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.
Finance ministry says the proposed revamp will focus on structural reforms, rate rationalisation & ease of living, & will be deliberated upon in the coming weeks.
The project is meant to be a ‘protective shield that will keep expanding’, the PM said. It is on the lines of the ‘Golden Dome’ announced by Trump, it is learnt.
Standing up to America is usually not a personal risk for a leader in India. Any suggestions of foreign pressure unites India behind who they see as leading them in that fight.
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