Proposed Sri Lankan charter change raises rights concerns

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — A proposed amendment to Sri Lanka’s Constitution that would consolidate power in the president’s hands has raised concerns about the independence of the country’s institutions and the impact on ethnic minorities who fear their rights could be undermined by a nationalistic Sinhala Buddhist parliamentary majority. If passed, the amendment will bring Parliament under the control of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who will…