Protests flare in crisis-hit Sri Lanka

Opposition leaders led a march of hundreds of protesters through Sri Lanka's main city of Colombo as anger grows over a worsening economic crisis that has brought fuel shortages and spiralling food prices. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's government said it will begin talks next month with the IMF for assistance, while Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa flew into New Delhi to sign a $1-billion credit line to tackle the situation. "Even after working about 14 to 16 hours a day, we still can't make enough money to support our families," said rickshaw driver Nissanka Gunewardena, one of those who marched on a tree-lined boulevard in central Colombo. Historically weak government finances, badly timed tax cuts and the Covid-19 pandemic, which hit the lucrative tourism industry and foreign remittances, have wreaked havoc on the economy, leading to a currency devaluation last week. - Reuters