Page 720 - War Conflict
Maoist hideout busted in Odisha
The BSF busted a Maoist hideout and seized arms and explosives in the Chiliba forest in Koraput district in Odisha, BSF sources said. Acting on a tip off, BSF's 13 battalion conducted combing operation in the area and recovered 2 SBML guns, one IED, three kg of ammonium nitrate, detonators, petrol, 12 volt battery from the hideout under Machkund police station area on Wednesday, they said. The arms and explosives have been hidden in a bunker in the forest. It is suspected that the rebels had stored those to attack the jawans in future, they said. Meanwhile, the BSF personnel have intensified combing operation in Boipariguda area of the Koraput district bordering Chhattisgarh and Lamataput area bordering Malkangiri district for the past couple of days. The security force have received information about plans of the Maoists to carry out more attacks on the jawans in these areas, they said.
Tibet's govt-in-exile laments another self-immolation incident
The Tibetan Government in Exile on Thursday criticised Chinese government, a day after a Tibetan self-immolated himself in China's Sichuan province.Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) President Dr Lobsang Sangay said another self-immolation incident was a disturbing news and it showed that the Tibetans denounce the Chinese occupation of Tibet."As you know Ngaba (a county in Sichuan) had the most number of self-immolators, so it's sad to learn that one more person has committed self-immolation; from what I know he was in his 40s, has a wife and two daughters," Dr Sangay told ANI here.Adding to one of the many incidents of self-immolation in Tibet, a middle-aged man from the Ngaba county of the province set himself ablaze on Wednesday, in protest against China's policies.Tsekho, popularly known as Tsekho Tugchak, hailed from a nomadic village in Meuruma township of the county. He is survived by his mother, wife and two daughters.With Tsekho's self-immolation, 152 Tibetans have ...
CPI(M), RSS-backed units clash
A clash broke out between two groups allegedly belonging to the CPI(M) and RSS-backed organisations over attempts to damage a statue of communist leader Vladimir Lenin in Jadavpur area tonight, police said. The groups got involved in the clash after the RSS-backed units allegedly tried to vandalise Lenin's statue located near Jadavpur 8B bus stand, they said. A senior officer of Kolkata Police said two BJP activists have been detained at Jadavpur Police Station in this connection. CPI(M) leader Satarup Ghosh claimed that he along with some of his party supporters blocked a few RSS activists, who tried to damage the statue. "They have vandalised a statue of Lenin in Tripura and if they think of repeating the same here, we will not allow them to do that," Ghosh said. Large number of police personnel have been deployed in the area to check any untoward incident, the officer said. A statue of Lenin was pulled down by some people with an excavator machine at College Square in .
Taliban local commander killed in Afghanistan
At least five Taliban militants, including their local commander, were killed and three others wounded during an operation by Afghan intelligence special forces in Nangarhar province, an official said.
29 naxals surrender in Chg
In a major success for Chhattisgarh police, 29 naxals, including 11 women, surrendered today in insurgency-hit Sukma district. The 29 ultras, mostly lower-rung cadres, turned themselves in before Sukma Additional Superintendent of Police Shalabh Sinhaciting disappointment with the "hollowideology" of Maoists and violence, Sukma SP Abhishek Meena told PTI. The ultras were accompanied by local villagers who expressed their anger against the "anti-development and anti-tribal attitude of naxals", he said. The surrendered Maoists were working for different sub-groups and frontal outfits of outlawed CPI (Maoist), including Jantana Sarkar (peoples government), jan militia, sangham member, in Konta area located in southern part of Sukma, the SP said. As per the policy of the Chhattisgarh government, necessary assistance will be provided to them, he added.
Riots a heavy blow to tourism, economy: Sri Lanka PM
Sri Lanka's prime minister today said that a spate of anti-Muslim riots had damaged the island's reputation as a tourism hotspot as it prepares to host an international cricket tournament. Rioting has left three dead and more than 200 Muslim-owned establishments in ruins in Kandy, a picturesque hill district famed for its tea plantations and Buddhist icons. The government imposed a state of emergency -- the first in its post-war history -- and deployed hundreds of soldiers to Kandy as authorities struggled to restore order. Holidaymakers have been urged to avoid the hill resort, which is also home to Sri Lanka's holiest Buddhist shrine, the Temple of the Tooth Relic. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said images of Muslim businesses being torched and police firing teargas had dented Sri Lanka's hard-fought efforts to rebrand after decades of civil war. "The work of a handful of saboteurs has caused a heavy blow to the country both economically and socially," he said in a ...
France to intervene if Syria's chemical attack proven true
France would introduce "intervention measures" against the Syrian regime if allegations that it was responsible for a chemical attack on civilians proved to be accurate, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Thursday.
Iraqi court sentences al-Qaida leader's sister to death
A Baghdad court has convicted the sister of the former leader of al-Qaida in Iraq who was killed in 2010 and sentenced her to death on terrorism charges, a spokesman said today. The spokesman of Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council, Abdul-Sattar Bayrkdar, said in a statement that Abu Omar al-Baghdadi's sister was found guilty for "offering logistic support and help to (the militants) in carrying out criminal acts." The woman, whose name was not released, was also found guilty of "distributing money" among the militants in Mosul. He didn't give more details on the charges and what years she cooperated with al-Qaida in Iraq. Bayrkdar said the woman's husband was earlier also sentenced to death as a member of the al-Qaida leadership. Al-Baghdadi was killed in April 2010, along with Abu Ayyub al-Masri, another prominent al-Qaeda leader in Iraq, in a U.S.-Iraqi joint operation. Today's statement by Bayrkdar initially said the convicted woman was the sister Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the reclusive ..
Check "disturbing" trend of JK youths joining militancy: Par panel to MHA
A parliamentary panel has asked the home ministry to check the "disturbing" trend of local youths in Jammu and Kashmir joining militancy and "choke" the financing and supply of arms to terrorist outfits. The parliamentary standing committee on home affairs, headed by senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, also observed that there is a "sinister and complex connection" between the simultaneous rise in stone-pelting incidents and 'fidayeen' (suicide) attacks on the establishments of security forces. The committee, in its report submitted to Parliament, said it was aware of the disturbing trend of recruiting and training of local youths by the militants in the light of the numerous attempts foiled by the security forces. "There has been a rise in the number of law and order incidents, particularly incidents of stone pelting which seems to have become a regular feature in some parts of Kashmir. Numerous incidents of picketing of police stations and snatching of rifles from police and ...
Fresh violence erupts in riot-hit Kandy, 81 suspects arrested
Fresh violence today erupted in Muslim neighbourhoods in Sri Lanka's hilly central district where communal clashes have destroyed shops and homes, on a day when President Maithripala Sirisena divested the law and order portfolio from Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. The communal violence between majority Sinhala Buddhists and minority Muslims in the Indian Ocean island nation has not subsided despite a state of emergency and a heavy deployment of troops in riot-hit Kandy district. Anti-Muslim riots, since Monday, have damaged several homes, businesses and mosques. The violence erupted after the death of a man from the mainly Buddhist Sinhalese majority last week. To rein in communal violence, a state of emergency has been imposed by the Sirisena government after seven years. The government ordered the internet blackout, blocking of social media websites including Facebook and instant messaging app Whatsapp, after police discovered mobs of Sinhalese rioters were using social media .
Dozens treated for breathing problems after raids on Syria's Ghouta
Dozens of people were treated for breathing difficulties after air strikes slammed into Syria's Eastern Ghouta, a monitor said, with medics reporting symptoms consistent with a toxic attack. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 60 people in the besieged rebel enclave were left struggling to breathe after air strikes and barrel bombs hit the towns of Saqba and Hammuriyeh late yesterday. Doctors at one medical facility in Eastern Ghouta said they treated at least 29 patients with signs of exposure to chlorine, according to the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS). SAMS is a medical charity that supports hospitals in Eastern Ghouta and other rebel-controlled zones in Syria. It did not report any deaths but said it was likely that more victims were being treated at other clinics. "Due to chlorine attack in #EastGhouta, patients are struggling w/symptoms such as severe dyspnea, sweating, congestion of mucus membranes, severe runny nose, wheezing & conjunctival ...
Wedding turns violent after clash over music played by DJ
A wedding in Muzaffarnagar turned ghastly after two groups clashed and pelted stones at each other over the music played by the DJ, which left three people injured, the police said today. The incident took place last night at Gandhadi village which comes under the jurisdiction of Khatoli Police Station. The police said that a team was rushed to the spot after receiving information about the clash. The three injured were identified as Ajaypal, Brijender and Sandeep.
South Korea asks N. Korea to give up nuclear weapons
South Korean President Moon Jae-in has told North Korea to give up nuclear weapons at a National Prayer Group meeting on Thursday.Amidst a gathering of 5,000 people Moon praised the role of the United States processes for the inter-Korean agreement to make the North Korea promise to suspend nuclear provocations during the North-South Korea dialogue.According to the Yonhap news agency, Moon was quoted saying, "We have overcome one obstacle, while there exists many before we can reach lasting peace and the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula".Earlier the, the South Korea's foreign ministry said, "Negotiations have kicked-off this week on renewing their existing arrangement which expires at the end of 2018".North Korea has justified its nuclear strategy citing the presence of nearly 30,000 US military personnel in the South Korea.
Fast food vendor shot dead
A fast food vendor was shot dead by unidentified persons near Dumakumpa village in Ganjam district, police said today. The body of 19-year-old Purna Chandra Mishra was recovered near a pond near his village yesterday, they said. A single shot revolver was also seized from near the body, the police said. After committing the crime they might have dumped the firearm near the body, said Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Bhanjanagar Utkal Keshari Das. Police said previous enmity might be the cause of the murder. "We have started investigation from all possible angles," said the SDPO.
Normalcy returns to Srinagar after shutdown
Normalcy returned to Srinagar on Thursday after a shutdown was imposed the previous day against a gunfight in Shopian district earlier this week that killed six people, police said.
Afghan official: Attack on police in southern area kills 1
Authorities in Afghanistan say an attack on a district police headquarters in Kandahar province killed one police officer and wounded five. Provincial police chief Gen. Abdul Raziq said the attack last night in Spin Boldak district involved a bomber setting off an explosive at the entrance gate and then three gunmen opening fire. Raziq told AP all four attackers were killed and the area is under control. The Taliban claimed responsibility and spokesman Qari Yousaf Ahmadi claimed more than 15 police were killed in the attack.
Aung San Suu Kyi's award rescinded by US Museum
The US Holocaust Memorial Museum invalidated the prestigious Elie Wiesel Award that was presented to Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi in 2012.In an official statement, the museum stated that the lack of action by the National League for Democracy (NLD), a social-liberal democratic political party founded and lead by the Myanmar State Counsellor, and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, against the genocide committed by the military against the Rohingya community, was the primary reason behind them stripping her of the award.It has been reported that over 7,00,000 Rohingyas have fled the country in an attempt to escape the atrocities committed by the country's military against the minority community.The release stated that last November, the museum released a detailed finding based on research on the crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing, termed as "mounting evidence of genocide" committed by the Myanmar military against Rohingya civilians since October 2016.Instead of condemning and ...
Over 20 TTP militants killed in US drone strike
ISLAMABAD"Militants of the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were running the camp in the mountainous Shaltan area of Kunar, bordering Pakistan," the website quoted its Taliban sources as saying.The U.S. drone reportedly fired five missiles on the training camp near Afghanistan-Pakistan border at the time when the terrorists were there for routine training.According to some reports, Abdullah, son of TTP chief Fazalullah, might be among the dead.The sources have described the strike as disastrous for the TTP, as their group might have lost some important members.In addition to Abdullah, a senior TTP commander Yasin may have also died in the attack.This, according to the Daily Times, is the second such attack in less than a month when the TTP militants came under drone attack.
UN envoy warns of risk of violence in DR Congo
The UN envoy for the Democratic Republic of Congo has warned of a risk of violence as the country heads toward elections in December. DR Congo is in the grip of a "shocking" humanitarian crisis with 4.5 million people in need of aid, the highest number in Africa, Leila Zerrougui told the Security Council. President Joseph Kabila agreed to free political prisoners and respect the rights of the opposition under a political deal reached in 2016, but Zerrougui said the government had fallen short of those commitments. "A failure to generate confidence in the full and faithful implementation of the December 31 agreement will only serve to heighten political tensions, and to fuel the risks of inciting violence for political ends," said Zerrougui. After much delay, authorities in the vast mineral-rich African country set a date of December 23 for elections that are expected to pave the way to a historic transfer of power. But Kabila, who took over from his father Laurent after he was ...
Palestinians march to commemorate International Women's Day
Hundreds of Palestinians on Wednesday joined a march organised by women's organisations to commemorate the International Women's Day and to protest against the Israeli occupation.