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Showing posts from December 26, 2021

Yemen's Houthi rebels launch missile at Saudi-led coalition camp in Shabwa, say sources

Yemen's Houthi rebels launched a missile at a camp belonging to the Saudi-led coalition in Shabwa, an oil-producing province and key battleground in the years-long war. Yemen's Houthis  on Thursday launched a missile at a camp housing Yemeni forces belonging to a  Saudi-led coalition  that had sent reinforcements to counter a push on the  oil-producing  province of Shabwa, military sources and a local official said. The ballistic missile killed four soldiers and wounded 13 at the camp in Markha, three military sources said. A local official put the death toll at seven. There was no immediate comment from the Houthis or from the pro-coalition Giants Brigade, which said on Wednesday that fighters previously stationed in western Yemen had arrived in  Shabwa in the south. The Iran-aligned Houthis, who have been battling the coalition for more than six years, advanced in the central province of Marib, the country's only gas-producing area and home to its largest oil fields. The

From strike on Iran to Noah's Ark: Israel Hayom wraps up 2021

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Ahead of Rosh Hashanah, which this year fell on Sept. 6, the staff of  IsraelHayom.com  took a look through our archives and identified the  most popular stories for our readers  in the year that had passed since Rosh Hashanah 5781. Follow Israel Hayom on  Facebook  and  Twitter But nearly four months have passed since then, and the news – good, bad, and bizarre – keeps rolling on. As 2021 comes to a close, these are a few of the more recent stories that resonated most with  Israel Hayom  readers. Archaeologists claim to have found a giant shape in the Turkish mountains that matches the shape and dimensions of the iconic biblical craft Noah's Ark might not be where you think it is In October, archaeologists with the Noah's Ark Scans project said that using advanced 3D scans, they had located a giant shape in the Turkish mountains the proportions of which match the biblical descriptions of Noah's Ark. The discovery was made in the Durupinar site on Mount Tendurek in eastern

Fighting Maoists: Govt To Complete Pending Work On 215 Km Stretch Of Roads In Chhattisgarh

  New Delhi:   Amid the decreasing Maoist footprints in Chhattisgarh, the government has been focusing on completing around a 215 km stretch on 12 critical roads in the state at the earliest. The central security forces deployed in Chhattisgarh have been tasked to provide adequate security during the construction work on these roads. The construction work on these 12 roads, located deep in the Naxal dominated belt, has been planned in ‘Mission Mode’ and adequate cover will be provided by both the state and central security forces. Among these 12 roads, five fall in Sukma district, four are in Bijapur district, one in Dantewada while two roads are located on the Bijapur-Sukma border and the Dantewada-Sukma border. Once completed, these roads will not only facilitate government development work such as education, health and other basic facilities but also pave the way for domination of the security forces over the Maoists in their strongest base. According to sources, two such roads — on

Centre extends AFSPA in Nagaland for six months

  Days after it formed a panel to study the removal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from Nagaland, the Centre extended the application of the controversial law for six more months while calling the state’s condition “disturbed and dangerous”. In a gazette notification issued on Thursday, the Union home ministry said: “Whereas the Central government is of the opinion that the area comprising the whole of the State of Nagaland is in such a disturbed and dangerous condition that the use of armed forces in aid of the civil power is necessary.” It added, therefore, in the exercise of the powers conferred by Section 3 of the AFSPA, the Central government declares Nagaland to be “disturbed area” for six months with effect from December 30 for the extension. An official, who did not want to be named, pointed out “renewing such notifications on their expiry is a routine practice depending on the ground situation”. Also Read |  Army to let SIT record statement of troops in Nagalan

China Renames 15 Places in Arunachal; MEA Says State India’s Integral Part & Changing Names Won’t Alter It

China has announced Chinese characters, Tibetan and Roman alphabet names for 15 more places in India’s northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, which it claims as South Tibet. China's Ministry of Civil Affairs announced on Wednesday that it had standardised in Chinese characters, Tibetan and Roman alphabet the names of 15 places in Zangnan, the Chinese name for Arunachal Pradesh, state-run  Global Times  reported on Thursday. Following the development, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a statement saying, “Arunachal Pradesh has always been, and will always be an integral part of India. Assigning invented names to places in Arunachal Pradesh does not alter this fact.” MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi added that this is not the first time China has attempted such a renaming of places in the state of Arunachal Pradesh. “China had also sought to assign such names in April 2017,” he said. Global Times  said that China’s renaming decision is in accordance with regulations on g

90% of terrorists operating in Afghanistan targeting CPEC projects: Pak’s counter-terrorism wing chief

  Around 90 per cent of terrorists operating in Afghanistan are actively targeting China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects, key installations and economic activity, Pakistan’s counter-terrorism department (CTD) has claimed. Deputy Inspector General (DIG) CTD Javed Iqbal Wazir made these remarks while speaking to reporters in Peshawar city on Thursday. He said that the anti-terrorism wing has busted five major groups of Islamic State – Khorasan Province in Peshawar and Bannu region since last year. “Three of the major groups were busted by the CTD Peshawar region while two were busted by the CTD Bannu range. The held terrorists were involved in over 40 incidents of target-killing, including attacks on polio vaccination teams,” Pakistani newspaper The News International quoted Wazi as saying. The CTD chief added the arrested and killed terrorists included a number of most wanted people who were carrying millions of rupees as head money. Also read |   Pakistan buys 25 Chinese J-1

Breaking: Security Beefed up In Mumbai Over Intelligence Report On Possible Khalistani Attack

Mumbai:  Mumbai Police on Thursday issued high alert after it said information was received that Khalistani elements could carry out terrorist attacks in the city. Giving details to news agency ANI, Mumbai Police said all the police holidays and weekly holidays have been cancelled for Friday and every policeman posted in Mumbai will be on duty.   Quaiser Khalid, Commissioner of Police, Mumbai Railway, said in view of the alert in Mumbai, tight security has been deployed at the major stations of Mumbai, Dadar, Bandra Churchgate, CSMT, Kurla and other stations.  He also added that more than 3000 railway officers will be deployed on Friday at various sensitive places. Source:  https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/other/breaking-security-beefed-up-in-mumbai-over-intelligence-report-on-possible-khalistani-attack/ar-AASh0X8?ocid=BingNews

Number of active terrorists less than 200 in Jammu and Kashmir for first time in 30 years : Security agencies

Srinagar: The security forces in Jammu and Kashmir claim that the number of terrorists in the Union Territory is less than 200. It's for the first time in the last 30 years that the numbers have gone down so low. The number of active local terrorists in Kashmir Valley is at 86 while the rest are foreigners The Jammu and Kashmir Police also said that 128 local boys joined terror ranks this year in the valley, out of which 86 are still active. Rest of them have either been killed or arrested by the forces.  ''Its for the first time, the number of terrorists have gone down below 200 in the UT. This year around 128 local youth joined terrorism. Out of them 73 got killed in different encounters while 16 were arrested. The rest are still active.'' said IG Vijay Kumar.  While addressing a joint press conference, the Police also said that 11 terrorists have been killed in the Kashmir Valley in the last 5 days. 6 terrorists were killed in the two encounters that started yest

Hong Kong: Former editors of Stand News charged with sedition

  Two former senior editors of Stand News, a pro-democracy news outlet in Hong Kong, were charged with conspiring to publish seditious material, said authorities. This has come a day after about 200 police personnel raided the office of the online publication.. The raid took place on Wednesday (December 29). Assets of Stan News were frozen and several current and former senior editors and former board members were arrested. The raid was criticised by media advocacy groups and Western governments. The action by the authorities is being seen as a further erosion of press freedom in Hong Kong. The National Security Department of the police said in a statement it had laid charges of conspiracy to publish seditious material against two men and an online media company. "The other arrestees are being detained for further enquires," the department said in a statement. While it did not identify the two or the company a charge sheet filed at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Court and seen

China replaces 'soldiers with robots' in Tibet as soldiers ‘fleeing’ in harsh winters

  As the unsolved India-China border dispute brews tensions, new media reports allege that China is sending machine gun-wielding robots to the frontier to exacerbate the situation. According to Indian media reports, dozens of autonomous vehicles capable of transporting both weapons and supplies are being dispatched to Tibet, with the bulk being deployed in border regions where Chinese troops are engaged in a standoff with Indian troops. The Sharp Claw, which can be handled wirelessly and is armed with a light machinegun, and the Mule-200, which is meant as an unmanned delivery truck but can also be equipped with weaponry, are two examples of vehicles.  China is now supplying troops with MUL-200 unmanned vehicles, while also giving guns to its military. Watch: Around 120-200 mules have also been dispatched to Tibet, the majority of which will be stationed near the border. China has also provided 70 VP-22 armoured military vehicles to supplement the unmanned vehicles. Seventy-seven of th

WWF warns of impending mass extinction that may be largest since dinosaur age

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has warned of impending mass extinction “within the next decade—the largest since the dinosaur age,” that could push millions of animals and plants to the brink of extinction. The stark prediction was made by the WWF’s Germany wing in its report “Winners and Losers of 2021,” which documents a list of animals whose existence is now acutely under threat, as well as conservation victories. “Around one million species could go extinct within the next decade —which would be the largest mass extinction event since the end of the dinosaur age," the organization said in a statement. There are currently 142,500 animal and plant species on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), in which 40,000 of them are “threatened with extinction.” It is the largest number of species to be included on the Red List since it was established in 1964, according to WWF Germany. Among the animals who are most acutely threatened are the African f

Wildfires killed 17 million animals in Brazil in 2020: Study

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  They estimate that as many as 17 million animals including reptiles, birds and primates lost not just their lives and biodiversity in these extreme events. With climate change aggravating extreme events across the world, a new study shows that 17 million animals were killed in the devastating fires in Brazil alone. Scientists attempted to count the mortality figures among animals from the wildfires that ravaged the region in 2020. Anthropogenic factors have significantly influenced the frequency, duration, and intensity of meteorological drought in many regions of the globe, and the increased frequency of wildfires is among the most visible consequences of human-induced climate change. They estimate that as many as 17 million animals including reptiles, birds and primates lost not just their lives and biodiversity in these extreme events that were triggered by climate change.  In a study published in Scientific Reports earlier this month , scientists said that despite the fire's

India, Philippines in advanced stage of negotiations on BrahMos missile deal

  India and the Philippines are in an advanced stage of negotiations over the sale of BrahMos supersonic cruise missile. Export orders are likely to be placed soon, as per government sources. DRDO and BrahMos Aerospace have together been pushing hard for exports of this missile to friendly foreign countries for the last few months, sources added. BrahMos is a supersonic missile for the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force. This universal missile can be launched from ships, mobile launchers, submarines and aircraft. It has network-centric architecture, multiple trajectories, way-point capability, and is capable of engaging any kind of land or naval targets beyond the horizon in a minimum deployment time. Indian Missiles ready for export According to a list released by Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) in February this year, Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air Missile Astra, anti-tank guided missile Nag and Brahmos weapon systems have been  given clearance for export . Akash

Six terrorists, including two Pakistanis, killed in two separate encounters in J&K: Police

  Six terrorists were killed in two separate engagements with security forces in Anantnag and districts of Jammu and Kashmir, including two Pakistani nationals, authorities said. The terrorists are linked to the banned terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). According to the report, four of the terrorists killed have been identified so far.Two are Pakistani terrorists and two are local terrorists. The identities of the other two terrorists are yet unknown.  "6 #terrorists of proscribed #terror outfit JeM killed in two separate #encounters. 4 among the killed terrorists have been identified so far as (2) #Pakistani & (2) local terrorists. Identification of other 02 terrorists is being ascertained. A big #success for us," Kashmir Zone Police tweeted quoting IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar.  Soon after the Anantnag incident, security forces launched another operation in Kulgam's Mirhama, killing three militants in a brief confrontation.  Following a tip about the presence of terror

European countries tighten COVID-19 measures to tackle Omicron surge before New Year

The World Health Organization Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that he is "highly concerned that Omicron being more transmissible, circulating at the same time as Delta, is leading to a tsunami of cases."   Brussels:  Just days before New Year's eve, some European countries have been forced to take stricter measures to cope with surging Covid-19 cases of the Omicron variant. In France, the daily number of Covid-19 cases reached 208,099 on Wednesday, breaking the record on Tuesday and hitting a new high since the outbreak of the pandemic in the country, Xinhua news agency reported. "This means that 24 hours a day, every second, two French people are diagnosed positive," the country`s Health Minister, Olivier Veran told the National Assembly while presenting a draft bill of the vaccination pass. On Tuesday, the French government authorised the sale of antigenic tests in supermarkets until the end of January and announced a monthly bonus of 100 e

Andhra Pradesh: Maoists Left Wing Extremists face big blow in 2021

  VISAKHAPATNAM: The banned outfit CPI Maoists faces a big blow in the year 2021 as they lost their main cadres either in surrenders or arrests, besides a few in encounters.   The revolutionary movement of naxal faced a setback for the first time after 21 years of the formation of the Andhra Odisha Border (AOB) Special Zonal Committee.  The movement in AOB had faced many ups and downs in the two decades, but it had never faced such conditions as in the year 2021 as it had lost two of its special zonal committee members Dubasi Sankar alias Pedda Mahender and Muttannagari Jalandhar Reddy alias  Krishna  in the form of arrests. While the guiding force of the AOB SZC, the central committee leader Akkiraju Haragopal alias RK alias  Ramakrishna  died due to severe illness. A big jolt was received by the naxal with these conditions apart from many arrests and surrenders, besides a few key leaders were encountered.  While the divisional committee members (DCMs) Chikkudu Chinna Rao alias Sudhir

Maoist numbers have dwindled in State: Sawang

  The strength of the Maoists has fallen drastically in the State — indicating that the welfare programmes being launched by the State government for the development of Agency areas are yielding good results, Director-General of Police (DGP) D. Gautam Sawang said. “The Maoists are redundant as the government is taking measures to organise job fairs, provide employment and develop tribal areas. In all, 882 tribal youth were given training in various skill development programmes,” the DGP said while addressing reporters at a yearender press conference at the A.P. Police Headquarters on Tuesday. “There is a steep decline among the Maoist cadres, and the strength of the underground (UG) cadres has declined in the State,” Mr. Sawang said. “The number of area committees in Andhra Odisha Border (AOB) region has reduced from six to four. Out of two Central Committee Members (CCMs) and five State Committee Members (SCMs) in the beginning of 2021, only one CCM and two SCMs are active in AOB now,