Colombo: Sri Lanka’s newly-appointed President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Monday congratulated India’s new President Droupadi Murmu, recalling the close ties between the two nations and underlining that her leadership offers “fresh impetus” to the joint endeavours to nurture and strengthen the cordial ties it enjoys. Murmu, 64, took over as India’s 15th president on Monday, the […]
Colombo: Sri Lanka’s Presidential Secretariat, which was stormed by a sea of anti-government protesters in early July, is set to return to functioning from Monday under a tight security cover, according to a media report. Cleaning and repair work was underway to ready the Presidential Secretariat over the weekend as security forces opened Galle Road […]
Newly elected Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has an unenviable task on hand as the island nation is gripped by an unprecedented economic crisis and social unrest. The immediate challenge is that Wickremesinghe himself is largely seen as part of the problematic political establishment led by the discredited Rajapaksa family. The tiny nation of 22 […]
Colombo: Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as the eighth President of Sri Lanka at the Parliament premises on Thursday. He was sworn in before Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya, Daily Mirror reported. In the election held in Parliament on Wednesday, 73-year-old Wickremesinghe secured 134 votes from parliamentarians. Out of 225 parliamentarians, 223 voted in the ballot of […]
Colombo: Acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe was on Wednesday elected as Sri Lanka’s new President by Parliament, following a high-voltage political drama which saw his predecessor Gotabaya Rajapaksa fleeing the country and resigning after a popular uprising against his government for mismanaging the economy. The 73-year-old six-time prime minister secured 134 votes in the 225-member House […]
The surreal images of protestors storming the presidential palace and Prime Minister’s residence represent utter chaos enveloping Sri Lanka. The scenes of the protestors having a free run inside the official residences may be disturbing but they demonstrate the sheer power of street protests and frustration of the people over the deepening economic crisis. The […]
Colombo: Protesters broke into the Sri Lankan prime minister’s private residence and set it on fire, hours after he said he would resign when a new government is formed, in the biggest day of angry demonstrations on Saturday that also saw crowds storming the president’s home and office. The office of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe […]
By Amitava Mukherjee There are quite a few reasons why Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the President of Sri Lanka, appointed Ranil Wickremesinghe as the Prime Minister of the country. First, Ranil Wickremesinghe is known to be close to the Rajapaksa family and it is more than likely that he will try to save both Gotabaya and Mahinda […]
Colombo: Tourism industry in Sri Lanka is severely affected as the country is gripped by a severe economic crisis. Hotels are empty, and beaches are deserted in Colombo. Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis since independence with food and fuel shortages, soaring prices and power cuts affecting a large number of the citizens, […]
Colombo: Opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe was on Thursday sworn-in as Sri Lanka’s new prime minister, days after his predecessor Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned following violent protests over the worst economic crisis in the debt-ridden island nation. The 73-year-old United National Party (UNP) leader was appointed as the prime minister by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa after they held […]
