Western countries including U.S, U.K, France and Germany are reportedly planning to walkout of G20 Finance Ministers' meetings as sign of protest against Russia. Experts say the G20 could be falling apart. Here's why.

Gravitas: G20 meeting: Western countries to stage walkouts

Here we bring you a quick round-up of all latest news, top headlines and international breakings from all across the globe, stay tuned with Gravitas for more!

Gravitas Global Headlines: Ukraine refugee crisis | Mariupol could fall within hours

China continues to add a high number of new cases every day. But the Chinese State is focusing on cracking down on critics. Molly Gambhir tells you more.

Gravitas: Philippine Ambassador dies in Covid Quarantine in China

China has locked a security pact with the Solomon Islands. Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison is being accused of complacency. Molly Gambhir tells you why Morrison is facing heat.

Gravitas: China in the Solomons: A result of Australia's blunder?

Netflix has lost subscribers for the first time in over 10 days. At least 200,000 people have quit the platform in just 3 months, 200,000 others are expected to follow. Why are people leaving Netflix?

Gravitas: Over 200,000 subscribers leave Netflix

Former United States President Donald Trump appears to have walked out of an interview with a popular British television host Piers Morgan and labelled him "very dishonest".&nbsp;

A small clip, the preview or teaser of the main interview, is circulating on social media. In the video, Trump can be seen getting out of his seat and ordering production to "turn the camera off."&nbsp;

Media reports have stated that Trump was frustrated when Morgan asked him several questions related to his presidency, Covid, etc. According to the viral clip, he even called him a "fool".&nbsp;

IN PICS |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/from-spinning-charkha-at-sabarmati-ashram-to-jbc-plant-visit-uk-pm-boris-johnsons-india-tour-in-pics-472705">From spinning 'Charkha' at Gandhi's Ashram to bulldozer plant visit: UK PM Boris Johnson's India trip in pics</a>

Trump said, "I think I'm a very honest man … much more honest than you, actually." &nbsp;To which Morgan replied, "Really?" After that, Trump responded, "Yeah."&nbsp;

Morgan also said that the US Presidential vote in 2020 "was a free and fair election. You lost."&nbsp;

Trump said: "Only a fool would think that."&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Morgan said: "You think I'm a fool?" Trump replied, "I do now, yeah."

Multiple times, Trump alleged elections fraud. However, he failed to provide evidence to support his claims. Talking about the same claims, Morgan said, "With respect, you haven't produced the hard evidence." Trump responded: "I don't think you’re real."&nbsp;

IN PICS |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/queen-elizabeth-ii-turns-96-how-queens-birthday-is-marked-and-why-does-she-have-two-birthdays-472674">Queen Elizabeth II turns 96! How Queen's birthday is marked and why does she have two birthdays?</a>

Watch the video here:&nbsp;

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This is the most dramatic interview trailer I've seen in my life but I suppose the intensity is justified by Trump denying the existence of Piers Morgan to his face <a href="https://t.co/DPs4JiMalP">pic.twitter.com/DPs4JiMalP</a>
— Populism Updates (@PopulismUpdates) <a href="https://twitter.com/PopulismUpdates/status/1516889220761092096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 20, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Morgan also said that first Trump tried to end the interview by saying "That’s it!" However, he remained there to discuss other topics.&nbsp;

Refuting the claims of the walkout, Trump released audio of fag end of the interview. As claimed by media outlets, the two can be heard thanking each other. Trump and Morgan can also be heard laughing.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
As per the audio clip, Morgan said: "That was a great interview." Trump replied, "Yeah."&nbsp;

"Thank you very much. I really appreciate it," Morgan said.&nbsp;

In the end, Trump said, "Turn the camera off."&nbsp;

Former United States President Donald Trump appears to have walked out of an interview with a popular British television host Piers Morgan and labelled him "very dishonest".

Former United States President Donald Trump appears to have walked out of an interview with a popular British television host Piers Morgan and labelled him "very dishonest". A small clip, the preview or teaser of the main interview, is circulating on social media. In the video, Trump can be seen getting out of his seat and ordering production to "turn the camera off." Media reports have stated that Trump was frustrated when Morgan asked him several questions related to his presidency, Covid, etc. According to the viral clip, he even called him a "fool". IN PICS | From spinning 'Charkha' at Gandhi's Ashram to bulldozer plant visit: UK PM Boris Johnson's India trip in pics Trump said, "I think I'm a very honest man … much more honest than you, actually." To which Morgan replied, "Really?" After that, Trump responded, "Yeah." Morgan also said that the US Presidential vote in 2020 "was a free and fair election. You lost." Trump said: "Only a fool would think that." Morgan said: "You think I'm a fool?" Trump replied, "I do now, yeah." Multiple times, Trump alleged elections fraud. However, he failed to provide evidence to support his claims. Talking about the same claims, Morgan said, "With respect, you haven't produced the hard evidence." Trump responded: "I don't think you’re real." IN PICS | Queen Elizabeth II turns 96! How Queen's birthday is marked and why does she have two birthdays? Watch the video here: This is the most dramatic interview trailer I've seen in my life but I suppose the intensity is justified by Trump denying the existence of Piers Morgan to his face pic.twitter.com/DPs4JiMalP — Populism Updates (@PopulismUpdates) April 20, 2022 × Morgan also said that first Trump tried to end the interview by saying "That’s it!" However, he remained there to discuss other topics. Refuting the claims of the walkout, Trump released audio of fag end of the interview. As claimed by media outlets, the two can be heard thanking each other. Trump and Morgan can also be heard laughing. As per the audio clip, Morgan said: "That was a great interview." Trump replied, "Yeah." "Thank you very much. I really appreciate it," Morgan said. In the end, Trump said, "Turn the camera off."

Watch: Did Donald Trump really walk out of explosive interview with Piers Morgan? Here's the truth

Queen Elizabeth II turns 96! How Queen's birthday is marked and why does she have two birthdays?

In a gas station parking lot crowded with firefighters and anxious evacuees on Wednesday, a woman sat in her car and cried while watching wildfire smoke spew across her neighborhood.

“I’m not ready for this,” she said as she and her neighbors waited for word of their homes near Flagstaff. “Not this early.”

Wind-driven springtime wildfires are tearing through parched evergreens and brush across Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado, burning scores of homes and forcing thousands of people to flee during a fire season that is growing longer and more destructive as climate change dries out the West.

In northern Arizona, the fast-moving Tunnel fire was burning through an expanse of forest and rural homes about 14 miles northeast of the college town of Flagstaff. The fire, whose cause is under investigation, swelled to more than 19,700 acres by Wednesday and had destroyed 25 buildings, according to a spokesman for the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office.

The fire was zero percent contained on Wednesday evening, and there were no reports of deaths or injuries.

The Tunnel fire is one of several blazes that have erupted across the West in recent weeks, fueled by chaotic winds, a deepening yearslong drought and an acute scarcity of spring rain or snow.

“We used to have the fire season,” said Don Falk, a professor in the school of natural resources at the University of Arizona, which is in Tucson. “That’s an obsolete concept. Fire season is 12 months.”

In New Mexico, a recent wildfire killed two people and burned 200 buildings around Ruidoso. A wind-driven blaze burning uncontained in the national forest outside Prescott, Arizona, swelled to 1,600 acres by Wednesday. And in Colorado, fire crews in Boulder, where a winter grass fire destroyed more than 1,000 homes, spent the past week racing to tamp down several smaller fires.

A fire in the San Luis Valley of southern Colorado destroyed or damaged as many as 16 buildings on Wednesday as it tore through the small town of Monte Vista, according to The Alamosa News.

In all, more than 2,300 firefighters across the West are currently fighting fires and about 830,000 acres have already been charred this year, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. In Arizona alone, more than 500 firefighters are battling the two largest blazes.

“Everybody is out on these fires,” said Tiffany Davila, a spokeswoman for the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management.

The winds hampered efforts to contain the Tunnel fire by grounding firefighting flights on Tuesday. Fire officials said the winds across northern Arizona were expected to gust to 50 mph on Thursday and Friday.

Forecasters also warned that high winds and dry conditions would make the next few days perilous across the Southwest. The National Weather Service in Boulder issued a warning about extreme fire danger stretching from southern Arizona and New Mexico up the flank of the plains of eastern Colorado.

Officials said that the Tunnel fire did not pose an immediate threat to Flagstaff, home to Northern Arizona University and about 77,000 residents, and that they were hopeful the winds would continue pushing it toward thinly populated areas. The fire forced the closure of the Sunset Crater Volcano and Wupatki National Monuments, scattering park workers who said they did not know how long they would be displaced.

Residents said they had barely paid heed to the small fire when it was first reported on Sunday and they saw smoke rising against the backdrop of the San Francisco Peaks. But by midday Tuesday, they were scrambling to escape a curtain of flames and smoke after the wind kicked up and brought the fire tearing through their horse corrals and 2-acre yards.

“It was like driving to Mordor,” said Amber Randall, who raced home from a work appointment in Sedona, about an hour away, while her assistant rescued dogs and cats and an expensive drawing owned by David Bowie from her home. “There was no time. No time.”

By Wednesday afternoon, the winds were gathering new strength as Carla Chiquito, 51, and her family sat in the parking lot of a gas station just outside the boundaries of the mandatory evacuation zone. Her husband had stayed behind, dousing the yard with a hose after a neighbor’s house burned to the ground.

Lisa Bishop pulled up with a livestock trailer, hoping to return some of her animals to her home after the flames tore through her neighborhood in the Timberline-Fernwood community, which had sustained the worst damage.

She said she had not worried much about the threat of fire. The area around her burned in a huge blaze a dozen years ago, but she felt protected by a highway that stood between her home and the forest.

But on Tuesday afternoon, the fire leaped across that road and charged into her neighborhood. Bishop and other neighbors raced to get their livestock and pets into trailers and carriers before fleeing.

“It looked like hell,” she said. “It was the scariest thing we’ve ever seen.”

In a gas station parking lot crowded with firefighters and anxious evacuees on Wednesday, a woman sat in her car and cried while watching wildfire smoke spew across her neighborhood.

In a gas station parking lot crowded with firefighters and anxious evacuees on Wednesday, a woman sat in her car and cried while watching wildfire smoke spew across her neighborhood. “I’m not ready for this,” she said as she and her neighbors waited for word of their homes near Flagstaff. “Not this early.” Wind-driven springtime wildfires are tearing through parched evergreens and brush across Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado, burning scores of homes and forcing thousands of people to flee during a fire season that is growing longer and more destructive as climate change dries out the West. In northern Arizona, the fast-moving Tunnel fire was burning through an expanse of forest and rural homes about 14 miles northeast of the college town of Flagstaff. The fire, whose cause is under investigation, swelled to more than 19,700 acres by Wednesday and had destroyed 25 buildings, according to a spokesman for the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office. The fire was zero percent contained on Wednesday evening, and there were no reports of deaths or injuries. The Tunnel fire is one of several blazes that have erupted across the West in recent weeks, fueled by chaotic winds, a deepening yearslong drought and an acute scarcity of spring rain or snow. “We used to have the fire season,” said Don Falk, a professor in the school of natural resources at the University of Arizona, which is in Tucson. “That’s an obsolete concept. Fire season is 12 months.” In New Mexico, a recent wildfire killed two people and burned 200 buildings around Ruidoso. A wind-driven blaze burning uncontained in the national forest outside Prescott, Arizona, swelled to 1,600 acres by Wednesday. And in Colorado, fire crews in Boulder, where a winter grass fire destroyed more than 1,000 homes, spent the past week racing to tamp down several smaller fires. A fire in the San Luis Valley of southern Colorado destroyed or damaged as many as 16 buildings on Wednesday as it tore through the small town of Monte Vista, according to The Alamosa News. In all, more than 2,300 firefighters across the West are currently fighting fires and about 830,000 acres have already been charred this year, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. In Arizona alone, more than 500 firefighters are battling the two largest blazes. “Everybody is out on these fires,” said Tiffany Davila, a spokeswoman for the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management. The winds hampered efforts to contain the Tunnel fire by grounding firefighting flights on Tuesday. Fire officials said the winds across northern Arizona were expected to gust to 50 mph on Thursday and Friday. Forecasters also warned that high winds and dry conditions would make the next few days perilous across the Southwest. The National Weather Service in Boulder issued a warning about extreme fire danger stretching from southern Arizona and New Mexico up the flank of the plains of eastern Colorado. Officials said that the Tunnel fire did not pose an immediate threat to Flagstaff, home to Northern Arizona University and about 77,000 residents, and that they were hopeful the winds would continue pushing it toward thinly populated areas. The fire forced the closure of the Sunset Crater Volcano and Wupatki National Monuments, scattering park workers who said they did not know how long they would be displaced. Residents said they had barely paid heed to the small fire when it was first reported on Sunday and they saw smoke rising against the backdrop of the San Francisco Peaks. But by midday Tuesday, they were scrambling to escape a curtain of flames and smoke after the wind kicked up and brought the fire tearing through their horse corrals and 2-acre yards. “It was like driving to Mordor,” said Amber Randall, who raced home from a work appointment in Sedona, about an hour away, while her assistant rescued dogs and cats and an expensive drawing owned by David Bowie from her home. “There was no time. No time.” By Wednesday afternoon, the winds were gathering new strength as Carla Chiquito, 51, and her family sat in the parking lot of a gas station just outside the boundaries of the mandatory evacuation zone. Her husband had stayed behind, dousing the yard with a hose after a neighbor’s house burned to the ground. Lisa Bishop pulled up with a livestock trailer, hoping to return some of her animals to her home after the flames tore through her neighborhood in the Timberline-Fernwood community, which had sustained the worst damage. She said she had not worried much about the threat of fire. The area around her burned in a huge blaze a dozen years ago, but she felt protected by a highway that stood between her home and the forest. But on Tuesday afternoon, the fire leaped across that road and charged into her neighborhood. Bishop and other neighbors raced to get their livestock and pets into trailers and carriers before fleeing. “It looked like hell,” she said. “It was the scariest thing we’ve ever seen.”

Arizona wildfires seize on chaotic winds and parched forests

From spinning 'Charkha' at Gandhi's Ashram to bulldozer plant visit: UK PM Boris Johnson's India trip in pics

Chinese President&nbsp;Xi&nbsp;Jinping reiterated&nbsp;China's&nbsp;opposition to unilateral sanctions and "long-arm jurisdiction" in a speech on Thursday, without directly mentioning the West's punitive actions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

China has repeatedly criticised western sanctions, including those against Russia, but it has also been careful not to provide assistance to Moscow that could lead to sanctions being imposed on Beijing.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/amid-russias-donbas-offensive-us-sends-warplanes-to-ukraine-472278">Amid Russia's Donbas offensive, US sends warplanes to Ukraine</a>

Delivering a video speech to the annual Boao Forum for Asia gathering on the southern Chinese island of Hainan,&nbsp;Xi&nbsp;warned that economic "de-coupling" and pressure tactics such as severing supply chains would not work.

"China would like to put forward a global security initiative" that upholds "the principle of indivisibility of security,"&nbsp;Xi&nbsp;said.

"We should uphold the principle of indivisibility of security, build a balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture, and oppose the building of national security on the basis of insecurity in other countries."

Watch |&nbsp;Gravitas Global Headlines: Ukraine refugee crisis | Mariupol could fall within hours

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-global-headlines-ukraine-refugee-crisis-mariupol-could-fall-within-hours-472533/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Russia has insisted that Western governments respect a 1999 agreement based on the principle of "indivisible security" that no country can strengthen its own security at the expense of others.

China and Russia have grown increasingly close, and China has refused to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a "special operation". China has blamed the Ukraine crisis on NATO's eastward expansion.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/security-deal-with-china-wont-affect-peace-says-solomon-islands-prime-minister-472403">Security deal with China won't affect peace, says Solomon Islands prime minister</a>

Xi&nbsp;said efforts are needed to stabilise global supply chains, but also said&nbsp;China's&nbsp;economy is resilient and that its long-term trend had not changed.

China's&nbsp;economy is facing headwinds from the impact of its aggressive efforts to stem the spread of COVID-19, especially in its economic hub of Shanghai.&nbsp;Xi&nbsp;did not mention&nbsp;China's&nbsp;COVID crisis during the speech.

Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated China's opposition to unilateral sanctions and "long-arm jurisdiction" in a speech on Thursday, without directly mentioning the West's punitive actions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated China's opposition to unilateral sanctions and "long-arm jurisdiction" in a speech on Thursday, without directly mentioning the West's punitive actions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. China has repeatedly criticised western sanctions, including those against Russia, but it has also been careful not to provide assistance to Moscow that could lead to sanctions being imposed on Beijing. Also read | Amid Russia's Donbas offensive, US sends warplanes to Ukraine Delivering a video speech to the annual Boao Forum for Asia gathering on the southern Chinese island of Hainan, Xi warned that economic "de-coupling" and pressure tactics such as severing supply chains would not work. "China would like to put forward a global security initiative" that upholds "the principle of indivisibility of security," Xi said. "We should uphold the principle of indivisibility of security, build a balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture, and oppose the building of national security on the basis of insecurity in other countries." Watch | Gravitas Global Headlines: Ukraine refugee crisis | Mariupol could fall within hours Russia has insisted that Western governments respect a 1999 agreement based on the principle of "indivisible security" that no country can strengthen its own security at the expense of others. China and Russia have grown increasingly close, and China has refused to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a "special operation". China has blamed the Ukraine crisis on NATO's eastward expansion. Also read | Security deal with China won't affect peace, says Solomon Islands prime minister Xi said efforts are needed to stabilise global supply chains, but also said China's economy is resilient and that its long-term trend had not changed. China's economy is facing headwinds from the impact of its aggressive efforts to stem the spread of COVID-19, especially in its economic hub of Shanghai. Xi did not mention China's COVID crisis during the speech.

Chinese president reiterates opposition to use of economic sanctions

Islamic State claimed responsibility for an explosion that it said killed or injured 30 people at a market where alcohol was sold in Taraba State, Nigeria, marking an expansion of the area where the extremist group operates in the country.

Northeast Nigeria, especially the states of Borno and Yobe, have been in the grip of Islamist insurgencies for over a decade, but Taraba, located at the eastern end of Nigeria's Middle Belt central region, has not previously been attacked.

The explosion took place on Tuesday in Iware, a rural town, and local police initially said three people were killed and 19 injured. They could not immediately be reached on Thursday to comment on the Islamic State claim or casualty count.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/nigeria-seminary-student-dies-while-re-enacting-jesus-christs-crucifixion-471916">Nigeria: Seminary student&nbsp;dies while re-enacting Jesus Christ's crucifixion</a>

In a statement posted late on Wednesday on a Telegram messaging channel used by Islamic State to distribute its propaganda, the group described those who detonated the bomb in the market as "soldiers of the caliphate in central Nigeria".

The statement said the attack had struck "a gathering of infidel Christians" and expressed satisfaction that the drinking spot had been damaged. It did not break down the casualty figure into dead and injured.

Watch |&nbsp;Social enterprise in Kenya treats human waste, turns waste into fuel

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/social-enterprise-in-kenya-treats-human-waste-turns-waste-into-fuel-471906/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo">&nbsp;</div>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo">The whole of Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, has been suffering from a rise in crime and violence, exacerbated by the economic hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.</div>

Armed robberies are rife everywhere, kidnappings for ransom have become increasingly common, and the northwest has been hit by mass abductions of children from schools as well as indiscriminate attacks on towns and village by armed gangs.

The worst and longest-running crisis, however, is in the northeast, where rival Islamist groups Boko Haram and Islamic State in West Africa (ISWAP) have killed, abducted and looted on a massive scale whilst fighting against the Nigerian military.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/nigeria-condemns-reports-of-racism-at-ukraine-border-457416">Nigeria condemns reports of racism at Ukraine border</a>

In the latest attack, on the town of Geidam in Yobe State, Boko Haram fighters came in the early hours of Thursday and burnt down a school and several private buildings, according to two residents and two security sources.

The residents said a local drinking spot selling beer had been attacked. One said he had seen nine dead bodies, while the other said he had seen several dead including two women. The authorities were yet to release a death toll.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for an explosion that it said killed or injured 30 people at a market where alcohol was sold in Taraba State, Nigeria, marking an expansion of the area where the extremist group operates in the country.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for an explosion that it said killed or injured 30 people at a market where alcohol was sold in Taraba State, Nigeria, marking an expansion of the area where the extremist group operates in the country. Northeast Nigeria, especially the states of Borno and Yobe, have been in the grip of Islamist insurgencies for over a decade, but Taraba, located at the eastern end of Nigeria's Middle Belt central region, has not previously been attacked. The explosion took place on Tuesday in Iware, a rural town, and local police initially said three people were killed and 19 injured. They could not immediately be reached on Thursday to comment on the Islamic State claim or casualty count. Also read | Nigeria: Seminary student dies while re-enacting Jesus Christ's crucifixion In a statement posted late on Wednesday on a Telegram messaging channel used by Islamic State to distribute its propaganda, the group described those who detonated the bomb in the market as "soldiers of the caliphate in central Nigeria". The statement said the attack had struck "a gathering of infidel Christians" and expressed satisfaction that the drinking spot had been damaged. It did not break down the casualty figure into dead and injured. Watch | Social enterprise in Kenya treats human waste, turns waste into fuel The whole of Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, has been suffering from a rise in crime and violence, exacerbated by the economic hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Armed robberies are rife everywhere, kidnappings for ransom have become increasingly common, and the northwest has been hit by mass abductions of children from schools as well as indiscriminate attacks on towns and village by armed gangs. The worst and longest-running crisis, however, is in the northeast, where rival Islamist groups Boko Haram and Islamic State in West Africa (ISWAP) have killed, abducted and looted on a massive scale whilst fighting against the Nigerian military. Also read | Nigeria condemns reports of racism at Ukraine border In the latest attack, on the town of Geidam in Yobe State, Boko Haram fighters came in the early hours of Thursday and burnt down a school and several private buildings, according to two residents and two security sources. The residents said a local drinking spot selling beer had been attacked. One said he had seen nine dead bodies, while the other said he had seen several dead including two women. The authorities were yet to release a death toll.

Islamic State claims Nigeria bombing, says about 30 killed or hurt

Sri Lankan authorities on Thursday lifted the curfew imposed in the southwestern region of Rambukkana where one person was killed and 13 others were injured in violence after the police opened fire at unarmed anti-government protestors demonstrating against the latest fuel price hike.

The curfew was lifted at 5 AM (local time) on Wednesday, police said.

At least three of the 14 hospitalised protesters at Rambukkana, some 90 kilometers northeast of Colombo, were critical at the Kegalle hospital, according to an official. Fifteen police personnel have also been injured.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india/india-urges-imf-to-provide-urgent-bailout-to-sri-lanka-472066">India urges IMF to provide urgent bailout to Sri Lanka</a>

Foreign Minister G L Peiris told reporters: We have requested the Human Rights Commission to conduct an impartial inquiry. We want to be honest and we do not want to sweep anything under the carpet.

Chaminda Lakshan, a 41-year-old man who died of gunshot wounds, is survived by two children.

I want justice for my father's death. I do not want money or any other help, his 16-year-old daughter Piyumi Lakshani told reporters.

She said that her father was not a protester and had gone to buy petrol for his motorcycle.

The death of a protester was the first during the ongoing protests over the worst-ever economic crisis in the country's history.

Top bureaucrat of the public security ministry Jagath Alwis said the protesters tried to set on fire a fuel tanker having 33,000 liters of fuel.

The police were forced to open fire to prevent a fuel bowser being set in flames by the protesters.

Watch |&nbsp;Gravitas: Killing of a protester sparks outrage in Sri Lanka

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-killing-of-a-protester-sparks-outrage-in-sri-lanka-472528/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo">&nbsp;</div>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo">Alwis said a three-member probe committee has been appointed to probe if the police had used excessive power in opening the fire at protesters.</div>

The embassies of the US, the EU, and the UN resident coordinator have issued statements condemning the police shooting.

The latest fuel price hike on Monday night triggered street protests in many areas on Tuesday.

Oil entities in the island nation have been hiking the price regularly due to the shortage of fuel.

Kegalle Magistrate Wasana Navaratne visited the site of the shooting and ordered the police not to intimidate witnesses. The police had produced one protester in court.

Also read |<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/sri-lankan-shot-dead-by-cops-at-anti-govt-protest-as-fury-grows-over-economic-crisis-472189">&nbsp;Sri Lankan shot dead by cops at anti-govt protest as fury grows over economic crisis</a>

Meanwhile, the police said that a 20-member panel has been appointed to investigate the shooting incident.

Protests continued in most parts of the island nation against the government for its mishandling of the economic crisis.

The main protest near President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's secretariat enters its 13th day on Wednesday.

Sri Lanka is grappling with unprecedented economic turmoil since its independence from Britain in 1948. The crisis is caused in part by a lack of foreign currency, which has meant that the country cannot afford to pay for imports of staple foods and fuel, leading to acute shortages and very high prices.

The island nation is witnessing large-scale protests against the government's handling of the debt-ridden economy - the worst-ever economic crisis in the country's history.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/sri-lankan-president-appoints-17-cabinet-ministers-amid-calls-for-govt-ouster-471796">Sri Lankan president appoints 17 cabinet ministers amid calls for govt ouster</a>

Protests demanding the resignation of President Rajapaksa and his Sri Lanka Podujana (Peramuna)-led government have intensified as shortages continued and prices soared.

Last week, the Sri Lankan government said it would temporarily default on USD 35.5 billion in foreign debt as the pandemic and the war in Ukraine made it impossible to make payments to overseas creditors.

Sri Lankan authorities on Thursday lifted the curfew imposed in the southwestern region of Rambukkana where one person was killed and 13 others were injured in violence after the police opened fire at unarmed anti-government protestors demonstrating against the latest fuel price hike.

Sri Lankan authorities on Thursday lifted the curfew imposed in the southwestern region of Rambukkana where one person was killed and 13 others were injured in violence after the police opened fire at unarmed anti-government protestors demonstrating against the latest fuel price hike. The curfew was lifted at 5 AM (local time) on Wednesday, police said. At least three of the 14 hospitalised protesters at Rambukkana, some 90 kilometers northeast of Colombo, were critical at the Kegalle hospital, according to an official. Fifteen police personnel have also been injured. Also read | India urges IMF to provide urgent bailout to Sri Lanka Foreign Minister G L Peiris told reporters: We have requested the Human Rights Commission to conduct an impartial inquiry. We want to be honest and we do not want to sweep anything under the carpet. Chaminda Lakshan, a 41-year-old man who died of gunshot wounds, is survived by two children. I want justice for my father's death. I do not want money or any other help, his 16-year-old daughter Piyumi Lakshani told reporters. She said that her father was not a protester and had gone to buy petrol for his motorcycle. The death of a protester was the first during the ongoing protests over the worst-ever economic crisis in the country's history. Top bureaucrat of the public security ministry Jagath Alwis said the protesters tried to set on fire a fuel tanker having 33,000 liters of fuel. The police were forced to open fire to prevent a fuel bowser being set in flames by the protesters. Watch | Gravitas: Killing of a protester sparks outrage in Sri Lanka Alwis said a three-member probe committee has been appointed to probe if the police had used excessive power in opening the fire at protesters. The embassies of the US, the EU, and the UN resident coordinator have issued statements condemning the police shooting. The latest fuel price hike on Monday night triggered street protests in many areas on Tuesday. Oil entities in the island nation have been hiking the price regularly due to the shortage of fuel. Kegalle Magistrate Wasana Navaratne visited the site of the shooting and ordered the police not to intimidate witnesses. The police had produced one protester in court. Also read | Sri Lankan shot dead by cops at anti-govt protest as fury grows over economic crisis Meanwhile, the police said that a 20-member panel has been appointed to investigate the shooting incident. Protests continued in most parts of the island nation against the government for its mishandling of the economic crisis. The main protest near President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's secretariat enters its 13th day on Wednesday. Sri Lanka is grappling with unprecedented economic turmoil since its independence from Britain in 1948. The crisis is caused in part by a lack of foreign currency, which has meant that the country cannot afford to pay for imports of staple foods and fuel, leading to acute shortages and very high prices. The island nation is witnessing large-scale protests against the government's handling of the debt-ridden economy - the worst-ever economic crisis in the country's history. Also read | Sri Lankan president appoints 17 cabinet ministers amid calls for govt ouster Protests demanding the resignation of President Rajapaksa and his Sri Lanka Podujana (Peramuna)-led government have intensified as shortages continued and prices soared. Last week, the Sri Lankan government said it would temporarily default on USD 35.5 billion in foreign debt as the pandemic and the war in Ukraine made it impossible to make payments to overseas creditors.

Sri Lanka lifts curfew in Rambukkana; probe begins on police firing at unarmed protesters

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