the party has said it will back ranil wickremesinghe. >> they will try and bring sabotage.try and bring this president. it will be a big demonstration. reporter: some warnings prompted ranil wickremesinghe to declare a state of emergency sunday, giving the military more power to retain evan strader's but that is not determing them -- demonstrators but that is not deterring them. >> they state of emergency has been declared and curfews, but people are struggling. people came to the road and they are saying slogans and protesting. they will never suppress. reporter: ranil wickremesinghe has largely ignored the criticism. >> do we fight each other and destroy the country, or do our parties work together peacefully and rebuild this country? that is the most important political question we face today. reporter: as parliamentarians get ready to choose a successor to president rajapaksa on wednesday, there are increasing calls like this for them to remember they represent the people, not themselves. al jazeera, colombo. lauren: still ahead on al jazeera, violence between rival eth

prim minister ranil wickremesinghe has been sworn in as the acting president.n after taking over, mr. ranil wickremesinghe addressed the nation and appealed to political parties to form an all party interim government. >> after days of chaos, confusion, and political crisis, the action now here in sri lanka shrift -- shifts to this building, the sri lankan parliament. 225 members will choose the next president on the 20th of july. once the president is elected, many people here hope that will help the country get some political stity. that is needed to solve the economic crisis. >> the developments in the past few days have been dramatic. some say, historic. after months of demonrations, activists here say people's power has one. have they achieved their objectives? >> not yet. but, part of it, yes. we have achieved part of it. also, our younger generation, we have not taught them to step back. they will move forward. they will be asking for all their demands. until then, the protest will go on. >> whoever takes over as next president faces a daunting task, a c

outside, protests continue against the selection of prime minister ranil wickremesinghe.usic and a window into the past. newly—discovered footage of mardi gras — the oldest moving images of new orleans. welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. joe biden used a visit to a former coal plant in massachusetts to issue the latest stark warning on the threat posed by climate change. the us president is using executive powers to usher in measures, including offshore wind farms and expanded flood control. more on that in a moment. meanwhile, wildfires are still raging in europe. in south west france, president macron has been to see the devastation caused by a blaze that forced almost 40,000 people from their homes. 0ur correspondent lucy williamson was there and sent this report. fire chiefs are too cautious to talk about a turning point, but the fire here has stabilised enough for president macron to visit teste—de—buch today to congratulate the crews. translation: we know the - weaknesses in the management of this forest. we have to make it grow again, bu

ranil wickremesinghe, go home.claims to be acting as the president, but then he should be appointing a prime minister. he should not be a prime minister and president both. there is a crisis, as was pointed out earlier, if gotabaya rajapaksa does not submit the letter. even the trade unions and country would go to general strikes. life has already been crippled, lack of food, lack of income, shortness of fuel. it will continue to destabilize and get a really bad levels. >> there is this meeting taking place tomorrow as we have been hearing from our guests. even if they come up with some consensus agreement, is that something the public is going to accept? at the end of the day, doesn't it risk the same faces staying in this position for the same period. >> what the people have been asking for, the civil society, it is an all-party interim government. the all-party interim government selected by consensus would take the country out of its current predicament, find a solution to the most pressing shortages. i think p

he is issuing decrees and calling the army to take no -- take no prisoners are and ranil wickremesinghe'snterim president, there is nothing illegal about the decision of outgoing president gotabaya rajapaksa appointing him as interim president because he is the former prime minister. where is the younger one, the finance minister? is he still in sri lanka? nobody knows. there is a vacuum of power. the people are on the streets. we saw them the last way for hours going into the prime minister's compound in colombo. at the weekend the prime minister's house was burned down. the presidential compound was stormed by the crowd. the situation is very confusing at the moment. there is a dispute about what procedures should take place to get to the next stage to appoint a new president. the interim prime minister, ranil wickremesinghe says he will stay on until the procedures will go through. the opposition says we do not want him anymore. we want to mount, the people on the streets say they want to mount as well. >> what has been the reason for the downfalls of the gotabaya rajapaksa? >> is a ke

ranil wickremesinghe is a veteran political figure.onth, his offices were temporarily taken over by angry protesters who forced the previous president to flee. demonstrations have continued, but now, they're far smaller. protesters have said they would never accept ranil as president. there is clearly still a lot of anger, but so far, no sign of the kind of mass protests we've seen in recent weeks. obviously, people are burnt out after four months of continuous protests, and election should happen as soon as possible once the reliefs are given to the people. the new president faces major challenges. petrol queues stretch for miles. sri lanka is basically bankrupt, unable to afford enough fuel whilst food prices are soaring. translation: my children ask for milk in the morning, i but i can't afford it. our electricity has been cut off because we can't pay the bill. with cooking gas too hard to find or too expensive, it's become common to see bundles of firewood for sale. this dressmaker now has to cook for her two grandchildren on a mak

protesters are chanting that ranil wickremesinghe, prime minister, is a thief.t just want president gotabaya rajapaksa to step down, they want the whole political class to leave, and they want a change. and this is how they are pushing for that change. a mass movement born out of economic hardship, sending a message to those in power. we don't want violence and we don't want that prime minister trying to be a president right now, we only want, please, resign. but it didn't take long for security forces to use tear gas and water cannons. shrieking. explosions. well, theyjust fired tear gas and protesters tried to make their way to the prime minister's office, but as you can see, they didn't manage, there is a large security presence there, some protesters still trying to climb in. just over the gate, you can see inside there nowjust how many members of the security forces are in there, and we can feel the tear gas on our skin now. a lot of people here have been tear gassed, but they are not giving up, they still want to get inside. the protesters a re the protest

ranil wickremesinghe to leave parliament-— ranil wickremesinghe to leave parliament. ., ., ,. , parliament what you have described is political stalemate, _ parliament. what you have described is political stalemate, a _ parliament. what you have described is political stalemate, a position - is political stalemate, a position where nobody seems to be someone that sri lankans might accept as leader, a worsening economic crisis, so where do we go from here? it’s so where do we go from here? it's difficult to — so where do we go from here? it�*s difficult to say. what's needed is deep structural reform. there needs to be a fresh wave of people representing the community in parliament and the people need to have a say so the votes that will take place on wednesday are in parliament but what is needed is for people across the island to have a say on who was elected to represent them and until that happens and people are elected by the people, representatives who will address thoseissues representatives who will address those issues of accountability, or elected in parliament we will not see th

meanwhile, a curfew is in force and the prime minister, and now acting president ranil wickremesinghe, has told the military to do whatever is necessary to restore order. from colombo, our south asia correspondent rajini vaidya nathan reports. their target heavily guarded. their mood determined. as news spread that prime minister ranil wickremesinghe had just been made acting president, crowds gathered in front of his office, one of the few government buildings not yet occupied by protesters. there occupied by protesters. is an intense here in colombo. there is an intense here in colombo. the protesters are here along this avenue, and on the other side you can see the security forces who are guarding this office, and protesters are charging that ranil wickremesinghe, the prime minister, as a thief. they don'tjust want president don't just want president gotabaya don'tjust want president gotabaya rajapaksa to step down, they want the whole political class political class to leave, and they want a change. and this is how they are pushing for that change. a mass movement born out of econ

ranil wickremesinghe is a veteran political figure.. earlier this month, his offices were temporarily taken over by angry protesters who forced the previous president to flee. demonstrations have continued, but now, they're far smaller. protesters have said they would never accept ranil as president. there is clearly still a lot of anger, but so far, no sign of the kind of mass protests we've seen in recent weeks. 0bviously, people are burnt out after four months of continuous protests, and election should happen as soon as possible once the reliefs are given to the people. the new president faces major challenges. petrol queues stretch for miles. sri lanka is basically bankrupt, unable to afford enough fuel whilst food prices are soaring. translation: my children ask for milk in the morning, - but i can't afford it. 0ur electricity has been cut off because we can't pay the bill. with cooking gas too hard to find or too expensive, it's become common to see bundles of firewood for sale. this dressmaker now has to cook for her two grandc

ranil wickremesinghe has been sworn he replaces gotabaya rajapaksa, who fled to singapore. ted to back mr wickremesinghe. but the protestors want him to step down too. our south asia editor anbarasan ethirajan reports. sri lankans woke up to the news they have a new leader. businesses and shops reopened after a sudden curfew was imposed on the city. the speaker of parliament said mr rajapaksa's resignation had been accepted after verification. this brings an end to the political domination of the rajapaksa dynasty. as per the constitution, prime minister ranil wickremesinghe has been sworn in as the acting president. soon after taking over, mr wickremesinghe addressed the nation and appealed to political parties to form an all—party interim government. after days of chaos confusion and political crisis, action in sri lanka now shifts to this building, the parliament. the 225 members will choose their next president on the 20th ofjuly. once the president is elected many people here hope that will help the country to get some political stability, which is needed to solve the e

i ranil wickremesinghe. will people accept this?- people accept this?nk they will, _ people accept this? i don't think they will, i _ people accept this? i don't think they will, i think i people accept this? i don't think they will, i think he l people accept this? i don't| think they will, i think he is deeply despised by the people, in fact there are tests have now changed from shunting gota go home to ranil go home, so the protesters are making it very clear that they want both gotabaya rajapaksa and ranil wickremesinghe to leave parliament.— wickremesinghe to leave parliament. what you have described _ parliament. what you have described as _ parliament. what you have described as a _ parliament. what you have described as a political i described as a political stalemate. we are in a position where nobody seems to be someone that sri lankans at this point might accept to be their leader, a worsening economic crisis, no sign of respite there so where do we go from here? it respite there so where do we go from here?— from here? it is difficult to sa

protesters are chanting that ranil wickremesinghe, the prime minister, is a thief.hey don't just want president gotabaya rajapaksa to step down, they want the whole political class to leave, and they want a change. and this is how they are pushing for that change. a mass movement born out of economic hardship, sending a message to those in power. we don't want violence and we don't want that prime minister trying to be a president right now, we only want, please, resign. but it didn't take long for security forces to use tear gas and water cannons. shrieking. explosions. well, theyjust fired tear gas and protesters tried to make their way to the prime minister's office, but as you can see, they didn't manage, there is a large security presence there, some protesters still trying to climb in. just over the gate, you can see inside there nowjust how many members of the security forces are in there, and we can feel the tear gas on our skin now. a lot of people here have been tear gassed, but they are not giving up, they still want to get inside. then a breakthrough. ou

ranil wickremesinghe was also accused of cronyism and failing to prosecute members of the powerful rajapaksaamily. his pay suffered the worst defeat in its history, failing to win a single seat in parlment. he stepped back in as prime ministern may amid the crisis. since then, he had been negotiating a bailout package with the imf, but protesters called on him to stand down, and even torched his home. the 73-year-old must address the country's worst economic crisis, as well as quelling the mass protests that prompted his predecessor to flee. anchor: thank you for watching. stay tuned to "france 24." >> conrence 24, watch exclusive interviews with the world's most influential personalities. >> we need to act together because we are protecting our freedom. >> encounters with key political leaders. leading figures from the worlds of culture, sport, and science. >> [speaking french] >> whatever you think is right, you can do. >> watch the interview on "meeting of ideas" on france 24 and france24.com. ♪ >> i have a wish. [speaking another language] >> since then, we have been through many changes

on thursday, ranil wickremesinghe

this is the man it's most likely to be — ranil wickremesinghe, currently acting leader.f protester anger. the president's office is still under the control of demonstrators, though they've handed back other official buildings. a few metres away, the main protest camp, named the gota go home village — a reference to the ousted president gotabaya rajapaksa, who they forced to resign and flee the country. but those here have always also demanded ranil wickremesinghe, who looks likely to succeed him, should resign, too. we're halfway there with gota going home. it is a win. but ranil still being there, still being acting president, is a problem for us. we need him to step down as well. he is going the path that he's taking as we see it, is that he's going to be a failed leader, just like gotabaya. and as people gathered here to send a failed leader home, they'll gather again. but the longer this instability continues, the more difficult it's going to be to sort out the terrible problems with the economy here. yeah, that's true, but the thing is, without sending home the peop

so what do we know about ranil wickremesinghe?ment he was announced as the new president. he has a reputation as a shrewd operator earning him the nickname the fox — this may count in his favour as he seeks a way out of the country's devastating economic crisis. but he may not be able to quell mass protests as he's deeply unpopular with the public. earlier this month demonstrators set fire to his house demanding he resign as prime minister — a step he said he was willing to take. anbarasan ethirajan sent this update from the sri lankan capital colombo. a remarkable victory for mr ranil wickremesinghe. he has secured about 134 votes with a clear majority of 52. that was more than people here had expected and as soon as mr wickremesinghe's election was announced, a group of protesters here shouted a slogan saying go home, ranil. that is the first name of mr wickremesinghe. the protest movement, which has been holding demonstrations for months, they have opposed ranil wickremesinghe's nomination, saying that he has been too close to

you brought those up because in the mix of who sri lankans might get as their next leader is ranil wickremesinghetjob, he is now the acting president, seen as a close ally of the rajapaksa family, will people accept this? i don't think they will, he's deeply despised by the people and their protests have now moved to chanting gota go home to ranil go home so it will be difficult if he becomes president to win over the people and are making clear they want both gota baya rajapa ksa and ranil wickremesinghe to leave parliament. what you have described is political stalemate, a position where nobody seems to be someone that sri lankans might accept as leader, a worsening economic crisis, so where do we go from here? it's difficult to say. what's needed is deep structural reform. there needs to be a fresh wave of people representing the community in parliament and the people need to have a say, so the votes that will take on wednesday are within parliament but what is needed is for people across the island to have a say in who is elected to represent them and until that happens and people are elected

parliament in sri lanka has voted for prime minister ranil wickremesinghe to become the country's new, despite his unpopularity with the public. he faces the task of leading the country out of its economic collapse, and restoring order. now it is time for empire and me. i'm de—graft mensah — podcaster, presenter and proud british ghanaian. i'm going to be leaving behind my dayjob and heading to west africa for the first time since i was nine. the murder of george floyd and the anti—racism protests that followed led people to start to question britain's history, as well as its actions abroad when it had an empire. and it led me to want to find out more. i know that ghana used to be part of the british empire, so i want to discover what that meant for the country. i want to learn why britain made ghana part of its empire, how it affected the ghanaian people, and what impact it had on my own family. i've made the 3,000—mile journey to accra, the capital of ghana, somewhere i've not been since i was a kid. you know what? it feels so... it feels comforting because i'm seeing people that lo

as per the constitution, prime minister ranil wickremesinghe has been sworn in as the acting presidentessed the nation and appealed to political parties to form an all—party interim government. after days of chaos, confusion and political crisis, action in sri lanka now shifts to this building, the parliament. the 225 members will choose their next president on the 20th ofjuly. once the president is elected, many people here hope that will help the country to get some political stability, which is needed to solve the economic crisis. developments in the past few days have been dramatic and, some say, historic. after months of demonstrations, activists here say people's power has won. have they achieved their objectives? not yet all, but part of it, yes, we have achieved part of it. and also, our younger generation, we have not taught them to step back or turn back. they will go forward and they will be asking for all of their demands. until then, the protest will go on. whoever takes over as the next president faces a daunting task — a crippling fuel shortage, food is in short supply,

as news spread that prime minister ranil wickremesinghe had just been made acting president, crowds gatheredfront of his office, one of the few government buildings not yet occupied by protesters. there is an intense here in colombo. the protesters are here along this avenue, and on the other side you can see the security forces who are guarding this office, and protesters are chanting that ranil wickremesinghe, the prime minister, is a thief. they don't just want president gotabaya rajapaksa to step down, they want the whole political class to leave, and they want a change. and this is how they're pushing for that change — a mass movement borne out of economic hardship, sending a message to those in power. we don't want violence and we don't want to hit or something to that, that prime minister who try to be a president right now. we only want — please, resign. explosions but it didn't take long for security forces to use tear gas and water cannons. shrieking explosions well, theyjust fired tear gas and protesters have tried to make their way to the prime minister's office but, as you can s

outside, protests continue against the selection of prime minister ranil wickremesinghe.

now we have ranil wickremesinghe in the seat and protesters don't seem to like him. seat and protestersters made it very clear that _ to like him. protesters made it very clear that they _ to like him. protesters made it very clear that they would - to like him. protesters made it very clear that they would not l very clear that they would not support affect his name was nominated, and they would continue to protest he resigns because they see him as someone close to the rajapaksa family, which is denies. —— which he denies. a day earlier, mr wickremesinghe warned that forcing government buildings were not in a democracy. what were not in a democracy. what we witnessed a couple of hours ago was a clear follow—up of what mr wickremesinghe has said 48 hours ago. what mr wickremesinghe has said 48 hours ago-— 48 hours ago. anbarasan, thanks for keeping _ 48 hours ago. anbarasan, thanks for keeping us — 48 hours ago. anbarasan, thanks for keeping us up-to-date. - when stars collide — the new telescope that can show you what happens when one sun hits another. coming down the ladder now. it's

what is your view of ranil wickremesinghe hunting i this. ing development. the issue here is that the prime minister, who apparently now claims he is acting president, seems to have taken several steps which are unlawful, and this will need to be looked into. why is the military being brought in to call law and order? why is there a state of emergency when there are regular laws that can be used? there are lots of questions, and in this moment there is also now growing demands for his resignation. is also now growing demands for his resitnation. ~ :. is also now growing demands for his resitnation. . :, ,:, is also now growing demands for his resitnation. . . :, is also now growing demands for his resignation-— resignation. what sort of decisions or actions are _ resignation. what sort of decisions or actions are going _ resignation. what sort of decisions or actions are going to _ resignation. what sort of decisions or actions are going to be - resignation. what sort of decisions or actions are going to be needed i resignation. what sort of

protesters are chanting that ranil wickremesinghe, prime minister, is a thief.hey don't just want president gotabaya rajapaksa to step down, they want the whole political class to leave, and they want a change. and this is how they are pushing for that change. a mass movement born out of economic hardship, sending a message to those in power. we don't want violence and we don't want that prime minister trying to be a president right now, we only want, please, resign. but it didn't take long for security forces to use tear gas and water cannons. shrieking. explosions. well, theyjust fired tear gas and protesters tried to make their way to the prime minister's office, but as you can see, they didn't manage, there is a large security presence there, some protesters still trying to climb in. just over the gate, you can see inside there nowjust how many members of the security forces are in there, and we can feel the tear gas on our skin now. a lot of people here have been tear gassed, but they are not giving up, they still want to get inside. then a breakthrough. ou

this is the man it's most likely to be — ranil wickremesinghe, currently acting leader.get with these new multiple launch rocket systems the uk has provided, and with the himars, taking out the russian artillery systems. the himars, taking out the russian artillery systems. the ukrainians in the last month _ artillery systems. the ukrainians in the last month have _ artillery systems. the ukrainians in the last month have proved - artillery systems. the ukrainians in the last month have proved to i artillery systems. the ukrainians in the last month have proved to be i the last month have proved to be very successful in that. brendan kearney, retired us general, talking to us early. the president's office is still under the control of demonstrators, though they've handed back other official buildings. a few metres away, the main protest camp, named the gota go home village, a reference to the ousted president, gotabaya rajapaksa, who they forced to resign and flee the country. but those here have always also demanded ranil wickremesinghe, who looks likely to succeed him,

human rights watch has urged the new president of sri lanka, ranil wickremesingher, to order securityto cease all use of force against anti—government protesters. the call came after hundreds of heavily armed soldiers stormed a section of the main protest site in colombo on friday. the hungarian prime minister, viktor orban, has said that ukraine can't win against russia, and has called on the us to help bring the war there to to an end. mr orban said that the strategy of imposing sanctions had failed. france have beaten the netherlands to secure a place in the women's euro 2022 semi—finals. the score at full—time was 0—0 and a penalty decided the game in extra time. france will play germany on wednesday — the winner of that game will take on either england or sweden in the final. don't forget you'll find lots more on the stories we're covering on our website — there's also business, sport and weather of course. just head to bbc.com/news or download the bbc news app. let's get more on the monkeypox outbreak. doctor wafaa el—sadr is professor of epidemiology at columbia university and

pictures and the protesters were worried that this might happen very soon after president ranil wickremesinghelock to san diego for one of the biggest events in the pop culture calendar. radio: i see you coming down the ladder now. i that's one small step for man... ..one giant leap for mankind. a catastrophic engine fire is being blamed tonight. for the first crash - in the 30—year history of concorde, the world's only supersonic airliner. _ it was one of the most vivid symbols of the violence and hatred that tore apart the state of yugoslavia but now, a decade later, it's been painstakingly rebuilt and opens again today. there's been a 50% decrease in sperm quantity and an increase in malfunctioning sperm unable to swim properly. seven, six, five... thousands of households across the country are suspiciously quiet this lunchtime as children bury their noses in the final instalment of harry potter. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: in its latest hearing — the committee investigating last year's attack on the us capitol accused donald trump of choosing not to act to stop the violence. no

what is seen here is president ranil wickremesinghe's stern message to the protesters.the activists. a tense situation here in colombo, where protesters have gathered on the other side of the barrier. these are anti—government protesters, so there is a heavy deployment of navy commandos here. then you also have a special police force, and there is another barrier behind which there are dozens of naval commandos and then a water gun van. police are also ready to fire the tear gas if the situation goes out of control. they are prepared. sri lanka is bankrupt and already facing an economic uncertainty. many feel that a raid like this will only revive the movement which was already showing signs of fading away. there seems to be no immediate end to sri lanka's troubles. anabarasan ethirajan, bbc news, colombo. wildfires are continuing to burn across parts of of europe — with spain badly affected. officials say more than 190,000 hectares of land have been scorched, with conditions expected to worsen. some 30 wildfires are thought to be burning. these satellite images give an

human rights watch has urged the new president of sri lanka, ranil wickremesinghe, to order securitycall came after hundreds of heavily armed soldiers stormed a section of the main protest site in colombo on friday and took control of the president's office. wickremesinghe became president just one day earlier. our south asia editor anbarasan ethirajan is in colombo for us. the sri lankan government did not expect such a strong reaction from the international community after hundreds of heavily—armed soldiers stormed this place yesterday morning, removing all the tents and the banners that the anti—government protesters had put up, and they beat up many of these protesters. we were there right in the middle when all these things were going on, and the president's office is just behind me, and the soldiers also took control, and this was stormed by huge crowds ten days ago following this public anger. now, the un human rights council's core group on sri lanka, which also includes the uk, they came out with this strong statement saying peaceful protest, the right to hold peaceful prote

in an address to the nation, prime minister ranil wickremesinghe says he is taking additional charge.his country. i have given all the necessary powers to the military to bring stability. but the protesters are not willing to listen to mr wickremesinghe. he is seen as someone close to the rajapaksa family. we want all these actors to leave. we want new people to come in and for them to be transparent about a new plan that can bring about some kind of positive outcomes for these people. the government has declared a state of emergency and a curfew in western province, including colombo. people were shouting in defiance every time the military helicopter flew over. i don't think the sri lankans will get scared anymore. this generation has come up, come forward and led the way. i don't think we will get scared anymore because actually, just a while ago, there were helicopters pointing guns at the innocent protesters, going around just to scare us. there have been shortages of fuel as well as food and medicines after the government earlier this year ran out of foreign currency. schools ar

are celebrating the announcement of the plan to resign by president gotabaya rajapaksa and ranil wickremesinghethese protesters want a new beginning for salancik, a new political culture so that they will not face the similar economic crisis in this country. —— want a new beginning for sri lanka. voting has begun in elections forjapan�*s upper house of parliament, just two days after the assassination of the former prime minister shinzo abe. a warning, this report from our correspondent rupert wingfield—hayes — contains some flashing images. the site where shinzo abe was gunned down on friday has now become a base of pilgrimage. many hundreds lined up this morning to lay flowers and pay their respect. it is an old cliche that japanese people don't show public emotion. not to date. at lunchtime the hearse carrying mr abe's body arrived at his home in tokyo. here, too, the emotion was palpable as a stream of friends and dignitaries came to pay their respects. it is striking to see the continuing outpouring of grief and anger today notjust here but around the world. it is hard to find anotherjapan

ranil wickremesinghe, currently acting leader.protester anger. here there are demonstrators, though they have handed back other official buildings. if few metres away, the main protest camp, named a village, a reference to the ousted president gotabaya rajapaksa who they forced to resign and flee the country. but those here have always also demanded ranil wickremesinghe, who is likely to take over from him should resign to. irate who is likely to take over from him should resign to.— should resign to. we are halfway there, should resign to. we are halfway there. but _ should resign to. we are halfway there. but it _ should resign to. we are halfway there, but it is _ should resign to. we are halfway there, but it is nearly _ should resign to. we are halfway there, but it is nearly a - should resign to. we are halfway there, but it is nearly a win, - there, but it is nearly a win, but him still being there is a problem. we need him to step down as well. he is going _ we need him to step down as well. he is going to _ we need him to

as news spread that prime minister ranil wickremesinghe had just been made acting president, crowds gatherede few government buildings not yet occupied by protesters. a tense stand—off now outside the prime minister bottom office in colombo. protesters lined up all the way along this avenue and, on the other side, you can see security forces, who are guarding this office and protesters chanting that ranil wickremesinghe, the prime minister, is a thief. they don'tjust want president gotabaya rajapaksa to step down, they want the whole political class to leave and they want a change. and this is how they are pushing for that change. a mass movement born out of economic hardship. sending a message to those in power. we hardship. sending a message to those in ower. ~ ., �* ., ., . , in power. we don't want violence but we don't want _ in power. we don't want violence but we don't want that _ in power. we don't want violence but we don't want that prime _ in power. we don't want violence but we don't want that prime minister. we don't want that prime minister trying to be a president right now th

ranil wickremesinghe, currently acting leader.he main protest camp, named gota go gama village, a reference to the ousted president gotabaya rajapaksa who they forced to resign and flee the country. but those here have always also demanded ranil wickremesinghe, who is likely to take over from him should resign to. we are halfway there, it is a win, but him still being there is a problem. we need him to step down as well. he is going to be a failed leader just like gotabaya rajapaksa, and the protesters they have gathered to send a failed leader home will gather again. the longer this instability continues, the more difficult it will be to sort out the terrible problems with the economy here. that is true, but the thing is, without sending home the people that started this crisis, we don't see a possibility of any sort of stability. meanwhile, much of the country has ground to a halt. cars lined up waiting for fuel as the government cannot afford to import enough. wherever you go in the city, you see the huge queues of cars that st

. >>> sri lanka's parliament has just elected former prime minister ranil wickremesinghe as the country 's new president, likely to anger sir lankans who view him as part of the political elite who destroyed the economy. will ripley is joining us live from colombo. and sir lankans wanted reform, a change from the old establishment, but that is not what they have got today. >> reporter: they have as their president-elect a six time prime minister who specializes in economic recovery he says. that is what he told me a few days ago. he talked how he was brought in some 20 odd years ago as prime minister to turn around the collapsed sir lankan economy at that time. so he is very confident in his credentials an apparently so are the majority of members of parliament who voted overwhelmingly for ranil wickremesinghe to finish out the 2 1/2 years left in the term of the former president gotabaya rajapaksa. i have to tell you, even though protest organizers have been warning of anarchy in the streets if this were to happen, that is not what we're seeing. [ inaudible ]. >> oh, unfortunately, we

ranil wickremesinghe it is -- >> it is the middle of the night at the hotel and they are sounding the alarm. the threats of deadly wildfires nearby is growing. making for a hasty evacuation for a hasty evacuation -- >>. . i want to spend a week or with my daughter. >> some of the evacuees will and appear at the center, this couple woken up at midnight by firefighters tying them to leave their home, and expense that is taking a psychological toll. >> it felt very strange to be woken up in the middle of the night like that. >> supplies are pouring into evacuation centers across the region as people try to hold onto life of the new temporary homes, others have opted to stay with loved ones who live far away from flames. a couple here is hosting 12 friends who were forced to flee. >> it is a lot of people, i am sure if it was us who had to leave rude want to be taken like this. we have the space and it is temporary. >> more than 34,000 people have been evacuated, this while emergency teams worked tirelessly to calm the biggest wildfires to what -- to ravage the region in 30 years. >> mean

the most likely candidate to win the support of the parliament is ranil wickremesinghe, the acting president times prime minister, equally hated by the protesters as gotabaya rajapaksa . that is a recipe for instability. michelle: thank you for joining us this evening. president biden and israel's prime minister lapid have signed a joint declaration promising to stop iran from developing nuclear weapons. mr. lapid said only a credible military threat would stop iran. here is jeremy bowen. jeremy: for all of its power, america's ability to control middle eastern turbulence is limited. joe biden and israel's acting ime minister lapid signed a declaration billed as his, yet it had been seen before, and israel needed him to say it again the. >> we will not -- let me say it again -- we will not allow iran to acquire a nuclear weapon. jeremy: for israel, it starts with a conventional nonnuclear threat on the heavily fortified border with lebanon three hours north of jerusalem. it is one of the most dangerous flashpoints in the middle east. that is because it is a front line between the israelis an