Sri Lanka's newly appointed president, Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD), spends the majority of his first day in office receiving various religious blessings including visiting monks and worshipping at a Buddhist temple.

 

Sri Lanka's new president has appointed Dr Harini Amarasuriya, a parliamentarian with his National People’s Power (NPP) coalition, as the new prime minister. We look back on Amarasuriya’s previous remarks on Eelam Tamils, racism in Sri Lanka and on devolution of powers through the 13th Amendment.

Days after Basil Rajapaksa, founder of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), left for the United States on election day, former Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has also departed the country, heading to Bhutan.

Newly elected President of Sri Lanka, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, has assured the Archbishop of Colombo that he will do his utmost to uncover the truth behind the Easter Sunday attacks of 2019, pledging to launch a fresh investigation.

Anura Kumara Dissanayake met with the commanders of the security forces to discuss "defence priorities" shortly after he was sworn in as Sri Lanka's president. 

Following Anura, Kumara Dissanayake’s victory at Sri Lanka’s presidential elections earlier this week, diplomats from the US, Canada, Australia, the UK, France and Germany have issued statements of congratulation for the president-elect. 

A blood donation drive was held in Nallur, Jaffna today to mark 37 years since Lt Col Thileepan's fast unto death. 

The Thiyaga Thileepan Memorial Organising Committee held the donation drive at a memorial dedicated to Thileepan in Nallur, where many Tamils, both old and young donated their blood. 

In one of his first acts as president of Sri Lanka, Anura Kumara Dissanayake has appointed accused war criminal Sampath Thuyacontha as the new Secretary of Defence – a military figure who boasted of causing “chaos” during the Mullivaikkal genocide.

An adventure park in Hanwella, Sri Lanka has apologised for naming a new paintball programme after a site of Tamil genocide.

Sri Lanka's dollar bonds and stocks sharply declined this morning following the election of Anura Kumara Dissanayake as president, a result that threatens to derail the island’s economic recovery.

Following his victory at Sri Lanka’s presidential election, leader of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Anura Kumara Dissanayake met with India’s High Commissoner for Sri Lanka, Santosh Jha.