Sri Lanka parliament extends emergency amid continued crisis

FILE PHOTO: Sri Lanka's Gotabaya Rajapaksa sings the national anthem during the country's 74th Independence Day celebrations in Colombo, Sri Lanka February 4, 2022. He resigned as president this month after fleeing the country. REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte

Sri Lanka's parliament approved the extension of a state of emergency for a month on Wednesday, a lawmaker said, in a bid to get a grip on a political and economic crisis that has forced a change of leadership.

Then acting-president Ranil Wickremesinghe had declared a state of emergency on July 17. It allows for the military to be given powers to detain people, limit public gatherings and search private property.