Page 773 - War Conflict
Atomic bomb survivors criticize new US nuclear policy
Associations representing atomic bomb survivors in Japan criticised on Saturday a change in the policy of the US which advocates modernising its atomic arsenal and increasing its launch capacity.
Sri Lanka probes corruption at national carrier
Sri Lanka has ordered a corruption investigation at its national carrier, including the controversial termination of a management deal with Emirates airline, the government said today. President Maithripala Sirisena has appointed a five- member panel to investigate the financial transactions of Sri Lankan airlines from 2006 to 2008, when the deal with Emirates was ended, a statement from his office said. Sri Lankan, founded in 1979 as Air Lanka, was profitable until the government of strongman president Mahinda Rajapakse, who ran the country from 2005 to 2015, kicked out the Emirates management team. The deal was cancelled in 2008 after Emirates refused to bump fare-paying business class passengers to give the seats to Rajapakse's family, who were returning to Colombo from London. A furious Rajapakse removed the Emirates-appointed CEO of Sri Lankan from his post and put his brother-in-law, who had no aviation industry experience, in charge of the airline. Since then, Sri
J-K: 3 CRPF personnel among 5 injured in grenade attack
Two civilians and three Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were injured on Saturday in a grenade attack by terrorists on a patrol party of the security forces in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir.The CRPF 180 battalion was crossing Tral's Batagund Village in Pulwama district when terrorists hurled grenades at them.The injured civilians, who were identified as Shabir Ahmed Bhat (35) and Bilal Ahmed Sheikh (37), have been shifted to a hospital in Tral.The condition of all the three jawans, including CRPF constable Gopi Chand who sustained a minor injury on the right cheek, is said to be out of danger.
Nine militants killed in Afghanistan
At least nine militants affiliated with the terror outfit Islamic State (IS) have been killed during the ongoing Hamza operations in Afghan's eastern Nangarhar province."The Hamza operations are underway in the restive parts of Nangarhar province in a bid to eliminate the ISIS militants and insurgents belonging to the other terrorist groups," Khaama Press quoted the Afghan military as saying.The operations were conducted with the help of the Air Support in Tangi Mamand and Wach Zhwara areas.No comments have been received yet from the armed militant groups including the IS insurgents.According to the local officials, a key Taliban local leader was arrested during an operation of the Afghan police forces in Chaparhar district last week.The officials further noted that the detained individual has been identified as Bismillah also famous as Ayoubi who was in charge of a group of at least twenty Taliban fighters, the report said.
4 injured in grenade explosion in Tral
Four persons, including two paratroopers, were injured on Saturday when militants hurled a grenade at a CRPF party in Tral town in south Kashmir.
7 injured in bee attack
Seven people were injured after being stung by a swarm of bees in Bhopa police station area of the district, officials said today. The incident took place yesterday afternoon when the seven were returning home. The officials said that someone threw a stone at a beehive, triggering the bee attack. The injured were treated at a healthcare centre and discharged.
Clash over trivial issue, three receive gunshot injuries
A clash broke out between members of two communities here in Nalanda district today in which three persons received gunshot injuries, police said. Superintendent of Police of Nalanda, Sudhir Kumar Porika, said the incident took place in the district headquarter town of Bihar Sharif where members of two communities clashed over a trivial issue at Paharpur locality. Gunshots were fired and stones hurled from both sides for about an hour until police reached the spot and brought the situation under control, the SP said. Three persons received bullet injuries. The condition of two of them was critical and they have been referred to a hospital in Patna while one of the injured is undergoing treatment at the Sadar Hospital in Bihar Sharif, Porika said. The situation was tense but under control and a meeting of peace committee will be convened soon to restore complete normalcy in the area, the SP added.
US warns countries against aiding terrorists eyeing nuclear
The United States has warned countries against supporting non-state actors and terrorist groups trying to obtain or employ nuclear weapons. "The US will hold accountable any state or non-state actor that supports terrorist efforts to obtain or employ a nuclear weapon," Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Tom Shannon, told reporters at a Pentagon news conference where the Trump Administration rolled out its 2018 Nuclear Posture Review (NPR). Neither Shannon nor the NPR report, running into 100 pages, identified any country which could be seen aiding terrorist groups in this regard. US officials have in the past expressed concern over the possibility of nuclear weapons of Pakistan landing into the hands of non-state actors or terrorist groups and thus has been working with Islamabad in enhancing the security of its nuclear weapons. Pakistan has repeatedly denied such fears and asserted that its nuclear arsenals are one of the safest and secure ones in the ...
Trump admin announces new policy to modernise nuclear arsenal
The Trump administration has announced a new policy to modernise its nuclear arsenal by developing new smaller atomic bombs and enhancing its deterrence capabilities. The strategy, President Donald Trump said, is tailored and flexible to address the wide array of threats in the 21st century. "It pursues modernisation of our nuclear command, control, and communications, all three legs of our triad, our dual capable aircraft, and our nuclear infrastructure," said Trump after the the 2018 Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) was out at the Pentagon. The strategy develops capabilities aimed at making use of nuclear weapons less likely, he said, adding that it enhances deterrence of strategic attacks against the US, its allies and partners, that may not come in the form of nuclear weapons. "And, importantly, it reaffirms our commitment to arms control and nuclear non-proliferation, maintains the moratorium on nuclear testing, and commits to improving efforts to prevent, detect, and .
Afghanistan slams Pakistan for harbouring Taliban
Afghanistan has slammed Pakistan for the deadly attacks in its soil and accused the country of harbouring the Taliban.In a televised speech to the nation, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Friday alleged that the "centre of Taliban terrorism is in Pakistan" and demanded that authorities in the neighbouring country "show some concrete action to rid their territory of insurgents," reported the Dawn.After the three major militant attacks that took place in Kabul in the past two weeks, the pressure on the country's government has intensified to beef up the security.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, reported the Dawn."The Afghan nation is waiting for clear action" from Pakistan, it quoted Ghani as saying.The president alleged that Islamabad had promises of cooperation with Afghanistan, which are yet to be proven true.So far, 11 people have been detained in connection with ...
Syria Kurds outraged over mutilated body of female fighter
Syria's Kurds today accused Turkey-backed rebels fighting them of mutilating then filming the body of one of their female fighters, after a video emerged of her corpse. Turkey and allied Syrian rebels have since January 20 pressed an offensive against the Kurdish enclave of Afrin in northern Syria, whose Kurdish fighters Ankara views as "terrorists". A Kurdish official identified the young woman as Barin Kobani, who took part in a US-backed campaign to drive the Islamic State jihadist group from the northern town of Kobane. The Kurds in a statement blamed the "terrorist allies of the enemy Turkish state" for mutilating the body of Kobani, who was a member of the all-female Kurdish Women's Protection Units. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain- based monitor, said it received the video from a Syrian rebel fighting with Turkish forces in the Afrin offensive. The rebel told the Observatory the footage was filmed on Tuesday after rebels found the young woman's .
Ambedkar statue damaged in Jind
A statue of Dr B R Ambedkar in the Rani Talab area here was allegedly damaged by some unidentified persons, police said. The police were informed about the matter today by members of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Dr B R Ambedkar Welfare Sangharsh Samiti, they said. They alleged that this morning they found that the specs of the statue were broken, police said. The BSP and members of the samiti staged a protest in the area, after which security was stepped up. The protesters dispersed after being assured by senior police officials, including DSP Rambhaj, that the matter was being probed and the perpetrators would be nabbed.
London mosque attacker gets life imprisonment
The man, who killed one person and injured several others last year in a terror attack near London's Finsbury Park Mosque, has been sentenced to life imprisonment by a UK court on Friday.Darren Osborne, the attacker, was sentenced by the court for a minimum of 43 years on charges of attempted murder, according to CNN.Justice Cheema-Grubb said, "Osborne had been rapidly radicalized, and his mindset became one of malevolent hatred," the UK Press Association reported."This was a terrorist attack. You intended to kill," Cheema-Grubb added.On June 19 last year, Osborne drove his van intendedly into the worshippers leaving Finsbury Park Mosque after evening prayers in north London.
Two dead after rockets from Syria hit Turkish border town
Two people were killed and 16 were wounded in a Turkish border town today by rockets fired from Syria, local authorities said, as Turkey continues its offensive against a Syrian Kurdish militia. Three rockets hit neighbourhoods of Reyhanli in southern Turkey and 68-year-old Rifat Sinirli died in hospital, the state-run news agency Anadolu reported. Reyhanli mayor Huseyin Sanverdi said on Twitter that a man was killed by a rocket fired from Syria's Afrin region, a Kurdish enclave where the Turkish army has launched its offensive against the YPG militia deemed "terrorists" by Ankara. Later in the afternoon, he announced a second man was killed in another attack by "treacherous terrorists." The Hatay governor's office said 16 people were injured. Sinirli's funeral was attended by dozens of people including Hatay governor Erdal Ata standing in front of a coffin covered with a Turkish flag. His weeping relatives screamed: "Let the terrorists be cursed!" Two rockets also hit ...
Armed robbers loot Rs 59 lakh from bank
Armed robbers looted Rs 59 lakh from a branch of a nationalised bank at Mihijam in Jamtara district today, police said. Four masked miscreants laced with fire arms entered the Mihijam branch of Bank of Baroda and looted the cash, they said. The miscreants allegedly assaulted the sweeper and the cashier, whom they followed and entered as soon as the bank was opened, police said adding that the miscreants also locked the two inside a room before they committed the crime. The miscreants also damaged the CCTV camera and taken away its hard disk along with them, the sources said. Senior police officers including DIG (Santal Paragana), Akhilesh Jha and Superintendent of Police Jaya Roy rushed to the spot on being informed of the incident. Jha said a massive raids are being conducted in all possible hide-outs to apprehend the culprits by two police teams headed by the Deputy Superintendent of Police ranked officers.
Police prevent youths from taking out rally in UP
Police today foiled efforts by a group of youths to take out a rally defying prohibitory orders in the district, an official said. The youths tried to take out the rally without permission of the district administration which has promulgated section 144 of CRPC and they were stopped at the Azamgarh turn, Inspector City Kotwali Parmanand Misra said. As the youths tried to force their way, police had to use mild force, Misra said. However, the youths have alleged that police manhandled and misbehaved with them.
UN court orders Nicaragua to pay USD 379,000 to Costa Rica
The UN's highest court today ordered Nicaragua to pay less than USD 380,000 to Costa Rica in compensation for damaging protected wetlands on the river San Juan. The sum was well below the USD 6.7 million demanded by Costa Rica for the environmental harm done to the area, and to compensate its efforts to restore it. "The court concludes that the total amount of compensation to be awarded to Costa Rica is USD 378,890.59," judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf told the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Managua has until April 2 to pay the amount, after which it will incur a higher rate of interest, judge Yusuf warned at the court in The Hague, in what was its first ever ruling for environmental damage. The dispute centres on a tract of land known in Costa Rica as Isla Portillos and in Nicaragua as Harbour Head -- a biological preserve lying in a border area long disputed by both Central American nations. The compensation ruling came more than two years after the ICJ found that ..
No counter FIR by Army in firing incident: Mehbooba
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Friday said the Army had not filed any counter FIR in a firing incident in Shopian district in which civilians were killed.
Putin marks 75 years since Battle of Stalingrad victory
Russia today marked 75 years since the Soviet Union's victory in the major World War II Battle of Stalingrad, extolled as a symbol of the country's resilience at a time when President Vladimir Putin campaigns for his fourth term. Putin flew to Volgograd, the current name of the city, which staged a military parade involving about 1,500 troops, armoured vehicles and jets flying over a crowd of spectators bundled up to protect against the sub-zero temperatures. The 1942-43 battle in the Volga river city was one of the bloodiest in history. It was a disastrous loss for Nazi Germany, and is glorified by Russia as the event that saved Europe from Adolf Hitler. "There was no other such battle in the history of mankind," Putin told a crowd of veterans he met at the Volgograd philharmonic for a concert commemorating the event. "The unified resistance and readiness for self-sacrifice were truly undefeatable, incomprehensible and frightful for the enemy." "Defenders of Stalingrad .
Lebanon museum unveils artefacts looted during civil war
Lebanon's national museum today unveiled five ancient sculptures, including a Phoenician bull's head returned by the United States, that were looted during the civil war. The life-size 4th century BC white marble bull's head, the star artefact among the works that were all looted in 1981, had been loaned to New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met). The five pieces were discovered on the Phoenician site of Eshmun, near the southern port city of Sidon, during excavations carried out in the 1960s and 1970s. "We are committed, as much as we can, to repatriating pieces stolen during the war," Lebanese Culture Minister Ghattas Khoury said during a ceremony at the National Museum of Beirut. Lebanon's civil war lasted 15 years from 1975 to 1990. The five statues were stolen from a storeroom in Byblos and later surfaced "on the international antiquity market", the culture ministry said in a statement. They were repatriated over the past two months. The bull's head had been ...