Sri Lanka counts down to IMF bailout seen as 'just the beginning'

COLOMBO -- Sri Lanka is counting the minutes to Monday, when the International Monetary Fund's executive board is expected to approve a $2.9 billion bailout for the bankrupt island nation.

For the first time in months, many are hopeful that the IMF's decision will kick-start the country's recovery from its worst economic crisis since independence from Britain in 1948.