Page 379 - War Conflict

Ranatunga arrested over fatal shooting in Sri Lanka amid political crisis

Sri Lanka's Petroleum Minister and cricket legend Arjuna Ranatunga was arrested on Monday for the first violent incident amidst the on going political crisis in the country that killed one person, police said. The political crises in Sri Lanka took an ugly turn on Sunday when bodyguards of 54-year-old Ranatunga, a loyalist of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, fired live rounds at the supporters of the new premier Mahinda Rajapaksa, leaving one person dead. One person succumbed to his injuries and two others were hospitalised in the shooting incident and a security personnel was arrested at the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) premises in Dematagoda following a tense situation. The cricketer-turned-politician was arrested on Monday for the incident at his ministry premises when a petroleum worker died due to shooting by his security staff, police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera said.

Moody's expresses concern on Sri Lanka crisis

Credit rating agency Moody's on Monday expressed concern that the ongoing political crisis in Sri Lanka has caused the 'credit negative' to the island nation as the sudden appointment of a new Prime Minister has heightened the policy uncertainty.On October 26, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena sacked Ranil Wickremesinghe from the post of Prime Minister and replaced him with his (Sirisena) predecessor Mahinda Rajapaksa.Matthew Circosta, Analyst, Sovereign Risk Group, Moody's Investors Service said, "The current political crisis in Sri Lanka is credit negative for the sovereign. The President's sudden appointment of Rajapaksa as Prime Minister significantly heightens policy uncertainty."The agency also claimed that additionally, the possible social tensions that may unfold in the next few weeks would have a negative impact on the economy."At a time when global financial markets are turbulent, uncertainty about the direction of future policy could have a large and lasting ...

Sri Lankan political crisis its internal affairs: China

China on Monday said it is closely monitoring "the political turmoil" in Sri Lanka but maintained that it is the internal affairs of the country and hoped that the relevant political parties can resolve their differences through dialogue and consultations. Sri Lanka had plunged into political crisis since President Maithripala Sirisena sacked Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinge and appointed pro-China former president Mahinda Rajapaksa as his successor. Asked about China's stand on the current political crisis in Sri Lanka considering that Beijing has made huge investments in the island nation, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told media here that China is following the crisis closely. "China and Sri Lanka are friendly neighbours. We are closely following the changes in the situation in Sri Lanka," he said. China, he said will always follow the principle of non-interference in internal affairs of other countries. "The changes in Sri Lankan situation belongs to its internal ...

China following Sri Lanka developments, envoy meets Rajapaksa

China on Monday said it is closely following the political crisis in Sri Lanka and is in touch with the relevant parties.

Northern Army Commander reviews security situation in central Kashmir

Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Ranbir Singh reviewed the security situation in central Kashmir Monday and commended the troops for their dedication to duty. He was accompanied by Commander of Srinagar-based Chinar Corps, Lt Gen A K Bhatt, an army official said. Lt Gen Singh also visited the Army's 92 Base Hospital at Badamibagh cantonment here to enquire about the well-being of the soldiers undergoing treatment at the medical facility, the official said. He said the Army commander wished the recuperating soldiers a speedy recovery.

IS claims suicide bombing near Kabul election office, 1 dead

A suicide bombing targeting the Afghan election commission's office in Kabul on Monday killed a police officer and wounded five people, the police said. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack, the latest surrounding Afghanistan's embattled parliamentary election process. The bomber was walking toward the gate of the heavily fortified election commission offices when the police became suspicious of his intentions and opened fire, prompting him to detonate his explosives vest, said police chief Bismillah Taban. Both the Taliban and the IS had threatened to disrupt parliamentary elections in Afghanistan, which were held in most provinces on October 20 and in southern Kandahar province last Saturday. Earlier reports said the bomber in Monday's attack drove an explosives-laden vehicle but Taban clarified later that he was on foot. In a statement, the Islamic State group said "martyrdom-seeker, Abu Usama al-Badkhishi" exploded his vest near two Afghan security ...

Transform or perish: Army Chief to defence forces

Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Monday underlined that either the armed forces transform itself as per modern necessities or else they perish.Addressing the 'Defence attaches conclave' here, the Army Chief said, "Our Defence force is in the phase of transformation. We are imbibing modern technology to be integrated with a weapon system and equipment to enable our armed forces to be prepared for the future. We also do appreciate that in these modern days, either you transform or you perish. And, transformation can only happen through co-operation".General Rawat continued to say that India is currently engaged in wide-ranging collaborations with countries like Brazil and Chile on the western edge and Vietnam on the eastern edge, adding that the countries have shown a keen interest in sharing technology with the Indian Defence forces."Large number of weapon system needs to be upgraded. We put all this out in the open domain. India has been the largest importer of weapons systems and ...

Robbers strike in UP, cashier killed

A cashier working for a gas agency was shot dead by unidentified bike-borne assailants here in Uttar Pradesh on Monday and Rs 10 lakh cash looted from him, police said.

Suspected IS militants attack central Libyan town, kill 4

Residents say suspected Islamic State militants attacked a small town in central Libya, killing at least four people, including the mayor's son, and torching the police station. The residents of Al-Fuqaha said on Monday that the attack took place overnight, and that a dozen residents are missing since the assault, their fate unknown. The town is south of the coastal city of Sirte, a former IS bastion. The residents spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing reprisals. The attack underlines the volatility of Libya's central region, where IS and other armed groups, including some from neighbouring Chad, operate as highway robbers or attack patrols of the self-styled Libyan National Army. Libya plunged into chaos after the 2011 uprising and is now governed by rival administrations, based in country's east and west.

Gang of highway robbers busted, 8 arrested; goods seized

Eight persons were arrested as police busted a gang of highway robbers, a senior police official said here Monday, adding Rs 5 lakh cash and goods were seized from their possession. Four pistols were also found in the possession of the gang members, SP (city) Ombir Singh said. The gang was busted Sunday, he said, adding its members confessed to have looted people on highways in Muzaffarnagar, Rampur, Moradabad, Hapur, Basti, Bijnore, Meerut as well places in Haryana, Uttarakhand and West Bengal. Cash worth Rs 5 lakh, 335 cartons of cosmetics, a car and four pistols were found in the possession of the accused, the officer said. The gang came on the police radar after a truck loaded with consignments of Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) was looted by the accused at Muzaffarnagar two weeks ago. Police also seized 335 cartons of goods looted from Ghaziabad and Noida.

Casualties in suicide attack on Kabul election workers: officials

A suicide attacker on foot blew himself up near a vehicle as it entered the head office of Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission (IEC) on Monday, wounding at least six people, officials said. "The explosion happened 20 metres from the vehicles of the IEC employees," Kabul police spokesman Basir Mujahid told AFP. Four IEC employees and two police were wounded, he said. The attack comes as legislative election ballot boxes from the around the war-torn country are delivered to the IEC's heavily fortified compound in the Afghan capital. The election, which the Taliban had vowed to attack, was marred by deadly violence, with hundreds killed or wounded in scores of attacks.

Suicide attacker targets Kabul election workers, casualties: officials

A suicide attacker on foot blew himself up near a vehicle as it entered the head office of Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission (IEC) on Monday, wounding at least six people, officials said. "The explosion happened 20 metres from the vehicles of the IEC employees," Kabul police spokesman Basir Mujahid told AFP. Four IEC employees and two police were wounded, he said.

Egypt court lists 164 Islamists as leading "terrorists"

An Egyptian court listed 164 Islamists as leaders of terrorist entities, including leading members of Al-Jamaa Al-Islamiya (Islamic Group) as well as loyalists of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group, official MENA news agency reported.

CG polls: BJP leader critically injured in naxal attack

A BJP leader was critically injured Sunday after he was attacked by suspected naxals with sharp edged weapons in poll-bound Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district, around 400 kms from here, the police said. The attack took place at around 8 pm when Nandal Mudiyami, a member of Dantewada Zila Panchayat, was at his house in Palnar village, Dantewada Additional Superintendent of Police Gorakhnath Baghel told PTI. Soon after the incident, his relatives informed police and rushed him to Dantewada hospital, he said. "Mudiyami's is being treated and his condition was said to be critical," said Baghel. A search operation was launched in the area to trace the attackers, he added. The incident took place a day after naxals blew up a bunker vehicle of CRPF (Central reserve Police Force) personnel in neighbouring Bijapur district in which four paramilitary personnel were killed. The ultras have called upon voters to boycott the assembly polls, scheduled to be held in two phases next ...

Police officer, PDP activist killed in Kashmir Valley (Roundup)

Militants carries out two deadly attacks in the troubled Kashmir Valley on Sunday, killing a middle-rung police officer and a political activist.

Boko Haram jihadists attack military base in NE Nigeria

Boko Haram jihadists launched a large assault on a military base in Nigeria's remote northeast region and killed one soldier, defence officials said Sunday. The attack on 145 Battalion in Gashigar, Borno State, began on Saturday and continued into early Sunday morning, said Nigerian air force spokesman Ibikunle Daramola. "BHTs (Boko Haram terrorists) in 13 gun trucks...advanced towards the camp from two different directions," Daramola said in a statement. Nigerian troops supported by helicopters "forced the Boko Haram terrorists to retreat from the camp," Daramola said. "One soldier was killed in action while four others were wounded," said the Nigerian army in a statement posted on its official Twitter account. The army repelled an assault on Gashigar in September by jihadists in trucks mounted with anti-aircraft guns. There have been at least nine military base attacks since July, mostly in the northern part of Borno state, near the shores of Lake Chad. Boko Haram has in recent ...

Police officer, PDP worker killed in militant attacks in Kashmir

A sub-inspector of police and a PDP worker were killed by militants in separate incidents in Kashmir on Sunday, officials said. Forty-year-old PDP worker Mohd. Amin Dar was fired upon by the militants in Srinagar. He was rushed to a hospital where he died, the officials said. Dar, a resident of Gangbugh, was an associate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader and former minister Syed Altaf Bukhari, they said. In a separate incident, Imtiyaz Ahmed Mir, a 30-year-old Jammu and Kashmir Police sub-inspector posted in the CID department, was gunned down by militants in the militancy-infested Pulwama district of South Kashmir when he was on his way home to meet his elderly parents. Mir's body was recovered from the Chewa Kalan area of the district, the officials said. According to Mir's superiors, the desperation to see his parents prompted Mir to shave off his beard and change appearance in his unsuccessful attempt to dodge militants who had laid a death trap for him in his village. Mir .

C'garh govt's fight against Naxalism hollow, weak: Cong leader

Congress leader Jaiveer Shergill Sunday said the Chhattisgarh government's fight against Naxalism in the state was "hollow and weak". He was speaking a day after four Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers were killed, and two injured, after Naxals blew up a bullet-proof bunker (BPB) vehicle in the poll-bound state's Bijapur district. The incident had occurred around 4 pm near CRPF's Murdanda camp under Awapalli police station limits, when the paramilitary force's 168th battalion was out on an "area domination" operation. Addressing a press conference here Sunday, Shergill, a national media panelist of the Congress, said Saturday's Naxal attack had proved that the BJP government in the state had failed to contain the Maoist menace despite being in power for 15 years. "The Raman Singh government's combat against Naxalism has been hollow and weak," Shergill alleged. Shergill said that the state had witnessed 23 major Naxal attacks in the past two years in which 96 ...

Sri Lanka: 3 injured in shootout amid political turmoil

As many as three people were injured here in a shooting incident on Sunday after a group of protestors blocked former Sri Lankan Minister of Petroleum Resources Development Arjuna Ranatunga's route as he arrived at the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) for a meeting.A security personnel was arrested from the site, reported Daily Mirror quoting police officials.According to the police, the arrested security personnel fired live bullets at the protestors.Injured people were admitted to the hospital.The investigation is underway.

PDP activist shot dead in Srinagar

Militants shot dead a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) activist on Sunday on the outskirts of Srinagar city.