Sri Lanka's deposed former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa has returned home, seven weeks after he fled amid the island's worst-ever economic crisis.
In this 2019 file photo, Sri Lanka's president elect Gotabaya Rajapaksa waves to supporters as he leaves the election commission after the announcement of his victory in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 17 November. Mr Rajapaksa fled Sri Lanka under military escort in mid-July after unarmed crowds stormed his official residence.
He sent in his resignation from Singapore before flying on to Thailand, from where he had petitioned his successor Ranil Wickremesinghe to facilitate his return. Gotabaya Rajapaksa's resignation ended his presidential immunity, and rights activists said they would press for his arrest on multiple charges, including his alleged role in the 2009 assassination of prominent newspaper editor Lasantha Wickrematunge.
Rajapaksa's youngest brother, Basil, the former finance minister, met with Wickremesinghe last month and requested protection to allow the deposed leader to return. Sri Lanka has endured months of shortages of crucial goods including food, fuel and medicines, along with lengthy electricity blackouts and skyrocketing inflation after running out of foreign currency to finance essential imports.Here are this week's most prominent world news highlights with senior Journalist from AFP, Mr. Amal Jayasinghe.
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