Page 151 - War Conflict

Security, operations of Hambantota port under control of Sri Lanka: PM Wickremesinghe

The security and operations of the strategic Hambantota port are totally under the Sri Lankan government's control, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has said, allaying fears that the Chinese investment in the island nation could cause concerns for countries like India. Sri Lanka in 2017 reached a long-term lease agreement with China to set up an industrial park at Hambantota and convert Colombo's high commercial debt with Beijing into equity, triggering concerns in New Delhi over Beijing's efforts to expand influence in the region. Addressing the two-day long Third Asia Europe Political Forum here, Wickremesinghe said that Sri Lanka maintains friendly relations with all countries and is well aware of the current global trends. "India is our partner from our history. We share same civilisation with Pakistan and Bangladesh.We joined Japan at the San Francisco Conference. Despite the opposition from the United States, Sri Lanka recognised People's Republic of China and first signed a .

Activists: 5 killed in protests against Sudan's president

Organizers behind anti-government demonstrations in Sudan say security forces have killed at least five protesters in the last twenty-four hours. Saturday witnessed one of the largest turnouts in more than three months of protests calling on President Omar al-Bashir to resign. Sarah Abdel-Jaleel, a spokeswoman for the Sudanese Professionals Association, told The Associated Press on Sunday that four people were killed in the capital city of Khartoum when security forces tried to disperse crowds approaching the military's headquarters. Abdel-Jaleel says another protester was killed in the neighbouring city of Omdurman. The state-run SUNA news agency has quoted police spokesman General Hashim Abdel-Rahim as saying that one person was killed "during disturbances in Omdurman." International rights groups say at least 60 people have been killed since protests began.

Rohingya rights group says air strike kills over 20

A Rohingya rights group in Bangladesh on Sunday said more than 20 people were killed and 50 were injured during an air strike on April 3 by the Myanmar Army on members of the ethnic group in Rakhine state, contradicting the government version of the incident.

Rwanda mourns the dead, 25 years since genocide began

Rwanda on Sunday begins one hundred days of mourning for over 800,000 people slaughtered in a genocide that shocked the world, a quarter of a century on from the day it began. President Paul Kagame will start a week of commemoration activities by lighting a remembrance flame at the Kigali Genocide Memorial, where more than 250,000 victims are believed to be buried, mainly from the Tutsi people. They are only some of those killed by the genocidal Hutu forces, members of the old army and militia forces called the "Interahamwe", that began their bloody campaign of death on April 7, 1994, the day after the assassination of President Juvenal Habyarimana, a Hutu. Some were shot; most were beaten or hacked by machetes. The killings lasted until Kagame, then 36, led the mainly Tutsi Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) into Kigali on July 4, ending the slaughter and taking control of the devastated country. Kagame, now 61 and who has been in power ever since, will lead the memorial to the ...

Groom gets permission to travel to bride's home in J&K

A marriage party had to obtain permission from the district authorities on Sunday to travel on the highway from Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district to Doda.

J-K: Encounter occurs in Pulwama's Tral

An encounter between security forces and terrorists took place in Tral in Pulwama district on Sunday, an official said.The firing has stopped and a search operation is underway, the official said.On Saturday, two terrorists were killed in an encounter with security forces in Imam Sahib area of Shopian district.

Gunfight in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama

A gunfight took place on Sunday between the security forces and militants in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district, police said.

One dead as Sudan protesters rally outside army HQ for first time

One Sudanese protester died as thousands of demonstrators marched in Khartoum Saturday, many reaching the army headquarters for the first time since the deadly protests against President Omar al-Bashir erupted in December. Chanting "one army, one people," the protesters rallied in the capital's streets following a call by organisers to march on the compound, which also houses Bashir's residence and the defence ministry. Organisers said earlier this week that demonstrators would gather to demand the army either "take the side of the people or the dictator's". The crowds chanted the movement's catchcry "peace, justice, freedom", onlookers said. "We still haven't achieved our goal, but we have delivered our message to the army and that is: come join us," protester Amir Omer told AFP. "They were calling on Bashir to step down," another witness added. Fellow protester Adam Yagub, 40, said Bashir had "ruined the country's economy so much that people are dying even due to shortage of ...

Hambantota port's security not in foreign hands: Sri Lankan PM

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Saturday that the security and operations of the strategic Hambantota port are managed by his country and not by other nations."Many people consider that the Hambantota port is a Chinese military base. I accept that there will be an army camp. But it is a Sri Lanka Navy camp. Once installed, a Sri Lankan Rear Admiral will be in control. Any ship from any country can come there. But we control the operations," Colombo Page quoted Wickremesinghe as saying during the third meeting of the Asia-Europe Political Forum (AEPF).The Sri Lankan premier maintained that Colombo has friendly and cordial ties with all countries and is aware of current international trends."India is our partner from our history. We joined Japan at the San Francisco Conference. Despite the opposition from the United States, Sri Lanka recognised the People's Republic of China and first signed a trade agreement. We will maintain this situation. We do not get caught .

British Army chief criticises soldiers behaviour after claims of sexual assault surface

British Army Chief of the General Staff Mark Carleton-Smith on Friday condemned the "unacceptable" behaviour displayed by soldiers after several allegations including claims of sexual assault raised questions over troops' conduct.Citing a video statement CNN quoted Carleton-Smith as saying, "This hasn't been a good week for the Army -- it's damaged our reputation."This comes after local media reported that a female soldier was allegedly sexually abused while she slept by six army members. According to media reports, all six soldiers have been arrested.Stating that these claims demonstrate "indiscipline that is wildly at odds with the values and the standards that represent the fabric of not just our Army, but the nation's Army", the Chief of Army Staff said, "Over the last few days, a series of exceptionally serious allegations have been made against soldiers currently serving in the British Army."On Wednesday, the Army had also announced that it has opened an investigation after a ...

DRDO organises special interactive session to give first-hand account of 'Mission Shakti'

A special interaction session was organized by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), on Saturday to present a first-hand account of the mission details, development milestones including technical aspects of Mission Shakti.National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Principal Scientific Adviser Govt of India, K Vijay Raghavan, Deputy National Security Advisers Pankaj Saran and Rajinder Khanna, Secretary, were amongst several others who attended the session."Many eminent serving/retired strategic experts, technocrats, diplomats, the top brass of Armed forces, scientific fraternity across various departments participated in the deliberations," said a statement released by the government.DRDO presented the objectives, mission challenges and achievements of the Anti-Satellite Test (A-SAT) during the event.India had successfully conducted an Anti-Satellite Missile Test (A-SAT) 'Mission Shakti' from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island in Odisha on March 27 becoming only the fourth country in

Senior police officers behaving like TMC cadres, says Bengal BJP president

West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh Saturday mocked at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for writing to the Election Commission over the transfer of four IPS officers and claimed that many more transfers are in the pipeline. "This is just the beginning. Many more list of such transfer are on the pipeline. Why is the chief minister so angry? Is it because her plans to use the police to help her cadre loot votes and engage in rigging has fallen flat," Ghosh said. The state BJP president alleged that most of the senior police officers in Bengal were behaving like TMC cadres. His comments come against the backdrop of Banerjee writing to the EC to protest the transfer of four IPS officers, including the Kolkata and the Bidhannagar police commissioners. The EC decision is "unfortunate, highly arbitrary, motivated and biased, and taken at the behest of the BJP," the chief minister's letter said, urging the poll panel to review the move. The EC had on Friday night removed Kolkata Police ...

Haftar's forces defy calls for Libya calm, press Tripoli offensive

Forces loyal to Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar on Saturday pressed on with an offensive on Tripoli, defying international calls to halt hostilities which risk plunging the country into civil war. Pro-Haftar fighters have been slowed in their advance by forces loyal to Libya's internationally-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA), which sits in the capital. For the first time, forces backing the GNA launched air strikes on Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) -- which vowed to retaliate -- around 50 kilometres (30 miles) south of Tripoli. Pro-government forces in Tripoli confirmed they had targeted Haftar's men with "intensive strikes". The air strikes came as fresh fighting flared Saturday south of Tripoli between the pro-government forces and Haftar's troops despite calls from the international community to halt the military offensive. Several European foreign ministers warned Haftar not to countenance any further military action, with France's Jean-Yves Le Drian

Bengal poll officials demand Central forces at booths

Demanding deployment of Central forces at polling stations for their security, polling officials across districts in West Bengal on Saturday threatened not to take part in the electoral process without Central troopers.

EU ministers pile pressure on Haftar to halt Libya offensive

EU foreign ministers on Saturday upped pressure on Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar to halt his offensive on Tripoli, urging the strongman to commit to a political solution. Khalifa's dramatic bid to take Tripoli came as a meeting of Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers was being held in northern France with the club issuing a statement on Friday urging an immediate halt to "all military activity and movements toward Tripoli". Several European ministers on Saturday warned Haftar not to countenance any further military action, saying that this could destroy a UN-backed peace process. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian described the Tripoli operations as "untimely initiatives" that could further destabilise Libya. "There is a fundamental principle in Libya. There will be no military victory. The solution can only be a political solution," he added. He said that France and Italy, the two European powers with the most influence in north Africa, were "on the same wavelength". "It ..

Devotees throng Vaishno Devi shrine on commencement of Navratri

Adequate security arrangements have been put in place as thousands of devotees Saturday thronged the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine and other temples across the Jammu region, marking the commencement of the nine-day Navratri festival, officials said. There was a huge rush of pilgrims to various temples and shrines in Reasi district since Saturday morning. Police and CRPF personnel have been deployed in strength at all places of worship and enroute for the safety and security of the devotees. The Bawe Wali Mata temple in the heart of Jammu city and the Kali Mata temple in Udhampur witnessed a huge rush of devotees, the officials said. They said the temples dedicated to Mata Durga across the Jammu region were abuzz with activities as pilgrims offered prayers. A special prayer was also organised at Vaishno Devi shrine for peace and prosperity of the state, the officials said.

Nine ultras surrender in Chhattisgarh

Nine lower-rung naxals surrendered Saturday in Chhattisgarh's insurgency-hit Sukma district, police said. The ultras turned themselves in before the police and CRPF officials at Polampalli police station while expressing their willingness to join the mainstream to lead a normal life, Sukma Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Shalabh Sinha told PTI. Eight of the naxals are identified as Banjam Raja, Banjam Ayata, Madkam Sula, Kichhe Ganga, Madkam Mukka, Banjam Somdu, Madkam Bhima and Bando Kesha, he said, adding that they were active as lower-rung cadres in Polamapalli area. "They were mainly tasked with activities like putting up Maoist posters and banners, arranging meeting of villagers and digging up roads," he said. In their statements, they all said they are getting disappointed with the "hollow" Maoist ideology and violence perpetrated by them, Sinha said. They will be provided assistance as per the Surrender and Rehabilitation police of the state government, .

EU backs ICC after US revokes prosecutor's visa

The EU on Saturday declared its support for the International Criminal Court, voicing "serious concern" after the US revoked the chief prosecutor's visa over a possible investigation into American soldiers' actions in Afghanistan. Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda's office confirmed Friday that Washington had revoked her visa for entry into the US -- a move that came after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced restrictions on ICC staff who probe US or allied personnel. A spokesperson for the EU's diplomatic service said the bloc "fully supports the ICC and its independence" and said Brussels expects the US to comply with its "international obligations" towards the court. "The European Union reiterates its serious concern about the US policy towards the ICC," the spokesperson said in a statement. "The ICC plays a key role in the fight against impunity. The EU emphasises that protecting the neutrality and judicial independence of the ICC is paramount to its effectiveness and proper ...

Dacoits beat up petrol pump staff, loot Rs 1.5 lakh in Nashik

Four persons working at a petrol pump in Maharashtra's Nashik district were Saturday assaulted and Rs 1.5 lakh cash looted by dacoits, police said. The incident happened at Shirwadephata petrol pump on the Mumbai-Agra National Highway at around 3am, an official said. "The dacoits, riding motorcycles, assaulted the petrol pump staff and snatched Rs 1.5 lakh cash. A case has been registered with Pimpalgaon police station and efforts are on to nab the dacoits," he said.

Soldier on leave killed by militants in J&K's Sopore

A Indian Army soldier was killed by militants on Saturday when he was at his home in Jammu and Kashmir's Sopore town, police said.