All posts tagged: imperils

Mideast war imperils Sri Lanka’s economic recovery: IMF

Mideast war imperils Sri Lanka’s economic recovery: IMF

Published by Sam Flores

WASHINGTON: Sri Lanka’s recovery from its worst economic meltdown is under threat from the effects of the Middle East war, the International Monetary Fund said Thursday (May 28), a day after granting a US$695-million bailout instalment. Tough economic reforms since Sri Lanka’s sovereign default in 2022 have placed the country in a better position, IMF mission chief Evan Papageorgiou told a news conference in Washington. But the Iran war as well as the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah, which struck in November, “are weighing on the economy and have tilted the risks firmly to the downside,” Papageorgiou said. Surging oil prices due to the war, launched by the United States and Israel on Feb 28, have heavily impacted many import-dependent Asian countries including Sri Lanka. The island secured a US$2.9-billion, four-year bailout in early 2023 after months of acute shortages in the previous year led to street protests that toppled then-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The IMF’s board approved on Wednesday two reviews of Sri Lanka’s loan programme, making US$695 million in additional loans immediately available. The IMF …

Congressional dysfunction imperils TSA, Secret Service pay

Congressional dysfunction imperils TSA, Secret Service pay

Published by Sam Flores

House Rules Committee Chair Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) delivers remarks alongside Ranking Member Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) during a Rules Committee Hearing on legislation to end the partial government shutdown, at the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 2, 2026 in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images The Department of Homeland Security has been shut down for more than 70 days and with Congress seemingly at an impasse on a series of contentious topics, there’s no quick end to the funding lapse on the horizon. As the House spun its wheels on Tuesday, some turned to a higher power.  “I have a copy of the serenity prayer here,” said House Rules Committee Chair Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., kicking off a Tuesday afternoon hearing. “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, the wisdom to know the differences.” The congressional to-do list is long. In addition to DHS funding, it includes thorny legislation like the reauthorization of a controversial foreign surveillance program that expires at the …

Abrupt withdrawal of aid imperils our response to deadly disease outbreaks

Abrupt withdrawal of aid imperils our response to deadly disease outbreaks

Published by Sam Flores

At the end of last year, an Ebola disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Kasai province was officially declared over. You might be surprised to learn that it was the 16th outbreak of Ebola disease in the country since Ebola was first identified in 1976. In fact, it was the second Ebola outbreak in Africa in 2025 to be identified and contained within the space of a few months, attracting few international headlines in the process. That marks a stark contrast to the West Africa Ebola disease outbreak of a decade ago, which killed more than 28,000, touched three continents, and sparked a global public health scare before it was finally stopped. Expertise in infectious disease outbreak response, including in therapeutics and medical countermeasures, has significantly improved over the years, thanks to lessons learned applied from previous outbreaks. In the DRC, for example, a national stockpile of vaccines was vital in quickly protecting communities and frontline workers just days after an outbreak was declared in early September. Much of this progress was made …