<p>
<strong>Cash strapped Sri Lanka has started the much awaited talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a rescue package. The IMF team arrived in Colombo on Monday and talks are likely to continue till the month-end.</strong></p>
<p>
&ldquo;Today, I met the visiting IMF Team and commenced discussions. Looking forward to reaching a staff level agreement and finalizing the program soon,&rdquo; Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe tweeted.</p>
<p>
Wickremesinghe is also aggressively seeking investments from other countries including India to support the economy.</p>
<p>
The island nation with a population of 22 million is facing its worst economic crisis. Food and fuel shortages have hit the country.</p>
<p>
&ldquo;We reaffirm our commitment to support Sri Lanka at this difficult time, in line with the IMF&rsquo;s policies,&rdquo; IMF said in a statement.</p>
<p>
<strong>Also read: <a href="https://www.indianarrative.com/economy-news/govt-offices-in-sri-lanka-shut-from-tomorrow-as-the-country-is-left-with-no-fuel-178413.html">Govt offices in Sri Lanka shut from tomorrow as the country is left with no fuel</a></strong></p>
<p>
Barring India, few countries have offered assistance to Sri Lanka. Recently, Australia came forth, providing $50 million to the bankrupt country.</p>
<p>
Amid acute fuel shortage, public sector offices and schools have been shut down. Students in both government and private schools in Colombo and its outskirts would move to online classes.</p>
<p>
Meanwhile, Wickremesinghe said an interim budget will be presented outlining the economic roadmap.</p>
<p>
The UN has warned that Sri Lanka could be staring at a full blown humanitarian crisis.</p>
<p>
&ldquo;We are concerned that this could develop into a full-blown humanitarian emergency, and we are taking action to address that concern,&rdquo; Jens Laerke, spokesman for the UN humanitarian agency OCHA, said.</p>
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that enemies of the nation have to think…
In a display of solidarity, exiled Tibetans gathered in Dharamshala on Friday, demanding the release…
With the rise in mercury levels, load-sheddings in different cities of Sindh province of Pakistan…
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday said that the Pakistan-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir…
The United Arab Emirates is emerging as a hardline critic of the Palestinian Authority at…
Tensions rode high during a United States House Committee meeting with lawmakers of the Republican…