Sri Lanka

The new regulations will require all owners to obtain "photo identity cards with a DNA stamp for all animals under their care," according to the State Minister of Wildlife Protection.

A new surge of infections took over the country, registering over 20,000 new coronavirus cases and around 600 deaths every day since last Thursday. On Tuesday, 20,616 new cases were recorded.

A U.N. representative in Sri Lanka said the chemicals released by the X-Press Pearl sinking caused "significant damage." "An environmental emergency of this nature causes significant damage to the planet by the release of hazardous substances into the ecosystem," Hanaa Singer-Hamdy said.

The U.K. recorded over 8,000 new cases, the highest since late February, mostly all connected to the Delta variant. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will announce on Monday if England will still lift social distancing restrictions.

The processors allege a cover-up about what the crew knew before the ship entered Sri Lankan waters.

The Centre for Environmental Justice called the chemical spill from the accident "the worst marine disaster" in the country's history.

"This tragic incident—inundating beaches on the west coast of Sri Lanka with tonnes of microplastics—will have immediate and long-term effects on this coastal ecosystem," the World Wildlife Fund told Newsweek on Thursday.

Sri Lankan officials prepare for an oil spill after the cargo ship that caught fire on May 20, X-Press Pearl, sinks deeper into the Indian Ocean. The fishing industry is still halted as non-biodegradable plastic pellets continue to wash ashore.

One expert said the pellets, known as nurdles, "will persist in the marine environment forever as they are not biodegradable."

"The ship has dealt a death blow to our lives. We can't go into the sea, which means we can't make a living," Joshua Anthony, head of a region fishing union.

Environmentalist Ajantha Perera said potential leaks from the vessel's fuel tanks when it sinks could lead to "a terrible environmental disaster."

Malaysian Senior Minister Ismail Sabri said many Muslims ignored the COVID-19 safety rules that prevented them from seeing each other during the Eid festival

Beauty queen and Mrs. World 2020 title-holder Caroline Jurie is stepping down after snatching the crown off the head of the Mrs. Sri Lanka pageant winner on Sunday, allegedly causing injuries that resulted in Jurie's arrest.

A video showed Mrs. World Caroline Jurie removing the crown of Mrs. Sri Lanka World 2021 winner Pushpika De Silva on Sunday after Jurie claimed that De Silva was divorced and therefore could not win.

With the historically pro-China Rajapaksa brothers back in power, Sri Lanka is being asked by the U.S. to shun the Belt and Road Initiative and prioritize "a transparent, private sector-driven investment, grant, and business model."

The virus has killed almost 200 people since it emerged in the city of Wuhan in late 2019.

A month after the appointment of Lt. General Shavendra Silva as chief of the Sri Lankan army, the United Nations announced a ban on Sri Lankan troops, citing concern over Silva's involvement in the death of tens of thousands of Sri Lankan Tamils during civil war.

"She walks many kilometers every night so that people will feel blessed during the ceremony. No one sees her bony body or her weakened condition, because of her costume," the Save Elephant Foundation said.

The homemade explosives have become the leading cause of death for elephants in Sri Lanka, where hundreds of the endangered animals are killed each year.

A review of persecution of Christians across the world finds alarming evidence that extremists are getting closer to eradicating Christianity in some areas.

"It's not about her faith, it's about her selectivity," Conway said.

The radical revision has also been attributed to poor communication among officials.

Hundreds of Muslim refugees have been forced to flee Sri Lanka's west coast following reprisals.

Pastor Darrell Scott said Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has not tweeted about the Sri Lanka bombings because she could not use them "as a weapon against the Trump administration."

At least 321 people were killed and more than 500 injured in the coordinated bomb attacks on Easter.

Sri Lanka's defense minister said the bombings, which killed 321, are linked to the attacks on two New Zealand mosques last month.

"They're making Christians and conservatives out to be the villains for reacting to terrorist attacks," Watters claimed.

Sri Lanka's Christians have a long history that reflects the dynamics of colonialism as well as present-day ethnic and religious tensions.

At least two of those who were killed were dual nations of the U.S. and the United Kingdom.

"It was a river of blood," said N.A. Sumanapala, a shopkeeper near St. Anthony's Shrine in Colombo, Sri Lanka.