Page 550 - War Conflict
2 JeM militants believed killed in gunfight with forces
Two unidentified militants, belonging to Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), are believed to have been killed in an encounter with the security forces in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir today, police said. Encounter going on at Hyena Tral, 3 (three) important JEM Terrorists trapped, 2 (two) apparently neutralised. Good luck to our boys fighting (sic), Director General of Police (DGP) S P Vaid wrote on Twitter. The encounter broke out after security forces launched a cordon and search operation in the area in south Kashmir's Pulwama district following specific intelligence inputs, a police official said. He said the gunfight was going on when last reports came in, adding further details were awaited.
Vegetable vendor shot at by unknown gunmen
Unknown gunmen shot at and injured a vegetable vendor in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir today, police said. A person, reportedly a vegetable vendor, has been shot at and injured at Srigufwara area of the south Kashmir district, a police official said. He said the injured has been rushed to a hospital. The police have registered a case, the official said.
Shells hit south Syria city for first time in three years
Rebel shellfire slammed into the southern Syrian city of Sweida today for the first time in three years, a monitor said, as fresh regime reinforcements arrived in the area. The government holds most of Sweida province but rebels still control much of the nearby Daraa and Quneitra governorates. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said opposition forces today fired shells into Sweida city, "which led to loud blasts but no casualties". "It is the first time since 2015 that the city has been subjected to shellfire," said Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman. Syrian state news agency SANA also blamed rebels "spread out in the towns and villages in eastern parts of Daraa province" for firing shells on Sweida. Sweida, whose residents are mostly from the Druze minority, has remained relatively insulated from seven years of war that ravaged the rest of the country. But rebels hold a sliver of territory in western Sweida that borders their main bastion in the province of Daraa, and clashes ..
7 shepherds killed as IS 'danger' grips Iraqi desert
Seven shepherds and farmers have been found murdered after the Islamic State jihadist group kidnapped dozens of people in the desert region of central Iraq, a local official said today. In a renewed threat to the region, IS attacked several remote villages and seized 30 locals from their homes, Ali al-Nawaf, a municipal council chief, told AFP. "The bodies of seven of them have been found and security forces are searching for the others," he said. The victims, in pictures posted on social media, were discovered with their hands tied behind their backs and eyes bound with red-and-white keffiyeh headscarves. "This area used to be quite well-populated but it has emptied because it's become very dangerous for residents, who live off agriculture or as shepherds," said Nawaf. He said residents could not defend themselves because their weapons had been confiscated, first by US-led forces which invaded Iraq in 2003, by IS from 2014 and then again by Iraqi security forces and their ...
India to construct war memorial at Villers Guislain in France
India will construct a war memorial at Villers Guislain, a town around 200 km from Paris, to highlight the contribution of the soldiers of the undivided India to the freedom of France in the World War I. This was announced by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. "India will construct an Indian Armed Forces Memorial at Villers Guislain," she said. This will be the second such memorial in Europe, she said. During the World War I, Villers-Guislain had witnessed a fierce battle in which the British Indian cavalry regiments were heavily involved. The town was liberated on September 29, 2018. Swaraj, who arrived here from Rome yesterday on the second leg of her four-nation tour, addressed the Indian diaspora at a reception organised in her honour. She said that Indians in every part of the world carry India and its civilisational ethos in their heart. She also addressed the Indian students and unveiled a plaque at the India Hostel to commemorate the golden jubilee of the landmark ...
London marks mosque terror attack anniversary
A minute's silence today marked the first anniversary of the 2017 terrorist attack aimed at worshippers near Finsbury Park Mosque in north London. A Bangladeshi-origin man, Makram Ali, died, and nine others were injured when a van was driven into a crowd of people near the mosque on June 19 last year. Last year's cowardly attack which targeted innocent worshippers leaving Finsbury Park Mosque was an attack on all of us. As with all acts of terrorism, the intention was to divide us. But we will not let this happen, Prime Minister Theresa May said. "And as we remember the victims of this attack, and Makram Ali who tragically lost his life, we should take strength that it is London's diversity and multitude of communities that makes it one of the world's great cities," she said. Victims had just left night-time Ramzan prayers at the nearby Muslim Welfare House when Darren Osborne drove a hired van on to a crowded pavement. The minute's silence was held outside Islington Town Hall near ...
Protesters and police clash outside Ukraine parliament
Clashes broke out near the Ukrainian parliament in Kiev today when more than 1,000 protesters demolished a metal fence in a bid to enter the building, police said. Coal miners, veterans of the Soviet Afghan War and Chernobyl "liquidators" (people who dealt with the 1986 nuclear disaster) demonstrated to demand decent wages and social benefits. Miners also called for compensation over unpaid wages. Several law enforcement officers were injured in the clashes, police said after detaining one protester. Authorities stepped up security measures outside parliament, deploying 500 police officers. Vice Speaker of the parliament Iryna Gerashchenko addressed the gathering and representatives from each protesting organisation were invited to negotiations. Protests outside government buildings in Ukraine's capital are not uncommon. In March 2018 clashes broke out near parliament after police removed a makeshift camp put up to protest corruption. In 2015 four national guard members were killed ..
Panchkula, Gurugram Police Commissioners among 8 IPS transferred
The Haryana government today issued transfer and posting orders of eight IPS officers, including the Police Commissioners of Panchkula and Gurugram, with immediate effect. A S Chawla, the Commissioner of Police, Panchkula, with additional charge of Inspector General, Law and Order, has been posted as Additional Director General of Police, Telecommunications, with additional charge of ADGP, Community Policing, an official release said. Charu Bali, the Inspector General in State Vigilance Bureau, will be the new Panchkula Police Commissioner. Navdeep Singh Virk, who was the Inspector General of Police, Rohtak Range, with additional charge of Inspector General of Police, Police Training Centre, Sunaria, Rohtak has been posted as Inspector General of Police, Karnal Range. Gurgaon Police Commissioner Sandeep Khirwar has been posted as Inspector General of Police, Rohtak Range, the release said, adding K K Rao, the Inspector General of Police, Indian Reserve Battalion, Bhondsi has been ...
Haryana transfers top police officers
The Haryana government on Tuesday issued transfer and posting orders of eight senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officers, including the Police Commissioners of Gurugram and Panchkula, an official said.
Sadhguru to impart Yoga training to soldiers at Siachen on June 21
Army personnel guarding the Siachen glacier, the highest battleground on earth, in Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir will have a special guest this Yoga Day to impart training to tackle the challenges posed by high altitude. Padma Vibhushan Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev will visit the personnel at the Siachen base camp on International Day of Yoga on June 21. Sadhguru, the founder of Coimbatore-based Isha Foundation, arrived at Leh Army base this morning and addressed a group of 350 soldiers and officers ahead of his interaction with army personnel at Siachen, Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the foundation Rahul Dubey told PTI. It will be a privilege to be at Siachen on this very special occasion of International Day of Yoga. Our soldiers posted in high altitudes, particularly in Siachen i.e. one of the most challenging and vulnerable battlefields on the planet, put their lives at stake to protect the nation," he said quoting the spiritual leader. "It is paramount to equip them with Yogic
UK marks anniversary of London mosque terror attack
Britain today marked the first anniversary of a deadly terror attack against a north London mosque, with Prime Minister Theresa May vowing that "vile extremism" will not divide the nation. Mourners held a minute's silence at 9.30am local time (0830GMT) to remember father-of-six Makram Ali, who died when Darren Osborne ploughed a hire van onto a crowded pavement close to Finsbury Park mosque, intending to kill as many Muslims as possible. The attack, on June 19 last year, also left 12 injured. Home Secretary Sajid Javid, London Mayor Sadiq Khan and opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn Mohammed Mahmoud, all attended the event at nearby Islington Town Hall, along with the imam of the mosque, Mohammed Mahmoud. "A man ridden with racism drove a vehicle into a crowd of people and tried to divide and destroy our community," said Corbyn. "We will never allow them to destroy us. Stay united, stay together, support each other!", he added. Osborne, 48, left a note in the van, in which he said .
Pakistan has more nuclear warheads than India: SIPRI
Pakistan continues to be ahead of India when it comes to possessing nuclear warheads, with China having double the quantity, according to a report by a leading Swedish think-tank. Pakistan is believed to have 140-150 nuclear warheads this year, 10 more than last year. In contrast, India is said to have 130-140 nuclear warheads, according to the annual nuclear forces data by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). "India and Pakistan are both expanding their nuclear weapon stockpiles as well as developing new land-, sea- and air-based missile delivery systems," it said. "China continues to modernise its nuclear weapon delivery systems and is slowly increasing the size of its nuclear arsenal," SIPRI said. Russia and the US hold over 92 per cent of the total warheads, it said. SIPRI said nine countries -- the US, Russia, Britain, France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea -- had 14,465 nuclear warheads at the beginning of 2018, of which 3,750 were actually ..
American arrested in Vietnam 'regrets' breaking law
An American student held in Vietnam for "causing public disorder" at violent protests this month has appeared on state television to say he regrets breaking the law and will stay away from future rallies. William Nguyen was detained on June 10 in Ho Chi Minh City after attending mass demonstrations against proposed special economic zones that would grant investors 99-year leases. Video footage shows the Texas-born 32-year-old with a bleeding head wound being dragged by plainclothes men through the streets into custody. Police accuse Nguyen of "causing public disorder" and trying to damage a fence and flip over police vehicles on the main road to the airport. Nguyen, a Yale graduate, appeared on television last night to say he broke the law. "I understand that my acts violated (the law)... I regret that I caused trouble for people heading to the airport. I blocked traffic and caused trouble to my family and friends," Nguyen said in Vietnamese on HTV in footage provided by city ...
US military to have a separate 'Space Force': Trump
President Donald Trump has ordered the US military to establish a "space force" as the sixth branch of its armed forces to ensure "American dominance" in space amidst competition from Russia and China. Details of what a new space force would look like and what it would do were not immediately clear. But Trump said it would be "separate but equal" to the Air Force. The other US military branches are the Army, Navy, Coast Guard and Marine Corps. Addressing the members of the National Space Council at the White House, Trump, also the commander-in-chief of the military, said the whole world is "looking up" to the US and the country is being respected again. The president said he has directed the Pentagon to start a process for creating a "Space Force". "I'm hereby directing the Department of Defence and Pentagon to immediately begin the process necessary to establish a space force as the sixth branch of the armed forces. That's a big statement," Trump said. He also said it would be ...
Cashier of a firm robbed at gunpoint in Raj
A group of three to four armed men looted Rs 76,500 from the cashier of a company today, police said. The incident took place early morning in Pragpur when the armed men targeted the employee of a stone-crushing plant, they added. A hunt has been launched to nab the accused, SHO of Pragpura police station Suresh Kumar said.
Report says over 1 bn small arms in world, up from 2007
There are over 1 billion firearms in the world today, including 857 million in civilian hands with American men and women the dominant owners, according to a study. The Small Arms Survey says 393 million of the civilian-held firearms, 46 per cent, are in the United States, which is "more than those held by civilians in the other top 25 countries combined." "The key to the United States, of course, is its unique gun culture," the report's author, Aaron Karp, said at a news conference. "American civilians buy an average of 14 million new firearms every year, and that means the United States is an overwhelming presence on civilian markets." The report said the numbers include legal and illegal firearms in civilian hands, ranging from improvised craft weapons to factory-made handguns, rifles, shotguns and, in some countries, even machine guns. The estimate of over 1 billion firearms worldwide at the end of 2017 also includes 133 million such weapons held by government military forces and
S Korean team visits N Korea's Kaesong to prepare for liaison office
A 17-member South Korean team visited the North Korean border town of Kaesong to repair their liaison office.According to the unification ministry, the two Koreas agreed to open a liaison office for better communication.The group, which included ministry officials and staff of Hyundai Asan, entered the western border town around 10 a.m., the Yonhap news agency reported.The team plans to travel to Kaesong again on Wednesday.The two Koreas decided to open the liaison office at an early date in anticipation of increased cross-border exchanges.The opening of the liaison office is seen as a first step towards implementing promises both leaders made in their summit talks in April and May.In April, North and South Korea agreed to sign a peace treaty formally later this year, ending a 65-year-old long war between them.
3 killed at Swedish cafe shooting
At least three people have been killed in a shooting at an Internet cafe in the Swedish city of Malmo, police said.
2 die of 6 men wounded in southern Sweden drive-by shooting
Swedish police say two of the six men who were injured in a drive-by shooting in the centre of Sweden's third-largest city, have died. Police in Malmo said today that the men - aged 18 and 29 - died overnight. Witnesses told Swedish media that the men were shot as they left an internet cafe in the southeastern part of the southern Swedish city on Monday evening. Police said a dozen shots were fired but no arrests have been made and they are looking for a dark vehicle. Feuds between criminal gangs fighting over territory have become more common in major Swedish cities in recent years. The shots caused bystanders to scream but police quickly said there was no reason for the public to worry.
IBM builds AI that can debate with humans
IBM has built a new AI-based system called Project Debater which, as the name suggests, can debate skillfully and present arguments without bias.During its demonstration, Project Debater engaged in a battle of words against human debaters Noa Ovadia and Dan Zafrir on topics given straight at the event, Engadget reported.Now what makes it interesting is that the AI is not only capable of spewing facts from what it has been already fed previously in the form of raw data, but takes into account the opponents' arguments and understands the context of the statements said.The future goal for Project Debater is to make it an unbiased machine and help companies make unbiased decisions.