Page 2 - Sri Lanka

31 dead as torrential rains trigger floods and landslides in Sri Lanka

Torrential rains, floods and landslides have left 31 people dead in Sri Lanka with nearly 4000 affected in the last 11 days, as the Island nation grapples with one of its worst weather-related crises. Sri Lanka's Disaster Management Centre said on Thursday that 18 deaths were reported from the central hill districts alone due to landslides. In a terrifying incident, a passenger bus got trapped in rising floodwaters in Kumbukkana. Emergency teams managed to rescue twenty-three passengers successfully, Daily Mirror Online reported. Nearly 10 people have sustained injuries, while 14 persons are reported missing, Adaderana news portal reported. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake had called a crisis meeting to assess the deteriorating situation in 17 of the 25 administrative districts. According to the weather bureau, the island's southeast periphery had developed a low-pressure situation, which had developed into a depression and is centred 210 km southeast of Batticaloa. It is very

Ather Energy expands product offering in Sri Lanka with Rizta launch

Electric two-wheeler maker Ather Energy on Friday announced expansion of its product offering in Sri Lanka, which has become a growing international market for it. The company, which entered the island nation in December 2024, said it launched its family scooter Rizta in Sri Lanka at the Colombo Motor Show 2025 in partnership with Evolution Auto Pvt. Ltd, its authorised distributor in the country. It marks the next step in Ather's international growth strategy, focused on expanding its product portfolio and strengthening its ecosystem in key international markets, Ather Energy said in a regulatory filing. "Since entering Sri Lanka last year, it has quickly become a growing market for us, and expanding our portfolio here with the Rizta felt like the natural next step," Ather Energy Chief Business Officer Ravneet Singh Phokela said. Stating that the Rizta has seen strong acceptance in India for over a year and more recently in Nepal, he said, "We believe it is well-suited for the ne

India's NCDEX eyes 20% stake in Sri Lanka's first commodity exchange

Move strengthens India-Sri Lanka financial ties and regional commodity trade presence

Flight bound for Jaffna carrying 44 passengers cancelled due to bad weather

An aircraft carrying 44 passengers bound for Jaffna on Saturday was diverted to Tiruchirappalli due to bad weather in the northern city of the island nation, sources said. However, as the weather did not clear and nearly after a delay of more than 3 hours, the airline cancelled its service, sources said. The flight, operated by a private airline, departed at 10.20 am and shortly after take off, the pilot was informed about the adverse weather conditions in Jaffna, they said. Later, the plane was diverted to Tiruchirappalli. "Right now the plane has landed safely in Tiruchirappalli with all the passengers. The flight will resume its journey once the weather is clear in Jaffna," they added. Due to persistent bad weather in Jaffna, the flight was delayed for over three hours before airline officials decided to cancel the journey. Later, the aircraft returned to Chennai, sources told PTI on Saturday. Upon landing, officials of the private airline informed passengers that the flight

Work on wind power projects in Sri Lanka continues despite protests

Work on controversial wind power projects in Sri Lanka's northeastern Mannar islands is continuing despite a government announcement that it would implement the disputed projects only with the consent of local residents, activists alleged on Friday. The cabinet earlier this week decided that the wind power projects under dispute would proceed only after receiving approval from the public. We will not stop our protests and will continue until we see action in black and white to stop them, Father S Marcus, president of the Mannar Civil Committee, told PTI. Two privately owned wind power plants, a 20 MW Windscape Mannar and a 50 MW Hayleys Fentons, were scheduled to begin operations in December 2025 and December 2026, respectively. The committee has been protesting for over three months, highlighting the projects' adverse environmental impact on the area. Marcus said despite the cabinet's announcement, work on the projects had continued. "The projects would leave the Mannar islands

From Dhaka to Colombo, Gen Z has started raging at rotten governance

Each revolt in our neighbourhood was driven by corruption, with lessons for India

Sri Lanka puts mandatory ETA rule on hold: How Indians can still apply

Sri Lanka has suspended its new rule making Electronic Travel Authorisation compulsory for all short-stay visitors, easing the process for Indian tourists while keeping earlier visa procedures active

Colombo terminal with Adani funding tops Sri Lanka's FDI inflows in 2025

The Colombo West International Terminal (CWIT) was the largest contributor to Sri Lanka's Foreign Direct Investment inflows during the first nine months on this year, investing USD 229 million in state-of-the-art port infrastructure, the Board of Investment said on Tuesday. The CWIT is an investment from Adani International Port Holdings Pte Ltd (India) and John Keells Holdings PLC in partnership with the Sri Lanka Ports Authority. The Board of Investment (BOI) announced that Foreign Direct Investment inflows including foreign commercial loans for investments to BOI-approved enterprises have reached USD 827 million during the period January to September 2025, marking a remarkable 138 per cent increase compared to the corresponding value during the period in 2024. It said that the CWIT invested USD 229 million in "state-of-the-art port infrastructure under a strategic development agreement". It will expand the port's capacity by 3.2 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), ...

Sri Lankan PM Harini Amarasuriya meets PM Modi to discuss bilateral ties

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday discussed a range of issues such as development cooperation and the welfare of Indian fishermen with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya. Amarasuriya met Modi at his official residence here. "Glad to welcome Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Ms. Harini Amarasuriya. Our discussions covered a broad range of areas, including education, women's empowerment, innovation, development cooperation and welfare of our fishermen," Modi said in a post on X. "As close neighbours, our cooperation holds immense importance for the prosperity of our two peoples as well as the shared region," Modi said.

Sri Lanka PM Harini Amarasuriya’s first India visit: What’s on the agenda? | India-Sri Lanka ties

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya has arrived in India for her maiden official visit, a trip seen as crucial for deepening ties in trade, education, and technology.

Sri Lankan PM Harini Amarasuriya arrives in New Delhi on maiden visit

The visit continues the tradition of regular and close engagement between the two countries, strengthening the deep-rooted bonds of friendship

Indian envoy, Sri Lanka's JVP leader discuss stronger economic ties

Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Santosh Jha met the ruling Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) General Secretary Tilvin Silva to discuss recent developments in bilateral partnership and the potential of closer economic ties. High Commissioner Santosh Jha met JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva and discussed the recent developments in #IndiaSriLanka partnership, the Indian High Commission in Colombo posted on social media on Monday. The duo exchanged views on the limitless potential of closer economic ties for mutual prosperity of the people of India and Sri Lanka, it added. The meeting took place at JVP headquarters in Pelawatte, Battaramulla, and covered the current situation in Sri Lanka, including the success of the Indian housing project for displaced hill country communities, the Sri Lanka Mirror reported on Tuesday. While Silva expressed gratitude to India for its contribution, the Indian envoy pledged further assistance to Sri Lanka, the report said. The two also discussed

Sri Lankan PM Amarasuriya arrives in Beijing, to meet President Xi Jinping

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya arrived in Beijing on Sunday for an official visit during which she would meet Chinese President Xi Jinping. Amarasuriya will take part in the Global Leaders' Meeting on Women, Chinese state-run Xinhua news agency reported. On the sidelines of the meeting, she is scheduled to hold talks with Xi, Sri Lankan newspaper Sunday Times reported. Apart from President Xi, the prime minister will also meet her Chinese counterpart, Li Qiang, and senior members of the Communist Party of China and hold talks on bilateral relations. From Beijing, she will go to New Delhi to attend the NDTV World Summit 2025, where, along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she will be one of the main speakers, the report said. It will be her first official visit to India. The World Summit in Delhi will be attended by Rishi Sunak of the United Kingdom and Tony Abbott of Australia, the report said.

Sri Lankan Navy arrests 47 Indian fishermen, five trawlers seized

As many as 47 Indian fishermen were arrested and their five trawlers seized on Thursday at Talaimannar in northern Sri Lanka for alleged illegal fishing in the island nation's waters, the Navy here said. The arrests were made during coordinated patrols conducted in the Mannar and Delft sea areas. The 47 arrested fishermen and their equipment will be handed over to the fisheries inspectorate in the north for further action, the Navy said. The Naval command operation to arrest them began late last night and lasted until the early hours of Thursday, Navy spokesman Commander Buddika Sampath told PTI. The fishermen issue remains a contentious one in the India-Sri Lanka bilateral ties, with Lankan Navy personnel even firing at Indian fishermen in the Palk Strait and seizing their boats in several alleged incidents of illegally entering Sri Lankan territorial waters. Last month, 12 Indian fishermen were arrested and their boat seized near Jaffna in northern Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka's recovery remains incomplete, urgent reforms needed: World Bank

Sri Lanka's recent economic performance has been strong, but the recovery remains incomplete, the World Bank said on Tuesday. "With growth still below pre-crisis levels and poverty significantly elevated, strengthening the recovery will require continued macroeconomic stability, urgent structural reforms, and more efficient, better-targeted public spending, it said. Sri Lanka's economy crashed in 2022 due to a forex crisis stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic and other flawed political and economic management reasons since 2019. The current turnaround was aided by the four-year IMF bailout of nearly 3 billion USD pinned to a stringent reform regime. While Sri Lanka's recent economic progress is encouraging, the recovery is uneven and incomplete, said David Sislen, World Bank Division Director for Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. The World Bank projects Sri Lanka's economy to grow by 4.6 per cent in 2025 supported by a modest rebound in industry and steady growth in services before

Sri Lanka to seek legal advice on $1 bn unpaid marine disaster claim

The Sri Lankan government on Tuesday said it will consult the Attorney General on the next course of action after the owning company of a vessel failed to honour a court order directing it to pay USD 1 billion in compensation for a mishap, considered to be the worst marine disaster in the Indian Ocean. Singapore-flagged container vessel MV X-Press Pearl caught fire in May 2021 off Colombo port and burned for nearly two weeks while carrying 81 containers of hazardous chemicals, including 25 tonnes of nitric acid. The incident caused widespread marine pollution, with billions of plastic nurdles and toxic substances spilling into Sri Lankan waters, killing marine life and devastating coastal communities. Dead turtles, dolphins and whales were seen washed up onto beaches for weeks following the disaster. On July 24, Sri Lanka's Supreme Court directed the ship's owning and operating companies to pay USD 1 billion in compensation, with an initial tranche of USD 250 million due by Septem

Navy Chief Admiral Tripathi begins four-day official visit to Sri Lanka

He would also participate in the 12th edition of the Galle Dialogue 2025 - International Maritime Conference in Colombo, on the theme 'Maritime Outlook of the Indian Ocean under Changing Dynamics'

South Asia lived with inequality. Then 'nepo babies' fuelled public outrage

South Asia stayed calm as the upper-middle class aspired to a globalised life, but slowing growth, tech shifts, and travel limits, amplified by TikTok and Instagram, are stoking frustration

Adani-led Sri Lanka container terminal to double capacity ahead of deadline

Once the final phase is complete, the terminal will have the capacity to handle 3.2 million containers annually

Regimes collapse because of weak institutions, not leaders or ideologies

To be truly functional and durable, even eternal, a state doesn't just need a leader, a party, or an ideology. It needs functional and robust institutions