News
Attacks in Sri Lanka. Government recognizes security “flaw”
Sri Lanka recognized this Wednesday April 24 a “failure” in terms of state security, unable to prevent the jihadist attacks on Easter Sunday which killed around 360 people, despite prior information from the intelligence community . The management of the Sri Lankan authorities in the days leading up to the suicide attacks that killed 359…
These unwanted Sri Lankans in Romania
The arrival of the two Asian employees in a bakery in a small Hungarian population revives identity tensions. They are 300 met on Saturday 1 st February 2020 at the House of Culture of Ditrau, small town of 5000 inhabitants, in northern Romania . The meeting, organized by the mayor, may have started with a…
Sri Lanka. More than 150 missing after landslides
More than 150 people are believed to have died in Sri Lanka in two landslides caused by three days of torrential rains in the center of the country. The flood forced more than 196,000 residents to leave their homes. Thirty-five deaths have been confirmed so far. The efforts of rescuers assisted by the Red Cross…
Attacks in Sri Lanka: two Muslim brothers, key members of suicide bombers
Two Muslim brothers, among the suicide bombers, are believed to be behind the deadly attacks in Sri Lanka which left more than 300 dead. The Sri Lankan government attributes the attacks to a little-known Islamist group, the NTJ. The Islamic State also claimed responsibility for the attacks on Tuesday, April 23, without giving any evidence….
Sri Lanka. British journalist reportedly killed by crocodile
Sri Lankan police on Friday discovered the body of a 24-year-old journalist from the British daily Financial Times. The young man would probably have been killed by a crocodile. Paul McClean’s body was discovered by divers in the peat moss of a lagoon in the coastal village of Panama, Sri Lanka , in the southeastern…
The legislative elections, a test for the former president
Sri Lankans are now electing their deputies. Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, seven months after his presidential defeat, wants to make his comeback. Beaten by reformist Maithripala Sirisena – who was his minister – in January, Mahinda Rajapaksa, 69, is now running for prime minister after having presided over the country for ten years. A double…
What is the country where people are most stressed in the world?
A study published by an international consortium of polling companies, Thursday, April 25, reveals the list of countries where residents were most stressed, worried and angry in 2018. With sometimes surprising results. Since 2012, the Greeks have been the most stressed inhabitants of the world. This is probably the fault of the economic crisis which…
Sri Lanka. Gotabaya Rajapaksa claims presidential victory
The candidate of the powerful Rajapaksa clan on Sunday claimed victory in Saturday’s presidential election. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, candidate of the powerful Rajapaksa clan who is aiming for a return to power in Sri Lanka, claimed victory in Saturday’s presidential election on Sunday. “We had between 53 and 54%” of the vote, told AFP his spokesman…
Attacks in Sri Lanka. Government accuses local Islamists and suspects “foreign aid”
Authorities in Sri Lanka have accused a local Islamist movement in the investigation into the series of attacks that hit churches and hotels on Sunday, leaving 290 dead and around 500 injured, according to a new death toll. In Colombo, it is astonishment and a time of mourning, as the investigation led to the arrest…
India and Sri Lanka. Bad weather kills nearly 200
Floods and landslides have left at least 24 dead in India and 164 dead in Sri Lanka, according to a new report released on Monday by authorities as a cyclone that originated in the Bay of Bengal is heading towards Bangladesh. According to meteorological services, a depression that originated in the Bay of Bengal intensified…
EDITORIAL. Religious persecutions, rescue the victims
Since Easter Sunday, Sri Lanka has mourned its dead. Families have been decimated, hundreds of people have been killed or injured by the appalling attacks in three churches and hotels. This fragile state was overcoming a long civil war. He was taking “a path of pacification, of appeasement throughout the country, between all the communities,”…
Easter attacks in Sri Lanka. Interpol announces the arrest of one of the main suspects
Interpol announced on Friday June 14 that it had arrested one of the main suspects in the jihadist attacks on luxury hotels and churches in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday. The attacks killed 258 people. The international organization for police cooperation Interpol announced this Friday, June 14 the arrest and extradition of one of those…
Attacks in Sri Lanka. What we know about the eight explosions that killed more than 290
Sri Lanka was hit by a series of eight explosions on Sunday April 21, in the midst of the celebration of Easter. Several churches and luxury hotels have been hit killing at least 290 people. No claim has yet been made, twenty-four people suspected of being in connection with the attack have been arrested. Return…
Sri Lanka. They save a baby elephant trapped in a manhole
Port workers in southern Sri Lanka rescued a baby elephant from a manhole cover on Sunday. He was then evacuated for treatment. A baby elephant trapped in a sewer in the town of Hambantota, in southern Sri Lanka , was saved on Sunday. The ten port workers who came to his rescue did not spare…
Attacks in Sri Lanka. Police chief refuses to leave despite president’s injunction
The Inspector General in charge of the Sri Lankan police refuses to resign, despite the appointment of his deputy to his post by the country’s president. This Monday, he still occupied his official residence. Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Monday appointed a new police chief even though his predecessor, dismissed following the jihadist attacks…
PORTRAIT. With Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka renews with Terminator et Cie
In the shadow of the new nationalist president of Sri Lanka, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, alias Terminator, lurks all the siblings… As before. The speech is soporific, the voice barely audible… But the place speaks for him. It was from the largest temple in Sri Lanka that Gotabaya Rajapaksa, 70, was sworn in on Monday, November 18….
Sri Lanka. New explosion heard east of the capital, no casualties to be deplored
An explosion was heard in Sri Lanka this Thursday, April 25, 40 km east of the capital Colombo, four days after the suicide bombings in churches and hotels that mourn the country. Police opened an investigation. An explosion was heard on Thursday, April 25, outside a court in the Sri Lankan town of Pugoda, located…
Sri Lanka extends ban on masses over fear of further attacks
Bruised by a series of terrorist attacks at Easter, the Sri Lankan Catholic Church has given up its plan to allow the resumption of masses, this Sunday, May 5. The faithful will have to be patient. Churches remain closed and masses will not be able to resume, as planned, this Sunday, May 5, in Sri…
Sri Lanka. Two elephants saved from drowning in the open sea
Two elephants were rescued on Sunday as they were swept away by the current in the open sea in Sri Lanka. Two young elephants were rescued from drowning on Sunday while in the open sea, the Sri Lankan navy said. The two pachyderms were brought back to earth after “colossal efforts” which required the efforts…
Floods in Sri Lanka. A new death toll shows 196 dead
Sri Lanka has been facing the worst floods since 2003 for several days. In a new report released by the government, 196 people were killed and 93 others are missing. According to a new report published on Tuesday by the Sri Lankan government, the floods that hit the country have left 196 people dead, while…
Attacks in Sri Lanka: no French among the 321 dead
The Sri Lankan government retracted its Sunday statements, citing a nationality error. The Sri Lankan government returned this Tuesday to its announcement the day before of a Frenchman killed in the suicide attacks on Easter Sunday. “The French national who was marked as killed in the ministry’s press release of April 22 is a case…
Sri Lanka. At least 21 dead in landfill collapse
The collapse of a 91-meter-high landfill killed at least 21 people, including three teenagers, and injured a dozen others on Friday night in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo. Hopes of finding survivors faded on Sunday Hundreds of soldiers, however, continued on Sunday to dig in the middle of the refuse and 145 houses destroyed by…
In Romania, the virus traps small Sri Lankan hands
In defiance of all the health rules imposed by the coronavirus crisis and labor law, Sri Lankan immigrants have been asked to leave their factory located in Romania. It’s a story that says a lot about the failings of globalization and the Covid-19 pandemic which exacerbates them even more … A major exporter of cheap…
Sri Lanka: the outgoing reelected but the tension is high
Sri Lanka’s outgoing president Mahinda Rajapakse has been re-elected, state broadcaster Rupavahini reported. “It’s a resounding victory for the president” . Even though the formal announcement of the electoral commission is not due until later today, the spokesman for the head of state, Chandrapala Liyanage, claimed that Rajapakse won the presidential election with a majority…
Space debris will disintegrate above the water on Friday
Lunar rocket debris is expected to disintegrate over Sri Lankan waters on Friday, according to the European Space Agency. Space debris likely from a lunar rocket will enter the atmosphere on Friday and disintegrate over Sri Lanka’s territorial waters, according to the European Space Agency (ESA), which intends to study the phenomenon. “This event presents…
Seeing the gallows, the executioner fled
A newly hired executioner threw his neck out at the sight of the gallows for which he was responsible, the Sri Lankan head of prisons announced on Tuesday. A newly hired executioner threw his neck out at the sight of the gallows for which he was responsible, the Sri Lankan head of prisons announced on…
Attacks in Sri Lanka. The Christian community, under close surveillance, mourns its dead
The public offices were canceled this Sunday but a vigil was however organized. Coordinated attacks on churches and luxury hotels on Sunday April 21 claimed the lives of 253 people. The churches of Sri Lanka remained closed this Sunday, April 28, the Christians mourning in private the victims of the bloody attacks of Easter ,…
Sri Lanka. A week after the Easter attacks, the president bans the niqab
This ban on wearing Islamic veils covering the face is taken by the Head of State in the name of “national security”. The measure comes into force on Monday. Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena announced on Sunday April 28 the ban on Islamic veils covering the face in the name of “national security” , a…
Raging child returning from Sri Lanka has died
The little boy had been bitten by a puppy in Sri Lanka while on vacation. The 10-year-old child, originally from the Rhône, died Tuesday evening in Lyon. A rare situation in France: since 1970, 23 people have been identified as having had rabies in France after contracting the disease abroad. The ten-year-old boy, suffering from…
Sri Lankan Defense Ministry’s top official resigns
Hemasiri Fernando, the most senior official in Sri Lanka’s defense ministry, resigned Thursday April 26 following the jihadist attacks that killed 359 people on Sunday. Sri Lanka’s senior defense ministry official resigned Thursday following jihadist attacks that killed 359 people on Sunday, a ministerial source told AFP. Hemasiri Fernando gave his letter of resignation to…