Attack is thought to be retribution for cartoons about Islam
Twelve people, including eight journalists and two policemen, were killed when three gunmen entered the Paris office of the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo and opened fire on Wednesday. The police have since named three suspects, one of whom surrendered. A manhunt is on for the other two. The magazine is noted for its provocative cartoons lampooning powerful people and institutions. The magazine's offices were firebombed in November 2011 after it carried caricatures of Prophet Muhammad. Among the dead were the editor of the magazine and three cartoonists.
Sri Lanka goes to the polls
On Thursday, nearly 15 million Sri Lankans will vote to choose the country’s next president. In November, incumbent President Mahinda Rajapaksa called for snap polls two years ahead of schedule. At the time, he was eyeing an unprecedented third term in office as he had no coherent opposition. However, after the polls were called, one of his cabinet ministers, Maithripala Sirisena, and some of his supporters, defected to the opposition.
Shashi Tharoor asked to join Sunanda Pushkar death inquiry
The Delhi police sent a notice to Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, asking him to join the investigation following his wife Sunanda Pushkar’s death. Tharoor is in Kerala and is set to return to the capital on Friday. Sources said he was very agitated when the police said Pushkar had been murdered, not committed suicide as previously thought. Meanwhile, the Leela Palace Hotel, where Pushkar’s body was found in January 2014, said it had handed over all CCTV camera footage to the police.
Coal workers call off strike
On Wednesday night, coal workers called off their nationwide strike after two days, after receiving an assurance from the government that Coal India will not be privatised. The strike resulted in production losses of an estimated Rs 300 crore. If the action had continued, nearly 100 coal-fired power plants in the country could have been at risk of shutting down.
Tail section of QZ8501 found
The tail section of the sunken AirAsia flight QZ8501 which went missing nearly two weeks ago over the Java Sea was found on Wednesday, raising hopes that the cockpit voice and flight data recorders will soon be found as they are located in the tail. Searchers used sonar to locate the piece of wreckage. They remained cautious about the find, however, as some of them believed the recorders could have come loose during the crash and been carried away by currents.
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Twelve people, including eight journalists and two policemen, were killed when three gunmen entered the Paris office of the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo and opened fire on Wednesday. The police have since named three suspects, one of whom surrendered. A manhunt is on for the other two. The magazine is noted for its provocative cartoons lampooning powerful people and institutions. The magazine's offices were firebombed in November 2011 after it carried caricatures of Prophet Muhammad. Among the dead were the editor of the magazine and three cartoonists.
Sri Lanka goes to the polls
On Thursday, nearly 15 million Sri Lankans will vote to choose the country’s next president. In November, incumbent President Mahinda Rajapaksa called for snap polls two years ahead of schedule. At the time, he was eyeing an unprecedented third term in office as he had no coherent opposition. However, after the polls were called, one of his cabinet ministers, Maithripala Sirisena, and some of his supporters, defected to the opposition.
Shashi Tharoor asked to join Sunanda Pushkar death inquiry
The Delhi police sent a notice to Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, asking him to join the investigation following his wife Sunanda Pushkar’s death. Tharoor is in Kerala and is set to return to the capital on Friday. Sources said he was very agitated when the police said Pushkar had been murdered, not committed suicide as previously thought. Meanwhile, the Leela Palace Hotel, where Pushkar’s body was found in January 2014, said it had handed over all CCTV camera footage to the police.
Coal workers call off strike
On Wednesday night, coal workers called off their nationwide strike after two days, after receiving an assurance from the government that Coal India will not be privatised. The strike resulted in production losses of an estimated Rs 300 crore. If the action had continued, nearly 100 coal-fired power plants in the country could have been at risk of shutting down.
Tail section of QZ8501 found
The tail section of the sunken AirAsia flight QZ8501 which went missing nearly two weeks ago over the Java Sea was found on Wednesday, raising hopes that the cockpit voice and flight data recorders will soon be found as they are located in the tail. Searchers used sonar to locate the piece of wreckage. They remained cautious about the find, however, as some of them believed the recorders could have come loose during the crash and been carried away by currents.
