Sri Lanka’s main Opposition, the SJB, said on Sunday that it had rejected an offer by embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to its leader Sajith Premadasa to head an interim government, amid continued political uncertainty in the country which is now under a state of emergency.

“Our leader refused to accept the President’s offer,” Tissa Attanayake, the national organiser for the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) told reporters.

Rajapaksa had called up both Premadasa and Harsha de Silva, the SJB economic guru, on the prospect of forming an interim government, which had been a demand endorsed by the powerful Buddhist clergy.

China loan plan

The China-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank is considering granting $100 million in emergency support to Sri Lanka, the country’s finance ministry said on Sunday. Sri Lanka has requested foreign-exchange liquidity support for state banks from the lender, it said in a statement.

Govt appeal

Sri Lanka’s defence ministry has appealed to the public to assist it in managing the economic crisis and unrest in the country with “utmost intelligence and patience” and also cancelled the leaves of all security personnel, following the declaration of a state of emergency by President Rajapaksa.

Everest record: Kami Rita breaks his own record

A Nepali sherpa scaled Mount Everest for a record 26th time, beating his own previous record set last year, a government official said on Sunday.

Kami Rita Sherpa, 52, scaled the 8,848.86-metre mountain on Saturday along the traditional southeast ridge route, leading 10 other sherpa climbers. “Kami Rita has broken his own record and established a new world record in climbing,” said Taranath Adhikari, director-general of the department of tourism in capital Kathmandu.

Reuters