Page 115 - War Conflict
Sri Lanka police carry out controlled explosion on motorcycle near cinema hall
Sri Lanka remained on high alert as police on Wednesday carried out a controlled explosion of a suspicious motorcycle parked near a cinema hall here. The police said that the area near the Savoy Cinema at Wellawatta, South Colombo was cleared and the controlled explosion was carried out by the bomb disposal squad to check the motorcycle which had no owner. No explosives were found in the vehicle. Sri Lankan police have asked all motorists and motor cyclists to leave their contact numbers in their vehicles when they leave them parked in the city. Security forces have launched nationwide search operations to nab the perpetrators of the Easter Sunday bomb attacks that claimed more than 350 lives. Several people have been arrested in connection with the attacks. The Islamic State terror group has claimed responsibility for the devastating blasts when seven suicide bombers carried out the series of blasts that tore through churches and luxury hotels in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, in the ..
17 coordinators appointed in Tripoli to help Indians leave Libya, says Sushma Swaraj
As the situation continues to deteriorate in Libya, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday said that India has appointed 17 coordinators in the capital Tripoli to help Indians leave the country.Swaraj wrote on her official Twitter handle, "Tripoli - We have appointed 17 Coordinators to help Indians leaving Libya. Indian Embassy is helping them with Exit Visa even in cases where their visa has expired. Presently, the airport is operational. Please avail of this opportunity."Efforts to evacuate all Indians have been underway ever since tensions rose in Tripoli on April 4, when Khalifa Haftar announced an attack on the Libyan capital to capture the region from the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA).Swaraj had earlier appealed to around 500 Indians living in Tripoli to leave the war-ravaged country immediately.India already removed its entire contingent of peacekeeping forces comprising of 15 CRPF personnel on April 6 from Tripoli, a move which was followed by ...
Hong Kong democracy leaders jailed over Umbrella Movement protests
Four prominent leaders of Hong Kong's democracy movement were jailed on Wednesday for their role in organising mass pro-democracy protests in 2014 that paralysed the city for months and infuriated Beijing. The prison terms are the latest hammer blow to city's beleaguered democracy movement which has seen key figures jailed or banned from standing as legislators since their civil disobedience movement shook the city but failed to win any concessions. Nine activists were all found guilty earlier in April of at least one charge in a prosecution that deployed rarely used colonial-era public nuisance laws over their participation in the Umbrella Movement protests, which called for free elections for the city's leader. Their trial renewed alarm over shrinking freedoms under an assertive China which has rejected demands by Hong Kongers for a greater say in how the financial hub is run. Two key leaders of the mass protests -- sociology professor Chan Kin-man, 60, and law professor Benny Tai, .
Hong Kong pro-democracy activists sentenced to jail
Four Hong Kong activists were sentenced to jail on Wednesday for their role in pro-democracy demonstrations.
Sri Lanka Easter bombing toll surges to 359
Sri Lankan authorities on Wednesday confirmed that Easter Sunday suicide bombings toll has touched 359 which includes several foreigners.
Framework for accountability against sexual violence in conflicts must include all actors: India
A robust framework for accountability against sexual violence in armed conflicts must include all actors, irrespective of their affiliations and motivations, India has said as it stressed the need to understand the nexus between terrorism, trafficking and sexual violence to address the scourge. First Secretary in India's Permanent Mission to the UN Paulomi Tripathi said at the UN Security Council high-level open debate on Sexual Violence in Conflict that improving response to sexual violence in armed conflicts by the Security Council cannot be pursued in isolation and the normative work done outside the Council regarding equal rights and empowerment of women must continue to inform the discussions. The UN Security Council called upon warring parties around the globe to implement concrete commitments to fight the heinous, barbaric and all-too-often silent phenomenon of sexual violence during conflict. Adopting a resolution by a vote of 13 in favour to none against, with veto-wielding ..
New Zealand, France announce bid to end violent extremism online
New Zealand and France announced a joint effort Wednesday to bring countries and tech companies together in an attempt to end the ability of social media to organise and promote terrorism and extreme violence. The meeting will take place in Paris on May 15, and will be co-chaired by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and French President Emmanuel Macron. Ardern said the March 15 terrorist attacks on two mosques in Christchurch, in which 50 Muslim worshippers were killed, saw social media used "in an unprecedented way as a tool to promote an act of terrorism and hate". The mosque attacks were live-streamed on the Internet and showed distressing footage of the gunman him firing indiscriminately at men, women and children. Nearly six weeks after the massacre, social media sites are still struggling to stamp out copies of the gunman's video. "We're calling on the leaders of tech companies to join with us and help achieve our goal of eliminating violent extremism online at the ...
Sri Lanka's President announces security shakeup
Sri Lanka's President Maithripala Sirisena said on Tuesday that he would move quickly to restructure country's intelligence and security apparatus in response to a failure to act on warnings received ahead of the Easter Sunday attacks, which left more than 300 people dead.
Armed Mexican soldiers confronted US soldiers on US soil
US officials say two American soldiers in a remote area of Texas were confronted by Mexican soldiers who thought they had crossed into Mexico. The Mexican troops reportedly took the weapon from the American soldier who was armed. US defense officials say the Americans were in a Customs and Border Protection vehicle in a remote area southeast of El Paso, Texas, when the incident occurred. The incident happened on April 13 and was first reported by Newsweek. A Northern Command statement to The Associated Press on Tuesday said the Mexican military members believed they were on Mexican territory at the time they confronted the Americans. The US troops are at the border as part of a Trump administration effort to reduce illegal crossings.
Saudi Arabia executes 37 citizens in terror cases
Saudi Arabia on Tuesday executed 37 citizens convicted in terror cases, the Ministry of Interior said.
Did not have any prior knowledge of attacks: US envoy to Sri Lanka
United States Ambassador to Sri Lanka Alaina Teplitz on Tuesday said that Washington did not provide any advance intelligence regarding imminent attack prior to Easter Sunday attacks."We had no prior knowledge of these attacks.," Teplitz told CNN.Teplitz clarification came two days after, a minister in Sri Lanka government, Harsha de Silva, had said that the US and India warned of imminent attacks before the Easter bombings, in which at least 310 people were killed.When Teplitz was specifically asked about de Silva's claim, he responded, "Well, I cannot speak for others. I do not know what other sources of information the government of Sri Lanka might have had. I can just tell you that we had no prior knowledge."Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan government have admitted that it failed to act on multiple warnings before the deadly attacks.The ISIS on Tuesday claimed the responsibility of the eight explosions in Sri Lanka's high-end churches and hotels. However, there is no direct evidence to ..
UN says over 260 killed in Libya battle as African leaders meet
At least 264 people have been killed and over 1,200 wounded in weeks of fighting on the outskirts of Libya's capital, the World Health Organization said Tuesday, as African leaders gathered in Cairo to discuss the crisis. The agency called on Twitter for "a temporary cessation of hostilities, and for all parties to respect humanitarian law". Eastern-based strongman Khalifa Haftar launched an offensive on the capital on April 4, as his self-styled Libyan National Army pledged "to purge the west of terrorists and mercenaries". Forces loyal to the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA), based in Tripoli, launched a counter-attack at the weekend. The fighting has since eased somewhat as both sides appeared to be preparing for the next phase of the battle. Fighting in Tripoli's southern suburbs has so far displaced at least 35,000 people, UN humanitarian coordinator for Libya Maria do Valle Ribeiro said Monday. "Displacement is continuing at an increasing rate every
Sri Lanka PM says prior intelligence inputs warned of attacks including on Indian HC
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Tuesday that there had been prior intelligence warnings about the attacks in the country, including on the Indian High Commission in Colombo. Talking to reporters, he also said that there will be changes in the top positions of the security establishment following the deadly Easter Sunday suicide bombings which killed 321 people and injured over 500. Wickremesinghe said there had been prior intelligence warnings on the attacks including on the Indian High Commission. Earlier addressing Parliament, he said investigators have made good progress identifying the suspects and that some of the bombers travelled abroad and then returned home. He said "it was possible" the bombings were a "retaliation" for the New Zealand mosque attacks that left 50 Muslims dead and were blamed on a white supremacist from Australia. Defence Minister Ruwan Wijewardene made the similar remark earlier in the day. Wickremesinghe said that Sri Lanka has been ..
Sirisena vows to make changes in top positions of Lanka's defence forces
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena Tuesday said that he will make changes in top positions of the country's defence forces within the next 24 hours after their failure to prevent the deadly suicide blasts despite having the prior intelligence inputs about the attacks. Addressing the nation for the first time since the Easter Sunday blasts that killed 321 people and wounded more than 500 others, Sirisena expressed his deepest condolences to all those who had lost their lives during Easter Sunday's "unexpected" attacks. "I am hoping to make changes in top positions in the security establishment within the next 24 hours," he said. The measures would be taken to restructure the Police Department and the security forces in near future in order to prevent such acts of terrorism, he added. His comments came amid mounting pressure on Police Chief Pujith Jayasundara to resign following his failure to prevent the worst terror attack in the country's history despite having prior ...
552 central paramilitary companies in Bengal's 4th phase
A total of 552 companies of central paramilitary forces will be deployed for the fourth phase of Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal, covering eight parliamentary seats, on April 29, Central Police Observer Vivek Dubey said on Tuesday.
Islamic State claims Sri Lanka bloodbath, toll 321
The Islamic State on Tuesday claimed responsibility for the horrific Easter Sunday suicide bombings in Sri Lanka as the death toll in the carnage climbed to 321, including 10 Indians, with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe warning of more explosives and militants "out there" and that the Indian Embassy was also a "possible target".
Video emerges of Lankan suicide bomber patting young girl's head seconds before massacre at church
CCTV footage of one of the seven suicide bombers in Sri Lanka patting a young girl's head seconds before he enters a crowded church where a powerful blast killed nearly 100 worshippers on Easter Sunday emerged on Tuesday. The video shows the bearded man, wearing a large, heavy backpack, placing his hand on the child, who is with an adult, as they almost bump into each other outside the St Sebastian's Catholic church in Negombo on Sri Lanka's west coast. The suspect then calmly walks in through a side door - passing dozens who chose to stand outside during the Sunday mass - and steps between pews packed with worshippers. The service was already under way when the terrorist blew himself up close to the altar, killing 93 people. The footage obtained by Sri Lankan media ends one frame before the suspect detonates his device inside the packed church. ISIS terror group Tuesday claimed responsibility for the bombings of three churches and posh hotels, Sri Lanka's worst terror attack, that ...
Jamaath says it halted ISIS from spreading its tentacles in TN
The Tamil Nadu Thowheedh Jamaath Tuesday denied any links with the Sri Lanka based National Tawheed Jamath which is suspected of plotting the Easter Sunday blasts and reaffirmed its committment to democracy. The Tamil Nadu based outfit has a significant clout especially among the Muslim youth for its stand on firmly toeing Islamic tenets. It said its work ensured that ideology of the ISIS did not find any takers in the State. Stoutly denying ties with NTJ, Deputy General Secretary, TNTJ, Abdul Rahim, said his organisation was hearing about the Lankan namesake only now after the blasts. Expressing anguish and resentment that some media outlets suggested possibility of ties between his outfit and the NTJ, Rahim said the similarity ended with the name. "We are making it clear that we have absolutely nothing to do with NTJ which is being suspected. We condemn imputations suggesting links between the TNTJ and NTJ. Many have Gandhi as surnames and parties in Tamil Nadu have ...
1 Chinese killed, 5 missing in Lanka blasts
China on Tuesday issued a travel advisory to its citizens, asking them not to visit Sri Lanka after a series of blasts on Sunday left one Chinese national dead and five others missing in the island nation. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said that so far one Chinese citizen was killed and conditions of two of the injured was stated to be serious. He said five Chinese nationals were reported missing. The foreign ministry has already issued a safety notice "reminding Chinese citizens not to travel to Sri Lanka for the moment and reminding those in Sri Lanka to take greater precaution and stay away from congregated areas to ensure safety", he said. "We will continue to monitor the situation. And if there is any further information, we will release it," he added. Chinese travellers constituted highest number of tourists to Sri Lanka after Indians. President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang have expressed condolences over the loss of life to leaders of Sri Lanka. "We ...
Human chain formed to pay tribute to Sri Lanka terror attack victims
A group of people from different walks of life formed a human chain outside the Sacred Heart Cathedral here Tuesday to pay tribute to the victims of the Sri Lanka terror attack. "Around 200 people from different religions, faith groups, including intellectuals, activists, have come together and formed a human chain and condemned the terror attack in Colombo on Sunday while worshippers attended Easter services," Ovais Sultan Khan from The United Against Hate forum said. Seven suicide bombers struck three churches and three hotels in Colombo where 321 people, including 38 foreigners, had died on Sunday. "We are planning to visit Colombo to express our solidarity towards the Lankans. We area also planning to meet Sri Lankan High Commissioner in New Delhi," Father Abraham Mathew, executive secretary of National Council of Churches in India, said.