Page 311 - War Conflict
Afghan peace board bats for talks with Taliban
The government-backed Afghanistan Peace Consultative Board (APCB) has advocated for talks between the government and the Taliban, a statement of the Presidential Palace said.
Yemen's Hodeida calm after ceasefire takes effect
Yemen's flashpoint city of Hodeida was calm on Tuesday following heavy clashes that erupted after the UN-brokered ceasefire started at midnight, pro-government sources and residents said. "There has been complete calm since 03:00 am Yemen time (1200 GMT) in the city of Hodeida," a military source loyal to the government told AFP on Tuesday. The ceasefire agreement struck at the UN-sponsored peace talks in Sweden came into effect at midnight Monday but heavy clashes and air raids continued after the deadline, pro-government sources and residents in the city told AFP. The residents confirmed by phone that there has been no fighting between the government forces backed by the Saudi-led coalition and Iran-aligned Huthi rebels since 03:00 am. But it was not possible to determine if the halt in fighting was in response to the ceasefire or just a temporary stoppage. Residents said that daily fighting would usually be fierce in the evening and at night, before coming to a standstill at ...
4 transgenders offer prayers at Sabarimala temple
Four transgenders, who were earlier stopped from proceeding towards the Lord Ayyappa temple, Tuesday offered prayers at the hill shrine under a heavy police security cover. Ananya, Trupti, Renjumol and Avanthika, clad in traditional black sarees and carrying the customary "Irrumudikettu"(sacred offerings to the deity), were escorted by police from Nilackal to Pamba and during the trek to the shrine. They said they were extremely happy to have got the opportunity to offer prayers at the temple and that this was their life's mission which had been realised. They had met DGP A Hemachandran, a member of the Kerala High Court-appointed supervisory panel, and Inspector General of Police Manoj Abraham here Monday after which they were allowed to proceed. The police had earlier turned them away, saying that they had to get some legal clarity on the issue. The state had witnessed massive protests by devotees opposing the entry of girls and women in 10-50 age group into the Sabarimala temple ...
Yemen ceasefire goes into effect in strategic port city
A ceasefire between Yemen's warring parties went into effect at midnight on Tuesday in the strategic port city of Hodeidah.
Airbnb denies Israel claim it shelved settlement ban
Online bookings platform Airbnb has denied a claim by Israel's tourism minister that it had reversed a decision to stop listing accommodation in settlements in the occupied West Bank. Tourism minister Yariv Levin had said on his Facebook page that the firm "will not enforce its decision to withdraw proposed bookings from its website". But Airbnb later said that "the information published earlier today was inaccurate". Airbnb had announced in November that it would "remove listings in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank that are at the core of the dispute between Israelis and Palestinians". The firm however said Monday that it does "unequivocally" reject the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which urges wide-ranging economic measures to protest against the decades-long Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories. Airbnb said in a statement that it was committed to developing business in Israel, to allow "more tourists from around the world to enjoy the ...
Five including juvenile held for highway robberies
Five including a juvenile were held for stealing vehicles and robbing people on highways, the police said Monday. Ashiq Hassan, Mohit, Shahil Khan, Saif Ali Khan and the minor were held on Saturday at RCC Road, Nupur Prasad, Deputy Commissioner of Police (North), said. Illegal firearms were recovered from the gang, she added. During interrogation, they confessed about their involvement in several cases of robbery and snatching, she said further. According to police, the gang used to steal vehicles and use them to commit robberies on highways in the national capital region. After identifying the target, they would ask the victim for directions and then him/her. After committing the crime, they would dump the stolen vehicle, police added.
Air strikes kill 62 Al Shabaab militants in Somalia: US military
The US military said Monday it has killed 62 militants from the jihadist al-Shabab movement in six air strikes in Somalia. Four strikes on Saturday killed 34 militants and another two on Sunday killed 28, the US Africa Command said in a statement. The air attacks, in a coastal region south of Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, were the deadliest in the country since November last year when the US said it had killed 100 militants. All six airstrikes were "conducted to prevent al-Shabab from using remote areas as a safe haven to plot, direct, inspire, and recruit for future attacks," the statement said.
Yasin Malik detained during protest march against killing of civilians
JKLF chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik was detained Monday after he tried to march towards the Army's Chinar Corps headquarters to protest the killing of seven civilians allegedly in security forces firing in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district. Malik and his supporters assembled in Maisuma area of the city and tried to march towards the headquarters at Badami Bagh, a police official said. He said as the protestors reached near Budshah Chowk, police swung into action and took Malik and few others into custody. They were lodged at the Kothi Bagh police station. Police also used tear smoke shells to disperse the protestors, the official said. The civilians died on Saturday when security forces allegedly opened fire at a crowd that tried to storm the site of an encounter in which three militants and an army man were killed, police had said. According to a JKLF spokesman, "Malik led enthusiastic men, women, young and old of the area in large numbers and started his march towards Badami Bagh .
Amnesty says over 3,600 killed in Nigeria's farmer-herder violence
More than 3,600 people have been killed in clashes between farmers and herders in Nigeria since 2016, Amnesty International said on Monday, blaming the government's failure to punish the perpetrators for fuelling the violence. The international human rights organisation said more than 2,000 were killed in 2018 alone, while the bloodshed had made thousands of other people homeless. Violence between farmers and nomadic herders is on the increase in Nigeria over access to fertile land and water, which is becoming scarce in the face of drought and rapid population growth. "The Nigerian authorities' failure to investigate communal clashes and bring perpetrators to justice has fuelled a bloody escalation in the conflict between farmers and herders across the country, resulting in at least 3,641 deaths in the past three years and the displacement of thousands more," Amnesty said in a statement. It said that of the 310 attacks recorded between January 2016 and October 2018, 57 percent were in
Lack of synergy between forces resulted in civilian casualties in Pulwama: Officials
Lack of synergy and miscommunication between various wings of security forces led to mayhem in South Kashmir's Pulwama district Saturday that resulted in the death of seven civilians after an encounter with Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists, officials said on Monday. The lack of synergy was to the extent that civilians had almost reached the Army vehicles engaged in encounter and there was serious apprehension that the mob could harm the personnel or loot the weapons, they said. This had prompted the security forces to open fire at the unruly crowd which approached the encounter site at Sirnoo village from multiple directions Saturday, they added. Even the governor's advisor K Vijay Kumar, in his address to senior police officials Sunday, stressed on ensuring effective coordination and synergy between security agencies, besides exercising restraint to avoid civilian casualties and collateral damage during anti-militancy operations and security related drills in the valley. According to an .
Azad calls for probe into civilian killings in Kashmir
Congress veteran and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad, on Monday called for a probe into the Saturday's killings of seven civilians in Jammu and Kashmir and asked security forces to avoid firing on civilians.
Killing of 7 civilians in Pulwama 'unacceptable', says GN Azad
Senior Congress leader and leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad, termed the killing of seven civilians in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district "unacceptable.""It is always praiseworthy when our armed forces eliminate militants but it pains when innocent civilians are killed. Killing of more than 7 civilians in Pulwama, Kashmir is unacceptable," read a statement from Azad.Furthermore, the senior Congress leader demanded a probe in the matter in order to avoid such a situation in the future. "The matter should be probed and security forces should be asked to avoid firing on civilians so that Pulwama like situation does not arise in future," he asserted.Apart from the death of seven civilians and one security personnel, three terrorists were also killed in the encounter, which broke out on Saturday in Pulwama's Monghama area of Sirnoo village.Moreover, police said incriminating materials including arms and ammunition were recovered from the site of ..
Truce in Yemen's Hodeida starts Tuesday: UN source
The UN-brokered agreement to halt hostilities in Yemen's Hodeida and its surroundings starts on Tuesday, a United Nations official said on Monday after renewed clashes in the flashpoint city. When asked if the ceasefire in Hodeida province starts midnight Monday, the UN official, who requested anonymity, told AFP: "it is true". The announcement of the ceasefire date follows Yemen's warring sides clinching a deal in Sweden on Thursday, under which an "immediate ceasefire" was to be implemented in Hodeida. The UN source said the delay until 2100 GMT on Monday was necessary for "operational reasons". Yemen's Foreign Minister Khaled al-Yamani, who led the government's delegation to the peace talks, told state-run television late Sunday that the ceasefire takes effect at midnight Monday. Residents in Hodeida and the surrounding areas have reported fierce fighting and air strikes in recent days, as clashes continued between Saudi-backed government forces and the Iran-aligned Huthi ...
US conducts 6 airstrikes against Somalia extremists, 62 dead
The United States military's Africa Command says that it has carried out six airstrikes in the Gandarshe area of Somalia which killed a total of 62 extremists from the al-Shabab rebel group. In a statement issued Monday, the US military said it carried out four strikes on December 15 in which 34 people were killed and two more on December 16 which killed 28. It said all strikes were in the Gandarshe coast area south of the capital. It said that no civilians were injured or killed. The US military statement said all six strikes were carried out in close coordination with Somalia's government. It said the airstrikes were conducted to prevent al-Shabab from using remote areas as a safe haven to plot, direct, inspire, and recruit for future attacks.
Mirwaiz Umer defies house arrest, stopped
Senior separatist leader Mirwaiz Umer Farooq on Monday defied house arrest here as he tried to march towards the Army headquarters in the city to protest against civilian killings in Jammu and Kashmir.
Mirwaiz taken into preventive custody for defying house arrest
Moderate Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was taken into preventive custody after he tried take out a march here on Monday against the killing of seven civilians during an encounter in Kashmir's Pulwama district, officials said. The action was taken as Farooq tried to defy house arrest and take out the march to the Army's Chinar Corps headquarters in the Badami Bagh area here, they said. The separatists, under the banner of the Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL), comprising Farooq, Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mohammad Yasin Malik, had called for the march against the killings. Seven civilians died and several others were injured allegedly when security forces opened fire at a mob that thronged the site of an encounter in south Kashmir's Pulwama district in which three terrorists and a soldier were killed on Saturday. Mirwaiz stepped out of his Nigeen residence to lead his supporters towards the Chinar Corps headquarters, a police official said. The separatist leader was, .
Facebook temporarily blocks account of Israeli PM's son
Son of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been temporarily blocked from Facebook for sharing anti-Muslim posts.Al Jazeera reported that Yair Netanyahu was blocked for 24 hours after he shared a content including "All Muslims (to) leave" on his social media account here on Thursday (local time), following the latest violence that erupted in West Bank claiming the lives of two Israeli soldiers and three Palestinians."Do you know where there are no attacks? In Iceland and in Japan where coincidentally there are no Muslims," Al Jazeera cited the Prime Minister's son as writing on his social media account.While, seeking a peaceful solution between the long-drawn conflict between the Jews and the Arabs, the Prime Minister's son also wrote in a second post that either "all Jews leave (Israel) or all Muslims leave". "I prefer the second option," Yair Netanyahu further claimed.Meanwhile, the social media giant deleted the post that included "avenging the deaths" of the two Israeli soldiers .
Justice delayed but not denied in anti-Sikh riots case: Omar
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah said Monday that justice to victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots was delayed but not denied. "Justice delayed but not denied. #84riots," Abdullah tweeted after the Delhi High Court convicted six persons, including Congress leader Sajjan Kumar, in an anti-Sikh riots case. The riots, in which thousands of Sikhs were killed, broke out after the assassination of prime minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984. The conviction of five others -- former Congress councillor Balwan Khokhar, retired naval officer Captain Bhagmal, Girdhari Lal, former MLAs Mahender Yadav and Kishan Khokhar-- were also upheld by the high court. The court said Kumar's life imprisonment will be for the remainder of his life and asked him to surrender by December 31. It also asked him not to leave Delhi before that.
8 Tamil Nadu fishermen arrested by Sri Lankan Navy
Eight Tamil Nadu fishermen were arrested by the Sri Lankan navy near Neduntheevu for allegedly fishing in the island nation's waters, an official said here Monday. The fishermen from Mandapam in Ramanathapuram district were fishing near Neduntheevu late Sunday when they were arrested by Lankan Navy personnel, Tamil Nadu Fisheries Department, Assistant Director, Yuvaraj, said. The Sri Lankan navy also seized their boat, he said, adding that the fishermen had allegedly went to sea despite an advisory issued by the authorities in view of rough weather conditions. The fishermen have been lodged at a camp in Karainagar in Sri Lanka, Yuvaraj said. In recent months, fishermen from Tamil Nadu have been being chased away for fishing in the island nation's waters and this is the first arrest in some months. On December 11, over 3,000 fishermen from the state were allegedly chased away by the Sri Lankan navy personnel when they were fishing near Katchatheevu islet.
Restrictions in Srinagar, Malik detained
Authorities on Monday imposed curfew-like restrictions in Srinagar to prevent a separatist-called protest march against the civilian killings which took place in Pulwama district on the weekend, police said.