Sri Lanka

Heavily armed Tamil Tiger rebels walk down a street in Achchuveli village, north east of Jaffna City, Sri Lanka, on Nov. 4, 1987. 

‘A murder mystery and a ghost story’ about Sri Lanka’s civil war wins Booker Prize

Books

Shehan Karunatilaka, author of “The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida,” is winner of the 2022 Booker Prize. Karunatilaka talked with The World’s host Marco Werman about the ways in which Sri Lanka’s grim history of civil war — along with a bit of “gallows humor” — shaped the ideas in his award-winning novel.

A porter carries sacks of imported food items at a market place in Colombo, Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka’s financial crisis is impacting families across the economic spectrum

Economics
People wait in a queue expecting to buy cooking gas near a distribution center in Colombo, Sri Lanka

A community kitchen in Colombo feeds Sri Lankans in need

Food
A hospital worker carries a tray of medicine at a government-run hospital in Colombo, Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan doctors say the country can’t survive on donated drugs forever

Health & Medicine
An auto rickshaw driver pushes his vehicle next to a banner that says only those vehicles with QR codes will be given fuel at a fuel station in Colombo, Sri Lanka

Amid fuel crisis in Sri Lanka, bicycling is no longer a ‘poor person’s mode of transport’

Energy
Double the usual number of fishing boats are seen at the Dikkowita Fisheries Harbor, a main harbor in the Colombo area of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka’s fuel shortage is hurting the country’s fishing industry

Economics

Sri Lanka, which imports its fuel, currently lacks enough dollars to buy adequate supplies of gasoline, diesel, cooking gas and kerosene. That’s impacting the country’s fishing industry, with people running out of fuel for their boats.

cars in line

Sri Lankans wait in line for days to refuel their vehicles amid shortages, economic crisis

Energy

Traffic has begun trickling back into the streets of Colombo, Sri Lanka. But the economic crisis and fuel shortages have many people still waiting in long queues to refuel their vehicles. Some people have even been stuck in line for days.

woman in blue dress

‘We are ready to face any violence’: Protesters in Sri Lanka brace for a crackdown

Sri Lankan protesters ousted the previous president last week, and now, they’re taking aim at the new president, calling for him to resign, too.

Sri Lankan fans take a selfie during a cricket match with Australia in Colombo.

‘An air of hope’: Sri Lankans see cricket as a welcome distraction from the country’s economic, political woes

Sports

Australia and Sri Lanka are usually bitter rivals on the pitch during cricket matches. But Sri Lankans are welcoming the Australian team and its fans as a much-needed distraction from their country’s recent political and economic turmoil.

People stand holding a national flag at President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's office on the second day after it was stormed in Colombo, Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka in political vacuum as talks go on amid crisis

Protest

Sri Lanka still to decide on who will lead the country, after protesters stormed and occupied the residences of the president and prime minister, calling on them to vacate their roles, after forcing them to resign.