Workers strike to pressure Sri Lankan president to step down

By KRISHAN FRANCIS
Associated Press

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Businesses in Sri Lanka are closed, teachers absent and public transportation interrupted as people heed a call for a general strike to pressure the president to step down over a growing economic and political crisis. Sri Lanka is on the verge of bankruptcy with huge foreign debts and a lack of foreign currency, causing shortages of essential imported goods such as fuel, food and medicine. Protesters who have crowded the streets for weeks hold President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his powerful family responsible. Government officials say they are discussing rescue plans.