International news brief: Former Sri Lankan president returns to Colombo and more

Washington, Sep 03: Former Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Friday returned to the country from Thailand, nearly two months after he fled the country following a massive uprising against his government over the island nation's worst-ever economic crisis.

Rajapaksa, 73, fled the country on July 13 after months-long mass public demonstrations demanding his immediate resignation on July 9 gained momentum after protesters stormed the President's House in Colombo and several other state buildings in the capital.

UN condemns sexual violence and urges justice for survivors

The U.N. General Assembly adopted a resolution Friday condemning all forms of sexual and gender-based violence and urging all countries to provide victims and survivors access to justice, reparations and assistance.

The resolution, co-sponsored by Sierra Leone and Japan, was adopted by consensus after votes were held on four amendments attempting to water down its language. All four were defeated by a more than 2-1 margin.

Biden picks White House veteran to run revived climate drive
President Joe Biden on Friday brought back John Podesta, a behind-the-scenes veteran at getting things done on climate in past Democratic administrations, to put into place an ambitious U.S. climate program newly revived by $375 billion from Congress.

Biden named Podesta as a senior adviser, charged with shaping the landmark clean-energy and climate spending under the huge health care and climate bill passed by Congress in August. Podesta will also lead the administration's climate task force.

Security Council approves new head of UN mission in Libya
The Security Council has approved former Senegalese minister and UN diplomat Abdoulaye Bathily as the new UN envoy to Libya, ending a nine-month search amid increasing chaos in the oil-rich north African nation.

The vote came a day after Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had nominated Bathily. Libya's transitional government, which opposed Bathily's nomination, reportedly sent a protest letter to Guterres, which raises questions about how effective the new envoy can be in trying to resolve the country's political and economic crisis. The last UN special representative, Jan Kubis, resigned November 23, 2021, after 10 months on the job, and a number of candidates proposed by Guterres were rejected by council members, Libya or neighbouring countries.