Page 770 - War Conflict
Trial again postponed for Palestinian teen in viral slap video
The military trial of a Palestinian teenager charged after a viral video showed her hitting two Israeli soldiers in the occupied West Bank has been delayed until February 13, officials said today. Ahed Tamimi, 17, had been due to stand trial on January 31 along with her mother Nariman before the case was postponed until February 6. It is now set for February 13, her lawyer and the Israeli military said. Both Ahed Tamimi and her mother have been ordered to be held in custody throughout their trial. The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has criticised Israeli authorities' actions in the case, while the European Union has expressed concern over Israel's detention of minors, including Ahed Tamimi. Ahed Tamimi, who was 16 at the time of her arrest, has been hailed as a hero by Palestinians who see her as bravely standing up to Israel's occupation of the West Bank. Israelis accuse her family of using her as a pawn in staged provocations. She has been charged ..
Pak shelling forces closure of 84 schools along LoC in Rajouri
All schools situated within five kilometres of the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri district in Jammu and Kashmir have been closed by authorities for three days in view of firing and shelling by Pakistani troops, an official said today. "All 84 schools located in 0-5 km from the LoC stretch from Sunderbani to Manjakote shall remain closed for the next three days,"Deputy Commissioner of Rajouri Shahid Iqbal said. The officials said that the situation was very tense as firing and shelling by Pakistani troops continued round the clock. An Army officer and three jawans were killed and four people, including two teenagers, injured today in heavy Pakistani shelling along the LoC in Poonch and Rajouri districts of Jammu and Kashmir. In January, schools along the International Border and the LoC in five districts -- Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Rajouri and Poonch -- were closed for over a fortnight because of firing and shelling by Pakistani troops.
Europe must brake mounting nuclear arms race: Germany
Europe must lead the way in pushing for nuclear disarmament after Washington proposed upgrading and expanding the United States' nuclear arsenal, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said today. "As in the times of the Cold War, we in Europe are especially endangered" by "a renewed nuclear arms race", Gabriel said. "That is why precisely we in Europe must begin new initiatives for arms control and disarmament." Gabriel was responding to a so-called Nuclear Posture Review released Friday by the Pentagon that details the US military's vision of nuclear threats and its response in the coming decades. Upgrading the US arsenal and complementing massive "strategic" bombs with smaller "tactical" weapons was "aimed at making use of nuclear weapons less likely", President Donald Trump said in a statement. American nuclear planners believe potential adversaries abroad, especially Russia, assume America would never use its existing arsenal as the effects would be too devastating .
Iraq lists 60 most-wanted jihadists and Baathists
Iraqi security services today published the names of 60 people wanted on suspicion of belonging to the Islamic State group, Al-Qaeda or the Baath Party of late dictator Saddam Hussein. The list, seen by AFP, includes the name of Saddam's daughter Raghad, who lives in Jordan. It also features 28 suspected IS jihadists, 12 from Al- Qaeda and 20 Baathists, giving details of the roles they allegedly play in their organisations, crimes of which they are suspected and in most cases, photographs. All are Iraqis apart from Maan Bashour, a Lebanese man accused of recruiting fellow citizens to fight in Iraq. The name of elusive IS head Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is absent from the list. A senior security official contacted by AFP declined to explain why. "These are the terrorists most wanted by the judicial authorities and the security services," the official said. "This is the first time we publish these names which, until now were secret." The IS fighters the document lists are accused
Officer, three soldiers killed in Pakistan firing on LoC (Third Lead)
Four Indian soldiers, including an officer, were killed and four other persons were injured on Sunday in Pakistani firing on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri and Poonch districts, defence officials said.
Army officer, 3 jawans killed in Pak shelling in J&K's Rajouri
An Army officer and three jawans were killed and four people, including two teenagers, injured today in heavy Pakistani shelling along the LoC in Poonch and Rajouri districts of Jammu and Kashmir, forcing Indian troops to retaliate, officials said. Pakistani forces opened unprovoked heavy firing and shelling along the LoC in Bhimbher Gali sector of Rajouri district this evening, senior Army officials told PTI. In the heavy shelling, three jawans were killed, they said, adding an officer, who was injured in the shelling, later succumbed to his injuries. Indian Army was giving a befitting reply as heavy exchanges were on, the officials added. Earlier in the day, two teenagers and a jawan were injured in Shahpur sector of Poonch district in the shelling from across the border which started this morning and was continuing intermittently, a police official said. He identified the injured civilians as Shahnaz Bano (15) and Yasin Arif (14), both residents of Islamabad village of
Three soldiers killed in Pakistan firing on LoC
Three Indian soldiers were killed and four other persons were injured on Sunday in Pakistani firing on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri and Poonch districts, defence officials said.
Nigeria claims complete victory over Boko Haram
The Nigerian Army has completely defeated the Boko Haram insurgents in the restive northeast parts of the country, said Maj Gen Rogers Nicholas, head of a military operation.
3 Army jawans killed in Pakistani shelling in J&K's Rajouri
Three jawans were killed and five persons injured today in heavy shelling by Pakistani troops along LoC in Poonch and Rajouri districts of Jammu and Kashmir forcing Indian troops to retaliate, officials said. Pakistani forces opened unprovoked and heavy firing and shelling along LoC in Bhimbher Gali sector of Rajouri district this evening, a senior army officials told PTI. In the heavy shelling, three jawans were killed and two others injured, they said, adding that Indian Army was giving a befitting reply as heavy exchanges were on. Earlier today, a 15-year-old girl and a soldier were injured as Pakistani troops violated ceasefire by targeting forward villages and posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch and Rajouri districts, officials said. With these casualties, 17 people, including nine security personnel, died and 70 were injured in Pakistani shelling and firing along the LoC and International Border in the Jammu region this year.
26 killed in inter-ethnic fighting in Congo
At least 26 people have been killed in inter-ethnic fighting in Congo, according to security sources.
Thousands of Greeks protest against Macedonia name compromise
Tens of thousands of Greeks staged a mass rally in Athens today, urging the government not to compromise in a festering name row with neighbouring Macedonia. As a huge Greek flag flew over central Syntagma Square, Greeks from all over the country and abroad chanted "Hands off Macedonia", "Macedonia is Greek" and "We won't leave until we are vindicated". Athens objects to Macedonia's name, arguing it suggests that Skopje has claims to the territory and heritage of Greece's historic northern region of the same name. However, leftist Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has been considering a resolution to the 27-year-old dispute, angering many opposition members and his own nationalist coalition partners. Among those in the crowd was former premier Antonis Samaras -- who was foreign minister when the name dispute began in 1991 -- along with mayors, senior clerics and army officers. Organisers said they expected around a million participants on Syntagma Square. "Macedonia ..
Jawan among 3 injured in Pak firing in Poonch and Rajouri
A jawan and two teenagers were injured as Pakistani troops violated ceasefire by targeting forward posts and villages along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch and Rajouri districts today, officials said. The three were injured in the Shahpur sector of Poonch district in shelling from across the border which started this morning and was continuing intermittently, a police official said. The injured civilians were identified as Shahnaz Bano (15) and Yasin Arif (14), residents of Islamabad village, the official said. Both of them were hospitalised. A Defence spokesman said Pakistan Army initiated unprovoked and indiscriminate firing from small arms, automatics, and mortars around 1110 hours. The Indian Army retaliated strongly and effectively, he said. In another ceasefire violation in nearby Rajouri district, six mortars fired by Pakistani forces exploded near Neaka Panjgrain and Tarkundi villages in Manjakote sector around 1540 hours, a police official said. The Indian ..
Afghan forces kill 100 militants in past 24 hours
Afghanistan's Ministry of Defence said on Sunday that at least one hundred militants were killed by the security forces in the past 24 hours across the country.Tolo News quoted ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri as saying that an operation was carried out in Faryab, Kandahar, Ghazni, Nangarhar, Helmand, Maidan Wardak and Logar provinces.He further said several weapons have also been seized.The operation was conducted after three major militant attacks had taken place in Kabul during the past two weeks.Since January 20, militants have stormed a luxury hotel, bombed a crowded street and raided a military compound in Kabul, killing more than 130 people.
Woman labelled suicide bomber handed over to family: police
A Pune woman labelled a suicide bomber by the Jammu and Kashmir police has been handed over to her family as there is no case against her, the police have said. "Yes, we have handed her to her family," Director General of Police S P Vaid told PTI. Sadiya Anwar Shaikh, who turned 18 in November 2017, had travelled to Kashmir from Pune and had been staying in Bijbehara as a paying guest. The police, who claimed she wanted to join the ISIS, detained her on January 25 from South Kashmir and subjected her to intense questioning during which they found nothing incriminating. On sustained questioning, it was revealed that the woman, a school dropout, had been "brainwashed" online about the supposed suffering of the Kashmiri people at the hands of security forces and had "fallen prey to false propaganda" on social media, the police said. The Jammu and Kashmir police had been informed by central security agencies that a Pune-based woman, who had been detained on various ...
Xi says improving China-Lanka ties have his 'high attention'
Chinese President Xi Jinping today said he pays "high attention" to strengthening strategic ties with Sri Lanka, as Beijing beefed up plans to build a Maritime Silk Road project in India's backyard -- the Indian Ocean. In a message to congratulate Sri Lanka on its 70th anniversary of Independence from British rule, Xi told his counterpart Maithripala Sirisena that China is willing to work with it for better development of strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries. "I pay high attention to the development of China-Sri Lanka relations, and I am willing to make concerted efforts with President Sirisena to push the China-Sri Lanka strategic cooperative partnership of sincere mutual assistance and long-standing friendship to keep achieving greater development in the better interest of the two countries and its people," he said. Xi also said that China and Sri Lanka have achieved "fruitful results" by their display of "pragmatic cooperation" within the ...
On I-Day, Sri Lanka vows to achieve economic freedom
Sri Lanka celebrated the 70th anniversary of its Independence here on Sunday with grand military parades and attendance of political leaders.
Roadside bomb in Sinai kills 2 Egyptian security forces
Egyptian security officials say a roadside bomb has targeted a pickup truck carrying members of the security forces in the turbulent north of the Sinai Peninsula, killing two. The officials say that today's blast took place on a road just south of the coastal city of el-Arish. Five other members of the security forces and a civilian were wounded in the attack. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which bore the hallmarks of the extremist Islamic State group, now leading a long-running insurgency in Sinai. The insurgency has expanded and become deadlier since the military's 2013 ouster of Mohammed Morsi, an Islamist president whose one-year rule proved divisive.
China 'firmly opposes' US nuclear report for adversary claims
China today criticised a US report which said that Beijing could secure limited advantage in Asia through limited use of nuclear weapons, saying it has adhered to the policy of "no-first-use" of nuclear weapons under any circumstances. The Pentagon on Friday released the Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) in which it said that the US wants to prevent China from mistakenly concluding that any use of nuclear weapons, however limited, is acceptable. China said that it "firmly opposed" to the NPR published by the US Department of Defence. It is the Pentagon's first NPR since 2010. The 74-page report cast China as "a major challenge to US interests in Asia". China's Defence Ministry spokesman Ren Guoqiang said that the US document presumptuously speculated about the intentions behind China's development and played up the threat of China's nuclear strength. The report said the US strategy for China is designed to "prevent Beijing from mistakenly concluding that it could secure an ...
Maldives police 'uses pepper spray' against Chief Justice supporters
The Maldives police has allegedly used force and pepper spray on a group of people gathered outside Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed's residence in Male to stop his arrest."#Maldives Police use pepper spray to disperse the protesters," tweeted Maldives Voice.Moreover, in a video posted on the Twitter handle of Maldives Voice, the police was also seen obstructing the media.There were scuffles between the protesters trying to protect the Chief Justice from getting arrested and the police dressed in riot gear outside the former's residence.However, the police denied the reports that they entered his house and arrested him."Reports about police entering the Chief Justice's residence and that he was arrested is not true," they tweeted.Describing the ordeal, Eva Abdulla, Member of Parliament of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), told ANI over the phone, "Absolute breakdown of law and order. The public is on the edge. I am very concerned as we are facing increased unrest. They (police) have ...
Second NIA chargesheet against NDFB terrorists
The Guwahati National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a second supplementary chargesheet against the terrorists who had attacked the Adivasi Community in Shantipur village in 2014.The chargesheet was filed on February 2 in a Special NIA Court.In the incident that took place on 25 December 2014, the National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) terrorists killed 12 villagers and injured three.According to the chargesheet, the killings and injuries were caused due to "indiscriminate firing with sophisticated weapons".The evidences till date have been collected by the NIA on the basis of field investigation as well as technical and forensic reports against the accused persons.The accused terrorists are still absconding, while further investigation is going on in the matter.