Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has declared a state of emergency in his role as the acting president.
"The prime minister as acting president has declared a state of emergency (countrywide) and imposed a curfew in the western province," Wickremesinghe's media secretary, Dinouk Colombage, told Reuters.
The curfew comes into effect immediately.
It comes after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled to the Maldives on Wednesday, leading to more protests amid an economic crisis.
British PM Starmer to send four Typhoon jets to Qatar
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Thursday that four additional Typhoon fighter jets would be sent to Qatar amid the ongoing regional developments, insisting that the UK has the right plan for defence.
Bombing of Tehran intensifies as war enters day six
The US-Israeli campaign against Iran entered its sixth day on Thursday with what residents described as even more intensive bombing.
Azerbaijan vows to respond after four injured by Iranian drones
Azerbaijan warned on Thursday that it was preparing unspecified response measures after a pair of Iranian drones flew across its border and injured four people in the Nakhchivan exclave, raising concern about further spillover of the conflict in the Middle East.
72 killed in Israeli attacks on Lebanon as it warns residents to leave south
Israel has warned residents to immediately leave a swathe of south Lebanon on Wednesday, ordering them to move north of Litani River on the third day of full-blown hostilities with Hezbollah, with the death toll rising to 72 people.
Nepal goes to the polls; voters seek change after youth-led protests
Nearly six months after a wave of unprecedented youth-led protests and the deaths of 77 people forced Nepal's then prime minister to quit, people began voting on Thursday in a general election that will choose a new parliament in the Himalayan nation.
The Ministry of Defence on Thursday evening revealed that UAE air defences were responding to incoming missile and drone threats from Iran that lasted just over one hour.
India's Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has cancelled several examinations scheduled for Class 10 students in March across the United Arab Emirates and Middle East region.
UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan discussed today during a telephone call with Her Excellency Roberta Mizzola, President of the European Parliament, the escalating military and security situation in the region and its repercussions on regional and international peace and security.
