Exclusive: Sri Lankan ex-defense chief Gotabaya says he will run for president, tackle radical Islam
Sri Lanka’s former wartime defense chief, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, said on Friday he would run for president in elections this year and would stop the spread of Islamist extremism by rebuilding the intelligence service and surveilling citizens.
‘Black sheep’: The mastermind of Sri Lanka’s Easter Sunday bombs
Mohamed Hashim Mohamed Zahran was 12 years old when he began his studies at the Jamiathul Falah Arabic College. He was a nobody, with no claim to scholarship other than ambition.
North Korean leader warns of return to tension; Trump thanks Putin
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un told Russian President Vladimir Putin that peace and security on the Korean peninsula depended on the United States, warning that a state of hostility could easily return, North Korean media said on Friday.
Panama tribunal says ex-president Martinelli cannot run in election: spokesman
Panama’s electoral tribunal has ruled that former President Ricardo Martinelli, who is awaiting trial on wiretapping charges, cannot take part in elections on May 5 in which he was running for mayor of Panama City and a seat in Congress, a spokesman fo…
U.S. sanctions Venezuela’s foreign minister, Venezuelan judge
The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza, saying it would pursue those in President Nicolas Maduro’s government for corruption as well as officials conducting diplomacy on his behalf.
Sri Lanka police hunt 140 after Easter bombings as shooting erupts in east
Sri Lankan police are trying to track down 140 people believed linked to Islamic State, which claimed responsibility for the Easter Sunday suicide bombings that killed 253, as shooting erupted in the east during a raid.
The Western-educated bomber who botched Sri Lanka hotel attack
His target was the breakfast buffet at the Taj Samudra, a luxury hotel on Colombo’s seafront. Instead, he ended up detonating his explosive device in a budget motel by the city’s zoo, killing a couple who had arrived only half an hour earlier.
Venezuela’s opposition-run congress says lawmaker was detained
Venezuela’s opposition-run National Assembly said on Friday that opposition lawmaker Gilber Caro had been detained, which it said in a Twitter post was a violation of his parliamentary immunity.
Trump sees progress with North Korea, welcomes Putin’s support
U.S. President Donald Trump, who ended a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un earlier this year without a nuclear deal, said on Friday a lot of progress was being made towards an agreement and welcomed support from Russian President Vladimir Put…
UK opposition leader Corbyn says won’t attend Trump state dinner
The leader of Britain’s opposition Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, said on Friday he had turned down an invitation to a state dinner which will be one of the highlights of U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to Britain in June.
