Page 721 - War Conflict
Reports: Several people injured in knife attack in Vienna
Austrian media report that several people have been injured in a knife attack on the streets of Vienna. News website heute.at reports that the attack happened Wednesday evening, when a man with a knife randomly attacked pedestrians near the capital's famous Prater park. Citing a police spokesman, the Austria Press Agency reports that three people were seriously injured and that police are still searching for the attacker. A motive for the attack wasn't immediately known.
Security tightened around key statues in Delhi
The Delhi Police has tightened security around key statues in the national capital as a precautionary measure in the wake of desecration of statues of communist icon Vladmir Lenin and Dravidian movement founder E V Ramasamy Periyar. A senior police officer said the force had taken note of the incidents and SHOs of various police stations had been alerted to keep a vigil. He said no specific alert had been received about the possibility of such incidents here but the move was a precautionary measure. The bust of Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee was damaged by activists of Left-leaning outfit 'Radical' in south Kolkata today. The incident came close on the heels of the razing of statue of Lenin in Tripura and the desecration of a bust of Periyar in Tamil Nadu's Vellore. A statue of B R Ambedkar was damaged by unidentified people in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut yesterday, triggering protests by Dalits.
Pakistan violence drops for third year running: report
Casualties linked to militancy and violence have dropped in Pakistan for the third consecutive year, with 21 per cent fewer fatalities in 2017 than in the previous year, a security think-tank says. Some 2,057 people were killed and 2,074 wounded for a total of 4,131 casualties over the year, according to a report by the Islamabad-based Centre for Research and Security Studies seen Wednesday. That continued the trend from 2016, in which 2,613 people lost their lives due to violence and 1,714 were injured. In 2015, 4,647 people were killed and 1,927 injured, the group's figures show. The dramatic improvement in security came after the army launched an operation in June 2014 to wipe out militant bases in the northwestern tribal areas and end a bloody insurgency that has cost thousands of civilian lives since 2004. It has involved a series of military offensives as well as some attempts to block the militants' sources of funding. Those efforts were in the spotlight again when a global ...
Aurangabad: Clash over garbage dumping injures 12 cops
At least 12 policemen were injured after a clash broke out between locals and police forces on Wednesday over garbage dumping in Maharashtra's Aurangabad.The clash took place after the locals at Padegaon-Mitmita village opposed the dumping of garbage by Aurangabad Municipal Corporation.The Aurangabad Police later restored to lathi charge and tear gas to disperse the protesting villagers.The villagers also pelted stones at the trucks dumping garbage and police vehicles. They also set ablaze two vehicles.Meanwhile, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray took note of the situation and said, "I am concerned about the difficulties that are being faced by the people of Aurangabad and I understand how they feel about it. The situation is having an adverse effect on the lives of the people. Municipal Corporation wants to help the government in this matter."From last 20 days, the issue of garbage dumping remained unsolved as the villagers are opposing and not allowing any truck for dumping ...
Huge cache of explosives seized in Jharkhand
Security forces today seized a huge quantity of explosive materials from Lugu hill in Bokaro district today, police said. Tweleve bundles of detonator fuse, detonating wire, 11 landmines, 22 electronic detonators and a digital detonating device were recovered following leads provided by a arrested Maoist leader. The explosives were kept hidden in a cave and in two others places in the hills, Superintendent of Police, Karthik S said. The explosives were destroyed in the hills. Meanwhile, Additional Director General of Police R K Mallick described this week's arrest of 15 Maoists including three top rank rebels of Giridih district, who were carrying altogether Rs 35 lakhs reward on their heads, and recovery of 13 firearms without firing a bullet as a historic achievement. Mallick also honoured the CRPF, Cobra and Jharkhand Armed Police personnel who were involved in the anti-Maoist operations since Monday last. Inspector General Ashish Batra said 12 Maoists were eliminated
JD(U) leader Rajak condemns vandalisation of Periyar statue
Senior JD(U) leader Shyam Rajak today condemned the vandalisation of a statue of Dravidian ideologue Periyar at Vellore in Tamil Nadu and called upon the depressed classes to fight against the "emboldened Manuvadis". Rajak, who is the deputy leader of the ruling party in the state Assembly, said there was a conspiracy to malign Dalit icons and infringe the rights of Dalits in the country. "The vandalisation of Periyar's statue in Vellore yesterday and disrespect shown to statues of Ambedkar at various places in recent past point towards this trend," Rajak said in a statement here. "The Manuvadis (those believing in caste hierarchy) have become an emboldened lot and incidents of atrocities against Dalits are on the rise. But we must not get cowed down but fight to protect our rights till our last breath", he added.
Two BSF men killed in Naxal encounter in Chhattisgarh
Two Border Security Force (BSF) personnel, including an assistant commandant, were killed in an encounter with Naxals in Chhattisgarh's insurgency-hit Kanker district today, police officials said. The incident took place at around 4 pm in the Kilenar village forest under the Rawghat police station limits when a joint team of the BSF's 134th battalion and district force was out on an anti-Naxal operation, Inspector General of Police (Bastar range) Vivekanand Sinha told PTI. "Assistant Commandant Gajendra Singh, a native of Haryana, and constable Amresh Kumar from Bihar, both belonging to BSF's 134th battalion, were killed in the incident," he said. Deputy Inspector General of Police (north Bastar range) Ratan Lal Dangi said the joint team had launched the operation yesterday in the interiors of Rawghat, around 250km from Raipur. "When the patrolling team was 10km inside the forest of Kilenar, the ultras triggered improvised explosive device (IED) blasts and also opened indiscriminate ..
Fresh violence erupts in Lanka's Kandy; Govt blocks internet services
Fresh violence today erupted between majority Sinhala Buddhists and minority Muslims in other areas of central Sri Lanka's riot-hit Kandy district, prompting authorities to extend a curfew till tomorrow. The authorities had imposed curfew yesterday till this morning after communal violence in the Theldeniya area of the central hill district that left two persons dead and damaged several mosques and homes. Government spokesperson Rajitha Senaratne said that the curfew has been extended in the troubled hill district popular with tourists to prevent further violence. However, arson attacks continued today and Muslim-owned businesses were targeted by the mobs in spite of deployment of hundreds of security personnel in the district. Following the incidents of violence, President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday declared a state of emergency and deployed the police and military to prevent further violence. It was the first time since August 2011 that a state of emergency was in force in the ..
Kandy riots: Sri Lanka govt blocks social media
Sri Lanka on Wednesday blocked popular social media networks, such as Facebook, Whatsapp, Viber and Instagram to name a few, for three days in order to prevent the spread of communal violence across the country."The social media in the country is now being filtered as requested by the Sri Lankan Defence Ministry, so as to prevent transmitting fake news or rumours that instill a fear psychosis or a threat to communal harmony", the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) said in a statement.According to local media reports, users will not be able to access popular social media networks in Kandy district, the centre of violence, and other places across the country.The Sri Lankan Government earlier on Tuesday imposed a state of emergency for 10 days to control law and order in the country to quell the anti-Muslim riots.A curfew was reimposed on Monday in two police divisions of Kandy district till Wednesday, following the tense situation that claimed two lives.More ..
Sri Lanka blocks social networks amid communal violence
Social networks across Sri Lanka were blocked on Wednesday by the government as around 600 troops were deployed in the central district of Kandy, where incidents of violence between Muslims and Buddhists continued for the third consecutive day despite a state of emergency.
Major part of Army's budget used for country's development: Army Chief
A major part of the Army's budget was being utilised in developing infrastructure, schools and hospitals in remote areas of the country, Army chief General Bipin Rawat said, adding that the impression that Indian armed forces were capable of securing the borders gave confidence to foreign investors. General Rawat, who delivered a lecture on Indian Army in Nation Building' at the Jindal Global University (JGU), said the Indian Army was a "humane Army" and had been effectively handling terrorist challenges in a professional manner. He also said the armed forces personnel needed to keep abreast of latest technological developments in order to take on futuristic challenges with the emergence of artificial intelligence. He said the armed forces in India had not only been addressing conflicts but also contributing to the nation's growth. The Indian armed forces not only secure the borders but also provides a cushioning internationally for investors and creating a favourable ambience for ...
Defence ministry 'shelves' 2 acquisition projects worth Rs 587 crore
The defence ministry has shelved two acquisition projects involving Rs 587 crore, while clearing almost all long-pending procurement proposals in the last few months, officials sources said today. The two proposals, which were shelved, were earlier accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN). AoN is an in-principle approval for any procurement. In one case, it was due to its non-utility in the changed circumstances, and in another case it was due to indigenously developed substitute being cheaper than the imported article, a source said, explaining the reasons behind the shelving. The sources said almost all the pending proposals for procurement of various weapons and military platforms were cleared by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) of the ministry in the last few years. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has been holding meetings of the DAC every fortnight with aim to expedite the clearance of various procurement proposals of the armed forces. The DAC is the highest ...
ITBP gets first woman officer in combat role
In another first for women, 25-year-old Prakriti has been inducted as the first direct-entry combat officer in the border guarding force, ITBP. The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) force is the last of the CAPFs to induct women officers in combat roles after the government first allowed it to enroll them in 2016. Prakriti, who goes by a single name, had cleared the UPSC exam for officers' recruitment in CAPFs in the same year and in her first attempt. "I always had a desire to don the uniform and serve the country. My father, who is in the Indian Air Force, has always been an inspiration for me. I opted for the ITBP as my first choice," she told PTI. "I read a news piece in March, 2016 that the government had for the first-time allowed women to serve as combat officers in the ITBP and then decided that I will opt for this force once I get selected," Prakriti, who hails from Bihar's Samastipur district, said. She has a bachelors degree in electrical engineering and is right now based .
Manipur: One soldier killed, 3 wounded in series of blasts
One soldier of 28 Rajputana Rifles was killed and three others were wounded in a series of blasts in Manipur on Tuesday, an official said here on Wednesday.
Ghani calls for patience on peace talks progress
Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani on Wednesday called for patience on the progress of peace talks without any pre-conditions following his proposal to insurgent groups a week ago.
Regime sends more forces to Ghouta as UN decries 'apocalypse' in Syria
Syria's regime sent reinforcements to Eastern Ghouta today, tightening the noose around the shrinking rebel enclave hours before a top-level UN meeting on the escalating violence. The blistering onslaught has prompted outrage against the regime, with the United Nations' human rights chief saying the government was orchestrating an "apocalypse" in Syria. The Russia-backed Syrian army and allied militia launched an offensive on February 18 to retake the last opposition bastion near Damascus. They have since taken more than 40 per cent of the enclave, waging a devastating bombing campaign that has killed more than 800 civilians. Heavy air strikes battered several key towns in the zone today, as Syria's government dispatched hundreds of pro-government militiamen to the front. "At least 700 Afghan, Palestinian, and Syrian loyalist militiamen came from Aleppo and were sent late Tuesday to Ghouta," said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The Britain-based war
Nobel-winning ICAN condemns surge in nuclear arms investments
Global nuclear tensions helped boost investments in atomic weapons production by around USD 81 billion last year, campaigners said today, urging investors to blacklist the companies that stock the world's nuclear arsenals. "If you have been wondering who benefits from (US President) Donald Trump's threat of nuclear war, this report has the answer," said Beatrice Fihn, who heads the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). ICAN won the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize. In a report, ICAN and another anti-nuclear campaign group PAX detailed a "massive increase" in investments in the top 20 companies involved in producing key components for the nuclear arsenals of Britain, France, India and the United States. The report, titled "Don't Bank on the Bomb", found that a total of USD 525 billion (422 billion euros) was made available last year to such companies -- an increase of USD 81 billion from 2016. "A new nuclear arms race has moved the Doomsday Clock closer to Armageddon, but it .
6 held, huge cache of weapons seized in Pakistan
Pakistani law enforcement agencies on Wednesday arrested six terrorists and seized a huge cache of weapons from their possession in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province.
Army jawan killed, 3 injured in bomb explosion in Manipur
An Army jawan was killed and three others were injured in a bomb explosion in Manipur's Tengnoupal district, police said today. The bomb, suspected to have been planted by militants, exploded yesterday night at Phaisenjang village near the Myanmar border when the jawans were on patrol, the police said. There were two other explosions in Kamjong and Imphal West districts yesterday night but there was no report of any casualty, the police added.
CRPF jawan opens fire inside camp in Maharashtra; 2 injured
A CRPF jawan allegedly opened fire and injured two of his colleagues at a camp in the Naxal-infested district of Gadhchiroli near here, officials said today. The incident took place last night at the Ettapalli camp, where Head Constable Sandre Sanjay had an altercation with two of his fellow soldiers, following which he allegedly fired at them from his service AK rifle. Two head constables, C B Maruti and S S Singh, were injured in the incident and were admitted to a hospital here, they said. Sanjay, they said, was overpowered by other men present in the camp and taken into custody, they said. While Maruti, hit in the stomach region, was in a critical condition, Singh has a bullet injury in his leg and is stated to be out of danger, they said. Local police was investigating the case even as the paramilitary force has ordered a Court of Inquiry (CoI) into the incident, they said. The Ettapalli camp of the Central Reserve Police Force houses a unit of its 119th battalions that is ...