have been killed. a metre of fresh snow has fallen, and many areas remain under threat of flooding. president biden has declared a state of emergency, freeing federal aid for the state. those are our top story this hour. now on bbc news, it s time for hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk, with me, zainab badawi. i m just outside colombo, the capital of sri lanka. this beautiful island nation has been plunged into its worst economic crisis for more than 70 years. it led to widespread protests and forced the resignation of the president last year. and all this after a long running civil war in which around 100,000 died. i m at the home and studio of one of sri lanka s most influential artists and activists, jagath weerasinghe. can sri lankans put behind them their bloody past and forge a new and united future? jagath weerasinghe, welcome to hardtalk. i m happy to be here. sitting here in your home, which is also your studio, i wonder how far you ve been influenced as both an artist an
Sri Lanka s bankrupt economy is expected to grow by 4.5% YoY in Q4 2023, following six consecutive negative quarters. The Central Bank reported a decrease in headline inflation to 5.9% in February from 6.4% in January. The gross official reserves improved to USD 4.5 billion by the end of February 2024, including a swap facility from the People s Bank of China.
(Bloomberg) Sri Lanka’s central bank chief said the government has shared the terms of a $4.2 billion China debt deal with other creditors — a key sticking point with countries like India — paving the way for more loans from the International Monetary Fund.Most Read from BloombergAston Martin Owner Lawrence Stroll Sells F1 Team Stake at £1 Billion ValuationHamas Mastermind Who Tricked Israel Is Top Target in Gaza TunnelsApple Plans to Make It Easier to Text Between iPhones and Androids‘Fed-Fr