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New Online Speech Law Could Chill Political Humor in Sri Lanka

Even in the darkest of times, Sri Lankans held on to their humor. In 2022, when the island nation’s economy collapsed and the government announced a QR code system to ration gasoline, a meme spread online: “Scanning Fuel QR Code Now Makes You Forget Last Three Months.” And when public anger forced the strongman president

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Bankrupt Sri Lanka to seek debt moratorium until 2028

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s president said on Wednesday he was seeking a moratorium on foreign debt repayments until 2028, following a government default during the island nation’s unprecedented economic crisis two years ago. A collapse in foreign exchange reserves saw months of food and fuel shortages along with street protests that forced the ouster of President

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Sri Lanka to sell its national airline

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka said on Tuesday it would assume $510 million of debt to help find a buyer for its loss-making national airline, weeks after a stowaway rat caused a string of flight cancellations. The island nation is recovering from an unprecedented economic crisis in 2022 and has been desperate to sell off SriLankan Airlines,

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Global

Sri Lanka repays $20m Iranian oil debt with tea

The tea-for-oil deal was agreed upon in December 2021, but exports were delayed by Colombo’s economic crisis. Cash-strapped Sri Lanka said Wednesday it had exported tea worth $20 million to Iran to partially repay its $251 million oil debts, with Colombo saying Tehran’s visiting foreign minister had expressed “satisfaction” at the deal. ALSO READ: Sri Lanka

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Sri Lanka financial crisis easing

COLOMBO: Cash-strapped Sri Lanka is “gradually” emerging from its worst economic crisis after the austerity of an IMF bailout, the president said Sunday in a speech to mark independence day. Recalling the “indignity of being labelled a financially bankrupt country,” President Ranil Wickremesinghe dispensed with the customary annual address in favor of a brief statement.

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Sri Lanka minister arrested over fake drug scam

Several other key health ministry officials have already been arrested. A Sri Lankan court remanded a senior cabinet minister in custody Saturday over the purchase of fake medicines for state hospitals when he was in charge of the health portfolio. Former health minister Keheliya Rambukwella was ordered to be held until February 15 pending investigations

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Global

6 Sri Lanka fishermen rescued from ship hijacked by Somali pirates

The Seychelles’ defense forces and coast guard on Monday rescued six Sri Lankan fishermen whose vessel was hijacked by Somali pirates two days earlier, the Seychelles president’s office said. The Seychelles Defense Forces Special Forces and coast guard “led a successful operation to regain control of a Sri Lankan vessel hijacked by armed Somali pirates,”

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