Page 365 - War Conflict
Sack your forest minister: Maneka to Fadnavis
Union Minister Maneka Gandhi Tuesday upped the ante on her demand for ouster of Maharashtra Environment Minister Sudhir Mugantiwar over the killing of tigress Avni and dashed off a letter to state Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, asking him to "consider removing" the minister. "I request you to fix responsibility for the illegal killing of the tigress and consider removing Mugantiwar from the responsibility of the Ministry of Environment and Forest in the state government," Maneka told Fadnavis in her letter, released to media Tuesday. "If the environment and forest minister resorts to killing animals instead of protecting them, he is definitely failing in his duty. This is something like the WCD minister working for child traffickers," the Union minister for Women and Child Development wrote in her letter. Gandhi added that she had been speaking to Mugantiwar on the issue of alleged maneater tigress Avni for the past two months and requesting the minister to have the tigress ...
Tigress Avni killing: Maneka Gandhi urges Fadnavis to sack forest minister
Union Minister for Women and Child Development and animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi on Tuesday wrote a letter to the Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis seeking removal of Sudhir Mungantiwar, State Minister of environment and forest.Gandhi has claimed that tigress Avni could have been saved had the minister in-charge been "little more sensitive."Tigress Avni was killed in Maharashtra's Yavatmal on November 2. She had allegedly killed 14 people.The union minister also quoted an ANI report and underlined that since the Chief Minister had expressed his concern over tigress Avni's killing, he should consider sacking his cabinet minister."Maneka ji's words were harsh but we should understand her feelings as she is an animal lover," Fadnavis told ANI on Monday.In the letter she has stated, "I request you to fix the responsibility for the illegal killing of the tigress and consider removing Mugantiwar from the responsibility of the Ministry of Environment and Forest in the ..
Soldier injured in Rajouri as India, Pak troops exchange sweets in Poonch
On a day when Indian and Pakistani soldiers exchanged sweets on the LoC in Poonch district, an Indian Army soldier was injured in a sniper fire in Rajouri along the de facto border, defence sources said.
India, Pakistan troops exchange sweets along LoC in JK's Poonch
The Indian and the Pakistan armies exchanged sweets and festive wishes Tuesday on the eve of Diwali along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said. "On the occasion of Diwali, as a confidence building measure, sweets were exchanged between Indian Army and Pakistan Army at Poonch and Mendhar on November 6," the Jammu-based White Knight Corps said in a tweet. Both armies exchanged greetings and pleasantries along with the sweets, it said. Meanwhile, a defence spokesman said General Officer Commanding, Fire and Fury Corps, Lt Gen Y K Joshi interacted with the troops deployed in zero degree temperatures in the rugged and mountainous locations of western Ladakh on the eve of the festival of lights. Lt Gen Joshi conveyed his greetings to the troops and their families, the spokesman said. He said the GOC complimented the troops for their service to the nation in such remote and inhospitable terrain and weather conditions. Later in the day, Lt Gen ...
NATO chief hails Afghanistan's chances for peace
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Tuesday Afghanistan's chances for peace were "greater now" than in many years, even as the Taliban step up attacks on Afghan forces, which are suffering record high casualties. Stoltenberg's remarks in Kabul came hours after the Taliban stormed a remote army post in the country's west, which local officials said had killed at least 20 soldiers. Another 20 troops were missing after the overnight raid in Farah province's Pusht Koh district, provincial council member Dadullah Qaneh told AFP, as Afghan forces struggle to beat back the insurgents across the country. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying more than 20 soldiers were killed and five captured. Despite the escalating violence, Stoltenberg struck a relatively optimistic tone during his unannounced visit to the Afghan capital. "The potential for peace is greater now than it has been in many years," the NATO secretary general told a joint news conference with Afghan President ...
Tigress row: Mungantiwar seeks Maneka's resignation over
The ongoing feud between Maharashtra Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar and Maneka Gandhi over the killing of a tigress escalated Tuesday, with the state BJP leader seeking resignation of the Union minister on "moral grounds" over the death of children due to malnutrition. The Women and Child Development Minister had slammed Mungantiwar over last week's killing of the "man-eater" tigress Avni in Yavatmal district, which she termed as a "ghastly murder and a straight case of crime". "The Union Minister for Women and Child Development has called for my resignation though I had nothing to do with the killing of the man-eater tigress," the minister told PTI here Tuesday. "If I am to take the moral responsibility for something I have nothing to do with, our Central leader should set an example for me and resign taking moral responsibility for the death of children in the country due to malnutrition during her tenure," he added. "We can tender our resignations together on moral grounds," he
Taliban confirms delegation to attend Moscow peace talks
The Taliban will send representatives to multilateral talks in Russia on war-torn Afghanistan this month, the militant group said Tuesday, as the international community ratchets up efforts to end the 17-year conflict. Moscow announced Saturday it would host the meeting on November 9 to discuss ways to kickstart peace talks between Kabul and the Taliban. In a statement posted on social media, the Taliban said it would dispatch "high-ranking" representatives from its political office in Qatar. "This conference is not about negotiating with any particular side, rather it is a conference about holding comprehensive discussions on finding a peaceful solution to the Afghan quandary and ending the American occupation," Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said. The Taliban last month appointed five former Guantanamo Bay detainees, who had been swapped for US soldier Bowe Bergdahl in 2014, to its political office. They have the authorisation to "talk about peace", a senior Taliban official ...
NATO chief appeals for peace; Taliban kill 20 Afghan guards
The NATO chief urged the Taliban on Tuesday to stop killing their fellow Afghans, an appeal that came just hours after the insurgents attacked border troops in western Farah province, killing at least 20. Speaking at a joint press conference with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the "Taliban must realize the war does not benefit anyone." A resurgent Taliban now hold nearly half of Afghanistan and carry out near-daily attacks on Afghan security forces, inflicting heavy casualties. The Taliban view the US-backed government in Kabul as a dysfunctional Western puppet and have refused repeated offers to negotiate with it. But Washington and NATO are holding out hope, seeking to find a negotiated exit to 17 years of war. Speaking alongside Stoltenberg, Ghani said his government hopes "the beginning of formal negotiations is not far." "The result has to be an inclusive Afghan peace, one that all Afghans accept," he said. To this end, "we support the
Army chief visits Nelang valley on Indo-China border
Army Chief General Bipin Rawat Tuesday visited Nelang valley on the India-China border in the district to greet the soldiers on Diwali. The Army chief arrived at Nelang valley at around 8.30 in the morning to greet Garhwal Scout, Mahar regiment and Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) soldiers deployed there on Diwali, SDM Bhatwari, Devendra Singh Negi said. General Rawat spent around two hours with the soldiers and also reviewed the situation at the border. He then visited Harshil in the district where he was accorded a grand reception by the Army. From Harshil, the Army chief went to Gangotri to pay obeisance at the temple there. There are around nine border outposts of the Army and the ITBP in Nelang valley which are located at a height of 1,200-1,700 feet.
No need for forest minister Mungantiwar to resign: Fadnavis
Amid the controversy over the killing of tigress Avni, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said Tuesday that there was no need for forest minister Sudhir Mungantiwar to resign over the issue. The chief minister will speak to Union Minister Maneka Gandhi, who has lashed out at the state government over the killing, and an inquiry will be conducted if required, Fadnavis said at Osmanabad in Maharashtra. "The tigress had killed 13 people. Sometimes the government has to take a tough decision. We feel sorry about having to kill Avni," Fadnavis said, speaking to the reporters. "There is no need for Mungantiwar to resign. Mungantiwar had not gone there in person to kill the tigress," the chief minister said. The government did not have any personal interest in seeing the tigress dead, he added. "The general procedure in such cases is to first try and inject the animal with tranquiliser dart and then shoot if needed. The hunter hired by the government has assured that this procedure
Rs 8.80 lakh looted from bank in Bihar
Armed miscreants looted Rs 8.80 lakh from a Bihar Grameen Bank branch in Bihar's Jamui district on Tuesday, police said. A group of five/six gunmen entered the branch at Matiya Bazar under Lakshmipur police station posing as customers covered their face with mask. Police said the robbers locked all the bank employees and customers in a room, opened the chest after taking away keys from the employees and looted Rs 8.80 lakh. They also damaged hard disk of CCTV before fleeing. An FIR has been lodged in this connection.
Defence minister to celebrate Diwali with Army troops in Arunachal forward posts
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will celebrate Diwali with Indian Army troops deployed at forward posts in Dibang Valley district of Arunachal Pradesh, officials said Tuesday. She will fly over the general area and visit Anini and Andrala Omkar forward posts and meet the troops there on Wednesday, Kohima-based Defence spokesman Col Chiranjit Konwer said. The high altitude post of Andrala Omkar is 35-40 km from the nearest road head, he said. Sitharaman would be briefed about the defence preparedness and infrastructure improvements by the Army and would also meet and interact with the families of soldiers who died in the line of duty, the spokesman added. Eastern Army Commander Lt Gen Manoj Mukund Naravane and other senior officials of the Army will accompany her during the entire visit.
Nine bombs recovered from Maoist den in Jharkhand
Nine improvised explosive device bombs were recovered in Jharkhand's Palamau district on Tuesday, police said.
Raise tigress killing in cabinet: Thackeray's fiat to Sena ministers
The ghost of the slain alleged man-eater tigress Avni continued to haunt Maharashtra politics for the fourth consecutive day on Tuesday.
Cash, jewellery worth over Rs 50 lakh looted in Ghaziabad
Four unidentified armed robbers looted cash and jewellery worth over Rs 50 lakh from a jewellery shop in Ghaziabad on Tuesday, police said.
Taliban target border troops, killing 20 in Afghanistan
Afghan officials say at least 20 Afghan border troops have been killed in a Taliban attack on their base in western Farah province. Abdul Samad Salehi, a provincial council member, says more than 45 border forces were at the base in Posht Koh district; only three of them could reach a nearby village, rest of them are either killed or arrested by the Taliban. At least 20 soldiers were killed and similar number were missing, most probably arrested by Taliban, said a senior army official said, who was not authorised to speak with the media. The late Monday night gun battle lasted for more than two hours before insurgents overran the base and communications were lost, said the official. Zabihullah Mujahid, Taliban spokesman, claimed responsibility for the attack.
Himachal seeks separate battalion in Indian Army
Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday sought a separate battalion in the Indian Army for the state in view of a large number of people serving the armed force.
ISIL's legacy of terror: 200 mass graves found in Iraq
More than 200 mass graves containing the remains of thousands of victims have been discovered in areas formerly controlled by ISIL in Iraq, according to a United Nations report released on Tuesday. The report highlights the legacy of ISIL's relentless campaign of terror and violence and victims' calls for truth and justice.The UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and the UN Human Rights Office have documented the existence of 202 mass grave sites in the governorates of Ninewa, Kirkuk, Salah al-Din and Anbar in the northern and western parts of the country - but there may be many more.While it is difficult to determine the total number of people in these graves, the smallest site, in west Mosul, contained eight bodies while the biggest is believed to be the Khasfa sinkhole south of Mosul which may contain thousands.The report stresses that these sites could potentially contain critical forensic material to assist in the identification of victims and to build an understanding of the ..
Chattishgarh: 62 Naxalites surrender
As many as 62 Naxals have surrendered before Bastar's Inspector-General (IG) Vivekanand Sinha and Narayanpur's Superintendent of Police (SP) Jitendra Shukla in Chattisgarh.Of the surrendered Naxals, 51 were in possession of arms and at least five had the standing warrant against them.According to a police statement, the surrendered rebels were active members of the Tumeradi Jantana Sarkar under the Kutul area committee of Maoists for the past eight to nine years.During the interrogation, one of the Naxals revealed that the organisation has weakened several notches following anti-Naxal operations by the police and Maoists' surrender.The state police believe that the recent surrender is a big achievement after the establishment of Sonepur Camp in the district. "Naxalites movement has decreased due to the establishment of Sonepur Camp and anti-Naxal operations," the police said.
IS left behind more than 200 mass graves in Iraq: UN
The Islamic State group left behind more than 200 mass graves in Iraq containing up to 12,000 victims, the UN said Tuesday, adding they could hold vital evidence of war crimes. Even more sites could be uncovered in the months to come, the UN's human rights office and its mission in Iraq (UNAMI) said, urging Iraqi authorities to properly preserve and excavate them to provide closure for victims' families.