Sri Lankan Parliament elects ex-PM Ranil Wickremesinghe to serve out rest of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's term. He wins 134 out of 225 MPs' votes, with nearest rival at 82.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, a man who never wanted to join politics, fled Sri Lanka in the face of massive protests against misgovernance during his tenure.
With political, economic clout in Sri Lanka, China helping the crisis-hit nation was expected. But lack of financial returns & public outrage for Rajapaksas ensured their absence.
Wickremesinghe, now his party's lone MP in Parliament, was sworn in once more as PM Thursday. Move seen as attempt to end protests, restore country's international credibility.
Chinese projects put Colombo in 'debt-trap' & Beijing's advice on current crisis hasn't been helpful, says Ashok K. Kantha, a former Indian high commissioner to Sri Lanka.
The island nation, which is facing severe economic problems, saw massive violence Monday, as pro-and-anti-government protestors clashed, following PM Mahinda Rajapaksa's resignation.
Mahinda Rajapaksa's visit to Anuradhapura caught the public eye in Sri Lanka, but this is hardly the first time his religious and spiritual beliefs have become a talking point.
China patiently invested capital, skill and technology in coal gasification. Unlike it, we won’t move from words to action. As crude prices decline, we lose interest.
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