Global economic shocks that decimated apparel demand prompted factories to lay off workers in an industry that accounted for half Sri Lanka’s export revenue in 2022.

Activists in Sri Lanka have been campaigning for years to change law in country where being gay is still punishable by a prison sentence and a fine.

Colombo Radio beat Hong Kong’s RTHK to the punch, becoming Asia’s first radio station in 1925. A tour of its studios takes visitors into the past and up to the present – they can sit in on live broadcasts.

The pardons on Vesak day, which commemorates the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment and death, apply only to those convicted of minor offences.

The project, described as South Asia’s largest logistics hub, will take China Merchants Group’s investment in Sri Lanka to US$2 billion.

Parliament is having a 3-day debate on IMF debt restructuring programme. If approved, the plan would dictate how Sri Lanka’s crisis-stricken economy will be managed in the coming years.

People’s Bank of China Governor Yi Gang also said the bank will seek to guide monetary policy so that real interest rates move slightly below the potential growth rate.

The toque macaque is endemic to Sri Lanka and is classed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list.

Myanmar doesn’t have the financial or technical capabilities to carry out the military modernisation seen on the Coco Islands, analysts say.

Families, survivors urge ‘deserving punishment’ for perpetrators, as evidence suggest authorities had intelligence on potential attacks at least two weeks in advance.

Away from the tourist magnets on Sri Lanka’s coast, the economic crisis is prompting eco-retreats to pioneer sustainable tourism while providing laid-back refuge in the country’s interior.

Debt-relief talks for other vulnerable nations have stalled recently, with the main sticking point being a disagreement between China and traditional lenders led by the US.

Shehan Karunatilaka, Booker Prize winning Sri Lankan author of The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida and a speaker at the 2023 Hong Kong International Literary Festival, opens up about the win, his writing process and more.

Sri Lanka has been waiting since September for the IMF loan, which would give it foreign exchange funds to purchase sorely-needed goods and ease inflation.

Hyun Chang Chung returns to country 19 years after he was caught in the Boxing Day Tsunami, and shocks the trail route’s designer by doing it in one none-stop run.

‘The economy has collapsed, everything is unstable. If the franchise is also lost, can we still hold hope for the future?’.

Around 40 trade unions, including government hospital staff and bank employees, called work stoppages on Wednesday to protest steep tax increases and spending cuts imposed to secure an IMF bailout.

A looming drought could see India keep its wheat export ban in place, posing fresh risks for a region already suffering from a food crisis.

Governments must differentiate between CBDCs backed by the state and privately issued stablecoins, said IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva.

Many are angry at president’s move to ‘fully’ implement a 1987 constitutional amendment which would grant more autonomy to regions.