Morning news brief: Gotabaya Rajapaksa to fly off to Singapore, Amber Heard’s request rejected & more

A nationwide curfew has been imposed until Thursday morning in Sri Lanka in the wake of intensifying protests against the government. In other news, the United States saw a new high for inflation in June of 9.1 per cent.

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Live Sri Lanka crisis: Rajapaksa to depart from Maldives for Singapore in private jet - Report

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Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa flew out of the country early Wednesday in a military plane heading to the neighbouring Maldives, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has confirmed. According to reports, the president, his wife and two bodyguards have landed in Male.

US witnesses 40 year high spike in customer prices

The US Labor Department has reported that this 9.1 per cent CPI spike over the past 12 months to June was the fastest increase in 40 years, the last such increase was witnessed in November 1981. The fast-rising costs have placed an excessive burden on American families and jeopardised US President Joe Biden's already shaky approval ratings.

Amber Heard's demand for a new trial with Johnny Depp rejected by US judge

Hollywood actress Amber Heard's demand for a new trial in her defamation case with ex-husband Johnny Depp has been rejected by a Virginia judge on Wednesday (July 13).

The "Aquaman" actress Heard lost the defamation case with Depp in June and was ordered to pay $10.35 million in damages to her ex-husband. She had "defamed" the "Pirates of the Caribbean" star in a newspaper article, jury in Fairfax County had ruled.

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