Page 517 - War Conflict
Terror fears high, Paris police brace for World Cup risks
Paris is preparing to deploy thousands of police to secure the massive street parties if France wins Sunday's World Cup after years of attacks targeting crowds and other so-called "soft" targets. The weekend is likely to be further complicated by Saturday's Bastille Day festivities which have been known to get rowdy, at times leading to skirmishes with the police. Few French can think of the traditional national holiday parties and firework displays without recalling the 86 people mown down by a van in the Mediterranean coastal resort of Nice on July 14, 2016. More recently, one person was killed and four others wounded when a man went on a stabbing spree in a lively Paris neighbourhood last May. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for both attacks. "The goal is to guarantee that these events go off smoothly... that the party not be spoiled by such tragedies," Paris police chief Michel Delpuech said Thursday. He said police forces had not faced such a confluence of ...
Iraq PM heads to oil-rich Basra after violent protests
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi went to Basra today hoping to restore calm in the southern city, which has been gripped by protests over unemployment, his office said. Abadi flew straight into the city from Brussels where he attended a NATO summit to discuss the Islamic State group and immediately held talks with officials, a statement said. Demonstrations have been ongoing over the past several days, with protesters in some cases setting tyres ablaze to block roads and trying to storm government installations. The protests erupted on Sunday and security forces opened fire killing a protester, sparking further anger. As well as unemployment, protesters are frustrated by rising living costs and a lack of basic services in the city, the capital of Basra province. There were further protests on Friday morning and calls for a demonstration in the afternoon in front of the local provincial headquarters. Yesterday Oil Minister Jabbar al-Luaibi said protesters tried to break into an oil
Guterres backs Zeid's call for Kashmir human rights probe
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has backed Human Rights High Commissioner Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein's call for an international investigation into human rights situation in Jammu and Kashmir saying that it represents the "voice of the UN".
Official: 10 civilians killed in Afghan army operation
An Afghan official says 10 civilians have been killed in an army operation in eastern Nangarhar province. Ajmal Omar, member of the provincial council, said Friday the dead were sleeping shopkeepers caught in a crossfire during an army operation carried out in Khogyani district late last night. Attaullah Khogyani, a second official, said six civilians died and three suspected insurgents were arrested in the operation. It wasn't immediately clear why there was a discrepancy in the death toll. In a statement, the Taliban blamed the government for the deaths. Besides the Taliban, an upstart Islamic State affiliate also operates in eastern Nangarhar. Elsewhere in Afghanistan, in eastern Paktia province an Afghan security operation killed 30 insurgents and two civilians, said provincial police chief Gul Agha Roohani.
Mass grave discovered in Lanka's former war zone
A mass grave with 38 skeletons has been discovered in Sri Lanka's former war zone where the government forces and Tamil Tiger rebels were engaged in pitched battles in 2009, officials said today. Skeletal remains of around 38 people have been found during the ground digging to build a new construction at the old cooperative store site in the north eastern town of Mannar. Following the discovery in late March, the site was kept under supervision of Mannar magistrate M Prabhakaran for further digging. While the judicial medical officers are carrying out investigations, the skeletal remains are being kept at the Mannar hospital. The construction site has been cordoned off, the police said. The town was occupied by the LTTE during Sri Lanka's civil war between 1983 and 2009. International rights groups have said that at least 40,000 Tamil civilians were killed by government forces under the command of former president Mahinda Rajapakse in the final months of the war. Since the end of the
Kashmir remembers 1931 martyrs with shutdown
Kashmiris remembered the martyrs of 1931 who fought against an autocratic rule, with a shutdown on Friday.
J&K: CRPF personnel killed in terrorist attack
One Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel was killed and another seriously injured in a terrorist attack in Anantnag's Sheer Pora on Friday.Speaking to the media, Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police SP Vaid said, "This is our own force, we appeal to the people not to attack security personnel for no reason".Earlier this week, one security personnel was killed and another was critically injured after an encounter with terrorists in Handwara area of Kupwara district on July 11. Terrorists also hurled grenade at a joint camp of the CRPF in Pulwama district on July 9.The state has witnessed a huge spurt in terror activities in the past few days.
Two CRPF jawans killed in militant attack in Kashmir
Two CRPF jawans were killed and one injured in a militant attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district today, official sources said. A civilian was also injured when militants opened fire on a CRPF team deployed on law and order duty at Achabal Chowk in Anantnag and escaped, the sources said. The two CRPF jawans killed were assistant sub-inspector Meena and constable Sandeep, they said. The area has been cordoned off and a hunt launched to track down the assailants, the sources added.
CRPF trooper killed in J&K attack
A CRPF trooper was killed and two others were injured on Friday in a grenade attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district, police said.
Fresh batch of pilgrims leave for Amarnath yatra
Amid tight security, a fresh batch of 3,451 pilgrims today left a base camp here for Kashmir to undertake the annual Amarnath yatra, the police said. The 60-day yatra to the 3,880 metre high holy cave in south Kashmir Himalayas commenced on June 28 and so far over 1.51 lakh pilgrims have paid obeisance at the shrine. The pilgrims left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp here in two separate convoys for the twin base camps of Pahalgam in Anantnag district and Baltal in Ganderbal district in the early hours, a police official said. While 2,281 pilgrims are performing the yatra from the traditional 36-km Pahalgam track, 1,170 pilgrims have opted for the shortest 12-km Baltal route. The official said the pilgrims left in 110 vehicles amid rains which lashed wide parts of the state this morning.
UN chief supports Zeid's call for human rights probe in Kashmir
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has voiced support for the UN human rights chief's call for an independent international investigation into the human rights situation in Kashmir, saying his action "represents the voice of the UN" on the issue. "As you can imagine, all the action of the Human Rights High Commissioner is an action that represents the voice of the UN in relation to that issue," Guterres told reporters at a press conference here yesterday. He was responding to questions whether he supports an independent international probe into the human rights situation in Kashmir as recommended by High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein in his report on Kashmir last month. India has rejected Al Hussein's report in which he had called for a commission of inquiry by the Human Rights Council to conduct an independent international investigation into the human rights situation in Kashmir. India's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Tanmaya Lal said ..
Guterres backs Zeid's call for Kashmir human rights investigation
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has backed Human Rights High Commissioner Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein's call for an international investigation into human rights situation in Kashmir saying that it represents the "voice of the UN".
US condemns Peshawar attack, condoles victims' death
The United States (US) has condemned the deadly suicide attack in Peshawar, Pakistan which claimed at least 20 lives.It has also expressed "deepest" condolences to the families and friends to those who were killed."The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms that attack in Peshawar against civilians campaigning for this month's elections," the US embassy in Islamabad, said in a statement."We send our deepest condolences to the families and friends to those who were killed and hope for the speedy recovery of those who were wounded," it added.At least 14 people including prominent local politician Haroon Bilour, were killed in the suicide attack that targeted a political rally of the Awami National Party (ANP) on Tuesday.The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed the responsibility for the attack.
Ukrainian, US presidents hold talks at NATO summit
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Thursday held talks with US President Donald Trump during the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Brussels, Belgium, according to Poroshenko's Facebook page.
Guterres defends his and Zeid's reports on Kashmir as 'voice of UN'
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday mounted a strong defence of reports dealing with Kashmir issued recently by him and Human Rights High Commissioner Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, saying that they were covered by the "the general mandate of human rights instruments".
Locals, Israelis clash over bike parking in Manali
Some Israeli nationals and locals today clashed over the issue of parking a bike in an area under Manali police station limits in Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh, the police said. Kullu SP Shalini Agnihotri said, following the clash, cross FIRs were registered as per statements of both the sides. The allegations include wrongful restraint and hurt, she said, adding that no one was grievously wounded in the clash. Further investigations are on, the SP said.
Trump claims victory in NATO spending dispute
Donald Trump said NATO leaders agreed today to a big boost in defence spending after crisis talks in Brussels, but France's Emmanuel Macron appeared to contradict the US president. Trump claimed victory after bitterly criticising key allies, notably Germany, for failing to pay their way at one of the most fractious summits in NATO's 70-year history. He triggered an emergency session on the spending issue, before emerging from the turmoil to say "I believe in NATO" in response to reports that he had threatened to pull out. "Tremendous progress has been made, everyone's agreed to substantially up their commitment, they're going to up it at levels they've never thought of before," Trump told a press conference before leaving for a visit to Britain. "It's been amazing to see the level of spirit in that room." Trump blazed into the summit yesterday by demanding that allies reach their commitment to increase spending to two per cent of GDP "immediately" -- instead of by 2024 as previously ..
31 troops, 50 Taliban rebels killed in Afghan clashes
At least 31 security force members and 50 Taliban militants were killed and 15 other officers were wounded in several attacks on checkpoints in northeastern Afghanistan, officials told the media on Thursday.
Spent two magical days with Xi, says Trump
Amid the trade war looming between the United States and China, US President Donald Trump went down the memory lane and recalled his meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, during his maiden visit to China last year saying "he spent two magical days" with the Chinese leader.At a press conference after attending the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) summit here, Trump said on Thursday, " I spent two magical days with Xi Jinping. They were the most magical days I have ever lived." Interestingly, the remarks came after Trump was quizzed on US' trade situation with China.Claiming victory in the defence spending row by the NATO countries, Trump said that the allies agreed to "substantially up their commitment" and hailed the "tremendous progress" on the spending."Tremendous progress has been made. Everyone's agreed to substantially up their commitment. They're going to up it at levels that they've never thought of before," he was quoted by The Hill as saying.Multiple ...
Top Islamist cleric 'detained by Saudi authorities'
Saudi Arabia has detained a prominent Islamist scholar, activists said today, in a widening crackdown on dissent in the ultra-conservative kingdom, which is undergoing sweeping economic and social reforms. Rights campaigners and online activists said Sheikh Safar al-Hawali, a Sunni Islamist scholar and leading figure in Saudi Arabia's Islamic Sahwa reformist movement, had been taken into custody. They did not give further details about the case of the scholar, who has pushed a line of anti-Americanism and Islamic rule. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, named heir to the throne in June 2017, has spearheaded a string of reforms over the past year aimed at improving his country's image and economy. The changes have coincided with a widening crackdown on all forms of opposition. Authorities last month arrested a number of prominent women's rights campaigners, just days before the kingdom ended a decades-long ban on women driving. Hawali was jailed in the 1990s for opposing his ...