Sri Lanka bombings death toll nears 300April 22, 2019 - 11:00 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The Sri Lankan police have arrested 24 people in connection with a series of devastating suicide bombings at hotels and churches on Easter Sunday that left nearly 300 people dead and more than 500 injured, The New York Times reports. No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but a police officer alerted security officials in an advisory 10 days ago about a threat to churches from a radical Islamist group, National Thowheeth Jama’ath. The authorities, however, failed to act on the information, government officials said. A nationwide curfew was lifted on Monday, April 22 morning, but major social media and messaging services, including Facebook and WhatsApp, remained blocked by the government to curb the spread of misinformation. Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry said that as many as 36 foreigners were among those killed. Those countries that have confirmed their citizens were killed include the United States, Britain, China, Japan and Portugal. Ruwan Gunasekera, a police spokesman, would not reveal how many people were killed at each of the nine sites, including three churches and three hotels. As the authorities investigate the bombings in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, their focus has centered on National Thowheeth Jama’ath, a little-known group that experts said promotes Islamic terrorist ideology in Southeast Asia. The group has a reputation for vandalizing Buddhist statues but little history of carrying out terrorist attacks. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe of Sri Lanka said Sunday that he had not been informed of the advisory 10 days ago about a threat from a radical Islamist group, leading to concerns of an intelligence failure. Armenian Prime Minister and President have already sent condolences over the terrorist attacks. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. Armenia: Defense Ministry warns against involving army in political processes The Ministry’s statement came after a video surfaced online, showing soldiers joining the protests in Tavush. Scholz hopes Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty will be signed this year German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hopes that a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be signed this year. Ucom equips four bus stops in Ijevan with free Wi-Fi Ucom now provides free Wi-Fi coverage in smart bus stops in four communities of Ijevan. |