Page 530 - War Conflict
Modi condemns Jalalabad attack, Sushma meets victims' kin
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday "strongly" condemned the terror attack in Afghanistan's Jalalabad city that killed at least 19, including many Sikhs on Sunday, and offered India's assistance to Kabul.
Swaraj meets relatives of Afghanistan terror attack victims
External Affairs Minster Sushma Swaraj today met the relatives of some of the victims of the Afghanistan terror attack in which at least 19 people, including Sikhs, were killed. The minister condemned the suicide attack in Afghanistan's Jalalabad yesterday that killed 13 members from the Afghan Sikh community, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said. "EAM @SushmaSwaraj expressed sincere condolences during her meeting with a delegation of representatives of SGPC (Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee), Sikh community from Afghanistan and relatives of the victims," Kumar tweeted after the meeting which took place in the evening at JN Bhavan here. The bomber targeted a minority communities delegation as it was travelling to the governor's residence in the eastern city of Jalalabad for a meeting with President Ashraf Ghani. Avtar Singh Khalsa, a longtime leader of the Sikh community, was among those killed. Another 20 people were wounded. The Islamic State group has
Pak Army chief confirms death sentences to 12 'hardcore terrorists'
Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa today confirmed the death sentences awarded to 12 "hardcore terrorists" who were involved in the killing of civilians, Shia minorities and security personnel. These terrorists include those who planned and executed an attack on Markazi Imam Bargah Parachinar, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army's media wing, said in a statement. "On the whole, they were involved in killing of 34 persons including 26 civilians, 8 Armed Forces/Frontier Constabulary personnel and injuring 133 others. Arms and explosives were also recovered from their possession," it said. Four terrorists - Ashiq Khan, Rasheed, Meraj and Muhammad Rasool - of a banned extremist group were involved in the attack on Markazi Imam Bargah Parachinar that killed 22 members of minority Shia community and wounded 130 others last year, the ISPR said. These convicts admitted their offences before the magistrate and the trial court awarded them death sentence, it ...
Inter-state drug racket busted, 15 held
With the arrest of 15 people, including eight women, police today claimed to have busted an inter-state drug racket in Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir. The police also recovered 300 kg of poppy straw from their possession, an official spokesman said. During a search operation at the Ichgam Budgam road, the police intercepted three vehicles. The sleuths recovered green-coloured polythene packets each containing poppy straw, weighing around 1 kg each on an average. They were packed in around eight suitcases, weighing approximately 323 kg in total, he said. The arrested people include seven men and eight women, the spokesman said. The accused were part of an inter-state drug racket operating in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, he said. The seized narcotic substance is sold at an average price of Rs 2,500 per kg in Punjab, the spokesman said. A case under Section 8/15 of the NDPS Act 2018 was registered against them, he added.
More than 270,000 displaced by southern Syria fighting: UN
A regime offensive in southern Syria has forced more than 270,000 people from their homes, the United Nations said today. "We were expecting the number of displaced in southern Syria to reach 200,000, but it has already exceeded 270,000 people in record time," said Mohammad Hawari, the spokesman for UN refugee agency UNHCR in Amman. Nearly two weeks of ferocious air strikes and barrel bombing have seen regime forces retake swathes of rebel-held territory in the southern province of Daraa.
Pete Davidson criticised for Manchester Arena bombing joke, rep says no subject off limits
Stand-up comic Pete Davidson is now in the line of fire for a joke he cracked about the Manchester Arena terror attack that claimed 22 lives in the city last year. The bombing took place on May 22, 2017 when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device while fans were leaving Davidson's fiancee, singer Ariana Grande's concert venue. According to The Mirror, the "Saturday Night Live" star made the joke, saying Grande must have realised how famous she had become because "Britney Spears didn't have a terrorist attack at her concert". He delivered the gag in a stand-up routine at the Laugh Factory in Los Angeles five months after the blast. In the past, Davidson has also joked about the death of his firefighter father, who lost his life in the 9/11 attack. Sources said the joke caused a stir even though he is famous for comedy roasts, as the memory of the attack was fresh. Survivors and the families of the people who were killed in the attack have condemned Davidson's ...
Miscreants loot Rs 25 lakh from toll gate employees in Odisha
Armed miscreants looted more than Rs 25 lakh from the employees of a toll gate on National Highway 16 in Odisha's Ganjam district today, police said. The incident happened at Haridamula under the jurisdiction of Khallikote police station when two employees of the toll gate at Gorapalli, were on their way to deposit Rs 25.30 lakh in a bank at Khallikote, a place near the toll gate, the police said. Five motorcycle borne miscreants intercepted their vehicle, fired in the air to frighten the toll gate employees and the driver of the vehicle carrying them, snatched the bag full of cash from them and fled the scene, the Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Chhatrapur, Ramesh Chandra Sethi, said. Senior police officers, including the Superintendent of Police of Ganjam district, went to the spot after the incident, a police officer said, adding, efforts were on to nab the miscreants. Police stations in and around the area were put on alert, he said. They have also been ...
AU summit overshadowed by 'security failings' in Sahel after attacks
African leaders gathered in the Mauritanian capital today for the final day of a summit overshadowed by security issues after jihadist rebels hammered two fragile Sahel states in successive attacks. French President Emmanuel Macron, making an exceptional appearance at an African Union (AU) summit, was expected to discuss hurdles facing a five-nation French-backed anti-terror unit, the "G5 Sahel" force. As the summit focusing on free trade, funding and corruption opened on Sunday, a bomb aimed at French soldiers in Mali's troubled north killed four civilians and injured over 20 people, including four soldiers. In Niger, Boko Haram insurgents targeted a military postion in the southeast of the country, killing 10 soldiers -- a reminder of the peril that Nigeria's notorious jihadists pose to neighbouring countries. On Friday, a suicide bombing hit the Mali headquarters of the G5 Sahel, fuelling concerns about its ability to tackle jihadist groups roaming the region. It was the first ...
'Infinity War' cinematographer may have accidentally revealed 'Avengers 4' official title
A cinematographer, who worked on "Avengers: Infinity War", may have inadvertently leaked the official title of the film's 2019 follow-up. According to Omega Underground, the website run by Trent Opaloch has the film listed as, "Avengers: End Game". Interestingly, the cinematographer has since updated his site and changed the name back to "Avengers 4". Opaloch has been a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe since 2014 and has also worked on "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" and "Captain America: Civil War". The supposed gaffe comes after Tom Holland, who starred in "Infinity War", revealed the name of his next stand-alone, "Spider-Man: Far From Home" in a faux pas on Instagram.
Reuters reporters case: Myanmar concludes six-month pre-trial hearing
A Myanmar court on Monday concluded the pre-trial hearing in the case of two Reuters reporters accused of violating the Official Secrets Act while investigating the killing of 10 Rohingyas in Rakhine state.
Yemeni reporter who criticized coalition is arrested
Yemeni officials say a journalist who was critical of the Saudi-led coalition has been arrested. The officials say Fathy bin Lazrq, the editor-in-chief of Aden Al Ghad newspaper, was arrested in the southern city of Aden today, and that his whereabouts are unknown. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media. The coalition has been at war with Yemen's Houthi rebels since March 2015 on behalf of the internationally recognized government. Coalition forces are based in Aden, while the rebels control the capital, Sanaa. On Facebook, bin Lazrq had accused the coalition of failing to provide basic services and dismissed as untrue reports that the coalition provides millions of dollars in aid. The UN considers war-torn Yemen the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
Tourist from Haryana dies in J&K
A tourist from Haryana died following a cardiac arrest at the popular ski-resort of Gulmarg in Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir today, a police official said. Pawan Chand Gandhi (43), a resident of Faridabad, died in Kangdoori area in north Kashmir, the official said. He said a police team has been sent to the spot. Further details were awaited.
15 booked for beating man who criticised minister
Fifteen people, some of them workers of a political party, were booked for allegedly assaulting a 50-year-old man for criticising Maharashtra Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar before the media here, the police said today. The man, Praveen Shantilal Surana, filed a complaint alleging assault by a group of people yesterday. Based on the complaint, the Warora police registered an FIR against 15 people, including Warora Municipal Council's co-opted member from the BJP, Baba Bhagade, and some workers of a political party, a police official said. They were booked under IPC sections related to voluntarily causing hurt and criminal intimidation, he said. Surana claimed Mungantiwar, also the guardian minister of Chandrapur district, was slated to inaugurate a shed at the Mahatma Gandhi Garden here yesterday morning but left without doing so. Later, Surana, talking to the electronic media, criticised the minister, saying he did not spare time for the structure's ...
Maoist gunned down in Chhattisgarh
A Maoist was killed in a gunfight with security personnel in this Chhattisgarh district on Monday, police said.
Pakistan condemns suicide attack in Afghanistan
Pakistan on Monday condemned a terror attack in Afghanistan's Jalalabad city that killed 19 people, including Sikhs and Hindus.
Pak strongly condemns terror attack on Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan
Pakistan has strongly condemned a suicide attack in Afghanistan's Jalalabad city that killed at least 19 people, mostly Sikhs and Hindus, the Foreign Office said today. "We are distressed and grieved at the loss of precious human lives," the Foreign Office said in a statement here. "We express our deepest sympathies and heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of those who have lost their lives and pray for early recovery of the injured," it added. It said Pakistan reiterates its condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. An ISIS suicide bomber targeted a convoy of Sikhs and Hindus on their way to meet the Afghan president in the eastern city of Jalalabad yesterday. Some reports said 19 people were killed in the attack and 17 of them were from the minority Sikh and Hindu community. Avtar Singh Khalsa, a longtime leader of the Sikh community who had planned to run in the parliamentary elections set for October, was also killed in the attack.
Afghan Sikhs, Hindus grieve after suicide attack kills 19
Grief mixed with anger among Afghanistan's minority Sikh and Hindu community today as they prepared for funerals of loved ones, including an election candidate, killed in a suicide attack. At least 19 people were killed and 21 wounded when a suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowd of Afghan Sikhs and Hindus waiting to meet President Ashraf Ghani in the eastern city of Jalalabad yesterday. Scores of mourners shouted "death to Ashraf Ghani" and "death to the government" as they placed coffins in ambulances that would take them to a temple for funeral ceremonies. Among the dead were 17 Sikhs and Hindus, officials said, including Avtar Singh, the only Sikh candidate running in the October 20 legislative elections, and Rawail Singh, a prominent social activist. "This attack has killed many of our elders, those who loved their country more than anything else," Narendar Singh told AFP as he took the body of his father, Avtar Singh, from the hospital. "We were the direct target. The ...
SGPC chief calls Jalalabad blast 'deliberate attack'
Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president GS Longowal on Monday called the 'barbaric' suicide bombing in Afghanistan's Jalalabad city, a 'deliberate' attack.Speaking to ANI, Longowal said, "It was a deliberate attack. It's duty of the respective government to ensure the safety of people."He also requested the Centre to talk to Afghanistan government and ensure death penalty for people responsible.The suicide bombing in Nangarhar province of Afghanistan claimed lives of 19 people, including 11 Sikhs and injured 20 others on Sunday.Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the incident and assured that India stands ready for assistance "in this sad hour.
Two Koreas resume maritime communication
The South Korean defence ministry informed that for the first time in 10 years, the two Koreas have resumed ship-to-ship radio links for smooth communications at sea for the first time.This comes after the recent agreements signed between North Korea and South Korea to defuse military tensions and prevent unexpected confrontations, especially in the Yellow Sea, as per Yonhap.The maritime communication between the two Koreas was put to an end in May 2008 when the North stopped responding to all South Korean calls made via the global merchant marine communication network.In June 2004, when the two sides maintained amicable relations, they agreed to use the same radio frequencies and visual signals for better communications in the waters around the Korean Peninsula.On June 14, the first-ever communications at sea between South and North Korean patrol ships were carried out.Earlier, in April, North and South Korea agreed to sign a peace treaty formally later this year, ending a ...
UP: 2 injured after welding gas tank explosion
Two people were injured after a welding gas tank exploded here, police said today. The incident took place last evening at an area under the Kotwali police station. They were admitted to a hospital with burn injuries and the condition of one of the victims was stated to be serious, police said.