Page 56 - War Conflict
Hemkunt Sahib Gurudwara to reopen on June 1
Sri Hemkunt Sahib Gurudwara situated in the hilly district of Chamoli here is scheduled to reopen for pilgrims on June 1.Indian Army teams have been deployed in the area to facilitate a hassle-free pilgrimage to those visiting the holy shrine.The team, comprising Surya Bengal Sappers, have been engaged in clearing the 6-kilometre-long track to the shrine since May 1.It is believed that the 10th Sikh guru, Guru Gobind Singh, had meditated at Hemkund in his previous birth.
WWII ammunition of Japanese forces found in China
Around 1,500 rifle bullets used by Japanese forces during World War II were found in southwest China's Yunnan province, according to local authorities.
Navy, Coast Guard,Coastal police on vigil off Ker, Lakshadweep
The Navy, Coast Guard and Coastal police are maintaining a high level of survillance off Kerala and Lakshadweep coasts following intelligence reportsthat a boat carrying 15 Islamic State Terrorists had set off from Sri Lanka to Lakshadweep islands. "The Navy and Coast Guard are maintaining vigil. Ships and aircraft have been engaged to ensure high level of coastal survillance", Naval sources told PTI Sunday. Coastal police are also continuing their vigil. Kerala Police sources had Saturday said coastal police stations and coastal district police chiefs have been alerted. Though such alerts are a usual practice, as there is specific information, coastal police stations and police chiefs of coastal districts have been asked to be alert in case suspecious vessels are sighted. The coastal police department said it was on alert since May 23, the day the alert came from Sri Lanka. After the serial bombings in Sri Lanka, Kerala wason alert, especially after NIA investigations ...
Varanasi: Security beefed up ahead of PM Modi's roadshow
The security has been tightened in Varanasi ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first visit to his constituency on Monday after his massive victory in the Lok Sabha elections.PM Modi is scheduled to hold a five-kilometre-long roadshow in the constituency after his arrival here.The preparations for his welcome have been completed and the area has been decked up with saffron party flags, ribbons and wall paintings of Buddha and other spiritual idols. Cleaning and maintenance work have also been completed.Speaking to ANI, Anand Kulkarni, SSP Varanasi said: "We have done all the arrangements, state police along with paramilitary will be deployed for the security. More force in civil dress will also be deployed to beef up the security. We are alert."According to sources, as many as 12 companies of paramilitary forces have been deployed to ensure foolproof security to the PM.10 Indian Police Service (IPS) officers, 25 additional Superintendents of Police (SP), 60 deputy SP (DySP) and ...
Balakot attack was to ensure terrorists don't carry out action against India: General Rawat
Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat has said the Balakot attack in February was to ensure that terrorists being trained across the border do not survive to carry out action against India. Coordinated efforts are being made by various government agencies to tackle cross-border terrorism, he said. "Through the coordinated efforts of various government agencies, now the NIA has stepped in, the Enforcement Directorate has stepped in and all are trying to ensure financing and funds available to terrorists are cut off," he said, responding to a question on insurgency in Kashmir at a media interaction here. He also said the situation there has been brought under control. Rawat said the country has been facing terrorism since Independence and that security forces and all agencies supporting them have met these challenges head on. "We have been able to ensure that the insurgency has been brought under control. Of course in the Kashmir Valley, we have been witnessing ups and downs of ...
Boy allegedly beaten by Army critical
A large number of people took to the streets on Sunday against the alleged detention and thrashing of two boys by the Army in Jammu and Kashmir's Badgam district.
UN says Afghan captives held by Taliban subjected to abuse
Afghan captives held by the Taliban have been subjected to abuse, ill-treatment and actions that may amount to torture, the UN said Sunday a statement that comes as the US is trying to find a negotiated solution to the country's protracted war. The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said it interviewed 13 detainees from a group of 53 recently rescued from the Taliban, mainly members of Afghan forces but also civilians and government officials captured by the insurgents. The group was freed on April 25 when Afghan troops raided a Taliban-run detention facility in the Khas Uruzgan district in southern Uruzgan province. Most of the captives were held since 2018, with three since 2016, the UNAMA statement said, adding they were kept in poor conditions and subjected to forced labor. It cites the detainees as saying that the Taliban killed some of their captives. "I am gravely concerned about these serious allegations of ill-treatment, torture and unlawful killing of civilians and ...
25 killed in Afghanistan clashes
At least 22 militants, including two Taliban commanders, and three police officers were killed in separate clashes in Afghanistan, authorities said on Sunday.
Kerala coast on alert after intel on ISIS movement, Coast Guard deployed
Kerala Coastal Police have been placed on alert after intelligence inputs about ISIS affiliates setting off towards Lakshadweep and Minicoy Island from Sri Lanka, police sources said on Sunday.According to highly-placed sources aware of the matter, as many as 15 ISIS affiliates have set-off in a white boat from Sri Lanka towards Indian islands of Lakshadweep and Minicoy.Coastal patrolling has been intensified and information has been passed to all Station House Officers (SHO) in the area.The Indian Coast Guard has deployed its ships and maritime surveillance aircraft around the two islands and maritime borders with Sri Lanka in order to thwart any attempt by the ISIS to enter Indian waters.On April 21, bombings took place at various locations across Sri Lanka in which at least 250 people lost their lives while over 500 were injured in the terror attack.Local terror group NTJ (National Thowheeth Jama'ath), which is an ISIS-affiliate, claimed responsibility for the attack.Sri Lankan ...
UN says Taliban captives in Afghanistan subjected to abuse
The UN says Taliban captives in Afghanistan have been subjected to abuse, ill-treatment and actions that may amount to torture. The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan says it interviewed 13 detainees from a group of 53 recently rescued from the Taliban. They were mainly members of the Afghan forces but also civilians and government officials captured by the Taliban. The group was freed on April 25 when Afghan troops raided a Taliban-run detention facility in the Khas Uruzgan district in southern Uruzgan province. The UNAMA statement, released on Sunday, says most of the captives were held since 2018, with three since 2016. It says they were kept in poor conditions and subjected to forced labor. The statement cites the detainees as saying that the Taliban killed some of their captives.
Taiwanese same-sex couples wed at vibrant banquet
More than 1,000 people have attended a mass wedding banquet in Taiwan's capital to celebrate the marriage of same-sex couples after a landmark decision legalising the unions. Taiwan became the first place in Asia to recognise same-sex marriage last week following a vote by the island's legislature. LGBT couples clad in flowing white gowns and matching suits gathered in Taipei on Saturday evening to walk down a red carpet flanked by cheering supporters. They were honoured in a gala that featured an emcee who wished them "100 years of happiness." A drag queen also performed with a group of scantily clad men. Taiwan split with mainland China amid a civil war in 1949. China's ruling Communist Party considers the island part of its territory.
Local IS commander among 4 killed by Afghan forces
At least four militants, including a local Islamic State (IS) commander, were killed in an operation carried out by Afghan Special Forces in Nangarhar province, local media reported on Saturday.According to Afghanistan's Interior Ministry, the operation was carried out in the Deh Bala district of the said province on Friday.Six other IS sympathisers sustained injuries during the operation, reported Sputnik.Nangarhar lies 120 kilometres east of capital Kabul. The province witnesses scenes of clashes between the security forces and IS militants from time to time. This has forced more than 9000 families living in the province to flee to safer places.Afghanistan is suffering from an unstable political, social, and security situation due to the activities of the Taliban and Islamic State. The Afghan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF) regularly conduct joint offensive operations to combat terrorism across the country.
Normalcy returns to Kashmir Valley after restrictions withdrawn
Life returned to normal in Kashmir on Sunday after two days of restrictions and shutdown in the wake of the killing of Zakir Musa the so-called head of an Al-Qaeda affiliate in the valley in an encounter with security forces in Pulwama district, officials said. They said there were no restrictions in place in any part of the valley on Sunday. Normalcy has returned to the valley as there is no strike today and no restrictions have been imposed anywhere, an official said. Officials said shops, fuel stations and other business establishments re-opened this morning while public transport also operated normally. The weekly flea market on the TRC Chowk-Batamaloo axis through the Lal Chowk city centre was also open, they said. Musa, the so-called head of the Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, was killed in an encounter with security forces at Dadsara village of Tral in the south Kashmir's Pulwama district Friday after forces launched a search operation on late Thursday evening following specific ...
Sri Lanka: 5 terror suspects arrested with Rs 1 bn in bank accounts
The bank accounts of five terror suspects, who were arrested a day earlier for close links with Islamist extremist group National Thawheed Jammath (NTJ), had funds of Rs 1 billion, a senior police official said.The five suspects were arrested in Horowpathana on Friday on suspicion of having links with the outlawed NTJ and its leader Zahran Hashim, who was behind the Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka, The Daily Mirror reported.The official also said those among the arrested were a development officer attached to the Horowpathana Divisional Secretariat, a teacher of a government school in Horowpathana, two teachers of an Arabic college in Kiwulekada and a resident of Kebithigollewa.Police said the suspects had delivered extremist sermons in Anuradhapura and Trincomalee. They had received armed training at the Horowpathana jungle two years ago with the participation of several other individuals, the police added.The April 21 bombings took place at various locations across the country. .
South Africa: Cyril Ramaphosa takes oath; vows to continue fight corruption
Cyril Ramaphosa on Saturday sworn-in for a five-year term as president of South Africa, with a promise to continue to fight against corruption.The leader took oath in front of some 30,000 people at a stadium here. Several regional leaders from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and elsewhere also attended the ceremony, Al Jazeera reports.Ramaphosa said, "A new era has dawned in our country. A brighter day is rising upon South Africa," and promised that the nation was beginning "a new era of hope and renewal"."The challenges our country face are huge and real. But they are not insurmountable. They can be solved. And I stand here today saying they are going to be solved," the President, 66, was quoted as saying.The African National Congress (ANC) party garnered 57.5 per cent votes in the parliamentary elections held on May 8. However, it was the party's weakest election showing since the ANC took power at the end of apartheid in 1994.Ramaphosa first took office last .
Explosion rocks Afghanistan's Spin Boldak, 1 civilian killed
At least one civilian was killed while two others were wounded when an explosion rocked the Spin Boldak district here on Saturday, as per the head of Kandahar Police Headquarters' media office."An explosion in Spin Boldak district in southern Kandahar province at around 7 pm this evening left one civilian dead and two others wounded," TOLOnews quoted the official, Jamal Nasir Barikzai, as saying.The reason behind the explosion is not known yet.
Kerala coast on high alert
The Kerala coast has been put on high alert following intelligence reports that boats allegedly carrying 15 Islamic State Terrorists had set off from Sri Lanka to the Lakshadweep islands, police said Saturday. According to highly places sources in the police department, the coastal police stations and coastal district police chiefs have been alerted. "Such alerts are usual practice but this time we have a specific information about the number. We have alerted the coastal police stations and the police chiefs of coastal districts to be on alert in case of any sighting of suspicious vessels," a top police source told PTI. The coastal police department said it was on alert since May 23, the day alert came from Sri Lanka. "We were on alert since the Sri Lankan attack took place. We have also alerted the fishing vessels and others venturing into the sea to be cautious of suspicious activities," coastal department sources confirmed to PTI. After the serial bomb blasts in Sri ..
Bikers stage last 'Rolling Thunder' to honour missing US soldiers
Thousands of bikers, many of them Vietnam War veterans, converged Saturday on the US capital for what is billed as their last national "Rolling Thunder" ride in honour of missing American soldiers on Memorial Day weekend. They got a boost from President Donald Trump himself, who tweeted Saturday that he would like to help maintain the event, which is bogged down in a dispute over costs. The huge motorcycle rally -- set to take place on Sunday -- began in 1988 with fewer than 3,000 participants under the motto "We will never forget." The goal was to press for an accounting of those missing in Vietnam. Over the years, it has grown into a rumbling combination of protest and parade, with tens of thousands of participants and many more lining the streets from the Pentagon to the National Mall to watch -- and hear -- the gleaming spectacle. Riders end up at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the nearby Lincoln Memorial for speeches and a concert on the Sunday before Memorial Day. Unlike ...
China relaxes travel advisory for Lanka
China on Saturday became the first country to tone down its travel advisory imposed on Sri Lanka post the Easter Sunday blasts, in a move that would help in reviving the tourism industry of the island nation hit hard by the terror attack. The move came a day after Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe appealed to the international community to lift the travel warnings, assuring that the security situation has improved in the country after the crackdown on Islamist groups and their networks. "We are happy announce that the travel ban on visiting Sri Lanka implemented by China has now been toned down to 'be cautious' while travelling to Sri Lanka from 'Do not travel to Sri Lanka'," Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority said here today. China is the second largest market, after India, for the Lankan tourism sector. The number of Chinese tourists to Lanka has been relatively steady at over 265,000 since the last three years. Several countries, including India, US, UK and Australia,
Iranian FM arrives in Baghdad to meet with Iraq officials
Iranian media are reporting that the country's foreign minister has arrived in Baghdad to meet his Iraqi counterpart and other officials. The official IRNA news agency reported Saturday that Mohammad Javad Zarif will meet with Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohamed Alhakim, Iraqi President Barham Salih, and Prime Minister Mohammed al-Halbousi during his two-day visit. Iraq's Foreign Ministry spokesman says Zarif will discuss the situation in the region and ways of finding common ground. On Friday, Zarif was in Pakistan and met officials there as tensions have ratcheted up in the Mideast. The White House earlier this month sent an aircraft carrier and B-52 bombers to the region in response to a still-unexplained threat from Iran. The U.S. plans to send 1,500 additional troops to the Middle East amid heightened tensions.