Page 27 - War Conflict
IS module: NIA finds political links in TN searches (Intro Roundup)
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has yet again found a political connection in its investigation into the new Islamic State module in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, officials said.
Delhi BJP demands AAP govt roll-back fixed charges, surcharge
The Delhi BJP Wednesday demanded that the AAP government roll-back fixed charges, power purchase cost adjustment charges, surcharge and pension trust surcharge. Vijender Gupta, leader of opposition in the Delhi Assembly, demanded the Delhi government to compensate electricity consumers for financial loss on account of payment of these charges. "These charges were levied by discoms in connivance with the Kejriwal government. According to conservative estimates, the consumers have already been made to pay Rs 10,000 crore to discom by way of levying of these charges," Gupta said. He criticised Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Power Minister Satyender Jain and other AAP leaders for "projecting a misleading and false picture with regard to power tariff and fixed charges". He also attacked the Congress for "shedding crocodile tears" on the present loot by discoms and said that the grand old party is equally responsible for the public loot during its 15-year rule. Delhi Congress chief .
400 arrested at Moscow police abuse march: monitor
Russian authorities sought Wednesday to crush a new protest wave, arresting more than 400 people at a Moscow march, a day after police suddenly dropped trumped-up drugs charges against a respected journalist. Among those detained on Russia Day, a public holiday, were opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who faces up to 30 days in jail, teenagers and Russian and foreign journalists. As police beat up the protesters and even detained random passers-by, President Vladimir Putin congratulated the nation, saying he would do everything to promote the country's "further prosperity and development." Many Russians had hoped to harness the widespread outrage over last week's arrest of respected reporter Ivan Golunov on trumped-up drugs charges to press for genuine reform of Russia's tainted law enforcement and justice systems. But a much smaller crowd of protesters had turned up in central Moscow amid fierce divisions among liberals. Police in riot gear moved in against the unsanctioned march at .
Massacre toll in Mali revised down to 35
A massacre at a village in central Mali that according to early estimates killed 95 people left 35 dead, the authorities said Wednesday, giving a final toll. Twenty-four of the dead were children, the government said in a statement which added that six people had been detained "following routine checks". Gunmen late Sunday surrounded the village of Sobane Da, in an ethnic Dogon enclave, killing inhabitants and torching homes in a seven-hour assault, survivors said. The killings stirred fears of tit-for-tat violence in the region, an ethnic patchwork where tensions have soared since the emergence of a violent jihadist-led movement in 2015. The government had given a provisional figure of 95 dead and 19 missing. That toll was based on early information from soldiers and the district mayor who visited the village, which is also known as Sobane-Kou. But by Monday night there was some doubt and the revised figure was confirmed the following day, officials said. "This number is based on a ..
Sri Lanka lacks firm political leadership, says Cardinal, as he reconsecrates St Anthony's Church
Sri Lanka's top Catholic leader Wednesday slammed the government over the Easter Sunday suicide attacks, saying the country lacked a "firm political leadership", as he reconsecrated the St Anthony's Church which was severely damaged in the jihadi assault. The 19th century Church was badly damaged in a worst terror attack in Sri Lanka's history on April 21, which was carried out by the suicide bombers of the now banned National Thowheed Jamaath (NTJ) terror outfit, killing 258 people and injuring over 500 others. The roof, walls and pews of the neo-classical style Catholic church, situated in Kochchikade here, suffered extensive damage in the devastating serial blasts. The Sri Lankan Navy carried out the restoration work of the 185-year-old Church. As a result of suicide bombing, the Church had been desecrated, therefore, there was a need to reconsecrate it by spraying the holy water before re-dedicating it to the God at a special service, the Church officials said. The special service
NIA carries out searches at seven locations in TN
The National Investigation Agency has carried out searches at seven locations in Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu in connection with its probe into an ISIS module headed by Mohammed Azarudeen, a Facebook friend of Sri Lankan suicide bomber Zahran Hashim, officials said. During the searches, the agency seized 14 mobile phones, 29 SIM cards, 10 pen drives, three laptops, six memory cards, four hard disc drives, an internet dongle and 13 CDs/DVDs, besides one dagger, an electric baton, 300 air-gun pellets and a large number of incriminating documents, the NIA said in a statement. A few pamphlets of Popular Front of India and Social Democratic Party of India, both under the scanner of security agencies, have also been seized from the houses and workplaces of the accused persons, it said. Based on the recoveries, the agency has started questioning the accused about the material, it added. A case was registered on May 30 this year against the module allegedly led by 32-year-old Mohammed Azarudeen ..
Five CRPF men killed in terror strike at busy Anantnag road; one terrorist eliminated
In a daring broad daylight strike, two terrorists, believed to be from Jaish-e-Mohammed group, struck in a busy road in Anantnag district of South Kashmir Wednesday killing five CRPF personnel and injuring three others, officials said. The incident took place in the afternoon when motorcycle-borne terrorists fired at a CRPF patrol party at Khanabal-Pahalgham stretch, famously known as KP Road, killing one personnel on the spot and wounding few others, they said. A joint team of the bravo company of CRPF's 116th battalion and state police were deployed for a picket duty in the area when the attack took place. The patrolling party of the CRPF fought the terrorists and lost its five personnel while the injured were evacuated to 92 Base hospital, they said. Immediately additional forces, led by Station House Officer of Saddar police station in Anantnag Arshad Ahmed, reached the encounter spot but had to face indiscriminate firing from the terrorists who also hurled grenades at them. In ...
NIA searches 7 places in Coimbatore (Roundup)
The NIA on Wednesday searched seven places in Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, including the residence of a social media friend of the Sri Lankan terrorist who masterminded the April suicide bombings in the island nation.
Five CRPF men killed in terror strike at bust Anantnag road; one terrorist eliminated
In a daring broad daylight strike, two terrorists, believed to be from Jaish-e-Mohammed group, struck in a busy road in Anantnag district of South Kashmir Wednesday killing five CRPF personnel and injuring three others, officials said. The incident took place in the afternoon when motorcycle-borne terrorists fired at a CRPF patrol party at Khanabal-Pahalgham stretch, famously known as KP Road, killing one personnel on the spot and wounding few others, they said. A joint team of the bravo company of CRPF's 116th battalion and state police were deployed for a picket duty in the area when the attack took place. The patrolling party of the CRPF fought the terrorists and lost its five personnel while the injured were evacuated to 92 Base hospital, they said. Immediately additional forces, led by Station House Officer of Saddar police station in Anantnag Arshad Ahmed, reached the encounter spot but had to face indiscriminate firing from the terrorists who also hurled grenades at them. In ...
5 CRPF troopers, 1 militant killed in Anantnag attack (2nd Lead)
Five Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers and one militant were killed while four others, including one civilian and three security men, were injured following a gunfight in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district on Wednesday.
3 CRPF troopers, 1 militant killed in Anantnag attack
Three Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers and one militant were killed and seven others, including one civilian and six security personnel, were injured following a gunfight in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district on Wednesday.
5 CRPF personnel killed in terrorist attack in J-K; 1 terrorist gunned down
Five CRPF personnel were killed and four other security personnel suffered injuries on Wednesday when terrorists carried out an attack on a busy road in Anantnag district of south Kashmir, officials said here. A terrorist was killed by security forces personnel and an AK series assault rifle was recovered from him, they said. They said at least two terrorists on a motorcycle attacked a patrol party of the CRPF on the busy K P Road in Anantnag with automatic rifles. They also hurled grenades at the patrol team. Five CRPF personnel have been killed and three others injured have been evacuated to the 92 base hospital, they said. The Station House Officer of Anantnag Police Station, Arshad Ahmed, was also injured in the attack and has been shifted to Srinagar for treatment, they said. A joint team of the bravo company of CRPF's 116th battalion and state police were deployed for a picket duty in the area when the attack took place.
China extradition clashes plunge Hong Kong into historic violence
Hong Kong was rocked Wednesday by the worst political unrest since its handover to China as police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters who tried to storm parliament and blocked roads in the financial hub. The violent protests were the latest expression of widespread public anger over the government's controversial Beijing-backed plan to allow extraditions to China. Clashes broke out hours after tens of thousands of people seized key arteries in the morning rush hour and surrounded the city's parliament, forcing lawmakers to postpone a debate on the proposed law. Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, who is championing the law's passage, described the protests as "organised riots" and called for calm to be restored. "The rioting actions that damage peaceful society, ignoring law and discipline is unacceptable for any civilised societies," she said in a video statement. Police earlier used tear gas, rubber bullets and batons to battle crowds of black-clad ...
Hong Kong leader calls extradition law protests an 'organised riot'
Hong Kong's leader hit out at protesters who battled police Wednesday calling the clashes "organised riots" in her first comments since violence broke out over her government's unpopular plan to allow extraditions to China. "The rioting actions that damage peaceful society, ignoring law and discipline is unacceptable for any civilised societies," chief executive Carrie Lam said in a video statement, her first comments since the clashes erupted. "Its obvious that these are not peaceful rallies, but openly organised riots," she added.
Israel upgrades its air-raid warning system
The Israeli military says it has overhauled its air-raid warning system in order to minimise disruptions to the general population. The army said on Wednesday that it is has divided the country into 1,700 alarm zones, up from the current 255 zones. Ariel Blitz, head of public preparedness at the military's home front command, says the system will more accurately pinpoint where an incoming rocket is heading. He says that in Israel's southern region near Gaza an area that is a frequent target of Palestinian rocket fire 75% fewer individuals will hear each siren. During past rounds of fighting, nonstop air-raid sirens have heavily disrupted life in the area.
Toll from Boko Haram attack in Cameroon rises to 37
An attack by Boko Haram jihadists in northern Cameroon last weekend left 37 dead, a security official in the region said Wednesday, revising the toll upward. "As of today, we have 21 military and 16 civilian fatalities," the source said. An earlier toll said at least 26 people -- 17 soldiers and nine civilians -- had died, in one of the deadliest attacks in Cameroon by the Nigerian-based group. The jihadists, armed with rocket launchers, attacked military positions on Darak, an island near Lake Chad in Cameroon's Far North region. Fierce fighting broke out with the soldiers, which included the Cameroonian army and troops from the Multinational Joint Task Force, a five-nation anti-jihadist mission. The assailants succeeded in raising their black flag before being repelled. Around 40 assailants were captured, another security source said. "More bodies have been recovered from the water," a source said. Most of the military fatalities were sailors who had been sent to the Lake Chad ...
Didi-BJP face-off: Water cannons greet saffron brigade in Kolkata (2nd Lead)
Hundreds of BJP activists on Wednesday marched towards the Kolkata Police headquarters in Lalbazar, only to be stunted midway by the police who fired water cannons and lobbed tear gas shells to disperse the mob.
Clashes between BJP workers, police during protest rally
Clashes broke out Wednesday between BJP workers and the police here on Wednesday during a rally to protest against post-poll violence in West Bengal with the saffron party claiming several of its members were injured. Senior BJP leader Mukul Roy and state BJP general secretary Raju Banerjee were injured during the clashes, the state leadership said. Banerjee was admitted to a nearby hospital while Roy was taken to the party office and his condition is stated to be stable. The 18 newly-elected MPs of the BJP in the state participated in the protest rally. As the BJP activists jostled to reach the Bowbazar crossing in the city, police resorted to firing tear gas shells and water cannons to disperse them, the party claimed. In retaliation, the saffron party workers raised slogans and hurled stones and bottles at the officers, police said. The BJP leadership, however, claimed none of the party workers were involved in stone hurling and it was police which threw stones and bottles at ...
More than 200 arrested at Moscow police abuse march
More than 200 people including opposition leader Alexei Navalny were detained Wednesday as police sought to break up a peaceful Moscow rally against the alleged impunity of law enforcement agencies. Russian police in riot gear moved in against the unsanctioned march of more 1,000 people amid screams of protesters shouting "you are criminals" and "stop police terror." Moscow police said around 1,200 took part in the march and more than 200 people were arrested. AFP correspondents witnessed dozens of arrests which took place on Russia Day, a public holiday. As police dragged protesters into vans the crowd yelled: "Shame, on Russia Day, this is our country's day! Have you forgotten the constitution?" Some of the arrested wore T-shirts in support of Ivan Golunov, an investigative journalist who was last week arrested on trumped-up drugs charges. One detained activist brandished a placard saying, "I am Ivan Golunov" in the window of a police van. At least four journalists were detained ...
Sri Lanka to implement UN Security Council's measures on counter-terrorism
Sri Lanka on Wednesday said it will implement the United Nations Security Council's resolution to curb terrorism and violent extremism in the country, weeks after the country saw the worst jihadi attack. The announcement came days after the visit by the UN Assistant Secretary General (ASG) and Executive Director of the Counter Terrorism Executive Directorate (CTED) Michele Coninsx, during which both sides discussed measures needed to be taken by Colombo to stem the flow of foreign terrorist fighters and counter violent extremism, in compliance with the international counter-terrorism obligations. "Sri Lanka expressed its commitment to the 'Whole of government' approach in counter terrorism and violent extremism," the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry said in a statement. During her talks with the Sri Lankan officials, Coninsx also discussed terrorist financing and asset freezing, dealing with foreign terrorist fighters, the counter terrorism legislation, countering radicalisation and ...