<p>Jeremy Corbyn, leader of Britain’s Labour Party, has condemned the Easter Sunday bomb blasts in Sri Lanka in a statement.&nbsp;</p> <p>Corbyn tweeted, "I'm appalled by the horrific attacks in Sri Lanka, on Easter Sunday, the most important day in the Christian calendar.</p> <p>I stand with the victims, their families, the people of Sri Lanka and Christians around the world, We must defeat this hatred with unity, love and respect."</p> <p>Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, also condemned the attack tweeting:<br>

<p>The British Prime Minister has condemned the Easter Sunday bomb attacks in Sri Lanka in a statement released today.</p> <p>In a tweet this morning, Ms Theresa May, <a href="https://twitter.com/theresa_may/status/1119881548373868544?s=21">said,</a></p> <p>“The acts of violence against churches and hotels in Sri Lanka are truly appalling, and my deepest sympathies go out to all of those affected at this tragic time.</p> <p>We must stand together to make sure that no one should ever have to practise their faith in fear.”</p>

Sri Lanka’s president Maithripala Sirisena said that the security forces had been deployed to churches that had been struck by bomb blasts on Easter Sunday morning, as the death toll from the series of explosions continue to rise.

In a statement this morning, Sirisena appealed for calm and said the security forces had began investigations into the blasts. Reports suggest that at least 200 soldiers have been deployed to churches affected by the blast. 

Developing story

Updated 20:00 GMT, April 24

The death toll of the bombings rose to 359, as Sri Lanka's prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said there were still suspects with explosives at large. Sri Lanka's parliament implemented emergency regulations without a vote, which will give the President and security forces further sweeping powers. 

The spokesperson for the Tamil National Alliance MA Sumanithrian, urged for unity and restraint, whilst calling on the governor of the Eastern Province to be investigated for his links with the National Thowheed Jamaath, a lesser known jihadist group that has been blamed by Sri Lankan authorities for the Easter Sunday bombings that have killed over 300 people. Although the exact role of Isis in the attacks is yet to be established, it is though that the group’s involvement reoriented the local attackers away from bombs directed at destroying major Buddhist monuments and towards targets more closely associated with its global jihadist ideology, reports the Guardian.

Accusations of the Sri lankan government’s failure to act on international intel further solidified, as the Guardian reported international sources confirming that intel had been provided to Sri Lanka in advance of the attacks. By the end of the day a total of 80 suspects had already been detained in links to the attacks. 

 

Across the Tamil homeland, commemoration events were held to mark the anniversary of the death of Annai Poopathy, a Tamil woman who fasted to death 31 years ago n protest against the atrocities committed by Indian Peace Keeping Forces (IPKF).

At least two Tamil women who were working as de-miners in Kilinochchi have been admitted to  Jaffna Teaching Hospital’s intensive care unit, after a landmine detonated on Thursday evening.

A senior Tamil journalist has been admitted to hospital with injuries after a vehicle collision in Jaffna on Saturday.

Two US navy ships arrived in the southern Sri Lankan port of Hambantota on Thursday, ahead of an exercise with Sri Lankan troops, as ties between two militaries continue to grow. 

Pakistan’s navy sent a delegation to tour Sri Lanka and meet with a Sri Lankan navy officer who is currently on bail over aiding a key suspect involved in the abduction and murder of 11 Tamil youths.

Tamil Guardian’s correspondent Shanmugam Thavaseelan was summoned for questioning by Mullaitivu police on Thursday, after the Sri Lankan navy filed a complaint against him for reporting on a disappearances rally in the district.

The complaint against the Mullaitivu journalist was filed following a rally by Tamil families of the disappeared on Vadduvakal bridge on April 7.