LEAD

Sri Lanka has been in the throes of its worst-ever economic crisis for about a month now. The county has been experiencing acute shortages of fuel and electricity along with skyrocketing prices of essential commodities.

Thousands of people have been protesting against the ruling government over the same. However, the Rajapaksa brothers - President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa have consistently defied calls for their resignation amid the crisis. Until today.

On Monday, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned from his post. This came after violent clashes erupted between pro- and anti-government protesters outside President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's office in Colombo.

Cyclone Asani, formed over the southeast Bay of Bengal, further intensified into a severe cyclonic storm on Sunday evening as it moved northwestwards in the direction of north Andhra Pradesh-Odisha coasts, the Met department said. The severe cyclone, on reaching westcentral and adjoining northwest Bay of Bengal off north Andhra Pradesh-Odisha coasts on Tuesday, is very likely to recurve north-northeast wards and move towards northwest Bay of Bengal off Odisha coast, it said.

Earlier, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday issued warning for fishermen venturing into the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea. The met department in its warning said, “Fishermen are advised not to venture into East-central and South-east Bay of Bengal and adjoining Andaman Sea on May 8. Meanwhile, fishermen were also advised not to venture into central parts of Bay of Bengal on May 9 and 10 and over Northwest Bay of Bengal from May 10-12.

Amid the country’s economic crisis and the consequent anti-government protests, the Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Friday declared a state of emergency with effect from Friday midnight, giving its security forces sweeping powers, a news agency reported.

The decision came amid weeks of protests by the public demanding the resignation of the President and the government. According to the presidential media division, Rajapaksa’s decision aimed at ensuring public security and maintain the flow of essential services resulting in a smooth functioning of the country.

Earlier in the day, Sri Lankan police used tear gas and a water cannon to disperse students who protested outside Parliament slamming lawmakers for not ousting President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his government. The protest, led by the students, began on Thursday after a government-backed deputy speaker was elected in Parliament by a decent margin.

Hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, Delhi said there was a broad understanding of each other’s position on the Ukraine issue, that the two leaders spoke extensively on the “cascading effect” of the conflict, and agreed to coordinate “very closely” for a “constructive role” in the evolving situation.

The tone of India’s statement was in sharp contrast to Delhi’s sharp response to remarks from other European leaders and ministers who, in recent weeks, had conveyed concerns over India not condemning Russia’s actions in Ukraine.

Macron and Modi are among a handful of world leaders who have maintained open communication channels with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The two leaders met in Paris late Wednesday and a readout of their meeting came early Thursday. Modi, who was on a trip to Germany and Denmark, made a stopover in Paris to meet Macron before heading home.

Nordic prime ministers on Wednesday strongly condemned Russia’s “unlawful and unprovoked aggression” in Ukraine in the second India-Nordic Summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

While the two sides discussed the global consequences of the war, Modi, however, only joined them in expressing serious concern about the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and in unequivocally condemning civilian deaths in Ukraine. India has so far refrained from condemning Russia’s actions. The Norwegian PM was quoted as saying India and the Nordic countries had different approaches and “starting points” to the Ukraine issue.

The summit in Denmark, attended by Jonas Gahr Støre of Norway, Magdalena Andersson of Sweden, Katrín Jakobsdóttir of Iceland, Sanna Marin of Finland and Mette Frederiksen of Denmark in the Nordic side, focused on post-pandemic recovery, blue economy (maritime sector), climate change, sustainable development, and green and clean growth.