Sri Lanka lifts social media blockade imposed after Easter Sunday blasts
Colombo: The Sri Lankan government Tuesday lifted a nationwide social media ban imposed to curb the spread of misinformation after the devastating Easter Sunday bombings that killed 253 people.
According to the information department, President Maithripala Sirisena has instructed the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) to lift the ban on Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube and other popular platforms from April 30.
The government has asked the public to share content on social media sites with "utmost responsibility" while bearing in mind the current situation of the country, the Sunday Times reported. Social media had remained blocked in Sri Lanka where a string of powerful blasts tore through three churches and as many luxury hotels on April 21, killing 253 people and injuring more than 500 others.
The government said it blocked social media in the wake of the Easter Sunday attacks to curb the spread of misinformation among the public.
The Islamic State has claimed the attacks, but the government has blamed local extremist group National Thowheeth Jamaath (NTJ) for the bombings.
Both Christianity and Islam are minority religions in Sri Lanka, with each accounting for less than 10 per cent of the population. The vast majority of Sri Lankans identify as Buddhist.
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50 passengers from Karnataka stranded in conflict region arrived in New Delhi: CM office
Bengaluru (PTI): Fifty passengers from the state who were stranded in the Gulf region amid the ongoing West Asia conflict arrived in New Delhi early Friday morning after departing from Fujairah in the UAE, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's office said.
The protocol team (Karnataka govt) were at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi with breakfast, it said.
They were transported on a KSRP (Karnataka State Reserve Police) bus and two cars to domestic terminals for their onward travel to Bengaluru, Mangaluru and Hubballi, the CM office said in a statement.
Many were disgruntled and complained to the team that MEA did nothing, and it was only a local organisation that helped them with their tickets, etc., the statement claimed.
"Incidentally, we are the only state so far that is providing this assistance at the Delhi airport," it added.
