Sri Lanka's Ranil Wickremesinghe has been sworn in as president, amid hopes that he will pull the country out of its economic suffering. Mr Wickremesinghe - the former prime minister - is seen as deeply unpopular with the public, but some protesters have said they will give him a chance. Mr Wickremesinghe won a strong majority of the vote from lawmakers with the backing of the ruling party - the Sri Lanka's People's Front (SLPP). He told parliament the nation was "in a very difficult situation" and there were "big challenges ahead". However Mr Wickremesinghe did not resign - though he had initially offered to - and instead accepted the position of Acting President when Mr Rajapaksa fled.

Source: Daily Nation July 21, 2022 18:49 UTC