Two Dutch museums returned nearly 500 cultural objects to Indonesia and Sri Lanka that were looted during the colonial era, including gold and silverware, statues, weapons and hundreds of artworks.

The prestigious award was given to The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, which the judges hailed as "a searing, mordantly funny satire set amid the murderous mayhem of a Sri Lanka beset by civil war."

Sri Lanka's former president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, fled the country in July after tens of thousands of protesters stormed his home and office in a display of anger over the country's economic crisis.

The International Monetary Fund will provide Sri Lanka $2.9 billion over four years to help salvage the country from its worst economic crisis under a preliminary agreement the agency announced

A Chinese survey ship docked this week at the Hambantota port, built with Chinese loans. Some worry the ship's arrival may signal the start of militarization of Chinese infrastructure in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka offers a cautionary tale for countries struggling with inflation. Anger over fuel lines spilled into the streets and toppled a government. Will nationalism surge, or unity prevail?

Groups are urging the new president to order security forces to cease all unlawful use of force against protesters who have been demonstrating against the government over the economic crisis.

Sri Lankans have taken to the streets for months demanding their leaders resign over the economic crisis. The protests forced out former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa last week.

Sri Lankan lawmakers met Saturday to begin choosing a new leader to serve the rest of the term abandoned by the president who fled and resigned after mass protests over the country's economic crisis.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as Sri Lanka's interim president until Parliament elects a successor to Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who resigned after mass protests forced him from office.

The double whammy of government and economic instability is further complicating recovery, and the country is hurtling toward bankruptcy.

The move on the prime minister's office follows the country's president fleeing the country.

Opposition leaders have yet to agree on who should replace its current leaders, while protesters who are angry over acute shortages of fuel, food, medicine and other necessities vow to stay put.

Thousands of people demonstrated in the capital against the island nation's worst economic crisis in recent memory and demanded President Gotabaya Rajapaksa resign.

Sri Lankan authorities closed schools and asked public officials not to come to work in a desperate move to prepare for an acute fuel shortage during the nation's worst economic crisis in decades.