Sri Lanka police on Friday arrested the country’s former president and senior opposition politician Ranil Wickremesinghe over allegations of misusing public funds during his tenure as president, an aide said. Wickremesinghe, who served as the island nation’s president from 2022 to 2024, was arrested on allegations of using public funds to attend his wife’s graduation ceremony in London after an official visit to the U.S. Wickremesinghe is the first Sri Lankan former head of state to be arrested. One of his aides told the Associated Press on condition of anonymity that Wickremesinghe has

Russia has launched a major attack on western Ukraine. This comes as US President Donald Trump is taking diplomatic steps to stop the war. Ukraine's air force said on Thursday that Russia fired 574 drones and 40 ballistic and cruise missiles overnight. At least one person was killed and 15 others were injured in the attacks. It was Russia's third largest airstrike in terms of the number of drones this year and the eighth largest in terms of missiles. Russia has fired about 1,000 long-range drones and missiles into Ukraine since the White House launched talks. Zelensky condemned the attack,

Police in Brazil say messages found on former President Jair Bolsonaro’s telephone showed that he wanted to flee to Argentina and request political asylum from President Javier Milei. Police on Wednesday formally accused Bolsonaro and one of his sons of obstruction of justice in connection with his pending trial on an alleged coup attempt. The Associated Press had access to the police investigation, which was sent to Brazil’s Supreme Court. Silas Malafaia, an evangelical pastor who is a staunch ally of Bolsonaro’s, was also targeted by police. He had his passport seized by investigators.

The Israeli military has announced plans to call up tens of thousands of reservists for an expanded operation in Gaza City. Defense Minister Israel Katz approved the plan, which involves deploying 60,000 reservists and extending service for 20,000 more. This move comes amid international concerns about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where many residents are displaced and facing famine. The operation aims to target Hamas' underground tunnel network, according to Israeli official who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Meanwhile, negotiations for a ceasefire continue, with Hamas agreeing

A bus crash in northwestern Afghanistan killed at least 79 people returning from Iran, including 19 children, an official said. Two people were also injured in the crash, Ministry of Interior spokesperson Abdul Mateen Qani told The Associated Press. Tolo News, citing the official, said the accident happened Tuesday around 8:30 p.m. local time in Herat province. The bus collided with a truck and a motorbike, causing a massive fire that killed many on the spot, the outlet reported. Traffic accidents are common in Afghanistan, mainly due to poor road conditions and driver carelessness. Nearly 1.8

At least six people died in incidents related to heavy rains in Karachi, Pakistan on Tuesday and the Meteorological Department has warned of more rain. The visuals that emerged showed the main roads of the city submerged in water and traffic was disrupted. At the same time, at least 358 people have died in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the last three days as a result of heavy floods and rains, where record rains that started on August 15 have wreaked havoc across the province. Last week, the state government had declared an emergency. Meanwhile, many cities in Pakistani Punjab are on high alert, i

US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are holding talks on the Ukraine war in Anchorage, Alaska's largest city. The meeting is taking place behind closed doors. Trump waited on the plane for about half an hour for Putin to arrive in Alaska. Putin is in the US after 10 years. He was welcomed by a red carpet at the airport. The two leaders were initially expected to meet privately, but now senior American and Russian officials have also joined them. Volodymyr Zelensky, who was not invited to the meeting, says Ukraine trusts the US but there is no indication that Russia

At least 200 people have died in floods and landslides in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir in the past 24 hours. According to officials, the highest number of deaths, 180, was recorded in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The disaster destroyed at least 30 houses and a rescue helicopter crashed during operations, killing five of its crew members. The government weather agency said heavy rains are expected until August 21 and a heavy rain warning has been issued for the country's northwest. Several areas have been declared disaster zones. According to the report, Pakistani Punjab, home to near

China is taking its dispute with Canada over steel tariffs to the World Trade Organization. Beijing filed a complaint earlier today with the WTO in response to Canadian restrictions on imports that contain steel melted or poured in China. Prime Minister Mark Carney announced last month that he was imposing the 25 per cent surtax on products containing Chinese steel to protect the domestic industry in the face of steep U.S. tariffs. But China says the duties are "discriminatory," according to a translation of a statement issued by the Chinese commerce ministry. China says it is disappointed by