The Evening Wrap: Sri Lankan President Rajapaksa flees after protesters storm home

Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled his official residence on Saturday shortly before protesters, angered by an unprecedented economic crisis, stormed and overran the compound. Further, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said he was willing to resign to make way for an all-party government, according to a statement from his office. The protests intensified and the statement from Mr. Wickremesinghe came with the island-wide fuel distribution due to recommence this week, Director of the World Food Programme due to visit the country this week and the debt sustainability report for the IMF is due to be finalised shortly. Earlier in the day, as protesters surged at the gates of the President’s Palace, troops guarding the compound fired in the air to hold back the tide until Mr. Rajapaksa was safely removed, a top defence source said. Members of the crowd broadcast live footage on social media showing hundreds of people walking through the President’s Palace. Authorities said they had deployed nearly 20,000 troops and police officers for a security operation to protect the President. Shinzo Abe’s body arrives in Tokyo as Japan mourns death of former PM; Quad partners, China hail leader The body of Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, shot dead earlier on Friday during a campaign speech in western Japan, was returned to Tokyo. A black hearse carrying Abe's body and accompanied by his wife, Akie, arrived at his home in Tokyo's upscale residential area of Shibuya, where many mourners waited and lowered their heads as the vehicle passed. Abe’s assassination ahead of Sunday’s Parliamentary election shocked the nation and raised questions over whether security for the former PM was adequate. Police said autopsy results showed a bullet that entered Abe's upper left arm damaged arteries beneath both collar bones, causing fatal massive bleeding. Some observers who watched videos of the assassination on social media and television noted a lack of attention in the open space behind Abe as he spoke. A former Kyoto prefectural police investigator, Fumikazu Higuchi, said the footage suggested security was sparse at the event and insufficient for a former Prime Minister. Meanwhile, several world leaders offered their condolences for Abe’s demise. Leaders of India, Australia and the U.S. – part of the Quad grouping along with Japan – pledged that they will honour the memory of the slain leader by “redoubling” the work “towards a peaceful and prosperous” Indo-Pacific region. In a joint statement, PM Narendra Modi, his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese, and U.S. President Joe Biden said Abe played a “transformative” role in Japan’s relationship with each of the three countries. Also, China’s President Xi Jinping extended his condolences to Japanese PM Fumio Kishida over the demise of Abe and lauded his positive contributions to improve Sino-Japanese ties. Pope Francis prayed that Japan will strengthen its commitment to peace and nonviolence after the assassination, which he called “senseless”. “In the wake of this senseless act, he prays that Japanese society will be strengthened in its historic commitment to peace and nonviolence,” the pope had said, according to a telegram signed by the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. Twitter workers brace for more ‘circus’ after Elon Musk torpedoes deal Twitter Inc employees expressed disbelief and exhaustion after billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk said he was terminating a deal to buy the social media company in what could be the start of months of legal wrangling. Mr. Musk had said Twitter breached multiple provisions of a $44 billion merger agreement struck in April, including by failing to turn over sufficient data on spam accounts and letting go of some executives and recruiters. Twitter's chairman said the board planned to pursue legal action to enforce the deal. Engineers, marketing leaders and other staff at the company quickly took to Twitter to publicly post memes, such as of a rollercoaster ride and a baby screaming into a phone, in apparent commentary on the latest development in Mr. Musk's courtship of Twitter since January. Others joked about the impossibility of breaking their own personal commitments. Employees have expressed widespread concern about Mr. Musk taking over Twitter because of his preferences for cutting headcount and other costs, decreasing content moderation and limiting remote work. But Mr. Musk's now-reneged offer also marks a 36% premium for the company's shares and could mean a big payday for employees and other shareholders. After months of constant headlines, a Twitter employee told Reuters that they felt only more weary about the road ahead. "I just don’t believe it’s actually over," the employee said on condition of anonymity. U.S., China top diplomats hold ‘constructive’ first talks in months The U.S. and China held ‘constructive’ talks, the two sides said, after an unusually long meeting aimed at preventing bilateral tensions from spiralling out of control. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held their first talks since October on the Indonesian island of Bali as the two powers stepped up interaction at a time when the West is focused on Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "Despite the complexities of our relationship, I can say with some confidence that our delegations found today's discussions useful, candid and constructive," Mr. Blinken said after five hours of talks. China's foreign ministry said the two sides had broadly agreed to work to improve ties but also reeled off a laundry list of grievances against Washington, accusing the U.S. of "smearing and attacking" its political system. The meeting largely focused on preventing competition from spilling over into unintentional conflict and also on Washington's opposition to Beijing on a range of issues including Taiwan and human rights. Mr. Blinked had voiced concerns over Ukraine, pressing Mr. Wang on Beijing's tacit support of Moscow's invasion of its neighbour and calling for it to distance itself from Russia. U.S. officials have also been cautiously upbeat about China's stance on Ukraine, condemning its rhetorical backing of Russia but seeing no sign that Beijing is backing its words with material support. Amarnath floods | 15 bodies recovered so far; 35 injured airlifted for treatment Kashmir Police said that 15 bodies have been recovered and 35 other injured have been airlifted for treatment after flash floods near the Baltal base camp in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal area on Friday. The injured were stable, said Inspector General of Kashmir Police Vijay Kumar. At least 16 people, mainly Amarnath pilgrims, died and dozens of others went missing after the flash floods. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the deaths and destruction near the Amarnath cave shrine in south Kashmir were due to a highly localised rain event and not due to a cloudburst. According to weather scientists, the shrine reported 31 mm of rainfall between 4.30 p.m. and 6.30 p.m. on Friday, which is quite low to be categorised as a cloudburst. The Indian Army deployed men and machinery in rescuing the Amarnath pilgrims in one of the major peacetime rescue operations, according to an Army official. An infantry battalion led by a Colonel along with Quick Reaction Teams, an additional company of personnel from the Rashtriya Rifles Sector and a team from special forces reached the holy cave along with specialised rescue equipment to undertake the operation, the official said. He said nine surveillance detachments with hand-held thermal imagers, night vision devices and other gadgets were deployed for the search operations. In Brief Shivpal Yadav, Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party-Lohia (PSP-L) chief and currently a Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA, announced his support for Droupadi Murmu, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA)'s candidate in the upcoming presidential elections. SP ally Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief Om Prakash Rajbhar and Mr. Yadav had attended a dinner hosted by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath in the honour of the NDA's presidential candidate, a development showing chink in the Opposition camp that is backing Yashwant Sinha for the top constitutional post. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde expressed confidence about completing his tenure in office and even winning the next elections in alliance with the BJP. Mr. Shinde dismissed his predecessor Uddhav Thackeray's call for midterm elections, asserting that his government was strong and enjoyed the support of 164 MLAs in the house of 288 while the opposition had just 99 legislators. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow [logo] The Evening Wrap 09 JULY 2022 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [[Arrow]Open in browser]( [[Mail icon]More newsletters]( Sri Lanka economic crisis | President Rajapaksa flees after protesters storm home, PM Wickremesinghe willing to resign [Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled his official residence on Saturday]( shortly before protesters, angered by an unprecedented economic crisis, stormed and overran the compound. Further, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said he was willing to resign to make way for an all-party government, according to a statement from his office. The protests intensified and the statement from Mr. Wickremesinghe came with the island-wide fuel distribution due to recommence this week, Director of the World Food Programme due to visit the country this week and the debt sustainability report for the IMF is due to be finalised shortly. [Anti-government protesters take part in protests calling for the resignation of Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, in Galle on July 9, 2022. ] Earlier in the day, as protesters surged at the gates of the President’s Palace, troops guarding the compound fired in the air to hold back the tide until Mr. Rajapaksa was safely removed, a top defence source said. Members of the crowd broadcast live footage on social media showing hundreds of people walking through the President’s Palace. Authorities said they had deployed nearly 20,000 troops and police officers for a security operation to protect the President. Shinzo Abe’s body arrives in Tokyo as Japan mourns death of former PM; Quad partners, China hail leader [The body of Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, shot dead earlier on Friday during a campaign speech]( in western Japan, was returned to Tokyo. A black hearse carrying Abe's body and accompanied by his wife, Akie, arrived at his home in Tokyo's upscale residential area of Shibuya, where many mourners waited and lowered their heads as the vehicle passed. Abe’s assassination ahead of Sunday’s Parliamentary election shocked the nation and raised questions over whether security for the former PM was adequate. Police said autopsy results showed a bullet that entered Abe's upper left arm damaged arteries beneath both collar bones, causing fatal massive bleeding. Some observers who watched videos of the assassination on social media and television noted a lack of attention in the open space behind Abe as he spoke. A former Kyoto prefectural police investigator, Fumikazu Higuchi, said the footage suggested security was sparse at the event and insufficient for a former Prime Minister. Meanwhile, several world leaders offered their condolences for Abe’s demise. Leaders of India, Australia and the U.S. – part of the Quad grouping along with Japan – pledged that they will honour the memory of the slain leader by “redoubling” the work “towards a peaceful and prosperous” Indo-Pacific region. In a joint statement, PM Narendra Modi, his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese, and U.S. President Joe Biden said Abe played a “transformative” role in Japan’s relationship with each of the three countries. [Also, China’s President Xi Jinping extended his condolences]( to Japanese PM Fumio Kishida over the demise of Abe and lauded his positive contributions to improve Sino-Japanese ties. Pope Francis prayed that Japan will strengthen its commitment to peace and nonviolence after the assassination, which he called “senseless”. “In the wake of this senseless act, he prays that Japanese society will be strengthened in its historic commitment to peace and nonviolence,” the pope had said, according to a telegram signed by the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. Twitter workers brace for more ‘circus’ after Elon Musk torpedoes deal [Twitter Inc employees expressed disbelief and exhaustion after billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk]( said he was terminating a deal to buy the social media company in what could be the start of months of legal wrangling. Mr. Musk had said Twitter breached multiple provisions of a $44 billion merger agreement struck in April, including by failing to turn over sufficient data on spam accounts and letting go of some executives and recruiters. Twitter's chairman said the board planned to pursue legal action to enforce the deal. [Illustration shows Twitter logo.] Engineers, marketing leaders and other staff at the company quickly took to Twitter to publicly post memes, such as of a rollercoaster ride and a baby screaming into a phone, in apparent commentary on the latest development in Mr. Musk's courtship of Twitter since January. Others joked about the impossibility of breaking their own personal commitments. Employees have expressed widespread concern about Mr. Musk taking over Twitter because of his preferences for cutting headcount and other costs, decreasing content moderation and limiting remote work. But Mr. Musk's now-reneged offer also marks a 36% premium for the company's shares and could mean a big payday for employees and other shareholders. After months of constant headlines, a Twitter employee told Reuters that they felt only more weary about the road ahead. "I just don’t believe it’s actually over," the employee said on condition of anonymity. U.S., China top diplomats hold ‘constructive’ first talks in months The [U.S. and China held ‘constructive’ talks, the two sides said, after an unusually long meeting]( aimed at preventing bilateral tensions from spiralling out of control. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held their first talks since October on the Indonesian island of Bali as the two powers stepped up interaction at a time when the West is focused on Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "Despite the complexities of our relationship, I can say with some confidence that our delegations found today's discussions useful, candid and constructive," Mr. Blinken said after five hours of talks. China's foreign ministry said the two sides had broadly agreed to work to improve ties but also reeled off a laundry list of grievances against Washington, accusing the U.S. of "smearing and attacking" its political system. The meeting largely focused on preventing competition from spilling over into unintentional conflict and also on Washington's opposition to Beijing on a range of issues including Taiwan and human rights. Mr. Blinked had voiced concerns over Ukraine, pressing Mr. Wang on Beijing's tacit support of Moscow's invasion of its neighbour and calling for it to distance itself from Russia. U.S. officials have also been cautiously upbeat about China's stance on Ukraine, condemning its rhetorical backing of Russia but seeing no sign that Beijing is backing its words with material support. Amarnath floods | 15 bodies recovered so far; 35 injured airlifted for treatment [Kashmir Police said that 15 bodies have been recovered and 35 other injured have been airlifted for treatment]( after flash floods near the Baltal base camp in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal area on Friday. The injured were stable, said Inspector General of Kashmir Police Vijay Kumar. At least 16 people, mainly Amarnath pilgrims, died and dozens of others went missing after the flash floods. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the deaths and destruction near the Amarnath cave shrine in south Kashmir were due to a highly localised rain event and not due to a cloudburst. According to weather scientists, the shrine reported 31 mm of rainfall between 4.30 p.m. and 6.30 p.m. on Friday, which is quite low to be categorised as a cloudburst. The Indian Army deployed men and machinery in rescuing the Amarnath pilgrims in one of the major peacetime rescue operations, according to an Army official. An infantry battalion led by a Colonel along with Quick Reaction Teams, an additional company of personnel from the Rashtriya Rifles Sector and a team from special forces reached the holy cave along with specialised rescue equipment to undertake the operation, the official said. He said nine surveillance detachments with hand-held thermal imagers, night vision devices and other gadgets were deployed for the search operations. In Brief [Shivpal Yadav, Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party-Lohia (PSP-L) chief and currently a Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA]( announced his support for Droupadi Murmu, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA)'s candidate in the upcoming presidential elections. SP ally Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief Om Prakash Rajbhar and Mr. Yadav had attended a dinner hosted by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath in the honour of the NDA's presidential candidate, a development showing chink in the Opposition camp that is backing Yashwant Sinha for the top constitutional post. [Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde expressed confidence about completing his tenure]( in office and even winning the next elections in alliance with the BJP. Mr. Shinde dismissed his predecessor Uddhav Thackeray's call for midterm elections, asserting that his government was strong and enjoyed the support of 164 MLAs in the house of 288 while the opposition had just 99 legislators. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow  Today’s Top Picks [[Watch | How is the President of India elected?] Watch | How is the President of India elected?]( [[Watch | 25 years on, remembering the Melavalavu massacre] Watch | 25 years on, remembering the Melavalavu massacre]( [[Stationery makers, enthusiasts upset over hike in GST on fountain-pen ink] Stationery makers, enthusiasts upset over hike in GST on fountain-pen ink]( [[Will worship in Kashi, Mathura temples in our lifetime: VHP at ‘Samvidhan Sankalp Yatra’] Will worship in Kashi, Mathura temples in our lifetime: VHP at ‘Samvidhan Sankalp Yatra’]( Copyright @ 2022, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. 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