Page 623 - War Conflict
Russia's opposition leader detained at Moscow Protest
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was detained by police at a demonstration against President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Saturday.The opposition demonstrations, organized by Navalny, who is Putin's most prominent foe, are being held across Russia on the eve of Putin's inauguration for a fourth term as president, several media reports stated.Police in riot gear waded into the crowd on Pushkin Square and were seen grabbing some demonstrators and leading them away.Video showed police carrying a struggling Navalny out of the square, holding him by the legs and arms, RadioFreeEurope Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) reported.Crowds gathered on Moscow's Pushkin Square shouted slogans like "Down with the Tsar!" and "Russia without Putin".Some 200 protesters reportedly have been detained by police by far at rallies across Russia.Putin is due to be sworn in for his fourth term as Russia's president on May 7.
Pak Army Chief confirms death sentences for 11 'hardcore terrorists'
Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa has confirmed death sentences for 11 "hardcore terrorists", the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said, in a statement, on Saturday.Special military courts found them guilty of killing 60 civilians and security forces in recent years.In addition to this, three convicts have also been awarded imprisonment.The killed 60 included, "36 civilians, 24 Armed Forces/Frontier Constabulary/ Police Officials and injuring 142 others," according to a statement issued by Pakistan's Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).The ISPR is the media wing of the Pakistan Armed Forces.All 14 convicts, who were members of banned organisations, admitted their offences were awarded death sentences.The trials are closed to the public but defendants are allowed to hire lawyers, according to the reports.Arms and explosives were also recovered from their possession.
Mufti condemns killing of 3 civilians in Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today strongly condemned the killing of three civilians in the past 24 hours in various parts of the Valley. In a statement, she reiterated that nobody's interests were served by the killing of civilians, but the state was plunged into uncertainty and chaos. She said the need of the hour was to get Jammu and Kashmir out of the vortex of violence for which all shades of opinion had to rise to the occasion. Two civilians were killed in Hajin and one in Sopore by unknown gunmen during the past 24 hours. Militants barged into the houses of Ghulam Hassan Dar alias Hassan Rassa and Bashir Ahmad Dar, both residents of Gulshan Mohalla, Shahgund Hajin in Bandipora district, last night and abducted them, a police official said. "At about 3:30 am today, the militants shot both of them dead," he said. Last night, militants fired upon Mohammad Ashraf Mir at Harwan in Bomai area of Sopore township of the north Kashmir district, another police official
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny detained
Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny was detained by police at a demonstration against President Vladimir Putin here on Saturday.
Three militants among seven killed in Kashmir violence (Roundup)
Three militants, three civilians and a policeman were killed in fresh violence in the Kashmir Valley on Saturday as authorities imposed strict restrictions and snapped mobile phone Internet services following protests near a gunfight site in an old Srinagar neighbourhood.
Sonowal orders probe into killing of police officer
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said today that an inquiry would be conducted into the killing of a police officer in an encounter with militants and to ascertain the quality of bullet-proof jacket worn by him. Bhaskar Kalita, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Bordumsa Police Station, was killed in an encounter with ULFA (Independent) militants yesterday night in Tinsukia along the inter-state boundary with Arunachal Pradesh. Sonowal told reporters here that a probe would be ordered to verify the quality of the bullet-proof jacket used by Kalita during the operation. Director General of Police Kula Saikia said investigations would be done as to when the jacket was purchased, who was responsible for procuring it and the supplier involved. Saikia also said that operations against the ULFA would be intensified to prevent the insurgent outfit from resorting to subversive activities. The slain police officer's wife Sangeeta Kalita, who also works in Assam Police (Special Branch), ...
Ten Naxals arrested in Chhattisgarhs Bijapur district
Ten Naxals were arrested from separate places in Chhattisgarhs insurgency-hit Bijapur district, police said today. The arrests were made during search operations launched by security forces in the jungles of Bijapur in view of a bandh (shutdown) call given by Naxals, Bijapur Superintendent of Police Mohit Garg told PTI. Separate teams of District Reserve Guard (DRG), Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) and District Force (DF) were involved in these operations which were underway since yesterday, he said. Maoists had given a bandh call on Friday to protest against an encounter (on April 22) in Gadhchiroli in neighbouring Maharashtra in which 39 ultras, including senior ranking operatives, were gunned down by security forces. Today, six Naxals were arrested by a squad of DRG and DF when it was cordoning off jungles of Loded, Dhangol and Dampaya villages under Madded police station area, he said. Three others were held from Polampalli forest under Basaguda police
At least 350 held as anti-Putin protests sweep Russia: monitor
At least 350 people were detained at opposition protests across Russia today, as police violently attempted to disperse an unsanctioned rally in Moscow using tear gas, an independent monitor and AFP correspondents said. Top opposition leader Alexei Navalny, his ally Nikolai Lyaskin and a number of their supporters were detained in Moscow as police roughly rounded up protesters, according to AFP correspondents. Independent monitoring group OVD-Info said more than 350 people had been detained by police nationwide.
Early voting begins in Malaysia general elections
Malaysia's Election Commission (EC) on Saturday opened 586 polling centres for early voting ahead of the country's general elections scheduled for May 9.
Eight Naxals held in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district
Eight Naxals were arrested from separate places in Chhattisgarh's insurgency-affected Sukma district, police said today. They were held from places under the limits of Chintalnar, Chintagufa and Jagargunda police stations yesterday during joint search operations conducted by the Central Reserve Police Force, its elite unit CoBRA and the district police. A local police official identified the arrested rebels as Madkam Sukka (25), Podiam Bheema (26), Madvi Nanga (22), Madvi Joga (25), Hemla Budhu (30), Nuppo Hidma (20), Muchaki Laxman (20) and Hemla Dhannu (23). Madkam Sukka was a member of supply battalion of the Maoists, while the rest were members of the Maoist militia, Dandakaranya Adivasi Kisan Mazdoor Sangthan (a Maoist front) and Chetna Natya Manch, the cultural wing of the rebels, the official said. All eight were allegedly involved in planting of an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) on a dirt track in Morpalli village near Chintalnar in December last year, the ...
3 LeT militants gunned down in JK
Jammu and Kashmir Police and CRPF personnel foiled a possible terror strike today killing three Lashker-e-Taiba militants in the outskirts of the city this morning after a four-hour-long operation, officials said. Four security personnel were injured in the gunfight but all of them are stated to be stable. The militants, according to the police, were planning to carry out the strike ahead May 7, when state government offices were to reopen in Srinagar after shifting from Jammu, the winter capital of the state. The operation was launched in the wee hours at Chattabal, in the outskirts of the city, when personnel of Special Operations Group (SOG) of the state police and Quick Action Team (QAT) of the CRPF cordoned off an under-construction building in the area following an input that three militants were holed up inside the premises. "Our first aim was to ensure that civilians around the area were safe and after ensuring that, police and CRPF personnel moved into the building and were ..
19 Syrian troops killed fighting IS near Damascus
At least 19 Syrian government forces were killed fighting the Islamic State over the past 24 hours in an attempt to capture the last IS-held enclaves in the southern outskirts of Damascus, a Britain-based war monitor reported on Saturday.
Afghanistan: 11 wounded in Laghman explosion
At least eleven civilians, including five women were wounded in an explosion in Afghanistan's Laghman province on Saturday.The wounded included five women, two children, and four men, reported Khaama Press.The injured have been shifted to hospital and a team has been deployed at the site.The cause of the explosion is unknown as of now and an investigation is underway.Laghman is comparatively among the peaceful provinces in the country's Eastern part, although militants, affiliated with the Taliban and Islamic State (IS), are active in a few remote parts of the province.
Protesters gather in Russia before Putin inauguration
Demonstrators are holding protests throughout Russia against the upcoming inauguration of Vladimir Putin for a fourth term as Russian president. The protests today under the slogan "He is not our czar" are organised by Putin's most prominent foe, anti-corruption campaigner Alexei Navalny. News reports and social media postings said protests had attracted hundreds or more in at least 10 cities in the Far East and Siberia. Some arrests by police were reported, but no overall figure was available. Larger demonstrations are expected in the afternoon in Moscow, where protesters aim to hold an unauthorized march on one of the capital's main thoroughfares, and in St. Petersburg. Putin will be inaugurated Monday for a six-year term.
Chattabal encounter: 3 terrorists killed, 3 security personnel injured
Three terrorists were killed and three security personnel got injured in an encounter that took place in Chattabal area of Srinagar on Saturday.Inspector General of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Ravideep Sahi confirmed, "Three terrorists have been killed, three security personnel have been injured. It was a clean operation. There has been no damage to the building. I thank the people of Srinagar for their cooperation."The encounter broke out early morning.In a similar incident, two policemen and one civilian were injured after terrorists hurled a grenade at a police station here in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam.
2,000 French police on streets for anti-Macron protest
Paris police are deploying in large numbers and activists are calling for calm as the French capital prepares for a mass protest on the anniversary of President Emmanuel Macron's inauguration. Authorities are pledging to avoid a repeat of violence and damage that scarred May Day protests in Paris earlier this week. A judicial official said today that seven people were charged in that unrest, which saw protesters torch cars and vandalise a McDonald's restaurant and other stores. Authorities blamed masked anarchists who disrupted a peaceful workers march. Paris authorities have ordered 2,000 police officers onto the streets today. Organisers of the march, the far left party Defiant France, warned troublemakers to stay away. The party is angry at Macron's reforms such as abolishing some worker protectionist and increasing police powers.
Marx's birth town celebrates anniversary with big new statue
A larger than life statue of Communist philosopher Karl Marx will soon be unveiled on the 200th anniversary of his birth in the western German town of Trier. Today's celebratory uncovering of the 4.4-metre (14-foot) statue of Marx, donated by China, has sparked criticism by some who blame Marx for crimes committed by social revolutionaries in Russia, China and elsewhere in the name of Communism. The city has invited about 200 guests for the anniversary celebrations. Marx laid the philosophical foundations for Communism, an ideology that aims for shared ownership of the means of production and the absence of social classes. The revolutionary thinker was born in Trier on May 5, 1818 and lived there until he was 17 years old. He died in London in 1883.
Russia detains Navalny supporters during anti-Putin rallies
Russian police today detained several dozen supporters of opposition leader Alexei Navalny as nationwide protests kicked off on the eve of Vladimir Putin's inauguration for a fourth Kremlin term. Navalny, who was barred from challenging Putin in the March presidential election, had called on Russians to stage a day of rallies across the country ahead of Putin's inauguration. Protests kicked off in Russia's Far East and Siberia regions, with several dozen demonstrators detained by police, Navalny's team and independent monitors said. In the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk 15 people including a journalist were detained, said OVD-Info, an independent monitoring group. "Detentions were conducted in a rough manner," the monitor said, adding that some of the detained had scratches and bruises. In the Urals city of Chelyabinsk police detained three people before the start of a protest, activist Boris Zolotaryovsky wrote on Facebook. At least ten protesters were detained in the Siberian city of .
12 injured in brick-batting in UP
As many as 12 people, including a police constable, were injured when two groups indulged in brick-batting in Zura village today, an official said. The incident took place in the morning when a police team reached the village after receiving information about a dispute between the two groups, said Shailendra Pandey, the superintendent of police. After the investigation, police officials asked two people to accompany them to the police station. When they were about to leave, the members of both the groups started pelting stones and bricks, causing injuries to 12 people, including constable Kamakhya singh, the official said. Singh was admitted to the civil hospital, he said, adding that a probe is underway. Pandey said heavy police force was deployed in the village.
Pak Army chief confirms death sentence for 11 terrorists
Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa has confirmed the death sentences awarded to 11 "hardcore terrorists" who were given the capital punishment by special military courts over the killings of 60 people, media reports said today. The terrorists were involved in the killing of 36 civilians, 24 armed forces, frontier constabulary, police officials besides injuring 142 others, the Express Tribune reported. Arms and ammunition were also recovered from their possession and were tried by special military courts, it quoted a statement by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistan military, as saying. "The terrorists were involved in heinous offences related to terrorism, including attacks on law enforcement agencies and armed forces of Pakistan, Malakand University and killing of innocent civilians including Imran Khan Mohmind, a member of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly," the ISPR said. These convicts had admitted their offences before the magistrate and the