The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for a wave of coordinated bombings at churches and high-end hotels across Sri Lanka. The terrorist organization provided no evidence to support the claim, which was announced in a statement in Arabic published by its Amaq news agency on Tuesday, saying the attackers were “among the fighters of the […]
US moves to end by May 2 sanctions waivers for nations importing Iranian oil
The Trump administration said Monday that it will no longer exempt countries from US sanctions if they continue to buy Iranian oil, in a move that sparked condemnations from Tehran as well as Iran’s major oil importers, including China and Turkey. US President Donald Trump made the decision as part of the administration’s “maximum pressure” […]
Sri Lankan officials failed to heed warnings of threat of attacks by a radical group
Sri Lankan officials failed to heed warnings from intelligence agencies about the threat of an attack by a domestic radical Muslim group, the country’s health minister said Monday. Officials blame them for the Easter Sunday bombings that killed more than 200 people. The coordinated blasts that ripped through churches and luxury hotels were carried out […]
Japanese hit former Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn with a fresh charge. He denied all charges
Japanese authorities on Monday hit former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn with a fresh charge of aggravated breach of trust, the fourth formal indictment against the auto sector tycoon. Public broadcaster NHK and local news agency Jiji Press reported that prosecutors filed the new indictment that paves the way for his legal team to apply for […]
Comedian Volodymyr Zelenskiy declares victory in Ukraine presidential elections
By Yuliya Talmazan Comedian Volodymyr Zelenskiy won a convincing victory in Sunday’s runoff election, ousting incumbent President Petro Poroshenko, national exit polls showed. The former entertainer and political novice took 73 percent of the vote, with Poroshenko a distant second, the polls indicated. Zelenskiy, 41, won the first round of the election on March 31, […]
Khamenei replaces chief for Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. No reason given for change
Iran’s top authority Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has replaced the head of the influential Revolutionary Guards Corps, state TV reported on Sunday, days after the United States designated the elite group a foreign terrorist organisation. The TV station did not give a reason for the change when it announced the appointment of Brigadier General […]
Ukraine election: Voters choose between comic and tycoon
Ukrainians are heading to the polls in a run-off election to pick the country’s next president. Voters face a stark choice between tycoon Petro Poroshenko, the incumbent president, and television comedian Volodymyr Zelensky, new to politics. The TV celebrity is favourite in the polls, having dominated the first round of voting three weeks ago when […]
Sri Lanka bombings: 7 arrested , nationalities of foreign victims identified. Death toll passes 200
Seven people were arrested and three police officers were killed during a raid on a house in Colombo on Sunday as the death toll from a rash of bombings at churches and hotels in Sri Lanka rose past 200, police and local media said. “Altogether we have information of 207 dead from all hospitals. According […]
Sri Lanka: Over 200 dead in church and hotel bombings on Easter Sunday
At least 207 people were killed and hundreds more wounded in a series of bomb blasts that hit luxury hotels and churches across Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, leaving the entire country in a state of lock-down. The first wave of attacks struck at the heart of the country’s minority Christian community during busy Easter […]
ISIS kills nearly 50 Syrian government soldiers
Syrian government forces came under separate attacks from ISIL and al-Qaeda-linked rebels in different parts of the country that killed nearly 50 soldiers and allied fighters. In one attack, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) fighters ambushed Syrian forces in the desert of central Homs province on Thursday night, setting off two days […]