News Headlines - 24 April 2019
▽Sri Lanka bombings: Islamic State claims responsibility for attacks | World news | The Guardian
Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the Easter bombings in Sri Lanka that killed more than 320 people, the group’s Amaq news agency has said.
The terrorist group released a photograph of the alleged ringleader of the attacks, as well as what it said was the nom de guerre of each attacker. The group said the bombers targeted citizens of the US-led coalition fighting Isis and referred to Easter as an “infidel holiday”.
The death from exhaustion of more than 100 Indonesian election workers and police officers during the world's largest one-day vote has triggered calls for a review of the simultaneous presidential and legislative polls.
More than seven million workers were deployed as almost 245,000 candidates vied for about 20,000 posts, according to the General Elections Commission.
Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Wiranto said 139 officials were confirmed dead as of Wednesday (April 24), while the commission said more than 500 fell ill after the vote.
▽Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Leaders Sentenced to Prison | Time
Eight Hong Kong activists were handed sentences of up to 16 months in prison on Wednesday for their roles organizing pro-democracy demonstrations in 2014.
The activists were convicted on charges of public nuisance and incitement two weeks ago, a verdict that some perceived as underscoring eroding political freedoms in the semi-autonomous Chinese enclave under pressure from Beijing.
Theresa May has given the green light to a Chinese telecoms giant to help build Britain's new 5G network despite warnings from the US and some of her most senior ministers that it poses a risk to national security.
The National Security Council, which is chaired by the Prime Minister, agreed on Tuesday to allow Huawei limited access to help build parts of the network such as antennas and other “noncore” infrastructure.
Sajid Javid, the Home Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, Foreign Secretary, Gavin Williamson, Defence Secretary, Liam Fox, International Trade Secretary, and Penny Mordaunt, International Development Secretary, were said to have raised concerns about the approach.
▽Treasury's Mnuchin misses congressional deadline to hand over Trump tax returns - Reuters
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin failed to meet a final congressional deadline on Tuesday for turning over President Donald Trump’s tax returns to lawmakers, setting the stage for a possible court battle between Congress and the administration.
