World
Gotabaya Rajapaksa to return to Sri Lanka on Aug 24: Report
Rajapaksa is currently staying at a hotel in Bangkok in the heart of Thailand's capital, where police have advised him to remain indoors
UN body expresses concern over slavery in China and forced marriages among Indians
UN investigator also speaks of bonded labour among Dalits in India
India should move away from Russia in long term, says US
Indians acted very clearly on inviolable principle of state sovereignty, says US spokesperson
Musk says tweet about buying Manchester United was a joke
The world's richest man has a habit of posting provocative statements on Twitter for fun
Elon Musk tweets he is 'buying Manchester United'
Manchester United, a storied English football club, is currently led by the six children of late American businessman Malcolm Glazer
Asia
North Korea fires more suspected missiles, flouts new sanctions
The launches come at a delicate time in the region, with North Korea's sole major ally China set to host the Winter Olympics next month
Pakistan likely to remain on FATF's grey list for four more months: Report
Pakistan has been on the grey list of the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force since June 2018
Nancy Pelosi lands in Taiwan, defying China threats
Pelosi, second in line to the presidency, is the highest-profile elected US official to visit Taiwan in 25 years
N Korea says hypersonic missile tested to modernise weaponry
Wednesday's test indicates that the country will press ahead with plans to build powerful, sophisticated missiles
China continues military drills around Taiwan even after end of four-day schedule
People's Liberation Army Eastern Theatre Command, which oversees Taiwan, said it would continue drills in waters near Taiwan island
Middle East
Pakistan to allow India to send wheat to Afghan through its territory: Imran Khan
Currently, Pakistan only allows Afghanistan to export goods to India but doesn't allow any other two-way trade through the border crossing
Taliban supreme leader makes first public appearance
Akhundzada has been the spiritual chief of the Islamist movement since 2016 but has remained a reclusive figure
Iraqi prime minister survives assassination bid with drones
The attack was a major escalation amid tensions sparked by the refusal of Iran-backed militias to accept parliamentary election results
Senior Taliban commander among dead in hospital attack
At least 19 people were killed on Tuesday in the attack claimed by the Taliban's hardline rivals, the Islamic State-Khorasan
UAE intercepts Yemen rebel missile in third week of attacks
The defence ministry of the UAE said it responded to the attack by destroying the missile launch site in Yemen's northern Al-Jawf region
Africa
Toddlers make up 10% of hospital cases in Omicron epicenter in S.Africa
More kids are being admitted than during the early stages of the country entering the current fourth wave of infections
'It was scary': How South African scientists spotted the Omicron COVID variant
The samples, tested in the Lancet laboratory, all bore a large number of mutations, especially on the spike protein
WHO to meet on Friday to assess new COVID-19 variant detected in South Africa
The latest variant is the most heavily mutated version discovered so far
South Africa hospitalization rate falls 91% in Omicron wave
Only 1.7% of identified Covid-19 infections in the second week of the fourth wave of infections were admitted to the hospital
Maduro announces arrest of 'American spy' near Venezuelan refineries
The arrest occurred after a 'plan to cause an explosion' was 'discovered and dismantled' at El Palito refinery, authorities say
Europe
Missiles cause multiple explosions in western Ukrainian city Lviv
Lviv and the rest of western Ukraine have been less affected by the fighting than other parts of the country
Zelenskiy sacks Ukraine's ambassadors to India, 4 other countries
Zelenskiy announced the sacking of Ukraine's ambassadors to Germany, India, the Czech Republic, Norway and Hungary
Blinken to visit Kyiv on Sunday: Zelensky
It will be the first official visit by US government officials since the February 24 invasion
TASS: more than 1 million Ukrainians taken to Russia
Civilians were evacuated to the territory of the Russian Federation from dangerous regions of Donetsk, Lugansk and other parts of Ukraine
UN chief to meet with Putin, Zelenskyy to press for peace
In both visits, Guterres aims to discuss steps that can be taken right now to stop the fighting and help people get to safety
Americas
U.S. to ban Russian flights from American airspace
The U.S. Transportation Department Federal Aviation Administration orders will take effect by the end of the day Wednesday
United States reaches 65,000 H-1B visa cap for 2022: USCIS
The H-1B visa programme is the most sought-after work visa among foreign professionals, including Indians
Omicron risk remains 'very high', says WHO
The WHO noted that the rapid growth rate is likely to be a combination of both immune evasion and intrinsic increased transmissibility
Boris Johnson wins no-confidence vote: but the margin will make him nervous
The 148 votes against Johnson means that for the first time the public, and the rebels, know the scale of the opposition Johnson now faces
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to face confidence vote
If Johnson is ousted it would spark a Conservative leadership contest, in which several prominent government ministers are likely to run
Oceania
Newly unveiled life-sized statue of Mahatma Gandhi vandalised in Australia
The statue was gifted by the Indian government. The incident triggered shock and disappointment among the Indian-Australian community
New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern cancels her wedding due to Omicron surge
New Zealanders are set to face new COVID-19 restrictions after nine cases of the omicron variant were detected in a single family
Quad meet puts Aussies in a fix
Aussie PM, Oppn leader in race to attend
Coronavirus cases surge across Australia as omicron explodes
The surge has already overwhelmed testing stations, prompted new vaccine mandates and caused at least one state to cut back on surgeries
New Zealand has biggest COVID-19 case day in over a year
The government put the nation into a strict lockdown last week as it tries to stamp out the outbreak, which has grown to 277 infections