Marxist lawmaker Anura Kumara Dissanayake won Sri Lanka's presidential election, the Election Commission announced Sunday (Sep. 22), after voters rejected the old political guard that has been widely accused of pushing the South Asian nation into economic ruin. Dissanayake, whose pro-working class and anti-political elite campaigning made him popular among youth, secured victory over opposition leader Sajith Premadasa and incumbent liberal President Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Dissanayake said he would renegotiate an IMF deal to make austerity measures more bearable, in line with a campaign promise. Later in the week, he dissolved Parliament and called for a parliamentary election in less than two months in an effort to consolidate power. Dissanayake's party holds only three seats in the 225-member Parliament. The dissolution came hours after Dissanayake swore in Harini Amarasuriya, a university lecturer and activist, as his prime minister, making her the first woman to head the government in 24 years.

A Japanese warship sailed through the Taiwan Strait between Taiwan and China for the first time, prompting Beijing to lodge complaints with Tokyo. The JS Sazanami, a naval destroyer, travelled south through the strait on Wednesday, accompanied by ships from Australia and New Zealand. It was on its way to military exercises in the South China Sea, Japanese media reported government ministers saying. The passage is a significant move by Japan, which is thought to have avoided sailing its ships through the strait in order not to upset China, which claims self-governed Taiwan and the strait.

Japan's government declined to comment on the ship, citing military operation discretion. But China confirmed the incident. There has been an increase in patrols by the US and its allies in the Taiwan Strait aimed at asserting their 'freedom of navigation' in the 180 km-wide body of water that separates Taiwan from the Chinese mainland.

At least 46 people - including 37 children and seven women - drowned while celebrating a Hindu religious festival in eastern India, local officials said. The fatalities were confirmed across 15 districts. A disaster management official said the victims died while ritually bathing in rivers and ponds swollen by recent flooding. The three-day Jivitputrika festival celebrates children's wellbeing every year and is also marked with mothers fasting for them.

Officials in Bihar said many people ignored dangerous water levels in rivers while bathing to celebrate the festival. There are fears that the overall death toll could rise further. State authorities said families and relatives of the victims will receive compensation. Deadly accidents have occurred in the past across India during major festivals when huge crowds have gathered in tight spaces with little adherence to safety measures. In July, at least 121 people were killed in a crush at a religious gathering in the northern Uttar Pradesh state.

Israel and Lebanon appeared closer than ever to all-out war, if they are not already, as Israel continued to strike Hezbollah targets in not just southern Lebanon, where they are based, but also in the capital Beirut. Close to 700 people were killed in Lebanon this week as Israel dramatically escalated strikes, saying it is targeting Hezbollah's military capacities. Israeli leaders say they are determined to stop more than 11 months of cross-border fire by the militant group, which has forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of Israelis from communities in the north.

Lebanon's government said 1540 people have been killed, while 5410 have been wounded in the past year. Yet it was only with the unprecedented pager and walkie-talkie blasts across Lebanon (and parts of Syria) last week that attention turned to a possible full-fledged assault on Hezbollah, with the Israeli defence minister sounding out 'a new phase in the war'. Hezbollah are a militant group founded in 1982 with the aim of freeing southern Lebanon from the grip of Israeli occupation - which it did successfully.