasoline, good, medicine, and nearly every basic good. Government policies under Rajapaksa, who was president from 2005 to 2015, and his brother, current President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, resulted in a major debt default that handed over its key Hambantota port to China and over-reliance on importing food and that caused major shortages triggered in part by the war between Russia and Ukraine. Gotabaya Rajapaksa exacerbated shortages by banning chemical fertilizers for farmers, limiting the domestic food supply.

“Following the attacks on the two main protest sites, SLPP Polonnaruwa District MP Amarakeerthi Athukorala’s vehicle was mobbed by a group when it reached Nittambuwa on Monday (9) afternoon. Following an altercation, shots were fired, and the MP died,” Sri Lanka’s News First reported." Breitbart