Terrorism Watch

  In the ever-evolving terror dynamics in Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistani terror groups like the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT) have floated new outfits, including one comprising stone-pelters to ramp up terrorism in the Valley. The Tahreek-e-Sangbaz is one of the latest avatars of the Pakistani terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammad to carry out hits, including lone-wolf attacks, especially against security forces. In the last few months, attacks against the security forces including Jammu and Kashmir Police have witnessed a surge, particularly in Srinagar. Sangbaz means stone pelters and the Tahreek-e-Sangbaz could be mainly recruiting stone-pelters, released earlier by the government as a goodwill gesture, to carry out hits in Kashmir. The activities of the Tahreek-e-Sangbaz have been noticed by the agencies soon after The Resistance Front (TRF) suffered a major blow with the liquidation of its top commander Abbas Sheikh who was driving the terrorist violence in Jammu and

  China exodus The number of people from China seeking asylum worldwide has risen sharply in the past decade, according to the U.N. Hong Kong and mainland China residents are part of an exodus. Some want to escape persecution, while others seek new opportunities for their families in other countries. Their destinations vary, with some hopping to Taiwan and others journeying as far away as Ecuador. About 89,200 people, more than 1% of Hong Kong’s population — left Hong Kong between mid-2020 and mid-2021,  according to its Census and Statistics Department data . “Hong Kong’s living environment seems to be deteriorating, so I am looking for a better place where I can live a happier life,” resident Edwin Lai told VOA at an immigration fair in Hong Kong. A new national security law went into effect in Hong Kong in mid-2020 after months of anti-government protests. “There are a lot of restraints implemented in many areas, from freedom of speech to education. There are also many restrictions

Uganda's director of public prosecution has charged 15 suspects with terrorism in connection with November bombings claimed by the Islamic State terror group. The 15 suspects appeared Wednesday before a magistrates court where the charges were read to them.  The charges are in connection with bombings and other terror activities in the areas of Mpigi, Wakiso and Kampala in which four people were killed.  The Islamic State terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attacks but authorities believe they were carried out by a Ugandan rebel group, the Allied Democratic Forces. Jacquelyn Okui is the spokesperson for Uganda’s director of public prosecution.  “Director of public prosecution has charged 15 suspects with three counts of terrorism, two counts of aiding and abetting terrorism and one count of belonging to a terrorist organization,” Okui said. The suspects, all Ugandan nationals, include five women.  Okui says the matter is still being investigated and upon completion, the

  There are 66 known Indian-origin fighters on the rolls of global terrorist group Islamic State and the country’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) has done a commendable job in ensuring that budding modules were detected and disrupted in time, said the US State Department’s annual report on terrorism. Edit:  Pak’s terror havens Rise in attacks 34  ISIS-related cases examined by NIA in 2020 160  terrorists nabbed by it from Kerala, WB in Sept 10%  rise in terror attacks, fatalities in 2020 against 2019 Online radicalisation In 2020, there were reports of suspected cases of online terror radicalisation, particularly in South India, the report says Pakistan connection Groups targeting India, including LeT, operating from Pak Pakistan failed to act against known terrorists such as JeM founder Masood Azhar US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in the 2020 Country Reports on Terrorism issued on Thursday, said India collaborated with the US on implementing the UN Security Council Resoluti

  For the second time this year, a jury in Minneapolis has ruled against a former police officer for killing a Black man. Like the conviction of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd, the verdict Thursday against Kimberly Potter on two counts of manslaughter for the shooting death of Daunte Wright during a traffic stop represented an unusual decision to send a police officer to prison. And yet, despite the two high-profile convictions in Minneapolis, a review of the data a year and a half after America’s summer of protest shows that accountability for officers who kill remains elusive and that the sheer numbers of people killed in encounters with police have remained steady at an alarming level. The murder of Floyd on a Minneapolis street corner drew millions to the streets in protest and set off a national reassessment on race that touched almost every aspect of American life, from corporate boardrooms to sports nicknames. But on the core issues that set off the social unrest i

There is continued infiltration all across the Line of Control in both Kashmir and Jammu and the main groups operating are Lashkar and Jaish, data reveals.  A total of 24 Pakistani terrorists have been killed in the last eight months in various sectors of Jammu and Kashmir, clearly showing that Pakistan's support to terrorism in the Union territory continues unabated. As per the latest records, eight of them have been killed in the Jammu zone and 16 have been killed in the Kashmir Zone. Details of these slain terrorists reveal that they are all from Pakistan. These terrorists have been killed in encounters in Srinagar, Poonch, Pulwama, Rajouri, Anantnag, Baramulla and most of them are either from Lashkar or from Jaish. Some are unidentified. J&K: Pakistan Rangers stop construction activity near LoC after Indian Army's stern warning Pakistan reportedly halted construction activity after the Indian Army warned of action near the Line of Control in J&K's Kupwara. The I

  Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request.  As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content.

The man who was killed in the blast that took place  inside Ludhiana district court  on Thursday has been identified as Gagandeep Singh, a former cop. He was dismissed from the service in 2019 and spent two years in jail. He was released in the month of September. Gagandeep Singh had drug links, people familiar with the development said.  On Thursday, a bomb went off near the washroom on the second floor of the district court complex killing one person and injuring six others. With all political leaders reaching Ludhiana following the incident, the explosion posed a serious security challenge in front of the state government. According to initial reports, police suspected that the man killed in the explosion had something to do with it. Either he was carrying the explosive device or was trying to assemble, cops said earlier. The blast prompted Union home secretary Ajay Bhalla to hold a high-level meeting on the security situation in the country on Friday. Intelligence Bureau Director A

  US-based chipmaker Intel has issued an apology to China for asking its suppliers to not source any products or labour from Xinjiang region. Towards the beginning of this month, Intel had sent out an annual letter to its suppliers In which it was mentioned that it had been “required to ensure that its supply chain does not use any labour or source goods or services” from Xinjiang region of China. Intel’s move was harshly criticised in China as editorials of the Chinese government-backed newspaper, the Global Times, accused the company of biting 'the hand that feeds it'. "What we need to do is to make it increasingly expensive for companies to offend China so their losses outweigh their gains," the newspaper said in an editorial. After the criticism, the company had to backtrack on its official word. Intel derives nearly more than a quarter of its $80bn (£60bn) of its annual revenue from the Chinese markets, and had to thus apologise to the people of China and its par

  A would-be suicide bomber was shot dead on Thursday outside Kabul's main passport office, police said, as hundreds of Taliban fighters lined up for travel documents on a day reserved exclusively for their applications. "He was identified and killed at a checkpoint at the entrance," Mobin Khan, spokesman for Kabul police, told AFP. There have been several attacks against Taliban fighters since their return to power in August — most claimed by the local chapter of the Islamic State group. Around 200 Taliban fighters had gathered at the passport office from dawn after authorities announced that Thursdays would be set aside exclusively for them to apply for passports. It was unclear why the fighters wanted passports — or where they planned to travel to — as security operatives barred reporters from interviewing them. READ |  Islamic State uses Taliban's own tactics to attack Afghanistan's new rulers Civilians who arrived to process their applications were held back

US President Joe Biden on Thursday signed into law legislation that bans imports from China's Xinjiang region over concerns about Beijing's treatment of the Uyghur Muslim minority. US President Joe Biden on Thursday signed into law legislation that bans imports from China's Xinjiang region over concerns about forced labour, the White House said. The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act is part of the US pushback against Beijing's treatment of the China's Uyghur Muslim minority, which Washington has labelled genocide. The bill passed Congress this month after lawmakers reached a compromise between House and Senate versions. Key to the legislation is a "rebuttable presumption" that assumes all goods from Xinjiang, where Beijing has established detention camps for Uyghurs and other Muslim groups, are made with forced labour. It bars imports unless it can be proven otherwise. Some goods - such as cotton, tomatoes, and polysilicon used in solar-panel manufacturin

AMBALA: Representatives of minority  Sikh  and Hindu communities in Afghanistan, including MP Narender Singh  Khalsa  who had flown to India after the Taliban took over  Kabul  in August, held a meeting with Maulvi Abdul Kabir, deputy prime minister of the Islamic Emirates of  Afghanistan  (IEA) government on Thursday.  Well placed sources in Delhi said Kabul MP Khalsa and Manjeet Singh of Jalalabad flew back to Afghanistan four days ago against the wishes of Afghan Minorities Group (AMG), a joint coordination committee comprising of Afghan-origin Hindus and Sikhs living in India and Afghanistan.  As per reports of an Afghanistan-based channel, during the meeting, the Hindu and Sikh community representatives told him that they wanted to stay in Afghanistan and play a constructive role in the development of the country.  "Maulvi Abdul Kabir told them that the Taliban government has provided security to all and that their policy for everyone, including minorities, is to live in pros

  The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) is a premium public research university in London that also specialises in public health and tropical medicine. LSHTM, which also had a high-profile role during the pandemic, especially in research and policy formulations, has now earned infamy after a recent review report commissioned by the institution itself uncovered evidence of structural racism. The independent review showed how the colonial legacy that the institute still carries continues to impact non-white staff and students negatively, including students and staff members, according to the report, available on LSHTM’s  website .   Staff and students ‘of colour’ are under-represented at the senior level, have fewer prospects of getting promotions and are more likely to be employed on short- and fixed-term contracts in comparison to their white peers, the review found. This discrimination exists despite LSHTM on average having a higher proportion of staff other than