August 12, 2022

*) US attorney general says 'personally approved' Trump home search US Attorney General Merrick Garland has said he "personally approved" the dramatic raid on former American President Donald Trump's Florida estate. In a highly unusual move, he also requested the warrant justifying the search be made public — though he did not reveal the reason for the search. The Washington Post has reported that federal agents were looking for documents relating to nuclear weapons. It was not clear if such documents were recovered. *) IAEA chief warns of 'grave hour' at Ukraine nuclear plant The head of the UN nuclear watchdog has told the Security Council that the agency must be allowed to inspect Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia (zah-POH-reeja) nuclear plant. Rafael Grossi told an emergency meeting via video feed that fighting between Russian and Ukrainian soldiers near the site sparked a "grave" crisis. The clashes at and around Zaporizhzhia have led to urgent international calls for an end to fighting around the plant, the largest of its kind in Europe. *) Hostage drama at Beirut bank ends after armed man turns himself in A hostage standoff in which a gunman demanded a Beirut bank let him withdraw his trapped savings so that he could pay his father's medical bills ended seven hours later. After hours of negotiations on Thursday, 42-year-old food-delivery driver Bassam al Sheikh Hussein accepted an offer from the bank to receive part of his savings. He did not actually receive any of the money, according to his lawyer. His wife told reporters after his arrest that her husband “did what he had to do". *) Sri Lankan ex-president Rajapaksa arrives in Bangkok after fleeing protests Former Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa has arrived in Bangkok after his visa ran out following a month-long stint in Singapore. The Thai foreign ministry said it received a request from Colombo for the 73-year-old deposed leader to visit and an assurance that he would not seek political asylum. Earlier, Rajapaksa flew into Singapore from