Sri Lanka PM Wickremesinghe seeks to establish new cabinet, curfew lifted for 12 hrs | Updates
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa appointed Ranil Wickremesinghe, a five-time prime minister, for the sixth time late on Thursday.
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FollowSri Lanka has lifted the curfew for 12 hours as the country undergoes political turmoil amid the world's greatest economic crisis. Food and fuel shortages, rising prices, and widespread power outages harm the country's population. Even after Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned as Prime Minister, the South Asian country continues to be engulfed in violence and unrest. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa appointed Ranil Wickremesinghe, a five-time prime minister, for the sixth time late on Thursday.
Updates:
1) Sri Lanka lifted the nationwide curfew for 12 hours on Saturday as new Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe sought to establish a new cabinet. The government on Saturday eased the curfew from 6 am to 6 pm IST. A curfew imposed on Monday following violent riots had been lifted for a few hours on Thursday and Friday to allow vital goods to be purchased.
2) Most Lankan opposition parties announced that they would not be joining the interim government head by Ranil Wickremesinghe, as per reports. They have agreed, however, to support his economic policies
from the outside to aid the debt-ridden country's early recovery.
3) Following media reports, a lawyer has asked a Sri Lankan court to order the CID to arrest seven people, including former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. According to reports, the lawyer is accusing a peaceful protest in front of the Temple Trees and Galle Face of "conspiracy to commit criminal intimidation and abetting attack." Meanwhile, demonstrators have demanded that the former prime minister be held accountable for instigating the attack earlier this week.
4) Sri Lanka's prime minister has warned that its economic crisis will "become worse before it gets better."
5) India, which has been lending aid to the debt-ridden country, expressed hope for "political stability" immediately after the new Prime Minister entered office. "I want a closer connection, and I want to congratulate Prime Minister Modi," Wickremesinghe stated on Thursday, referring to India's economic contribution to Sri Lanka.
Also read: Who is Ranil Wickremesinghe, the man Sri Lanka is counting upon?
Also read: Sri Lanka court bans former PM Mahinda Rajapaksa, allies from leaving country
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