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Showing posts from July 2, 2017

Kremlin says steps needed for genuine ceasefire in Ukraine

"If I had a solution in my pocket I would have already used it and shared it with my friends," the French president said in a video posted on his Facebook account. Measures are needed that will lead to a genuine ceasefire in Ukraine, and implementation of the Minsk agreements to end the conflict there has been too slow, the Kremlin said on Saturday. With Ukraine on the agenda, President Vladimir Putin earlier met with his counterparts from France and Germany, Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel, on the fringes of the G20 summit in Hamburg. Macron said he had no ready solution to the crisis, but that the three countries had had a “good discussion” about it. “If I had a solution in my pocket I would have already used it and shared it with my friends,” the French president said in a video posted on his Facebook account. “We know how complicated the situation is on the ground, so we are negotiating.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there was an understanding between the

Suspected Islamist militants behead nine men in Kenya

A witness, who asked not to be named, confirmed the death toll. "They raided Jima and Poromoko villages and killed nine men. They were slaughtered like chickens, using knives," said the witness. Suspected Islamist militants beheaded nine men in an overnight attack on a village in the Kenyan coastal district of Lamu, police said, days after Somali militants killed three policemen in an attack on a nearby village. Police said there were nine bodies. A witness, who asked not to be named, confirmed the death toll. “They raided Jima and Poromoko villages and killed nine men. They were slaughtered like chickens, using knives,” said the witness. Villagers said a group of heavily armed attackers, many of whom appeared to be ethnic Somalis, attacked the villagers at 11:00 pm. They went house to house searching for non-Muslim men and gathered their victims together before beheading them. Residents had called police to report suspected al Shabaab militants in the area earlier o

Dhaka cafe attack: Militant wanted in Burdwan blast case arrested in Bangladesh

Sohel Mahfuz, said to be one of the top planners of the 2016 Dhaka cafe attack, was arrested along with three other suspected members of the neo-JMB by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit. Banned militant outfit Jama’atul Mujahideen’s top explosives expert, wanted in India in the 2014 Burdwan blast case, was on Saturday arrested in Bangladesh, a year after the deadly Dhaka Cafe attack for which he allegedly supplied grenades. Sohel Mahfuz, said to be one of the top planners of the 2016 Dhaka cafe attack, was arrested along with three other suspected members of the neo-JMB by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit from Chapainawabganj district in northern Bangladesh last night, police said. Sohel is the top explosives specialist of Neo-JMB and a key arms and explosives supplier for the banned outfit, the Dhaka Tribune reported. According to investigators, Mahfuz supplied explosives used

‘Victory’ over IS in Mosul imminent as insurgents lines collapse: Iraqi military

Some Iraqi soldiers celebrated, dancing with rifles and machineguns and waving the national flag as they reached their assigned targets, without waiting for a formal victory announcement to be made, a Reuters TV crew said. Iraqi security forces expect to take full control of Mosul in the coming hours as Islamic State’s defensive lines collapse in its former de facto capital in Iraq, state television reported on Saturday. Air strikes and artillery salvoes pounded the jihadists’ last bastion in the city as black smoke billowed over it, a Reuters correspondent said. Some Iraqi soldiers celebrated, dancing with rifles and machineguns and waving the national flag as they reached their assigned targets, without waiting for a formal victory announcement to be made, a Reuters TV crew said. The mood was less festive, however, among some of the nearly one million Mosul residents displaced by months of fighting, many of whom are living in camps outside the city. “If there is no rebuil

UN experts: Drop charges against Palestinian Hebron activist

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The United Nations has urged Israel to abide by international law as it reactivates charges against a prominent Palestinian human rights defender. Issa Amro, an advocate of non-violent resistance, co-founded the grassroots group Youth Against Settlements, which has relentlessly campaigned against the Israeli military's shutdown of the once-thriving and historic Palestinian neighbourhood around Shuhada Street. The area was on Friday declared part of a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Their activities have included running a community centre, organising protest marches and opposing the many restrictions placed by the military on daily Palestinian life. But Israeli authorities accuse Amro of "insulting a soldier," "assault" and demonstrating without a permit. "On the information available to us, many of the charges against [Issa] Amro appear to be directed squarely at his lawful right to peacefully protest against the 50-year-old Israeli occupation,

Police gain upper hand after Hamburg's day of G20 clashes

HAMBURG: Police gained the upper hand in Hamburg early on Saturday morning after a day of running clashes with anti-capitalist protesters seeking to disrupt the city's  G20 summit  of  global leaders .  Heavily armed police commandos moved in after activists had spent much of the day attempting to wrest control of the streets from more than 15,000 police, setting fires, looting and building barricades.  With meetings between leaders of the club of 20 largest global economies finished for the day, police stormed the last holdouts, who had gathered in the Schanzenviertel district, an area known for its left-wing activism and culture of squatting.  With two months to go before she seeks re-election, Chancellor Angela Merkel had hoped to cement Germany's growing global leadership role with a demonstration of its unwavering commitment to free speech, assembly and dissent by holding the summit in the centre of a city with a proud radical tradition.  Protesters torched cars and lorri

Farmer's teenage son, 17, 'plotted a London Bridge-style attack at a Justin Bieber concert in Cardiff after being radicalised in less than a WEEK online'

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Farmer's teenage son, 17, 'plotted a London Bridge-style attack at a Justin Bieber concert in Cardiff after being radicalised in less than a WEEK online' The teenage son of a farmer appeared in court yesterday accused of plotting a London Bridge-style suicide attack on a major British city. The 17-year-old is charged with obtaining a knife and a hammer as he prepared to hijack a vehicle for a ‘lone wolf’ attack on Cardiff. Counter-terrorism police suspect the boy – who cannot be identified because of his age and is preparing for A-levels – was radicalised in less than a week online. The strike was feared to take place on June 30 as more than 40,000 fans descended on the Principality Stadium for a Justin Bieber concert (pictured)  The strike was feared to take place on June 30 as more than 40,000 fans descended on the Principality Stadium for a Justin Bieber concert. The teenager was arrested during a raid on his rural home hours before the Canadian pop sta

India, Myanmar Discuss Ways to Check Militants, Smuggling

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India and Myanmar have discussed ways to check cross border movement of militants, and smuggling of arms, ammunition and drugs along their 1,643-km frontier. The 21st India-Myanmar national-level meeting also discussed how to plug loopholes in a pact that allows free movement of citizens of both countries within 16 kms of the international border. The issues were discussed threadbare at the two-day meeting held at Nay Pyi Taw on July 5-6 and both sides agreed to enhance security cooperation along the frontier region for better management of the border, a home ministry official said. During the meeting, security cooperation in prevention of drug, boundary matters, wildlife smuggling, visa and prisoners in jails in the two countries, were discussed. “Two sides mutually agreed that all steps should be made to ensure tranquillity along the border and safety and well being of the people in the border areas,” an official statement said. India attaches utmost importance to the di

Lashkar, ISIS have different names but same ideology: PM Modi leads fight against terror at G20

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On the first day of the G20 Summit in the German city of Hamburg, Prime Minister  Narendra Modi  today led the fight against terrorism. As the lead speaker at a session on the theme of fighting terrorism, PM Modi stressed on how terrorists organisations like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, active in Kashmir, are the same as Daesh (ISIS) and Al-Qaeda, active in other parts of the world. Modi said terrorist organisations bear different names but their ideology is the same - that of spreading hatred and killing people. Speaking at the two-hour-long Leaders' Retreat, Modi called upon the most powerful nations of the world to come together for a joint fight against the global menace. Describing terrorism as the biggest threat of our times, PM Modi said international cooperation is weak on terrorism as the focus of all countries is on the national angle. ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ON WHAT MODI SAID AT THE G20 SUMMIT ON TERRORISM: PM Modi stressed that it is very important

G20 leaders vow to cut terror financing, fight internet propaganda

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G20 leaders in a joint statement issued in Germany vowed to take steps to choke financing to terror groups and to take steps to prevent the internet from being used to spread propaganda. G20 leaders in Hamburg, Germany (Photo: Twitter/Gopal Baglay) Leaders of the Group of Twenty (G20) who kicked off their two-day summit in Germany on Friday, issued a hard-hitting statement on thwarting terrorism, especially choking the flow of funds to militant groups. The statement, which came hours after Prime Minister  Narendra Modi indirectly targeted Pakistan  (which is not a member of G20) by naming terrorist organisations that operate from its soil and saying that the groups all share the same ideology and purpose - of spreading hate and killing people.  In the joint statement released late night (Indian time), the G20 leaders, which included US President Donald Trump, Russia's Vladimir Putin and Chinese premier Xi Jinping, reiterated their commitments to international human right

ISIS attack looming on the Wimbledon 2017 tennis tournament?

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As per intelligence agency SITE, the Islamic terrorist wing is preparing lone-attacks during Wimbledon, just like the Manchester attacks 2017. Sayantan Maitra     Shocking news has come up on Thursday, July 6, that is set to send chills down the spines of tennis players, the Wimbledon organisers as well as a plethora of tennis fans. Terrorist outfit ISIS, who claimed responsibility for carrying out Manchester bombings during an Ariana Grande concert not very long back, have now turned their attention to the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. According to the International Business Times, UK Edition, an intelligence agency has claimed that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) are taking recourse to their channel "Lone Mujahid", to transmit messages via Telegram, a messaging service. "A pro-Islamic State (IS) Telegram channel incited for lone-wolf attacks during the Wimbledon Tennis Tournament, sharing a map of the venue and suggesting

Steeped in Martyrdom, Cubs of the Caliphate Groomed as Jihadist Legacy

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They are known as the cubs of the caliphate, youngsters enlisted by the Islamic State, which views them as “the generation that will conquer Baghdad, Jerusalem, Mecca and Rome.” The West and the Middle East communities from which they have been recruited see them as a grim threat, the deadly legacy of a murderous caliphate on the brink of military defeat.  As the terror group’s territory shrinks in the face of offensives on IS strongholds in Syria and Iraq, the militants have highlighted in a series of chilling videos in recent months what they hope will be in store for their enemies. The militants are counting on the revenge of the lion cubs, the child soldiers they have been enlisting in northern and eastern Syria and western Iraq, and grooming determinedly since Islamic State's leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed himself the emir of all Muslims in June 2014. Steeped in a culture of martyrdom, the threat posed by the cubs — both to themselves, as well as others — is wo

Egypt blocked UN sanctions against Saudi branch of Daesh: Report

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A file photo of a UN Security Council meeting Through two successive objections, Egypt reportedly managed to keep the Daesh terror group’s Saudi offshoot off a United Nations terrorism-related sanctions list. Reporting on Wednesday, the Middle East Eye (MEE) news portal revealed that Cairo had raised objections both the times the world body received a proposal to blacklist the branch earlier this year. The last time, the Egyptian mission formally objected to the inclusion of the Saudi branch on the sanctions list back in May. In its obstruction of the proposal, Egypt was also joined by Senegal. Previously, it had said on February 3 that it wished for the UN to “put on hold…the proposal of the United States of America to add ISIL (Daesh)-Saudi Arabia” to the list. The stonewalling apparently resulted in the scrapping of the proposal entirely, and Cairo was reportedly not asked to provide any justification for its objection. The MEE cited Madawi al-Rasheed, a visiting profes