Page 106 - War Conflict
Japanese police probe knife on desk of emperor's grandson
Japanese police are investigating a knife that was placed on the school desk of Emperor Akihito's grandson, according to media reports Saturday. The incident Friday involving 12-year-old Hisahito, who is in succession line for the Chrysanthemum Throne, comes as Japan prepares for ceremonies marking Akihito's abdication on April 30. Kyodo News said police are investigating security camera footage. The Metropolitan Police Department declined comment and Ochanomizu University Junior High School did not answer calls. Akihito's son, Crown Prince Naruhito, is set to become emperor May 1. Hisahito is Naruhito's nephew. The emperor, revered as a god during World War II, now holds no political power and serves as a national symbol. Akihito and his family are generally popular but have been targeted in attacks in the past.
US asks citizens to reconsider travel to Sri Lanka after bombings
The United States has advised its citizens to reconsider their travel to Sri Lanka in view of the massive Easter Sunday bombings that killed over 250 people including Americans. The State Department raised the travel risk to Level 3 in a travel advisory issued Friday. The State Department has also ordered the departure of all school-age family members of US government employees in kindergarten through 12th grade. It also authorised the voluntary departure of non-emergency US government employees and family members. "Terrorist groups continue plotting possible attacks in Sri Lanka. Terrorists may attack with little or no warning, targeting tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets, shopping malls, government facilities, hotels, clubs, restaurants, places of worship, parks, major sporting and cultural events, educational institutions, airports, hospitals, and other public areas," the State Department said. The US government has limited ability to provide emergency services to US ..
15 killed after fierce gun battle in SL
A total of 15 people were killed following a fierce gun battle between Sri Lankan forces and an armed group in Kalmunai city, the military said on Saturday.
6 children, 3 women among 15 killed in raids on terror hideouts in Sri Lanka
Six children and three women were among 15 people killed when suicide bombers blew themselves up during a shootout with security forces in Sri Lanka's Eastern province, police said Saturday. The security forces continued their hunt for members of the local terror group National Thowheeth Jamath (NTJ) which was behind the deadly Easter Sunday bombings in which 253 people were killed and over 500 injured. Police Special Task Force (STF) personnel and Army troops were engaged in the gun battle with an armed group at a house in the Saindamarudu area in Kalmunai city, about 360 kms from Colombo. The heavily-armed men opened fire on troops, leading to the shootout on Friday night. A civilian, who was caught in the gun battle, died. Three men are believed to have set off explosives during the violent clashes. "A total of 15 bodies recovered, six men, three women and six children. At least four suspected suicide bombers are dead and three others who were injured are in hospital," a police ...
15 bodies recovered following raids in Sri Lanka
Fifteen bodies were recovered after a fierce gun battle between Sri Lankan forces and an armed group near Batticaloa, police said on Saturday.
6 children, 3 women among 15 killed in in raids on terror hideouts in Sri Lanka
At least 15 people, including six children and three women, were killed when suicide bombers blew themselves up during a shootout with security forces in Sri Lanka's eastern province, police said Saturday. The security forces continue their hunt for members of the local terror group National Thowheeth Jamath (NTJ) which was behind the deadly Easter Sunday bombings in which 253 people were killed and over 500 injured. "A total of 15 bodies recovered, six men, three women and six children. At least four suspected suicide bombers are dead and three others who were injured are in hospital," a police spokesperson said. At the security council meeting held last night it was decided that search operations to crackdown on extremist terrorism must continue until the threat is completely eliminated. Nine suicide bombers carried out a series of devastating blasts that tore through three churches and three luxury hotels on the Easter Sunday, killing 253 people. The Islamic State claimed the ...
US urges citizens to 'reconsider travel' to Sri Lanka over terror threat
The US State Department on Friday raised the level of its travel warning for Sri Lanka, urging citizens to reconsider visiting the island in the wake of a devastating series of suicide bombings that killed more than 250 people. The department has "ordered the departure of all school-age family members of US government employees in kindergarten through 12th grade," it said in a statement, adding that it had also authorised non-emergency personnel to leave. "Terrorists may attack with little or no warning, targeting tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets, shopping malls, government facilities, hotels, clubs, restaurants, places of worship, parks, major sporting and cultural events, educational institutions, airports, hospitals, and other public areas," it said.
Dalai Lama back in Dharamshala, says fully recovered now
Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama, who was admitted to a private hospital in New Delhi for treatment after being diagnosed with the chest infection, returned to Dharamshala on Friday."Fully recovered. No problem. The illness was a little serious, but now I have fully recovered," Dalai Lama said while speaking to media persons here. On April 7, Dalai Lama was brought to Delhi after he complained of discomfort. "His Holiness was admitted to the hospital today due to a chest infection. He will remain in the hospital for the next two to three days," Tenzin Taklha, private secretary of Dalai Lama had told ANI.He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.After a rebellion against the Chinese rule in 1959, the spiritual leader had exiled himself in India and has since been living mostly in Himachal Pradesh's Dharamsala.The Nobel laureate's supporters operate a government-in-exile and promote Tibet's autonomy by peaceful means.
Karnataka DGP warns counterparts of terror attacks in 7 states, UT
Karnataka DG-IGP Neelmani N Raju on Friday wrote to his counterparts in six states and an Union Territory after receiving a warning of terror attacks.According to the letter by Raju, he received an anonymous phone call, in which the caller, a man, claimed to have information about terror attacks in cities in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra, Telangana, Puducherry, Goa and Maharashtra.The caller according to the Karnataka DG-IGP, further claimed that the attacks will take place in trains.The letter by the Karnataka police official also intimated the presence of 19 terrorists in Tamil Nadu's Ramanathapuram.The Karnataka DG also alerted his counterparts, asking them to take immediate necessary action to prevent any untoward incident.Further investigation is underway.
Sri Lanka PM apologises for failing to curb Easter blasts
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Friday apologised to his people for failing to prevent the deadly Easter Sunday serial blasts that rattled the nation claiming lives of 253 and injuring several hundred."We take collective responsibility and apologise to our fellow citizens for our failure to protect victims of these tragic events. We pledge to rebuild our churches, revive our economy, and take all measures to prevent terrorism, with the support of the international community," the Prime Minister tweeted.A series of eight coordinated blasts ripped through three churches and three high-end hotels across the country marking the worst violence since the civil war ended in 2009.In the wake of the blasts, which exposed a major intelligence failure on the part of Sri Lankan authorities, police chief Pujith Jayasundara and defence secretary Hemasiri Fernando have stepped down from their posts for their failure to curtail the massacre despite having prior warnings.The ISIS ...
Absolute peace in Nagaland in past one year: CFMG chief
Nagaland has been witnessing "absolute peace" for nearly a year now with no exchange of fire between the armed forces and different Naga groups, a top official of the Ceasefire Monitoring Group (CFMG) claimed on Friday. Interacting with media persons at the state guest house here, CFMG Chairman Lt Gen (retd) Shokin Chauhan said in the last eight-ten months after he took over as the monitoring group's chief, there has been complete peace in the state. Chauhan said there was no untoward incident even during the April 11 Lok Sabha polls in Nagaland, as the groups "accepted our request not to involve in intimidation and violation of ceasefire ground rules during the election period". The CFMG has been successful in "tremendously reducing" the violation of ceasefire rules, and "there is no exchange between the security forces and the Naga groups or within the NSCN factions", he claimed.
Trump says US withdrawing from arms trade treaty
President Donald Trump says the US has decided to withdraw its support for a treaty regulating the multibillion-dollar global arms trade. It's the latest example of the Trump administration's dislike of international pacts. Trump said Friday that he has decided to revoke the United States' status as a signatory of the Arms Trade Treaty regulating international trade in conventional weapons, including small arms, battle tanks, combat aircraft and warships. He says America is "rejecting this treaty" and "taking our signature back." He made the announcement during a speech in Indianapolis, Indiana, to the National Rifle Association, which claims the treaty poses a threat to the Second Amendment. The US signed the treaty in 2013, but never ratified it.
Two dead in Morocco air force chopper crash
A Moroccan air force helicopter crashed Friday in the disputed Western Sahara, killing two crew members, state news agency MAP reported. One other person on board was lightly injured in the crash, a military source told MAP, adding that a "technical investigation" had been launched to determine the cause of the incident near the settlement of Tichla. The Moroccan military has a heavy presence in the swathes of Western Sahara it controls. It maintains that Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony under its control, is an integral part of its territory. The Polisario Front, which campaigns for the territory's independence, demands a referendum on self-determination. The Polisario Front liberation movement and Morocco fought a war over the region from 1975 to 1991, when a ceasefire deal was agreed and a UN peace mission deployed to monitor the truce in the former Spanish colony.
Sri Lanka political rivalry seen as factor in Easter blasts
Government dysfunction and an intelligence failure that preceded the Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka are traced to simmering divisions between the president and prime minister after a weeks-long political crisis that crippled the country last year. The government has admitted to a "lapse of intelligence" after officials failed to act upon near-specific information received from foreign agencies. Suicide bombers exploded themselves last Sunday in three churches and three luxury hotels, killing 253 people and wounding 400 more. Authorities said eight Muslim militants blew themselves up at their targets while the wife of one of the attackers blasted herself on being rounded up by police. The carnage has brought forth arguments that worshippers and holidaymakers fell victim to the rivalry and a lack of communication between the country's two leaders President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. The Cabinet led by Wickremesinghe says neither he nor his ...
Searches in Top Hizbul commander's village
Security forces on Friday evening started a massive search operation in the native village of top Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) commander, Riyaz Naidoo, in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district.
Sri Lanka blasts: Why was travel advisory not issued to citizens if India had inputs, asks Ahmed Patel
Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel on Friday asked the Centre why they had not issued a travel advisory to Indians travelling to Sri Lanka if they had prior information about an impending terror threat."It appears from media reports that India has sent multiple advance warnings of impending terror attack to the Sri Lankan government. If so then why no travel advisory was issued for Indian citizens travelling to Sri Lanka prior to the attacks? Precious lives could have been saved," he tweeted.On April 21, eight explosions rattled Sri Lankan cities of Colombo, Negombo, Kochchikede and Batticaloa as the Christian community celebrated Easter Sunday. Over 250 people were killed and over 500 others were injured in the serial blasts. After terror attacks, Sri Lanka authorities announced that 10 Indians died in the attack.Former Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya visited the family of Vemuri Tulsiram, one of the Indians who lost their lives in the blast, in Hyderabad."Everyone knows terrorism .
Fresh explosions hit Sri Lanka
Three explosions rocked Kalmunai city of Sri Lanka on Friday while security forces were carrying out searches to nab suspects of the Easter Sunday attacks.No casualties or damage to property has been reported yet.During the raids, the Sri Lankan police recovered Islamic State uniforms, ISIS flags, 150 Gelignite sticks, 100,000 ball bearings and a drone camera in Sammanthurai, CNN quoted police, as saying.On April 21, eight explosions rattled Sri Lankan cities of Colombo, Negombo, Kochchikede, and Batticaloa amid Easter Sunday celebrations. At least 250 people were killed and over 500 others were injured in the serial blasts.Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had on Thursday warned of "sleeper cells" that might launch more attacks in the island nation.
Sri Lankan forces in gun battle with terrorists
Sri Lanka's special forces were engaged in a severe gun battle with suspected terrorists in Kalmunai city, in the Eastern Province on Friday evening, the military said.
Lanka PM apologises for failure to prevent Easter bombings
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Friday apologised to public for failing to prevent the Easter bombings that left 253 people dead and several hundreds injured. A series of eight coordinated blasts ripped through three churches and three high-end hotels frequented by tourists in the country's deadliest violence since the devastating civil war ended in 2009. The attacks have exposed a massive intelligence failure by Sri Lanka. The country's police chief Pujith Jayasundara and defence secretary Hemasiri Fernando have both resigned over their failure to prevent the blasts despite having prior intelligence. In a tweet, Wickremesinghe said, "We take collective responsibility and apologise to our fellow citizens for our failure to protect victims of these tragic events." "We pledge to rebuild our churches, revive our economy, and take all measures to prevent terrorism, with the support of the international community," he added. The Islamic State group has claimed ...
NIA files supplementary chargesheet in ISI training case
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday filed a supplementary chargesheet against wanted fugitive Farooq Devdiwala who allegedly along with agents of Pakistan's Inter-Services-Intelligence (ISI) hatched a conspiracy to conduct terrorist attack on VIPs and crowded places, the agency said on Friday.