Sri Lanka bombing: What is the National Thowheed Jamaath, the Islamist group blamed for attacks?

As Sri Lanka’s authorities hunt down the perpetrators of the Easter Sunday massacre, their focus has centred on the National Thowheed Jamath, a little-known local fringe group who security experts say promote Islamist terrorist ideology but has no history of major attacks. The country’s security agencies were warned two weeks before the atrocity about the possible…

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Netherlands revolts against over-tourism as sites trampled by influx

Its elegant canals, brightly-coloured tulip fields and world-class museums attract millions of tourists a year, but the Netherlands has decided that enough is enough. In the latest revolt against the over-tourism that is crushing the life out of popular destinations, from Venice and Santorini to Thailand and Kyoto, the Dutch government is to switch from…

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China suspected of firing laser-beams at Australian helicopters

Australian Navy helicopter pilots have been targeted with laser beams as they flew over the South China Sea, in a series of attacks suspected to originate from the Chinese military.  The pilots, who were chaperoning amphibious assault ship HMAS Canberra on its voyage from Vietnam to Singapore,  were forced into emergency landings after laser attacks from fishing boats, defence…

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Dissident Chinese cartoonist shows his face on Tiananmen anniversary

One of China’s most prominent political cartoonists who has hidden his identity for years to avoid reprisals from the state revealed his face publicly on Tuesday to mark the 30th anniversary of Beijing’s June 4 crackdown on Tiananmen protests. Chinese troops brutally crushed the student-led pro-democracy demonstrations in and around Tiananmen Square, first opening fire…

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Levittown Housing Discrimination Subject Of Oral History Series

LEVITTOWN, NY — North Hempstead town officials released a dozen oral history interviews Tuesday as part of a broader Civil Rights Movement project, and Levittown’s racist past was the subject of one such video. The 12 videos were released by Judi Bosworth, the town supervisor, and members of the town board. North Hempstead began the…

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