Page 119 - War Conflict
Japanese lawmakers visit Yasukuni Shrine
A cross-party group of about 70 Japanese lawmakers visited the Yasukuni Shrine here on Tuesday during its annual spring festival.
Japan victim of S Lanka bomb a 'bridge' between communities
The only Japanese victim of the Sri Lankan suicide bombings was a married mother of two young children who had lived in Colombo for four years and taught locals Japanese flower arranging and how to wear kimonos. Kaori Takahashi, 39, had been in Sri Lanka since 2015 with her husband, a chef at a Japanese restaurant, her four-year-old daughter and her two-year-old son. Japanese media said she was killed while eating breakfast at one of the targeted hotels popular with expats. According to a fellow Japanese expat cited by the Yomiuri Shimbun, she published booklets aiming to help her countrymen settle in Sri Lanka, recommending supermarkets and restaurants. She acted as a "bridge" between Japan and Sri Lanka, according to the man, who said the couple had planned to stay long-term in the country. Another man described Takahashi as a "cheerful person" and said her death had rocked the close-knit Japanese community. "There are fewer than 1,000 Japanese who live in Sri Lanka. All of us know .
Publicising military action escalates conflict: ex-NSA
Cross-border military action that is made public necessarily provokes the other side to respond, leading to escalation of conflict between two countries, according to former National Security Advisor (NSA) Shivshankar Menon.
26 per cent polling recorded in Bihar till noon
An estimated 26 per cent of 89.09 lakh voters exercised their franchise till noon on Tuesday in five Lok Sabha seats in the third phase of polling in Bihar. Polling is underway in a peaceful manner in Jhanjharpur, Supaul, Araria, Madhepura and Khagaria, though EVM malfunctioning delayed the voting process by an hour in five booths in Khagaria, he said. Till noon, Araria recorded the highest polling at 30.71 per cent, followed by Supaul at 28.50 per cent, Madhepura at 25 per cent, Jhanjharpur at 23.75 per cent and Khagaria at 23 per cent, according to the information received from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO). Prominent among those who cast their votes included BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain and Bihar Legislative Council Vice Chairman Haroon Rashid in their native district of Supaul. The electoral fate of 82 candidates, including Sharad Yadav, Bihar minister Dinesh Chandra Yadav, former Bollywood set designer and VIP chief Mukesh Sahni apart from sitting .
2 more Indians killed in Easter blasts in Sri Lanka, taking toll to 10
With the death of two more Indians, the total number of Indian nationals who died in Sri Lanka rose to 10 on Tuesday after a string of devastating suicide blasts tore through churches and luxury hotels across the country on Easter Sunday. "Regret to confirm the deaths of two more Indian nationals Mr. A Maregowda and Mr. H Puttaraju in the blasts in Sri Lanka on Sunday, taking the total number of Indian deaths in the tragedy to 10 as of now," the Indian High Commission in Colombo tweeted on Tuesday. On Monday, the mission confirmed the deaths of four Indians - Vemurai Tulsiram, S R Nagaraj, K G Hanumantharayappa and M Rangappa. On Sunday, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj identified three Indian nationals - K M Lakshminarayan, Narayan Chandrashekhar and Lakshmana Gowda Ramesh - as the victims of the blasts. "Indian High Commission in Colombo has conveyed that National Hospital has informed them about the death of three Indian nationals," she tweeted Sunday. Also on Sunday, ...
Sri Lankan government apologises for failure to act on intelligence tip off
The Sri Lankan government has apologised for its failure to act despite receiving advance intelligence inputs about the possibility of terror attacks that rocked the island nation on Easter Sunday, killing 310 people. A series of eight coordinated blasts ripped through three churches and three high-end hotels frequented by tourists and left 500 people injured in the country's deadliest violence since the devastating civil war ended in 2009. Government spokesperson Rajitha Senaratne said that the warnings about the blasts were received in the days before the attacks, the CNN reported. "We saw the warnings and we saw the details given," he said. "We are very, very sorry, as a government we have to say -- we have to apologise to the families and the institutions about this incident," Senaratne, also the health minister, said. All the families would be compensated and churches rebuilt, he said. The spokesperson said that one of the warnings referred to National Tawheed Jamath, or NTJ, a ..
Sri Lanka observes 3-minute silence as death toll in attacks rises to 31, including 10 Indians
A shell-shocked Sri Lanka started a day of national mourning on Tuesday with a three-minute silence to pay homage to more than 300 people, including 10 Indians, killed in the gruesome Easter Sunday bombings, the country's worst terror attack blamed on a previously little-known local Islamist outfit. A state of emergency took effect Tuesday giving the Sri Lankan military war-time powers, with police arresting 40 suspects, including the driver of a van allegedly used by suicide bombers involved in deadly Easter bombings. National flags were lowered to half mast and people bowed their heads as the silence began at 8:30 am local time, the time the first of the deadly attacks occurred on Sunday. "We have declared today a day of national mourning, we urge people to raise a white flag in honour of the victims," said Kamal Padmasiri, Secretary to the Ministry of Home Affairs. He said a three-minute silence was observed nationwide and the national flag will be flown at half-mast. Police ...
Indian death toll in Sri Lanka climbs to 10
A total of 10 Indians have died in the Easter Sunday serial bombings in Sri Lanka, the Indian High Commission here announced on Tuesday.
Indian death toll in Sri Lanka rises to 10
A total of 10 Indians have died in the Easter Sunday serial bombings in Sri Lanka, the Indian High Commission here announced on Tuesday.
Nirmala Sitharaman addresses top Navy officials
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday, interacted with the officers of the Indian Navy at Naval Commanders' Conference here to discuss the security challenges faced by the country.Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba, Navy Chief-designate Vice Admiral Karambir Singh and Director General Coast Guard Rajendra Singh, were present at the conference.The meeting took place a couple of days after eight coordinated bomb blasts shook Sri Lanka leaving 310 people dead and more than 500 injured during Easter celebrations on Sunday.Indian Coast Guard has been put on high alert along the maritime border with Sri Lanka to ensure the security of the nation from any fleeing terrorists from the group which carried out the ghastly attacks.
Sri Lanka death toll jumps to 310
The death toll from a string of explosions that rocked Sri Lanka on Sunday has risen to 310 while over 500 remained injured, the police said on Tuesday.
Death toll in Sri Lanka blasts rises to 310, 40 suspects arrested
At least 310 people have lost their lives in the multiple bomb blasts that rocked Sri Lanka during Easter celebrations, police said on Tuesday.Sri Lankan police media spokesperson SP Ruwan Gunasekara told CNN that 40 people have been arrested in connection with the attacks. The suspects have been sent to custody and all of them are Sri Lankan nationals.Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena will meet foreign envoys and high commissioners and will brief them on the bombings and seek international assistance, according to the country's defence ministry."The intelligence agencies have reported that there were international organisations behind these acts of local terrorists. Hence, it has been decided to seek international assistance for investigations," a statement from the ministry said.As Sri Lanka marked national mourning today, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said that the entire nation mourned the "senseless loss of innocent lives" lost in the multiple blasts."I would like ..
Sri Lanka observes nationwide silence
Sri Lankans observed a nationwide three-minute silence on Tuesday to remember the victims of the deadly blasts which rocked the island nation on Easter Sunday.
Suspicious abandoned parcel found in Colombo
A suspicious abandoned parcel was found at the Kollupitiya railway station in the Sri Lankan capital on Tuesday.
9.35 per cent polling recorded till 9 AM in Bihar
An estimated 9.35 per cent of over 89 lakh electorate in Bihar exercised their franchise in the first two hours of polling during the third phase of polling in five Lok Sabha seats, an election official said. According to the figures released by the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Bihar, Jhanjharpur recorded the highest turnout at 11.50 per cent followed by Araria at 10 per cent, Madhepura 8.75 per cent, Supaul 8.30 per cent and Khagaria 8 per cent. "Polling has been peaceful with no untoward incident reported from any of the constituencies so far," Additional Chief Electoral Officer Sanjay Kumar Singh said. Polling is underway in Jhanjharpur, Supaul, Araria, Madhepura and Khagaria constituencies. Voting was hampered at two polling stations in Khagaria and three booths in Jhanjharpur due to EVM malfunctioning, official sources said. The prominent candidates in the third phase include Sharad Yadav, Bihar minister Dinesh Chandra Yadav, former Bollywood set ...
Prosecute Easter Sunday attackers: Human Rights Watch
Those responsible for the Easter Sunday bloodbath in Sri Lanka should be brought to justice, Human Rights Watch has said.
Karnataka CM enquires about Indians affected in Sri Lanka blasts
Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy on Monday said that he has spoken to the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka in Colombo and enquired about the situation with regard to people from Karnataka, who died or got injured in the terror attack on Sunday.The Karnataka chief minister has requested the authorities in Sri Lanka to speed up the process of bringing the mortal remains of the deceased to the state at the earliest.Kumaraswamy tweeted: "I spoke to the Indian HighCommission @IndiainSL t'day and enquired about the situation with regard to people from Ktka who were injured in the #TerrorAttack. I have requested them to speed up the process of bringing the mortal remains of the deceased to the state at the earliest.".
UNSC condemns Lanka terror attack; underlines need to hold 'perpetrators accountable'
United Nations Security Council on Monday condemned the "heinous" and "cowardly" terrorist attacks that shook Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday.The organisation also underlined the need to hold the "perpetrators" responsible for the attacks accountable."The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the series of heinous and cowardly terrorist attacks that took place in St. Anthony's Shrine in Colombo, St. Sebastian's in Negambo, Zion Church in Batticaloa, the Shangri-La, Cinammon Grand, and Kingsbury hotels in Colombo, as well as three explosions across Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, 21 April 2019, which resulted in nearly 300 killed and hundreds more wounded," TASS quoted UNSC statement."The members of the Security Council underlined the need to hold perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice, and urged all states, in accordance with their obligations under international law and ...
Over 700 staff working in Sri Lanka safe: Kolkata firm
Hearing about the serial blasts in Sri Lanka on Sunday, a Kolkata-based real estate developer on Monday said he made anxious calls to find out the whereabouts of 700-800 Indian employees working at a Rs 2,000 crore project in the island country and finally took a sigh of relief after knowing all of them were safe.
Sri Lankan military given sweeping powers after bombings
Sri Lanka's president gave the military sweeping police powers in the wake of the Easter bombings that killed nearly 300 people, while officials disclosed that intelligence agencies had warned weeks ago of the possibility of an attack by the radical Muslim group blamed for the bloodshed. The suicide bombings struck three churches and three luxury hotels Sunday in the island nation's deadliest violence since a devastating civil war ended in 2009. The government shut down some social media, armed security forces patrolled the largely deserted, central streets in the capital of Colombo, and a curfew went into effect. The military was given a wider berth starting Tuesday to detain and arrest suspects powers that were used during the civil war but withdrawn when it ended. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said he feared the massacre could unleash instability and he vowed to "vest all necessary powers with the defense forces" to act against those responsible. Adding to the tension, three