SRI LANKA'S leader dropped two of his brothers and a nephew from his cabinet Monday (18), following public anger over the ruling family's mismanagement of a crippling economic crisis and calls for his resignation.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has presided over the island nation's most painful downturn in memory and his government is preparing for imminent bailout talks with the International Monetary Fund.
Dozens of lawmakers have turned against the administration and opposition parties have rebuffed invitations to join a unity government from the president, who insists he will remain in office to guide Sri Lanka through the crisis.
Huge protests have nonetheless demanded Rajapaksa stand down, including tens of thousands of people camped outside his seafront office for more than a week.
The new cabinet retains prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, Gotabaya's older brother and the head of Sri Lanka's ruling clan while leaving out eldest sibling Chamal and younger brother Basil, the former finance minister.
Mahinda's eldest son Namal, who ran the sports ministry and had been touted as a future leader before the crisis, was also dropped.
The 21-member cabinet is seven people fewer than its predecessor, which resigned en masse two weeks ago in response to public outrage over nepotism and corruption.
Ministers are entitled to several SUVs, a large contingent of bodyguards and unlimited fuel, as well as state housing and entertainment allowances.
New finance minister Ali Sabry led a delegation to Washington over the weekend to open talks with the International Monetary Fund from Tuesday (19), officials said.
Sri Lanka is seeking three to four billion dollars from the IMF to overcome its balance-of-payments crisis and boost depleted reserves.
Apart from the acute shortages, the country is also facing record inflation and lengthy electricity blackouts, as the government has run out of foreign currency to import fuel.
The government last week announced a default on Sri Lanka's $51 billion (£39.18 bn) foreign debt and the Colombo Stock Exchange has suspended trading for the week to prevent an anticipated market collapse.
Rajapaksa's parliamentary majority has been thrown into question after former allies deserted the ruling coalition.
The opposition has said it will attempt to topple the government through a no-confidence vote in the coming weeks.
(AFP)
Sri Lanka leader trims cabinet of relatives
Dharavi slum in Mumbai
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Man pleads not guilty to murder of BBC presenter's family
A 26-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to charges of murdering the wife and two daughters of BBC sports commentator John Hunt in a crossbow and knife attack.
Kyle Clifford, who also faces charges of rape, appeared via video link at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday.
Clifford, arrested in July after a manhunt, is charged with three counts of murder, one count each of rape and false imprisonment, and two counts of possessing offensive weapons – a 10-inch knife and a crossbow.
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session.
He is expected to enter a plea for that charge at a later date.
The victims were Carol Hunt, 61, wife of horseracing commentator John Hunt, and their daughters Louise, 25, and Hannah, 28.
An earlier hearing revealed that Louise had been found tied up and that both she and her sister had been shot with a crossbow, while their mother had been stabbed with a knife.
The fatal attack occurred at the family’s home in Bushey, a commuter town near Watford, northwest of London.
(With inputs from AFP)