Sri Lanka

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After 'Atrocity at Sea,' Sri Lanka Moves to Help Another Iran Ship

Nation allows IRINS Bushehr to dock after reported engine issues, one day after US sank another ship

(Newser) - Sri Lanka just found itself uncomfortably close to the latest flashpoint between the US and Iran, and it's trying hard not to pick a side. A day after a US submarine torpedoed the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena off of Sri Lanka's southern coast, the nation allowed another Iranian...

32 Survivors Rescued After US Sub Sinks Iran Warship

Sri Lanka says 87 bodies were recovered

(Newser) - Sri Lankan sailors rushed into a war they're trying to avoid after an Iranian warship went down in the Indian Ocean off the country's southern coast. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that a US submarine sank the vessel with a torpedo as part of an escalating campaign...

US Submarine Sinks Iranian Warship: Hegseth

Says sinking is the first of its kind since WWII as bombardment of Iran intensifies

(Newser) - The US sank an Iranian warship in international waters, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday, as it intensified its bombardment with Israel of Iran's security forces and other symbols of power. Hegseth said a torpedo from a US submarine sank the warship. He did not name the ship, reports...

For Sale: Massive $300M Purple Sapphire

3.6K-carat purple star sapphire found in Sri Lanka is claimed to be the biggest of its kind

(Newser) - A Purple Star Sapphire weighing 3,563 carats that's claimed to be the world's biggest of its kind was unveiled over the weekend in the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo by the owners, who are ready to sell the precious stone estimated to be worth at least $300...

Hundreds Dead, Missing in Southeast Asia Floods

Indonesia and Sri Lanka especially hard hit

(Newser) - The number of dead and missing in Southeast Asia continues to climb after some of the heaviest rainfall in years:
  • More than 400 are dead in Indonesia, and hundreds more are missing in the three provinces of North Sumatra, West Sumatra, and Aceh, according to the National Disaster Management Agency,
...

In Suriname, Most Homes Have This Pesticide. It's Killing People

Deadly pesticide paraquat drives spike in suicide rates in the South American nation

(Newser) - Suriname, a small country on South America's Atlantic coast, has one of the world's highest suicide rates, with most of those deaths linked directly to a single pesticide: paraquat. Widely used for weed control, paraquat is lethal in tiny amounts, has been tied to Parkinson's , has...

Court Hitman Dressed Up as Lawyer, Say Sri Lanka Cops

Gang leader fatally shot in courtroom

(Newser) - A gang leader was gunned down by a rival in Sri Lanka, but it's the unusual circumstances causing this one to make international headlines. Police say a hitman disguised himself as a lawyer, then shot Sanjeewa Kumara Samararathne at close range as he was being led into a courtroom...

Monkey Knocks Out Entire Nation's Power
Monkey
Knocks Out
Entire Nation's
Power
in case you missed it
Feb 15, 2025 7:00 AM CST

Monkey Knocks Out Entire Nation's Power

There might have been a monkey fight at a substation on Sri Lanka

(Newser) - The entire nation of Sri Lanka lost power for hours on Sunday, and authorities were quick to cast blame. "A monkey came into contact with our grid transformer, causing an imbalance in the power system," said energy minister Kumara Jayakody, per the BBC . The Ceylon Electricity Board apologized,...

Sri Lanka Changes Direction, Picks Marxist
Sri Lanka Elects
Marxist President
Sep 22, 2024 11:00 AM CDT

Sri Lanka Elects Marxist President

Anura Kumara Dissanayake campaigned against political elite

(Newser) - Marxist lawmaker Anura Kumara Dissanayake won Sri Lanka's presidential election, according to data released by the Election Commission on Sunday, as voters rejected the old political guard that has been widely accused of pushing the South Asian nation toward economic ruin. Dissanayake, whose pro-working class and anti-political elite campaigning...

Race Car Runs Into Crowd in Sri Lanka, Killing 7

20 people were injured at event that drew 45,000 spectators

(Newser) - A race car veered off the track during a competition in Sri Lanka on Sunday and rammed into a crowd of spectators and race officials, killing seven people and injuring 20 others, officials said. Thousands of spectators watched the crash during a race in the town of Diyatalawa in the...

Plans for 'White Party' Cause Uproar in Sri Lanka

And lead to officials threatening to cancel Russians' long-term tourist visas

(Newser) - An event planner says he has been forced to leave Sri Lanka after he tried to plan an ill-advised "white party"—and it led to Sri Lankan officials telling Russian tourists they must go, too, though it seems that decision may not stick. The story:
  • The party: The
...

Sri Lanka's New President Is a Familiar Face: The 'Fox'

Selection of Ranil Wickremesinghe could reignite turmoil

(Newser) - Sri Lankan lawmakers elected the unpopular prime minister as their new president Wednesday, a choice that risked reigniting turmoil in the South Asian nation reeling from economic collapse . The crisis has already forced one Sri Lankan leader out, and a few hundred protesters quickly gathered after the vote to express...

Embattled Leader Uses Email to Resign

But legality of Sri Lankan leader Gotabaya Rajapaksa's letter is not yet certain

(Newser) - Because Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had fled his own country and could not resign in person, he chose a modern alternative—email. Rajapaksa emailed his resignation letter from abroad to the nation's parliamentary speaker on Thursday, reports the New York Times . However, the Wall Street Journal notes that...

Sri Lanka's President Just Fled the Country

Gotabaya Rajapaksa left for the Maldives, officials say

(Newser) - The president of Sri Lanka fled the country early Wednesday, days after protesters stormed his home and office and the official residence of his prime minister amid a three-month economic crisis that triggered severe shortages of food and fuel. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, his wife, and two bodyguards left aboard a...

Sri Lanka Doctors Sound Alarm: This Is Worse Than COVID

They saw country is experiencing a drug shortage

(Newser) - Don't fall ill or get into accidents: That’s the advice doctors in Sri Lanka are giving patients as the country's economic crisis leaves its health care system short of drugs and other vital supplies. The South Asian island nation lacks the money to pay for basic imports...

Series of Actions by Leaders Exacerbated Sri Lanka's Crisis

Protests drove president, prime minister out

(Newser) - As Sri Lanka's crisis reached its climax this weekend, two men in the center of the turmoil brought about by the country's economic collapse promised they would heed the call of tens of thousands of angry protesters and resign. One is President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the last of six...

Sri Lankan Leaders Resign After Protesters Attack Their Homes

President, prime minister agree to leave during largest demonstrations yet over economic crisis

(Newser) - Update: This story has been updated throughout with the leaders' resignations. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa announced he's resigning after unrest Saturday that included Sri Lankan protesters storming his residence and setting the prime minister's house on fire. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe also agreed to quit, the BBC reports. Rajapaksa...

Sri Lanka Desperate for Tourists, Russian Oil

President says he has asked Putin help

(Newser) - With Sri Lanka facing a severe economic crisis , the country's leaders have apparently decided they can't afford to shun Russia. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said Wednesday that he had asked Vladimir Putin for help in a "very productive" phone call, reports Reuters . The country has almost exhausted its...

Sri Lanka Says No Country Will Sell It Fuel

Due to the heavy debt that's owed by petroleum company

(Newser) - Sri Lanka's debt-laden economy has "completely collapsed" after months of shortages of food, fuel, and electricity, its prime minister told lawmakers Wednesday, in comments underscoring the country's dire situation as it seeks help from international lenders. While Sri Lanka's crisis is considered its worst in recent...

Prime Minister Resigns With Sri Lanka in Crisis

Nationwide curfew takes effect in response to violent protests

(Newser) - Update: With Sri Lanka's economic crisis worsening and protests becoming violent, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned Monday. He told President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, his younger brother, in his resignation letter that he was stepping down in hopes of ending the crisis, the BBC reports. Confrontations between pro- and anti-government demonstrators...

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