Lawmaker: Sri Lanka president agrees to remove brother as PM
Colombo (AP): Sri Lanka's president has agreed to replace his older brother as prime minister in a proposed interim government to solve a political impasse caused by the country's worst economic crisis in decades, a prominent lawmaker said on Friday.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa agreed that a national council will be appointed to name a new prime minister and Cabinet comprised of all parties in Parliament, lawmaker Maithripala Sirisena said after meeting with the president.
Sirisena, who was president before Rajapaksa, was a governing party lawmaker before defecting earlier this month along with nearly 40 other legislators.
Sri Lanka is near bankruptcy and has announced it is suspending payments on its foreign loans. It has to repay 7 billion in foreign debt this year, and 25 billion by 2026. Its foreign reserves stand at less than 1 billion.
The foreign exchange shortage has severely limited imports, forcing people to wait in long lines to buy essentials such as food, fuel, cooking gas and medicine.
Rajapaksa and his family, including Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, have dominated nearly every aspect of life in Sri Lanka for most of the last 20 years. Protesters who have crowded the streets since March hold them responsible for the crisis.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
BJP leader injured after being shot at in Bengal's Sagar Island
Baruipur (WB) (PTI): A local BJP leader was seriously injured after he was shot at, in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district on Wednesday, police said.
Motorcycle-borne assailants fled the area after shooting two rounds at Trilokesh Dhali's stomach in Sagar Island, a police officer said.
Dhali, who was in a serious condition, received initial treatment at a local hospital and was thereafter shifted to Kolkata, he said.
The incident happened at a place between Gangasagar bus terminus and Sridham bus terminus under the jurisdiction of Gangasagar coastal police station, he added.
