SriLanka declared Friday a holiday as fuel runs out

The Sri Lankan government declared Friday a holiday for public offices and schools to curtail vehicular movement, leaving many roads in and around the capital Colombo deserted. Meanwhile, thousands of vehicles are lined up in queues stretching for kilometers as drivers wait for filling stations to be replenished. The Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera said that the state-run Ceylon Petroleum Corp hadn't received tenders for fresh stocks of fuel because suppliers were deterred by outstanding payment. The country has reached out to several companies and countries, including Russia, for supplies and was hoping for the approval from India for a fresh $500 million credit line for fuel imports, Wijesekera said.  The Sri Lankan Cabinet granted approval for the proposal to declare a four-day workweek for public sector employees, except for workers in essential services.

Sri Lanka's economic meltdown, the most dire in its independent history, has seen protests erupt across the island for the past few months seeking the ouster of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his family members from government. The clan has been blamed for taking decisions that have led to severe shortages of everything from fuel to medicine, inflation at nearly 40%, daily power outages of as long as 13 hours and a historic debt default. The nation will need about $6 billion in aid from the International Monetary Fund and countries including India and China, to tide over the next six months, according to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Local authorities are looking to fast-track bailout talks with the IMF in order to get other fresh sources of funding.