Page 547 - War Conflict
No state govt function to celebrate Yoga Day
The Lal Thanhawla led Congress government in Mizoram did not organise any official function to observe the International Yoga Day today, officials said. An official statement narrated about the valedictory function of the Healthy Mizoram Campaign but did not mention yoga. Reports said that the Yoga day functions was observed in the headquarters of the central para-military forces here. The powerful church, the civil societies and the student bodies of the state had earlier objected to the observance of the International Yoga Day expressing suspicion that Yoga is a part of 'Hindu ritual' and should not be practised by Christians. The People's Rights to Identity and Status of Mizoram (PRISM) party today flayed the 'forcible' practice of Yoga by the state police.
60 live crude bombs recovered by police during night-long
About 60 live crude bombs were recovered from a bamboo grove in Baishnabnagar area in West Bengal's Maldah district durig a night-long search since Wednesday, police said today. The police raided the bamboo grove adjacent to Malatipur village last night following a tip off and seized the large number of bombs from five bags, a jar and a motorcycle dicky during the night-long operation, which ended this morning. The police also seized materials used for making bombs. Additional superintendent of police Dipak Sarkar rushed to the spot with reinforcement and the bombs were later defused. The police suspect that the bombs were stockpiled by antisocials. Investigations are on, they said.
Paul Polman to succeed Sunil Mittal as ICC Chairman
Sunil Bharti Mittal, Founder and Chairman of Bharti Enterprises, will step down as International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Chairman, following the completion of his two-year tenure, according to a statement. Mittal will be succeeded by Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever, the statement by ICC said; adding that Ajay Banga, President and CEO MasterCard, has been appointed as the next ICC 'First Vice-Chair'. "...Sunil Bharti Mittal...will step down as the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Chair having worked towards promoting rules-based policy-making to enable inclusive trade, innovation and job-creation on behalf of more than 6 million members worldwide," the statement added. Mittal will assume the role of ICC Honorary Chair from July 1, 2018. The telecom czar served as ICC Chair since June 15, 2016, and prior to that was ICC 'First Vice-Chair' and Vice-Chair. He became the third business leader from India to be appointed as the Chairman of ICC. "In the concluding months of his ICC ...
Six ULFA(I) militants surrender before police in Assam
Six ULFA(I) militants today surrendered before the police along with sophisticated arms and ammunition in Assam, Director General of Police, Kuladhar Saikia said here. The militants, members of the outfit's Arakkan camp along the Myanmar-Arunachal Pradesh border, had contacted the police in Tinsukia and expressed their desire to surrender as they were fed up with the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) leadership, Saikia told reporters here. The militants were brought to Guwahati where the Special Branch would conduct their detailed examination as per the Centre's recent surrender policy. According to the preliminary report, the militants have been in the outfit for quite some time and had cited dissatisfaction with the leadership as the primary reason for leaving the outfit and returning to the mainstream, the DGP said. " The ULFA(I) cadres were fed up with the activities of their leaders like kidnapping of indigenous workers of tea gardens, destroying the tea ...
Lanka thanks PM Modi for grants to run free ambulance service
Sri Lanka today thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for giving a grant of USD 22.8 million for running free emergency ambulance service in the island nation. India had given a grant of USD 22.8 million - USD 7.6 million in first phase in 2016 and in second instalment USD 15.2 million this year - to Sri Lankan government to run free ambulance services. Sri Lanka's state minister of National Policies and Economic Affairs, Harsha de Silva told the parliament that Modi had come to Sri Lanka in March 2015 and said that "he wished to provide a grant to Sri Lanka". The minister said that he told the Indian Prime Minister on Sri Lanka's need for an emergency ambulance care service. "He (Modi) agreed, and an aid of USD 7.6 million came as the first instalment. It was totally free and nothing to pay back," de Silva said, adding that in the second phase, Sri Lanka got a grant of USD 15.2 million. The minister said that the free ambulance service, was made possible by the people of India, was ..
Delhi police personnel too roll out their yoga mat
The International Yoga Day today saw as many as 2000 police personnel rolling out their exercise mats, stretching themselves and holding various Yoga asanas (poses) at Thyagraj Stadium here. The event, organised by the Delhi Police at the indoor stadium here on the occasion of the fourth International Yoga Day, were participated by the police personnel of all police districts in the Capital, said a police official. The event was attended by several senior police officers, including Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik. Besides the one at the Thyagraj Stadium, the police organised yoga sessions in various districts and units also, attracting huge participation. Patnaik underlined the importance of yoga in day-to-day working of police, saying it helps in controlling the mind. Yoga is a vital part of the police curriculum to remain fit, healthy and active, said the police chief, adding that tt helps police personnel serve the society.
Libya strongman's forces say key oil ports recaptured
A force led by Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar today said it had recaptured two key oil export terminals, a week after they were attacked by a rival militia. "Our armed forces have full control of the Ras Lanuf region," the force's spokesman Ahmed al-Mesmari said, later adding that it had also seized the Al-Sidra terminal. Haftar, whose force is dominant in eastern Libya, announced earlier the same day an offensive to recapture the terminals after a week of clashes that slashed crude output, vital to Libya's economy. "Zero hour has passed" to "crush the enemy", Haftar said in an audio message to his self-styled Libyan National Army, launching the operation in the country's northeastern oil crescent. Armed groups on June 14 attacked the Ras Lanuf and Al-Sidra terminals held by Haftar's forces around 650 kilometres (400 miles) east of Tripoli. The Petroleum Facilities Guard, led by Ibrahim Jadhran, had controlled the terminals and blocked exports for years following the 2011 ...
Armymen mark Yoga Day with Sadhguru at Siachen
Army personnel guarding the Siachen glacier, the highest battleground on earth, in Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir, observed the International Day of Yoga today with Padma Vibhushan Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev. Sadhguru also provided them important tips to tackle challenges posed by the high altitude. Over 250 personnel deployed at various posts in Siachen, located between 18,000 to 21,000 feet, rolled out their yoga mats at the crack of dawn to practice asanas with Sadhguru, the founder of Coimbatore-based Isha Foundation. Welcoming the response and participation of the Army personnel, he said it was "most exhilarating and humbling to be with the Siachen warriors" on the fourth International Day of Yoga. "May the nation celebrate the valour and sacrifice of these men. It is heartening to see the enthusiasm and involvement of the soldiers to make yoga a part of their lives," he said. After the session, Sadhguru spoke to the soldiers and officers at the base camp on a range of issues, ...
Thousands flee regime shelling on south Syria: Monitor
More than 12,000 people have fled regime bombardment on rebel-held areas in Syria's southern province of Daraa in the past three days, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said today. The UN humanitarian coordination office reported that 2,500 people had fled one of these areas in the eastern countryside of the province as of yesterday.
Justice for most of Lanka civil war victims remains elusive: US lawmaker
A US lawmaker has said that the justice for most of the victims of the brutal civil war in Sri Lanka remains elusive and accused President Maithripala Sirisena of doing little to mend ties between the majority Sinhalese and minority Tamils. Although many observers hoped that the reformist government of President Sirisena would increase access to justice, focus on human rights, emphasise transparency and accountability, and improve the rule of law, his administration has been criticized for having an inadequate response, Congressman Chris Smith said. "To this day, justice for many of the victims remains elusive," Republican Smith said in remarks to hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organisations, which he chaired, titled "Human Rights Concerns in Sri Lanka" Despite having run on a platform of ethnic reconciliation, Sirisena has done little to mend the ties between the groups, and the political polarisation
37 killed in Afghanistan violence
At least 20 Taliban militants and 17 security personnel were killed after clashes in two districts of Afghanistan on Thursday, according to officials.
Suicide bombers target military market in NE Nigeria
Fifteen people were injured when two female suicide bombers targetted the edge of a military barracks in northeast Nigeria, police said today. Soldiers shot dead one woman as she tried to get into the informal market at the base of 333 Artillery Nigerian Army in Maiduguri last evening. Borno state police spokesman Edet Okon said the woman's explosives detonated when she was shot. A second bomber blew herself up in a nearby motorised rickshaw, he added. "As a result of the explosions, the two bombers died instantly while 15 persons were injured and were rushed to the hospital for treatment," he said in a statement. A bomb disposal team had "sanitised" the area, he added. Emergency services in the city said they had no further information on the blast, which came just days after nine soldiers were killed in a Boko Haram attack north of Maiduguri. Markets on the fringes of military barracks typically sell basic needs to soldiers, including food and alcohol, and are often frequented by ...
Yasin Malik detained, Hurriyat chairman placed under house arrest
JKLF chief Yasin Malik was today detained while moderate Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was placed under house arrest to prevent the separatists from leading protests, police said. Malik was taken into custody from his Maisuma residence this morning, a police official said. He said Malik has been lodged in police station Kothibagh. The official said Mirwaiz was placed under house arrest at his Nigeen residence. Hardline Hurriyat Conference chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani continued to remain under house detention. The separatists, under the banner of Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL), on Tuesday called for a protest strike for today against the killing of civilians allegedly in security forces firing recently and the killing of veteran journalist ShujaatBukhari. Bukhari was shot dead, along with his two personal guards, outside his office in Press Enclave here on 14 June by unknown gunmen.
Mattis to visit Seoul to discuss Korean Peninsula situation
US Defence Secretary James Mattis will travel to Seoul next week to meet his South Korean counterpart and analyze the current military situation on the Korean Peninsula amid the ongoing rapprochement with North Korea.
Maoists kill tribal man in Malkangiri
Maoists gunned down a tribal man in Kalimela area of Malkangiri district in Odisha suspecting him to be a police informer, police said. A group of around 20 Maoists stormed into the house of the victim, Ganga Madkami, at Sudhakunda village and dragged him out of his house late last night, Malkangiri Superintendent of Police Jagmohan Meena said. The red rebels forcibly took Madkami, aged around 30, to a deserted place on the outskirt of the village and shot him dead, he said. The assailants told the villagers that Madkami was eliminated as he was working as an informer for the police and helping them in anti-naxal operations, police said. The SP said the body of the slain villager has been recovered and investigation was in progress. Combing operation and patrolling in the area has been intensified by the security forces in the aftermath of the killing, he said. Meena also made it clear that Madkami was not working as a police informer. The killing of the tribal comes ...
Saudi king hopes for renewal of ceasefire between Kabul, Taliban
Saudi Arabian King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud expressed his hope that the ceasefire between the Afghan government and the Taliban will be renewed, Saudi Press Agency reported.
Journey of faith for displaced Kashmiri Pandits
Setting aside their fears, thousands of Kashmiri Pandits thronged the ancient shrines of Kheer Bhawani and Mata Tripur Sundri in this volatile south Kashmir district to celebrate the birthdays of the Vaishnavite goddesses. The birth anniversaries of Mata Kheer Bhawani in Tulmula (Ganderbal district), Goddess Tripur Sundari in Devsar and Goddess Ragniya Bhagwati in Manzgam in Kulgam district, Ragniya Bhagwati Loktipura (Anantnag) and Ragniya Mata in Tikker (Kupwara) were celebrated by Kashmiri Pandits in the valley yesterday with havans, community kitchens and mass prayers. This is for the first time that havans, community kitchens and mass prayers were conducted by Kashmiri Pandits on such a large scale in all the five ancient shrines on the same day as it was done 29 years ago before migration of Pandits in the wake of militancy. "This situation in the valley did not deter pilgrims from paying obeisance at the spring shrine in Manzgam", Daleep Raina a devotee, told PTI. He said ...
Afghan official says Taliban kill 8 police
The Taliban killed eight police in two separate attacks in Afghanistan today, officials said. Arif Noori, a spokesman for the governor of the southern Ghazni province, says six police were killed and four were wounded in an attack on security posts today. He says at least seven insurgents were killed in the hours-long gunbattle. In the northern Baghlan province, the Taliban killed two police and wounded another three, according to police spokesman Zabiullah Shuja. No one immediately claimed either attack. The Taliban have seized several districts across the country in recent years, and carry out near-daily attacks, mainly targeting security forces. They resumed their attacks after a three-day cease-fire last weekend coinciding with the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday.
Gorakhpur terror funding mastermind arrested in Pune
Gorakhpur terror funding mastermind Ramesh Shah has been arrested in a joint operation by the Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) of Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra Police, an official said on Thursday.
Russia warns of action against NATO forces near its border
The Russian Defence Ministry on Wednesday accused the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) of strengthening combat forces near Russia's border and warned that Moscow will take mirror-like actions against NATO's moves.