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COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AFP)-Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled his official residence on Saturday shortly before protesters, angered by an unprecedented economic crisis, overran the compound and stormed his nearby office. Thousands of people had surrounded the leader's home to demand his resignation, blaming government mismanagement for a downturn that has subjected this island nation's 22 million people to months of bitter hardship. As the crowd surged the gates of the presidential palace, troops guarding the compound fired in the air to hold them back until Rajapaksa was safely removed...

Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has announced he is stepping down from office on Saturday. The announcement comes hours after tens of thousands of protesters stormed President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's residence in Colombo, forcing him to move to safety. Demonstrations across the country led to an imposed curfew as the economic crisis continues. https://twitter.com/i/events/1545674271325769730

Thousands of protesters have stormed the prime minster's house in the capital of Colombo and set it on fire today, hours after he said he would resign when a new government is formed, in the biggest day of angry demonstrations on Saturday that also saw crowds storming the president's home and office. Protesters have set the Prime Minister's residence on fire and broken into the President's home, hours after the Prime Minister he said he would resign over a worsening economic crisis. In videos on social media, red smoke can be seen rising into the sky, as flames take hold....