Protests erupt in front of Sri Lanka President's residence as economic crisis deepens
Colombo, Mar 31: Police fired tear gas and water cannons at angry protesters on Thursday after they gathered in front of the Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's residence here on Thursday clamouring for his resignation, as the island nation continued to reel under its worst economic crisis in decades.
A foreign exchange crunch in Sri Lanka has led to a shortage of essential goods such as fuel. cooking gas, and power cuts that last up to 13 hours a day.
Protestors shouted slogans, directing their ire against what they perceive as the Rajapaksa regime's gross mismanagement that has exacerbated Sri Lanka's foreign-exchange woes.
No petrol, no gas, no milk powder, no electricity , Go home Gota , placard carrying protestors were then seen walking towards the Rajapaksa private residence here at Pangiriwatte Lane.
Police fired tear gas and water cannon at the protesters after they pulled down a steel barricade, which had been placed near Gotabaya's residence.
On Thursday, Sri Lanka turned off street lights in several parts of Colombo and other towns to conserve electricity.
The country has been grappling with power outages for upto 13 hours on Thursday as the government does not have foreign exchange to pay for its fuel imports.
So dire is the current situation that several government-run hospitals have stopped conducting surgeries as they have run out of essential life-saving medicines.
According to the country's Central Bank, inflation has surged to 17.5% in February this year, and it is expected to rise even further in the near future because the government has allowed the local currency to float freely, resulting in higher prices for fuel and other essentials.
Rajapaksa, however, has defended his government saying the forex crisis was not his making and the economic downturn was largely pandemic driven.
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India & Israel elevate ties to special strategic partnership, vow to soon conclude free trade deal
Jerusalem (PTI): India and Israel on Thursday elevated their "time-tested" relationship to a special strategic partnership and agreed to soon firm up a "mutually beneficial" free trade deal even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly backed the Gaza peace initiative, asserting that humanity must never become a victim of conflict.
Following talks between Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, the two sides inked a plethora of agreements to expand cooperation in areas of trade, agriculture, energy, cyberspace and digital payment.
India and Israel also vowed to expand their already close defence partnership by working towards joint development and joint production of military hardware under the framework of the transfer of technologies.
In his media statement, Modi said India's security interest is linked to peace and stability in the Middle East, adding that New Delhi fully supports the Gaza Peace Initiative.
"India's stance is clear: humanity must never become a victim of conflict. A path to peace has been created through the Gaza Peace Plan. India has fully supported these efforts," he said.
"In the future as well, we will continue dialogue and cooperation with all countries," he said.
PM Modi landed in Israel on Wednesday on a two-day visit. It is his second visit to Israel in nine years.
In his remarks, the prime minister said India and Israel have a united view that there is no place for terrorism in the world and both sides stand shoulder-to-shoulder in countering terrorism and its supporters.
"Our relationship is founded on the strong bedrock of deep trust, shared democratic values, and human sensitivities. Our bond has stood the test of every trial of time," he said.
"Today, we have taken the historic decision to elevate our time-tested partnership to the status of a 'Special Strategic Partnership'," he said.
The prime minister also announced the establishment of an India-Israel critical and emerging technologies partnership to impart a new momentum for cooperation in areas of artificial intelligence, quantum, and critical minerals. "I am pleased that an agreement has been reached for the use of UPI in Israel," he said.
The prime minister, referring to the threat of terrorism, said India and Israel will continue to confront the menace unitedly.
"India and Israel are completely clear that there is no place for terrorism in the world. In any form, in any expression, terrorism cannot be accepted," he said.
"We have stood shoulder-to-shoulder in opposing terrorism and its supporters, and we will continue to do so," he added.
India and Israel also discussed the implementation of the India-Middle East Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and cooperation under the framework of I2U2 (India-Israel-UAE-USA).
