Sri Lanka's government sent troops to Welikada Prison in Colombo and two other jails on August 7 after escape attempts killed three inmates and wounded 23; TRT World reported facilities run at around four times their intended capacity; Al Jazeera cited authorities suspecting narcotics networks and gang rivalries
Sri Lanka defaulted on its sovereign debt in April 2022, its worst post-independence economic crisis, and is now three-quarters through a US$3 billion IMF restructuring.
full dossier ›India's National Security Advisor Ajit Doval chaired the 5th BIMSTEC National Security Chiefs' meeting in New Delhi on July 16, where member states endorsed new guiding principles for maritime law enforcement and humanitarian disaster relief, and pledged closer cooperation on counter-terrorism and cybersecurity ahead of a broader BIMSTEC summit
The World Bank's July 1 income reclassification marks Sri Lanka's return from a 2022 default and IMF-rescue to an economy that grew 5% in 2025, with gross reserves at US$7bn
28 deaths and a doubling of cases in early June, blamed on monsoon rains and debris left by Cyclone Ditwah, put 2026 on track to rival the 2019 record