Sri Lanka
'A murder mystery and a ghost story' about Sri Lanka's civil war wins Booker Prize
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.
Sri Lanka's financial crisis is impacting families across the economic spectrum
A community kitchen in Colombo feeds Sri Lankans in need
Sri Lankan doctors say the country can't survive on donated drugs forever
Amid fuel crisis in Sri Lanka, bicycling is no longer a 'poor person's mode of transport'
Sri Lanka’s fuel shortage is hurting the country’s fishing industry
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.
Sri Lankans wait in line for days to refuel their vehicles amid shortages, economic crisis
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.
'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.
'An air of hope': Sri Lankans see cricket as a welcome distraction from the country's economic, political woes
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.
Sri Lanka in political vacuum as talks go on amid crisis
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.
Sri Lanka faces an environmental disaster
Sri Lanka faces an environmental disaster as it scrambles to contain a sinking ship carrying chemicals north of Colombo. And, the WHO approves the Chinese-made Sinovac Biotech vaccine. Also, the Biden administration suspends Trump-era oil and gas leases in the Arctic.
Virus surge, vaccine shortages spread beyond India's borders
The surge in coronavirus cases in India has created huge worries for neighboring countries like Bangladesh and Nepal.
The stuff of life and death: Part I
This week, Critical State takes a deep dive into new research on the objects that make up the world of political violence.
UN Human Rights Council starts work to address a ‘pandemic of human rights abuses'
Experts say that as the US rejoins the UN Human Rights Council, it should hold allies — and itself — accountable for human rights violations.
'Even if a coup fails, it still damages your government': What the US can learn from Sri Lanka's coup attempt
Back in November, Sri Lankan writer Indi Samarajiva wrote a prescient essay titled, "I lived through a stupid coup. America is having one now." After a violent Trump-backed mob attacked the US Capitol on Wednesday, Samarajiva shares what the US might learn from Sri Lanka.