Page 824 - War Conflict
Beijing has never recognized existence of Arunachal Pradesh: China
China on Wednesday maintained that its position on the China-India boundary issue was consistent and clear and that Beijing has never recognised the existence of Arunachal Pradesh."I need to point out that China's position on the China-India boundary issue is consistent and clear, and we have never recognized the so-called Arunachal Pradesh," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said while responding to a question about media reports that stated Chinese soldiers with construction machines entered 200 metres inside Arunachal Pradesh.However, Geng said he was not aware of any such reports.Last month, too, a similar such incident had happened.The Chinese troops reportedly left the construction equipment behind after they were confronted by the Indian soldiers.The India-China border covering the 3,488 km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC) is disputed between the two sides and notably, Beijing claims Arunachal Pradesh to be the part of its south Tibet.Geng, in his media ...
Sri Lankan Navy nabs 12 Indian fishermen near Delft Island
The Sri Lankan Navy on Thursday apprehended 12 Indian fishermen, along with two boats, near the Delft Island.The personnel, belonging to the Northern Naval Command, apprehended the fishermen, who were natives of Rameswaram district of Tamil Nadu.On December 31, at least 13 Indian fishermen were apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy near Gulf of Mannar in Rameswaram.Earlier that month, 27 Indian fishermen were apprehended with five boats near Delft Island.
Over 30 loggers 'abducted by Boko Haram' in Nigeria: sources
At least 31 loggers are believed to have been abducted by Boko Haram jihadists after they went missing in northeast Nigeria, security sources said. The alleged kidnapping took place just days after 30 troops vanished following a raid on a military base in the same region amid a surge in bloody violence. Sources told AFP the loggers, mostly in their twenties, had left the town of Gamboru on the border with Cameroon Tuesday morning to fetch firewood in a Boko Haram hotspot. "All 31 have not been seen since Tuesday and it is obvious they were seized by Boko Haram," said Umar Kachalla, a militia in Gamboru fighting Boko Haram alongside the military. The loggers had left for Wulgo village in nearby Marte district, 15 kilometres away, with their axes and wooden carts to collect wood to sell and raise money to buy food, Kachalla said. Two weeks ago, Boko Haram gunmen shot dead 10 loggers from Gamboru in the bush outside Wulgo while collecting firewood, said another militia Shehu
Six held over suspected links to banned terrorist group in Britain
Five men and a woman were arrested in Britain on Wednesday on suspicion of belonging to banned far-right terrorist group National Action.
People today need development, not caste conflicts: Maha CM Fadnavis
In the wake of Bhima-Koregaon violence and the ensuing political slugfest over it, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Wednesday that the present need of the country was development, not caste conflicts.Speaking at an event here, the chief minister also said both within and outside the state, there were forces that were trying to divide Maharashtra on caste lines by creating conflicts out of non-issues."We have always tried to keep Maharashtra away from casteism, but there are people who try to create conflicts out of non-issues," Fadnavis said.The chief minister hoped that the public of Maharashtra would not give importance to such people who were making inflammatory statements regarding the caste violence, wherein one person has died and several have been injured, including police personnel. The violence has also led to destruction of properties worth hundreds of crores across the state, including the financial capital, Mumbai.Tension gripped many parts of ...
There was no Jignesh in Vemula: Sibal defends Mevani
Congress leader Kapil Sibal on Wednesday defended Rashtriya Dalit Adhikar Manch convenor Jignesh Mevani, who has been accused of making "provocative" speech at an event in Pune, Maharashtra on December 31."Just look at history of the party [the Bharatiya Janata Party] in last 3.5 years, you'll know the facts. There was no Jignesh in Una. No Jignesh was there in Rohith Vemula [case]," Sibal told ANI, citing cases of alleged mistreatment to the Dalits in the recent past.Earlier yesterday, the Maharashtra Police said they had received a complaint against the Gujarat MLA and Dalit activist for his hate speech. Mevani had attended an event organised to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the battle of Bhima-Koregaon on December 31.Tension gripped many parts of Maharashtra after a youth's death on January during an event to mark the bicentenary celebrations of the battle near Pune.In the aftermath, a day-long 'Maharashtra bandh' was called by various Dalit and other organisations on ...
Bhima Koregaon violence: 15 flights cancelled
The Mumbai International Airport Private Limited (MIAL) on Wednesday informed that eight departure and seven arrival flights were cancelled due to the Maharashtra bandh, while autos and taxis resumed services from both the terminals."As of 5 PM, 8 departure and 7 arrival flights were cancelled while autos and taxis resumed services from both the terminals," read a press statement from the Mumbai airport.It further noted that it took numerous measures and initiatives to ensure that the passengers travelling through the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) were least affected by the protests."Anticipating that the protests may aggravate during the course of the day, MIAL activated its contingency plan in the morning. While the flight operations were running smoothly, the absence of private cab operators and the limited availability of autos created inconvenience for passengers. To facilitate transportation of passengers from the airport to the nearest stations, MIAL arranged
Bihar Police seize Rs 10-crore-worth fake stamp papers
A special team of Bihar Police on Wednesday seized fake stamp papers worth Rs 10 crore in the state capital, a senior police official said.
Sub-Saharan Africa a priority, says Italy
Rome, Jan 3 (IANS/AKI) African countries lying south of the Sahara are important for Italy's foreign policy, Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano said on Wednesday as he began a three-day trip to Niger, Senegal and Guinea.
US favors supply routes to Afghan via Pak but not over-reliant
The US favours supply routes to Afghanistan through Pakistan because of cost, but it is also flexible enough to avoid over-reliance on any single option, the Pentagon said today. The US has nearly 14,000 troops in Afghanistan. President Donald Trump in August last year ruled out a hasty withdrawal of troops from the war-torn country while announcing his Afghanistan and South Asia policy. "The US favours supply routes via Pakistan because of cost, but we have built flexibility and redundancy into our supply lines into and out of Afghanistan to avoid over- reliance on any single option," Department of Defence spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Mike Andrews told PTI. He was responding to a question about the sustainability of the US in Afghanistan in case Pakistan decides to block the Ground Lines of Communication (GLOC), a step Islamabad takes in the event of increased tension with the United States. The GLOC was once a lifeline for US supplies for its troops in ...
Chinese personnel enter one km inside Arunachal: Sources
Chinese road-building teams entered around one kilometre inside Indian territory in Tuting area of Arunachal Pradesh last week but returned after being confronted by Indian troops, government sources said today. The sources said the civilian teams came for track alignment activities and returned when confronted by the Indian troops, leaving behind various road building equipment including excavators. According to local villagers in Arunachal Pradesh, the Chinese team members included civilians as well as uniformed personnel. The incident took place on December 28, nearly four months after the end of the 73-day long Doklam standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in the Sikkim sector. The sources said on December 28, Indian border patrolling personnel observed few Chinese civilians undertaking track alignment activity one kilometre inside the Indian territory in Tuting area. They maintained there was "no face off" between the two sides and that the issue is being ...
Jerusalem is not for sale: Palestine on Trump's aid threat
Palestine on Wednesday rebuked United States President Donald Trump's claims of not providing financial aid to the country in the future, if they did not resume their negotiations with Israel.Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for President Mahmoud Abbas, told Palestine's WAFA news agency that 'Jerusalem and its holy places were not for sale.'Abu Rudineh also said that Palestine was not against returning to negotiations with Israel, but said 'the real peace and negotiations should be based on Arab and international legitimacy and the Arab Peace Initiative leading to the establishment of the independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.'"If the United States has any concern for its interests in the Middle East, it must abide by the principles and references of the United Nations Security Council and the General Assembly, otherwise the U.S. will push the region to the abyss," he said.Yesterday, Trump and his United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley threatened Palestine with .
Israel detains 20 Palestinian citizens
Israel on Wednesday detained at least 20 Palestinians in multiple pre-dawn raids across the West Bank and East Jerusalem.According to Palestinian Prisoner's Society (PPS), who was quoted by WAFA news agency, Israeli forces detained seven Palestinians during separate raids in Yaabad and Qabatiya towns, located south of the northern West Bank city of Jenin.Six more Palestinians were arrested at the West Bank districts of Ramallah and al-Bireh. One of the detainees was identified as a former prisoner from the Beit Rima village in north-west Ramallah.Two others were rounded up from the Salem village, located to the east of Nablus in northern West Bank. Another Palestinian was detained from Beit Ummar town in the north of Hebron.In East Jerusalem, forces also detained a Palestinian during a raid in Anata. Three more were held during an overnight raid in Jabal al-Mukabbir.As per official data of PPS, around 740 Palestinians, including 190 children and 15 women, have been detained by Israeli
6 arrested in UK for suspected ties to right-wing extremists
British police have arrested five men and one woman on suspicion of belonging to a banned far-right extremist group. West Midlands Police said the six suspects aged between 21 and 37 were arrested today under the Terrorism Act. They are accused of belonging to National Action, which was banned in 2016. At the time it was the first far-right extremist group outlawed in Britain. Police are searching several properties in relation to the arrests. The six suspects have not been charged or identified. They are being questioned by counter-terrorism police. Police say the arrests were pre-planned and there is no threat to public safety.
Terror funding: NIA opposes stone pelter's bail plea
The National Investigating Agency (NIA) today opposed before a Delhi court the bail application of an alleged stone pelter, arrested from Kashmir Valley in a terror case, citing his "anti-national" activities. The agency, probing funding of terror and separatist activities in the valley, told District Judge Poonam A Bamba that 24-year-old Javed Ahmed Bhat was involved in anti- national activities and took active participation in stone pelting on security forces. The agency said there were serious apprehension about Bhat fleeing from justice as well as the country and that he could tamper with evidences if released on bail. It further added that the investigation into the case was still on and the accused remained non-cooperative during the probe. Bhat had moved the bail application through advocate M S Khan, claiming that he was wrongly implicated in the case. The NIA arrested Bhat on September 5 for his alleged involvement in stone pelting and organising groups of youths
Palestinian shot dead in West Bank clashes with Israeli army:
A Palestinian teenager was shot dead in clashes with the Israeli army today near the city of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said. Musab Firas al-Tamimi, 17, was shot in the village of Deir Nizam north of Ramallah, it said, bringing to 14 the number of Palestinians killed in unrest since US President Donald Trump recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital last month. The Israeli army was not immediately available for comment.
Deadly IS attacks foiled in Kabul, 13 arrested
The Afghan intelligence operatives have managed to foil a series of deadly attacks plotted by the Islamic State (IS) in Kabul city and at least 13 insurgents have been arrested in connection with the same.The National Directorate of Security (NDS) said in a statement that the IS suspects were rounded up during an operation in Kabul city as they were busy plotting the future attacks. A number of foreign insurgents are also among those arrested, reported Khaama Press.The NDS, however, did not give any further information regarding the identities of the arrested insurgents.No comments have been received from the anti-government armed militant groups, including the IS insurgents, by far.This comes after last week's terror attack at the media news agency and the cultural centre in Kabul that claimed more than 40 innocent lives and left many more injured.On Thursday, the suicide bomber detonated his explosives at the gate of the Tebyan center in the PD6 area of Kabul.Afghanistan President ..
48.5K armed forces personnel granted premature retirement in
Over 48,500 armed forces personnel have been granted premature retirement during the last four years, according to data provided to the Lok Sabha by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Replying to a question, Sitharaman also said that the Army has adopted a robust counter infiltration strategy in Jammu and Kashmir which has an appropriate mix of technology and human resources. She said innovative troop deployment, proactive use of surveillance and monitoring devices and the anti-infiltration obstacle system have enhanced the ability to detect and intercept terrorists attempting to infiltrate. The minister said 84 army personnel have suffered fatal battle causalities in 2017 while the number of army men killed in accidents and other reasons was 1,131. According to statistics given by her, a total of 47,499 army personnel were granted premature retirement since 2014 while the number in the Navy was 465 and in IAF, it was 553. The total comes to 48,517 personnel.
'Testing infra, R&D will spur domestic mfg of body armours'
A government committee formed to prepare a roadmap to boost domestic manufacturing of lightweight body armours for the armed forces has pitched for measures like creating more testing facilities and pursuing R&D in nano technology, Parliament was informed today. The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has accepted the recommendations, Minister of State for Planning Rao Inderjit Singh said in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha. The committee, which was was set up under the chairmanship of Niti Aayog member V K Saraswat, held multiple meetings and discussed the status of capabilities, strengths and weakness of the body armours manufacturing industry, the minister said. "The Committee submitted its report titled 'Roadmap for Make in India in Body Armour' to the Prime Minister's Office on August, 2017 wherein a number of recommendations were made. "Major recommendations were made...such as promotion of indigenous manufacturing of body armours including raw ...
Caste riots: Students protest outside Maharashtra Sadan
Leftist student groups staged a demonstration outside Maharashtra Sadan here on Wednesday, demanding action against two local leaders for instigating the Bhima-Koregaon riots in Pune city in which a man was killed and many shops and vehicles were vandalised.