Sri Lanka

Sri Lankans to vote for president in tight election

Sri Lankans will vote for a new president in a tightly contested election on Saturday, with the outcome expected to determine the fate of fragile economic recovery led by incumbent…

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Sri Lanka’s tea producers warn 70% wage hike will hit industry

Sri Lanka's tea producers condemned a government order to increase wages by 70%, saying it would make their tea globally uncompetitive and reduce dollar earnings essential for the island nation…

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Sri Lanka halts free visas for long-staying Russian, Ukrainian nationals

COLOMBO, Feb 29 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka has decided to stop issuing free long-term visas to Russian and Ukrainian nationals who have lived in the Indian Ocean island nation for…

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Sri Lanka hikes power prices by 66%

COLOMBO, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka increased electricity prices by 66% on Thursday, in a move that the government hoped would persuade the International Monetary Fund to provide urgent…

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Sri Lanka to slash military by a third to cut costs

COLOMBO, (Reuters) - Sri Lanka will slash its army by a third to 135,000 personnel by next year and to 100,000 by 2030, the state minister of defence said, as…

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EPA’s Eye In The Sky: Colombo, Sri Lanka

Christmas illuminations and decorations are on display at a roadside in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Approximately 1.4 million Catholics in Sri Lanka, representing about 7.1 percent of the total population, celebrate…

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Singapore extends stay of Sri Lanka’s Rajapaksa

COLOMBO/SINGAPORE, July 27 (Reuters) - Singapore has permitted former Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa to stay in the island republic for an additional 14 days, two sources familiar with the…

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UPDATED: Crisis-hit Sri Lanka swears in new prime minister

COLOMBO, July 22 (Reuters) - Senior Sri Lankan lawmaker Dinesh Gunawardena was sworn in on Friday as the new prime minister, his office said, a day after the swearing-in of…

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UPDATED: Ranil Wickremesinghe sworn in as Sri Lankan president

COLOMBO, July 21 (Reuters) - Veteran politician Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as Sri Lanka's new president on Thursday, a day after winning a vote in parliament and urging the island nation to come together to…

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UPDATED: Sri Lanka’s Wickremesinghe voted in as next president

COLOMBO, July 20 (Reuters) - Sri Lankan lawmakers voted acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe as the new president on Wednesday, hoping he would pull the country out of a crippling economic and political crisis. "Ranil Wickremesinghe has been elected…

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Sri Lanka puts emergency in place ahead of parliament’s vote for new president

COLOMBO, July 18 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe gazetted orders late on Sunday for a state of emergency in the crisis-ridden island nation, in an effort to head off unrest…

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Rajapaksa dynasty draws to humiliating close in Sri Lanka

COLOMBO, (Reuters) - The Rajapaksa dynasty dominated Sri Lankan politics until April when street protests against fuel and food shortages began to slip out of control. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled…

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EXPLAINER-How Sri Lanka spiralled into crisis

(Reuters) - Sri Lanka's economic crisis finally toppled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Anti-government protesters angry over power blackouts, shortages of basic goods and rising prices have long demanded that Rajapaksa steps down, but…

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Sri Lanka’s ousted president says he ‘took all possible steps’ to prevent crisis

COLOMBO, July 16 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka’s ousted president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled overseas this week to escape a popular uprising against his government, has said he took "all possible steps" to…

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Sri Lanka parliament to begin process of electing new president

COLOMBO, July 16 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's parliament was due to meet on Saturday to begin the process of electing a new president, as a shipment of fuel arrived to provide some…

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UPDATED: Sri Lanka PM Wickremesinghe sworn in as acting president

COLOMBO, July 15 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as the country's acting president on Friday, a government official said. Wickremesinghe had already taken on the role…

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UPDATED: Troops patrol streets as calm returns to Sri Lanka, President Rajapaksa on way to Singapore

COLOMBO, July 14 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's main city, Colombo, was calm on Thursday as people waited for the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, although a curfew was imposed and troops patrolled the…

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UPDATED: Sri Lankan president flees to Maldives, protesters storm prime minister’s office

COLOMBO, July 13 (Reuters) - Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country on Wednesday and hundreds of protesters stormed the prime minister's office demanding his ouster, as a people's uprising over a devastating…

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UPDATED: Sri Lanka’s president, cabinet set to resign, c.bank governor to stay

COLOMBO, July 11 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the entire cabinet will resign to make way for a unity government, the prime minister's office said on Monday, after tens of thousands…

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EXPLAINER-How Sri Lanka spiralled into crisis

COLOMBO, July 10 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's economic crisis looks to have finally toppled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Rajapaksa has not commented directly but he plans to step down on July 13, the…

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Pope expresses solidarity with people of Sri Lanka

VATICAN CITY, July 10 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Sunday expressed solidarity with the people of Sri Lanka who "continue to suffer from political and economic instability" and appealed for…

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How Sri Lankan protests unfolded

A deep financial crisis has left Sri Lanka struggling to pay for imports of food, medicine and fuel and brought thousands of protesters on to the streets. On Saturday, President…

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UPDATED: Sri Lanka protesters plan to occupy president and PM’s residences until they quit

COLOMBO, July 10 (Reuters) - Leaders of the protest movement in Sri Lanka who have forced the president and prime minister out of their official residences said on Sunday they will occupy…

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UPDATE – Sri Lanka PM offers resignation after protesters storm president’s house

COLOMBO, July 9 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is willing to resign to make way for all-party government, his office said in a statement on Saturday, after thousands of…

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“Impossible situation” for Sri Lankans struggling for petrol

COLOMBO, June 29 (Reuters) - Sri Lankan doctors and other medical staff as well as teachers will take to the streets on Wednesday to demand that the government solve a severe fuel…

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Sri Lanka almost out of fuel

COLOMBO, June 26 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka is struggling to secure fresh fuel supplies, a top government minister said on Sunday, as the crisis-hit country of 22 million people is…

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Sri Lanka left with fuel stocks for around five days

COLOMBO, June 16 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's fuel stocks will last for about five more days, its power and energy minister said on Thursday, as the island nation awaits official confirmation from…

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Sri Lanka is open to buying Russian oil, PM tells AP

COLOMBO, June 12 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka may be compelled to buy more oil from Russia as the nation faces shortages amid an unprecedented economic crisis, its prime minister told the Associated…

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Thousands queue for petrol, gas in Sri Lanka amid warnings of food shortages

COLOMBO, May 20 (Reuters) - Thousands of people queued for cooking gas and petrol in Sri Lanka's commercial capital on Friday and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe warned of a food shortage as the island nation battles a…

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Explainer: How Sri Lanka spiralled into crisis

Sri Lanka's economic crisis has turned into deadly violence. Eight people died and over 200 were injured on Monday, the country's powerful prime minister quit and his brother, the president,…

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Sri Lanka protesters vow to continue anti-government campaign despite new PM

COLOMBO, May 13 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's new prime minister will begin forming a unity government on Friday, but his appointment has failed to appease anti-government protesters demanding the resignation of the…

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Many Sri Lankans flee capital as political leaders meet to seek solution to crisis

COLOMBO, May 12 (Reuters) - Many Sri Lankans thronged buses in the main city Colombo on Thursday to return to their hometowns with leaders of political parties due to meet after the…

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Troops patrol streets of Sri Lanka

WEERAKETTIYA, Sri Lanka, May 11 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka has moved Mahinda Rajapaksa to a naval base for his safety after he quit two days ago as prime minister, the defence secretary…

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Photo Story: Sri Lanka commemorates the Easter Sunday terrorist attack

Relatives of victims and survivors of the 2019 Easter Sunday attack light candles during the third anniversary commemoration in front of the president's secretariat in Colombo, Sri Lanka, 17 April…

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Sri Lanka’s president will not resign despite protests

COLOMBO, April 6 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will not resign, a minister said on Wednesday, despite demonstrations against his handling of the country's worst economic crisis in decades and…

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Social media platforms blocked in Sri Lanka amid curfew, opposition protest

COLOMBO, April 3 (Reuters) - Sri Lankan soldiers with assault rifles and police manned checkpoints in Colombo on Sunday as the government blocked social media platforms after imposing a curfew to contain…

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Sri Lanka declares emergency after violent protests over economic crisis

COLOMBO, April 2 (Reuters) - Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared a nationwide public emergency late on Friday following violent protests over the country's worst economic crisis in decades. Rajapaksa said in…

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Sri Lanka begins trials connected to 2019 Easter bombings case

COLOMBO, Nov 22 (Reuters) - A Sri Lankan court on Monday began the first of three trials connected to bombings that killed nearly 270 people on the island in 2019,…

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Heavy rains in India, Sri Lanka kill 41

CHENNAI/COLOMBO, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Heavy rains across southern India and Sri Lanka have killed at least 41 people, authorities said on Thursday, with weather forecasters expecting the downpours to…

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Catholic nuns and priests protest in Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan Catholic nuns and priests staged a silent protest along the road leading to the Supreme Court while a petition filed by Rev. Father Cyril Gamini Fernando is being…

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Photo Story: Buddhist religious activities on the day of a full moon in Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan Buddhist devotees pray during a religious observance on a full moon day at a temple in the Kelaniya suburb of Colombo, Sri Lanka, 23 July 2021. Buddhism is…

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Disaster feared as chemical cargo ship sinks off Sri Lanka

A cargo ship carrying tonnes of chemicals is sinking off Sri Lanka's west coast, the country's government and navy said on Wednesday, in one of Sri Lanka's worst-ever marine disasters.…

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UPDATED: Photo Story: Container ship on fire off the coast of Sri Lanka

A handout photo made available by the Sri Lankan Air force Media shows the Singapore-registered container vessel MV X-Press Pearl on fire, nine nautical miles northwest of Colombo port in Colombo, Sri…

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Sri Lanka reports six cases of blood clots among AstraZeneca vaccine recipients, 3 dead

Sri Lanka has found six cases of blood clots among recipients of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, three of whom have died, Health Minister Pavithra Waniarachchi told parliament on Wednesday. Nearly…

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Photo Story: Catholics in Sri Lanka demand justice over Easter Sunday bomb attacks

A Sri Lankan female Catholic devotee wears a black face mask with the phrase in Sinhalese 'Justice for the Easter Sunday Attacks' during mass at the St. Anthony’s Shrine in…

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Photo Story: Sri Lanka – India Air Show rehearsals

Sri Lankan Air Force soldiers stand guard as the Indian air force helicopter display team perform during the rehearsal on Sri Lanka air force 70th-anniversary air show in Colombo, Sri…

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Photo Story: Fire on MT New Diamond extinguished

A handout photo made available by the Sri Lankan Air Force Media shows the coast guard ships and fireboats battling to extinguish the fire on the Panama-flagged crude oil vessel MT New Diamond off…

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Sri Lanka tows supertanker away from coast after fire

Sri Lanka began towing a fully loaded supertanker that had caught fire off its east coast after it began drifting towards land, a spokesman for the navy of the Indian…

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Fire rages on supertanker off Sri Lanka, one crewman presumed dead

A Filipino crew member missing from a supertanker that caught fire off the Sri Lankan coast is presumed dead, a spokesman for the navy of the Indian Ocean nation said…

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Sri Lanka president’s group wins big majority in parliament polls

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's party and its allies won an overwhelming two-thirds majority in a parliament election, results showed on Friday, giving him the power to enact sweeping changes…

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Sri Lankans, wearing masks, flock to voting centres for parliament election

Sri Lankans lined up before polling stations opened on Wednesday, wearing masks and social distancing, to elect a new parliament that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa hopes will clear the way for…

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Sri Lanka commemorates first anniversary of Easter Sunday bombings

Church bells have rung out across Sri Lanka, marking one year since 269 people were killed by a group of suicide bombers. Nine suicide bombers detonated their devices in six…

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Photo Story: Life in Sri Lanka amid coronavirus curfew

Two daily-wage workers wear protective face masks as they walk in front of a mural during an island-wide curfew, in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan government has implemented an…

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The Year in Pictures – April: Multiple blasts in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday

Sri Lankan police investigate the scene after an explosion hit Shangri-La Hotel in Colombo, Sri Lanka, 21 April 2019. Several explosions hit churches during Easter services and luxury hotels in…

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Sri Lanka’s Premadasa accepts defeat at presidential poll

Sri Lanka’s ruling party presidential candidate Sajith Premadasa on Sunday accepted defeat in the presidential poll and congratulated his rival former wartime defense chief, Gotabaya Rajapaksa. “It is my privilege…

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Vote counting begins in presidential election in Sri Lanka, various violent incidents reported

Vote counting began in Sri Lanka after polls closed on Saturday for 16 million eligible voters looking to choose their new president. Polls closed at 5 p.m local time (1130 UTC)…

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Sri Lankan government knew about Easter Sunday bomb attacks but didn’t inform anyone – Cardinal

Sri Lankan Bishop, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith stated last week in the Vatican that the Sri Lankan government had been previously informed about the Easter Sunday bomb attacks, earlier this year.…

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