SRI LANKA: An aircraft crashed this morning, killing the two trainee pilots onboard.

The PT-6 plane crashed during a training session after taking off from the air force academy at the China Bay base in the eastern city of Trincomalee, according to air force spokesman Group Captain Dushan Wijesinghe.

UNITED STATES: The last former Minneapolis police officer to face sentencing in a state court for his role in the killing of George Floyd is set to learn today whether he will spend additional time in prison.

Tou Thao held back bystanders on May 25 2020 as former officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, knelt on Mr Floyd’s neck.

Mr Thao was found guilty in May of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter, but judge Peter Cahill said that Mr Thao’s actions had separated the officers from the crowd, allowing them to continue restraining Mr Floyd.

TANZANIA: Human Rights Watch denounced the government today for detaining critics and urged it to respect freedom of expression and the right to protest.

The US-based human rights organisation said 22 people had been detained since June for criticising a government decision to have a foreign logistics company manage Tanzania’s ports.

SOUTH AFRICA: Two people were shot dead on a fifth day of violent protests in Cape Town today, sparked by a dispute last week between minibus taxi drivers and the authorities.

A person was killed and three others were wounded near the international airport after protesters pelted a car with stones and the driver responded by firing shots at them, police said.

Another man died in a separate shooting that police believe was also related to the protests.