Court of Appeal rejects revised bail application by Arjun and Kasun

CIA chief blames Chinese debt for crisis in Sri Lanka

CIA chief Bill Burns on Wednesday blamed “dumb bets” on high-debt Chinese investment as a factor in Sri Lanka’s economic collapse, saying it should serve as a warning to other nations. “The Chinese have a lot of weight to throw around and they can make a very appealing case for their investments,” Burns said at the Aspen Security Forum. But nations should look at “a place like Sri Lanka today — heavily indebted to China — which has made some really dumb bets about their economic future and are

21 Jul, 2022

Court bans protests near Bandaranaike statue

A court order has been issued banning protests near the statue of late Prime Minister S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike at the Galle Face Green. The Colombo Fort Magistrate issued an order banning protesters from assembling within a 50-metre radius of the statue. The Fort Police had sought the order from the court. There were reports that some protesters were looking at pulling down the statue. The Galle Face protesters have already erected tents near the statue. (Colombo Gazette)

20 Jul, 2022

IMF hopes to complete Sri Lanka aid talks ‘as quickly as possible’

The International Monetary Fund hopes to complete rescue talks with Sri Lanka “as quickly as possible,” Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said on Wednesday, hours before the crisis-hit South Asian nation elected a new president. Speaking with Nikkei Asia in Tokyo, Georgieva said the fund was “very deeply concerned about the well-being of the people in Sri Lanka,” which has been gripped by severe shortages of fuel, food and other essentials after its foreign reserves dried up. Frustrated c

20 Jul, 2022