Top Stories Today – April 22, 2019
Top Stories Today – April 22, 2019
Bomb attacks in Sri Lanka killed 290
Sri Lanka said on Monday it was invoking emergency powers in the aftermath of devastating bomb attacks on hotels and churches, blamed on militants with foreign links, in which 290 people were killed and nearly 500 wounded.
Police said 87 bomb detonators were found at the city’s main bus station, while an explosive went off near a church where scores were killed on Sunday when bomb squad officials were trying to defuse it. There was no claim of responsibility for the attack but suspicion was focusing on Islamist militants in the Buddhist-majority country. Police said 24 people had been arrested, all of whom were Sri Lankan, but they gave no more details. Reuters
US to sanction nations for importing Iranian oil
The Trump administration is poised to tell five nations, including allies Japan, South Korea and Turkey, that they will no longer be exempt from US sanctions if they continue to import oil from Iran, officials said Sunday. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo plans to announce on Monday that the administration will not renew sanctions waivers for the five countries when they expire on May 2, three US officials said. The others are China and India.
It was not immediately clear if any of the five would be given additional time to wind down their purchases or if they would be subject to US sanctions on May 3 if they do not immediately halt imports of Iranian oil. The Associated Press
Comedian wins Ukrainian presidency
Ukrainian comedian Volodymyr Zelensky has scored a landslide victory in the country’s presidential election. With nearly all ballots counted in the run-off vote, Zelensky had taken more than 73% with incumbent Petro Poroshenko trailing far behind on 24%.
“I will never let you down,” Zelensky told celebrating supporters. Russia says it wants him to show “sound judgement”, “honesty” and “pragmatism” so that relations can improve. Russia backs separatists in eastern Ukraine. Analysts believe Zelensky’s informal style and vow to clean up Ukrainian politics resonated with voters who are disillusioned with the country’s path under Poroshenko. BBC
Democrats to debate Trump impeachment
House Democrats plan to meet this week to discuss whether to launch impeachment proceedings against President Trump, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said Sunday. Schiff told Fox News Sunday that the findings in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report were “serious and damning.”
The report detailed numerous Trump actions that could be seen as obstruction of justice, although it said there was not sufficient evidence to charge anyone in the Trump campaign with criminal cooperation with Russian election interference. “That’s going to be a very consequential decision and one that I’m going to reserve judgment on until we’ve had a chance to fully deliberate on it,” Schiff said. The Washington Post via The Week
N Korea’s strategy: Slam everyone but Trump
North Korea has directed a wave of criticism at top White House officials, as talks with the United States have stalled. But one person Pyongyang hasn’t criticized: Donald Trump. The pattern reflects North Korea’s apparent preference to continue negotiating directly with Trump, who has taken a more conciliatory approach to the nuclear talks than many of his deputies.
It also appears to be a carefully calibrated effort by North Korea to increase negotiating pressure on the US without completely derailing the talks. North Korea has bashed plenty of other US officials in recent weeks. The Voice of America
Mexico breaks violence record
Violence in Mexico hit new heights in the first quarter of 2019, with 8,493 murders recorded from January to March, according to official figures. According to the Executive Secretariat of the Public Security National System, that number represents a 9.6 percent rise on the same period in 2018.
Last year was considered the most violent in Mexico’s history, with over 33,500 murders — the highest number since records began in 1997. The new record contradicts claims by leftist President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador that murders have not increased during his presidency, which began in December. The Voice of America