SRI LANKA: The upcoming presidential election on September 21 will likely be a test of confidence in President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s efforts to resolve the country’s economic crisis.

Mr Wickremesinghe is expected to run while his main rivals will be opposition leader Sajith Premadasa and Anura Dissanayake, who is the leader of a leftist political party that has gained popularity after the economic debacle.

SOUTH AFRICA: Police arrested 95 Libyan nationals in a raid on a suspected secret military training camp today and authorities said they were investigating whether there were more illegal bases in other parts of the country.

The camp was discovered at a farm in White River in the Mpumalanga province, about 220 miles north-east of Johannesburg, police said.

PAPUA NEW GUINEA: At least 26 people were killed by a gang in three remote villages in Papua New Guinea’s north and eight villagers remained missing on today in the latest violence in the South Pacific island nation relating to contested land ownership and sorcery allegations, officials said.

Acting police commander in East Sepik province, James Baugen, told Australian Broadcasting Corporation that the massacre had been carried out “by a group of 30 young men.” 

UNITED STATES: Hollywood’s video game performers were set to go on strike from today, after talks for a new contract with major game studios broke down over artificial intelligence protections.

The strike by members of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, comes after nearly two years of negotiations with gaming giants, including Warner Brothers and Walt Disney.