MAHINDA RAJAPAKSA

Sri Lanka’s strategic location on Indian Ocean shipping lanes has long attracted outsized interest in the small island nation from regional giants China and India.

A few years ago, Sri Lanka had an economy strong enough to provide jobs and financial security for its 22 million people.

Sri Lanka’s prime minister says the island nation's debt-laden economy has “collapsed” as it runs out of money to pay for food and fuel.

Sri Lanka’s prime minister says he may be compelled to buy more oil from Russia as he hunts desperately for fuel to keep the country running.

Sri Lanka’s prime minister says protesting youth groups will be invited to be part of governance under political reforms he is proposing to solve the country’s political crisis triggered by an economic collapse.

Police have used tear gas and a water canon to disperse demonstrators trying to approach Sri Lanka’s president’s office to demand his resignation over the country’s economic crisis.

How two powerful brothers fell out and took their country down with them.

Sri Lankan protesters lit flames and offered prayers Wednesday remembering thousands — including ethnic Tamil civilians — killed in the final stages of the country’s decadeslong civil war.

Sri Lanka's president swore in four new Cabinet ministers Saturday in an effort to ensure stability until a full Cabinet is formed in the island nation engulfed in a political and economic crisis.

With one brother president, another prime minister and three more family members cabinet ministers, it appeared that the Rajapaksa clan had consolidated its grip on power in Sri Lanka after decades in and out of government.

Sri Lanka’s president is promising to appoint a new prime minister, empower the Parliament and abolish the all-powerful executive presidential system as reforms to stabilize the country engulfed in a political crisis and violence triggered by the worst economic crises in memory.

There are falls from grace and then there’s what’s happening to Mahinda Rajapaksa in Sri Lanka.

Mahinda Rajapaksa's resignation followed violent confrontations between his supporters and anti-government protesters.

After a day of street violence, experts warned

Sri Lanka’s defense ministry has ordered security forces to shoot anyone causing injury to people or property to contain widespread arson and mob violence targeting government supporters.

Angry mobs burnt down homes belonging to the Rajapaksa family and MPs after clashes with government supporters.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has resigned after weeks of protests demanding he and his brother, the president, step down over the worst economic crisis in decades, an official said.

The latest violence marks an escalation in tensions as pressure rises on the ruling Rajapaksa brothers to resign from office.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has resigned following weeks of protests demanding that he and his brother, the president, step down over the country’s worst economic crisis in decades.

Authorities deployed armed troops in the capital Colombo on Monday hours after government supporters attacked protesters outside the offices of the president and prime minister of Sri Lanka. Hundreds of armed soldiers were deployed in Colombo as protesters made accusations on local TV that police did not interfere to prevent the attack, despite using tear gas and water cannons on protesters as recently as Friday. COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Authorities deployed armed troops in the capital Colombo on Monday hours after government supporters attacked protesters outside the offices of the president and prime minister of Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka’s beleaguered government won a key vote in Parliament on Thursday as a ruling coalition-backed candidate was elected deputy speaker, despite growing public pressure on the government amid the worst economic crisis in decades. The vote was seen as crucial to demonstrate that the government still has majority support in the 225-member Parliament after 40 governing coalition lawmakers said last month they would no longer vote according to coalition instructions. It was feared that their move would significantly weaken the government and that it might also lose a majority.

Sri Lanka’s finance minister says the South Asian country's economy is in dire straits with its usable foreign reserves down to less than $50 million.

Sri Lanka’s main opposition party is demanding a no-confidence vote aimed at ousting the Rajapaksa-led government.

A prominent lawmaker says Sri Lanka’s president has agreed to replace his older brother as prime minister in a proposed interim government to solve a political impasse caused by the country’s economic crisis.

Sri Lanka’s president has agreed to replace his older brother as prime minister in a proposed interim government to solve a political impasse caused by the country’s worst economic crisis in decades, a prominent lawmaker said Friday. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa agreed that a national council will be appointed to name a new prime minister and Cabinet comprised of all parties in Parliament, lawmaker Maithripala Sirisena said after meeting with the president. Sirisena, who was president before Rajapaksa, was a governing party lawmaker before defecting earlier this month along with nearly 40 other legislators.

An international human rights group is urging Sri Lankan authorities to conduct a prompt and impartial probe into a police shooting that left one person dead and 13 others injured during protests over the country’s worst economic crisis in decades.

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has pledged an impartial and transparent inquiry into a police shooting that left one person dead and 13 others injured during protests over the country’s worst economic crisis in decades.

Sri Lankan police have opened fire at people protesting new fuel price increases, killing one and injuring 13 others, in a town northeast of the capital.

Shrinking the role of the president would open the door to the broad national-unity government that the country will need to dig itself out of its debt trap.

Sri Lanka’s president has acknowledged that he made mistakes that led to the country’s worst economic crisis in decades and pledged to correct them.

Sri Lankans are sharing milk rice and oil cakes to celebrate their traditional new year opposite the president’s office where they have camped out for a sixth day demanding his resignation over the worst economic crisis in memory.

Sri Lanka is suspending payments on bonds and government-to-government borrowings, pending the completion of a loan restructuring program with the International Monetary Fund.

Sri Lanka's government says it is suspending its repayment of foreign debt, including bonds and government-to-government borrowing.

Thousands of Sri Lankans have rallied in the country’s main business district and Christian clergy marched in the capital to observe a day of protest calling on the debt-ridden nation’s president to resign.

In the past week, protesters and opposition parties alike have called for the resignation of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.

A government minister says Sri Lanka’s president will not step down and instead will face the political and economic crisis that has sparked large protests demanding his resignation.

Rajapaksa and his family are under pressure from fuel and food shortages.

Sri Lanka’s sports minister and the president’s nephew, Namal Rajapaksa, has resigned from his position amid growing public outrage over the country’s economic crisis and shortages of food, fuel and medicines.

Sri Lanka has imposed a countrywide curfew until Monday morning, in addition to a state of emergency declared by the president, in an attempt to prevent more unrest after protesters took to the streets blaming the government for the worsening economic crisis.

The president of debt-ridden Sri Lanka has asked China for the restructuring of its loans and access to preferential credit for imports of essential goods, as the island nation struggles in the throes of its worst economic crisis.

The president of debt-ridden Sri Lanka on Sunday asked China for the restructuring of its loans and access to preferential credit for imports of essential goods, as the island nation struggles in the throes of its worst economic crisis, partly due to Beijing-financed projects that don’t generate revenue. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa told visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi that it would be "a great relief to the country if attention could be paid on restructuring the debt repayments as a solution to the economic crisis that has arisen in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic,” according to a statement from his office. Rajapaksa asked Wang for a concessionary credit facility for imports so that industries can run without disruption, the statement said.

Sunil Perera, a versatile Sri Lankan singer, musician, composer and entertainer, has died of apparent complications from COVID-19.

Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid of the Maldives has won election as the next president of the U.N. General Assembly.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo greets the gathering before his meeting with Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapksa, right, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2020. Pompeo visited Sri Lanka and the Maldives to press the two countries to be on guard against potential predatory lending and investment by China. Even before Pompeo arrived, China had fired back at the U.S. message, accusing Washington of bullying smaller nations. Gunawardena also appeared unwilling to get involved in the spat with China, and said Sri Lanka is willing to cooperate with all friendly countries. ____Associated Press writer Krishan Francis in Colombo, Sri Lanka, contributed to this report.

Sri Lankan trade union and civil society activists hold placards outside the parliament as they protest against a proposed constitution amendment that would consolidate power in the presidents hands in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)COLOMBO – Sri Lanka's Parliament by a large majority has approved a constitutional amendment concentrating powers under President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and reversing reforms a previous government had made to curb authoritarianism. The 20th Amendment to the constitution was passed late Thursday with a 91-vote majority with 156 lawmakers in the 225-member Parliament voting in favor. This will pave the way for a sibling who is a U.S. citizen to enter Parliament, further strengthening Rajapaksa family’s hold on Sri Lanka’s political power. Sri Lanka has been ruled under a powerful executive presidential system since 1978 but a reformist government in 2015 clipped much of the president's powers and gave them over to the Parliament and independent commissions, saying successive presidents had been more authoritarian.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa greets supporters following his election victory in the general election at his residence in Tangalle, Sri Lanka, Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. Rajapaksa is likely to be sworn in the same position by his younger brother, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, after the vote that could strengthen dynastic rule in the Indian Ocean island nation. Rajapaksa took oath before his younger brother, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, at a prominent Buddhist temple on the outskirts of the capital Colombo. He was first elected prime minister in 2004 and again appointed for brief periods in 2018 and 2019. Sri Lanka Peoples Front the party led by the Rajapaksa brothers won 145 seats in the 225-member Parliament in the election last Wednesday.

(AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)COLOMBO Sri Lankas powerful Rajapaksa brothers secured a landslide victory in the countrys Parliamentary election, according to results released Friday. Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa is most likely to be sworn in the same position by his younger brother, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The election results could enable them to change the constitution and strengthen dynastic rule. Sri Lanka Peoples Front has secured a resounding victory according to official results released so far, Gotabaya Rajapaksa said in a Twitter message. Sri Lanka has largely contained the spread of the virus with 2,839 confirmed cases, including 11 deaths.

COLOMBO Sri Lankans started voting Wednesday to elect a new Parliament that is expected to give strong support to the powerful and popular Rajapaksa brothers. His older brother, the charismatic former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, is seeking a majority of the 225 seats in Parliament to return as prime minister. At least four members of the family are contesting for seats and strong support for the Rajapaksas' party could add to their political dynasty. Sri Lanka has largely contained the spread of the virus with 2,834 confirmed cases including 11 deaths. Voters have been asked to bring their own pens to mark their ballots or a disinfected pen is provided at voting stations.