Sri Lanka: President Gotabaya Rajapaksa flees the country on military jet
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President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has fled Sri Lanka on a military jet, amid mass protests over the island's economic crisis.
The country's air force confirmed the 73-year-old flew to the Maldives with his wife and two security officials.
In his absence, he has appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as acting president.
Mr Wickremesinghe has declared a state of emergency and regional curfew in the western province.
Mr Rajapaksa's departure ends a family dynasty that has dominated Sri Lanka's politics for the past two decades.
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