Sri Lanka

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Sri Lanka: Warnings Were Received Weeks Before Attacks

Death toll hits 290 in church, hotel bombings

(Newser) - The death toll in the Sri Lanka Easter Sunday bombings jumped to 290 Monday amid rising public anger over reports that intelligence officials had warned of possible attacks. Rajitha Senaratne, the country's health minister, said the chief of national intelligence had warned officials on April 4 about potential attacks...

Sri Lanka Blocks Social Media to 'Ease Tensions'

Move could backfire, analysts say

(Newser) - Sri Lankan authorities blocked most social media after Easter Sunday attacks killed more than 200 people , with officials saying the temporary move was meant to curtail the spread of false information and ease tensions. The NetBlocks observatory says it detected an intentional blackout of popular services including Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp,...

Easter Attacks: At Least 207 Dead, 7 Arrested
Easter Attacks: At Least
207 Dead, 7 Arrested
THE RUNDOWN
Apr 21, 2019 7:57 AM CDT

Easter Attacks: At Least 207 Dead, 7 Arrested

Sri Lanka has imposed a curfew, shut down social media

(Newser) - At least eight bombs exploded in Sri Lanka , as Christians gathered to celebrate Easter on Sunday. The attacks targeted three churches and four five-star hotels frequented by tourists, as well as one blast on a highway overpass, reports the New York Times , and the death toll has now risen to...

With Easter Bloodied, Pope Decries 'Cruel Violence'

Sri Lanka attacks hang heavy over Mass at St. Peter's

(Newser) - Pope Francis denounced the "cruel violence" of the Easter Sunday slaughter of Christians and foreigners in Sri Lanka as he celebrated the most joyful moment on the Christian liturgical calendar by lamenting bloodshed and political violence. Francis skipped his homily during Easter Mass but delivered his traditional "Urbi...

More Than 130 Killed in Church, Hotel Attacks

Hundreds hurt in Sri Lanka blasts

(Newser) - At least 138 people were killed and nearly 500 hospitalized from injuries in near simultaneous blasts that rocked three churches and three hotels in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, the state-run Daily News reports. A security official tells the AP that two of the blasts are suspected to have been...

In a 'Chaotic' Grave, Remains of 232

Bones possibly linked to Sri Lanka's civil war to be tested in Florida

(Newser) - Forensic experts in Sri Lanka have been handed the awful task of tracing more than 230 bodies in the country's largest known mass grave. Uncovered in Mannar in March by workers digging a foundation for a building, the grave had produced 90 skeletons by August, though that number has...

Flier Hid $30K in Gold in His Butt
Flier Hid $30K
in Gold in His Butt
Sep 26, 2017 7:33 AM CDT

Flier Hid $30K in Gold in His Butt

Sri Lankan man claimed he was involved in smuggling ring

(Newser) - A Sri Lankan man's "suspicious movements" at the airport in the capital Colombo led to the discovery of some $30,000 worth of gold stashed in his rectum, customs officials say. Officials noticed the 45-year-old "walking with difficulty and appearing to be in pain" as he waited...

Crocodile Kills British Journalist
Crocodile Kills
British Journalist
Sep 15, 2017 6:58 AM CDT

Crocodile Kills British Journalist

Paul McClean was reportedly washing his hands in a Sri Lankan river

(Newser) - A British journalist was fatally attacked by a crocodile while vacationing with friends in Sri Lanka. Financial Times journalist and Oxford graduate Paul McClean, 24, was washing his hands in a river near a popular surfing spot when a crocodile attacked, dragging him from shore, witnesses say. Fishermen rushed to...

'Miraculous': Elephant Rescued 10 Miles From Shore

Animal likely got caught in current, says Sri Lanka's Navy

(Newser) - An elephant washed out to sea has made "a miraculous escape" with help from Sri Lanka's Navy. The elephant, believed to have been caught in a current while crossing a stretch of water separating two areas of jungle near the town of Kokkilai, was spotted trying to keep...

Sri Lanka Mudslides: 151 Dead, 102K Displaced

More rain is forecast in battered, soaked nation

(Newser) - Sri Lankan rescuers on Sunday pulled out more bodies that were buried by enormous mudslides as the death toll in the disaster climbed to 151, with 111 others missing, reports the AP. Although the weather has cleared, more rains are forecast for Monday, threatening to bring further misery to over...

Massive Mound of Garbage Collapses, Killing 16

The homes of 625 people were destroyed or under threat in Sri Lanka

(Newser) - At least 16 people were killed and more than 600 others fled their homes after a massive mound of garbage collapsed on part of a town outside of Sri Lanka's capital during festivities to mark the local new year, officials said Saturday. Four people were rescued from underneath the...

Soothsayer Busted for Predicting President's Demise

Probably wasn't a good idea to say Maithripala Sirisena was going to die

(Newser) - An astrologer who made several predictions that Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena would die has been arrested and released on bail, police said Wednesday, per the AP . Most Sri Lankans follow astrologers' advice, and the suspect, Vijitha Rohana Wijemuni, is a former navy sailor convicted of attempting to assassinate India'...

200 Families Missing After Mudslide

Mud has buried Sri Lankan villages

(Newser) - Torrential rains have sent landslides cascading over three villages in Sri Lanka, and at least 200 families were feared buried under the mud Wednesday, the Sri Lankan Red Cross says. Sixteen bodies have already been recovered and about 180 people have been rescued from the enormous piles of mud and...

Newly Found 'Star of Adam' Is Worth $100M

It's the largest blue star sapphire ever found

(Newser) - Kate Middleton's $45,000 sapphire ring can't compare to this showstopper: Gemologists in Sri Lanka say they've dug up the largest blue star sapphire ever found at a mine in Ratnapura, known as the City of Gems. The star sapphire—named for the star-shaped reflection that appears...

Good News, Bad News for Adulterer Sentenced to Die

Saudi court reduces sentence to 3 years in prison

(Newser) - An appeal has spared the life of a Sri Lankan maid sentenced to death by stoning for adultery in Saudi Arabia. A court announced the unidentified woman's sentence would be reduced to a three-year prison term on Wednesday, about four months after she was convicted of adultery with a...

Saudis Reopen Case of Woman Sentenced to Die Over Adultery

Court will take new look after Sri Lanka raises objections

(Newser) - A Saudi court has decided to reopen the case of a Sri Lankan woman who was sentenced to death by stoning for adultery. Deputy Foreign Minister Harsha de Silva told parliament that an appeals court in Riyadh has decided to hear the case again following pleas by Sri Lanka's...

Tsunami-Hit Nations Mark 10th Anniversary

Ceremonies pay tribute to more than 225K dead

(Newser) - A decade after one of history's worst natural disasters killed more than 225,000 people in 14 countries, memorial ceremonies for Indian Ocean tsunami victims are being held across the region.
  • In Indonesia, the worst-hit country with more than 170,000 deaths—126,000 of them in Aceh province
...

Dalai Lama to Buddhists: Stop Killing Muslims

He calls for end to violence in Burma, Sri Lanka

(Newser) - If monks going on the rampage against Muslims doesn't sound very Buddhist to you, then the Dalai Lama is in agreement. At a celebration high in the Himalayas to mark his 79th birthday, the religious leader spoke out against attacks on the Muslim minorities in Burma and Sri Lanka,...

Tourist's Buddha Tattoo Gets Her Arrested

Sri Lanka will deport her over 'disrespectful' tattoo

(Newser) - A British woman learned the hard way that it's not a good idea to visit Sri Lanka if you have a visible Buddha tattoo. Tourist Naomi Michelle Coleman, 37, was arrested after arriving from India at Sri Lanka's main international airport yesterday; she was taken before a judge,...

New Hangman Sees Gallows, Quits

Sri Lanka searching for replacement

(Newser) - Sri Lanka is looking for a new hangman after its latest recruit quit in horror at his first sight of the gallows. The country's prison commissioner says the man was "shocked and afraid" after seeing the gallows after a week of training, reports the BBC . He is the...

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