Sri Lanka’s Ranil Wickremesinghe voted in as next president

COLOMBO:   Sri Lanka’s acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe will be the nation’s next president till 2024, a parliament vote rely showed on Wed (Jul 20). Official outcomes showed Wickremesinghe polled 134 votes within a three-cornered vote  to replace Gotabaya Rajapaksa,   who fled the crisis-wracked country plus retired last weekContinue Reading

Indonesian court rejects call to legalise medicinal marijuana

JAKARTA: Indonesia’s Constitutional Court on Wednesday (Jul 20) rejected a judicial review of the state’s narcotics law that will have paved the way meant for legalising marijuana designed for medicinal use, a panel of nine judges ruled. Three moms of children with cerebral palsy backed by civil society companies hadContinue Reading

US adds Vietnam, Cambodia, Macao to trafficking blacklist

The State Department’s annual trafficking review has historically not spared close allies, often causing chaffing, although US authorities say the unflattering headlines have directed governments to act. Nations that are put on the blacklist – Tier several – are susceptible to US sanctions, although the administration routinely waives punishment forContinue Reading

Sri Lanka begins vote to replace president who fled

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s parliament began voting on Wednesday (Jul 20) for a leader to replace Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled abroad   after their palace was stormed by furious protesters now bracing for a crackdown through his likely heir. 1 by 1, the legislators inserted ballot booths setup on the floorContinue Reading