Page 145 - War Conflict
Yemen holds mass funeral for children killed in Sanaa blast
Yemeni rebels have held a mass funeral for children killed in an explosion near two schools in the war-torn country's capital Sanaa. The explosion in the rebel-held capital killed 14 children and wounded 16 others on Sunday, the UN said. The cause remains unknown. Most of the casualties of the blast in the city's Saewan district were girls under the age of nine, according to the UN. The children were buried Wednesday under the watchful eye of Huthi rebels, who have been at war with a pro-government alliance led by Saudi Arabia. Crowds of men spilled into the streets of the capital where coffins draped with Yemeni flags were lined up. Relatives of the children and schoolboys hoisted the coffins above the crowd and made their way to the cemetery, escorted by a line of ambulances. "What sin have they committed?" asked Essam al-Abed, a local Huthi official and funeral organiser. "Their only sin was carrying backpacks and pens to get an education." The Huthi rebels have accused the ...
30 jihadists 'killed or captured' in French-Malian raids near Burkina: French military
French and Malian troops killed or captured more than 30 extremists and dismantled a jihadist training camp during a major counter-terrorism operation near Mali's border with Burkina Faso, the French military told AFP on Friday. The operation is the first since French forces set up a base south of the bend of the Niger River, building an advance position outside the town of Gossi in the heart of the restive Gourma region. "Over 30 members of armed terrorist groups were neutralised," the military said, a term meaning that they were killed or captured. A French military doctor was also killed during the operation, the military previously reported. The operation, lasting about 10 days, was launched in late March in Gourma, a crossroads region in Mali's central belt that flanks the border with Burkina Faso. The doctor was killed when his vehicle hit a mine, bringing to 24 the number of French defence force members killed in counter-terrorism operations in the region since 2013. Some 4,500
Two arrested for flashing weapons on social media
Two men, one of whom was inspired by Shahrukh Khan starrer 'Baadshah', were arrested for allegedly flashing weapons on social media in order to impress their friends and create an identity among criminals, police said Wednesday. The accused, identified as Sahil (18) and Asif (19), were arrested from J J colony, Bharat Vihar. Police also claimed to have recovered three firearms, two live cartridge and one used cartridge from their possession. Following a tip-off, the accused were arrested Monday and a loaded semi-automatic country-made pistol and one used cartridge along with a mobile phone having his picture with illegal arms and a video while firing in the air was recovered from him, Anto Alphonse, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka), said. Investigations revealed that Asif had also uploaded his photo on social media along with the illegal weapon, he said. Sahil said he was inspired by Bollywood film 'Baadshah' and to impress his girlfriend and friends, he started carrying one ...
Security forces in troubled Cameroon kill 5 civilians: HRW
Cameroonian security forces have killed five civilian men, one of whom was beheaded, in an attack on a village in a restive anglophone region, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Wednesday. The five were either killed execution-style or shot as they attempted to flee from forces raiding their neighbourhood on April 4 in Meluf, near an armed separatist camp in Northwest Region, HRW said. Three of the bodies were later discovered mutilated, including two found with their hands tied and their genitals cut off. "Government forces are committing abuses against people living in the Anglophone areas of Cameroon," said Lewis Mudge, Central Africa director at Human Rights Watch, in a statement. "Cameroon's civilian and military authorities should make it clear that these types of abuses will not be tolerated and hold commanders responsible." AFP contacted the army, which did not give an immediate response. The rights group said Cameroonian soldiers, gendarmes and members of the elite Rapid ...
Torn pages of holy book found in Punjab village
Pages of a holy Sikh book (Gutka Sahib) were allegedly found torn from a non-functional drain in Panjwar village here, the police said. An FIR was registered against unknown persons under Section 295 of the IPC for hurting religious sentiments at the Chabbal Police Station, SHO Baljit Singh said. A probe has been initiated and some locals have been questioned, Singh added. Panjwar was a hotbed of terror activities in the late nineties when insurgency was at its peak in Punjab.
CRPF jawan injured in IED blast by Naxals in Maharashtra
A CRPF jawan escorting a polling party was injured in an IED blast in the Naxal-affected Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra Wednesday, a day ahead of voting for the Lok Sabha elections. The incident comes a day after a BJP MLA and four security personnel were killed in a Naxal attack in Dantewada district of neighbouring Chhattisgarh. The blast took place at Gatta Jambia village in Etapalli tehsil of Gadchiroli when a team of election officials was heading for a polling booth, escorted by police and the 191st battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force, a senior police official said. The area, which borders on Chhattisgarh, falls in the Gadchiroli-Chimur constituency which will go to polls along with six other seats in Maharashtra Thursday. The CRPF jawan sustained serious injuries in the legs in the blast, and his condition was critical, the official said. The Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was attached to a bicycle parked along the road passing through a market ..
NIA arrests JKLF chief Yasin Malik, continues questioning of Mirwaiz in terror funding case
Tightening its noose around separatists of Jammu and Kashmir, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday arrested JKLF chief Yasin Malik and questioned Mirwaiz Umer Farooq again in connection with a terror financing case, officials said here. Malik was brought to the national capital Tuesday evening after a special NIA court in Jammu gave the go-ahead for his custodial interrogation by the probe agency, they said. He was produced before a special court which remanded him in the NIA custody till April 22. The NIA spokesman said in a brief statement that Malik, who was already under detention under the Public Safety Act, was arrested in a terror funding case. Malik, whose Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front was recently banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), was shifted to Tihar jail Tuesday evening under police protection from Jammu's Kot Balwal prison. He is also facing two CBI cases which includes kidnapping of Rubaiya Saeed, daughter of then Union ...
Maharashtra: Security personnel injured in IED attack by naxals
A CRPF personnel was seriously injured on Wednesday in an IED attack in the Naxal-affected Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra.The Naxals attacked the 191 battalion of CRPF in Gatta area of Ettapalli on Wednesday.The condition of the CRPF personnel has been reported to be critical.Evacuation by helicopter is being arranged, said an official statement.More details of the incident are awaited.On Tuesday, BJP MLA Bhima Mandavi was killed and five police personnel sustained critical injuries after Naxals attacked a convoy in Dantewada.
UK 'deeply regrets' Jallianwalla Bagh Massacre, falls short of complete apology
Falling short of a complete apology, British Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday said the UK "deeply regrets" the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre and called it a "shameful scar" on the British-Indian history."The tragedy of Jallianwalla Bagh in 1919 is a shameful scar on the British-Indian history. As her Majesty, the Queen said before visiting Jallianwala Bagh 1997, it is a distressing example of our past history with India. We deeply regret what happened and the suffering caused," May said at the British Parliament.Hundred years on, the United Kingdom is yet to give a full apology for the gruesome attack on unarmed protesters in Amritsar in 1919.Highlighting this, Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn said: "I think the people, in memory of those who lost their lives in the brutality of what happened, deserve a full, clear and unequivocal apology for what took place on that occasion."The Jallianwala Bagh massacre took place on 13 April 1919 when troops of the British Indian Army under .
CRPF trooper hurt in Maoist ambush in Maharashtra
A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Sub-Inspector was injured on Wednesday in an IED blast triggered by the Maoists in Gadchiroli district in Maharashtra, where a team of the paramilitary force was sent for deployment in election related duties, an official said.
Stage set for election to lone Mizoram Lok Sabha seat
All the polling parties have reached their respective polling stations to conduct election to the lone Mizoram Lok Sabha seat and bypoll to the Aizawl West-I assembly seat on Thursday, an official said. Joint chief electoral officer H Lianzela said that 4,409 security personnel, including 12 companies of central armed police force (CAPF), 20 companies of state armed police and 22 companies of unarmed police were deployed for the polls. The fate of six candidates for the Lok Sabha seat would be decided by an electorate of 7,78,777. Three nominees are in the fray in the Assembly bypoll. Polling would be held in 1,175 polling stations across the state and 15 special polling stations at Mizoram-Tripura border Kanhmun village, where 12,081 Bru voters lodged in the Tripura relief camps would exercise franchise.
CRPF jawan hurt in blast by Naxals in Maharashtra
A CRPF jawan was injured in an IED blast in Naxal-affected Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra Wednesday, police said. The attack comes on the eve of polling for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections in the Gadchiroli constituency. The incident took place at Gatta Jambia village in Etapalli tehsil when a polling party was moving towards polling stations under protection of a police party and jawans of the 191 battalion of CRPF, an official said. Prime a facie, it appears that the IED was fixed to a bicycle which was parked along the road, the official said. Gadchiroli is among the seven seats where Lok Sabha polls are being conducted in the first phase in Maharashtra.
Policeman killed and hostages taken in Boko Haram attack in Niger
Several people have been taken hostage and a policeman killed in an attack by Boko Haram militants in a troubled region of southeastern Niger, a senior official told AFP on Wednesday. The jihadists, some of them believed to be wearing suicide vests, launched the assault on various parts of the city of Diffa on Tuesday night and it was "still in progress" Wednesday morning, the official said. Residents described hearing gunshots and loud explosions near the police station. Two jihadists have been killed, according to provisional figures. "The attackers, hunted by the security forces, have holed up in the home of a policeman and taken several people hostage," the official said, who wanted to remain anonymous. One Diffa resident told AFP the police are "still trying to dislodge them." Diffa is close to northeastern Nigeria and borders the Lake Chad basin. It has suffered repeat attacks from Boko Haram. An estimated 27,000 people have been killed and two million displaced since Boko Haram
IED blast in Naxal-hit Gadchiroli on poll eve, CRPF personnel injured
An IED blast left a CRPF personnel seriously injured on Wednesday in the Naxal violence affected Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra when security personnel were out to secure the area on the eve of Lok Sabha polls, officials said. The blast took place in Gatta-Ettapalli area of the district in the evening where the troops of the 191st battalion were on patrol.The Central Reserve Police Force troops were out to secure the area ahead of the polls, they said. The sub-officer suffered limb injury due to the improvised explosive device blast. He is stated to be in critical condition and is being airlifted for treatment, an official said. The region will go to polls in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections on Thursday. A BJP MLA and four security personnel were killed in a Maoist triggered IED blast in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district on Tuesday.
Stage set for polling in 5 Lok Sabha seats in Assam
The stage is set for polling in five Lok Sabha seats in Assam on Thursdy to decide the fate of 41 candidates in the fray. An electorate of 76,03,458, including 38,65,334 male, 37,37,970 female and 154 of the third gender will exercise their franchise in 9,574 polling stations in Tezpur, Kaliabor, Jorhat, Dibrugarh and Lakhimpur Lok Sabha constituencies. Tight security arrangements have been made across the five constituencies to ensure smooth conduct of polling, Assam Director General of Police Kuladhar Saikia said. Altogether 40 companies of para-military forces have been deployed in the first phase while the state police force is also engaged in ensuring free and fair polls. Patrolling along the border with neighbouring states, railway stations, river patrolling by river police and other sensitive areas have been intensified while strict monitoring of social media and cyber related crimes was being done at the district level. Altogether 1,300 polling booths have been ...
Security up in Telangana for polls amid looming naxal threat
: In view of the parliamentary polls in Telangana Thursday, the state police have sounded a high alert and beefed up security in the bordering areas after the naxal attack in neighbouring Chhattisgarh. The police have already geared up for free, fair and peaceful conduct of the Lok Sabha elections and taken all measures to maintain law and order in 33 districts of the state. Over 50,000 personnel from the police and central para-military force would be part of bandobust duty. Vigil has been mounted in the Left-wing extremism-affected areas and the combing operation intensified. "All necessary arrangements are in place to ensure free, fair and peaceful conduct of Lok Sabha elections in the state," a senior police official told PTI. Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Jitender Tuesday said the call by Maoists to boycott polls for the last several decades has no support from citizens and this has been proved again and again during several elections. On ...
New Zealand gun law reform passes final hurdle
New Zealand's Parliament on Wednesday passed the gun reform bill, banning all types of semi-automatic weapons and assault rifles, less than a month after the Christchurch carnage in which 50 people died.
Violent protests in Kishtwar as RSS functionary is cremated
Violence broke out in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar town on Wednesday as angry mourners clashed with police during the funeral procession of the senior RSS functionary killed in Tuesday's terror attack along with his PSO, prompting the Army to stage flag march in the area. No one was injured in the clashes, officials said. Curfew remained imposed for the second day in the communally-sensitive district following the killing of senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) functionary Chanderkant Sharma and constable Rajinder Kumar, even as police intensified searches to nab the assailant. According to eye-witnesses, a large number of people came out of their houses to take part in the funeral procession of Sharma. In Dak Banglow area, an irate crowd held protests and raised slogans against Pakistan and terrorists. The group soon turned violent and pelted stones on police personnel deployed there. During the clash, police resorted to cane charge and teargas shelling to disperse the protesting
Last 'Doolittle' raider who struck Japan in WWII dies
The last surviving member of a morale-boosting secret United States air raid that stunned Japan during World War II has died. Lieutenant Colonel Dick Cole "has slipped the surly bonds of Earth & reunited w/his fellow Doolittle Raiders," General Dave Goldfein, United States Air Force Chief of Staff, wrote on Twitter. "We offer our eternal thanks & condolences to his family. We will proudly carry the torch he & his fellow Raiders handed us." US media reported that Cole, who died aged 103 on Tuesday in Texas, was the last survivor of 80 Doolittle raiders air crew members. Cole was copilot of the plane led by Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle who led the raid by 16 B-25 bombers, each with a five-man crew. On April 18, 1942 -- four months after Japan's surprise attack against the US at Pearl Harbor -- the US Army Air Forces bombers took off from the deck of a US Navy aircraft carrier that sailed to within a few hundred miles (kilometers) of Japan. "Medium bombers had never ...
616.5 kg silver seized in Rajasthan; 6 detained
Six people were detained Wednesday after 616.5 kg silver was found in their possession during inspection at check posts in Rajasthan's Rajasamand and Sirohi district, police said. Five people travelling in a car on Nathdwara-Jaipur state highway were intercepted at a check post with 600 kg silver ornaments on a tip-off of anti-terrorist squad of the police, Nathdwara police station in-charge Jitendra Kumar Aanchalia said. In Sirohi, a man was detained with 16.5 kg silver during an inspection of a private bus at a check post, police said. Accused Prakash Soni (32) was travelling in the bus from Beawar with the unaccounted silver, Abu Road RICO police station SHO Champa Ram said. Police said the silver was seized and the matter informed to the Income Tax Department for further investigation.