Amidst negotiations for an emergency US$4 billion package to assist it to emerge from an economic collapse, Sri Lanka has urged China for support with trade, investment, and tourism to help it expand sustainably, Colombo’s envoy to Beijing said on Monday, July 25th. Having depleted its foreign reserves, the island nation of 22 million people is experiencing its biggest economic …

SRI LANKA: He was known as “The Terminator” for his role in ending Sri Lanka’s long-running civil war, but he’s now a wanted man and the country’s economy is in ruins. From 2005 to 2015, Rajapaksa served as Sri Lanka’s defense secretary, one of four brothers who have dominated recent Sri Lankan politics. His tough-guy image was bolstered by reports …

SRI LANKA: President Gotabaya Rajapaksa appears to have finally succumbed to Sri Lanka’s economic problems. Protesters attacked the president’s official residence and set fire to the prime minister’s house in Colombo on Saturday, and parliamentary speaker Mahinda Rajapaksa stated on Saturday that Rajapaksa will stand down on Wednesday (July 13). Opposition protests have long called for the resignation of Rajapaksa, …

SRI LANKA: Shorter work weeks are becoming popular in places like Iceland and the United Kingdom, with the goal of increasing worker productivity and happiness. However, in crisis-stricken Sri Lanka, the notion is to deal with crippling food and fuel shortages. The South Asian country, which is grappling with shortages in the midst of its worst economic crisis in decades, …

United Nation rights chief on Wednesday has expressed alarm that China and Asian nations were using Covid-19 crisis as an excuse to target and tighten censorship and free expression. UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet said in a statement that aside for the tigthened censorship in several countries, there were also arbitrary arrests and detention of people who criticize their government’s …