Summary

The political chaos in Sri Lanka took a new turn Monday. Officials on the Indian Ocean island nation said parliament will vote on a new president next week. That's after mass protests in the capital forced the president and prime minister to offer their resignations. For a transcript of this story, click here .

Five Facts

• How will a new president of Sri Lanka be chosen?


• Who is monitoring the actions of the protesters at the presidential palace?


• What flag now flies above the presidential palace?


• How are the people of Sri Lanka cooking without gas for their stoves?


• Where are Sri Lankans who are experiencing food insecurity going for food?

Focus Questions

The video shows a couple of ways the lack of gasoline is affecting Sri Lanka. What other issues could scarcity of gasoline lead to? Media literacy: The video producers chose to use b-roll of parked vehicles in the beginning of the video. What assumptions about Sri Lanka are we expected to make? Are there any other images in the story that might lead to similar conclusions?

For More

Watch this video or the video below for background information and what led to the current Sri Lankan political climate. What has caused fuel to become scarce in Sri Lanka? How did the people protest to show the government their dissatisfaction with living conditions?

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Ella Cohen, a rising junior at Washington-Liberty high school and intern at NewsHour Classroom, wrote today’s Daily News Lesson with editing by Vic Pasquantonio. Sign up for NewsHour Classroom’s ready-to-go Daily News Lessons delivered to your inbox each morning of the school year. Fill out this form to share your thoughts on today’s lesson.