Former President Gotabaya to stay in Singapore for two more weeks

The Sri Lanka government has requested Singapore authorities to allow former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to stay in the country for another 14 days, local media reported on Saturday citing sources. Rajapaksa, who is currently staying in Singapore, was expected to depart the country on August 11 when his visa expired. However, Rajapaksa will remain in Singapore for some more time at the government’s request, reported Daily Mirror.

Ukraine says it disconnected generator at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant

Ukraine’s nuclear power authority said it disconnected a generator at Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant from the electrical grid after the facility’s grounds came under Russian shelling. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Moscow’s shelling of the facility was “an act of terror.” President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russian forces fired at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest atomic facility, twice on Friday and called for sanctions against Moscow’s nuclear industry.

Covid outbreak: Tropical Sanya, ‘China’s Hawaii’ locked down, trapping 80,000 tourists

Chinese authorities on Saturday indefinitely locked down the beach resort city of Sanya, often called “China’s Hawaii”, trapping at least 80,000 tourists in an effort to curb a fast-spreading Covid-19 outbreak. Sanya, a city of more than 1 million people, is a tourist hotspot and the capital of Hainan province, off the country’s southern coast. “We urge the general public and tourists to understand and give their support,” the Sanya government announced on social media.

Ukraine’s Amnesty head leaves after group accuses Kyiv of putting lives at risk

The head of Amnesty International’s Ukrainian branch is leaving the human rights body after the group accused Ukraine’s armed forces of endangering civilians by basing troops in residential areas during the Russian invasion. Amnesty made the comments on Thursday and Kyiv likened it to Russian propaganda and disinformation. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused the group of abetting what he called Russia’s unprovoked attacks on Ukraine.

China lent $21.9 bn in short-term loans to Pakistan since 2018: Report

China has made nearly $26 billion in short and medium-term loans to Pakistan and Sri Lanka over the past five years as its overseas lending shifts from funding infrastructure toward providing emergency relief. Data showing the shift in China’s $900 billion Belt and Road Initiative to loans aimed at easing foreign currency shortages since 2018 was compiled by AidData, a research lab at William and Mary, a university in the US.