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Showing posts from June 25, 2017

Children still trapped in Mosul in dire need of protection – UNICEF

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The devastation in western Mosul is extreme, the people have been damaged, says Peter Hawkins of the UNICEF mission in Iraq. The psycho-social care of children of the Iraqi city has to be our paramount concern, he added. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory over Islamic State on Thursday saying the army recaptured the Grand al-Nuri Mosque in Mosul where ISIS declared a caliphate three years ago. Months of fierce fighting between the terrorists and the US-led coalition have devastated not only the city but also the lives of hundreds of thousands of locals. Iraq declares ‘fall’ of ISIS as military retakes landmark Mosul mosque UNICEF mission representative in Iraq,  Peter Hawkins  says it’s difficult to say at the moment how many lives were lost. “ We still haven’t got full facts yet. Children are the innocent victims of any war. In this particular war, those children still trapped in western Mosul are in dire need of protection. And this is what we are calling

Iraq PM thanks top Shia cleric Ayatollah Sistani for role in anti-Islamic State war

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Three days after Mosul fell to the Islamic State group in 2014, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani called on Iraqis to volunteer to fight the jihadists, a step that helped to halt their sweeping offensive. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi Friday thanked Iraq’s top Shia cleric for his role in the war against jihadists, crediting him with saving the country and setting the stage for victory. Three days after Mosul fell to the Islamic State group in 2014, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani called on Iraqis to volunteer to fight the jihadists, a step that helped to halt their sweeping offensive. But the call also leaves a complicated legacy, leading to a resurgence of Shiite militias that have carried out abuses and the establishment of new paramilitary groups, both of which could be a source of future instability. Abadi issued a statement expressing his “deep thanks and gratitude” to Sistani for “his great and continuing support to the heroic fighters.” The cleric’s 2014 call for

UN: Civilians at risk of “collective punishment” in ISIS liberated areas of Iraq

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The United Nation’s human rights commission is concerned that civilians and families with alleged connections to former ISIS members could be subjected to forced evictions from their homes which would be a violation of the international law. “Such actions may amount to collective punishment that is a clear contravention of the Iraqi Constitution as well as human rights and humanitarian law,” the UN human rights commission said in a statement on Friday. “As Mosul is increasingly liberated from ISIL, we are seeing an alarming rise in threats, specifically of forced evictions, against those suspected of being ISIL members or whose relatives are alleged to be involved with ISIL – threats that have also been made in other areas,” stated Rupert Colville, spokesperson for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), at a press briefing in Geneva. The OHCHR has received several reports of “night letters” left at family’s homes believed to be a

Bangladesh marks anniversary of cafe attack that killed 20

Foreign delegates, activists and family members vowed Saturday to tackle Islamic militancy in the country, visiting the Holey Artisan Bakery, the site of last year's attack. In the July 1, 2016, attack, a group of five militants targeted the cafe in Dhaka and killed 20 hostages, including 17 foreigners. On Saturday, some relatives cried while people placed wreaths to remember the victims of the attack. Since the attack, authorities have captured and killed dozens of suspects. Source:  http://www.sfchronicle.com/news/world/article/Bangladesh-marks-anniversary-of-cafe-attack-that-11260722.php

China’s Xi Jinping warns Hong Kong protesters over sovereignty ‘red line’

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It was Xi Jinping's first visit to the city since he took power in 2013, and came amid fears by some Hong Kongers of increasing Chinese encroachment on the city's autonomy - guaranteed under a framework known as "one country, two systems". By:  PTI  | Hong Kong | Published:July 1, 2017 4:21 pm Hong Kong has been simmering for the past few years with massive demonstrations, including prolonged “occupy protests” against China screening candidates to contest elections. Sounding exasperated over the recurring protests, Xi said people in Hong Kong was freer than ever. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo President Xi Jinping today warned against “impermissible” challenges to China’s authority over Hong Kong and said any attempt to question Beijing’s sovereignty in the former British colony would cross a “red line”. Xi’s stern warning came at a gathering to mark 20 years of Chinese rule in Hong Kong and swearing-in of pro-Beijing new Chief Executive Carry Lam and her c

Bronx hospital shooter sent chilling email rant to Daily News two hours before fatal rampage

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Henry Bello, 45, said he was ultimately fired from his job for threatening a co-worker. (Facebook) Just two hours before his deadly rampage at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital, shooter Henry Bello ranted to the Daily News in an email — blaming the medical center for ruining his dreams of furthering his career. “This hospital terminated my road to a licensure to practice medicine,” Bello wrote to The News at 12:46 p.m. on Friday. “First, I was told it was because I always kept to myself. Then it was because of an altercation with a nurse.” Bello, 45, said he was ultimately fired from his job for threatening a co-worker. In his email to The News, Bello blamed two doctors by name for getting the ax. Bello sent the email to the Daily News at 12:46 p.m. Friday. The shooting took place at 2:45 p.m. the same day. (Obtained by New York Daily News) Bello said that after he was fired, he wrote an email to one female doctor “congratulating her for my termination after she sent out an email

Top LeT terrorist gunned down during encounter in J&K's Anantnag district

NEW DELHI: Two  terrorists , including a top Lashkar-e-Taiba ( LeT ) terrorist, were killed after an hours-long standoff with security forces in  Dailgam  village in  Jammu and  Kashmir 's  Anantnag  district on Saturday.  Earlier in the day, security forces launched cordon and search operations in the Brenti-Batpora area, acting on intelligence on the presence of terrorists in the area.  Police sources said after receiving specific information regarding presence of terrorists, including top LeT leader  Bashir Lashkari  in Dailgam, security forces laid a cordon in the wee hours. While the cordon was being laid, some terrorists believed to be hiding in a house opened fire on the security personnel, who also retaliated in kind.  On June 16, SHO Feroz Ahmed and five other policemen were killed on the outskirts of  Anantnag  district. Lashkari is believed to have been involved in the killing of the six policemen and was reportedly one of the ultras trapped in the security forces cordo

Pakistan remains unfazed despite US warning, allots grand welcome to Hizbul chief Syed Salahuddin in PoK's Muzaffarabad

Pakistan seems to be undeterred by the United States designation of Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin as a global terrorist. New Delhi: Pakistan seems to be undeterred by the United States designation of Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin as a global terrorist.  In the latest development, the Hizbul terrorist was recently given a grand welcome in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir's Muzaffarabad. This comes after Salahuddin was declared "specially designated global terrorist" by the State Department following Modi's meetings with US secretary of state Rex Tillerson and defence secretary James Mattis on Monday in Washington.  The Zee News has access to a video which shows the Hizbul Mujahideen chief receiving a grand welcome by a crowd of hundreds.  The designation happened hours before Prime Minister Narendra Modi met US President Donald Trump, signalling the new administration’s commitment to stamping out Pak-sponsored terror. With this, Salahuddin has jo

Philippines: Top cop insists police try to save lives of drug war victims

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THE PHILIPPINES’ police chief on Friday stood by anti-narcotics officers and rejected a  Reuters  investigation that pointed to a pattern of police sending corpses of drug suspects to hospitals to destroy crime scene evidence and hide executions. President Rodrigo Duterte took office in the Philippines a year ago, launching a bloody war on drugs that has killed thousands of Filipinos. In a television interview to mark the anniversary, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Ronald dela Rosa appeared irritated by questions about the  Reuters  report, published on Thursday, and said police carrying out anti-drugs operations had a duty to save lives, even when encountering violent resistance. He said police were not medically qualified to determine whether a victim was dead or alive and sent victims to hospital as part of operational procedure. “What do you want, we let the wounded die? You don’t want us to rescue his life?” he told news channel  ANC. SEE ALSO:  Philippines: H

Kashmir encounter: Two Lashkar militants, involved in killing 6 cops, gunned down in Anantnag

The Lashkar militant and 4 others trapped in a house in Anantnag were involved in the killing of six policemen last month, cops said. Agencies   Press Trust of India, Srinagar Two Lashkar-e-Taiba militants were killed in an encounter with security forces in Kashmir’s Anantnag on Saturday, ANI reported, where a woman died in the crossfire.  The two have been identified as Bashir Lashkari, a Lashkar commander, and Azad Malik, the news agency said. Lashkari and Malik were holed up in a house Brenti village along with two other militants after security forces launched a cordon-and-search operation early Saturday when they received information about their presence, a police official said.  He said the search operation turned into an encounter after the militants opened fire on the security forces. A police spokesman said the militants were using civilians as human shields and that efforts were on to rescue them.  The four were involved in the  killing of six policemen last

26/11 survivor's kin touched by PM Modi's decision to meet him

By  PTI |  Updated:  Jun 30, 2017, 03.06 PM IST JERUSALEM:  Moshe Holtzberg , the Israeli child who was just two years old when he lost his parents in the 2008  Mumbai terror attack , is looking forward to see Prime Minister  Narendra Modi , who in a special gesture, will meet the boy during his visit here next week.   Modi's decision to meet Moshe, now 10, has been welcomed by the child's family which said that the gesture made them realise that Indians share their pain and they have not been forgotten.   Modi will also meet Moshe's Indian nanny Sandra Samuels, who managed to escape with him from the Nariman House which came under attack by Pakistan-based LeT terrorists, and his grandparents Shimon and Yehudit Rosenberg.   "I could not believe my ears when I got a call from the Indian envoy saying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to meet us. My immediate thoughts were that we have not been forgotten and that Indians share our pain," Rabbi Shimon Ros

Malaysia, Indonesia and Philippines taking war against terror into cyberspace

KOTA KINABALU: Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines are taking their fight against terror to cyberspace. The three countries have agreed to curb the spread of terrorism and related content on the Internet, particularly on social media. The three South-East Asian nations also agreed to prevent and suppress the terrorist exploitation of information and communication technology and the dissemination of terrorist messages. In a trilateral meeting on security in Manila Thursday, the three countries also said they would work towards stopping the flow of terrorist financing as part of their battle against militant activities in the region. These were among the 15 points in a proposed plan of action the foreign ministers from the three countries agreed to. Malaysia was represented at the meeting by Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman, while Indonesia was represented by its foreign minister Retno Marsudi and the Philippines by its foreign affairs secretary Alan Pe

Myanmar to deny entry to UN staffers investigating plight of Rohingya Muslims

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Myanmar says it will refuse entry to the members of a United Nations fact-finding mission tasked with investigating allegations of crimes by Myanmar’s security forces against Rohingya Muslims. Kyaw Zeya, a permanent secretary at Myanmar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the government would not grant visas to the UN staffers. “If they are going to send someone with regards to the fact-finding mission, then there’s no reason for us to let them come,” he said. “Our missions worldwide are advised accordingly.” The government in the capital, Naypyidaw, which is practically led by Aung San Suu Kyi, had already said it would not cooperate with a UN mission in the country. The United Nations Human Rights Council agreed in March to send an international fact-finding mission to Myanmar and called on Suu Kyi to “fully cooperate.” During a trip to Sweden this month, however, she claimed that the UN mission “would have created greater hostility between the different communities.” Ra

Call from mothers leads 638 PKK militants to return to their families

Security forces continue the fight against the PKK with attempts to convince terrorists in the mountain to surrender, which resulted in the return of 638 militants to their families in last three years, as part of a project. A team of eight experts, including from a professor, historian, psychologist and interpreters that speak Arabic, Kurdish and Zaza, visited the families of the 850 terrorists as part of the Return to your family now my child project.  The group of experts demanded that the families tell their children "the truth" about the PKK and convince them to leave the terrorist organization while visiting their houses with chocolates and flowers. The group also showed footage of living conditions in the mountains, the terrorists who have surrendered and the scenes after a conflict to the families to clarify the real face of the organization. "Make your child drop their weapons. They won't receive any punishment if they were not involved in arm

Bloodied and broken: Rising toll of Philippines' war with ISIS

By  Euan McKirdy  and  Ivan Watson , CNN Updated 0112 GMT (0912 HKT) June 27, 2017 Iligan, Philippines (CNN) During the rainy season on the southern Philippines island of Mindanao, storms are foreshadowed by flashes of lightning in the distance, visible above the treetops. When the rain finally comes, it is a vicious, torrential downpour, which ends as abruptly as it begins.  While the rains come and go, the flow of wounded into a military hospital in the north of the island does not. Just as two ambulances pull into the hospital at Camp Evangelista in Cagayan de Oro, the skies once again open up, muddying the dirt courtyard. They discharge yet another 10 soldiers, wounded in what is becoming a bloody, protracted insurgency by ISIS-affiliated militants. Lt. Col. Jonna Dalaguit, the facility's chief medical officer, looks exhausted from the constant stream of broken men who are ferried into her hospital, brought in displaying the wounds of war -- "bullet wounds