Posts

Showing posts from October 1, 2017

Splits Emerge Among Catalan Separatists

Catalonia's leader Carles Puigdemont has threatened to declare independence 'within days', but the region's business minister Santi Vila proposed a 'ceasefire' in the row with Spain's central government BARCELONA, SPAIN:   Splits have emerged among Catalan separatist leaders over their plans to unilaterally declare independence following a secession referendum deemed illegal by Madrid. Catalonia's leader Carles Puigdemont has threatened to declare independence "within days", but the region's business minister Santi Vila proposed a "ceasefire" in the row with Spain's central government. In an opinion article published in Catalan daily Ara he urged the pro-secession camp to "reflect on the usefulness and consequences" of a declaration of independence. Puigdemont put off until Tuesday an appearance in the regional Catalan parliament at which time some leaders have called for the declaration to be made. The session

Russian air strikes kill 120 IS fighters, over 60 'foreign mercenaries' in Syria

As a result of an air strike more than 60 foreign mercenaries from the former Soviet Union, Tunisia, and Egypt were killed south of Deir Ezzor. Moscow: Some 120 Islamic State fighters and 60 foreign mercenaries were killed in a series of Russian air strikes in Syria over the past 24 hours, the defence ministry in Moscow said on Saturday. "A command post of the terrorists and up to 80 (IS) fighters including nine natives of the Northern Caucasus were destroyed in the area of Mayadeen," the ministry said, adding some 40 IS fighters were killed around the town of Albu Kamal.  As a result of an air strike more than 60 foreign mercenaries from the former Soviet Union, Tunisia, and Egypt were killed south of Deir Ezzor. The ministry said the "large numbers of foreign mercenaries" were coming into the Syrian border town of Albu Kamal from Iraq.  Mayadeen is one of the Islamic State group`s last bastions in Syria. The advances against IS in Deir Ezzor have

Mainstreaming Terror

Image
As Pakistan has discovered, the process further radicalises society, undermines state The non-state actors have returned from Pakistan’s covert war to trouble a state that has lost its writ to their localised tyranny. It is now certain — unless Pakistan’s powers-that-be intervene — that the process of “mainstreaming” or deradicalising of Pakistan’s proxy warriors recommended by retired military officers figuring on TV talkshows has been shipwrecked. The Foreign Office under PMLN foreign minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has decided that Hafiz Saeed’s Milli Muslim League (MML) should not have taken part in the NA-120 by-polls bagging 5,822 votes and beating at least one mainstream party, the Pakistan Peoples’ Party. The Foreign Office has followed up on the letter of the Interior Ministry under PMLN Minister Ahsan Iqbal in answer to the query sent by the Election Commission of Pakistan on whether the MML should be allowed to take part in the by-election. The Interior Ministry sai

US Embassy in Saudi Arabia cautions citizens after foiled attack in Jeddah

Image
The file photo shows the US Embassy in the Saudi capital city of Riyadh. The US Embassy in Saudi Arabia has cautioned the American citizens in the kingdom, following reports of a foiled attack in the port city of Jeddah. On Saturday, several unconfirmed reports said that Saudi security forces had thwarted an attack outside King Salman’s Al Salam Palace, which left the assailant and two royal guards dead. The Saudi government has not officially confirmed the incident. "Due to the possibility of ongoing police activity, American citizens are advised to exercise caution when travelling through the area," the US embassy said. The Al Salam Palace is one of the key royal palaces in the kingdom where the Saudi Council of Ministers convenes its meetings. Terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda and Daesh have conducted several attacks in Saudi Arabia, mainly in the country’s Shia-dominated Eastern province. In June, Saudi authorities said they foiled a Daesh attack on the Gra

Maoists recruiting children to fight in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, concerns UN chief

Image
 UN chief Secretary General Antonio Guterres unveiled an annual report on ‘Children in Armed Conflict’ (File Photo) United Nations:  The UN chief has expressed concern over the recruitment of children by separatists and Naxalites, saying they continue to be affected by incidents of violence between armed groups and the government, especially in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir. In his annual report on ‘Children in Armed Conflict’, Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the UN continued to receive reports of the recruitment and use of children by armed groups, including the Naxalites, in particular in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. “Children continued to be affected by incidents of violence between armed groups and the Government, in particular in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, as well as tensions in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said. According to government information, at least 30 schools were burned and partially destroyed by armed groups in Jammu and Kashmir. In add

Australian plans for child terror detentions cause backlash

Image
Reuters Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has said the new terror laws would replace Australian state laws Unicef Australia has expressed concern at proposals that could see children as young as 10 held for two weeks without charge under new terror legislation.  They insist that a "clear distinction" is necessary between children and adults in the legal system. A minister said the plans were needed because so-called Islamic State "specialises in recruiting children".  But opposition politicians and charities have expressed their concern that minors are included in the plans. "Unicef Australia is concerned that the proposal could risk situations where children could be arbitrarily detained," director of communication Jennifer Tierney said. "Children should only ever be subject to detention as a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate time. "We urge Australian governments to consider the vulnerabilities of children and e

Pak Govt warns of action over ‘jihad fatwas’

Image
ISLAMABAD:  Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Friday called on clerics and religious leaders to denounce 'jihad fatwas' posted by people on social media, declaring that in an Islamic country only the State had the right to declare jihad, not a mohalla or a mosque. "Only the state can declare jihad … no group of people has the right to declare jihad against another group," he told the National Assembly while speaking on the suicide blast at Dargah Fatehpur Sharif near Gandawa area of Jhal Magsi district. "We need to prevent that from happening and I humbly request religious leaders to condemn the fatwas posted on social media. If we let this go on, the country will turn into a battlefield with various groups and ethnicities pitted against each other," he added. "The enemy wants Muslims to behead each other. If we continue treading this path of violence and unrest, we wouldn't even need an [external] enemy to destroy us," the minister s

Terror safe havens on Afghan side the real concern: Pakistan

WASHINGTON:  Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif has said that Pakistan is extremely concerned about safe havens of terrorists who are mostly operating from ungoverned spaces in Afghanistan which are more than 40 percent of the total area of the country. At his interaction with US and foreign media at the Pakistan Embassy late Thursday night, the minister said a number of terrorist attacks in Pakistan in recent months have been traced back to these elements operating from these bases in Afghanistan. "On our part, we have completely wiped out all the hideouts used by terrorists and anti-state elements. However, this is an ongoing process with continuing intelligence-based operations by law enforcement agencies across the country," he said. "We have offered candid cooperation to Afghanistan during the recent visit of COAS and foreign secretary to Kabul where they had successful and productive meetings with President Ashraf Ghani, CEO Abdullah Abdullah and others in the A

How America's gun lobby took the Republican Party hostage

Image
Democrats rally on the steps of the US Capitol to urge for gun control legislation in wake of the mass shooting in Las Vegas. The massacre of at least 58 people in Las Vegas is unlikely to galvanise US lawmakers to significantly tighten gun laws. The story of former Republican politician  Debra  Maggart 's battle against the powerful  National Rifle Association  shows why. Maggart, a proud gun owner and NRA life member whose family's business sold firearms, had her political career destroyed in the conservative state of Tennessee by the gun lobby group. MAKSIMCHUK VITALY/123RF Americans own almost 300 million guns - close to one for each person. But the ownership rate has fallen to 30 per cent, with many gun owners owning hoards of weapons. The NRA controls Republican politicians and Republicans currently control Congress, the White House and most state legislatures. READ MORE: *  Opportunity missed' for NZ to tighten gun control laws *  Hotel to tak

Prosecutors Reveal Thwarted Plot To Bomb Times Square, New York Subway

Authorities arrested one in the group in May 2016, after he traveled to the United States to prepare for the attacks, and took the others into custody in Pakistan and the Philippines in September 2016 and April 2017. The Washington Post:   Federal authorities revealed Friday they had arrested and charged three men in connection with a 2016 plot to carry out bombings and shootings in crowded areas of New York City, then kept the court case under seal for more than a year as investigators worked the case. The scheme was more nefarious than many: The group, which wanted to attack Times Square and the New York City subway system, claimed to have been in touch with an Islamic State affiliate to obtain official sanction of the terror group, prosecutors said. One of them, a U.S. citizen living in Pakistan, traveled around that country to meet with explosives experts, and another purchased bomb-making materials and secured a cabin within driving distance of New York City, the prosecutors s

Photographer Killed In Mexico As Journalist Death Toll Nears Record

MEXICO CITY:   The bullet-riddled body of a news photographer was found in central Mexico on Friday, state officials, putting 2017 on track to become the deadliest year yet for journalists in the notoriously violent country. Edgar Daniel Esqueda, 23, who worked with Metropoli San Luis and Vox Populi SLP in the state of San Luis Potosi, was found in the state capital with at least three bullet wounds in the back of his neck, authorities said. The news outlets where Esqueda worked reported had reported his abduction from his home by gunmen on Thursday morning. San Luis Potosi's governor, Manuel Carreras, told a press conference an investigation was underway. He did not say whether Esqueda's murder was linked to his work as a journalist. With Esqueda's killing, 2017 could become the bloodiest year yet for reporters in Mexico, according to press freedom and journalists' advocacy group Articulo 19. The photo journalist was the 11th reporter killed so far this year, the grou

Rohingya crisis: India identifies 140 vulnerable locations along Bangladesh border, deploys more security personnel

Image
New Delhi:  India has identified 140 vulnerable locations, deployed more security personnel and surveillance gadgets, and launched a "campaign" against organised criminal gangs that help Rohingyas sneak across the India-Bangladesh border, the BSF chief on Friday said. The Border Security Force (BSF) concluded its bi-annual four-day talks with their counterparts, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), and chalked out plans to keep a vigil on the "spillover effect of the Rohingyas crossing over to India." Border Security Force (BSF) soldiers walk across the open border with Bangladesh. Reuters BSF Director General (DG) KK Sharma and the visiting BGB chief, Major General Abul Hossain, addressed the media at the end of their talks that began after the Bangladeshi delegation arrived here on 2 October. The BGB DG said they have assured the BSF that the policy of the Bangladeshi government is very clear and "does not allow" their soil to be used for any k

Catalan crisis: Two views about independence

Image
Getty Images Tensions are running high in Spain in anticipation of a possible declaration of independence by the Catalan government. On 1 October, 43% of Catalans voted in a referendum, which the Spanish government declared illegal then tried to suppress by force.  The final results from the outlawed poll show 90% of the 2.3m people who voted backed independence. There has been a big focus on relations between the government of Mariano Rajoy and the Catalan regional government. But what about relations within Catalonia itself, between people who are pro- and anti-independence? Support for independence among Catalans isn't unanimous: some just wanted greater autonomy, while others are fearful of the economic and political impact of a split from Spain. These are the thoughts of two prominent Catalans, with different perspectives on the crisis. Eduardo Mendoza  is one of Spain's most celebrated literary figures, a Catalan who doesn't support independence. He was aw

China rejects US criticism of One Belt One Road passing through PoK

Image
Claiming UN support for its controversial One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative, China today rejected US criticism saying the project has not changed its stand that the Kashmir issue should be resolved by India and Pakistan bilaterally. Mattis’ comments were widely interpreted as the US backing India’s stand on OBOR especially related to the USD 50 billion CPEC which is being built through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). (Reuters) Claiming UN support for its controversial One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative, China today rejected US criticism saying the project has not changed its stand that the Kashmir issue should be resolved by India and Pakistan bilaterally. “We have repeatedly reiterated that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is an economic cooperation initiative that is not directed against third parties and has nothing to do with territorial sovereignty disputes and does not affect China’s principled stance on the Kashmir issue,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry tol