Page 5 - War Conflict
UN aid official: Yemeni rebels blocking food for thousands
Yemen's rebels last month turned back a World Food Program shipment meant to feed some 100,000 families in the war-torn nation that's been pushed to the brink of starvation, a spokesperson for the aid agency said Tuesday. The rejection of the shipment came as the WFP was in tense talks with the rebels, known as Houthis, who had blocked the agency's attempt to register millions of Yemenis in need of aid by using biometrics as a means of preventing food aid theft. The WFP has mainly blamed the rebels for stealing the food aid. The rejected shipment will also deprive thousands of families of badly needed aid. The conflict in Yemen began with the 2014 takeover of the capital, Sanaa, by the Iranian-backed Houthis who drove out the internationally recognized government. Months later, in March 2015, a Saudi-led coalition launched its air campaign to prevent the rebels from overrunning the country's south. In the relentless campaign, Saudi-led airstrikes have hit schools, hospitals and ...
Important to send across message that Sri Lanka is completely safe: Jacqueline
Jacqueline Fernandez, the Bollywood actor, who made her foray into Hindi movies post her crowning as Miss Universe Sri Lanka 2005, says it is safe for the tourists to visit the country now. Sri Lanka had witnessed a series of bomb attacks on churches and luxury hotels on April 21, which claimed 258 lives, including that of 44 foreigners. Jacqueline said for the longest time Sri Lanka has been the number one tourist destination, with Indian travellers coming in great numbers, but things have changed post the bombings. "It's disheartening and saddening to see that because of the terrorist attacks which had taken place, our numbers have dropped. It's really important for us to send across the message right now that Sri Lanka is completely safe," the actor told reporters. Jacqueline said the country is making sure to keep their security tight. "We want to encourage our friends and neighbours again that Sri Lanka is the number one tourist destination to go to, as was before. We may have ...
155 Islamic State members, sympathisers arrested so far: Home Ministry
A total of 155 members and sympathisers of banned terrorist organisation Islamic State (IS) have been arrested in the country so far, the Home Ministry said Tuesday. Some instances of individuals from different states joining the IS have also come to the notice of central and state security agencies, it said. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the state police forces have registered cases against IS members and sympathisers, and have arrested 155 accused from across the country so far, Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy said in a written reply to Lok Sabha. The Islamic State (IS), the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) or the Daesh has been notified as a terrorist organisation and included in the first schedule of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, by the central government. "The IS is using various internet-based social media platforms to propagate its ideology.Cyberspace is being closely watched in
UN fears Myanmar human rights abuses in internet shutdown
An internet blackout in parts of Myanmar could be cover for "gross human rights violations" in an area where a brutal army crackdown has already forced hundreds of thousands of Rohingya to flee, a UN rights investigator said. The military is locked in battle with the Arakan Army (AA), insurgents fighting for more autonomy for the region's ethnic Rakhine Buddhists. On Friday the government took the unprecedented step of ordering mobile phone operators to shut down all internet data across at least eight townships in Rakhine and one in neighbouring Chin states. "I fear for all civilians there," said UN Special Rapporteur to Myanmar Yanghee Lee, calling for the immediate lifting of restrictions. The military's "clearance operations" can be a "cover for committing gross human rights violations against the civilian population," she said, referencing alleged mass atrocities committed against Rohingya Muslims in 2017. The decree was made under the Telecommunications Law, hitting all mobile .
176 children lost their parents in Easter Sunday attacks: Cardinal Ranjith
A total of 176 children have lost either one or both of their parents during the Easter Sunday attacks that killed 258 people, a media report quoted the head of Sri Lanka's Catholic Church as saying. A total of 7 suicide bombers carried out a series blasts that targeted three churches and luxury hotels in Sri Lanka on April 21. The attacks injured 500 people. One hundred and seventy six children have lost either both or one of their parents in the bombings that took place on April 21. The church is focusing on these groups to help them recover and return to normalcy," Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith was quoted as saying by the Daily Mirror on Monday. He made these comments on his visit to Rome last week. He said the church will not concentrate on the renovation of churches damaged in the blasts as the government has undertaken that task. The blasts targeted St Anthony's Church in Colombo, St Sebastian's Church in the western coastal town of Negombo and another church in the eastern town of ..
Suspicious packages found in 28 places across Nepal
Suspicious packages were found in at least 28 places across Nepal since Tuesday morning, police said.Not all the suspicious packages were bombs and some were planted to create a sense of fear among the people."Suspicious packages found in 28 places across the nation since morning. All of them are not bombs. Some were planted to create fear. At least two suspected packages were found in Kirtipur and Jawalakhel in Kathmandu Valley but it proved to be a hoax," Nepal Police Spokesperson Bishowraj Pokharel said.The incident comes nearly a month after three consecutive blasts had rocked Kathmandu, claiming the lives of four people and injuring nine others.Police believe that a splinter group, Communist Party of Nepal, is suspected to be behind the May 26 explosions, which are the deadliest since the Nepalese government imposed a ban on the group for its extortion and violent activities in March.
78 bombs seized in two districts in West Bengal, 8 arrested
As many as 78 bombs were seized from Paschim Bardhaman and North 24 Parganas districts in West Bengal on Monday.Eight people have been arrested in connection with one of the cases, the police said.While 60 bombs were seized from Bhatpara area of North 24 Parganas district, the police recovered 18 bombs from Kandeswar area of Durgapur city in Paschim Bardhaman district of the state.Barrackpore Commissioner of Police Manoj Kumar said, "We recovered 60 bombs from Gali number 6 in Kankinara under Bhatpara police station. We have arrested eight people and further investigation is underway."A bomb disposal squad destroyed all 18 bombs at an isolated place in Durgapur city, but no arrest has been reported so far.Two persons were killed while several others were injured on Thursday after clashes broke out between two groups suspected to be affiliated to ruling TMC and BJP in Bhatpara, which comes under the Barrackpore Lok Sabha constituency.Prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC were ...
German and US WWII bombs found in central Germany
Two bombs dating from World War II were found Monday in central Germany in a town north of Frankfurt, forcing the temporary evacuation of some 2,500 people, local police said. A 250-kilogram German bomb and a 50-kilo American one were discovered close to each other in an industrial zone of the town of Giessen in central Hesse state. Police said the German bomb had to be detonated as it was too degraded to be defused, while the US explosive could be safely deactivated. Around 2,500 people, including 800 refugees at a reception centre, were briefly evacuated from their homes before the explosion, police added. Nearly 75 years after the end of the war, Germany remains littered with unexploded ordnance, a legacy of the Allied bombing campaign against Nazi Germany. On Sunday a bomb likely dating from World War II exploded in a field in western Germany leaving a huge crater but causing injuries. And earlier this month, a 100-kilo US bomb from the war, discovered during building work near a .
J-K: Miscreants involved in damaging CCTVs held
A group of miscreants, who were involved in damaging CCTVs installed at Rainawari Chowk have been arrested, Srinagar Police said on Monday.Members of the group also inflicted grievous injuries to a police officer.Two of the accused identified as - Owais Ahmed Dar and Adnan Mushtaq Batoo - were earlier involved in different cases."The group was also involved in lobbing hazardous petrol bombs on security forces and police during their movement through the area," according to a statement released by the police.Police appealed to the people to support initiatives by them aimed at securing public properties and establishing of peace and harmony in the city.
Cops use water cannon to disperse agitating primary teachers
The police used water cannon to disperse the agitating primary teachers at the Esplanade area, as they broke barricades put up by the security personnel on Monday. Members of primary teachers' organisations affiliated to left parties assembled at tje Rani Rasmoni Avenue here for their march to the state Assembly demanding hike in salaries and other benefits. As the police prevented them from advancing towards the assembly by putting up barricades, the agitators broke them forcing the cops to use water cannon to disperse them, the police said. Organisers of the movement claimed that some of the protestors were injured by the force of water. Altogether 58 primary teachers were arrested, the police said.
Cameroon to prosecute 7 soldiers over 'atrocity' video
Cameroon's defence ministry said Monday it would prosecute seven soldiers suspected of summarily killing two women and their two children, a video of which was distributed on the internet to widespread outrage. "Seven soldiers arrested on suspicion of extrajudicial executions in the Far North region will be brought before a military court in Yaounde... where they will be tried in line with the law," communications official Cyrille Serge Atonfack Guemo told AFP. The charges are for joint participation in murder, breach of regulations and conspiracy to commit these crimes, he said. The date of the trial has yet to be set. "Cameroon does not compromise over behaviour that is incompatible with law relating to war, human law and the protection of people and their belongings," he said. The killings occurred last July in a region plagued by cross-border raids by Boko Haram fighters from neighbouring Nigeria. The assailants in the video accuse the four of being members of the jihadist ...
Additional central paramilitary forces made available this time for Amarnath Yatra: IGP
Additional central paramilitary forces have been made available to Jammu and Kashmir this year to ensure peaceful pilgrimage to the 3,880-metre high holy cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas, scheduled to begin next month, a senior police officer said Monday. Inspector General of Police, Jammu, M K Sinha said the availability of more forces compared to previous years have resulted in strengthening of counter-infiltration grid, deployment of road-opening parties all along the highway and strengthening of the security around camps housing the pilgrims. Six special teams comprising police, the SDRF and magistrates would be deployed in landslide prone areas along the Jammu-Srinagar national highway in Ramban district to ensure minimum disruption during the yatra, he said. "Though there is no specific input about threat to the yatra, all necessary security arrangements are in place as the sensitivity increases during the pilgrimage. We have got additional central paramilitary
Undertrial booked for assaulting Thane jail doctor
An undertrial has been booked for allegedly abusing, manhandling and throwing a stone at a doctor in Thane Jail, a police official said. The undertrial, Sachin Pawar, hit Dr Mangesh Game (37) on June 22 after the latter refused to give permission to shift the accused to another hospital for check-up, a Thane Nagar police station official said. A case under section 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) of IPC has been registered, he added.
Kazakh town evacuated after deadly munitions depot blast
Kazakh officials evacuated a town in the south of the country Monday as a series of explosions at a nearby munitions depot killed one person and injured more than 30, officials said. At least 31 people were treated in hospitals in the southern Turkestan region after the blasts at the depot, near the town of Arys, which killed one man, said regional governor Umirzak Shukeyev. The explosions were caused by "a fire, which led to the explosion of some of the ammunition (at the depot)", Kazakhstan's defence ministry said in a statement. The man who was killed died after "a projectile fell on his car", Shukeyev told journalists at a televised news conference. At least two of the injured were in "critical condition", he added. Social media users shared videos of people fleeing the area, as huge plumes of smoke rose in the background. Other videos showed barely conscious victims being rushed into hospital on trolley beds. Shukeyev said the town had been almost completely evacuated Monday and .
Belgium arrests man suspected of plotting attack against US embassy
Belgian counter-terror police have arrested a man suspected of plotting an attack against the US embassy in Brussels, federal prosecutors said Monday. Security forces on Saturday arrested a man following "converging signs raising fears of an attack against the US embassy," the prosecutor's office said. "The suspect has been detained for an alleged attempted attack within a terrorist context and preparation of a terrorist offence," it said in a statement. The suspect identified only as M.G. appeared Monday morning before an investigating judge who ordered him held in the case, it added. The suspect denies any involvement in the alleged plot. A source close to the investigation told AFP the suspect is a Belgian man of around 40 years old who had "raised suspicion because of his behaviour". He had been seen "scouting" the embassy area before he was arrested, the source added. Jihadists have staged a number of attacks in Brussels, which hosts the headquarters of the European Union and ...
334 soldiers killed from 2016-18 in areas where AFSPA is in force: Govt
As many as 334 soldiers were killed from 2016 to 2018 in areas where the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) is in force, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told Parliament on Monday. In a written response to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Singh said 113 soldiers were killed in 2016, 125 in 2017 and 96 in 2018 in areas where the AFSPA is in force. The AFSPA, which gives special powers to the armed forces, is in place in Jammu and Kashmir and certain parts of the north-east. Singh said 69 soldiers were killed in border skirmishes from 2016 to 2018. Responding to another question, he said the Army suffered 31 casualties during tactical actions in the said period. Replying to another question, the defence minister said 87 soldiers were killed in terrorist attacks in 2017 and 2018. "The Army carries out a periodical review of the security arrangements of all its camps, garrisons and installations, based on threat assessment and analysis of past incidents," Singh said. On the basis of ...
Lanka's sacked top defence official faces charges for criminal negligence over Easter bombings
Sri Lanka's sacked top defence ministry official will face criminal investigation for his alleged failure to prevent the Easter Sunday bombings that killed 258 people and injured over 500, an official said on Monday. Hemasiri Fernando, who was asked by President Maithripala Sirisena to resign, told a parliamentary panel that it was difficult for him to meet Sirisena during the time he served as the top bureaucrat of the ministry. The Attorney General (AG) has instructed the acting police chief to institute a criminal action against Fernando following recommendations by a special panel to probe the April 21 attacks. India had shared intelligence inputs with Sri Lanka about possible attacks weeks before the bombings. Last week, it was announced that a group of senior police officials were to face criminal negligence charges over their alleged failure to prevent the attacks on the recommendations of the same panel. The Deputy Inspector General of Police (Colombo), Deputy Inspector ...
Fadnavis, Uddhav address joint BJP-Sena legislators' meet
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray Monday addressed a joint meeting of BJP-Shiv Sena lawmakers at the state legislature here to felicitate Sena's Neelam Gorhe, state Finance Minister and BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar said. Three-time MLA Gorhe was elected deputy chairperson of the Maharashtra Legislative Council unopposed earlier in the day. Mungantiwar said Fadnavis and Thackeray asked lawmakers of both the parties to use the remaining period of the current monsoon session to get maximum public interest works done. Asked if the two leaders guided legislators in view of the Assembly polls, due in September-October, Mungantiwar replied in the negative. He said, "We are preparing for the Assembly polls together. Alliance talks will also begin in some days. We will fight the polls together with a sentiment 'ab ki baar 220 paar' (over 220 seats this time)." He informed that only Fadnavis and Thackeray, or anyone the two leaders appoint
Man killed in Russia's Chechnya after wounding 2 policemen
Police in Russia's Chechnya province say that an attacker has wounded two officers before being shot dead. The authorities said the attack happened in Chechnya's provincial capital, Grozny, on Sunday when police stopped a vehicle for a check. The driver stabbed a policeman with a knife, and shot and wounded another officer before being killed. Investigators on Monday identified the attacker as a 21-year-old resident of Grozny. They said they are looking at his possible connections with extremist groups. The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the attack. The IS-affiliated Aamaq news agency said the attacker killed and wounded a number of guards at the gates of Chechen regional leader Ramzan Kadyrov's residence before being killed. The claim couldn't be independently confirmed.
Suspected World War II bomb blasts crater in German field
A bomb likely dating to World War II exploded in a field in western Germany leaving a huge crater but no injuries, police said Monday. The explosion left a 10-metre (33 feet) wide and four-metre deep hole after residents in Limburg, heard a loud noise and felt the earth shake at 0352 (0152 GMT) on Sunday morning. "The crater was examined on Monday by an explosive ordnance clearance service to find possible fragments," a police spokesman told AFP. "The area was used for target practice during the Second World War," he added. A bomb disposal service spokesman said it was "highly possible" WW II ordnance was involved. A local government spokesman in the nearby city of Darmstadt told German daily Bild it was believed the bomb had a chemical-based delayed timer which could have finally eroded. Nearly 75 years after the end of war, Germany remains littered with unexploded ordnance, a legacy of the Allied bombing campaign against Nazi Germany. Earlier this month, a 100-kilo (220-pound) US ..