Sri Lanka

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Mrs. World Gives Up Her Crown After On-Stage Fracas

After Caroline Jurie's exit, Kate Schneider from Ireland is the new Mrs. World

(Newser) - Kate Schneider from Ireland has been named the new Mrs. World after the reigning titleholder resigned following an on-stage fracas in which she pulled the crown off the head of the winner of the Mrs. Sri Lanka beauty pageant. Mrs. World Inc. said it has received the resignation of Caroline...

Mrs. World 2020 Arrested in Crown-Grabbing Incident

The current Mrs. Sri Lanka, who has been re-crowned, was injured

(Newser) - Mrs. World 2020 now faces assault charges. Caroline Jurie, who won Mrs. Sri Lanka in 2019 before going on to win Mrs. World, was arrested after the bizarre Sunday night incident in which she yanked the crown off the head of the new Mrs. Sri Lanka moments after she'd...

After 'Mrs. Sri Lanka' Is Named, a Weird Turn of Events

Mrs. World 2020 declared Pushpika De Silva ineligible and removed her crown

(Newser) - It's an event that's high-profile enough that the prime minister's wife attended. The "Mrs Sri Lanka" pageant unexpectedly ended up being high-drama as well on Sunday night. The BBC calls it the country's "biggest beauty prize," and reports Pushpika De Silva was named...

Drug Smuggling Cat Escapes Detainment
Drug Smuggling Cat
Escapes Prison
Aug 4, 2020 3:47 AM CDT

Drug Smuggling Cat Escapes Prison

Sri Lankan officials do not plan to search for the feline

(Newser) - Officials at a Sri Lanka prison captured a drug-smuggling cat Saturday—but by the following day, the felonious feline had escaped. The cat had a plastic bag tied around its neck that held almost two grams of heroin, two SIM cards, and a memory chip, the Telegraph reports. It was...

One Man Blamed for Half of His Nation's Cases

Sri Lankan man says he is being scapegoated

(Newser) - Sri Lankan auto rickshaw driver Prasad Dinesh admits breaking into a house to steal coconuts to sell to buy heroin—but he says it's harsh to blame him for almost half of the country's coronavirus cases. The 33-year-old sustained a leg injury during the April 5 theft and...

Country Hires 2 Hangmen, Says Executions Will Happen

Sri Lanka last put a man to death in 1976

(Newser) - Sri Lankan prison authorities have recruited two hangmen ahead of planned executions that would end a 43-year-old moratorium on the death penalty, an official said Monday. The recruitment of the two hangmen comes as prison authorities are preparing to carry out an order by Sri Lanka president Maithripala Sirisena, who...

After Easter Bombings, a Gruesome Retaliation

Mobs attack Muslim homes, shops, mosques and hack a man to death

(Newser) - A Sri Lankan Cabinet minister says a Muslim man was killed and dozens of shops and mosques were destroyed in communal violence in apparent retaliation for the Easter Sunday bombings that killed more than 250 people. Rauff Hakeem, leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, says that the man was...

Sri Lanka Bans Face Coverings, Including Veils

Law bans garments that 'hinder identification'

(Newser) - Muslim women in Sri Lanka will no longer be able to veil their faces under an emergency law ordered by President Maithripala Sirisena that bans all kinds of face coverings that may conceal people's identities. The law takes effect Monday, eight days after the Easter bombings of churches and...

A Week After Attacks, a 'Gruesome Scene' in Sri Lanka

At least 16 dead after police raid in Sainthamaruthu

(Newser) - Not even a week after the Easter weekend attacks in Sri Lanka, a "gruesome scene" unfolded after a police raid that resulted in at least 16 dead. Per CNN , the raid and subsequent shootout between Sri Lankan security forces and suspected militants took place Friday in Sainthamaruthu, on the...

Sri Lanka President: 'I Will Stamp Out ISIS'

Authorities say ringleader died in hotel bombing

(Newser) - The alleged ringleader of the group of Islamic extremists behind the Sri Lanka Easter Sunday bombings blew himself up in the attack, authorities say, though they fear other militants still at large could carry out more attacks. President Maithripala Sirisena said Friday that radical preacher Zahran Hashim was one of...

Sri Lankan Official: the 'Worrying Factor' About Suspects

Defense minister says it appears many bombing suspects lived, studied abroad

(Newser) - The Islamic State has claimed credit for helping suicide bombers pull off the Easter weekend attacks in Sri Lanka, and the nation's defense minister is now citing a "worrying factor" about them. "Most of them are well-educated and come from middle- or upper-middle class [families], so they...

ISIS Names 7 Suicide Bombers in 'Infidel Holiday' Attack

Islamic State claims responsibility for Sri Lanka bombings

(Newser) - Authorities in Sri Lanka have implicated a small extremist group called National Thowfeek Jamaath for the Easter weekend bombings . But how could a small group pull off a coordinated attack of such sophistication? The answer might have arrived via the Islamic State's Amaq news agency, reports the New York ...

Official: Easter Bombings Were 'Revenge for Christchurch'

American 5th-grader was among Sri Lanka victims

(Newser) - The father of 11-year-old Kieran Shafritz de Zoysa says his "articulate and insightful and kind" son was one of the Americans killed in the Sri Lanka Easter Sunday bombings. The fifth-grader was staying with his mother in Sri Lanka during a leave of absence from the prestigious Sidwell Friends...

Danish Billionaire Loses 3 Kids in Sri Lanka Attacks

Anders Holch Povlsen is Denmark's wealthiest man

(Newser) - A Danish billionaire lost three of his four children in the Sri Lanka terror attacks. The family of Anders Holch Povlsen, a fashion tycoon and Denmark's wealthiest man, was visiting the country over the Easter holiday, a spokesperson tells the BBC . Povlsen, who has a net worth of $7....

An American on Work Trip Among the Dead in Sri Lanka

Dieter Kowalski, 40, was a Denver resident who was born in Milwaukee

(Newser) - We knew that Americans were among the victims of the terror attacks in Sri Lanka , and now we have the first name: Dieter Kowalski, a 40-year-old Denver resident. Kowalski worked in tech for Pearson, described as an educational publishing and assessment company, and he had just arrived in Sri Lanka...

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...

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