Sri Lanka has started shipping 242 containers of hazardous waste, including body parts from mortuaries, back to Britain after a two year court battle by an environment watchdog, officials said Saturday.

Sri Lanka has shipped back to Britain container-loads of waste that the government said was brought into the island in violation of international laws governing the shipping of hazardous material.

Sri Lanka is seeking joint venture opportunities and investments from Qatar, especially for its Port City Colombo's infrastructure, as part of strategies to strengthen the bilateral trade between the two countries.

Mahinda Rajapaksa was sworn in Sunday as Sri Lanka's prime minister after a landslide victory for the ruling party in Wednesday's parliamentary elections, officials said.

A cat detained at Sri Lanka's main prison while allegedly trying to smuggle drugs and cell phone SIM cards has escaped, media reports said Monday.

Sri Lanka batsman Kusal Mendis was arrested Sunday after being allegedly involved in a fatal crash with a cyclist, who died instantly, just outside the country's capital Colombo, police said.

Sri Lanka's nationwide lockdown was lifted Sunday after a selective curfew a month ago was reimposed during a surge in coronavirus infections, the country's president said.

Sri Lanka's virus-battered tourism industry can reopen for foreign guests from August but under strict guidelines, including multiple coronavirus tests during their stay, officials said Saturday.

The Sri Lankan embassy in Doha, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Relations, Presidential Secretariat and Sri Lankan Airlines, repatriated 275 Sri Lankans on Tuesday.

Sri Lanka's new president is set to dissolve parliament shortly and call snap a legislative election six months ahead of schedule, a state-run newspaper said Sunday.

HE the Minister of State for Energy Affairs Saad bin Sherida al-Kaabi met in Colombo with Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani met the outgoing ambassador of Sri Lanka to Qatar Kithsiri Athulathmudali at the Amiri Diwan Sunday.