Page 329 - War Conflict
Bangladesh tries eight over deadly cafe attack
Eight alleged Islamist extremists went on trial in Bangladesh on Monday over a savage 2016 attack claimed by Islamic State that killed 22 people including 18 foreigners at a Dhaka cafe popular with Westerners. Prosecutors say that the eight members of a homegrown extremist outfit were "associates" of the five attackers killed when police stormed the Holey Artisan Bakery cafe. The eight, who face the death penalty if convicted, "helped mastermind the attack and supplied arms and ammunition," prosecutor Jahangir Alam Chowdhury told AFP. Six defendants were present with two having absconded. More than 200 witnesses have been called in a special anti-terrorism court in the old part of the capital Dhaka under tight security. The brazen assault in July 2016 saw young men armed with assault rifles and machetes lay siege to the cafe in Dhaka's well-heeled Gulshan neighbourhood. In addition to 22 civilians, two policemen were killed. Military commandos took over the cafe after a 10-hour ...
Cow vigilantes torch truck transporting bovine animals
Police used batons and tear smoke to disperse protesters on Monday after cow vigilantes torched a truck carrying bovine animals in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district -- after setting them free.
Fuel supplies, schools hit on Week 3 of 'yellow vest' protests
Dozens of French "yellow vest" demonstrators blocked access to a major fuel depot and several highways on Monday on the third week of anti-government protests which led to major riots in Paris at the weekend. Around 50 people blocked the fuel depot in the port of Fos-sur-Mer, near Marseille, where police have repeatedly intervened to dislodge demonstrators since small-town and rural France erupted in protests over rising living costs on November 17. Traffic was also backed up on highways leading to the southern cities of Aix-en-Provence, Orange, Montpellier, Nimes and Sete as the movement, which began over fuel tax increases but has morphed into a broader wave of resistance to Macron's pro-business policies, rumbled on. On Monday, the protests spread to around a hundred schools nationwide, which were partially or totally blocked by teenagers piggybacking on the demonstrations to air frustration over new university entrance requirements. Around 1,000 students shouting "Macron resign!" .
Macron orders French PM to hold talks with parties, protestors
In the wake of 'yellow vest' protests across the country, mainly over the fuel price hike, President Emmanuel Macron here on Monday ordered the Prime Minister Édouard Philippe to hold talks with political leaders, as well as the demonstrators to end the nationwide protests.Al Jazeera cited a statement, issued by the French President after meeting members of his government on Sunday, stating that Macron has also asked his interior minister to prepare security forces for protests that may erupt in Paris or elsewhere in the country.A source from the French presidency was quoted as saying that Macron would not speak to the nation despite calls for providing immediate concessions to the demonstrators. The French President, according to the source, even added that the idea of imposing a state of emergency had not been discussed.The Sunday's meeting was conducted after the French capital was converted into a battle zone by the 'yellow vest' demonstrations for the third consecutive weekend on
Police foils bid to snatch weapons, eight over-ground workers arrested in J-K
Police foiled a weapon snatching bid in Baramulla and Srinagar districts of Jammu and Kashmir by arresting eight over-ground workers (OGWs). Based on a credible input that some over-ground workers were planning to snatch weapons from policemen on duty, eight OGW were picked up by police from Baramulla, Tangmarg and Srinagar areas, a police official said. He said a case was registered and an investigation was underway. "During investigation, some recovery of arms and ammunition has been made with the assistance of other security forces, including the CRPF and Army," the official said without giving further details.
J-K police bust JeM terror modules, 10 held
The Jammu and Kashmir Police have successfully busted two terror modules of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and arrested 10 of its members from Tral and Khrew in South Kashmir.In an official statement on Monday, the police said huge quantities of incriminating materials including gelatin sticks, detonators, materials for making Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and grenades were recovered from their possession.A special team of Jammu and Kashmir Police was constituted to investigate the increasing terror attacks in Tral in which security forces and civilians were being targeted by the terrorists. The police claim that on the basis of material evidence collected during the investigation, it identified four suspects having complicity in terror attacks and subsequently took them into custody.Four persons arrested from Tral area of Awantipora have been identified as Younis Nabi Naik, a resident of Pinglish, Fayaz Ahmad Wani from Reshipora, Riyaz Ahmad Ganaie from Nigeenpora and Bilal Ahmad ...
Gaza court sentences 6 people to hang for 'collaborating' with Israel
A military court in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip on Monday sentenced six people, including a woman, to death by hanging for "collaborating" with Israel, authorities said. In total, 14 people were sentenced for "collaborating with the occupation," with six sentenced to be hanged, the interior ministry in Gaza said. The rulings come three weeks after eight people were killed when an alleged Israeli army cell in Gaza was uncovered, leading to a vicious fire fight. Hamas fired hundreds of rockets at Israel in response, with the Jewish state striking dozens of targets in Gaza before a ceasefire agreement. The six sentenced to death Monday were not related to the November 11 flare-up. The woman, named only as Amal, was sentenced in absentia and is alleged to have encouraged her nephew in Gaza to collaborate with Israeli intelligence. Iyad al-Bozum, the spokesman of the interior ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza, hailed the rulings. "Collaborators must realise the (Israeli) occupation will not be ...
15 killed as army clashes with rebels in eastern DR Congo
Fifteen people have been killed in eastern DR Congo in clashes between troops and rebels loyal to a former general, the army said Monday. It said the fighting was continuing Monday in Fizi, a region of South Kivu, a mineral-rich province which is prone to ethnic tensions. The unrest is another front in the push by rebels to oust President Joseph Kabila as the poverty-stricken Democratic Republic of Congo limps towards a much-delayed presidential election slated for December 23. "The rebels have already lost 12 fighters, including the commander Alida," the deputy head of the rebels, an army spokesman in the region, Captain Dieudonne Kaserek, told AFP. "Three soldiers drowned in a river with their weapons," he added. The clashes pit the army against rebels loyal to a former army general, William Amuri Yakutumba, opposed to Kabila. The militia is allied to rebels of the National Liberation Front based in neighbouring Burundi, according to several regional sources. In September of last ...
UN employee captured in Yemen port city
The Iranian-aligned Houthi rebels have captured an employee of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Sunday in the port city of Al Hudaydah, Yemeni Minister of Information Moammar Eryani has said.Sputnik cited Eryani, who personally took to Twitter, saying, "The Houthi militia in the city of Al Hudaydah has detained Muhammad Shaybani, a specialist of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights."The international community and the UN special envoy for Yemen are calling for a decisive position on the actions of the Houthis, he added.Yemen has been witnessing a political crisis in recent years, especially between the government forces led by President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi and the Houthi rebels. The Saudi-led coalition has been carrying out airstrikes against the Houthis at Hadi's request since March 2015.The strife has reportedly claimed around 10,000 lives and displaced a thousand others so far.
Violence in Bulandshahr over cow slaughter, cop killed
A police inspector was killed in violence that broke out Monday in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr district after reports of illegal cow slaughter, police said. Additional Director General of Meerut zone Prashant Kumar said a mob pelted the police with stones and indulged in arson setting several vehicles and the Chingarwathi Police Chowki on fire. Police Inspector Subodh Kumar has died in the violence, he said. As tension prevailed in the area, policemen from several police stations have been rushed along with senior officials to take control of the situation, police said. There was report of a youth succumbing to injuries received in police firing, but there was no official confirmation.
Court discharges Kejriwal, 6 others in rioting case
A Delhi court on Monday discharged Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and six others in a case of alleged rioting in front of the house of the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2012. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal passed the order. According to the prosecution, on August 26, 2012, Kejriwal and others had held a demonstration against coal scam in front of Singh's house and in order to stop them, water cannons were used following which the volunteers became violent. Thereafter, police had fired several rounds of tear gas to driving them off. Certain mischievous elements then attacked the police with flag sticks. The barricade was damaged along with certain plants, the police said. The Delhi Police had booked them for the alleged offences under Sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapon) and 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object) of the Indian Penal Code. Kejriwal and other accused ...
UK spy chief issues warning to Russia
The head of the MI6 foreign spy agency warned Russia on Monday not to underestimate Britain's capabilities and determination to expose malign behaviour, ahead of a rare public speech. Alex Younger, who as head of the intelligence agency is known as "C", will use the speech to highlight adversaries who regard themselves as being in "perpetual confrontation" with Britain. He will say they take advantage of the "blurred line" between the cyber and physical worlds to probe Britain's defences and institutions in a way that falls short of traditional warfare. In extracts released by the Foreign Office ahead of the speech, he urged "Russia or any other state intent on subverting our way of life not to underestimate our determination and our capabilities, or those of our allies". He will note the response of London and its allies to the chemical weapons attack in Salisbury in March, which they blamed on Moscow. There was a coordinated expulsion of Russian diplomats worldwide, while Britain ...
Shopian gunfight ends as militants escape
A gunfight between militants and security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district ended on Monday after the militants managed to escape.
Two JeM modules busted, 10 arrested in J-K's Pulwama
Two modules of militant outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) were busted in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir in which 10 persons were arrested and huge quantity of incriminating material recovered, police said Monday. A police spokesperson said a special team was constituted to investigate surge in militant attacks in Tral in which civilians and security forces were targeted and created an atmosphere of panic and fear in the area. "Police in south Kashmir busted two terror modules of proscribed terror outfit JeM and arrested 10 of its associates in Tral area of Awantipora and Khrew area of Pampore," the spokesperson said. On the basis of material evidence collected, four persons, identified as Younis Nabi Naik, a resident of Pinglish, Fayaz Ahmad Wani, a resident of Reshipora, Riyaz Ahmad Ganaie, a resident of Nigeenpora and Bilal Ahmad Rather, a resident of Hafoo Nigeenpora were taken into custody, he said. Investigation into the cases revealed their complicity in the attacks carried ..
UN plane to evacuate injured Houthi rebels in Yemen
A United Nations jet will evacuate as many as 50 wounded Houthi rebels in Yemen following UN ambassador to Yemen Martin Griffiths' request.According to a Saudi-UAE coalition fighting Yemen's Houthi movement, the rebels will be taken for treatment to Oman's capital Muscat, reported Al Jazeera.Griffiths requested the arrangement as a goodwill gesture in the run-up to planned peace talks in Sweden."A UN chartered plane will arrive at Sanaa international airport Monday to evacuate 50 wounded combatants accompanied by three Yemeni doctors and a UN doctor, from Sanaa to Muscat," stated coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency, as quoted by Al Jazeera.Maliki further said that the United States-backed military alliance agreed to facilitate the medical evacuations at the request of Griffiths for "humanitarian reasons" and as a "confidence-building" measure.However, no immediate reaction was received from Houthi rebels or the UN.The ...
Jharkhand temple looted
Criminals early on Monday looted jewellery and assets worth more than Rs 1 crore and the idol of the goddess from a temple in Jamtara district in Jharkhand, police said.
Nine NDFB(S) cadres arrested in Arunachal
In a joint operation by the Army and police officers, nine cadres of outlawed NDFB(S), including a teenager, have been arrested from Jairampur in Arunachal Pradesh. The rebels were infiltrating into India from their training camp in Myanmar when security forces apprehended them Sunday, Director General of Police SBK Singh said. A huge cache of arms and ammunition, including pistols and AK- 56 rifles, were recovered from their posession. "Acting on a tip-off, a joint team of Red Horns Division of Assam Rifles and Jairampur Police ambushed the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (Songbijit) rebels on their infiltration route," Singh said, adding that the operation has dealt a "body blow" to the militant outfit.
China says U.S., China working towards removing all tariffs
BEIJING (Reuters) - China's foreign ministry said on Monday that the Chinese and U.S. presidents instructed their economic teams to work towards removing all tariffs, following a meeting in Argentina where the two leaders agreed to a truce in their trade war.
UN plane to evacuate wounded Huthi rebels in Yemen: coalition
A UN plane will evacuate 50 wounded Huthi militants from Yemen's rebel-held capital Sanaa on Monday as a "confidence building measure" ahead of planned peace talks in Sweden, a Saudi-led military coalition said. "A UN chartered plane will arrive at Sanaa international airport Monday to evacuate 50 wounded combatants... three Yemeni doctors and a UN doctor, from Sanaa to Muscat," a coalition spokesman said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency. The fate of wounded rebels had been a stumbling block to the start of a previous round of aborted peace talks in September. The coalition agreed to facilitate the medical evacuations at the request of UN envoy Martin Griffiths for "humanitarian reasons" and as a "confidence building measure", the spokesman added. Huthi rebels on Thursday said they will attend UN-brokered peace talks in Sweden this week if guarantees to ensure they can leave home and return back are maintained. Yemen's internationally recognised government, ...
Syria coalition targets IS leader linked to decapitation of American
The anti-jihadist international coalition in Syria said Sunday it had targeted in a strike an Islamic State group leader involved in the execution of American humanitarian worker Peter Kassig and other Western prisoners. "The coalition forces carried out specific strikes against a high-ranking IS leader, Abou al Oumarayn... in the desert" in Syria, said Sean Ryan, spokesman for the US-led coalition. The leader "was implicated in the murder of American citizen... Peter Kassig", kidnapped in Syria in 2013 and executed by decapitation in November 2014, he added. He was also "directly implicated in the execution of a number of other prisoners", Ryan said, adding that coalition air strikes "continued to disrupt the command and control of IS on the battlefield". Peter Kassig, aged 26 at the time of his death, founded a humanitarian organisation in 2012 and adopted the name Abdul Rahman after his conversion to Islam. The international coalition intervened in Syria and Iraq in 2014 to fight ..