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#SriLankaCrisis: MP Says President Rajapaksa Won't Resign, Thanks India For Aid

Sri Lankan MP Sagara Kariyawasam on Monday said the Gotabaya Rajapaksa-led government would survive the latest crisis and the President would not put in his papers as the ruling camp had a majority in Parliament.

Kariyawasam, who spoke to reporters after an all-party meeting, said there was an issue of foreign currency and the government would need to find a sustainable solution.

The MP’s statement came as Opposition parties rejected the President’s invitation to join the proposed unity government as a “sham” after he fired his brother and finance minister Basil Rajapaksa from his post, as protests were held nationwide over the ruling Rajapaksa family's poor handling of the country’s worst economic crisis.

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#Pakistan: Imran Khan Nominates Former Chief Justice Of Pakistan As Caretaker PM

Embattled Pakistani leader Imran Khan on Monday nominated former Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed for the office of caretaker Prime Minister.

Former Information Minister and senior leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party Fawad Chaudhry said that Mr Khan made the decision after approval from the party's core committee.

The announcement comes after President Arif Alvi sent letters to Mr Khan and Leader of the Opposition Shehbaz Sharif on Monday seeking suggestions for the appointment of a caretaker Prime Minister.

11

#BorderSurveillance: CSIR-NAL’s New Solar-Powered UAV To Improve Border Surveillance, Improve Communications

From carrying out under-the-radar border surveillance, to improving internet access to remote corners of the country, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Aerospace Laboratories’ (CSIR-NAL’s) futuristic solar-powered unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) could soon make India one of the few elite nations to have its own High Altitude Platforms (HAP).

At the Wings India 2022 civil aviation event held last month in Hyderabad, NAL demonstrated a functional, sub-scale model of the HAP — an unmanned flying vehicle that runs on solar power during the day and high-density lithium ion batteries at night.

The lightweight UAV is capable of flying at heights of over 22 kilometres, for up to 90 days, with payloads of over 16 to 20 kilograms.

10

#UkraineWar: Russian Troops Regrouping To Intensify Attack On Donbas, Mariupol, Says Report

On day 39 of the Russian invasion, the ground situation in Ukraine is still treacherous. Despite Ukrainian forces and civilians putting up a strong fight, it will still take a lot of time for the circumstances to improve. As the Russian troops retreated from around Kyiv and its neighbouring towns, it is now being speculated that the next fight will take place in the Donetsk region for the capture of Mariupol. It is said that the Russian forces were regrouping in the Donbas region and are preparing for more powerful blows.

The roads leading to Bucha are strewn with burnt infantry combat vehicles and tanks that tell the tale of bloody battles fought for the control of Kyiv, Irpin and Bucha. Forces have been able to destroy Russian combat vehicles and force them into retreating, but for the locals, their plight is far from over.

9

#Chhattisgarh: TS Singh Deo Speaks On Rumours That AAP Got In Touch, ‘Will Remain In Congress Forever’

Amid speculation that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) tried to contact a few disgruntled leaders of the ruling Congress and BJP in Chhattisgarh, state health minister T S Singh Deo said it is difficult for him to think beyond Congress as five generations of his family has been associated with the party.

In an informal interaction with the media at the Raipur Press Club on Saturday, Singh Deo, however, said that representatives of AAP had contacted him.

When asked whether AAP had reached out to him to join the party, Singh Deo said, “.. I haven’t met Arvind Kejriwal ji. But it is also true that in politics, a lot of people remain in contact and they also make contact. It is not like that they did not contact me but I told them that five generations of my family had been associated with Congress and I could not think beyond it.”