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Sri Lanka

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Sri Lanka. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Colombo

Head of State

President Ranil Wickremesinghe

Head of Government

President Ranil Wickremesinghe

A police commando stands guard at the High Court in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Tuesday, ahead of a verdict related to the 2019 Easter bombings. Photo: AP

Sri Lanka bombings

Sri Lanka court convicts 15 over 2019 Easter bombings

Suicide bombers targeted three hotels and three churches, killing 279 people and wounding about 500. The trial has gone on for five years.

22 Sep 2026 - 9:15PMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

Saudi oil pipeline closure puts Asia’s economic resilience to the test

18 Sep 2026 - 9:50PM

US-China relations

China edges US, EU on AI regulation trust in middle-income countries: Pew survey

18 Sep 2026 - 2:49AMvideocam

Crime in Hong Kong

Man arrested after HK$1 million in gems stolen from hotel guest asleep in lobby

Police say suspect allegedly took advantage of situation to search overseas businessman’s backpack and remove uncut gemstones.

15 Sep 2026 - 8:59PM

Officers arrested a 32-year-old Algerian man and recovered the uncut gemstones intact. Photo: Handout

Thailand

‘Not for sale’: Thais take to streets in rare protest against Israel

The protest follows months of complaints about illegal landholding, cultural disrespect and proliferation of Israeli religious houses.

10 Sep 2026 - 4:39PM

Nepal

China-Nepal floods: rescuers pull out survivors caked in mud as toll climbs

Nepal has reversed an earlier decision and says it will allow foreign teams and experts to help with rescue efforts.

29 Aug 2026 - 8:48PMvideocam

Japan

Japan to expand security aid to 12 Indo-Pacific nations

Tokyo has more than doubled its security assistance programme to US$114 million in a strategic push.

28 Aug 2026 - 3:07PM

Japanese coast guard members in the waters off southern Japan in November 2023. Japan has primarily supplied non-lethal equipment, including patrol boats and radar systems, under its OSA framework. Photo: Kyodo News/AP

Doing Good

‘Born to Fly’ documents Hong Kong-born Rahul Sharma’s world record run across Sri Lanka

Soon after Rahul Sharma began looking for a suitable challenge, he became the fastest man to run the length of Sri Lanka. A new documentary follows his record-breaking feat.

26 Aug 2026 - 8:00AM

US-China trade war

Editorial | ‘Transshipment scam’ is not a global conspiracy but a warning to the US

The White House’s accusation that over 40 nations are involved in a shadow network that harms the US betrays a misunderstanding of how trade works.

20 Aug 2026 - 7:15AM

Thailand

How Cambodian worker exodus exposes Thailand’s fragile labour model

An estimated 780,000 Cambodian workers have left Thailand since last year’s border conflicts, affecting a wide range of industries.

16 Aug 2026 - 12:00PMvideocam

Cambodian migrant workers cross the border at Ban Laem Border checkpoint in Chanthaburi province, Thailand, in July last year to return to their home amid the deadly border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia. Photo: Reuters

Asia travel

Three-wheeling through Sri Lanka on a family tuk-tuk adventure

Cheap, naturally air-conditioned and undoubtedly a ‘fun-mobile’, a self-driven tuk-tuk provides the ultimate transport for travellers too young to appreciate the spiritual side of the Pearl of the Indian Ocean.

12 Aug 2026 - 8:00AM

David Burden’s family climbs aboard Abu the tuk-tuk. Photo: David Burden

India-Pakistan tensions

Maldives’ plea to restart South Asian bloc hits India-Pakistan brick wall

Calls for reviving Saarc are likely to fall on deaf ears as long as the two neighbours are at loggerheads, analysts say.

9 Aug 2026 - 2:00PMvideocam

Protests around the world

Opinion | South Asia’s Gen Z protests offer one lesson in common

From Sri Lanka and Nepal to Bangladesh and India, youth protests have shaken or even toppled governments, but creating lasting change has been more challenging.

9 Aug 2026 - 5:30AMvideocam

Hong Kong society

Li Ka Shing Foundation, Disney gift 24,000 domestic helpers Toy Story 5 tickets

Registration on Klook to open at 9pm on Wednesday in latest collaboration between Hong Kong tycoon’s charity foundation and The Walt Disney Company.

4 Aug 2026 - 3:37PM

Foreign domestic helpers at Hong Kong Disneyland during a sponsored visit in April this year. Photo: Eugene Lee

Crime

Sri Lanka deploys troops to contain deadly riot at overcrowded Mahara Prison

The latest unrest comes almost a month after another prison riot in the same region, in which 10 guards and 21 inmates were killed.

2 Aug 2026 - 2:51PM

Military personnel patrol outside at the Mahara Prison complex on Sunday. Photo: AFP

Sri Lanka bombings

Sri Lanka ex-police chief sentenced to death over 2019 Easter bombings

A three-judge court ruled that Pujith Jayasundara failed to stop the attacks which targeted churches and hotels, killing 279 people.

31 Jul 2026 - 11:13PM

Asean

Asian scam gangs snare educated English speakers with fake job ads: UN agency

Victims from over 80 different countries are being trafficked into cross-border scams, the International Organisation for Migration says.

29 Jul 2026 - 12:30PMvideocam

India

Opinion | How China and the US are sidelining India in its own neighbourhood

India is being denied the uncontested dominance it once held. The task ahead is not to restore the old hierarchy but to find a new path.

30 Jul 2026 - 7:24AM

Thailand

Thailand monastery added to Unesco heritage list, boosting tourism hopes

The Phra Mahathat monastery, the site has served as a regional Buddhist centre since its founding in the 8th century, according to Unesco.

27 Jul 2026 - 2:17AM

Drones

Sri Lanka deploys military drones to fight worst dengue outbreak in almost a decade

Air force drones are tracking stagnant water on rooftops, while its troops are helping overstretched hospital staff keep track of patients.

21 Jul 2026 - 9:48AM

Science

China’s AI weather warning system Mazu expanding across Global South

The system has been designed to provide ‘tailored’ services that help developing countries better prepare for extreme weather events.

19 Jul 2026 - 9:00PMvideocam

The weather warning system on display at the World AI Conference in Shanghai last week. Photo: Getty Images

Science

China’s reusable rocket feat lights up the web: is SpaceX set to lose its crown?

The space race just became a real race again, says one online commentator, after net-and-cable recovery of rocket booster sparks awe.

11 Jul 2026 - 9:00PMvideocam

A drone photo shows the capturing of the returned first stage of the Long March-10B carrier rocket on a seaborne platform via a net-capture system, near Wenchang in southern China’s Hainan province on July 10. Photo: Xinhua via AP

Video | Sri Lankan prison riot kills dozens, over 100 wounded

The clash between inmates from two drug gangs is Sri Lanka’s worst prison riot in more than five years.

7 Jul 2026 - 6:28PM

Crime

Sri Lanka probes prison riot as death toll rises to 27

Rival gangs clashed inside the prison before overpowering guards, seizing their weapons and opening fire.

7 Jul 2026 - 6:31PMvideocam

Crime

Sri Lanka prison riot kills 26, wounds more than 100

The clash between inmates from two drug gangs is Sri Lanka’s worst prison riot in more than five years.

6 Jul 2026 - 9:27PM

Prisoners board a bus to be transferred to another prison following clashes between two groups of inmates at Negombo prison in the coastal town of Negombo, Sri Lanka on Monday. Photo: Reuters

Japan

Japan’s detention system under scrutiny after ruling on abuse of restraints

A court order to compensate the family of a detainee shows reforms to immigration centres are urgently needed, observers say.

2 Jul 2026 - 4:22PM

A police bus enters the Tokyo Detention House in Japan in 2019. Photo: AFP

Crime

Sri Lanka arrests son of ex-president Mahinda Rajapaksa for corruption

Yoshitha Rajapaksa is accused of tapping state funds for overseas training during his career as a naval officer.

17 Jun 2026 - 6:55PM

India

Could India’s Cockroach Janta Party spark South Asia’s next youth uprising?

Analysts say the satirical party reflects real discontent but remains far from matching the movements that toppled neighbouring governments.

14 Jun 2026 - 4:00PMvideocam

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Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka court convicts 15 over 2019 Easter bombings

Suicide bombers targeted three hotels and three churches, killing 279 people and wounding about 500. The trial has gone on for five years.

Saudi oil pipeline closure puts Asia’s economic resilience to the test

China edges US, EU on AI regulation trust in middle-income countries: Pew survey

Man arrested after HK$1 million in gems stolen from hotel guest asleep in lobby

Police say suspect allegedly took advantage of situation to search overseas businessman’s backpack and remove uncut gemstones.

‘Not for sale’: Thais take to streets in rare protest against Israel

The protest follows months of complaints about illegal landholding, cultural disrespect and proliferation of Israeli religious houses.

China-Nepal floods: rescuers pull out survivors caked in mud as toll climbs

Nepal has reversed an earlier decision and says it will allow foreign teams and experts to help with rescue efforts.

Japan to expand security aid to 12 Indo-Pacific nations

Tokyo has more than doubled its security assistance programme to US$114 million in a strategic push.

‘Born to Fly’ documents Hong Kong-born Rahul Sharma’s world record run across Sri Lanka

Soon after Rahul Sharma began looking for a suitable challenge, he became the fastest man to run the length of Sri Lanka. A new documentary follows his record-breaking feat.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Editorial | ‘Transshipment scam’ is not a global conspiracy but a warning to the US

The White House’s accusation that over 40 nations are involved in a shadow network that harms the US betrays a misunderstanding of how trade works.

How Cambodian worker exodus exposes Thailand’s fragile labour model

An estimated 780,000 Cambodian workers have left Thailand since last year’s border conflicts, affecting a wide range of industries.

Three-wheeling through Sri Lanka on a family tuk-tuk adventure

Cheap, naturally air-conditioned and undoubtedly a ‘fun-mobile’, a self-driven tuk-tuk provides the ultimate transport for travellers too young to appreciate the spiritual side of the Pearl of the Indian Ocean.

Maldives’ plea to restart South Asian bloc hits India-Pakistan brick wall

Calls for reviving Saarc are likely to fall on deaf ears as long as the two neighbours are at loggerheads, analysts say.

Opinion | South Asia’s Gen Z protests offer one lesson in common

From Sri Lanka and Nepal to Bangladesh and India, youth protests have shaken or even toppled governments, but creating lasting change has been more challenging.

Li Ka Shing Foundation, Disney gift 24,000 domestic helpers Toy Story 5 tickets

Registration on Klook to open at 9pm on Wednesday in latest collaboration between Hong Kong tycoon’s charity foundation and The Walt Disney Company.

Sri Lanka deploys troops to contain deadly riot at overcrowded Mahara Prison

The latest unrest comes almost a month after another prison riot in the same region, in which 10 guards and 21 inmates were killed.

Sri Lanka ex-police chief sentenced to death over 2019 Easter bombings

A three-judge court ruled that Pujith Jayasundara failed to stop the attacks which targeted churches and hotels, killing 279 people.

Asian scam gangs snare educated English speakers with fake job ads: UN agency

Victims from over 80 different countries are being trafficked into cross-border scams, the International Organisation for Migration says.

Opinion | How China and the US are sidelining India in its own neighbourhood

India is being denied the uncontested dominance it once held. The task ahead is not to restore the old hierarchy but to find a new path.

Thailand monastery added to Unesco heritage list, boosting tourism hopes

The Phra Mahathat monastery, the site has served as a regional Buddhist centre since its founding in the 8th century, according to Unesco.

Sri Lanka deploys military drones to fight worst dengue outbreak in almost a decade

Air force drones are tracking stagnant water on rooftops, while its troops are helping overstretched hospital staff keep track of patients.

China’s AI weather warning system Mazu expanding across Global South

The system has been designed to provide ‘tailored’ services that help developing countries better prepare for extreme weather events.

China’s reusable rocket feat lights up the web: is SpaceX set to lose its crown?

The space race just became a real race again, says one online commentator, after net-and-cable recovery of rocket booster sparks awe.

.css-1f6sr3w{color:#727272;}Video | Sri Lankan prison riot kills dozens, over 100 wounded

The clash between inmates from two drug gangs is Sri Lanka’s worst prison riot in more than five years.

Sri Lanka probes prison riot as death toll rises to 27

Rival gangs clashed inside the prison before overpowering guards, seizing their weapons and opening fire.

Sri Lanka prison riot kills 26, wounds more than 100

The clash between inmates from two drug gangs is Sri Lanka’s worst prison riot in more than five years.

Japan’s detention system under scrutiny after ruling on abuse of restraints

A court order to compensate the family of a detainee shows reforms to immigration centres are urgently needed, observers say.

Sri Lanka arrests son of ex-president Mahinda Rajapaksa for corruption

Yoshitha Rajapaksa is accused of tapping state funds for overseas training during his career as a naval officer.

Could India’s Cockroach Janta Party spark South Asia’s next youth uprising?

Analysts say the satirical party reflects real discontent but remains far from matching the movements that toppled neighbouring governments.

Editorial | ‘Transshipment scam’ is not a global conspiracy but a warning to the US

Video | Sri Lankan prison riot kills dozens, over 100 wounded