Harini Amarasuriya was reappointed as Sri Lanka's prime minister by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Dissanayake also appointed Vijitha Herath as foreign minister after his coalition won 159 seats in the general election. Despite strong, concerns remain over implementing IMF-backed reform.
Harini Amarasuriya has been reappointed as Sri Lanka's prime minister by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Monday.
The president also recalled veteran legislator, Vijitha Herath, to oversee the foreign affairs ministry of the Indian Ocean Island after his leftist coalition won 159 seats in the 225-member parliament in general election.
Despite the appointments made during Monday’s sweating-in ceremony, Dissanayake did not name a new finance minister, raising suggestions that he may keep the finance portfolio as he did in September following the victorious presidential election.
Dissanayake, who is regarded as a political outsider, surpassed expectations by winning the presidential election in September rather comfortably in a country dominated for decades by family parties. Naming Amarasuriya as prime minister and picking Herath to helm foreign affairs has been seen as a welcomed political move.
However, he’s had to make further decisive moves by dissolving his Marxist-leaning National People’s Power (NPP) coalition, which had just three seats in the parliament, to seek fresh mandate in last Thursday’s snap election.
Sustaining the policy guaranteed an overwhelming mandate in the general elections, handing Dissanayake legislative power to enforce his plans to reduce poverty and lift the island nation from financial meltdown.
For two years, Sri Lanka has been battling economic crisis brought by severe shortage of foreign currency. This forced the nation of 22 million people into a sovereign default, leading to a 7.3% shrink in its economy in 2022 and 2.3% last year.
Despite the strong mandate and show of support in the South Asian country, which will strengthen its political stability, there are still concerns about Dissanayake's campaign promises. Analysts say there are uncertainties in the plan to implement policies aimed at meeting the terms of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) rescue programme that bailed the country out of its economic crisis.
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Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has slowed, according to the latest data, as uncertainty over the waterway’s reopening kept most shipowners away. Six commodity vessels crossed the strait on Tuesday, down from nine the day before and below the 10-day daily average of 11.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains limited on Thursday, with no increase in vessel crossings as U.S.-Iran talks to resolve the conflict remained stalled. Nine commodity vessels transited the key waterway on Wednesday, unchanged from the previous day, according to Kpler data.
Iran has said the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the U.S. fulfils the terms of an interim deal, including lifting the maritime blockade and sanctions and releasing Iran’s frozen assets.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 19th of August, covering the latest developments.
Australia on Thursday condemned Israel’s decision to close its criminal investigation into the deaths of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom and six World Central Kitchen colleagues killed in Gaza in April 2024.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains limited on Thursday, with no increase in vessel crossings as U.S.-Iran talks to resolve the conflict remained stalled. Nine commodity vessels transited the key waterway on Wednesday, unchanged from the previous day, according to Kpler data.
North Korea has fired more than 10 short-range ballistic missiles after U.S. President Donald Trump reduced American participation in joint military exercises with South Korea in an effort to revive dialogue with Pyongyang.
Georgia’s foreign trade data for January-July 2026 shows Kyrgyzstan, China and Russia as its top three export markets, highlighting its Middle Corridor ambitions and complex economic ties with Moscow.
Kazakhstan will vote on 23 August in its first parliamentary election under the new Constitution, choosing 145 members of the new Kurultai under a fundamentally changed electoral system based entirely on party lists.
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