Sri Lanka: furious protesters breach PM’s offices after president flees
Protests erupted in Sri Lanka on Wednesday after the president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, fled to the Maldives on a military jet – but neither he nor the prime minster officially resigned, throwing the country into political chaos.
After Gotabaya’s clandestine departure, a Sri Lankan official said that the prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, had been appointed by Rajapaksa to be acting president. Wickremesinghe declared a state of emergency as protesters breached the prime minister’s offices and took over the state television broadcaster.
Arson damages Athens building housing Greek media outlets
An arson attack on a suburban Athens building that houses the offices of a Greek radio station and newspaper has caused significant damage
An arson attack on a suburban Athens building that houses the offices of a Greek radio station and newspaper caused significant damage early Wednesday and drew condemnation from political leaders in Greece and elsewhere in the European Union.
Explosions were heard before a fire broke out shortly after 3 a.m. at the building which houses radio station Real FM and the Real News newspaper in Maroussi, a northern Athens suburb.
Firefighters extinguished the blaze. Fire Service investigators found the remnants of three gas canisters tied together on an external stairwell between the ground and first floors, as well as a can containing a flammable liquid.
US warns it will defend Philippines in South China Sea
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on China to stick to its international law obligations and promised any attack on the Philippines would trigger a US military response in the South China Sea.
The United States has warned it will defend the Philippines against any attack on its ships or aircraft in the South China Sea.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made the statement on the sixth anniversary of a 2016 decision by an international arbitration tribunal that largely ruled in favor of the Philippines over the disputed maritime border. China did not participate in the arbitration.
Ex-TEPCO execs ordered to pay ¥13 tril in damages over Fukushima crisis
July 13 06:45 pm JST
A Tokyo court on Wednesday ordered former executives of Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc TEPCO) to pay the utility some 13 trillion yen ($95 billion) in total damages for failing to prevent the 2011 crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
The ruling in favor of shareholders who filed the lawsuit in 2012 is the first to find former TEPCO executives liable for compensation after the nuclear plant in northeastern Japan caused one of the worst nuclear disasters in history triggered by a massive earthquake and tsunami in March 2011.
In the lawsuit at the Tokyo District Court, 48 shareholders sought a total of around 22 trillion yen ($160 billion) in damages to be paid to the company, the largest amount ever claimed for compensation in a civil lawsuit in Japan, according to a lawyer representing the plaintiffs.
Two exhausted armies are battling for eastern Ukraine. Can either of them strike a decisive blow?
Updated 0749 GMT (1549 HKT) July 13, 2022
When Vladimir Putin refocused his war in Ukraine on the country's east three months ago, he did so bruised by the failures of his initial lunge towards Kyiv and desperate for a face-saving success.
Sri Lanka: Why is the country in an economic crisis?
By Ayeshea Perera
BBC News
A state of emergency has been declared in Sri Lanka, and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has fled the country.
His departure follows months of mass protests over soaring prices and a lack of food and fuel.
The country's foreign currency reserves have virtually run dry, and it has already missed debt interest payments.
What has been happening in Sri Lanka?
The price of everyday goods has risen sharply. Inflation is running at more than 50%.
There have also been widespread power cuts.
A lack of medicines has brought the health system to the verge of collapse.
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