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epa10068404 Security forces fire tear gas to disperse protesters as they try to enter the Prime Minister's office in Colombo, Sri Lanka, 13 July 2022. Thousands of protesters broke through police barricades and stormed into the Prime Minister's office on 13 July. Sri Lankan authorities declared a state of emergency and imposed a curfew in the Western Province of the country. According to the speaker of parliament, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has authorised the prime minister Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to carry out presidential duties after the president fled to the Maldives after months of protests against the economic crisis. EPA/CHAMILA KARUNARATHNE