Sri Lanka Bombings The Sri Lankan police have
Sri Lanka Bombings
The Sri Lankan police have arrested 24 people in connection with a series of devastating suicide bombings at hotels and churches on Easter Sunday that left nearly 300 people dead and more than 500 injured. The government on Monday blamed National Thowheeth Jama’ath, a little-known radical Islamist organization that promotes a terrorist ideology , for the bombings. An official said the group, which had not carried out any serious attacks before, had help from “an international network. ” A forensic analysis of body parts found at six sites determined that seven suicide bombers conducted attacks at three churches and three hotels. Sri Lanka’s security forces were warned at least 10 days before the bombings that the group planned suicide attacks against churches, but apparently took no action against it, indicating a catastrophic intelligence failure. Top government officials say the warning never reached them. The Sri Lankan tourism minister said that at least 39 foreigners were among the dead. Those countries that have confirmed their citizens were killed include Australia, Britain, China, Japan, Portugal and the United States. Sri Lanka does not have much history of Islamist terrorism. The country is predominantly Buddhist, with significant Hindu, Muslim and Christian minorities.
In Other News n n More than 80% of parents in the U. S. support the teaching of climate change. And that support crosses political divides: Whether they have children or not, two-thirds of Republicans and 9 in 10 Democrats agree that the subject needs to be taught in school. A separate poll of teachers found that they are even more supportive, in theory — 86% agree that climate change should be taught. These polls are among the first to gauge public and teacher opinion on how climate change should be taught to the generation that in the coming years will face its intensifying consequences. Although most states have classroom standards that at least mention human-caused climate change, most teachers aren't actually talking about climate change in their classrooms. And fewer than half of parents have discussed the issue with their children. Investigators have pinpointed the start of the fire that ripped through Notre Dame Cathedral on Monday. After police reviewed a cache of amateur video and photos from local residences, investigators believe the fire started at the center of the cathedral's roof towards the base of the iconic spiral. The police source also told CNN that investigators are focusing on two potential problems relating to the outbreak of the fire. One issue under investigation is a possible problem with the fire alarm system sensors. Investigators' second line of inquiry, the source said, relates to the elevators that were built for the construction workers. The source provided no additional details on that.
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