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Calm returns to Los Angeles after hundreds arrested
An uneasy calm has descended over Los Angeles after the first night of a curfew lifted on Wednesday, as cities across the US brace for more protests.
In Los Angeles, nearly 400 people have so far been arrested, including 330 undocumented migrants and 157 people arrested for assault and obstruction, including one for the attempted murder of a police officer.
Federal prosecutors have so far charged two men for throwing Molotov cocktails at police officers in two separate incidents.
A total of 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines have been deployed to help quell the unrest. Some of those National Guard troops are now authorised to detain people until police can arrest them.
Speaking alongside 30 regional mayors at a news conference on Wednesday, LA Mayor Karen Bass blamed the protests on US President Donald Trump’s immigration raids, which she said “provoked” residents by causing “fear” and “panic”.
“A week ago, everything was peaceful,” she said. “Things began to be difficult on Friday when raids took place.”
Bass suggested Los Angeles was “part of a national experiment to determine how far the federal government can go in taking over power from a local government, from a local jurisdiction”.
She has previously called on the administration to end the raids.
Overnight on Tuesday into Wednesday, Los Angeles police said they made “mass arrests” after a fifth day of protests over the immigration action.
In a series of statements, the city’s police department said that those detained included 203 people arrested for failure to disperse, 17 for curfew violations, three for possession of a firearm, and one for assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer.
Two officers were injured in the skirmishes, the statement added.
On Tuesday, Bass declared an overnight curfew within a relatively small area of the city’s downtown district, saying businesses were being vandalised and looted.
After the LA curfew came into force at 20:00 local time on Tuesday (03:00 GMT on Wednesday), police moved through downtown areas, firing rubber bullets to try to disperse crowds.
Explaining the curfew on Tuesday, Bass said she wanted “to stop the vandalism, to stop the looting”, saying the city had reached a “tipping point”.
The curfew order affects an area of about one square mile in the second-largest city in the US.
Police chief Jim McDonnell said: “Some of the imagery of the protests and the violence gives the appearance as though this is a city-wide crisis, and it is not.”
Pam Bondi, the US Attorney General, told reporters at the White House on Wednesday that the curfew “helped a bit”.
Elsewhere, the immigration raids have continued, alongside the National Guard troops.
The National Guard and Marine forces deployed to Los Angeles do not have the authority to make arrests, only to detain protesters.
“They are strictly used for the protection of the federal personnel as they conduct their operations and to protect them to allow them to do their federal mission,” said Maj Gen Scott Sherman, who is leading the deployment, on Wednesday.
Some 500 National Guard troops have already been trained to accompany agents on immigration raids and some troops have already temporarily detained people in LA protests, Sherman told US media outlets.
Those troops are authorised to detain people until police are able to arrest them, he said.
Trump’s row with state officials ramped up after he deployed troops to LA. The president has now vowed to “liberate” the city, but he has been accused by California Governor Gavin Newsom of an “assault” on democracy.
Trump earlier this week defended his decision to send troops, saying it was to prevent the city being “conquered by a foreign enemy”.
Newsom hit back at the president: “He again chose escalation; he chose more force.”
The California governor, who is seen as a potential presidential contender for the Democratic Party, warned that “other states are next”.
On Wednesday, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth backed Trump’s move, telling a Senate hearing that sending the troops to Los Angeles was “lawful and constitutional”.
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Showers above 100 mm are likely at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, Uva and Southern provinces and in Anuradhapura district
WEATHER FORECAST FOR 08 OCTOBER 2026
Issued at 05.30 a.m. on 08 October 2026 by the Department of Meteorology
Misty conditions can be expected at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Galle and Matara districts during the early hours of the morning.
Showers or thundershowers will occur in the most part of the island after 1.00 p.m. Heavy showers above 100 mm are likely at some places in Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, Uva and Southern provinces and in Anuradhapura district.
The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damage caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.
Former first lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa, wife of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa was produced before the Hulftsdorp court, after being arrested by officers of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) and produce
Smriti Mandhana has been named India’s all-format women’s captain on the same day Harmanpreet Kaur stepped down from the role after nearly a decade since she first took over.
Mandhana – vice-captain to Harmanpreet for much of this period – has previously led India in four ODIs and 18 T20Is, apart from captaining Maharashtra in domestic cricket and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Women’s Premier League.
Mandhana’s first assignment will be the limited-overs series against Zimbabwe beginning with the three T20Is in Raipur from October 16. On Tuesday, Mandhana was part of the selection meeting chaired by Amita Sharma to pick the squad for the tour.
Terming the appointment a “special honour”, Mandhana also acknowledged the contributions of her predecessor in her welcome note.
“I would also like to acknowledge Harmanpreet and the contribution she has made as captain over the years,” she was quoted as saying by the BCCI. “She has led the team with great commitment and has been an important part of our journey.
“I understand the responsibility that comes with this role and look forward to working with the team, learning along the way and giving my best to take Indian cricket forward.”
Mandhana’s appointment comes on the back of a review meeting held on Monday in Guwahati. Chaired by secretary Devajit Saikia, the meeting was also attended by Mandhana, Harmanpreet and head coach Amol Muzumdar to chart a roadmap forward, with an eye on next year’s inaugural Women’s Champions Trophy in February as well as the T20 World Cup and Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.
Mandhana, India’s best all-format batter, has been knocking on the doors for a while. Earlier this year, she led RCB to their second WPL title, in which she also top-scored in the final.
In September, she overtook Mithali Raj to become the leading run-scorer in women’s international across formats. Her 18 international hundreds are also the most in women’s cricket. She is also the first Indian woman to score centuries in all formats.
[Cricinfo]
Showers or thundershowers will occur in most part of the island after 1.00 p.m.
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