Protesters and a key trade group in Sri Lanka called for a new government to take control of the crisis-hit country on Tuesday as the president called for calm a day after clashes killed eight people, pushing his brother to quit as prime minister.

Sri Lanka's Mahinda Rajapaksa - who resigned as prime minister after his supporters attacked anti-government protesters and sparked a day of violence - will not flee the country, his son told AFP.

Protesters today blocked entry to the airport in Sri Lanka to bar lawmakers from leaving the country following a spree of violent protests across the island nation, local media reported.

Sri Lanka's former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and his family have taken shelter at a naval base at the administrative headquarters of the Trincomalee district, as deadly protests continue amid the country's worst-ever economic crisis, NDTV reports.

Sri Lanka gave emergency powers on Tuesday to its military and police to detain people without warrants, after a day of clashes that killed seven people and injured more than 200, in violence that prompted Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to resign.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa quit yesterday, as an outbreak of political violence killed five people including an MP and wounded almost 200.

Two people including an MP from the ruling party died and at least 139 were injured on Monday in a day of violence in Sri Lanka, police and hospital officials said.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa today stepped down following nationwide protests, amid an unprecedented economic crisis the nation is facing, reports Deccan Herald citing local media and agencies.

Sri Lankan energy companies said on Monday they were running low on stocks of liquid petroleum gas mainly used in cooking, as shortages of foreign exchange put renewed pressure on the island nation.

A Nepali sherpa scaled Mount Everest for a record 26th time, beating his own previous record set last year, a government official said on Sunday.

An Afghan insurgent group led by the son of late anti-Taliban commander Ahmad Shah Massoud yesterday claimed to have seized three northern districts from the hardline Islamists, after announcing a wide military offensive.

Afghanistan’s supreme leader and Taliban chief on Saturday ordered the country’s women to wear the all-covering burqa in public — one of the harshest controls imposed on women’s lives since the Taliban seized power.

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared a state of emergency on Friday following a day of anti-government strikes and protests over the country's deep economic crisis that saw police use tear gas on two occasions.

Sri Lanka will have to endure its unprecedented economic hardships for at least two more years, the country’s finance minister said Wednesday while warning of an imminent cash crunch.

Pakistan’s Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb announced yesterday that the government had decided to form an “independent” inquiry

Heavy rain and flooding has killed 22 people, destroyed hundreds of homes and damaged crops in Afghanistan, which is already facing a

Noting that every country is facing challenges of its own in varied degrees, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen today said mutual collaboration is much more essential than ever before in this trying time.

PTI Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan on Wednesday claimed that his opponents have hired companies which are "preparing material" for his character assassination.

Sri Lanka will have to endure its unprecedented economic hardships for at least two more years, the country’s finance minister said Wednesday while warning of an imminent cash crunch.

No efforts were taken to bring back the 15 sailors of the Bangladeshi ship MV Marine Trust-1, which sank a month ago in Kolkata, India.