Mahinda Rajapaksa

Sri Lanka president sacks intelligence chief over Easter attacks probe

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena summoned an emergency meeting of his cabinet on Friday night to oppose the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) probing the April 21 attacks that killed 258 people and wounded nearly 500.

Chinese 'debt-diplomacy' is drowning Sri Lanka's economy and environment

With ever increasing interest rates and a snowballing debt, at what cost is debt in exchange for Chinese development too high?

Towards reconciliation: UN examines reports of torture in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka’s civil war may have ended 10 years ago but allegations of torture are still being documented.

Sri Lanka backtracks on UN war crimes probe

The UN has accused the Sri Lankan military of killing thousands of civilians, mostly Tamils, in the last weeks of the civil war with Tamil separatists that ended in 2009.

Sri Lanka to resume executions within two months: president

Inspired by a similar crackdown on narcotics-related crime in the Philippines, President Maithripala Sirisena hopes to carry out the hanging of drug convicts and appeals "to human rights organisations not to try to pressure us on this decision."

Ranil Wickremesinghe’s luck hasn’t run out

Sri Lanka’s prime minister, who once survived a suicide attack and rose in the ranks when his colleagues were assassinated, now faces a bitter power struggle.

Wickremesinghe reinstated as Sri Lanka's PM

Ousted in October, Ranil Wickremesinghe returns as the island country's PM a day after disputed premier Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned, ending a 51-day political crisis in the country.

Sri Lanka's disputed PM Mahinda Rajapaksa resigns

Strongman leader steps down as Supreme Court bans his purported government from exercising powers of office. President Maithripala Sirisena will have to appoint a replacement to avert a possible government shutdown on January 1.

Sri Lanka's top court declares president's actions unlawful

Sri Lanka's Supreme Court unanimously ruled as unconstitutional President Maithripala Sirisena's order to dissolve Parliament and call for fresh elections.

Sri Lanka court restrains Rajapaksa from acting as PM amid crisis

The island has been in crisis since President Maithripala Sirisena replaced Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe with Rajapaksa in October, and then issued an order dissolving parliament and called for a general election.

Sri Lanka parliament halts ministers' salaries to hinder disputed PM

The move comes a day after lawmakers voted to cut off government money to the office of disputed prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Sri Lanka parliament to cut PM's budget amid weeks-long political crisis

Sri Lanka's disputed prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa will no longer be able to use government money for his day-to-day expenses. A similar motion to cut down the expenditure of all other ministers is planned.