Page 98 - War Conflict
US watchdog: Afghans may not be ready for 'day after' peace
Afghanistan may not be ready for peace unless it finds a way to reintegrate Taliban fighters into society, combat corruption and rein in the country's runaway narcotics problem, a U.S. watchdog said Wednesday. The warning by Washington's Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction, or SIGAR, which monitors billions of dollars in U.S. aid to the country, came in the group's new quarterly report that also discusses Afghan needs for the "day after" once there is a peace deal with the Taliban. Over the past months, the U.S. has stepped up efforts to find a peaceful resolution to Afghanistan's 17-year war and has been holding talks with a resurgent Taliban. The insurgents, however, refuse to negotiate with the Kabul government, which they consider a U.S. puppet. The Taliban also continue to stage near-daily attacks, inflicting staggering casualties, and now control about half the country. "No matter how welcome peace would be, it can carry with it the seeds of unintended and ...
'GOT' cinematographer defends 'dark' Battle of Winterfell scenes
Fabian Wagner, the man behind the lens for the third episode of "Game of Thrones", has explained the much-criticised dimly-lit cinematography of 'The Long Night', which focused on the Battle of Winterfell. The chapter was billed to have the most action and bloodshed after two consecutive slogging, build-up episodes, now that the White Walkers and wights were a stone's throw away from the gates of the northern stronghold and it was every bit that. But after the episode aired, many fans complained that they could not see anything due to abysmally low lighting during the majority of battle sequences. In an interview with Wired UK, Wagner defended the episode and instead blamed the settings of the viewers' TV sets. "A lot of the problem is that a lot of people don't know how to tune their TVs properly. A lot of people also unfortunately watch it on small iPads, which in no way can do justice to a show like that anyway... "If you watch a night scene in a brightly lit room then that won't .
Sri Lankan intelligence agency warns political leaders not to travel together
Sri Lanka's intelligence agency has warned the country's top leadership not to travel together during the coming few weeks after information was received of possible terror attacks, a media report said Wednesday. President Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and opposition leader Mahinda Rajapaksa are among the leaders who have received the cautionary advice. The move is part of the beefed up security arrangements in the island nation after a series of coordinated bomb blasts ripped off three churches and high-end hotels, killing 253 people and injuring 500 others. The political leaders have also been asked to refrain from attending events, especially held in churches, temples and other religious place, the Daily Mirror reported. They have been advised to use helicopters to commute to any place where their presence is unavoidable. Meanwhile, Megapolis and Western Development Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka asked the Lankan government to deport 800 foreign ...
Two Indian nationals arrested without valid visa in Sri Lanka
Two more Indian nationals have been arrested by police here for violating Sri Lankan immigration laws during their stay in the country, authorities said. The Indians, aged 28 and 32, were arrested on Tuesday from the Rajagiriya area without a valid visa, Welikada police station officers were quoted as saying by the SundayTimes. The two Indian nationals will be produced before the Aluthkade Magistrate, police said. Last week, an Indian national was among 13 foreigners arrested without valid visa in Sri Lanka. The others arrested for the crime include ten Nigerians, an Iraqi and a Thai national staying in different parts of the Lankan capital. The arrests have come after the Sri Lankan government beefed up security measures following the country's worst terror attacks on Easter Sunday, killing 253 people and injuring 500 others.
No May Day in Sri Lanka due to security fears from Easter Sunday attacks
Sri Lanka's political parties and trade unions shunned holding big May Day rallies on Wednesday in view of the fluid security situation following the country's worst terror attacks on Easter Sunday which killed over 250 people. A normal May Day or International Labour Day would see long processions of political parties during the day with large rallies till late in the evening. All parties and trade unions said holding a normal May Day rally became a challenge following the suicide bombings on leading Colombo hotels and churches. "We decided not to hold our procession. Instead we will meet our trade union members indoors," Akila Viraj Kariyawasam, the minister of Education and the ruling UNP general secretary said. President Maithripala Sirisena's Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) they too decided to cancel their procession and rally and would hold a low key event. The city of Colombo and most parts of the island are under a tight security blanket with regular road blocks set up to check
2 kids injured in Kulgam blast while playing
Two minor boys were injured on Wednesday while fiddling with an explosive device in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district, police sources said.
Modi greets Gujarat, Maharashtra on foundation day
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday greeted the people of Gujarat and Maharashtra on their state foundation days.
New round of US-Taliban talks to start in Doha: Taliban
A new round of peace talks between the Taliban and the US starts Wednesday in Qatar, an official for the insurgents said, as the foes seek an end of America's longest war. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told AFP that "the sixth round of talks between Islamic Emirate and the US will start in Doha today". While the US embassy in Kabul did not immediately comment, the US State Department has already said its peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad will visit Doha, the Qatari capital, this month to meet the Taliban. The two sides have met repeatedly to discuss the framework for an eventual peace deal, in which the Taliban would vow to stop Afghanistan ever again being used as a terrorist safe haven in return for a pull out of foreign forces. None of the talks thus far have included the Afghan government, which the Taliban views as a puppet regime. That means that even if the US and the Taliban can agree a deal to end the 17-year-old war and a timetable for an eventual troop withdrawal, the ...
US military cuts back on Afghan war data
Amid a battlefield stalemate in Afghanistan, the U.S. military has stopped releasing information often cited to measure progress in America's longest war, calling it of little value in fighting the Taliban insurgency. The move fits a trend of less information being released about the war in recent years, often at the insistence of the Afghan government, which had previously stopped the US military from disclosing the number of Afghans killed in battle as well as overall attrition within the Afghan army. The latest clampdown also aligns with President Donald Trump's complaint that the US gives away too much war information, although there is no evidence that this had any influence on the latest decision. A government watchdog agency that monitors the US war effort, now in its 18th year, said in a report to Congress on Wednesday that the US military command in Kabul is no longer producing "district control data," which shows the number of Afghan districts -- and the percentage of their .
Shiv Sena calls for ban on burqa in public places
The Shiv Sena on Wednesday called for a ban on the use of burqa by women of a particular community as it threw its weight behind a similar plan being mulled by the Sri Lankan government in the wake of the Easter terror strikes which claimed over 250 lives.
Trump threatens to impose sanctions on Cuba as Venezuelan crisis deepens
United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday (local time) threatened "highest level sanctions" together with an embargo against Cuba if it continued its military support to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro."If Cuban Troops and Militia do not immediately CEASE military and other operations for the purpose of causing death and destruction to the Constitution of Venezuela, a full and complete embargo, together with highest-level sanctions, will be placed on the island of Cuba. Hopefully, all Cuban soldiers will promptly and peacefully return to their island!" he tweeted.The warning has come against the backdrop of clashes between anti-government protesters led by self-proclaimed President Juan Guaido and law enforcement officers in the Venezuelan capital Caracas on Tuesday (local time).At least 71 people have been injured since the clashes broke out, reported CNN.Countries like Cuba, China, Russia, Turkey amongst others have slammed international interference in Venezuelan affairs,
Sri Lanka Muslim women uncover out of fear
Religious tensions and a government ban on covering the face since the Easter Sunday suicide attacks have forced conservative Muslim women in Sri Lanka to shun veils, head scarves and long robes in public. Muslims in the South Asian nation have felt they are a target ever since jihadist suicide bombers killed more than 250 people with their coordinated strikes on six churches and hotels. Many women said they stopped wearing niqab face veils, hijab scarves and abaya robes straight after the attacks, which have been claimed by the Islamic State group. On Monday the Sri Lanka government banned women from covering their face in public, bringing it into line with a number of European countries, including France, Denmark and Belgium. Sri Lanka's population of 21 million is a patchwork of ethnicities and religions, dominated by the Sinhalese Buddhist majority. Hindus (12.5% of the population) and Muslims (9.5%) follow, with Christians fourth (7.0%). "I have stopped wearing the abaya and ...
Rioting breaks out in Venezuela amid 'attempted coup'
Venezuela's self-proclaimed acting president Juan Guaido claimed Tuesday that troops had joined his campaign to oust President Nicolas Maduro, whose government vowed to put down what it called an attempted coup by the US-backed opposition leader. An apparently carefully planned attempt by Guaido to demonstrate growing military support disintegrated into rioting as palls of black smoke rose over eastern Caracas. The government said it was "deactivating" an attempted coup by a small group of "treacherous" soldiers. And there was little early sign Maduro's iron grip on the military -- which has kept him in power in a months-long standoff with Guaido -- had slipped. On Twitter, he claimed the military chiefs had assured him of their "total loyalty". Confusion reigned in Caracas as a crowd that swelled to thousands, many waving Venezuelan flags, flocked onto a highway near a Caracas military base. Guaido had rallied his supporters with an early morning video message that showed him with ..
UN chief appeals to all sides in Venezuela to avoid violence
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday appealed to all sides in Venezuela to avoid violence after self-proclaimed leader Juan Guaido said he had the support of troops to oust President Nicolas Maduro. Guterres "urges all sides to exercise maximum restraint, and he appeals to all stakeholders to avoid any violence and take immediate steps to restore calm," said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric.
Delhi Police Commissioner reviews security for LS poll
Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik Tuesday held a meeting with senior officials regarding the security arrangements for the May 12 Lok Sabha elections in the national capital. The meeting was attended by Special CPs, Joint CPs, Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs), Anti-Terrorist Officers (ATOs) and Station House Officers (SHOs). Following the recent terror attacks in Sri Lanka that killed 253 people and injured nearly 500, Patnaik directed the officials to take anti-terror measures during polling. The DCP Election Cell gave a presentation regarding the preparation for the elections during the meeting. "The Delhi Police Commissioner has also directed officials to follow guidelines issued by the Election Commission," said Anil Mittal, Additional Public Relations Officer (Delhi Police). Patnaik also directed for high security arrangements at critical and sensitive booths. He also asked the officials to keep an eye on activities along the Delhi borders, he said. Polling for all ...
Security of Goa heritage church complex reviewed
In view of the Easter Sunday terror attacks on churches in Sri Lanka, the Goa Police has conducted a security assessment at one of Goa's most popular church complexes in Old Goa, which houses 17th century religious structures, said a police officer on Tuesday.
Goa: Police conduct security assessment in Basilica of Bom Jesus Church
Police on Tuesday conducted a security assessment in Basilica of Bom Jesus Church in old Goa, as a precautionary measure in the wake of serial bomb blasts in Sri Lanka on April 21.Speaking to ANI, Police Inspector Jivba Dalvi said, " My team visited Basilica of Bom Jesus Churches and conducted a security assessment of the area. As the said churches come under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), special security guards have been deployed by the department."Dalvi also briefed about the security measures, precautions and checking of luggage of tourists by the 23 security guards. He also informed that armed guards are performing duty in the premises day and night. Dalvi emphasised that only sincere checking will prevent any untoward incident like that of serial bombings in Sri Lanka."The services of Dog squad were utilised and the Bomb Disposal Squad were also involved in the training programme," he added.On April 21, eight blasts ripped through three churches and three high-end ...
SC acquits 15 persons in 1984 anti-Sikh riots case
The Supreme Court Tuesday acquitted 15 persons who were awarded five-year jail terms by the Delhi High Court for offences of rioting, burning houses and violation of curfew during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna allowed five appeals filed by 15 convicts challenging the November 28, 2018, verdict of the high court. Earlier, the high court had upheld the conviction of 70 out of the 89 people who were awarded five-year jail terms by a trial court for rioting, burning houses and violation of curfew during the riots. Of the remaining 19 people, 16 died during pendency of their appeals against the trial court's August 27, 1996, decision. The appeals of the three others were dismissed after they absconded, the high court noted in its judgment. The high court had dismissed the appeals, which were pending for the last 22 years, and had asked the convicts to surrender forthwith to serve their remaining prison ...
Terror groups may be recruiting more women to wage jihad: study
Terrorist organisations may be increasingly recruiting women, data from the first large-scale research project evaluating the characteristics of women involved in jihadism-inspired terrorism has found, days after the worst terror attack in Sri Lanka. A woman was part of the nine suicide bombers in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday and intelligence officials say more women posing as devotees were planning to carry our terror attacks on Buddhist temples in the island nation. A study published on Monday by the North Carolina State University in the US found significant differences between men and women in both their backgrounds and their roles within terrorist groups. For the study, researchers drew on data from the Western Jihadism Project, based at Brandeis University, which collects data on terrorists associated with Al-Qaeda-inspired organisations. The researchers conducted comparative analyses of 272 women and 266 men, who were matched to control for variables such as ethnicity, nation of .
NIA court sends to jail man held for 'conspiring' to launch suicide attack in Ker
A court here Tuesday remanded to judicial custody till May 29 a man arrested by the National Investigation Agency on the charge of conspiring to carry out a suicide attack in Kerala. The NIA court remanded Palakkad-based Riyas A, 29, also known as Riyas Aboobacker or Abu Dujana and a follower of Sri Lankan Easter bombing mastermind Zahran Hashim, when he was produced by the agency. It posted to May 6 an application filed by the NIA seeking five-day custody of Riyas, who was arrested Monday after he was picked up on Sunday in connection with an ISIS module case. According to the NIA, during interrogation soon after he was taken into custody, Riyas had disclosed that he had been following speeches and videos of Hashim for more than a year. He also allegedly followed the speeches of controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik. He admitted that he wanted to carry out a suicide attack in Kerala, an NIA spokesperson said Monday. Riyas had also disclosed he had been in online contact with ...