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Sri Lanka President appoints brother as PM


Sri Lanka's new president has sworn in his brother as interim prime minister, a remarkable return to power for the siblings who oversaw the brutal end to the island's civil war 10 years ago.


Mahinda Rajapaksa took the oath as PM at a brief ceremony in Colombo.

His younger brother Gotabaya was voted in as president on Sunday and has said he wants to rule for all Sri Lankans.


But rights groups are concerned - wide-scale abuses were documented when the Rajapaksas were last in power.


Mahinda was president from 2005-2015, while Gotabaya was his defence chief. Both men deny any wrongdoing.


The election was Sri Lanka's first since the deadly Easter Sunday attacks and security was a key issue.


Militants linked to the Islamic State group targeted churches and high-end hotels across the island in April, killing more than 250 people.

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