Page 701 - War Conflict
Periyar statue vandalised: CRPF personnel placed under suspension
A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel, who was arrested for vandalising Periyar's statue in Tamil Nadu's Pudukottai, was placed under suspension on Wednesday."He is under treatment for Schizophrenia and was on a 30-day leave when the incident happened," the CRPF said.Yesterday, the head of the statue of Dravidian movement icon was found severed in the village, which led to tension in the area.Following this incident, a petrol bomb was hurled on the car of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) district secretary in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore in the wee hours of Wednesday.
Kidnapped Nigeria schoolgirls released
A group of schoolgirls kidnapped in Nigeria by terror group Boko Haram were released and returned to their hometown of Dapchi, the Nigerian government announced on Wednesday.
Abducted Nigeria schoolgirls 'brought back' by Boko Haram: parents
Boko Haram Islamists who kidnapped more than 100 schoolgirls in Dapchi, northeast Nigeria, just over a month ago have returned the students to the town, two parents said today. A senior government source in Abuja and police in Yobe state also confirmed the girls' return although it was not immediately clear how many of the 110 students had been freed. The Dapchi kidnapping on February 19 brought back painful memories of a similar abduction in Chibok in April 2014, when more than 200 girls were taken. Bashir Manzo, who heads a parents' support group in Dapchi, said: "The girls have been brought back. They were brought in nine vehicles and dropped outside the school at about 8:00 am. "I have the list of the missing girls with me, so I am now heading to the school to take a roll call of the returned girls to determine if any of them is still missing. "These girls were not accompanied by any security personnel. Their abductors brought them, dropped them outside the school and left, ...
Jawan arrested for damaging Periyar statue undergoing psychiatric treatment: CRPF
The CRPF today said its jawan arrested for allegedly vandalising a statue of rationalist leader Periyar in Tamil Nadu was undergoing psychiatric treatment since February, and has been suspended after the incident came to light. The paramilitary, in a statement issued here, said Head Constable S Senthil Kumar was under treatment at a force hospital in Hyderabad since February 12 for "schizophrenia." "He was on 30 days leave at his native place in Tamil Nadu from March 14," the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) said. "The individual has been placed under suspension, pending enquiry in the case," it said. After the opposition DMK raised the vandalisation issue in the state assembly, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami said today the jawan was posted in Chhatisgarh and had come to his native Viduthi village on leave. He was held after examination of the CCTV footage from the area, the CM said. The statue of EV Ramasamy, also known as 'Periyar', in Viduthi village in that district ...
Suicide bomber kills 26 in Kabul attack: interior ministry
A suicide bomber today killed at least 26 people, many of them teenagers, in front of Kabul University, officials said, as Afghans took to the streets to celebrate the Persian new year holiday. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the deadly attack -- the fifth suicide bombing in the Afghan capital in recent weeks -- but the Taliban denied involvement on Twitter. Another 18 people were wounded in the blast, interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said, "all of them civilians". A suicide attacker on foot detonated himself in front of a hospital, Rahimi said. The hospital is opposite Kabul University. The bomber was less than 200 metres from Karte Sakhi shrine where many Afghans gather every year to mark Nawrooz, which is the traditional Persian new year holiday. The same shrine was attacked in October 2016 when Islamic State gunmen killed 18 people gathered to mark Ashura, an important date for many Muslims, especially Shiites. A man who was standing metres from where ..
26 killed in Kabul suicide bombing
At least 26 people were killed and 18 injured in a suicide bombing on Wednesday near a crowd celebrating Nawroz or Persian New Year in Kabul, authorities said.
Kabul blast: 25 killed, 18 injured
At least 25 people were killed and 18 others in a suicide bombing in Afghanistan's capital city, Kabul on Wednesday.According to Tolo News, the Afghan officials have confirmed the death toll.However, the death toll may rise.Police chief Abdulhamid Chakari said a car bomb was used in today's explosion at the Kart-e-Char area in PD3 close to Ali Abad hospital and Kabul University.Eyewitnesses reportedly said all casualties were civilians.
Suicide bomber kills 26 as Afghans celebrate new year
An Afghan official says a suicide bomber has struck on the road to a Shiite shrine in the capital, killing at least 26 people as Afghans celebrated the Persian new year. Nasrat Rahimi, the deputy spokesman for the Interior Ministry, says another 18 people were wounded in Wednesday's attack. He says the attacker was on foot. The Persian new year, known in Afghanistan as Nauruz, is a national holiday. The country's minority Shiites typically celebrate by visiting shrines. No one immediately claimed the attack. Afghanistan is home to a powerful Islamic State affiliate that has repeatedly targeted Shiites, who the Sunni extremists view as apostates deserving of death.
Suicide bomber kills eight in Kabul attack: officials
A suicide bomber blew himself up in Kabul today, killing at least eight people, officials said, as Afghans celebrate the Persian new year holiday. Another 20 people were wounded in the blast, health ministry spokesman Waheed Majroh told AFP. The interior ministry said a suicide attacker on foot had detonated himself in front of Kabul University.
Fresh firing between security forces, militants reported in J&K's Kupwara
A policeman was injured in a fresh exchange of fire between militants and security forces in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir today, an official said, a day after four militants were killed in a gunbattle in the area. "In the fresh exchange of fire, one policeman has been injured. He is stated to be stable and being treated at a hospital," the police spokesman said. He said the overnight operation was under way when the last reports came in. The encounter broke out in Arampora area of the district yesterday, after security forces launched an operation in the wake of militants opening firing on an Army patrol party. The soldiers reacted swiftly and launched the operation to track down the militants, an army official had said. Four militants were killed in the operation yesterday.
Iraq holds more than 19,000 on Islamic State, militant links
An analysis by The Associated Press has found that Iraq has detained or imprisoned at least 19,000 people accused of connections to the Islamic State group or other terror-related offenses, and sentenced more than 3,000 of them to death. The mass incarceration and speed of guilty verdicts raise concerns over potential miscarriages of justice and worries that jailed militants are recruiting within the general prison population to build new extremist networks. The AP count is based partially on an analysis of a spreadsheet listing all 27,849 people imprisoned in Iraq as of late January, provided by an official. Thousands more are believed to be held by other bodies, including the Federal Police, military intelligence and Kurdish forces.
Mnuchin says U.S. won't start a trade war - Brazil's Meirelles
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Brazilian Finance Minister Henrique Meirelles said on Tuesday that U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin listened to Brazil's qualms about planned steel tariffs and would relay them to the U.S. Commerce Department.
3 Ecuadorean soldiers killed by homemade explosive
Ecuador's military says three soldiers have been killed and seven others injured by a homemade explosive while they were patrolling the country's northern border with Colombia. The armed forces' statement doesn't say who was behind yesterday's ambush. But it follows a number of attacks and bombings against security forces this year that authorities have attributed to increased activity by drug-trafficking gangs. This week President Lenin Moreno announced he was sending 12,000 troops to boost security along the border. That represents about 10 per cent of the tiny nation's police officers and troops. Ecuador is a major transit zone for Colombian-produced cocaine that departs in small boats from the Pacifica coastline of South America up to Central America and onto the US.
UN condoles deaths of Indians in Iraq
The United Nations condoled the death of 39 Indian nationals abducted by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Iraq, saying the tragedy is yet another example of barbarism and cruelty by the notorious terror outfit.Jan Kubis, the secretary-general's special representative for Iraq extended his deepest sorrow and condolences to the families of the victims, as well as to the people and government of India.External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday confirmed that 39 Indians, who went missing in Mosul in Iraq in the year 2014 have been killed.Speaking at Rajya Sabha, Swaraj said that the dreaded terror outfit Islamic State had killed all the Indian nationals.In July 2017, Swaraj had firmly said in the Parliament that she would not declare the 39 Indians dead without concrete proof or evidence."It is a sin to declare a person dead without concrete evidence. I will not do this sin," Swaraj said in a statement in the Lok Sabha in 2017.Earlier, India had asked Iraq for ..
Canada proposes tightening controls on gun sales
Gun retailers in Canada would be required to keep records of firearms inventory and sales for at least 20 years under a government legislation introduced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government. The proposed bill would also expand the scope of background checks for those who want to acquire a gun. Personal history questions on a license application, for example, would cover a person's entire lifetime instead of five years. The legislation, introduced yesterday, would also require purchasers of rifles and shotguns to present a valid license. Currently, license verification is voluntary for non-restricted firearms like rifles. Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said yesterday crimes involving firearms have become more prevalent despite an overall decline in crime rates in Canada over the last two decades. Trudeau called the moves common sense and said better background checks will keep people safe.
Mortar attack on popular market kills 35 in Syria's Damascus
At least 35 people were killed in a rocket attack on a crowded marketplace in the Syrian capital Damascus, media reported on Tuesday.
ATS probing role of 5 Bangladeshi nationals in Bodhgaya blast
The Maharashtra ATS is probing whether the five Bangladeshi nationals arrested by them had any role in terrorist activities in the country including the 2013 Bodhgaya blast, an official said today. The five were arrested for allegedly providing shelter to suspected terrorists of the Bangladesh-based Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), believed to be the front of the Al-Qaeda, which is banned in that country. According to the ATS, the ABT is emerging as a new terror threat to India. "They have a highly evolved organisational set up and are very proficient in the use of SIM cards and mobile phones. The outfit is emerging as a new terror threat to India," he said. Out of the five Bangladeshi nationals, three were arrested from Pune on March 17 while two--one from Ambarnath in Thane district and another from Mahad in Raigad district--were picked up yesterday. "We are probing their suspected role in harbouring and providing logistical support to the ABT terrorists. Their possible .
UN condoles death of 39 Indians in Iraq
The United Nations today condoled the death of 39 Indian nationals abducted by ISIS in Iraq, saying the tragedy is yet another example of the "barbarism and cruelty" of the notorious terror outfit. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj told Parliament in New Delhi that the 39 Indians abducted in 2014 by the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorists in Mosul city were dead and their bodies had been recovered. "I was deeply saddened by the announcement today that the 39 Indian nationals who were abducted by the now defeated Islamic State elements three years ago in Iraq have now been confirmed dead," said Jan Kubis, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Iraq. Kubis said the incident was "yet another example of the barbarism and cruelty of this terrorist organisation," according to a statement from the UN Secretary General's spokesperson's office. "Kubis extended his deepest sorrow and condolences to the families of the victims, as well as to the people and Government of India," it
Andavan ashram seer laid to rest
The Srirangam Srimath Andavan Ashram Jeer (head) Sri Ranga Ramanuja Mahadesikan was today buried in the bridhavanan annexe of the ashram near here. "The Brindhavana Pravesham" (burial) of the jeer took place at the ashram site on the banks of the Kollidam River in nearby Srirangam with thousands of his disciples paying homage to the departed spiritual leader. The 84-year old Srimath Andavan, as the jeer was reverently known among his Vaishnavite disciples, died of a heart attack at a hospital in Chennai yesterday after a prolonged illness. Jeers of Sri Ahobila Mutt and Mannargudi Sentalangara mutt and VHP leader S Vedantham were among those who paid homage to the pontiff. The mortal remains of the seer was adorned with a garland brought from Lord Venkateswara temple near Tirupati before the burial.
FIR lodged over celebratory firing in Guj wedding reception
Junagadh police today lodged an FIR against unidentified persons for firing several rounds in the air during a wedding reception organised on March 7 on the outskirts of the town. The FIR was lodged after a video of the celebratory firing started doing the rounds of social media today, said officials. "Investigation has revealed that the incident took place at a musical event organised during a wedding reception on Khalilpur road near Junagadh town on March 7," said Junagadh Superintendent of Police, Nilesh Jajadia. "We have lodged an FIR against unidentified persons who are seen in the video. They were booked for displaying firearms as well as for endangering lives of others by firing shots in the air," said Jajadia. In the video, renowned Gujarati folk artist Kirtidan Gadhvi can be seen singing on stage while several persons can be seen showering currency notes on him, a common sight during such events in the Saurashtra region. Close to the stage, three to four persons