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For the first time in Sri Lanka's history, election officials begin a second round of vote counting. In the first round, National People's Power candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake led with 42.31% of the vote counted, while opposition leader and United People's Power candidate Sajith Premadasa took second place with 32.76%. Incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe came in third place with 17% of the vote. Following the counting of second and third preferences, Dissanayake is declared president-elect by the election commission.
2024-09-22

The Thai environment ministry repatriates a 29-year-old elephant it gifted to Sri Lanka in 2001 following allegations of mistreatment and neglect at a Buddhist temple in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
2023-07-2

Due to an increase in the number of COVID-19 infections, Sri Lanka closes all swimming pools, shopping malls, spas, arenas, gyms, and playgrounds, restricts travel to one person from each household for essential reasons only, and also bans carnivals, beach parties and musical events.
2021-08-18

The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka sentences former member of parliament Ranjan Ramanayake, who is affiliated with the opposition United National Party, to a four-year "rigorous imprisonment" over his remarks claiming that most judges in the country were "corrupt".
2021-01-12

The U.S. State Department sanctions Sri Lankan Army Commander Shavendra Silva for alleged human rights violations during the final phase of the Sri Lankan Civil War.
2020-02-14

Cyclone Ockhi hits southern India causing 13 deaths in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The cyclone kills 15 people and displaces another 200,000 persons in Sri Lanka.
2017-12-2

Sri Lanka's Disaster Management Centre reports 92 people are confirmed dead with 109 people still missing from landslides and floods resulting from Roanu. More than 500,000 have been driven from their homes.
2016-05-23

A new species of giant tarantula, "Poecilotheria rajaei", is discovered in Sri Lanka.
2013-04-4

The home of an opposition activist is bombed in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo days ahead of the presidential election.
2010-01-22