COLOMBO: The snaking queues for food and fuel that crisscrossed Sri Lanka last year have given way to a different kind of line — people scrambling for travel documents to flee their bankrupt island.

“We only buy essentials now,” Janalaxan said. “For the next five years, Sri Lanka will be going down.” At a time of rising global debt distress, Sri Lanka has become an extreme example of ...

The state runs two TV stations, radio networks and newspapers in Sinhala, Tamil and English. At the height of the civil war Sri Lanka was one of the world's most dangerous places for journalists.

The International Monetary Fund is lending Sri Lanka $3bn (£2.4bn) to help it deal with its worst economic crisis in its history as an independent nation. Soaring prices, shortages of essential ...