News in Brief -2024-11-15
November 15, 2024 00:00:00
Sri Lanka president expects 'strong majority' in snap polls
COLOMBO, Nov 14: Sri Lanka's new president Anura Kumara Dissanayake was confident of a victory as polls closed in Thursday's snap legislative elections. Dissanayake took power in September presidential elections on a promise to combat graft and recover the country's stolen assets, two years after an unprecedented economic meltdown, when then-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa was ousted. On Thursday, the 55-year-old said he expected "a strong majority" in parliament to press ahead with his platform."We believe that this is a crucial election that will mark a turning point in Sri Lanka," Dissanayake told reporters after casting his ballot a polling station in the capital. — AFP
IAEA chief will visit Iran’s key facilities today
TEHRAN, Nov 14: UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi, on a visit to Iran, said Thursday that he would visit the uranium enrichment sites of Fordo and Natanz on Friday to help him have "a full picture" of the country's nuclear programme. "Tomorrow will be a very important step in my visit this time, since I am going to be visiting important facilities in Fordo and Natanz, which are also going to help me in having a full picture of the evolution of the programme," Grossi said alongside Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, according to a video sent to AFP by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). — AFP
One dies in Brazil's Supreme Court attack
BRASILIA, Nov 14: A man who tried to attack Brazil's Supreme Court in the capital Brasilia on Wednesday evening is believed to have been killed by his own explosives. Police have named the man as Francisco Wanderley Luiz, who stood unsuccessfully in council elections for ex-President Jair Bolsonaro's Liberal Party (PL). He was found dead outside the building shortly after two blasts rocked the area. — BBC