Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe suffered his first setback after taking office on Thursday when a leading opposition MP rejected his invitation to take the post of finance minister in a unity government.
Mr Wickremesinghe, 73, was appointed after his predecessor Mahinda Rajapksa resigned amid violent nationwide protests over an economic crisis that has caused months of shortages, rising prices and blackouts.
The veteran politician, who has been prime minister five times before, said he was confident of getting enough support to steer the country through the crisis and approached several potential allies to join his administration.
But on Friday opposition MP Harsha de Silva, an economist, publicly rejected an overture to take charge of the nation's finances and said he would instead push for the government's resignation.
People are not asking for political games and deals, they want a new system that will safeguard their future
Harsha de Silva,
MP
“People are not asking for political games and deals, they want a new system that will safeguard their future,” he said in a statement.
He said he was joining “the people's struggle” to topple President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the former prime minister’s younger brother, and would not support any political settlement that left the leader in place.
Mr De Silva is a member of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) party, the largest opposition grouping in parliament, which had appeared ready to split over the question of whether to support Mr Wickremesinghe.
But the head of the possible splinter faction, Harin Fernando, said on Friday he had returned to the fold.
"I will not support Wickremesinghe's government," Mr Fernando told AFP.
Two smaller parties also signalled that they would not join a unity government.
The Tamil National Alliance said Mr Rajapaksa's administration had "completely lost legitimacy" with the appointment of Mr Wickremesinghe, who most recently held office in 2019.
The leftist People's Liberation Front (JVP) meanwhile said new national elections were the only way out of the current impasse.
Mr Wickremesinghe is the only member of parliament from his United National Party and must rely on rival political parties to form a government. An alliance led by the president and his brother holds about 100 of parliament's 225 seats, while the opposition has 58 seats. The rest are independent.
Hundreds of people remain camped at a protest site in the capital Colombo, demanding that Mr Rajapaksa step down.
Populist tax cuts and other policies introduced by the Rajapksa brothers since 2019, as well as the effects of the Covid pandemic and rising oil prices, have drained Sri Lanka’s foreign exchange reserves and caused rampant inflation and fuel shortages.
Sri Lanka's central bank chief warned this week that the island nation's economy was just days from “collapse beyond redemption” unless a new government was urgently appointed.
A month of relatively peaceful protests turned violent on Monday as Rajapaksa supporters and protesters clashed outside the president’s office. At least nine people died and more than 300 were injured as the violence spread across the country.
Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned the same day and has taken refuge at the Trincomalee naval base in Sri Lanka's east. He has been banned by a court from leaving the country.
Troops have largely restored order and a nationwide curfew has been in effect for most of the week.
Mr Wickremesinghe is seen as a pro-West free-market reformist, potentially making bailout negotiations with the International Monetary Fund and others smoother.
But it remains to be seen whether a new cabinet will be enough to calm public anger if Mr Rajapaksa continues to resist calls for his resignation.
“We will stop this struggle when our people get justice,” said Chamalage Shivakumar, one of the protesters.
“Whoever they appoint as prime minister, we will not stop this struggle until people get relief,” he told Reuters.
With reporting from agencies.
Pox that threatens the Middle East's native species
Camelpox
Caused by a virus related to the one that causes human smallpox, camelpox typically causes fever, swelling of lymph nodes and skin lesions in camels aged over three, but the animal usually recovers after a month or so. Younger animals may develop a more acute form that causes internal lesions and diarrhoea, and is often fatal, especially when secondary infections result. It is found across the Middle East as well as in parts of Asia, Africa, Russia and India.
Falconpox
Falconpox can cause a variety of types of lesions, which can affect, for example, the eyelids, feet and the areas above and below the beak. It is a problem among captive falcons and is one of many types of avian pox or avipox diseases that together affect dozens of bird species across the world. Among the other forms are pigeonpox, turkeypox, starlingpox and canarypox. Avipox viruses are spread by mosquitoes and direct bird-to-bird contact.
Houbarapox
Houbarapox is, like falconpox, one of the many forms of avipox diseases. It exists in various forms, with a type that causes skin lesions being least likely to result in death. Other forms cause more severe lesions, including internal lesions, and are more likely to kill the bird, often because secondary infections develop. This summer the CVRL reported an outbreak of pox in houbaras after rains in spring led to an increase in mosquito numbers.
Quick%20facts
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Westminster, London
- Camden, London
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Islington, London
- Kensington and Chelsea, London
- Highlands, Scotland
- Argyll and Bute, Scotland
- Fife, Scotland
- Tower Hamlets, London
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
RoboCop%3A%20Rogue%20City
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The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
Women%E2%80%99s%20T20%20World%20Cup%20Qualifier
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FROM%20THE%20ASHES
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MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
More on animal trafficking
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
The%20specs
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Company profile
Date started: December 24, 2018
Founders: Omer Gurel, chief executive and co-founder and Edebali Sener, co-founder and chief technology officer
Based: Dubai Media City
Number of employees: 42 (34 in Dubai and a tech team of eight in Ankara, Turkey)
Sector: ConsumerTech and FinTech
Cashflow: Almost $1 million a year
Funding: Series A funding of $2.5m with Series B plans for May 2020
Buy farm-fresh food
The UAE is stepping up its game when it comes to platforms for local farms to show off and sell their produce.
In Dubai, visit Emirati Farmers Souq at The Pointe every Saturday from 8am to 2pm, which has produce from Al Ammar Farm, Omar Al Katri Farm, Hikarivege Vegetables, Rashed Farms and Al Khaleej Honey Trading, among others.
In Sharjah, the Aljada residential community will launch a new outdoor farmers’ market every Friday starting this weekend. Manbat will be held from 3pm to 8pm, and will host 30 farmers, local home-grown entrepreneurs and food stalls from the teams behind Badia Farms; Emirates Hydroponics Farms; Modern Organic Farm; Revolution Real; Astraea Farms; and Al Khaleej Food.
In Abu Dhabi, order farm produce from Food Crowd, an online grocery platform that supplies fresh and organic ingredients directly from farms such as Emirates Bio Farm, TFC, Armela Farms and mother company Al Dahra.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE results
Lost to Oman by eight runs
Beat Namibia by three wickets
Lost to Oman by 12 runs
Beat Namibia by 43 runs
UAE fixtures
Free admission. All fixtures broadcast live on icc.tv
Tuesday March 15, v PNG at Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Friday March 18, v Nepal at Dubai International Stadium
Saturday March 19, v PNG at Dubai International Stadium
Monday March 21, v Nepal at Dubai International Stadium
LEADERBOARD
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
