Page 512 - War Conflict
Pak files counter-memorial on Jadhav's case in ICJ
Pakistan today filed its second written reply to India in the ICJ on the conviction of Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav who was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of espionage and terrorism. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on January 23 gave a timeline to both Pakistan and India for filing another round of memorials in the case. Foreign Office Director General for India Dr. Fareeha Bugti submitted the reply today, Radio Pakistan reported, quoting the Foreign Office spokesperson. Pakistan in its rejoinder, gave detailed answers to India's submissions to the international court, the spokesperson said, adding that Pakistan also responded to Indian objections in over 400 pages reply. Pakistan's counter-memorial was in response to pleadings filed by India in the Hague-based ICJ on April 17. The ICJ will now fix the matter for hearing. India had moved the ICJ in May last year after Jadhav, 48, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges
Rohingya want to return to Myanmar as citizens: UN
Myanmar's Rohingya refugees have told a UN envoy who visited their camp in Bangladesh this week that they will return home if it is safe and if they are granted citizenship rights, a UN statement said today. UN envoy for Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, met the Muslim Rohingya in Cox's Bazar during a three-day visit to Bangladesh from July 14 to 16, just weeks after holding talks with Myanmar's leaders on the refugee crisis. The envoy "heard from the people accounts of unimaginable atrocities committed in Rakhine State," said a UN statement. "Despite these serious violations of human rights, they expressed to the envoy their hope to return home if security could be guaranteed and citizenship could be provided," it added. More than 7,00,000 ethnic Rohingya have fled an offensive by Myanmar troops launched nearly a year ago in reprisal for attacks on border posts by Rohingya rebels. UN rights officials have documented allegations of mass killings, rape and torching of villages at ..
Owaisi dares PM to reveal number of Muslims in central
Accusing the Centre of neglecting Muslims, AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi today dared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reveal the number of members from this community recruited in the central armed police forces in the last four years. Owaisi's challenge drew a sharp response from the Union Home ministry which said religion is not a "criteria" for recruitment in the central paramilitary forces. Union Minority Affairs minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi also slammed Owaisi for his remarks on lack of representation of Muslims in the paramilitary forces, saying counting the number of soldiers on the basis of religion was the result of a "distorted secular mindset". Owaisi said despite the prime minister's 15-Point Programme expressly stating that all efforts would be made to increase the share of the minorities in central government jobs, little was done about it. The BJP-led NDA government came to power in May 2014, "CRPF, CISF, ITPB, they all come under central government. You (the BJP) have ..
N Korea to return remains of US soldiers killed in Korean War
North Korea has agreed to return the mortal remains of 55 American soldiers who were killed during the 1950-53 Korean War, according to a US military newspaper report.An official from the 'Stars & Stripes' newspaper said that Pyongyang has given the green signal to Washington D.C. to fly out the mortal remains of the American soldiers from the country by next week, which would be the first repatriation since 2007, Yonhap News Agency reported.The details emerged after officials from both countries held working-level talks at Panmunjom in the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), which serves as the de facto border between North Korea and South Korea.Major General Michael Minihan, chief of staff for the US-led UN Command, led the US side and the North Korea's delegation reportedly included a two-star general.The official was quoted by Stars & Stripes saying that a delegation from the US was expected to receive the remains in North Korea and fly them out on July 27, either to Osan Air Base ..
J&K: Detonators recovered from Pulwama house
In a joint search operation of the Rashtriya Rifles, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and police on Tuesday, detonators and other paraphernalia were recovered from a house in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district.The search operation was conducted after security forces received a tip-off about the presence of three terrorists in the house.The owner of the house has been detained.More details are awaited.This comes after terrorists hurled a grenade at a joint camp of the CRPF in the district last week.The attack at the camp which comprises a battalion of 180 security forces took place in Tral area of Pulwama.No casualties or damages were reported.
Officials: 30 civilians dead in recent clashes in Yemen city
Heavy fighting over the last two weeks along Yemen's western coast between pro-government forces, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, and Shiite rebels has killed at least 30 civilians, including women and children, officials and witnesses said today. Government forces have been trying to seize rebel-held areas along the western coast, including the port city of Hodeida, while the Saudi-led coalition has been targeting the rebels, known as Houthis, with airstrikes. The fighting has been concentrated over the past two weeks in al-Tuhyta district, south of Hodeida, a vital lifeline for Yemen's aid-dependent population. The coalition launched an offensive to retake the city in June. Along with over 30 killed, fighting and airstrikes as well as land mines have wounded 57 civilians since the beginning of July, health and security officials said. Last Tuesday, an airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition killed the eight-member family of Abdallah Kassem. They were driving south of al-Tuhyta when .
IS suicide bomber kills 20 in Afghanistan: Officials
An Islamic State suicide bomber today killed 20 people in northern Afghanistan, including a Taliban commander, while in southern Helmand province a government commando unit freed 54 people from a Taliban jail, according to officials. The stepped up activity in Afghanistan comes as Washington considers a Taliban demand for direct talks in hopes of jump-starting a negotiated end to what is now the longest military engagement by US forces. A Taliban official in the Middle Eastern State of Qatar where the Islamic insurgency maintains an unofficial office told The Associated Press they wanted direct talks and were ready to put troop withdrawal as well as any outstanding concerns the US might have on the table but so far no official request to open negotiations has come from Washington. Speaking on condition he not be identified because he is not authorised to speak to the media, he said de-listing Taliban leaders from US and UN watch lists and recognising their office in Doha, the Qatar ...
Police thwart BJP leaders attempt to march to CM's office
Police today foiled attempts by BJP leaders to "lay siege" to the Pragathi Bhavan, the official residence complex-cum-camp office of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, protesting Swami Paripoornananda's externment. Several of them were taken into 'preventive' custody, police said. Among those taken into 'perventive' custody were BJP state president and MLA K Laxman and legislators G Kishan Reddy and Chintala Ramachandra Reddy. BJP MLC Ramchander Rao and MLA Raja Singh were also prevented from proceeding towards Pragathi Bhavan, they said. The Telangana BJP had given a call for 'Chalo Pragathi Bhavan' and wanted to submit a memorandum to the chief minister. "The BJP leaders and their followers were stopped by police when they were planning to proceed towards Pragathi Bhavan as part of their plan to lay siege to it. There was no permission to hold any protests (rallies) and keeping in mind law and order, disturbance to traffic they were taken into preventive ...
Religion not a criteria for recruitment in paramilitary forces: MHA
The home ministry today said for recruitment in central paramilitary forces religion is not a criteria. The ministry's assertion came after AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi accused the Centre of neglecting Muslims and demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi tell how many of them got government jobs, including in central paramilitary forces. "Religion is not a criteria for recruitment in paramilitary forces. There is no room for any religion in the recruitment process," a home ministry spokesperson said. At a press conference in Hyderabad, Owaisi asked, "In the last four years, under central sector, whether banks, whether railways, central paramilitary forces... How many recruitments of minorities have taken place?" Central paramilitary forces -- the CRPF, BSF, CISF, ITBP, SSB, NSG and Assam Rifles -- function under the home ministry. The total strength of these forces is around 10 lakh personnel.
Air strikes kill 15 civilians in southern Syria: Monitor
Air strikes today killed more than a dozen civilians in parts of Syria's south near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, a war monitor said. The Damascus regime has been pounding the southwestern province of Quneitra since Sunday in a bid to retake it from rebels, after winning back most of the neighbouring governorate of Daraa in less than a month. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said air strikes killed 14 civilians in the village of Ain al-Tina on Quneitra's border with Daraa this morning. "They were all displaced from other areas. They included five children and three women," Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said. It was not immediately clear whether the strikes were carried out by the regime or its Russian ally, the Britain-based monitor said. The monitor determines who carried out strikes based on the type of aircraft and munitions used, locations and flight patterns. The civilians had reportedly been taking shelter in a large building in Ain al-Tina. Activists shared ..
Protect chemical weapons ban, watchdog's chief pleads
The outgoing head of the world's chemical arms watchdog has urged nations not to sacrifice a century of hard-fought efforts to banish toxic weapons for the sake of short-term political disputes. Speaking exclusively to AFP just days before he steps down and with a team of inspectors on the ground in Britain to probe a suspected nerve agent attack, Ahmet Uzumcu called on members of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to overcome bitter divisions. The Chemical Weapons Convention banning the use, production and stockpiling of arms such as mustard gas, which crept across the battlefields of World War I or enveloped the Kurdish town of Halabja in 1988, came into force in 1997. Today "in order to reach this stage to develop such a regime, the international community spent more than 100 years," stressed Uzumcu. "It will be really unfortunate if we make it a victim to short-sighted political interests." When the seasoned Turkish diplomat took over as the OPCW's ...
Over 3,000 gun licenses purportedly issued in army personnel name during J-K posting under ATS scanner
Over 3,000 gun licenses issued in the purported name of army personnel during their stint in Jammu and Kashmir are under the scanner of Rajasthan's Anti-Terror Squad(ATS) which has asked the army to verify the names following suspected involvement of a gang to procure them illegally, police officials said today. The case dates back to November last year when the Rajasthan police's ATS carried out an operation codenamed "Jubaida" and arrested 52 people so far for their alleged involvement in getting gun licenses issued from various districts of J and K under suspicious circumstances. The licenses included 3,367 in the purported name of army personnel, the officials said. After unravelling the entire conspiracy, the officials of the ATS found that such licenses were issued by the Deputy Commissioners of the districts over the past one decade and no records were allegedly maintained for the same, they said. Letters were written in this connection to the Army, Indian Air Force, Navy, ...
EU security chief: 'Far too much' online extremist content
The European Union's security chief has urged the bloc's 28 members to work together to combat illegal extremist content on the internet, saying there is "far too much" of it online. Security Commissioner Julian King says each attack in Europe over the last year "had a link with online terrorist content". He said today that all EU members need to coordinate actions to prevent content from shifting from one country to another. King also said that the terror threat across Europe "remains very high" and isn't "going away anytime soon". He said despite progress in beating back groups in Syria and Iraq that were behind or encouraged attacks, this shouldn't lead Europeans into a "false sense of security". King was speaking after talks with Cypriot Justice Minister Ionas Nicolaou.
2 PML-N candidates narrowly escape assassination attempt in Pak
A father-son duo, both PML-N candidates for the July 25 elections, have narrowly escaped an assassination attempt after unidentified gunmen opened fire on their car when they were returning from an election rally in Pakistan's Punjab province, according to a media report. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Sheikh Aftab Ahmed and his son Sheikh Salman were returning home from an election rally when their vehicle came under attack by gunmen in Attock's Kamra last night, Geo News reported. Ahmed, a former federal minister, is running for a seat in parliament, while his son Shaikh Salman is a PML-N candidate for Punjab assembly. Attock District Police said that they have discovered three bullet holes on the vehicle. An investigation team has been constituted to probe the attack, the report said. The attack came hours after senior leader of the Awami National Party, Daud Achakzai, survived an assassination attempt when militants opened fire on him during a meeting with his party ..
Maratha soldiers to summit Mount Kun in Kargil to celebrate glorious past
The Indian Army's Maratha Light Infantry Regiment is undertaking a mountaineering expedition to the 7077-meter high Mount Kun in Kargil to celebrate 250 years of its raising.
Palestinian dies after being shot in Gaza clashes: ministry
A Palestinian has died days after being shot by Israeli forces in clashes along the Gaza border, the enclave's health ministry said today. Sari al-Shobaki had been transferred to Jerusalem for treatment after being shot several days ago east of Gaza City, the ministry in the Hamas-run territory said. A ministry spokesman said the 23-year-old died at the St Joseph Hospital in Jerusalem. There was no immediate confirmation from the hospital. At least 144 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since protests and clashes broke out along the border on March 30. No Israelis have been killed. Israel says its use of live fire is necessary to defend its borders and stop infiltrations. Critics accuse it of disproportionate force against protesters.
Air strikes kill seven civilians in southern Syria: Monitor
Air strikes today killed seven civilians in a sensitive southwestern province of Syria bordering the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, a war monitor said. The Damascus regime has been pounding Quneitra since Sunday in a bid to retake the southwestern province from rebels, after winning back most of the neighbouring governorate of Daraa in less than a month. "Six civilians including two women and three children were killed in air strikes near Ain al-Tina" on Quneitra's border with Daraa province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. It was not immediately clear whether the strikes were carried out by the regime or its Russian ally, the Britain-based monitor said. The monitor determines who carried out strikes based on the type of aircraft and munitions used, locations and flight patterns. In the west of the adjacent province of Daraa, Russian air raids killed one civilian near the village of Al-Aliya, it said. "Since Tuesday morning, heavy Russian air strikes and barrel bombs ...
2 Pak soldiers killed in IED blast
Two Pakistani soldiers were killed in a powerful roadside bomb attack targeting a vehicle of security forces in northwest Pakistan today. The IED bomb hit the vehicle while the security forces were on routine patrolling. In the blast, two security personnel, including a Sepoy and an Havaldar were killed, officials said. Security forces rushed to the site and conducted search operation in the area to nab the attackers.
Indonesia police shoot dead 11 petty criminals in Asian Games crackdown
Indonesian police have shot and killed 11 suspected small-time criminals and wounded dozens more in a crackdown before it hosts the Asian Games next month, authorities said today. Some 52 suspects have been shot after resisting arrest in the capital Jakarta since the start of July, with 11 dying of their wounds, police said. "They were endangering the public because they resisted arrest," said Jakarta police spokesman Argo Yuwono. More than 2,000 suspected criminals have been arrested in the past few weeks, he added. Hundreds of extra officers are on patrol in Jakarta before it hosts the August 18-September 2 event along with Palembang city on Sumatra island. Security is a major concern at the Games which come a few months after fatal attacks in Indonesia's second-biggest city Surabaya reignited concerns about Islamist militants. Indonesia's anti-terrorism squad has arrested some 200 terror suspects since the May attacks, according to the national police chief. Three terror suspects ..
Official: 54 released from Taliban prison in Afghanistan
An Afghan official says at least 54 people, including security personnel and civilians, have been released from a Taliban prison in southern Helmand province. Omar Zwak, spokesman for the provincial governor, said today the prisoners were freed after a commando unit raided the prison late last night in Musa Qala district. Zwak said there were 32 civilians, 16 police, four soldiers and two military doctors who had been locked up by the insurgents. He said security forces were still securing the area. The Taliban did not immediately comment on the raid, but the insurgents are in control of the majority of the districts in Helmand, where they have increased their attacks against provincial officials and security forces.