Colombo - Sri Lanka's toppled premier likened the president to Hitler on Tuesday as he demanded to be reinstated, almost six weeks into a paralysing political crisis in the Indian Ocean nation.

Colombo - A court in Sri Lanka suspended Mahinda Rajapakse's powers as prime minister on Monday and ruled his disputed cabinet could not govern the strife-torn island until it proved its legitimacy.

Colombo - A Sri Lanka court on Monday suspended Mahinda Rajapakse's powers as prime minister and ruled that his cabinet could not function until its legitimacy was established.

Colombo - Sri Lanka's parliament on Friday escalated a power struggle with President Maithripala Sirisena, voting to block spending by the disputed government he installed last month.

Colombo - Sri Lanka's military chief was remanded by court Wednesday after weeks evading arrest over the alleged cover-up of the abduction and murder of 11 young men during the island's civil war.

Colombo - Allies of Sri Lanka's embattled president Maithripala Sirisena boycotted parliament Tuesday as the country drifted into a second month of political turmoil.

Colombo - President Maithripala Sirisena on Sunday reignited the power struggle that has crippled Sri Lanka's government for more than a month, vowing never to reappoint arch-rival Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister.

Colombo - President Maithripala Sirisena on Sunday reignited the power struggle that has crippled Sri Lanka's government for more than a month, vowing never to reappoint arch-rival Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister.

Colombo - Ibrahim Mohamed Solih took office as the new Maldives president Saturday and immediately warned of a "dire" economic crisis as he turned to India for help, signalling an end to the pro-China stance of his predecessor.

Colombo - Sri Lanka's political crisis escalated Friday with police having to escort the speaker into parliament and MPs throwing chilli powder and furniture at rivals.

Colombo - Sri Lanka's parliament descended into chaos on Thursday with MPs swinging punches and throwing projectiles a day after legislators voted the "purported" prime minister out of office.

Colombo - Sri Lanka's parliament on Wednesday voted out the bitterly disputed government of former strongman Mahinda Rajapakse, removing one controversial figure but leaving the country in a power vacuum.

Colombo - Sri Lanka's parliament will meet under tight security Wednesday, after the top court ruled its dissolution illegal and opened the door to a vote on which of two rival prime ministers has the support to rule.

Colombo - Sri Lanka's Supreme Court on Tuesday overruled President Maithripala Sirisena's dissolution of parliament in a major boost to sacked prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's fight to reclaim the post from an arch-rival.

Colombo - Sri Lanka's speaker on Sunday accused President Maithripala Sirisena of usurping parliament and urged public servants to defy his "illegal orders", as the president scrambled to defend his controversial sacking of the legislature.

Colombo - Sri Lanka's former strongman leader Mahinda Rajapakse Sunday vowed snap elections would go ahead to "seek a mandate from the people" after the president's sacking of parliament plunged the country deeper into political turmoil.

Colombo - Sri Lanka's largest party announced Saturday a legal challenge to President Maithripala Sirisena's sacking of parliament, a move that has plunged the Indian Ocean island nation into fresh turmoil and alarmed the international community.

Colombo - Former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapakse rallied tens of thousands of supporters in a show of strength Monday even as the parliament's speaker refused to recognise his controversial appointment as prime minister.

Colombo - Thousands of supporters of former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapakse headed for the capital on Monday to rally in support of his controversial nomination as prime minister, as the island's constitutional crisis deepened.

Colombo - Sri Lanka's main Tamil party on Sunday urged the president to reconvene parliament and end a worsening political crisis, as the minority ethnic community emerge as kingmakers in the power struggle.