Sri Lankan parliament members will elect a new president within a week, the speaker said, after he confirmed leader Gotabaya Rajapaksa had officially resigned.
The resignation, which was emailed from Singapore where Mr Rajapaksa, his wife Ioma and their two bodyguards landed on Thursday, has been accepted, speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana was cited by AFP as saying.
The opposition parties are attempting to put together an all-party government and pick candidates who can take over from Mr Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Unforgettable scenes
Last week the world saw unforgettable scenes, as tens of thousands of Sri Lankan protesters took to the streets in anger over the state of their country.
Their frustration over the country's devastating economic crisis was directed at the country’s political elite.
Demonstrators called for the resignation of both Mr Rajapaksa and Mr Wickremesinghe.
But the protests themselves aren’t new, with the latest wave having started more than 100 days ago. But the most recent unrest persuaded the president and the prime minister to announce they were willing to step down.
Why is Sri Lanka in crisis?
Sri Lanka, with its lush greenery and natural landscapes, is a prime tourist destination.
But during the pandemic, that source of revenue took a big hit as people remained locked indoors and travel was restricted.
Then, remittances from Sri Lankans living abroad began to wane.
Moves by Mr Rajapaksa to introduce tax cuts also hit government finances, affecting imports of fuel, food and medicines.
Lengthy power cuts became frequent and acute food and fuel shortages began to take their toll.
Long queues started forming at shops selling cooking gas and inflation hit almost 55 per cent in June.
All the while, people on the island of 22 million, grew angry and blamed the country’s leaders for the financial turmoil.
The final straw came last month, when the government said it had almost run out of fuel and stopped all sale of petrol except for “essential services”.
Soon after, protesters stormed the president’s home in Colombo and other key government buildings.
Who is president Gotabaya Rajapaksa?
The eighth president of Sri Lanka, Mr Rajapaksa, 73, has a military background and took office only in 2019.
He was a dual US citizen up until he became president.
Mr Rajapaksa ran his campaign based on a nationalistic agenda, with economic and security developments at the fore.
Assisting his win, perhaps, was his relative lack of a political career, making him Sri Lanka’s first president with a military background.
However, Mr Rajapaksa‘s family is no stranger to politics with a father who served as MP and Cabinet Minister of Agriculture and Land.
Gotabaya's brother, Mahinda Rajapaksa, served as president between 2005 and 20015 .
After assuming office in 2019, some of Gotabaya's first moves as president included consolidation of power and appointing his brother Mahinda as prime minister.
During his short stint, the country declared bankruptcy, defaulting on its debts for the first time since it gained independence in 1948.
Why is he fleeing?
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa left the country on Wednesday, with his wife and two security officials on board a military aircraft in the early hours of Wednesday, the Sri Lanka Air Force said.
His escape came hours before Mr Rajapaksa was due to hand in his resignation. The Ministry of Defence said the couple were headed to the Maldives.
A large crowd of protesters stormed his residence, so it is likely that the president feared for his safety, which is why he fled.
What happens next?
If the president does step down, the parliament would be responsible for electing a temporary leader.
The constitution and Presidential Elections Act of 1981 stipulate that that person should be a member of parliament and that a vote must take place within a month from the date that the post of president was vacated, constitutional lawyer Gehan Gunatilleke wrote in the Himal Southasian magazine.
“Once the president resigns, Parliament must be summoned to meet within three days of the vacancy,” Mr Gunatilleke said.
”When Parliament meets, the secretary general must fix a deadline to receive nominations for the office of president. The deadline for nominations must be a date not earlier than four hours and not later than seven days from Parliament’s initial meeting.”
After a vote, the new president would serve what ever remains from the current presidential term, which in the case of president Rajapaksa, ends in 2024.
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday Athletic Bilbao v Celta Vigo (Kick-off midnight UAE)
Saturday Levante v Getafe (5pm), Sevilla v Real Madrid (7.15pm), Atletico Madrid v Real Valladolid (9.30pm), Cadiz v Barcelona (midnight)
Sunday Granada v Huesca (5pm), Osasuna v Real Betis (7.15pm), Villarreal v Elche (9.30pm), Alaves v Real Sociedad (midnight)
Monday Eibar v Valencia (midnight)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
The Cairo Statement
1: Commit to countering all types of terrorism and extremism in all their manifestations
2: Denounce violence and the rhetoric of hatred
3: Adhere to the full compliance with the Riyadh accord of 2014 and the subsequent meeting and executive procedures approved in 2014 by the GCC
4: Comply with all recommendations of the Summit between the US and Muslim countries held in May 2017 in Saudi Arabia.
5: Refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of countries and of supporting rogue entities.
6: Carry out the responsibility of all the countries with the international community to counter all manifestations of extremism and terrorism that threaten international peace and security
ARSENAL IN 1977
Feb 05 Arsenal 0-0 Sunderland
Feb 12 Manchester City 1-0 Arsenal
Feb 15 Middlesbrough 3-0 Arsenal
Feb 19 Arsenal 2-3 West Ham
Feb 26 Middlesbrough 4-1 Arsenal (FA Cup)
Mar 01 Everton 2-1 Arsenal
Mar 05 Arsenal 1-4 ipswich
March 08 Arsenal 1-2 West Brom
Mar 12 QPR 2-1 Arsenal
Mar 23 Stoke 1-1 Arsenal
Apr 02 Arsenal 3-0 Leicester
Indian origin executives leading top technology firms
Sundar Pichai
Chief executive, Google and Alphabet
Satya Nadella
Chief executive, Microsoft
Ajaypal Singh Banga
President and chief executive, Mastercard
Shantanu Narayen
Chief executive, chairman, and president, Adobe
Indra Nooyi
Board of directors, Amazon and former chief executive, PepsiCo
What is a robo-adviser?
Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.
These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.
WEST ASIA RUGBY 2017/18 SEASON ROLL OF HONOUR
Western Clubs Champions League
Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Runners up: Bahrain
Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners: Dubai Exiles
Runners up: Jebel Ali Dragons
West Asia Premiership
Winners: Jebel Ali Dragons
Runners up: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Premiership Cup
Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Runners up: Dubai Exiles
UAE Premiership
Winners: Dubai Exiles
Runners up: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More coverage from the Future Forum
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Polarised public
31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all
Source: YouGov
match info
Maratha Arabians 138-2
C Lynn 91*, A Lyth 20, B Laughlin 1-15
Team Abu Dhabi 114-3
L Wright 40*, L Malinga 0-13, M McClenaghan 1-17
Maratha Arabians won by 24 runs
The biog
Favourite books: 'Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life' by Jane D. Mathews and ‘The Moment of Lift’ by Melinda Gates
Favourite travel destination: Greece, a blend of ancient history and captivating nature. It always has given me a sense of joy, endless possibilities, positive energy and wonderful people that make you feel at home.
Favourite pastime: travelling and experiencing different cultures across the globe.
Favourite quote: “In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders” - Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook.
Favourite Movie: Mona Lisa Smile
Favourite Author: Kahlil Gibran
Favourite Artist: Meryl Streep
UAE cricketers abroad
Sid Jhurani is not the first cricketer from the UAE to go to the UK to try his luck.
Rameez Shahzad Played alongside Ben Stokes and Liam Plunkett in Durham while he was studying there. He also played club cricket as an overseas professional, but his time in the UK stunted his UAE career. The batsman went a decade without playing for the national team.
Yodhin Punja The seam bowler was named in the UAE’s extended World Cup squad in 2015 despite being just 15 at the time. He made his senior UAE debut aged 16, and subsequently took up a scholarship at Claremont High School in the south of England.
