Page 837 - War Conflict

10 hurt in Saint Petersburg supermarket bombing

A homemade bomb blast at a supermarket in the Russian city of Saint Petersburg injured 10 people today, officials said. "According to preliminary information, an explosion of an unidentified object occurred in a store," Investigative Committee spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko said in a statement. The blast was caused by a "homemade explosive device with the power equivalent to 200 grammes of TNT filled with lethal fragments," she said. "The investigation is looking at all possible causes of what happened," she said, adding that a probe for attempted murder had been launched. "Ten people have been hospitalised, their lives are not in danger," said the head of Saint Petersburg investigative unit Alexander Klaus, Interfax news agency reported. An AFP correspondent at the scene observed first responders and police as well as a car belonging the Federal Security Service (FSB), which investigates acts of terror. Police said the blast occurred in a supermarket northeast of the city

Defence Minister Sitharaman calls on President Kovind

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today called on President Ram Nath Kovind, who is also the supreme commander of the armed forces. The details of the meeting were not known. Officials described it as a courtesy call. Meanwhile, the defence minister today approved financial assistance of Rs 14 crore to 10,207 families of ex-servicemen. from 'Raksha Mantri Ex-Servicemen Welfare Fund (RMEWF)', officials said.

Armed forces facing shortage of nearly 60,000 personnel: Govt

The total shortage of officers in the Army, Navy and the Indian Air Force is 9,259 while the number for below officer rank is 50,363

Fight erupts between rival gangs at London shopping centre

A brawl broke out between knife- wielding "rival" gangs at a busy east London shopping centre during the Boxing Day sales, police said today. Dramatic footage posted on social media showed cops confronting the hooded youths as they clashed at Westfield Stratford yesterday. Two police officers were injured and taken to hospital. The Met Police confirmed 11 people had been arrested for a range of different offences. They also tweeted out a photo of two knives that were recovered after the brawl. Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated on the day after Christmas Day.

'418 armed forces personnel committed suicide in last 4 yrs'

A total of 418 armed forces personnel committed suicide in the last four years with a maximum of 335 such cases reported in the Army, the government informed the Lok Sabha today. Replying to a question, Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre also said 41,960 armed forces personnel have applied for premature retirement from service in the last four years. He said a maximum of 38,953 Army personnel have sought pre-mature retirement, followed by 2,542 Indian Air Force personnel and 465 from the Navy. On the suicide figure, he said 335 Army men, 67 from the IAF and 16 Navy personnel took the extreme step since 2014. He said a maximum of 104 Army personnel had committed suicide in 2016 while the number in the current year is 69. "Some of the reasons for committing suicide are family issues/domestic problems, marital discord, perceived grievances and personal issues," he said. The minister said various steps have been taken by the armed forces to create a healthy ...

Ukraine, pro-Russia rebels in biggest prisoner swap since 2014

Ukraine and Russian- backed rebels today began to exchange more than 300 prisoners in the war-torn east of the country, the largest such swap since the insurgency broke out in 2014. The swap between the Kiev army and rebels from the self- proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics took place at a checkpoint close to the town of Gorlivka, 40 kilometres (25 miles) northeast of the rebels' stronghold of Donetsk, an AFP reporter said. In the first exchange since September 2016, the Russian- backed eastern militia was handing over to Kiev some 70 prisoners, officials from both sides said. The Ukrainian side for its part was releasing some 300 rebels and their supporters. An AFP reporter at the scene saw a first group of around 15 people driven by bus to Ukraine-controlled territory. The swap on the eve of the New Year and Orthodox Christmas holidays was agreed following negotiations involving Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's leader Petro ...

HRW accuses Yazidi fighters in Iraq of executing civilians

Fighters from Iraq's Yazidi community, brutally targeted by the Islamic State group, executed 52 civilians in apparent revenge killings after capturing territory from the jihadists, Human Rights Watch said today. "Relatives of victims told Human Rights Watch that on June 4, 2017, Yazidi forces detained and then apparently executed men, women, and children," the US-based rights group said in a report. Those killed reportedly came from eight families of the Sunni Al-Bu Metewut tribe who were escaping clashes between IS and pro-government militias north of second city Mosul, the group said. After seizing Iraq's Sinjar area in 2014, IS unleashed a brutal campaign against the Yazidis -- dubbed heretics by the jihadists for their non-Muslim faith -- that the UN says could amount to genocide. Thousands of men from the Kurdish-speaking minority were slaughtered, women and girls abducted as sex slaves and boys sent to military training camps. Now as IS has been forced from all ..

Death toll in Thailand's southern conflict hits record low

The death toll this year from an insurgency in Thailand's Muslim-majority southern provinces was the lowest since the conflict began 13 years ago, monitors said today, as security improves under the ruling junta. Thailand's southernmost provinces abutting Malaysia have been in the grip of a low-level but bloody insurgency since 2004 and nearly 7,000 people have died. The majority of the victims are civilians -- both Muslim and Buddhist -- caught up in near-daily bomb attacks and shootings. Some 235 people died in 2017 as a result of clashes between the Muslim-Malay insurgents and Thai troops and police, according to figures collected by conflict analysts Deep South Watch. That compares to 309 in 2016, continuing a downward trend since 2014 and a sharp drop on the peak of 892 deaths in 2007. "We have seen the incidents going down for the past three years. And this year's death toll is the lowest ever if no significant incidents happen in the coming days," a Deep South ...

Car bomb injures 14 Afghan soldiers in Helmand

At least 14 Afghan soldiers were injured in a car bombing at 505 Boost Police Zone in Lashkargah city, capital of Helmand Province on Wednesday.The Tolo News quoted a spokesman for the provincial governor, Omar Zwak, as saying that the blast happened after a car bomb detonated while the soldiers were leaving the base to launch a military operation.No group has claimed the responsibility for the attack so far.Further details are awaited.

12 Maoists arrested in Odisha's Malkangiri district

Twelve Maoists have been arrested during combing operations in Odisha's Malkangiri district, police said today. The left-wing extremists were picked up from their hideouts in Mathili, Kalimela and Chitrakonda areas of the district over the past two days, Malkangiri Superintendent of Police Jagmohan Meena said. The arrested Maoists are suspected to have been involved in the killing of Dambaru Nayak (53) in Kalimela area in October, Muya Kabasi (27) in Mathili area on December 15 and Sadhu Khemundu (45) in Chitrakonda area on December 19, he said. The Maoists allegedly killed them suspecting them to be police informers, the SP said, adding that efforts are on to nab more rebels in the district.

20 TN fishermen released by SL govt, repatriated

As many as 20 Tamil Nadu fishermen, who were arrested on charges of poaching in Sri Lankan waters were repatriated today following their release by a court there. According to police, the fishermen from Karaikal, Ramanathapuram and Pudukottai districts were handed over to the Indian Coast Guard at the international Maritime boundary line this morning by the Lankan authorities. The fishermen were arrested in January and February this year, they said. More than 130 Tamil Nadu fishermen, arrested on various occasions, are still languishing in different prisons in Sri Lanka, Rameswaram Fishermen's Association leader P Sesuraja said.

Noted writer Ramendra Kumar felicitated in Sri Lanka

Noted writer Ramendra Kumar, whose stories feature in Sri Lankan text books, has been felicitated in the neighbouring country for his contribution to children's literature. Kumar is an award-winning writer with 32 books to his credit. His writings have been translated into 14 Indian and 13 foreign languages and have found a place in school text books and anthology also in India and abroad. His book Dilemma and other stories, translated into Sinhala, was also released at the felicitation ceremony. This is his fourth book in Sinhala. Since 2011, Ramendra's stories have been included in school text books brought out by the Sri Lanka government every year. The books are distributed to over 10,000 schools across the country. Kumar said, he is the only author from outside Sri Lanka to have achieved this distinction. Kumar, Chief of Communications at the Rourkela Steel Plant, was felicitated by the Writers and Publishers of Sri Lanka at the function held in Colombo last week, a

Huge cache of arms, explosive seized in Reasi

Security forces recovered a huge cache of arms and explosives from an underground arms dump in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir, a senior police officer said today. The recovery which included an AK 56 rifle, a pistol, 23 explosive sticks and two IEDs weighing six kg each, were recovered from Shergari area of Chassana, Senior Superintendent of Police, Reasi, Tahir Sajad Bhat told PTI. He said the arms and explosives were recovered in a joint operation carried out by the Army and the police on specific information last night. The other material recovered from the arms dump included two rounds of rocket-propelled grenade (RPG), one illumination round, one .303 rifle with one magazine and 90 rounds, three grenades including two of Chinese make, one Under Barrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL) round, one AK magazine with 81 rounds, a pistol magazine and 67 PIKA rounds, the officer said. Police have registered a case in this connection and further investigation is on, the SSP

From his house burnt by militants to being this year's batch topper of Kashmir Administrative Service - the Journey of Anjum Bashir Khan Khattak

(ANI)Khattak is proud to have cleared the exams in his first attempt on merit despite facing challenges during his childhood.In the 1990s, his ancestral house in Poonch district's Surankote was burnt down by terrorists and the family moved to Jammu."The decade of 1990s was disturbed in the entire Jammu and Kashmir, but Pir Panjal, Rajouri and Poonch areas were badly affected because of insurgency and terrorism. The area was not developed, and secondly, there was a threat of insurgency - it was a double trouble for us. We received our primary education there, but when our parents found it difficult to keep us in those circumstances, we migrated from that area and I received rest of my education in Jammu", said Anjum.Khattak is an inspiration for young people in Jammu and Kashmir as he defied all odds to realize his dream.He added, "There (in Surankote) we suffered because of violence, but my message to the youth is not to indulge in violence as it is not the solution to any cause. We ..

Protesters in Beirut call on Israel to release Palestinian teen

Lebanese and Palestinian protesters, including children from Palestinian refugee camps, participated in a protest in Beirut on Tuesday to show solidarity with a teenager and other Palestinian minors being held in Israeli prisons.

Colombian paramilitary chief deported from US to face charges

A former paramilitary chief accused of 3,000 crimes has been returned to his native Colombia to face justice after being deported from the United States, where he had been incarcerated on drug charges. Hebert Veloza, 50, alias "HH," touched down in Bogota yesterday after being loaded on a plane in Alexandria, in the US state of Virginia, Colombia's migration service said in a statement. He faces charges in his homeland of murder, forced recruitment of minors and criminal association. He had been in prison in the United States since 2009 for drug trafficking, after Colombia allowed his extradition. Veloza had quit as a paramilitary leader in 2004, but then clandestinely returned to the activity in 2006. He was arrested in 2007 despite invoking a special law that gave criminal leniency to members of armed groups that demobilised, admitted their crimes and paid damages to their victims. His extradition to the US was criticised by rights groups and victims' associations, ...

Pilot killed as military jet downed in northern Hama: Syria military

Syria's armed forces said a military jet was downed by insurgents in northern Hama province on Tuesday, in which the pilot was killed.Militant group Tahrir al Sham - a fighting force dominated by members of Al Qaeda's former branch in Syria - said it hit the plane, the local media reported.The western central province has seen aerial strikes by the Russian and Syrian air forces.According to reports, dozens of civilians have been killed in the bombing of towns away from front lines in the last few weeks.More details awaited.

Sri Lanka to release 20 Indian fishermen tomorrow

The Sri Lankan government will repatriate 20 Indian fishermen tomorrow.Out of the 20 fishermen, 12 are from Rameswaram, four from Mandapam and Nagapattinam each in Tamil Nadu.The fishermen are likely to arrive at Karaikal in Puducherry by tomorrow evening.

Five IPS officers transferred in Bengal

The West Bengal government transferred five IPS officers on Tuesday, a statement said.

Pak denies Indian Army crossed LoC

The Pakistan Foreign Office on Tuesday denied that Indian Army commandos crossed over the Line of Control (LoC) on Monday and killed three Pakistani soldiers to avenge the killing of four Indian troops.Pakistan summoned India's acting Deputy High Commissioner in Islamabad, JP Singh, over the issue, the Dawn reported.Interestingly, Islamabad admitted that three of its soldiers were killed and one injured in the Indian firing at LoC.According to an official statement by Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), firing by the Indian forces in Rakhchikri sector of Poonch district had "provided a cover for the planting of IEDs by non-state actors."Two days after four Indian soldiers were killed in a ceasefire violation by the Pakistan Army on the LoC, the Indian security forces crossed the LoC and killed three Pakistani soldiers, as per intelligence sources.