Sri Lanka, Syria, Burkina Faso.
Today's three stories you should know.
Sri Lanka
Stunning scenes in Sri Lanka as thousands of protesters overran the home of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The dam appears to have broken today after weeks of demonstrations over rising fuel and food prices and the government is scrambling to respond. Rajapaksa was whisked to safety and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said he was willing to resign in favor of an all-party government. But, with Rajapaksa in their sights, that offer likely has no chance of placating the demonstrators.
More from Al Jazeera here.
Syria
The UN Security Council has failed to agree on a timeline to extend the delivery of aid to more than 4 million people living in Syria’s rebel-held northwest. An agreement has been in place to get aid in via Turkey and, with that deal coming to end, an extension is on the table. Russia, though, stood against the vast majority of countries on the council, by vetoing a proposal to extend the agreement by one year. Moscow made a counter proposal to extend it by just six months, which only China supported. The diplomatic stand-off continues while time runs out for the people who need help.
More from AFP via France 24 here.
Burkina Faso
A bizarre turn of events in Burkina Faso, which is in a state of chaos as an insurgency by groups with links to ISIS and al-Qaeda grows in intensity. Exiled former president Blaise Compaore, toppled by a popular insurrection eight years ago, was invited back into the country by the ruling junta to attend a summit on the spiralling violence. The situation is all the stranger given a Burkinabe court recently sentenced Compaore to life in prison for his part in the assassination of iconic former leader Thomas Sankara in 1987. Protests against his visit erupted and the Sankara family demanded his arrest.
More from AP here.