Sri Lanka’s former president Ranil Wickremesinghe has been arrested in connection with the alleged misuse of public funds, police confirmed on Friday. The 76-year-old faces three charges relating to foreign trips he undertook during his tenure as president between 2022 and 2024. He appeared before magistrates in Colombo after providing a statement to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) earlier in the day. According to investigators, Wickremesinghe made 23 foreign trips…

Russia launched one of its largest aerial assaults of the war overnight, striking an American electronics manufacturer in western Ukraine, officials in Kyiv have said. The Ukrainian air force reported that 574 drones and 40 missiles were fired, largely targeting regions far from the eastern and southern front lines. The bombardment killed one person and injured 15. Among the sites hit was a facility belonging to Flex Ltd, a Texas-based…

The US government has announced that it is reviewing more than 55 million foreign nationals who hold valid visas for possible violations of entry and residency rules

Scientists are urging world leaders to establish new international regulations to curb the growing environmental impact of the space industry.

The Indonesian government is drawing up plans to provide temporary treatment for 2,000 Palestinians from Gaza, holding high-level discussions on logistics, legality and foreign policy implications of the sensitive proposal. Earlier this month, Jakarta announced its intention to extend medical assistance, with Galang island, south of Singapore, identified as one possible site. The island previously hosted a camp for Vietnamese refugees and more recently served as the location of a…

Kim Jong-un has praised North Korean soldiers sent to fight alongside Russian forces in Ukraine, describing them as “heroes” during a ceremony in Pyongyang to honour troops who recently returned from the conflict.

A federal judge in Miami has ordered the closure of the Trump administration’s controversial immigration detention centre known as “Alligator Alcatraz”, ruling that the facility must be shut down within 60 days. District Court Judge Kathleen Williams delivered her decision late on Thursday, prohibiting any further detainees from being transferred to the site while it is wound down. The ruling follows a temporary restraining order issued two weeks ago halting…

Israel has announced an escalation of its military operations in Gaza City, as the UK foreign secretary, David Lammy, condemned the approval of a vast new settlement in the West Bank as a “flagrant breach of international law.” What Israel Defence Forces spokesperson said An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson, Effie Defrin, said the military had entered the second phase of Operation Gideon’s Chariots, launched in May, and would intensify…

Donald Trump is holding back from direct involvement in negotiations to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, instead urging Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy to hold a bilateral meeting before he joins the process. According to administration officials, the president wants the Russian and Ukrainian leaders to meet face-to-face as the next stage towards peace, with the prospect of a trilateral summit involving him only after such talks take place. In…

Brazilian authorities have suspended one of the most significant agreements safeguarding the Amazon rainforest, the soy moratorium, raising fears of renewed destruction on a vast scale. The move, which conservation groups described as a devastating setback, comes less than three months before Brazil hosts the Cop30 climate summit in Belém. The decision could open an area the size of Portugal to clearance for farming, prompting warnings that the country risks…

The World Health Organisation has warned that corporal punishment poses a serious global public health threat, harming children’s physical and mental wellbeing and increasing the risk of later criminal behaviour. A new WHO report found that children exposed to corporal punishment were 24% less likely to be developmentally on track compared with those who were not. The study examined data from 49 low and middle income countries. Corporal punishment, defined…

Frank Caprio, the retired Rhode Island municipal judge who became an online sensation for his compassionate approach on the television series Caught in Providence, has died aged 88. His family confirmed on his official social media accounts that he “passed away peacefully” following “a long and courageous battle with pancreatic cancer.” Caprio presided over Providence municipal court for nearly four decades, retiring in 2023. His courtroom became the setting for…