LIVE news updates: Sri Lanka shows religious extremism’s ugly face says CPI-M 

The horrific killings in Sri Lanka show "how terror motivated by religious extremism is increasingly targeting minorities in the respective countries of South
Asia", the CPI-M said on Monday.

"This underlines the necessity to combat religious extremism in all its forms," the Communist Party of India-Marxist said in a statement.

Iran and Pakistan have agreed to set up a joint border "reaction force" following a number of deadly attacks by militant groups on their frontier, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani announced Monday after talks with visiting Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan.

"We agreed to create a joint rapid reaction force at the borders for combatting terrorism," Rouhani told a joint news conference, following months of increased tensions over attacks on both sides of the frontier.

The border skirts the volatile southeastern Iranian province of Sistan-Baluchistan which has been the scene of frequent attacks on Iran's security forces.

Khan's visit to Iran, the first since he took office last year, comes after gunmen who Islamabad says were based in Iran killed 14 members of Pakistan's security forces last week in its own Balochistan province.

The Delhi unit of the Directorate General of Income-tax(Investigation) initiated search and seizure action on a group in NCR, Bhopal, Indore and Goa based upon credible information of large scale collection, possession and movement of unaccounted assets of more than Rs. 1350 crore

The US will dramatically accelerate its pressure campaign on the Iranian regime until its leaders change their destructive behaviour, respect the rights of the their people, and return to the negotiating table, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday.

Pompeo remarks came soon after US President Donald Trump announced that his administration will not issue any additional Significant Reduction Exceptions to existing importers of Iranian oil.

A Bachelor of Technology who lost his job with a multinational in Bengaluru has gone missing after killing his wife and three children here after failing to get work, police said on Tuesday.
Sumit Kumar, a resident of Gyan Khand at Indirapuram, administered sleeping pills in a liquid to his wife Anshu Bala, 32, and their children Permesh, 5, and 4-year-old twins Akriti and Anu on Sunday.
Superintendent of Police Shlok Kumar said the man then stabbed his family members.

The assistant parish priest of the St. Sebastian Church, one of the targets of the series of bomb blasts in Sri Lanka, on Monday said that the Easter Sunday service was reduced to people wailing and shouting and nobody knew what was happening.

Sanjeewa Appuphamy said that hundreds of people had turned up for the Easter celebrations in the church and it was almost the end of morning's celebrations when the bomb went off.

A plea was filed in the Delhi High Court on Monday seeking prompt redressal of consumer complaints in the wake of the ongoing Jet Airways crisis.

The application was filed by consumer rights activist Bejon K. Misra, whose earlier plea seeking capping of airfares charged by the various airlines in the country, is still pending before the court.

In Monday's interim application, the petitioner claimed that passengers had been severely affected due to the sudden suspension of Jet Airways services and sought directions to the government to them a full refund on their tickets with a reasonable compensation or to arrange for an alternative travel for them to reach their destinations.

The Sri Venkateswara Temple at Tirumala here owns 9,259 kg of gold deposited with various banks and in its treasury, a senior temple official said on Monday.

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), which manages the affairs of the country's richest temple, has 5,387 kg of gold with the State Bank of India and 1,938 kg of gold with the Indian Overseas Bank under gold deposit schemes.

TTD Executive Officer Anil Kumar Singhal said the Punjab National Bank (PNB) returned 1,381 kg of gold on April 20 as the three-year scheme had reached maturity.

Punjab CM Amarinder Singh on April 22 wrote to PM Modi seeking relaxation in the specifications for wheat for procurement in the current season, in view of the crop losses suffered by farmers due to unseasonal rains.

Five people were killed when at least two buildings collapsed as a strong earthquake rocked the northern Philippines, a local official said.

Three bodies have been pulled out of a collapsed building in the town of Porac, while an old woman and her grandchild were crushed to death by another building in the town of Lubao, provincial governor Lilia Pineda told ABS-CBN television.

"The quake has caused a blackout," she said, hampering rescue efforts in the early evening as night closed in.

The wife and sister of the suicide bomber at the Shangri La Hotel in Sri Lanka were also killed in a separate suicide blast after a bomber blew himself up causing the concrete floor of a two-storey building to crash on them in a suburb in northern Colombo, police told a court on Monday.

The police also informed the Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court that the suicide bomber of the Shangri-La hotel has been identified as Insan Seelavan, owner of a factory in Avissawella-Wellampitiya road, the Daily Mirror reported.

On Sunday, a series of eight blasts in Sri Lanka killed 290 people and wounded over 500. The explosions -- one of the deadliest attacks in the country's history -- targeted St Anthony's Church in Colombo, St Sebastian's Church in the western coastal town of Negombo and Zion Church in the eastern town of Batticaloa as the Easter Sunday mass were in progress. Explosions were reported from three five-star hotels - the Shangri-La, the Cinnamon Grand and the Kingsbury in Colombo.

The Indian Coast Guard has beefed up surveillance and deployed more ships and aircraft for patrolling following a series of devastating blasts in Sri Lanka on Sunday.

This has been done to ensure that no element that could pose as a security threat sneaks into the country through sea, a senior Coast Guard official said.

"We have deployed all our ships from Coast Guard stations at Tuticorin, Mandapam and Karaikal for surveillance," the official said.

The final of the 12th edition of the Indian Premier League will be played at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on May 12 after the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) wasn't given permission to open stands I, J and K. Chennai will now host Qualifier 1 while Vizag will host the Eliminator and Qualifier 2.

Pakistan's Punjab Bar Council has demanded the sacking of a Supreme Court judge for "ridiculing" the armed forces and casting "serious aspersions" on the intelligence agencies, especially the ISI, saying his remarks in a judgement strengthened India's narrative.

Justice Qazi Faez Isa in his February 6 judgment on the Faizabad (Islamabad) sit-in by the radical Islamists said the Constitution emphatically prohibits members of the armed forces from engaging in any kind of political activity, which includes supporting a political party, faction or individual.

After the Pulwama attack, four Jaish terrorists involved directly in the attack have been killed including Kamran on 18 February, Mushashir Ahmed Khan on March 11 and Sajjad Bhat in March 11. While 4 others have been arrested

A Delhi Court on Monday directed the CBI to supply statement of witnesses and documents aligned with closure report to Najeeb's mother by the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate

An explosion went off in a van near a church in Sri Lanka’s Colombo while the bomb squad officials were trying to defuse it

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena announced on Monday that he will seek foreign assistance to find the international links to Sunday's terror attacks that left 290 people dead.

"The intelligence reports (indicate) that foreign terrorist organisations are behind the local terrorists. Therefore, the President is to seek the assistance of the foreign countries," his office said in a statement.

Ukraine took a leap into the unknown on Monday as comedian Volodymyr Zelensky was elected president on promises of change but just a vague blueprint of what he might do as leader.

Zelensky, whose only previous political role was playing the president in a TV show, trounced incumbent Petro Poroshenko in Sunday's election in a stinging rebuke to the establishment fueled by anger over war and social injustice.

Ukrainians looked to the future with hope and anxiety after the performer took 73 percent of the vote, according to nearly complete official results.

A powerful earthquake rocked the Philippines on Monday, sending thousands of people fleeing high-rises in Manila as buildings shook.

Office workers piled out onto the streets as emergency alarms blared, media reporters saw, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

Ministry of External Affairs on discussions with China on the 1267 listing of JeM Leader Masood Azhar has said that “we have shared with China all evidences of terrorist activities of Jaish-e-Mohammad and its leader Masood Azhar”

A dozen houses were damaged in a landslide in Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district on Monday, officials said.

No casualty was reported in the the incident, which took place in Dogrun-Bathri village of Kahara tehsil, about 60 km from here, Superintendent of Police, Bhadarwah, Raj Singh Gouria said.

Based on preliminary information, Gouria said seven residential houses were completely buried under the debris of the "massive" landslide which struck around 9.00 am.

Five other houses got partially damaged due to shooting of stones, which followed the landslip, the officer said.

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena to declare nationwide emergency from midnight on Monday following Easter Day blasts

Indian Coast Guard sources: Coast Guard on high alert along the maritime boundary with Sri Lanka. Ships and maritime surveillance aircraft Dornier deployed on the maritime border to prevent any attempts by suicide bombing perpetrators to escape from Sri Lanka.

Traders affected by the suspension of cross-LoC trade by the Centre held a protest march here in the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir on Monday.

Scores of traders engaged in cross-LoC trade on the Uri-Muzaffarabad route took part in the march, demanding revocation of the suspension order, and sought a fool-proof mechanism for smooth operations.

"Our demand from the very first day of the trade has been that a fool-proof mechanism be put in place. We have made huge investments and are suffering losses of crores of rupees. We appeal to the Ministry of Home Affairs to review the suspension order," Hilal Ahmad, Cross-LoC Traders Association chairman, told reporters.

A local outfit identified as the National Tawheed Jamath is suspected of plotting the deadly Easter blasts that killed 290 people and wounded 500 others in the worst terror attack in the country's history, a top Sri Lankan minister said on Monday.

Health Minister and the government spokesman, Rajitha Senaratne, also said that all suicide bombers involved in the blasts are believed to be Sri Lankan nationals.

Speaking at a press conference, the minister said that the Chief of National Intelligence had warned the Inspector General of Police (IGP) regarding the probable attacks before April 11. "On April 4, international intelligence agencies had warned of these attacks. The IGP was informed on April 9," Senaratne said.

He said that the local outfit identified as the National Tawheed Jamath - a radical Muslim group - is suspected of plotting the deadly explosions. "There may be international links to them," he added.

“National Tawheed Jamath outfit is suspected to be behind devastating Easter blasts All suicide bombers are believed to be Sri Lankan nationals,” says Sri Lankan minister Rajitha Senaratne

“Out of the seven missing after the Terror Attack, four have been declared dead. Their names are Lakshmana Gowda Ramesh, K M Lakshminarayan, M Rangappa, KG Hanumantharayappa,” said Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy in a tweet

“We are doing our best at the moment. We apologise from the people. We are doing our best. This morning President, Prime Minister, State Defence Minister met for first time. Unified political leadership today to overcome this situation and we will take every action to eradicate terrorism from our country ," said Sri Lanka cabinet minister Rajitha Senaratne

Police curfew to be reimposed at 8pm on Monday, till 4 am on 23 of April, said cabinet minister Rajitha Senaratne, while addressing a press conference.

Kerala government has formed a medical team of 15 experts to assist Sri Lanka blasts victims. Discussions with MEA is underway to make necessary arrangements to send the team to Sri Lanka to assist the blast victims.

The Supreme Court on Monday gave an ultimatum to the Madras High Court saying the interim ban on TikTok video streaming app will end if the high court did not decide on it by April 24

An Australian citizen was arrested after he was allegedly found carrying a satellite phone at Jaipur airport on Monday, police said.

The satellite phone was recovered from the possession of Corbett during checking before boarding a Delhi-bound flight, DCP (East) Rahul Jain said.

He could not furnish documents and permission for carrying the satellite phone. “He is being interrogated,” the DCP added.

Fire breaks out at Crawford Market in Mumbai. Four fire tenders present at the spot.

“External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has confirmed death of 2 Kannadigas, KG Hanumantharayappa & M Rangappa, in the bomb blasts in Colombo. I'm deeply shocked at the loss of our JD(S) party workers, whom I know personally. We stand with their families in this hour of grief,” said Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy.

Supreme Court on Monday refused to interfere in a petition seeking cancellation of construction of former Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa's memorial at Marina beach in Chennai, Tamil Nadu

“I'm shocked to hear that a 7-member team of JDS workers from Karnataka, who were touring Colombo(Sri Lanka), has gone missing after bomb blasts. 2 of them are feared killed. I'm in constant touch with Indian High Commission on reports of those missing,” says Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy

At least six Indians have been killed in a string of eight powerful blasts, including suicide attacks, which struck three churches and luxury hotels frequented by foreigners in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, officials said on Monday.

The Shiv Sena on Monday urged the NDA government to take over the temporarily grounded private carrier Jet Airways and save its staff from losing their jobs.

It asked Prime Minister Modi to take a cue from the foresight shown by former PMs Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi in nationalising insurance and airline companies.

Speaking about the impact of the temporary shut down of the 25-year-old airline, the Sena, in an editorial in party mouthpiece 'Saamana', said the curse of those rendered jobless would be more powerful than that of a 'sadhvi'.

A debt-ridden farmer allegedly committed suicide by consuming poison in a village in Shamli district, police said on Monday.

Rajender, 50, had taken a loan from a cooperative society and was finding it difficult to repay it, according to village head Bijender Kumar.

Rajender consumed poison yesterday and was rushed to a hospital where he was declared dead. The body has been sent for postmortem, police added.

Police in Sri Lanka said Monday the investigation into the Easter Sunday bombings will examine reports that the intelligence community failed to detect or warn of possible suicide attacks before the violence.

The nine bombings of churches, luxury hotels and other sites was Sri Lanka's deadliest violence since a devastating civil war in the South Asian island nation ended a decade ago.

Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekara said Monday the death toll had risen overnight to 290 dead with more than 500 wounded.

The benchmark BSE Sensex cracked over 300 points in early trade Monday tracking losses in index heavyweights RIL, HDFC and ICICI Bank, amid weak global cues, sinking rupee and soaring crude oil prices.

The 30-share index was trading 309.56 points or 0.79 per cent lower at 38,830.72. The NSE Nifty too plunged to 101.80 points, or 0.87 per cent, to 11,651.

At least 14 people were killed and several others injured when a mudslide buried homes in a small community in Colombia on Sunday, the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD) said.

Local officials in the town of Rosas, in Cauca department, said efforts were underway to locate survivors, while the injured people had been taken to an area hospital for treatment, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The mass movement (of earth) sparked by rains ... affected eight homes and we are verifying others," the UNGRD said.

Sri Lankan authorities have arrested 24 people from the minority Muslim community in connection with the multiple blasts that rocked the island nation on Sunday, killing over 290 people.

A string of eight powerful blasts, including suicide attacks, struck churches and luxury hotels frequented by foreigners in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, killing over 290 people, including five Indians, and shattering a decade of peace in the island nation since the end of the brutal civil war with the LTTE

Fire breaks out at a building in Kalher, Bhiwandi in Maharashtra on Monday. Fire tenders rushed to the spot

The toll in a series of eight blasts targeting mostly churches and hotels in Sri Lanka on Sunday has risen to 290, a police spokesman said Monday.

More than 500 people were wounded in the blasts, he added, in the deadliest violence since the end of the country's long-running civil war a decade ago.

Sri Lankan police have arrested 13 men in connection with bomb blasts on churches and hotels that killed more than 200 people, officials said on Monday.

Authorities have not made public details on those held after Sunday's attacks. But a police source told AFP the 13 were detained at two locations in and around Colombo.

The source said the 13 men are from the same radical group.

At least two of the eight attacks were carried out by suicide bombers, according to police and other sources, and three police were killed when another suicide bomber detonated explosives during a raid on a house where suspects were.

Curfew imposed following a series of explosions yesterday was lifted at 6 am, as scheduled