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U.S. President Donald Trump indicated on Thursday that Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was coming to Washington next week.

During an interview on Fox News’ “Hannity” program, Trump was asked if he plans to meet with Machado following U.S. strikes on Venezuela that resulted in the capture of its president Nicolas Maduro.

“Well, I understand she’s coming in next week sometime, and I look forward to saying hello to her,” Trump responded.

The White House did not immediately respond when reached for additional details on the meeting.

This will be Trump’s first meeting with Machado, who said earlier this week that she hadn’t spoken to the U.S. leader since she won the Nobel Peace Prize in October.

The future governance of the South American country remains in doubt. Trump over the weekend dismissed the idea of working with Machado, saying “she doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country.”

Trump told Fox News that it will take time for the South American country, currently led by interim acting President Delcy Rodriguez, to get to a place where it can hold elections.

“We have to rebuild the country. They couldn’t have an election,” he said. “They wouldn’t even know how to have an election right now.”

Venezuela, an OPEC member, is one of the biggest producers of oil. Its industry has become focal point of the Trump administration with a senior official telling Reuters that oil sales to the United States will start immediately with an initial shipment of approximately 30 million to 50 million barrels and will continue indefinitely.

Trump said he will meet with oil executives at the White House on Friday. Those oil companies, according to the president, will play a key role in rebuilding Venezuela’s oil industry.

“They’re going to rebuild the whole oil infrastructure. They’re going to spend at least $100 billion and it’s an unbelievable oil that they have, and an unbelievable quality of oil and amount of oil,” he said.

(Source:adaderana.lk)

A seaplane preparing to land in Gregory Lake, Nuwara Eliya, crashed into the water at around 12:30 p.m. today (07).

According to local reports, the aircraft was on a scheduled arrival to pick up a group of tourists visiting the area when the incident occurred. The two pilots on board sustained injuries and were immediately taken to the Nuwara Eliya District Hospital for treatment.

Police said the pilots were rescued from the lake by people operating recreational boats on Gregory Lake, whose prompt response helped prevent further harm. Investigations into the cause of the accident are currently underway.

The highest amount of rainfall recorded over the last 24 hours was in the Ampara area, which received 38 millimetres of rain, according to Director of Irrigation (Hydrology and Disaster Management) Engineer L. S. Sooriyabandara.He said that rainfall in the majority of other regions remained below 10 millimetres, resulting in no notable increase in river water levels across the country.

However, Sooriyabandara noted that 28 of Sri Lanka’s 73 major reservoirs are still overflowing, along with 22 medium-scale tanks.He added that while water discharges from the Yan Oya and Deduru Oya reservoirs have been significantly stepped up, no river basin is currently facing hazardous discharge levels.

Members of the parliamentary opposition have started signing a no-confidence motion targeting Minister of Education Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, citing concerns over the government’s education policy changes.

An initial discussion on the proposed motion was held this morning at the Opposition Leader’s office in Parliament, chaired by Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa.

Opposition representatives claim the initiative is driven by what they describe as serious weaknesses in the ongoing education reforms. These include learning material considered inappropriate for schoolchildren, multiple factual and content-related errors, and what they say is the government’s inability to address these problems in a timely and structured manner.

According to opposition MPs, the no-confidence motion is intended to hold the minister accountable and prompt corrective action within the education sector.

All schools operating within Divisional Secretariat areas of the Badulla District have been directed to close early, with students to be released by 11.00 a.m. today (09).

The move comes after the Department of Meteorology issued updated weather forecasts indicating unfavourable conditions, alongside a special landslide warning released by the National Building Research Organisation (NBRO).

Education and local authorities say the early closure is a precautionary measure aimed at ensuring the safety of students and staff as heavy rainfall and potential landslide risks continue to pose a threat in the district.

The Chief of the Army Staff of India, General Upendra Dwivedi, arrived in Sri Lanka earlier today on a two-day official visit, according to a statement issued by the Indian Ministry of Defence.

During his stay, General Dwivedi is expected to hold discussions with senior military and civilian officials, including the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army, the Deputy Minister of Defence and the Defence Secretary. Talks will focus on key areas of cooperation such as joint training initiatives, capacity enhancement and regional security concerns.

As part of his itinerary, the Indian Army Chief will address officers at the Defence Services Command and Staff College and engage with officers and trainees at the Army War College in Buttala. These interactions highlight India’s continued emphasis on defence education and professional exchanges with Sri Lanka.

General Dwivedi will also visit the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) War Memorial to pay tribute to Indian soldiers who laid down their lives in the line of duty.

The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) has taken into custody a technical officer serving at the Welisara sub-office of the Wattala Pradeshiya Sabha over allegations of bribery.

The arrest follows a complaint filed by a resident of Ragama, who alleged that the officer requested and obtained Rs. 50,000 to expedite the approval of a building plan that reportedly did not meet required standards.

Acting on the complaint, CIABOC investigators conducted inquiries that led to the officer’s arrest.

The suspect is due to be produced before the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court for further legal proceedings.

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday (Jan 6) that Venezuela’s interim government will deliver up to 50 million barrels of oil to the United States, and that the proceeds “will be controlled by me” as president.

“The Interim Authorities in Venezuela will be turning over between 30 and 50 MILLION Barrels of High Quality, Sanctioned Oil, to the United States of America,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.

“This oil will be sold at its market price, and that money will be controlled by me, as President of the United States of America, to ensure it is used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the US.”

US crude fell more than 1 per cent ⁠on Wednesday following Trump’s announcement.

US West Texas Intermediate ⁠crude (WTI) fell 88 cents, or 1.54 per cent, to US$56.25 a barrel by 1.14am GMT, extending its decline after closing down US$1.19, or 2.04 per cent, on Tuesday.

Raising crude output from Venezuela, which sits on the world’s largest oil reserves, is a top objective for Trump after US forces seized the country’s leader, Nicolas Maduro, in a raid on its capital Caracas on ⁠Saturday.

The US president said after Maduro’s arrest that Washington would take control of the oil-producing nation and that the US ⁠embargo on all Venezuelan oil remained in full effect.

Trump is expected to meet with oil company executives at the White House later this week to discuss ways to revive Venezuela’s tattered oil sector, according to sources familiar with the matter. 

Oil analysts and executives have been sceptical about a quick revival of Venezuela’s oil sector, pointing out that its degraded infrastructure would require billions of dollars and years to rebuild.

Venezuela’s oil reserves are also among the world’s costliest to develop because the oil is so thick and heavy that it requires specialised equipment to extract, transport and refine into usable fuels.

Administration officials have dismissed this scepticism, saying there were ways to quickly boost the country’s oil sector with fresh equipment and technology.

(source: adaderana.lk)

The indicative USD/LKR spot rate published by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) has exceeded the Rs. 310 level, marking its highest point since 29 February 2024.CBSL data showed the spot rate standing at Rs. 310.02 today (07), reflecting renewed pressure on the local currency.

According to the latest official exchange rates, the US dollar was bought at Rs. 306.28 and sold at Rs. 313.81.

Central Bank figures further indicate that the Sri Lankan rupee has depreciated by more than 5 per cent against the US dollar so far in 2025, underscoring continued volatility in the foreign exchange market.

Intense snowfall and icy weather conditions have caused widespread travel disruption across Europe, with six reported killed in weather-related incidents on the continent.

Five people died in two separate regions of France as a result of treacherous driving conditions, authorities said, while one woman was also killed in Bosnia’s capital, Sarajevo, after 16in (40cm) of snow fell on the city.

Hundreds of flights have been cancelled across Europe, with thousands left stranded at airports in Paris and Amsterdam.

Disruption is expected to continue into Wednesday.

In France, three people died in two separate incidents in Landes, in the south-west, due to black ice, authorities said.

Two more died in separate motor accidents in the Paris region. One was the result of a collision between a driver and a heavy goods vehicle in east Paris, police said.

The other was killed after a taxi driver hit a kerb due to snow and plunged into the Marne river, the outlet said.

The Balkans has also seen snow and heavy rain. A woman died in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo on Monday after a tree weighed down with wet snow fell on her, police said.

French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said more snow was expected in the country on Tuesday night and Wednesday. He called on people to travel as little as possible on the roads and to work from home.

France’s national weather service said 38 districts would be placed on orange alert for snow and black ice on Wednesday. Many train services were cancelled in parts of the country.

In France’s capital, authorities said Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport would see 40% of its flights cancelled for several hours on Wednesday morning, so that staff could clear snow from the runways. The capital’s Orly airport planned to cancel a quarter of its flights during the same time period.

More than 400 flights were cancelled at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport on Wednesday, causing widespread disruption to travel plans.

Hundreds of passengers were stranded, with many unable to join connecting flights. Long queues formed at airline counters as people waited for information about when flights would resume.

Many of the cancelled flights were operated by Dutch airline KLM, which warned it had nearly run out of de-icing fluid for its aircraft. It blamed the “extreme” weather conditions and supply delays.

At Schiphol airport, many travellers complained of long lines and a lack of information.

Spanish passenger Javier Sepulveda, who was trying to fly from Amsterdam to Norway, told Reuters news agency the situation at the airport was “chaotic, unacceptable, frustrating, annoying” and “totally unacceptable.”

He said he started queuing at the KLM help desk at 06:30 local time (07:30 GMT) on Tuesday and that six hours later he was still far from the front of the line.

Schipol airport said its “snow crews are working around the clock to keep the runways clear, and aircraft are being carefully de-iced to ensure everyone can travel safely.”

A further 600 flights scheduled to take off from Schiphol on Wednesday have also been cancelled, Dutch broadcaster NOS reported.

Rail journeys were also disrupted.

On Tuesday morning, all train services in the Netherlands stopped for a short period after an IT outage.

Some trains started running after 09:00 local time (10:00 GMT) but problems persisted during the day. Eurostar services to Paris from Amsterdam were either cancelled or running late.

(Source:adaderana.lk)

The daily issuance of driving licenses at the Hambantota District Office of the Department of Motor Traffic (DMT) has been disrupted following a breakdown of telephone connections at the Hambantota Administrative Complex, the Commissioner General of Motor Traffic Transport confirmed.

Authorities said that efforts are underway to update the affected phone line, and steps will be taken to reactivate the online driving license issuance process shortly.

The DMT urged the public to be patient as services are restored.

(Dailymirror)

Four people have been arrested in Jaffna following the discovery of a large stock of prescription medicines that were allegedly being sold without authorization.

The arrests were made during a joint operation conducted by the Sri Lanka Navy and the Jaffna Police Special Task Force. The raids took place at the Jaffna Central Bus Stand and in the Nayanmarkattu area of Kayts Island.

During the operation, officers seized 860 prescription drugs believed to have been intended for illegal sale. A motorcycle suspected to have been used in the activity was also taken into custody.

The suspects, aged between 22 and 29, are residents of several areas in Jaffna, including Ottamadam, Sankani, Nallur and Koiyathodimum, the Navy stated.

All four individuals, along with the seized medicines and the motorcycle, have been handed over to the Jaffna Police Station to continue investigations and initiate legal action.