Page 560 - War Conflict
At least 10 killed in northern Nigeria attack: Police
At least 10 persons have been confirmed killed in a fresh attack by gunmen in Nigeria's northwest region, according to local police.
Al-Qaida's Mali branch releases video of 2 female hostages
al-Qaida's Mali branch has released a proof-of-life video showing footage of two female hostages abducted in separate incidents and held for more than a year, according to SITE Intelligence Group. The video released on Telegram yesterday by the Mali-based al-Qaida affiliate known by its acronym JNIM shows Colombian nun Gloria Cecilia Narvaez caring for French aid worker Sophie Petronin, according to the US-based group that monitors jihadist communications. Petronin was kidnapped in late 2016 in Gao, Mali. Narvaez was seized near Mali's border with Burkina Faso in February 2017. In the video, which Petronin indicates was recorded June 7, the two women address the camera. Petronin speaks out to her son, after allegedly hearing a message from him, according to a transcript of the video by SITE Intelligence Group. She expresses a wish to reunite with her family, and addresses the French government saying she fears being sacrificed. Narvaez addresses Pope Francis, thanking him for his ...
4 Emirati soldiers killed in Yemen: UAE
Four Emirati soldiers have been killed in Yemen, the UAE armed forces said as its troops lead an offensive to take a strategic port city from rebels. The deaths were announced in a statement published by the Emirati state news agency WAM yesterday, without detailing the time or location the soldiers were killed. The United Arab Emirates has been playing a key role in the Saudi-led military campaign to back President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi's government after Huthi rebels forced him into exile. Yesterday they launched an offensive to retake the port city of Hodeida from the Iran-allied Shiite rebels. More than 100 Emirati soldiers have been killed in Yemen since the Saudi-led intervention there began in March 2015. Overall, nearly 10,000 people have been killed since the alliance launched the intervention, contributing to what the UN has called the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
Saudi-led coalition announces "liberation" of Yemeni city Hodeidah
Saudi-led coalition involved in a war in Yemen has announced "liberation" of Hodeidah city after the Houthi militias ignored the grace period for their departure.
10 FARC dissidents killed in border operation: Colombian army
Ten dissident members of Colombian former guerrilla group FARC were killed in a military operation on the border with Venezuela, the army said today. "We will not lower our guard against these criminals," President Juan Manuel Santos wrote on Twitter. The operation, which killed seven men and three women, was carried out in the municipality of Forful, in the South American country's department of Arauca, the army statement said. The statement gave few details of the military action, but Defence Minister Luis Carlos Villegas told reporters that a prominent rebel commander, Alex Rendon, could be among the dead. The army said the group was responsible for attacks on a local hospital, oil infrastructure and security forces in the area. It said the group had combined with local leaders of the National Liberation Army, or ELN by its Spanish acronym, to try to control drug trafficking in the departments of Arauca, Boyaca and Casanare, as well as coordinate "extortion activities, arms ...
Policeman, minor sister injured in firing by militants in Shopian
A policeman and his minor sister were injured when suspected militants barged into their house and fired at them in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir today, a police spokesperson said. Militants entered the house of the police personnel and opened indiscriminate fire on the residents, he said. The policeman and his minor sister were injured in the attack and were admitted to a hospital, the spokesperson said.
19 naxalites held from Bastar division in C'garh
As many as 19 naxals, two of them carrying cash rewards on their heads, were today arrested from separate places in Chhattisgarh's insurgency-hit Bastar division, police said. While 16 ultras, including a woman, were apprehended by a joint team of security forces from Narayanpur district, three others were held in Bijapur district, a senior police official told PTI. In Narayanpur, a joint squad of the Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF) and district force (DF) had lunched the search operation in the villages of Musnar, Toyameta, Pugarpal and Irpanar under Chhotedongar police station area when they nabbed the ultras, he said. Of them, Sukhram Usendi (40), who was active as head of Aderbeda Janatana Sarkar squad of Maoists, was carrying a reward of Rs 1 lakh on his head, he said. Similarly, the woman cadre, Janila Mandavi (30), who was working as the head of Toyameta's Dandakaranya Adivasi Kisan Majdoor Sangthan (DAKMS), a frontal wing of Maoists, was also carrying a reward of Rs 1 lakh on ..
Four armed men rob over Rs 16 lakh from cash van
Four armed men allegedly looted Rs 16.58 lakh from a cash van in suburban Mankhurd here this afternoon, police said. The cash van of a private company engaged in the business of transporting money, was moving towards Mumbai after collecting cash from Mankhurd and Govandi railway stations on the Harbour line when the incident took place, police said. "The driver of the van, manager and one security guard were present in the vehicle when the incident took place near Dhobi Ghat, Mankhurd on Panvel-Sion highway at around 4 pm today, a senior police official said. The accused, who were armed with choppers and firearms, stopped the van by attacking it with a stick, he said. "Thereafter, they looted Rs 16.58 lakh cash from the vehicle and ran away in a car. The cash being transported in the van had been collected from Mankhurd and Govandi railway stations and the vehicle was heading to GRP headquarters," the official said. Mankhurd police have registered a case under IPC ...
J-K: Terrorists fire upon police officer in Shopian
Terrorists on Wednesday fired upon a Special Police Officer of Jammu and Kashmir police in Shopian's Katho Halan area.The wounded officer is currently undergoing treatment in a hospital.More details are awaited.Meanwhile, on Tuesday two police personnel were killed and three others were injured in a terrorist attack in J-K's Pulwama district.
Sarin, chlorine used in two attacks in Syria in 2017: OPCW
The world's chemical weapons watchdog said today deadly sarin and chlorine were used in two separate attacks in the village of Latamneh in northwestern Syria in March last year. "Sarin was very likely used as a chemical weapon in the south" of Latamneh on 24 March 2017, the Hague-based Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said in a statement. Its fact-finding mission "also concluded that chlorine was very likely used as a chemical weapon" at Latamneh's hospital and surrounding area on 25 March 2017.
Anti-Sterlite protest deaths: DMK MP Kanimozhi writes to NHRC
Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi has written to the NHRC in connection with the Sterlite issue, alleging that "proper procedures were not followed" in the police firing during the protests in Tamil Nadu's Tuticorin district leading to death of 13 people. In a letter dated June 11, the DMK lawmaker has urged the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to look into these aspects. The NHRC had late last month sent its fact-finding team to probe the deaths of those people in police firing during the protests against Vedanta's Sterlite Copper unit in Tuticorin. "The probe team has returned from Tamil Nadu after visiting the place and meeting people in the affected area," a senior NHRC official said. On May 22, there was a peaceful, planned and legally permitted protest demanding permanent closure of the Sterlite plant, the letter read. During the protest rally, "without following proper procedure or taking due precautions", the police personnel "opened fire indiscriminately" which resulted in the .
SPO shot, injured in J&K
A Special Police Officer (SPO) was critically injured after militants shot him in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district on Wednesday, police said.
Govt to review Ramzan ceasefire in J-K
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) general secretary Ram Madhav on Wednesday said the Home Ministry will review the Centre's decision to suspend operations in Jammu and Kashmir during the holy month of Ramzan."This (announcement of the ceasefire) will be reviewed by Home Ministry and other concerned departments. Further course of action will be decided after the month of Ramzan," he told ANI.Madhav further said that the government had decided on suspension of operations as a goodwill gesture during the holy month of Ramzan, but there was no similar reciprocation from separatists and terrorists."Ramzan is a holy month for Muslims, so Indian Government had decided to announce the suspension of operations during this period as a goodwill gesture. We also wanted that the same to be reciprocated, but there was no change in actions of separatists and terrorists," he said.Last month, the Home Ministry announced that the security personnel would halt operations against terrorists in Jammu and ...
Centre's nod for two women battalions of J&K Police
The Central government on Wednesday gave nod to raise two women battalions in the Jammu and Kashmir Police, fulfilling the promise made by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh during his two-day visit to the state last week, an official statement said.
J-K: Terrorists fire grenade at police station
Terrorists fired an Under Barrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL) at a police station in Pulwama on Wednesday.The grenade landed outside Lassipora police station here, following which the guard on duty retaliated with aerial firing.No casualties have been reported.Despite the implementation of the ceasefire understanding of 2003 in lieu of the Muslim holy month of Ramzan, there has been no reduction in terrorist activities in the Valley.On Tuesday, two police personnel were killed and three others injured in a terrorist attack in Pulwama.Meanwhile, four Border Security Force (BSF) personnel lost their lives and three others sustained injuries in a ceasefire violation by Pakistan in Chambliyal sector of Samba in the wee hours of Wednesday morning.
Ministerial panel formed in Maha for decisions in CM's absence
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is on a week-long foreign tour, has set up a three-member ministerial committee to take decisions in case of any emergency in his absence. The committee has been assigned powers to take decisions during an emergency situation when the chief minister is out of the country on an official tour, said an order issued by the General Administration Department of the state government. The order comes at a time when Fadnavis is on a tour of the US and Canada from June 9 to 15. The committee members are Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil, Minister for Finance and Planning Sudhir Mungantiwar, and minister for Water Resources Girish Mahajan. Mungantiwar said the committee has been formed so that the bureaucrats consider the decisions taken by it as those of the chief minister. "There needed to be a mechanism in place to make urgent interventions and take immediate decisions when the chief minister is not around. Hence, the panel was ..
Dalai Lama hails Trump-Kim summit
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama today welcomed the understanding reached between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at their historic summit in Singapore. I welcome the initiative that the leaders of the United States and North Korea have begun in Singapore to resolve long-standing differences in the hope that it will eventually lead to the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, he said in a statement. It is my firm belief that dialogue is the only way to resolve problems, whether between individuals or nations, the statement released by the McLeodganj-based Central Tibetan Administration said. As an avowed campaigner for demilitarization throughout the world, and the complete elimination of nuclear weapons, I wholeheartedly welcome this historic summit to secure lasting peace on the Korean peninsula, he added. I applaud the steps these two leaders have taken, he said. May their efforts encourage further endeavours to dispense with these fearsome .
UN still in talks on Yemen port, envoy urges restraint
The UN envoy for Yemen on today pressed on with negotiations to keep a key Red sea port open to vital aid deliveries after government forces backed by the Saudi-led coalition launched an offensive on Hodeida. "We are in constant contact with all the parties involved to negotiate arrangements for Hodeida that would address political, humanitarian, security concerns of all concerned parties," said Martin Griffiths in a statement. Yemeni forces backed by troops from the United Arab Emirates launched the assault despite UN warnings of a "catastrophic humanitarian impact." The Red Sea port serves as the entry point for 70 percent of Yemen's imports as the country teeters on the brink of famine. Griffiths was in Amman following an intense round of shuttle diplomacy this week with Yemen's Huthi rebels, who control the port, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, whose forces are backing the Hodeida offensive. "We continue to use every opportunity to avoid military confrontation in ...
Nepali rider drowns during Sri Lanka mountain bike race
A mountain biker drowned today after falling into a river during an international race in Sri Lanka, police said. The Nepali rider was swept to his death after falling into the Mahaweli river at Kuda Oya, 230 kilometres (135 miles) southeast of the capital Colombo. "We have recovered the body from a nearby reservoir," a police official in the area said by telephone. The rider is not being named until his family has been informed. National carrier Sri Lankan Airlines, which hosted the five-day race known as "Rumble in the Jungle", announced it would be cancelling the event after today's tragedy. There were 39 competitors in the race, mostly foreigners including riders from the UK, Germany, Italy and Switzerland.
Fadnavis forms 3-member ministerial panel to take decisions in
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is on a week-long foreign tour, has set up a three-member ministerial committee to take decisions in case of any emergency in his absence. The committee has been assigned powers to take decisions during an emergency situation when the chief minister is out of the country on an official tour, said an order issued by the General Administration Department of the state government. The order comes at a time when Fadnavis is on a tour of the US and Canada. The committee members are Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil, Minister for Finance and Planning Sudhir Mungantiwar, and minister for Water Resources Girish Mahajan. Mungantiwar said the committee has been formed so that the bureaucrats consider the decisions taken by it as those of the chief minister. "There needed to be a mechanism in place to make urgent interventions and take immediate decisions when the chief minister is not around. Hence, the panel was formed," ...