Gotabaya Rajapaksa: News

03 Sep 2022

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka crisis: Gotabaya Rajapaksa returns; apprehension of protest grows

Former Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa returned to the country on Friday nearly two months after fleeing the island country amid the worst-ever economic downturn, according to AFP.

21 Aug 2022

Sri Lanka

IMF to visit Sri Lanka on Wednesday to assess debt

A team of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will be visiting Sri Lanka this week to assess the island nation's total external and internal debt.

01 Aug 2022

Sri Lanka

More important to rebuild Lanka than my own house: Wickremesinghe

Sri lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, in reference to the protesters' threats, said that there was no point in asking that he "should go home" because he has nowhere to go.

20 Jul 2022

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka's 'comeback man' Ranil Wickremesinghe elected as new President

Ranil Wickremesinghe has been elected as the new President of crisis-hit Sri Lanka.

18 Jul 2022

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka's acting president Ranil Wickremesinghe declares state of emergency

Sri Lanka's acting President, Ranil Wickremesinghe, imposed a state of emergency late on Sunday night as his administration continues to suppress civil unrest and address the country's economic problems.

17 Jul 2022

Sri Lanka

Lanka crisis: Centre calls all-party meeting at Tamil Nadu's request

The government on Sunday announced an all-party conference on the unrest in Sri Lanka was scheduled for Tuesday evening.

16 Jul 2022

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka plans quota scheme for fuel refilling amid crisis

In the midst of the country's economic crisis, the Sri Lanka government is planning to implement a national fuel quota scheme.

16 Jul 2022

Sri Lanka

'Did everything to save Lanka': Rajapaksa says in resignation letter

On Saturday, Sri Lankan parliamentarians began selecting a new president to serve the remainder of the term left vacant by Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

16 Jul 2022

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka: Parliament convenes, new president election on July 20

Battling an acute economic crisis, Sri Lanka's Parliament convened for a session on Saturday to start the procedure of electing the island nation's next president. The house will be voting on July 20.

15 Jul 2022

Animal Rights

Sri Lankan protesters help tear-gassed dog outside PM office

An act of kindness by protesters in Sri Lanka is winning the internet.

14 Jul 2022

Singapore

Curfew imposed in Colombo; President Rajapaksa likely to reach Singapore

Acting President of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe on Wednesday asked Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena to nominate a prime minister who is acceptable to both the government and the Opposition.

13 Jul 2022

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka: PM Wickremesinghe orders military, police to restore order

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has been appointed the country's acting president and a state of emergency has been declared in the island nation following a standoff between the security forces and angry protesters who tried to enter the Prime Minister's Office.

13 Jul 2022

Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan PM declares emergency as Gotabaya flees to Maldives

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Wednesday declared a state of emergency after embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled to the Maldives on a military jet after facing a massive public revolt for the collapse of the country's economy.

12 Jul 2022

Sri Lanka

Airport authorities block ex-FM Basil Rajapaksa from leaving Sri Lanka

Former Finance Minister of Sri Lanka, Basil Rajapaksa, attempted to flee to Dubai in the early hours of Tuesday amid a wave of protests but was unsuccessful after the airport's immigration officials blocked him.

11 Jul 2022

Sri Lanka

Amid Sri Lanka crisis, IMF chief warns of global debt

With Sri Lanka reeling under its worst economic crisis in seven decades, International Monetary Fund chief Kristalina Georgieva warned G20 nations over global debt.

10 Jul 2022

Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan Army chief seeks public support to maintain peace

Seeking the public's support to maintain peace in the country, Sri Lankan Chief of Defence Staff, General Shavendra Silva, on Sunday said an opportunity to resolve the current political crisis in a peaceful manner is now available.

10 Jul 2022

Sri Lanka

Lanka crisis: Gotabaya to resign, Wickremesinghe's house set on fire

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Saturday agreed to step down from his post after violent protests in which demonstrators stormed his official residence in Colombo, forcing him to flee to an unknown location.

09 Jul 2022

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka crisis: Ranil Wickremesinghe quits as PM

In a significant but expected development, Ranil Wickremesinghe has resigned as Sri Lanka's Prime Minister, paving way for an all-party administration to take charge.

09 Jul 2022

Facebook

Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa flees official residence amid protests

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa allegedly abandoned his official residence in Colombo on Saturday as demonstrators broke into the house, AFP reported.

17 May 2022

Sri Lanka

Lanka to sell national airline, print salary money amid crisis

In a televised speech on Monday, Sri Lanka's new Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe announced plans to privatize its national carrier SriLankan Airlines.

13 May 2022

Sri Lanka

Who is Ranil Wickremesinghe, Sri Lanka's new PM amid crisis?

Ranil Wickremesinghe, the leader of Sri Lanka's United National Party (UNP), was sworn in as the country's 26th prime minister on Thursday, succeeding Mahinda Rajapaksa, who resigned on Monday amid protests over the island nation's current economic crisis.

11 May 2022

Sri Lanka

India not sending troops to Sri Lanka: Indian High Commission

The Indian High Commission in Colombo on Wednesday firmly denied rumors that New Delhi was sending soldiers to Sri Lanka.

10 May 2022

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka: Ex-PM Mahinda flees to naval base amid protests

Former Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and his family have reportedly sought refuge at a naval base in Trincomalee, in the country's northeast region.

09 May 2022

Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan PM Mahinda Rajapaksa resigns amid violent clashes

Amid the deepening economic crisis in Sri Lanka, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned from his post on Monday, local media reported.

07 May 2022

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka under state of emergency again as protests intensify

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Friday declared a state of emergency for the second time in just over a month as anti-government protests escalated in the island nation.

02 May 2022

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka crisis: Ex-President Maithripala Sirisena calls for fresh elections

Amid the deepening economic crisis in Sri Lanka, former president and Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) chief Maithripala Sirisena called for fresh elections on Sunday.

29 Apr 2022

Sri Lanka

Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to form interim government: Details here

To solve the political impasse ailing Sri Lanka, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Friday agreed to form an interim government without his older brother Mahinda Rajapaksa as the PM.

06 Apr 2022

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka economic crisis: President Rajapaksa revokes state of emergency

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Tuesday night revoked the state of emergency in the nation with immediate effect.

05 Apr 2022

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka economic crisis: Ruling coalition loses majority in Parliament

Sri Lanka's ruling coalition lost its parliamentary majority on Tuesday, amid growing unrest over the ongoing economic crisis, Reuters reported.

04 Apr 2022

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka economic crisis: Cabinet ministers resign as protests mount

At a late-night meeting on Sunday, the entire cabinet of Sri Lanka resigned amid mounting public anger and growing anti-government protests over the severe economic crisis.

03 Apr 2022

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka economic crisis: Over 600 held for violating curfew

More than 600 demonstrators were arrested in Sri Lanka's Western Province for violating a countrywide curfew of 36 hours, news agency PTI reported.

03 Apr 2022

X

Sri Lanka economic crisis: Social media blocked as protests spread

The Sri Lankan government has barred access to all social media sites in its latest attempt to prevent protests against President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

02 Apr 2022

India

Amid protests, nation-wide curfew imposed in Sri Lanka till Monday

The Sri Lankan government has imposed a curfew across the country from Saturday at 6:00 pm to Monday at 6:00 am in response to protests over the country's worst economic crisis in decades.

02 Apr 2022

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka: Emergency declared after unrest over economic crisis

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared a state of emergency on Friday, a day after hundreds attempted to storm his house in protest of the country's unprecedented economic crisis.

01 Apr 2022

Sri Lanka

Protests near Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's home; 45 arrested

Thousands of people descended on the streets of Sri Lankan capital Colombo near President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's house on Thursday night, demanding that he step down.

30 Jan 2021

Narendra Modi

Sri Lanka: No adverse reactions so far following vaccination

No adverse reactions or side-effects have so far been reported by those who were vaccinated in Sri Lanka on Friday with Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine Covishield, provided by India, health officials said on Saturday.

29 Jan 2021

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka kicks off coronavirus inoculations with Indian vaccine

Sri Lanka on Friday launched its national coronavirus immunization campaign by administering the first shots to frontline health workers, soldiers, and security personnel, a day after India gifted 500,000 doses of Covishield vaccine to the island nation.

14 Mar 2020

Pakistan News

Pakistan responds to Modi's call for joint effort against coronavirus

A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited SAARC nations for a joint response against the ongoing novel coronavirus outbreak, Pakistan responded in the affirmative.

17 Nov 2019

Sri Lanka

Civil war-era defense chief Rajapaksa to become Sri Lankan President

Gotabaya Rajapaksa is set to become the next Sri Lankan President as the ruling United National Party's presidential candidate, Sajith Premadasa, conceded.