A dozen rifle-toting soldiers guarded a small community hall as day broke in the eastern Sri Lankan town of Batticaloa on Sunday morning. Around 9 a.m. local time - roughly the same time a suicide bomber killed 29 of their fellow parishioners at the evangelical Zion Church two weeks ago - worshippers streamed silently into the hall. Survivors of the attack on Easter Sunday ambled in on crutches or with an eye patch. Some clutched bibles. Many wiped away their tears. Inside, several hundred worshippers knelt on the tile floor with their arms lifted towards the heavens, beseeching Jesus Christ to grant salvation. “Come to our protection in this world where we are being hit by waves,” their voices sang out in Tamil. More than 250 people were killed and nearly 500 wounded in the attacks by Islamist militants on churches and hotels across the Indian Ocean island on April 21.

Rajasthan Congress president and state deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot has said that the party was confident of winning all Lok Sabha seats in the state under its "Mission 25", and that a Congress-led UPA-3 government will be formed at the Centre after the election results are declared on May 23.

Washington has said the S-400s could compromise the capabilities of its F-35 fighter jets - for which it has a separate deal with Turkey - and warned of possible US sanctions if Ankara pushed on with the Russian deal.

Smoking out Naxals from their dens in Jharkhand and Bihar, part of the red corridor, has been somewhat successful in...