Sri Lanka imposes curfew after president declares state of emergency - Reuters

• Summary
• Companies

• Curfew until 0030 GMT on Monday
• Lawyers urge president to revoke state of emergency
• Sri Lankans suffering from lack of fuel, essential items
• India rushes to provide food aid

COLOMBO, April 2 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's government imposed a weekend curfew on Saturday, even as hundreds of lawyers urged President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to revoke a state of emergency introduced following unrest over fuel and other shortages in a deep economic crisis.

The government's information department said a countrywide curfew would run from 6 p.m. (1230 GMT) on Saturday to 6 a.m. (0030 GMT) on Monday.

Rajapaksa introduced a state of emergency on Friday, raising fears of a crackdown on protests. Emergency powers in the past have allowed the military to arrest and detain suspects without warrants, but the terms of the current powers are not yet clear.

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The Indian Ocean island nation of 22 million people is grappling with rolling blackouts for up to 13 hours a day as the government scrambles to secure foreign exchange to pay for fuel and other essential imports. read more .

"People take to the streets when things are impossible," 68-year-old Colombo shop owner Nishan Ariyapala told Reuters TV. "When people take to the streets the political leaders of the country must act thoughtfully."

Rajapaksa said the state of emergency was needed to protect public order and maintain essential supplies and services.

Angered by the shortages of fuel and other essential items, hundreds of protesters clashed on Thursday with police and the military outside Rajapaksa's residence as they called for his ouster and torched several police and army vehicles.

Police arrested 53 people and imposed a curfew in and around Colombo on Friday to contain other sporadic protests.

Shops opened and traffic was normal on Saturday, while police remained stationed at some petrol stations.

'FAILURE TO UNDERSTAND'

"There has been a failure to understand the aspirations of the people and to empathize with the suffering of the people of the country," the lawyers, members of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka, said in their appeal, adding that freedom of speech and peaceful assembly should be respected.

Reacting to the state of emergency, U.S. ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung said: "Sri Lankans have a right to protest peacefully - essential for democratic expression.

"I am watching the situation closely, and hope the coming days bring restraint from all sides, as well as much needed economic stability and relief for those suffering," she tweeted.

Highlighting the severe shortage of foreign currency, a vessel carrying 5,500 metric tonnes of cooking gas had to leave Sri Lankan waters after Laugfs Gas (LGGL.CM), the company that ordered it, could not procure $4.9 million from local banks to pay for it.

"People are struggling with an acute shortage of cooking gas, but how can we help them when there are no dollars? We are stuck," Laugfs Gas Chairman W.H.K. Wegapitiya told Reuters.

The ongoing crisis - the result of economic mismanagement by successive governments - has been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has hit tourism and remittances.

It has also marked a sharp turnaround in political support for Rajapaksa, who swept to power in 2019 promising stability.

The government has said it is seeking a bailout from the International Monetary Fund and loans from India and China.

In the first major food aid to the country since Colombo secured a credit line from New Delhi, Indian traders have started loading 40,000 tonnes of rice. read more

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Reporting by Uditha Jayasinghe Writing by Rupam Jain Editing by William Mallard and Mark Potter

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Pentagon to give ‘kamikaze drones,’ rockets and other security aid to Ukraine - The Times of Israel

WASHINGTON — The US Defense Department announced Friday it is allotting $300 million in “security assistance” for Ukraine to bolster the country’s defense capabilities, adding to the $1.6 billion Washington has committed since Russia invaded in late February.

The package includes laser-guided rocket systems, drones, ammunition, night-vision devices, tactical secure communications systems, medical supplies and armored vehicles.

“This decision underscores the United States’ unwavering commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in support of its heroic efforts to repel Russia’s war of choice,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in a statement.

On Wednesday, US President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky discussed “additional capabilities” to help the Ukrainian military, the White House said in a statement after the call.

In mid-March, Congress passed a funding bill that included $13.6 billion for humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine and NATO allies in eastern Europe.

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Shortly after, Biden announced $1 billion in new security assistance to Ukraine.

US President Joe Biden (left) speaks at the House Democratic Caucus Issues Conference in Philadelphia, March 11, 2022. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (right) speaks in Kyiv, Ukraine, March 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky); (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

A large portion of the military equipment the US has given to Ukraine has come from its own stockpile, through a process known as a “presidential drawdown.”

Unlike that process, the $300 million announced Friday will go towards new contracts for military equipment from the Pentagon’s defense industry partners.

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One of the technologies included in the announcement is more Switchblade tactical drones.

Dubbed “kamikaze drones,” Switchblades can be directed by an operator to find and, when ready, plunge onto a target, exploding on contact.

Kirby added that the US “also continues to work with its allies and partners to identify and provide to the Ukrainians additional capabilities.”

Ukrainian servicemen ride atop tanks in the town of Trostsyanets, Ukraine, March 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

Later Friday evening, the New York Times reported that following a request by Zelensky, the US had decided to facilitate the transfer of Soviet-made tanks from allies to Ukraine.

The decision would mark the first time the US has helped transfer tanks, though details about which countries would participate and how many tanks were being moved were not provided.

Citing a US official, the report noted that the tanks will allow Ukraine to fire long-range artillery strikes against Russian targets in the eastern Donbas region.

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Following weeks of fighting, Moscow said last week it will be focusing on the “liberation” of Donbas, where pro-Russian separatists have declared two independent republics.

Russia recognized the independence of the self-declared Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics shortly before sending troops into Ukraine on February 24.

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Saudi-led coalition and Houthis agree on truce in Yemen, raising hopes for the 'start of a better future' - CNN

(CNN)The Saudi-led military alliance and the Iran-aligned Houthi movement, who have been at war in Yemen since 2015, agreed to a two-month truce Friday, marking a significant step toward ending the conflict in years.

The last coordinated cessation of hostilities nationwide was during peace talks in 2016.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed the truce, which he said has "fueled one of the world's worst humanitarian crises."

The war has killed tens of thousands of people and has left millions on the brink of starvation.

On Friday, Guterres commended "the Government of Yemen, the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthis for agreeing on a two-month truce in Yemen, including cross-border attacks."

"The parties accepted to halt all offensive military air, ground and maritime operations inside Yemen and across its borders; they also agreed for fuel ships to enter into Hudaydah ports and commercial flights to operate in and out of Sana'a airport to predetermined destinations in the region; they further agreed to meet under my auspices to open roads in Taiz and other governorates in Yemen," UN special envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg said in a statement.

The truce can be renewed past the two-month period with the consent of the parties, Grundberg added.

The foreign minister for Yemen's Saudi-backed internationally recognized government said Friday that he would be taking steps to release prisoners, open Sana'a airport and allow oil ships through Hodeidah port.

"I received clear directives from President Hadi to take (the) necessary steps to facilitate all the arrangements for the release of all prisoners, opening Sana'a airport, releasing oil ships via Hodeidah, opening roads in the besieged Taiz, to alleviate the suffering caused by Houthi," Ahmed bin Mubarak said on Twitter.

"We immediately announce the release of the first two fuel ships through the port of Hodeidah," he added.

Guterres underlined the importance of the truce in his statement, saying: "For more than seven years, war has devastated the lives of millions of Yemeni women, children and men. It is difficult to imagine the extent of their suffering, which has mainly taken place far from the media spotlight. The war has fueled one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, brought state institutions to the verge of collapse, reversed human development by two decades, and threatened regional peace and security.

"Today must be the start of a better future for the people of Yemen," he said.

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China to go 'its own way' as EU seeks support on Ukraine - Reuters

BRUSSELS/BEIJING, April 1 (Reuters) - Chinese Premier Li Keqiang told EU leaders on Friday that Beijing would push for peace in "its own way" in Ukraine after Brussels pressed for assurances that China would not supply Russia with arms or help it circumvent Western sanctions.

Li spoke with the presidents of the European Commission and European Council, Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel, and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell for almost two hours by video link in the first EU-China summit in two years.

Li told the EU leaders that China has always sought peace and promoted negotiations and is willing to continue to play a constructive role together with the international community, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

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EU officials close to the summit preparations had said any help given to Russia would damage China's international reputation and jeopardise relations with its biggest trade partners -- Europe and the United States.

An EU official said China's stance towards Russia was the "million-dollar question" on Friday. Another pointed out that over a quarter of China's global trade was with the bloc and the United States last year, against just 2.4% with Russia.

"Do we prolong this war or do we work together to end this war? That is the essential question for the summit," the official said.

China itself has concerns that European countries are taking harder-line foreign policy cues from the United States and has called for the EU to "exclude external interference" from its relations with China.

China's President Xi Jinping, who took part in a separate virtual meeting with the two EU leaders on Friday, said he hoped the European Union can form its view of China "independently", state broadcaster CCTV reported.

Wang Yiwei, an expert on Europe at the Beijing's Renmin University, said both China and the EU wanted the war to end.

"I imagine China would want to use this summit to discuss with the EU how to create the conditions acceptable to Putin for him to climb down from his current position," he said.

Relations were already strained before the Ukraine war.

The EU abruptly switched in 2019 from soft diplomatic language to call China a systemic rival, but sees it as a potential partner in fighting climate change or the pandemic.

Brussels and Beijing concluded an investment agreement at the end of 2020, designed to settle some EU concerns about reciprocal market access. However, it is now on hold after Brussels' sanctions against Chinese officials over alleged human rights abuses in the Xinjiang region prompted Beijing to blacklist EU individuals and entities.

China has since also suspended imports from Lithuania after the Baltic EU nation allowed Taiwan to open a de facto embassy in its capital, angering Beijing which regards the democratically ruled island as its own territory. read more

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Additional reporting by Robin Emmott; writing by Philip Blenkinsop; Editing by Sandra Maler, William Maclean

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Pope Francis apologizes to Indigenous delegates from Canada - The Washington Post

VATICAN CITY — After years of resisting calls to do so, Pope Francis on Friday apologized for the “deplorable conduct” of some Catholics in Canada’s residential school system for Indigenous children, saying he was “deeply grieved” by the stories of “suffering, hardship, discrimination and various forms of abuse” from survivors.

Speaking to an audience that included an Indigenous delegation that traveled from Canada to the Vatican this week to press for an apology, Francis said he felt “shame” for the role Catholics have had “in the abuses you suffered and in the lack of respect shown for your identity, your culture and even your spiritual values.”

“All these things are contrary to the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” the pope said at the Apostolic Palace. “For the deplorable conduct of these members of the Catholic Church, I ask for God’s forgiveness, and I want to say to you with all my heart: I am very sorry. And I join my brothers, the Canadian bishops, in asking your pardon.”

Francis reiterated a pledge made last year to visit Canada, where he said he would be “better able” to express his “closeness.”

The pope has been under renewed pressure to apologize for the Church’s role in the residential school system after several Indigenous communities in Canada in the last year said that ground-penetrating radar had uncovered evidence of hundreds of unmarked graves at or near the sites of former schools.

Beginning in the 19th century, at least 150,000 Indigenous children were separated from their families — often by force — to attend the government-funded, church-run institutions, which aimed to assimilate them in what Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission called “cultural genocide” in a 2015 report.

It said children were punished for practicing their traditions or speaking their languages, and that many suffered various forms of abuse. It identified thousands of children who died at the schools, including from disease, malnourishment, by suicide or while trying to escape. Some were buried in unmarked graves.

The last school closed in the 1990s. Most were run by Catholic entities. The Anglican, United and Presbyterian churches of Canada, which ran some schools, apologized for their roles. While some Catholic entities and local church leaders had apologized, Francis and his predecessor had previously expressed sorrow but stopped short of an apology.

A papal apology on Canadian soil was among the commission’s 94 calls to action.

Francis met separately this week with Métis, Inuit and First Nations delegates. The delegation, whose visit was delayed by the pandemic, was made up of Indigenous leaders, elders, youth and residential school survivors, who shared stories of their residential school experiences and the effects that still ripple in their communities.

Natan Obed, president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, a national organization representing Inuit in Canada, said the apology was “long overdue” and that he was “touched” by how the pope “expressed his sorrow.”

“In Pope Francis’s statement today, I see that we were heard. I hear that we were heard,” Métis National Council President Cassidy Caron told reporters. “This week has truly shown that there is power in our stories and there is power in our truths.”

The delegates also pressed Francis to release records that could help identify the children who died at the schools and criticized the Church for failing to meet its obligations under a class-action settlement with residential school survivors from 2006.

Others called for the return of Indigenous artifacts and for the revocation of centuries-old papal bulls that enshrined what’s known as the doctrine of discovery and were used to justify colonization in the Americas.

The pope did not comment on those demands. Bishop William McGrattan, vice president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, told reporters that the Canadian bishops do not support the “underlying concepts” that supported the papal bulls and that the Vatican is studying perspectives on the issue.

As he often does, Francis lamented “the many forms of political, ideological and economic colonization” that “still exist in the world, driven by greed and thirst for profit, with little concern for peoples.”

Massimo Faggioli, a professor of theology at Villanova University, said the pope “smartly framed” the issue of the Church’s role in the residential school system “inside a wider picture that he’s been working on for many years now, which he calls ‘ideological colonization.’”

“He believes that, as Catholics, we’re part of the historical problem, but we’re also part of the solution, [so] this is a clear connection to what he’s always been saying, but especially to the Amazon synod,” he added, referring to the meeting of Catholic bishops in 2019 that discussed a range of issues facing the Amazon region, including the importance of protecting Indigenous culture.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, a Catholic who personally appealed to the pope for an apology in 2017, said on Friday that he acknowledged the apology and looked forward to Francis coming to Canada to deliver it in person. Ottawa apologized for its role in the residential school system in 2008.

Francis did not provide a date for his visit to Canada but joked that it would probably not be in winter. He said he derived “joy” from the veneration of the delegates for St. Anne and “hoped” to be with them on her feast day this year. It’s in July.

Phil Fontaine, a former national chief of the Assembly of First Nations who was among the first to speak publicly about the abuse he experienced in residential schools, said it was a “monumental” day.

“So many people have said in the past that they can’t begin the healing process that would lead to true reconciliation without hearing the pope say, ‘I’m sorry,’” he said. “We’re witness to that moment today, and I sincerely believe that people now have an opportunity … to forgive. But forgiveness is just as difficult as to apologize.”

Coletta reported from Toronto.

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Russia accuses Ukraine of helicopter strikes on fuel depot in Russian territory - CNN

(CNN)Russia accused Ukraine of mounting a helicopter attack on a fuel depot inside Russian territory Friday, as footage surfaced of the facility engulfed in flames.

In a statement, Russia's Ministry of Defense said that the helicopters "entered the airspace of the Russian Federation at extremely low altitude," at 5 a.m. Moscow time and "launched a missile attack on a civilian oil storage facility located on the outskirts of Belgorod."

As a result, "individual tanks were damaged and caught fire," spokesperson Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said, adding that the depot "has nothing to do with Russian armed forces."

CNN could not verify the Russian claims.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has neither confirmed nor denied the attack. Russia has hit fuel storage facilities around Ukraine in recent days.

"I would like to emphasize that Ukraine is performing a defensive operation against Russian aggression on the territory of Ukraine," Oleksandr Motuzyanyk, spokesman for Ukraine's defense ministry, said in a televised statement Friday.

"That doesn't mean Ukraine has to be responsible for every miscalculation or event or catastrophe that occurred on the territory of the Russian Federation. This is not the first time we are witnessing such accusations. Therefore, I will neither confirm nor deny this information."

CNN geolocated and verified social media videos showing two helicopters flying over the Russian city of Belgorod, near the Ukrainian border, but cannot confirm the helicopters are Ukrainian.

A still image taken from video footage shows a fuel depot on fire in the city of Belgorod on April 1, 2022.

In one video, they are spotted during an attack on a fuel storage facility. The video, which was shot at a distance of about 1,800 feet (550 meters) from the facility, shows multiple strikes and a subsequent fire in the distance.

The Belgorod region -- which is on the road from Moscow to Ukraine's second largest city, Kharkiv -- has been a hub of fuel supplies that have powered Russia's invasion of of Ukraine.

The ensuing fire "engulfed fuel reservoirs" at the facility, Russian state media outlet TASS reported, citing the ministry of emergency situations.

About 16,000 cubic meters (3.52 million gallons) of fuel were on fire, encompassing eight tanks with 2,000 cubic meters of fuel each, Russian state media outlet Ria Novosti reported, citing emergency services, and there was the possibility that the fire could spread to another eight tanks.

Two employees of the depot were injured in the fire but their lives were not in danger, Belgorod's regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on his Telegram channel earlier Friday. Residents in the vicinity of the depot were being evacuated but there was no threat to the population of the city, he added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been informed about the alleged strike, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday, warning that the incident could hinder ongoing negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow.

"The president was informed about Belgorod," Peskov said in a conference call with reporters. "You know that the ministry of emergency situations was sent there. Steps are being taken to reorganize fuel supply points so that what happened in no case affects the level of supply of all necessary types of fuel."

The Russian military has claimed air superiority over Ukraine.

"Air superiority during an operation is an absolute fact," Peskov said. "And as for what happened, it probably should not be us giving out assessments, but our law enforcement agencies."

CNN's Gianluca Mezzofiore, Katie Polglase and Celine Alkhaldi contributed to this report.

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Ukrainians have retaken Irpin from the Russian invaders. But it's a city that now lies in ruins - CNN

Irpin, Ukraine (CNN)A child's doll lies curb side, covered in dirt and debris, in the war-torn Kyiv suburb of Irpin.

There's not a sign of the child who owned it, or of any of the residents of the building next to it, which was shattered to pieces after taking a direct hit from Russian artillery.

This is what Irpin -- or what's left of it -- looks like, just a couple of days after Ukrainian forces took it back from Russian control.

The area is still extremely dangerous and remains off limits to civilians. As fighting continues in the nearby areas of Bucha and Hostomel, Irpin is still well within range for Russian artillery.

A destroyed Russian armored personnel carrier blocks part of a road in Irpin.

CNN was granted rare access to the city by Ukrainian forces on Thursday.

We snake our way to Irpin through dirt roads in the middle of the forest that separates the suburb from Kyiv at breakneck speed.

"It's safer this way," Andriy, the 29-year-old Ukrainian soldier driving us explains. "It's the best way of avoiding Russian artillery."

Across the Irpin river, the destruction caused by a month of confrontation between Russian and Ukrainian forces is everywhere. There are few unbroken windows, fallen trees in nearly every corner and no shortage of broken down or destroyed military equipment. Most of it is Russian.

Ivan Boyko, 66, says he's had to move to a bomb shelter because it is not safe to remain at home.

The majority of the town's residents have fled, but Ivan Boyko decided to stay. He sent most of his family away, to safety, opting to endure the inferno of the Russian offensive.

"I am 66 years old, I'm not afraid anymore," he says.

Despite staying in Irpin, Boyko has been forced to move out of his house and into a bomb shelter because of all the intense shelling.

"It's impossible to go home," he explains. "Every night and day they shoot. It's scary to go out."

A building in Irpin, damaged by the fighting.

"People brought all they have to the bomb shelter," he adds.

After days of intense shelling, Irpin is eerily quiet, the silence only broken by sporadic gunfire in the distance. It looks like a ghost town.

Authorities here are using the opportunity to recover bodies of those killed in previous weeks. Less than 24 hours ago, they had to stop because of a Russian attack.

"Our police group, which was recovering cadavers, was fired upon with mortars," the Chief of Police for the Kyiv region told journalists in Irpin on Thursday. "They were lying under the bridge for an hour, waiting for it to stop."

"The enemy is acting dirtily. It can fire shots from a distance of up to 7 kilometers (around 4.3 miles)," he adds.

Irpin Mayor Oleksandr Markushin leads one of the special force units looking for Russian infiltrators still present in the town.

A few blocks away we meet 51-year-old Volodymyr Rudenko. Born and raised in Irpin, he is patrolling the town in military fatigues and an AK-47 in his hands.

"I grew up here. I practically haven't left Irpin since 1975. Now it's my duty to defend it," he says.

He picked up arms when the Russians invaded and refused to leave -- even when they took partial control of the town.

"I haven't left Irpin since the first day of the war, not even for a single day," Rudenko says.

"It was very hard. There were very strong attacks," he explains. "...there were 348 impacts in one area in a single hour."

The ferocity of those bombings is on full display here and it is hard to see how any of the more than 60,000 of the town's residents could return anytime soon. Most buildings are either destroyed or damaged beyond repair.

According to local authorities, around 50% of the critical infrastructure has been destroyed.

Irpin is now under full Ukrainian control, but some Russian operatives remain in the area. Local authorities are organizing search parties for Russian soldiers who remain.

Mayor Oleksandr Markushin is leading one of the special forces units tasked with that job.

"We are working. There is information that there are two Russian soldiers dressed in civilian clothes," Markushin says.

"With our group, we are going to clean them up," he adds.

After a few hours, we drive out through the same dirt paths, hoping to avoid Moscow's artillery.

It's been a good day for Andriy and his fellow soldiers, with a lot less fighting in and around Irpin.

"The Russians are retreating," he says.

Retaking the town has lifted everyone's spirits and Andriy has faith Ukrainians won't stop there.

"My 29th birthday is in a few weeks," he says. "I hope we'll have beaten them by then."

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