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Showing posts from March 13, 2016

Five die in Istanbul suicide bombing

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A file photo of Astiklal Street Photo courtesy: Wikipedia Five people, including a suicide bomber, were killed and 36 wounded in a suspected attack by Kurdish militants on a major shopping and tourist district in central Istanbul on Saturday. The fourth suicide bombing in Turkey this year hit part of Istiklal Street, a long pedestrian zone lined with global brand name shops and foreign consulates, just a few hundred metres from an area where police buses are usually parked. Preliminary findings indicate that the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (or an affiliate carried out the attack, a senior Turkish official said. Advertisement “The attacker detonated the bomb before reaching the targeted point because they were scared of the police,” the official said, adding the bomber had planned to hit a more crowded spot. Istiklal Street, usually thronged with shoppers on weekends, was quieter than normal before the blast as more people are staying home after a series of deadly bombings. Health

US welcomes Saudi pledge to wind down Yemen air war

Washington - The White House on Thursday welcomed a pledge from a Saudi-led coalition to wind down the air war in Yemen, an announcement that could dial back tensions between Riyadh and Washington before President Barack Obama visits. Amid controversy over an airstrike that killed 119 people - including 22 children - White House spokesperson Josh Earnest welcomed a coalition statement that the year-old campaign against Iran-backed Huthi rebels was nearing the "end of the major combat phase". "We have expressed our concerns about the loss of innocent life in Yemen, the violence there that is plaguing that country has caught too many innocent civilians in the crossfire," Earnest said. "We would welcome and do welcome the statement from coalition spokesperson Saudi General Ahmed al-Assiri who indicated today that major operations in Yemen are coming to an end and that the coalition will work on 'long-term plans' to bring stability to the country.&q

Tunisia to curb extremism among youth

Tunis - Tunisia announced on Thursday it is launching a campaign to counter religious extremism among its youth after a string of deadly jihadist attacks in the North African country. The one-year campaign to start on Sunday aims to promote "Islam's real, moderate values" to protect "youth and their thinking from terrorism", Religious Affairs Minister Mohamed Khalil said. Extremism has "invaded the thoughts of our youth via the Internet", he said. The ministry will launch a website featuring recorded sermons and religious seminars as part of a campaign dubbed "Ghodwa khir" - "Tomorrow will be better" in Tunisian Arabic dialect. It will also fund awareness raising programmes on public and private radio and television stations. A helpline will be set up for "youths with questions about religion" and authorised imams and preachers will supervise classes in mosques. Tunisia has failed to curb a rise in extr

Addressing violent extremism ‘urgent human rights priority,’ warns UN chief

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17 March 2016 – Top United Nations officials today urged the international community to develop effective, rights-based responses to violent extremism by examining its drivers and shifting away from the “security only” approach to dealing with the scourge. “That means addressing discrimination, ensuring good governance, and providing access to education, social services and employment opportunities,” UN  Secretary-General  Ban Ki-moon said in a  video message  to the UN Human Rights Council’s panel discussion held in Geneva, adding that “these steps can help strengthen trust between state institutions and the people they serve.” The event, convened during the Council’s  current session , which runs through 24 March, examined measures to prevent or counter violent extremism from the human rights prism. “Human rights abuses by violent extremists directly assault the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration on Human Rights,” Mr. Ban said, noting that his new  Plan of Action to P

Order to ban JuD coverage in Pakistan came from USA: Hafiz Saeed

Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Mohammad Saeed on Sunday criticised the Nawaz Sharif government for banning the coverage of his Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) in Pakistani media, claiming it was under the direction of the US that such a step was taken. "The order to ban the JuD (on media) has not come from Islamabad but from Washington," he said in a statement issued here. The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority on November 2 had restrained all Pakistani television channels from "all kinds of coverage" of the JuD, its front Falah-e- Insaniat Foundation and about 60 other proscribed organisations and their leaders The 66-year-old - who orchestrated the 2008 Mumbai terror attack in which 166 people were killed but roams around freely in Pakistan - also questioned the 'liberal agenda' Sharif is trying to 'impose' in Pakistan for which he is being praised in the Western media, in an apparent reference to a recent Washington Post article. The Pos

ISIS has lost almost 1/4 of its territory in 15 months: Report

Cash-strapped Islamic State has lost almost a quarter of its territory in the last 15 months and the dreaded terror group is increasingly isolated and on the decline, according to a new study. Data published by IHS Jane's 360 has shown that since January 2015 the militant group has lost 22% of its territory in Iraq and Syria and 8% of the losses were in the past three months. "The tide of the war is turning against the Islamic State. Between January 1 and December 15, 2015, the Islamic State lost control of 14% of its territory. New analysis indicates that in the last 3 months, the Islamic State has lost a further 8% of its territory," the report said "In 2016, we have seen major losses in the north-east extend south towards Raqqa and Deir al-Zour as the mixed- sectarian Kurdish and Sunni Syrian Democratic Forces advance under the cover of US and Russian airstrikes," it said. The monitoring group attributes these defeats to a changing strategic landsca

American Islamic State fighter chose to surrender to Kurdish forces: Report

A 26-year-old American man who was captured by Kurdish forces in Iraq earlier this week, said he had travelled from Turkey to join Islamic State (ISIS) before deciding to escape, according to an interview with Kurdish television on Thursday. Two Kurdish militia officers said on Monday an American, bearded and dressed in black, had surrendered after being surrounded near the village of Golat, in northern Iraq. The man's Virginia drivers license identified him as Kweis Mohammed Jamal. In the video Kweis, looking healthy but subdued, recounted his journey from the United States to Mosul and then into the hands of the Kurdish Peshmerga. Kweis said he travelled from the United States to London in December 2015 and continued to Amsterdam and then Turkey. In Turkey he met a woman from Mosul who said she could help him get to the Iraqi city, which has been under the militant group's control since 2014. "We got to know each other. She knew someone who could take us from Turke

IS is committing genocide against Christians, Yazidis and Shias: US

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US Secretary of State John Kerry speaks to reporters at the State Department in Washington, Thursday, March 17, 2016. Kerry has determined that the Islamic State group is committing genocide against Christians and other minorities in Iraq and Syria. (AP Photo) The United States declared on Thursday that the Islamic State group’s slaughter of Christians, Yazidis and Shias amounted to genocide and vowed to halt it. US Secretary of State John Kerry made the proclamation after Congress demanded that Washington recognise that the group seeks to exterminate religious minorities. “Daesh is genocidal by self-proclamation, by ideology and by actions, in what it says, what it believes and what it does,” Kerry declared. “Daesh is also responsible for crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing directed at these same groups,” he added. The Islamic State group recruits Sunni extremists and has regularly carried out mass killings of Shiite Muslims, Christians and Yazidis. In June 20

Allah’s 99 names, terror: What PM Modi said at World Sufi Forum

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi address at the inauguration of World Sufi Forum at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi on Thursday, March 17, 2016. (Mohd Zakir / HT Photo ) Prime Minister Narendra Modi has praised Islam for its message of peace and harmony and described Sufism as one of its greatest contributions. He said this while addressing a global audience on the opening day of the World Sufi Forum in New Delhi on Thursday. Terrorism dominated the discussion at the three-day event in which Sufi scholars from around the world are taking part. “Of the  99 names of Allah   , none stand for force and violence and the first two names denote compassionate and merciful. Allah is Rahman and Raheem…Those who spread terror in the name of religion are anti-religious,” Modi said. “When the spiritual love of Sufism, not the violent force of terrorism, flows across the border, this region will be the paradise on earth that Amir Khusrau spoke about,” Modi added, referring to the 13th century

Pakistan denies presence of Chinese PLA troops in Pak occupied Kashmir

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Chinese PLA soldiers stand guard at a warship in Beijing. Pakistan has rejected reports of PLA troops being sighted in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. (REUTERS) Pakistan on Thursday rejected reports about the presence of Chinese troops in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir as “baseless rumour-mongering,” and asserted that Kashmir was a long-standing item on the agenda of the UN. “I will not comment on media reports. However, we totally reject baseless rumour-mongering about the presence of PLA (People’s Liberation Army) troops” in PoK, Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said here at his weekly briefing. Zakaria noted that China has also refuted these reports. He said Kashmir was a long-standing item on the agenda of the UN and several UNSC resolutions accept the right of self-determination of the people of Kashmir. Media reports recently said that Chinese troops entered almost 6 km inside the Indian territory near the scenic Pangong lake area in Ladakh sector. The incident ha

J-K: 2 militants killed in Handwara, encounter still on

Two militants were killed by security forces in an encounter that broke out Friday morning in Handwara, Jammu-Kashmir. The encounter is currently underway as more militants are believed to be hiding in the area. According to sources, the encounter strated after security forces got inputs about presence of militants in the Beigh Mohalla wuder area in Handwara. The security forces are combing the area to flush out the remaining militants. Source:  http://www.hindustantimes.com/india/j-k-2-militants-killed-in-handwara-encounter-still-on/story-YWtKK5Fbrt1nx3GfUlrRoI.html

India can't have 'uninterruptable' talks with Pakistan ignoring terror strikes: Shashi Tharoor

Former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor on Thursday said India cannot have "uninterruptable" talks with Pakistan ignoring terror attacks emanating from that country as it amounts to surrendering "self-respect" at times. "We cannot have uninterruptable talks with Pakistan because if the military and ISI do unleash Lashkar-e-Taiba on Mumbai again or on another Indian city, we should interrupt talks. We can't talk to people when their own nationals uncontrolled by them are blowing up bombs in our country and killing Indians," he said. Tharoor, who held the Minister of State for External Affairs portfolio in the erstwhile UPA government, said uninterruptable talks do not make sense because "then you actually surrender your self-respect by saying we will talk to you even if your people are coming and humiliating us and killing us and harming us." The Congress MP was speaking at a panel discussion at the 'Penguin Spring Fever' here.

Santos sends brother to Cuba to break deadlock in FARC peace talks

Colombia’s president has sent his brother to Cuba to break an apparent deadlock in peace talks with leftist FARC rebels. Enrique Santos, the older brother of President Juan Manuel Santos, traveled to Cuba on Monday to meet with FARC chief “Timochenko” about the remaining points on the peace talks agenda. The government and the FARC have been talking since late 2012 and are currently in the final stretch of the talks that are now dealing with the formalization of a bilateral truce, and the demobilization and disarmament of the FARC. Colombia’s FARC rebels said Monday peace talks with the government are have “slowed” somewhat amid discussions over this bilateral and definitive ceasefire FARC negotiator Carlos Lozada said the talks were stumbling over the details of an eventual truce. The government has been seeking to link this truce to the FARC surrendering their weapons, but the rebels have cited security fears and refuse to surrender their weapons to the state they have be

More than 17,000 FARC rebels will demobilize in event of peace: Santos

Colombia president Juan Manuel Santos said Tuesday he estimated that more than 17,000 FARC rebels will demobilize if a peace deal with the guerrilla group is signed. Ahead of the March 23 deadline, the rebels and the Santos administration are seeking to move towards a solution on the issue of the demobilization of troops, the decommissioning of weapons and the reintegration of fighters, or DDR. “I estimate that there are about 7,500 FARC armed men and some 10,000 militants,” Santos said, but said it is a figure that is trying to corroborate. The estimation is lower than that of the director of the Reintegration agency, who estimated 20,000 demobilized fighters, militia members and unarmed members. The talks between Colombia’s government and the left wing guerrilla militants, the FARC have reached agreement on the rebels’ inclusion to politics, rural reform, the rebels’ abandonment of drug trafficking, victim compensation and justice. Up to this point there has been much deb

'FARC frog' caught up in Colombian conflict

Bogota (AFP) - The little green frog's natural camouflage reminded the professor who discovered it of the guerrilla fighters hiding out in the very same Colombian forest. So American zoologist John Douglas Lynch controversially named the new species Atelopus farci, for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the Marxist rebel group that has been fighting the government since 1964. Now, despite their olive-green camo, both the FARC and the frog have disappeared from the creature's sole habitat, a mountainside forest in central Colombia, near the town of Alban. Conservationists fear the little frog is extinct -- collateral damage in the government's increasingly promising peace process with the guerrillas, whose insurgency had the beneficial side-effect of protecting rural areas from deforestation and agriculture, according to Lynch. "Cloaked in camouflage and hiding out in the forest, (the frog) immediately reminded me of the FARC,&q