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State of emergency to be declared and 'anti-terrorism' clauses effective in Sri Lanka

The Sri Lankan government will declare a state of emergency from midnight on Monday, in the wake of a series of bombings that killed at least 290 people on Easter Sunday.

In an official announcement, Sri Lanka’s Presidential Media Division stated that  Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena “anti-terrorism clauses” will be effective from midnight.

“This step has been taken to empower police to take effective measures to safeguard security of the people and the country,” it added.

See the announcement here.

At least 290 people have been confirmed to have been killed in the bombings yesterday. Emergency rule was last in place on the island in 2011, however an  island-wide curfew is currently in place.

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