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Canada rocked by mass killing of Sri Lankan family
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has condemned the mass killing of an Ottawa family that had recently moved from Sri Lanka, calling it an act of “terrible violence”.
Trudeau’s comments on Thursday came in the hours after a family and their acquaintance were killed in an apparent late-night stabbing in the Ottawa suburb of Barrhaven.
The victims include a 35-year-old woman and her four children, ages seven, four, two and two months. A 40-year-old family friend was also killed.
The attack has resonated across Canada, which, unlike its southern neighbour the United States, rarely sees mass casualty attacks. There were just 14 murders in Ottawa, a city of one million, in 2023. The year prior, the tally was only 15.
“Obviously, our first reactions are all ones of shock and horror at this terrible violence,” Trudeau told reporters. “We’re expecting that the community reaches out to support family and friends, as Canadians always do. And we expect the police of jurisdiction to be doing the work and keeping us all informed of this terrible tragedy.”
An Ottawa Police Service officer stands near a door smeared in blood in Ottawa suburb of Barrhaven in Ontario, Canada (Aljazeera)
The motive for the killing was not immediately clear, although police said 19-year-old Febrio De-Zoysa, a student from Sri Lanka, has been arrested and charged with six counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.
Police said De-Zoysa was an acquaintance staying with the family but had no previous contact with law enforcement.
Ottawa police chief Eric Stubbs said, during a televised news conference, that the family was found inside a house after authorities responded to an emergency call shortly before 11pm local time Wednesday (02:00 GMT Thursday).
The husband of the 35-year-old mother killed in the attack was injured but survived and was taken to a hospital in stable condition. De-Zoysa was arrested at the scene. Stubbs said an “edged weapon” was used in the killings. “This was a senseless act of violence perpetrated on purely innocent people,” he said.
On social media, Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe called the attack “one of the most shocking incidents of violence in our city’s history”.
Mass killings are relatively infrequent in Canada, which has a population of just over 38 million. However, 2022 saw two prominent attacks. In December of that year, a man shot five people in a Toronto suburb before being fatally shot by police.
Several months prior, in September, a man also stabbed and killed 11 people in the western province of Saskatchewan. He died of a cocaine overdose shortly after being arrested.
The rate of such attacks is far lower than in the US, which has a population of 331 million. In 2023, there were 42 mass killings, defined as incidents in which four or more victims are killed, according to Northeastern University’s mass killing database.
The number was the second highest in the US since 2006, the year when the database began tracking mass killings. In 2019, there were 46 attacks, accounting for 234 victims killed.
(Aljazeera)
Thirty-six (36) naval personnel completed an eight-month Basic Marine Qualification Course and received their Marine insignia at the main parade ground of SLNS Vidura in Sampur, Trincomalee today, (29 August 2026).
At the invitation of Commandant SLNS Vidura, Captain Ravindu Harischandra, the ceremony was graced by Rear Admiral Buddhika Liyanagamage, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Navy and Commander Eastern Naval Area.
The group, comprising 3 officers and 33 sailors, completed the 10th intake of the Basic Marine Qualification Course, after volunteering for the demanding training programme.
In recognition of exceptional performance during the training, trophies were presented to outstanding personnel. Lieutenant (S) VPA Sasanka was awarded trophies for Best Marine of the Course, Highest Aggregate in Overall Subjects, and Best Marksman.
Physical Training Instructor WMGDP Bandara received the trophy for Best Physical Fitness. Addressing the newly qualified personnel,
Rear Admiral Liyanagamage congratulated them on successfully completing the course. He urged them to use the skills and experience gained through their training to contribute to safeguarding the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
He also called on them to apply the courage and determination developed during the course both in their professional and personal lives, and to remain prepared to meet any challenge faced by the country.
He stressed the importance of keeping their knowledge and training up to date and maintaining constant vigilance while carrying out their duties.
Rear Admiral Liyanagamage also expressed his appreciation to
the Commanding Officer of SLNS Vidura and the directing staff for their contribution to the successful completion of the course.
The insignia ceremony also included a demonstration showcasing the capabilities and skills of the Sri Lanka Navy Marine.
Rear Admiral Achala Silva, Director General Logistics; Rear Admiral Kusal Dissanayake, Commandant Naval Infantry; Commodore Sanjeewa Kodikara, Director Marine; officers
from Navy Headquarters and the Eastern Naval Area; senior officers from the Army, Air Force and Police; and parents of the newly passed out marine personnel attended the ceremony.
Water levels in the lake which formed amid the debris of the landslide in Tibet are rising once again, according to Chinese state media.
There is a continued risk of secondary mudslides or landslides, the report adds.
The command team in charge of rescue efforts around Gyirong port, the main land border between Nepal and Tibet, have launched drones and set up observations posts to monitor the slopes and provide an early warning system to rescuers working nearby.
Search teams are making the most of a short weather window to try to find survivors.
Work is also underway to try to re-open the road.
(Aljazeera)
More than 600 people have died following Wednesday’s devastating flash flood in Nepal.
An update from Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction & Management Authority (NDRRMA) confirms the figure as 626 and the number of people missing as 2,426, as rescue operations continue for the fourth day
Emergency teams are warning that rain is making it difficult to reach some of the worst affected areas, our correspondent in Trishuli writes
Families of the missing – including at least 517 foreign nationals – are waiting for news on the whereabouts of their loved ones
(Aljazeera)
Thirty-six naval personnel pass out on successful completion of Marine training
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