Sri Lanka ex-President Wickremesinghe hospitalized after arrest, media says

Sri Lanka ex-President Wickremesinghe hospitalized after arrest, media says
Sri Lanka's former president Ranil Wickremesinghe is escorted to his seat in a prison bus in Colombo, Sri Lanka. (AFP)
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Updated 24 August 2025

Sri Lanka ex-President Wickremesinghe hospitalized after arrest, media says

Sri Lanka ex-President Wickremesinghe hospitalized after arrest, media says
  • Wickremesinghe, 76, who led the South Asian island nation during a devastating economic crisis, was arrested and taken into custody on Friday, police said

Sri Lanka’s jailed former president, Ranil Wickremesinghe, was hospitalized on Saturday, local media reported, a day after his arrest on allegations that he misused public funds while in office.
Wickremesinghe, 76, who led the South Asian island nation during a devastating economic crisis, was arrested and taken into custody on Friday, police said.
The next day he was taken to the emergency care unit at Colombo National Hospital with complications from dehydration, diabetes and high blood pressure, the hospital director, Dr. Rukshan Bellana, told reporters. Wickremesinghe was later transferred to the intensive care unit where his condition was stable, Bellana was quoted as saying.
Wickremesinghe’s office and the hospital did not immediately respond on Sunday to emailed requests from Reuters for comment on his hospitalization.
Wickremesinghe, a six-time prime minister who lost the presidency last year, had been investigated over a visit he made to Britain to attend a special graduation lunch to celebrate his wife’s honorary professorship at a university there, local media reported.
On Saturday, his office did not respond to a request for comment on his arrest. An ally from his United National Party said Wickremesinghe was innocent and suggested the case was politically motivated.


Bangladesh and Pakistan bolster ties but war apology ‘unresolved’

Updated 4 sec ago

Bangladesh and Pakistan bolster ties but war apology ‘unresolved’

Bangladesh and Pakistan bolster ties but war apology ‘unresolved’
DHAKA: Bangladesh and Pakistan, once bitter enemies after they split in 1971, agreed Sunday to bolster long-strained relations, including increasing trade.
But Dhaka said a key issue, of wanting an apology from Islamabad for atrocities during the war when East Pakistan broke away to form Bangladesh, remained “unresolved.”
“The scope and possibility of doing good for the two peoples of our two countries is tremendous,” said Islamabad’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, the most senior Pakistani official to have visited Dhaka since 2012.
Pakistan’s military was accused of widespread atrocities during the 1971 war.
Hundreds of thousands were killed — Bangladeshi estimates say millions — and many in Dhaka still demand Islamabad apologize for the killings.
Dhaka’s foreign affairs adviser Mohammad Touhid Hossain said that the issue of an apology was not solved, but agreed to strengthen ties between the nations.
“We have reached a consensus that the pending issues must be resolved so they don’t stand as obstacles in our relationship,” Hossain told reporters.
Agreements were signed to deepen trade and economic ties, as well as boost cultural exchanges.
Analysts say neighboring India, which fought a four-day conflict with Pakistan in May, will be watching closely.
Relations between Dhaka and New Delhi turned icy in August 2024 after a mass uprising in Bangladesh ended the autocratic rule of prime minister Sheikh Hasina, prompting her to flee to India.

Nigeria Air Force rescues 76 kidnap victims, official says

Nigeria Air Force rescues 76 kidnap victims, official says
Updated 1 min 31 sec ago

Nigeria Air Force rescues 76 kidnap victims, official says

Nigeria Air Force rescues 76 kidnap victims, official says
  • The operation, targeting Pauwa Hill in Kankara Local Government Area, was part of a manhunt for a gang leader named Babaro
ABUJA: The Nigerian Air Force has rescued 76 kidnap victims, including women and children, after a precision air strike on a bandit stronghold in northwest Katsina State, authorities said on Saturday.
The operation, targeting Pauwa Hill in Kankara Local Government Area, was part of a manhunt for a gang leader named Babaro who has been linked to a mosque attack last week in the town of Malumfashi in northwest Nigeria.
One child died during the rescue, the state’s Internal Security Ministry said, but it was not clear if there were any other casualties among the kidnap victims or the gang members.
The Air Force did not immediately respond to phone calls and messages seeking comment.
The air strike could mark a breakthrough in efforts to dismantle criminal networks in northwest Nigeria, where armed gangs have terrorized rural communities for years.

US Republican firebrand Marjorie Taylor Greene slams Israel over Gaza

US Republican firebrand Marjorie Taylor Greene slams Israel over Gaza
Updated 38 min 24 sec ago

US Republican firebrand Marjorie Taylor Greene slams Israel over Gaza

US Republican firebrand Marjorie Taylor Greene slams Israel over Gaza
  • Congresswoman condemns ‘day and night’ bombing of ‘innocent people’
  • ‘I don’t want to pay for genocide in a foreign country … and I will not be silent about it’

LONDON: Marjorie Taylor Greene, the US congresswoman from Georgia, has enraged fellow Republicans by condemning Israel and urging support for Gaza on social media.

She has described Israel’s war in the Palestinian enclave as “genocide,” and took to X to condemn the country’s “day and night” bombing of civilians.

“This is what is happening to Gaza where in spite of what we have all been told, many innocent people and children are being killed and they are not Hamas,” Greene posted.

“Does Hamas deserve it? Yes. Do innocent people and children deserve it? No,” she said. “The innocent people in Gaza did not kill and kidnap the innocent people in Israel on Oct 7th. Just as we spoke out and had compassion for the victims and families of (Oct. 7), how can Americans not speak out and have compassion for the masses of innocent people and children in Gaza?”

Israel maintains significant cross-party support with senior politicians in the US, particularly Republicans.
Since the start of the Gaza war, which has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, the US has given around $18 billion to Israel in military aid.

“I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to pay for genocide in a foreign country against a foreign people for a foreign war that I had nothing to do with,” Greene said. “And I will not be silent about it.”

Her post prompted a fierce response, including from self-described “proud Islamophobe” Laura Loomer, who last week celebrated the State Department’s suspension of US visas for Palestinian children with special medical needs.

“Why are you advocating for GAZANS to come to the US? How is Islamic immigration ‘America First’?” Loomer posted in response to Greene.

Last month, Greene criticized Republican colleague Randy Fine after he suggested that Gaza should be starved until Hamas releases the hostages it still holds from Oct. 7, 2023. He also said claims of famine in the enclave are “all a lie anyway.”

Greene said on X: “I can only imagine how Florida’s 6th district feels now that their Representative, that they were told to vote for, openly calls for starving innocent people and children.”

She added: “It’s the most truthful and easiest thing to say that Oct 7th in Israel was horrific and all hostages must be returned, but so is the genocide, humanitarian crisis, and starvation happening in Gaza.

“But a Jewish U.S. Representative calling for the continued starvation of innocent people and children is disgraceful.”

Loomer responded to Greene: “There is no genocide in Gaza.”


Russia says West trying to ‘block’ Ukraine peace talks

Russia says West trying to ‘block’ Ukraine peace talks
Updated 24 August 2025

Russia says West trying to ‘block’ Ukraine peace talks

Russia says West trying to ‘block’ Ukraine peace talks
  • Moscow’s top envoy also hits Ukrainian president for ‘obstinately insisting, setting conditions, demanding an immediate meeting at all costs’ his Russian counterpart

MOSCOW: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Western countries on Sunday of trying to “block” peace negotiations to end the Ukraine conflict, after a flurry of diplomatic activity appeared to stall.

US President Donald Trump has been championing a bilateral meeting between the Ukrainian and Russian presidents — but both sides have blamed each other for not wanting the talks to come through.

“They’re just looking for a pretext to block negotiations,” Lavrov said in an interview with state TV station Rossiya aired Sunday on Telegram.

He slammed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for “obstinately insisting, setting conditions, demanding an immediate meeting at all costs” with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

Lavrov also accused Ukrainian authorities of “attempts to disrupt the process that was laid down by Presidents Putin and Trump, which has yielded very good results.”

“We hope that these attempts will be thwarted,” he added.

On Friday, Lavrov said “no meeting” between Zelensky and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin was planned.

Earlier this week, Zelensky for his part said Russia was “trying to wriggle out of holding a meeting.”

Zelensky has signaled willingness to meet with Putin, but only after his allies agree on security guarantees for Ukraine to deter future Russian attacks once the fighting stops.

Moscow said there could be no discussion about such guarantees without it, and said any presence of European troops in Ukraine would be “absolutely unacceptable.”


UK vows to speed up asylum claims as hotel protests spread

UK vows to speed up asylum claims as hotel protests spread
Updated 24 August 2025

UK vows to speed up asylum claims as hotel protests spread

UK vows to speed up asylum claims as hotel protests spread
  • The Labour government said on Friday it would appeal a court ruling blocking it from housing asylum seekers in a flashpoint hotel in southeast England
  • The ruling triggered the announcement of a wave of protests and counter protests outside hotels accommodating asylum seekers around the country

LONDON: The UK government vowed on Sunday to overhaul its asylum system after weekend protests broke out across the country at hotels housing migrants, with more planned.
The government said that it will establish a new independent body to hear appeals by failed applicants more quickly as it attempts to end the costly use of so-called asylum hotels, which have become the subject of discontent among a portion of the public.
The Labour government said on Friday it would appeal a court ruling blocking it from housing asylum seekers in a flashpoint hotel in southeast England.
The ruling triggered the announcement of a wave of protests and counter-protests outside hotels accommodating asylum seekers around the country.
Demonstrations under the “Abolish Asylum System” slogan were held on Saturday in British cities and towns including Bristol, Exeter, Tamworth, Cannock, Nuneaton, Liverpool, Wakefield, Newcastle, Aberdeen, Perth and in central London.
Mounted police separated rival groups at the Bristol event, with officers scuffling with protesters.
“Our officers have dealt admirably with a really challenging situation,” said Keith Smith, from Avon and Somerset Police
“While there were moments of disturbance, we’re pleased to say the two protests have passed without significant incident,” he added.
Eleven people were arrested for various offenses including being drunk and disorderly, and assault at the Liverpool protest.


The latest wave of protests began outside a hotel in Epping, southeast England, after a resident was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl.
Further events were planned for Sunday, and for Monday, which is a public holiday in the UK.
The latest official data showed there were 32,345 asylum seekers being housed temporarily in UK hotels at the end of March.
The government is battling to reduce the backlog of initial asylum claims and court delays over appeals, which it says is the biggest cause of pressure in the asylum accommodation system.
“We inherited an asylum system in complete chaos with a soaring backlog of asylum cases and a broken appeals system,” said interior minister Yvette Cooper in a press release on Sunday.
“We are determined to substantially reduce the number of people in the asylum system as part of our plan to end asylum hotels... we cannot carry on with these completely unacceptable delays in appeals,” she added.