India and the UAE have agreed to create an energy hub in Sri Lanka. The deal was signed during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit. This is the first visit by a global leader since Sri Lanka’s new president took office. The energy hub will be built in Trincomalee, a strategic city in eastern Sri […]
Srilanka
Sri Lanka parliament shuts early after petrol runs out
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s parliament has cancelled its remaining sittings for the week to save fuel, officials said Thursday, with a disastrous economic crisis rapidly depleting the island nation’s already scarce petrol supplies. A foreign currency shortage has prevented the import of food, oil, and medicines, while runaway inflation and regular blackouts have made life miserable […]
Sri Lanka unveils world’s largest blue sapphire
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka unveiled the world’s largest blue sapphire named ‘Queen of Asia’, weighing around 310-kilogram. It had been found from a gem pit in Sri Lanka’s Ratnapura situated around 85-km away from Colombo. However, it was brought to the public view for the first time on Sunday at the residence of the gem pit […]
Sri Lanka eyes tougher import controls to halt forex crisis
Sri Lanka’s central bank on Monday called for further import restrictions to address a crippling foreign exchange crisis, following a string of loans from Asian neighbours including impoverished Bangladesh. The island nation’s foreign exchange reserves were badly hit last year as the Covid-19 pandemic hit and the local currency came under intense pressure and […]
Sri Lanka’s marine disaster worsens as environmental toll rises
Damage to Sri Lanka’s marine environment from a sinking chemical ship is worse than feared, officials said Friday, as more dead turtles, dolphins and whales washed up on the island’s beaches. As of Thursday, 130 marine animals have been found dead on the Indian Ocean’s beaches since the MV X-Press caught fire last month before […]
Sri Lanka arrests captain over ship fire pollution
The Russian skipper of a container ship that caught fire and burned for almost two weeks before sinking off Sri Lanka’s coast has been arrested and is expected to be charged with marine pollution, police said Monday. The island nation is seeking $40 million in damages from the operators of the ship, which released tonnes […]
Sri Lanka names 24-member squad for England tour
Sri Lanka’s cricket board Tuesday named a 24-member squad led by Kusal Perera for the six-match limited overs series in England even as a pay dispute remained unresolved. The Sri Lankan squad will leave early Wednesday to play three one-day internationals and three Twenty20 matches. Official sources said the players have refused a performance-based pay […]
Sri Lankan cricket players refuse to sign reduced pay contracts
Sri Lanka‘s national cricket players Saturday refused to sign new pay contracts by a weekend deadline, but said they will take part in the tour of England later this month. A lawyer representing the cricketers said they did not agree with a new performance-based pay scheme designed by a cricket board panel that included former […]
International experts deployed for Sri Lanka oil spill
Foreign experts have been deployed to help Sri Lanka contain a potential oil leak from a burnt-out container ship partially sunk off Colombo, the ship’s operator said Friday. Representatives from the International Tankers Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF) and Oil Spill Response (OSR) were onshore monitoring the MV X-Press Pearl, X-Press Feeders said. “They continue to […]
Sri Lanka ship fire extinguished after 13 days
A fire aboard a Singapore-registered cargo ship was finally extinguished Tuesday after a 13-day international operation off Sri Lanka’s coast, the navy said. Experts from Dutch salvage company SMIT boarded the MV X-Press Pearl and reported massive flooding of the engine rooms, Sri Lanka navy spokesman Indika de Silva told AFP.