Page 255 - War Conflict
3 killed in Mogadishu car bomb explosion
At least three people were killed and five others were injured when a car bomb exploded in the heart of Somalia's restive capital Mogadishu on Tuesday, the police said.
Nearly 5,000 garment workers sacked over Bangladesh strikes
Nearly 5,000 low-paid Bangladeshi garment workers stitching clothes for global brands have been sacked by factory bosses for joining strikes over wages this month that turned violent, police said Tuesday. Thousands of labourers walked out of factory floors across the country in days-long protests that disrupted the USD 30 billion industry -- and saw police fire rubber bullets and tear gas at demonstrators. One worker was killed and more than 50 injured in clashes in Ashulia, a key industrial town outside Dhaka where clothes are sewn for retail giants H&M, Walmart and many others. Police say thousands of factory workers accused of looting and vandalism during the protests have been fired, but unions have accused the industry of intimidation and a crackdown. "So far the factories have dismissed 4,899 workers due to the unrest," a senior police officer told AFP on condition of anonymity. More than 1,200 garment workers -- whose wages start at USD 95 a month -- were dismissed from a ..
Livid over procurement delay, Fernandes once sent two Def Ministry babus to Siachen
George Fernandes, as defence minister, once sent two senior bureaucrats of his ministry to Siachen glacier when he came to know that they had held back a file on purchase of snow bikes for soldiers deployed at the world's highest battle field. Known for quick decision-making and administrative acumen, his concern for the armed forces was all too evident. He visited the Siachen glacier, where temperatures can dip to minus 50 degrees Celsius, nearly 30 times as he was very much concerned about living conditions of the soldiers deployed there, defence ministry officials said. An avid admirer of socialist Ram Manohar Lohia, Fernandes, who died on Tuesday, would never miss an opportunity to acknowledge the contribution and express gratitude to the soldiers, particularly those deployed in difficult areas along India's borders with Pakistan and China. "Kaise hain aap log? Sab kuch theek hei na? Kab chhutti mein ja rahen hain? (How are you? Is everything fine? When are you going on leave?)" ..
UN: Nearly 700 Venezuela arrests in a day mark 20-year high
The UN human rights office says security forces in Venezuela detained nearly 700 people in one day last week amid anti-government protests the highest such tally in a single day in the country in at least 20 years. Rights office spokesman Rupert Colville said Tuesday that 696 people were detained on Wednesday alone. Overall, some 850 were detained between Monday and Saturday, including 77 children. Colville said "more than 40 people" are now believed to have been in killed "in different manners" amid the recent protests, including 11 people reportedly killed by "unidentified individuals" linked to incidents of looting. He said one member of the Bolivarian Guard was reportedly killed in the state of Monagas.0 He told reporters in Geneva that officials were investigating reports of ill-treatment of detainees.
Terrorists attack Balochistan IGP's office, 10 injured
Ten people, including eight policemen, were injured on Tuesday when terrorists attacked the Deputy Inspector General's office in Loralai in the restive Balochistan province. "The terrorists attacked the office premises when a recruitment test for police clerks was underway," Inspector General of Police, Balochistan Mohsin Hassan Butt told reporters. He said terrorists initially opened gunfire and then detonated explosives. Medical Superintendent of the Loralai Civil Hospital Dr Saleem said that 10 injured were being treated at the hospital, among them eight are policemen and two civilians. "The condition of the civilians is not good," he added. The attack comes a day after the government announced raising of a 50,000-strong special security force to ensure unhindered exploration of oil and gas in the remote areas of Balochistan which has witnessed violence from the separatists and militants. In an attack on January 1, four security personnel were killed when terrorists tried to storm .
Sri Lankan soldiers join drug eradication programme
Hundreds of Sri Lankan soldiers participated in a week-long national drug eradication programme by travelling across the country and raising awareness on the dangers of drug use, the Army said on Tuesday.
JMB operative wanted in 2014 Burdwan blast case held
A Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) operative, who was wanted in the 2014 Burdwan blast case, was arrested by the National Investigation Agency in West Bengal's Hooghly district, officials said Tuesday. Kadar Kazi, 32, was arrested Monday night from the Arambagh police station area of the district, they said. "He was wanted in the Burdwan blast case and was also declared a proclaimed offender," an NIA official said. Kazi's associate Sajjad Ali, who was also involved in the activities of the JMB, has also been arrested in the late night operation, he said. Two persons were killed and another was injured in a bomb explosion at a house in the Khagragarh locality of Burdwan on October 2, 2014. Later, it was revealed that these two individuals and others, believed to be members of the JMB, present in the house were engaged in preparation of bombs, arms and ammunition, maintaining hideouts and organising terrorist training camps in pursuance of a larger conspiracy to carry out terrorist
Five PLFI ultras killed, two injured in encounter with security forces
At least five ultras of the banned Peoples Liberation Front of India (PLFI) were killed and two others injured in an encounter with security forces Tuesday in neighbouring Khunti district, a senior police officer said. The PLFI is a splinter group of the CPI(Maoist). "According to primary information, five ultras of the PLFI outfit were killed and two others injured. The injured have been shifted to a hospital," Inspector General of Police (Operation) Ashish Batra said here. The encounter with the ultras broke out early in the morning at a place under the Murhu police station in Khunti district. The security forces comprised CRPFs Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA), SAP jawans and Khunti district police, another police officer said. The IGP (Operation) said two AK 47 rifles, two .315 rifles, one 9 mm pistol, three/four country-made weapons, a large number of bullets, blankets and other materials were recovered from the encounter spot. Batra said a second encounter broke ...
Palestinians ask UN to deploy observer force in West Bank
The Palestinians are asking the United Nations to deploy a permanent international force in the West Bank and east Jerusalem. Tuesday's request comes a day after Israel said it was suspending operations of an observer force in the city of Hebron, after 20 years. Palestinian official Saeb Erekat says the UN should "guarantee the safety and protection of the people of Palestine" until "the end of Israel's belligerent occupation." Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said it would not extend the mandate of the Temporary International Presence in Hebron, saying "we will not allow the continuation of an international force that acts against us." TIPH has deployed unarmed civilian observers since 1997. Hundreds of hard-line Jewish settlers guarded by soldiers live in the heart of Hebron, which has over 200,000 Palestinians.
Bomb blast kills 7 Yemeni civilians in market
A bomb attack in a market killed seven Yemeni civilians including a photographer for a UAE television channel in the government-controlled town of Mokha, medics and military sources said Tuesday. At least 20 people were wounded in the overnight blast in the Red Sea town, where pro-government forces backed by a Saudi-led coalition battling the Huthi rebels are based. The improvised explosive device was planted on a motorcycle parked in the middle of the market, an official in the pro-government forces told AFP. Seven people were killed, the official and a hospital source said. A photographer for Abu Dhabi TV, Ziad al-Sharabi, was among the dead, the official Saba news agency quoted information minister Moammer al-Eryani as saying. A correspondent for the same network, Faisal Al-Zabhani, was among the wounded, he said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but Saba blamed it on the Iran-aligned Huthis. The city of Mokha has enjoyed relative calm since ...
Security forces launch search operations in J-K's Samba
Security forces have launched a search operation following suspected movement along the Indo-Pakistan border in Jammu and Kashmir's Samba district, officials said Tuesday. The search operation was launched in Basantar river area in Ramgarh sector, they said. The operation was launched following reports of suspected movement in border areas of Ramgarh sector, officials said. Basantar riverine area along the International Border has been an infiltration route for militants.
Pak violates ceasefire in Samba district
Pakistan Rangers targeted forward posts along the IB in Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir with small arms fire, officials said Tuesday. BSF troops guarding the borderline retaliated resulting in brief exchanges, they said. Officials said Pakistani Rangers fired several rounds on forward posts along the IB in Ramgarh sector on Monday evening.
UN culture chief condemns photoreporter's killing in Libya
Paris, Jan 29 (IANS/AKI) The Director-General of the UN culture organisation Unesco has deplored the killing by shelling of acclaimed photoreporter Mohamed Ben Khalifa in the Libyan capital Tripoli.
'No decision to withdraw Italian troops from Afghanistan'
Rome, Jan 29 (IANS/AKI) Italian Defence Minister Elizabetta Trenta has not yet decided to pull out the country's troops from war-torn Afghanistan, officials said after reports that the withdrawal could take place within a year.
In Kabul, US reports 'agreements in principle' with Taliban
Negotiators for the United States and the Taliban insurgents have reached "agreements in principle" on key issues for a peace deal that would end 17 years of war in Afghanistan, the top US envoy has said. The statement by US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad followed six days of talks last week with the Taliban in Qatar, where he urged the insurgents to enter into direct negotiations with the government of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. Ghani on Monday assured Afghans that their rights will not be compromised in the name of peace with the Taliban, who have been staging near-daily attacks against Afghan forces, causing scores of casualties every week. Their offensive has not let up despite the severe Afghan winter and the insurgents now hold sway over nearly half of the country. Khalilzad said in an interview with The New York Times that an agreement in principle was reached with the Taliban on the framework of a peace deal "which still has to be fleshed out" that will see the insurgents commit ..
5 Maoists killed in Jharkhand
Five Maoists were killed by security forces in Jharkhand's Khuti district on Tuesday, police said.
Jharkhand: 5 Maoists killed in encounter with security forces
Five Maoists were killed and one suffered injuries during an encounter with security forces in Jharkhand's West Singhbhum district on Tuesday.In the early hours on Tuesday, security forces comprising of the Central Reserve Police Force's 209 CoBRA battalion and Jharkhand Police launched a special operation to target Naxals in the areas, said police.In the ensuing encounter, the forces managed to neutralise five Maoists and injure one. No casualties and injuries of security personnel, involved in the operation, have been reported so far.The troops have also seized arms and ammunition- two AK 47, one 303 rifle and two pistols- from the spot.A search operation is underway.More details are awaited.
Officials: Several officers injured in Houston shooting
Officials say at least three Houston police officers have been wounded in a shooting. In a tweet, Houston police say the officers were "struck with gunfire following an encounter with a suspect" Monday afternoon in a neighbourhood in southeast Houston. Mayor Sylvester Turner tweeted that the suspect "is down" and at least three officers have been injured. Police say the officers are being transported to a hospital. Their conditions were not immediately known. Joe Gamaldi, president of the Houston Police Officers' Union, says one of the injured officers was taken to a hospital by helicopter.
US, Taliban agree in principle on framework for peace deal
The United States and Taliban have agreed in principle to chalk out a framework for a deal that could eventually end the 17-year old conflict in Afghanistan. According to US Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad, the Taliban would guarantee that Afghanistan will never be used as a base for terrorism in return for a full American withdrawal from the country, The New York Times reported.He further stated that the Taliban concessions must include a ceasefire and agreement to hold talks with the Afghan government, a prospect the terror outfit has been persistently opposed to previously."We have a draft of the framework that has to be fleshed out before it becomes an agreement. The Taliban have committed, to our satisfaction, to do what is necessary that would prevent Afghanistan from ever becoming a platform for international terrorist groups or individuals," Khalilzad told The New York Times in an interview in Kabul."We felt enough confidence that we said we need to get
Gunmen kill 14 in Burkina Faso's Sahel region in 2 attacks
Gunmen have killed at least 14 people in Burkina Faso's volatile Sahel region in the past two days, attacking a marketplace and military base, officials said Monday. Nearly a dozen gunmen opened fire on civilians at a Sunday market in the Soum province, killing at least 10 people and injuring two others, said security minister Ousseni Compaore. The attack on Sikire in the northern Sahel region took place in the middle of the day while the market was full, he said, adding that investigations into the attack are ongoing. Early Monday, gunmen attacked a base of anti-terrorist forces further west in the Soum province in Nassoumbou, burning tents and equipment and killing four people, said the director of the local national television, Bouma Nebie. The same base was attacked in December 2016, when 12 military forces were killed. Islamic extremists have increased attacks in the Sahel region, forcing Burkina Faso to declare a state of emergency there. The extremist threat has also shifted ...