Royal Navy seizes more than three tonnes of cocaine valued at £500million

#NationalCrimeAgency #Aberdeenshire #turkishboat #drugtrafficking It was Britain's largest ever drugs bust when Royal Navy intercepted a Turkish boat off Aberdeen and seized more than three tonnes of cocaine worth in excess of £500million. The raid was carried out on the Tanzanian registered tug boat MV Hamal which was manned by a Turkish gang The interception by the Navy and Border Force officials happened about 100 miles east of the Aberdeenshire coast and nine Turkish nationals have since been remanded in custody in connection with alleged drug trafficking offences. This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 30 April 2015.

As indicated by the National Crime Agency (NCA), initially two tonnes were found and, later another one tonne was discovered. In the opinion of experts, if cut and sold in the UK, it would have had a likely potential street value of over £500 million based on its purity. It seems the drug was sourced in South America and loaded onto the boat in the Canary Islands. Incidentally, Britain is believed to be one of Europe’s largest and most profitable markets for the drug. Estimates indicate that nearly 25 to 30 tons of cocaine is annually smuggled into the UK.

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Trip to Nashik should take in Shirdi and the Ajanta and Ellora caves

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the epic Ramayana

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the Mahabharata

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Nashik transforms from a place of pilgrimage to an industrial hub


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Baltimore on fire as protest over death of a black youth in police custody spirals out of control

#BaltimorePolice #BaltimoreRiots #FreddieGray Baltimore is on fire and a state of emergency has been declared in the city after it transformed into 'an absolute war zone' after the funeral of Freddie Gray, a black 25-year-old youth, who died in police custody. This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 28 April 2015.
The extent of unrest can be gauged from the fact that over 1,000 Maryland police officers, the Maryland National Guard, and 5,000 officers from neighboring states have been put on standby in the city. President Obama has been briefed on the situation as violence continues to escalate.

In the opinion of observers, it is the same level of reinforcement the city had requested during the riots of 1968 following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
Initially, the disturbance had been labeled as anti-police protests to avenge the death of Freddie Gray, who suffered a fatal spinal cord injury in police custody on April 12 but, in no time, it took the shape of uncontrolled riots. Many police officers have been injured and at least 27 people have been arrested.
Moreover, a $16 million nursing home built by a Baptist church, which was due to open in December after eight years of construction, has been burned to rubble on the city's east side as the violence spread.
The protesters looted gun stores, check cashing stores, liquor stores and supermarkets and the mob clad in Balaclava were seen to be ripping off the doors of one rifle shop and passing weapons from the shop to people on the streets. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has branded the rioters as 'senseless thugs' and has announced a week-long 10pm-5am curfew for all citizens with immediate effect.

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Nashik Kumbhmela 2015 – a once in 12-years pilgrimage

Trip to Nashik should take in Shirdi and the Ajanta and Ellora caves

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the epic Ramayana

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the Mahabharata

Kumbhmela 2015 in Nashik – guided tours to wineries and vineyards

Nashik transforms from a place of pilgrimage to an industrial hub

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Media reports indicate that the dreaded terrorist Abu Bakr al-Baghadi, the chief of ISIS, is dead

#ISIS #Pentagon #albaghdadi #alBaaj #RadioIran #Nineveh Media reports indicate that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the creator of the terrorist organization Islamic State, is dead – this would be a major setback to the terrorist outfit ISIS. The news has been released by Radio Iran and also Al India Radio.
This is as per zeenews.india.com dated 27 April 2015.

If true, it could mean the end of a period of nightmare and a quick end to violence and deaths in the areas controlled by the ISIS that had made the lives of people uncertain. The global powers should move in now and take necessary steps to eliminate the ones who would be hungry to take the reins of the rogue outfit because it is reportedly worth billions of dollars.
But, in the absence of a strong leader, the next rung leadership could begin to fight among themselves to pick up the largest possible shares.
There had been reports in the media that Baghdadi had received serious 'life-threatening' injuries during a US-led airstrike in March and that the strike had left him seriously wounded. It had also been suggested that Baghdadi was no more in control of daily operations of ISIS since he had not recovered. But, there was no confirmation.
The Pentagon had also not confirmed the report of Baghdadi being injured – they have said that there was no evidence to prove that the ISIS chief had suffered injuries when the US-led coalition planes bombarded the al-Baaj a district of Nineveh, near Syrian border on March 18.
Obviously, they are playing it safe and could, possibly, be planning to launch an offensive to flush out the next rung leaders. There is already a bounty of $10 million on the head of al-Baghdadi.

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Nashik Kumbhmela 2015 – a once in 12-years pilgrimage

Trip to Nashik should take in Shirdi and the Ajanta and Ellora caves

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Nashik, a tourist center with links to the Mahabharata

Kumbhmela 2015 in Nashik – guided tours to wineries and vineyards

Nashik transforms from a place of pilgrimage to an industrial hub

British Army wants computer whizzkids to counter the growing menace of ISIS propaganda

IPL8 – Mumbai Indians break the jinx with first win against Royal Challengers Bangalore

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Woman kills her husband because of his dark complexion

A 22-year-old woman killed her husband because his complexion was dark. The incident happened in Sundarna village of Petlad, Gujarat, and the police have arrested the woman after they found discrepancies in her statements. The man used to be looking after a farm in the village owned by an NRI.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 26 April 2015.

From information available, it seems he forced her to have physical relations. Since she did not like him because of his color, she got suspicious about his intentions when he asked her to come to the field in the night.
When she resisted his advances, there was a verbal duel and she left only to return with the hammer. She hit him repeatedly with the weapon and he died on the spot. She had delivered a baby just 10 days ago and had agreed to the marriage due to family pressure two years ago.
Even after marriage, she used to stay most of the time at her maternal home but was called back by her in-laws since they needed her help with the domestic chores.

A few more must reads -

Nashik Kumbhmela 2015 – a once in 12-years pilgrimage

Trip to Nashik should take in Shirdi and the Ajanta and Ellora caves

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the epic Ramayana

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the Mahabharata

Kumbhmela 2015 in Nashik – guided tours to wineries and vineyards

Nashik transforms from a place of pilgrimage to an industrial hub

British Army wants computer whizzkids to counter the growing menace of ISIS propaganda

IPL8 – Mumbai Indians break the jinx with first win against Royal Challengers Bangalore

Pattern of death changing in India – heart and lung related diseases are top killers

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Chinese experts believe North Korea could have more than 20-nuclear warheads

#northkorea #nuclearwarheads #china #pyongyang #KimJongUn As per US estimates, North Korea has 10 nuclear warheads but, Chinese nuclear experts believe that North Korea actually has over 20 and have predicted that its stockpile of weapons could grow to 50 or even 100 within five years. This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 24 April 2015.

The Chinese experts have also cautioned that North Korea may also have the capability to produce enough weapons-grade uranium to double its arsenal by next year. Obviously, this revised estimates of Pyongyang's nuclear production is as per the Chinese and has been passed on to US nuclear specialists. The previous US forecasts was of between 10 to 16 bombs.
Incidentally, experts at the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies have revealed that North Korea has conducted three nuclear detonations, the latest one being in February 2013.
It may be recalled that US Admiral William Gortney, commander of the US Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command, had indicated that the US military believes North Korea has the ability to miniaturize a warhead and mount it on a ballistic missile. Of course, there had been no tests carried out. And, one such rocket is an intercontinental missile. Theoretically, it could strike California since it has been designed to carry a payload of more than 5,000 miles.
Kim Jong-Un has kept the whole world on tenterhooks as far as his country’s nuclear programs – he has kept everyone guessing because last month Hyun Hak-bong, the country's ambassador to the UK, had issued a threat that North Korea would be prepared to use nuclear weapons. He had claimed that the secretive state could launch a deadly warhead 'anytime'.

Anti-terrorism operation of Italian police to nab bodyguards of Osama bin Laden

Italy has undertaken a massive anti-terrorism operation to arrest members of an armed terror group inspired by al-Qaeda. The group claims it was ready to carry out attacks in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 24 April 2015.

The ongoing series of raids is targeting the autonomous island of Sardinia and, on the wanted list are 18 people – two of them are believed to be bodyguards for Osama bin Laden.
It has been revealed by investigators that some of those being tracked by police have already been arrested in Italy. These include an imam suspected of being the group's spiritual leader. However, it is doubted that the others might have already fled abroad.
It seems the group was in possession of plenty of weapons and also had numerous faithful people who were willing to carry out acts of terrorism in Pakistan and Afghanistan before coming back to Italy. Incidentally, all the suspects are believed to be from Pakistan or Afghanistan.

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Nashik Kumbhmela 2015 – a once in 12-years pilgrimage

Trip to Nashik should take in Shirdi and the Ajanta and Ellora caves

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the epic Ramayana

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the Mahabharata

Kumbhmela 2015 in Nashik – guided tours to wineries and vineyards

Nashik transforms from a place of pilgrimage to an industrial hub

British Army wants computer whizzkids to counter the growing menace of ISIS propaganda

IPL8 – Mumbai Indians break the jinx with first win against Royal Challengers Bangalore

Pattern of death changing in India – heart and lung related diseases are top killers

Stray dogs attend funeral of Mexican woman who fed them

Health tips – lose weight without dieting

Anchovies can boost good cholesterol and reduce risk factors of the heart

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14-year-old boy from Blackburn arrested for plotting ANZAC day terror attack in Melbourne

#ISIS #AnzacDay #Melbourne #Lancashire #Blackburn It was an ISIS-inspired terror plot in which a 14-year-old boy of Lancashire was involved. The plot was to hack down policemen in Melbourne on ANZAC Day to commemorate the First World War as reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 20 April 2015.

As per information, the teenager from Blackburn, Lancashire, had reportedly been in contact with people from Australia who were planning to use knives and swords to hack officers to death in Melbourne on Anzac Day.
It has been revealed by Greater Manchester Police that the 14-year-old was first arrested on April 2 after police intercepted communications between him and an Australian man – the communication was related to a planned terrorist attack. The boy was subsequently re-arrested on suspicion of being connected in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism. He is currently in custody of the police and is under interrogation.
When the police of Greater Manchester came to know about the alleged plot, they tipped off Australian authorities who swooped on the terror suspects and arrested five men.
The police are now augmenting security for a string of Anzac Day events that are scheduled in London – these include services at the Cenotaph and Westminster Abbey which would be attended by the Queen, Prince Philip and Prince William.

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Nashik Kumbhmela 2015 – a once in 12-years pilgrimage

Trip to Nashik should take in Shirdi and the Ajanta and Ellora caves

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the epic Ramayana

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the Mahabharata

Kumbhmela 2015 in Nashik – guided tours to wineries and vineyards

Nashik transforms from a place of pilgrimage to an industrial hub

British Army wants computer whizzkids to counter the growing menace of ISIS propaganda

IPL8 – Mumbai Indians break the jinx with first win against Royal Challengers Bangalore

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Stray dogs attend funeral of Mexican woman who fed them

Health tips – lose weight without dieting

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Twelve Christian migrants tossed overboard from a rubber dinghy by Nigerian Muslim migrants

#africanmigrants #MediterraneanSea #italy #rubberdinghy #palermo This is another case of religious divide that resulted in the death of 12 Christian migrants when they were tossed overboard in the Mediterranean Sea from a rubber dinghy by Nigerian Muslim migrants. The dinghy was transporting roughly 100 African refugees across the Mediterranean. It finally arrived in the port of Palermo in southern-Italy.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 18 April 2015.

It seems when it began to sink, a Nigerian Christian prayed for his life in an innocent act that finally ended in the death of 12 fellow Christian migrants. As per reports, one of the Muslims on board the rickety craft ordered the Christian to stop. He said that prayers can only be to Allah.
When the Christian refused to oblige, there was a violent fight and 12 Christians were thrown overboard by the Muslim refugees. The Italian police are believed to have arrested 15 people suspected of the killing including one person from the Ivory Coast.
This news has come after an unprecedented 10,000 refugees fleeing war and persecution in Africa have been rescued by Italian ships in the past week.
As revealed by the UN, a total of 23,500 migrants had sailed to Italy this year apart from another 12,000 who had sailed to Greece.

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Trip to Nashik should take in Shirdi and the Ajanta and Ellora caves

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Nashik, a tourist center with links to the Mahabharata

Kumbhmela 2015 in Nashik – guided tours to wineries and vineyards

Nashik transforms from a place of pilgrimage to an industrial hub

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Contract bridge is a good option on Sundays

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Xenophobia spreads in South Africa - foreign-owned shops looted

#xenophobia #johannesburg #jacobzuma #rubberbullets South Africa is faced with xenophobic attacks as attacks are carried out on foreign-owned shops which have been looted in east Johannesburg. The police are trying to restore law and order by forming a barrier between an angry crowd and the foreign-owned shops.
The crowd began to loot foreign-owned shops in the region and, about 200 foreigners took refuge at a police station while the police resorted to firing tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the looters. They also arrested 12 people. This has been reported in bbc.com dated 17 April 2015.

The violence has come in spite of a rally against xenophobia in the coastal city of Durban, along with condemnation from President Jacob Zuma. So far, at least five people have died in anti-foreigner attacks.
It may be recalled that migrants, mostly from other African states and Asia, have come into South Africa after the end of the white-minority rule in 1994 and many South Africans accuse these so-called outsiders of taking jobs in a country where the unemployment rate is 24%.

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Nashik Kumbhmela 2015 – a once in 12-years pilgrimage

Trip to Nashik should take in Shirdi and the Ajanta and Ellora caves

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the epic Ramayana

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the Mahabharata

Kumbhmela 2015 in Nashik – guided tours to wineries and vineyards

Nashik transforms from a place of pilgrimage to an industrial hub

British Army wants computer whizzkids to counter the growing menace of ISIS propaganda

Contract bridge is a good option on Sundays

Pattern of death changing in India – heart and lung related diseases are top killers

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Health tips – lose weight without dieting

Anchovies can boost good cholesterol and reduce risk factors of the heart

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Vietnamese restaurants serve pet cats as baby tigers with noodles

#babytiger #Vietnam #Hanoi #catmeat #BacNinh It is a thriving trade where pet cats are snatched off the streets, killed and passed off to the unsuspecting customers as baby tigers. These are served with noodles as reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 16 April 2015. The cats are slaughtered in tens of thousands across Asia - to feed the booming appetite for their meat in Vietnam and restaurants that specialize in this sort of cuisine of serving domestic cats as 'baby tiger' are mushrooming across northern Vietnam. This is in spite of laws against eating the animals.

The man who steals the cats gets paid anything from £37 to £52 for every animal by the owners of restaurants. It may be recalled that in January a lorry with three tonnes of cats crammed into bamboo cages stacked one on top of another was seized by police as it was on its way from China to Hanoi. In Va Town located in Bac Ninh province which is an hour's drive from Hanoi, ‘baby tiger’ is in the daily menu of a popular restaurant. The most popular dishes of this restaurant are cat meat hot pot – this is on sale for around £40 pounds and feeds seven. This is a huge sum in rural Vietnam. Of course, cat meat noodles are priced at £3 pounds a bowl. As a restaurant owner has admitted - the best cats are aged two and a half years old and weigh 2.5-Kg and the live cats come for £3.50 per Kg and the meat sells for about £7 per Kg. The clientele consists of lawyers, policemen and company directors who eat it at the start of the lunar month. Then there are the factory workers who eat it at the beginning of the month. And, the rich people eat it all month long.

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Nashik Kumbhmela 2015 – a once in 12-years pilgrimage

Trip to Nashik should take in Shirdi and the Ajanta and Ellora caves

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the epic Ramayana

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the Mahabharata

Kumbhmela 2015 in Nashik – guided tours to wineries and vineyards

Nashik transforms from a place of pilgrimage to an industrial hub

British Army wants computer whizzkids to counter the growing menace of ISIS propaganda

Contract bridge is a good option on Sundays

Pattern of death changing in India – heart and lung related diseases are top killers

Stray dogs attend funeral of Mexican woman who fed them

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Anchovies can boost good cholesterol and reduce risk factors of the heart

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Pentagon says Islamic State is losing the ground from under its feet in Iraq

#ISIS #Pentagon #BarackObama #HaiderAlAbadi #Iraqiforces #airstrikes Pentagon is of the opinion that the tide is turning against the Islamic State (IS) and it has lost more than a quarter of its territory in Iraq after the US-led coalition air campaign began in August. This has been reported in bbc.com dated 14 April 2015.
Col Steve Warren, a spokesman of Pentagon, has remarked that it was too early to assess whether the tide was really turning, but it is a fact that the US-led coalition air strikes and attacks carried out by the Iraqi ground forces had inflicted some damage.

Pentagon has quantified the loss sustained by IS by quoting some figures - IS had lost approximately 25% to 30% of its territory in Iraq in the past eight months, which was the equivalent of 12,950 to 15,540 sq km (5,000 to 6,000 sq miles).
It has lost territory in locations like Mosul Dam, Zummar and the vicinity of Sinjar Mountain. And, as a result, its frontline had been pushed either west or south, depending on location, in the provinces of Irbil, Babil, Baghdad and Kirkuk.
AS far as its presence in Syria, its gains in Suweida, Damascus Countryside and Homs provinces have been offset by losses in the provinces of Aleppo and Hassakeh.
It may be recalled that the IS had taken over large swathes of northern and western Iraq last June and it is gradually realizing that its losses are far more than gains and, they can be wiped out of history very soon. Evil forces cannot last forever.
The announcement of Pentagon came just before the talks to be held between Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and President Barack Obama in Washington.

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Nashik Kumbhmela 2015 – a once in 12-years pilgrimage

Trip to Nashik should take in Shirdi and the Ajanta and Ellora caves

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the epic Ramayana

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the Mahabharata

Kumbhmela 2015 in Nashik – guided tours to wineries and vineyards

Nashik transforms from a place of pilgrimage to an industrial hub


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Gunmen shoot dead 20 laborers in a dam construction site in Balochistan

#Balochistan #Turbat #Pakistan Unidentified gunmen have shot dead at least 20 laborers and left three injured at the construction site of a dam in Pakistan's restive southwestern Balochistan province. The incident happened in Gobdan area of the Turbat district. This is believed to be one of the most volatile parts of Balochistan which is a region where nationalist and separatist Baloch groups have been fighting against the state for over a decade demanding maximum autonomy.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 11 April 2015.

There are doubts about how the killing occurred. One version is that militants opened fire indiscriminately at the laborers while they were sleeping. Another version is that the laborers were lined up and shot at point blank range. It has also been reported that the eight paramilitary troops who were guarding the laborers had fled the scene when faced with such a large number of armed attackers.
None of the dead were from Balochistan but, 16 were from Pakistan's Punjab province and four from Sindh. Obviously, the targets were the workers from Pakistan. It seems after committing the killing, the attackers fled on motorcycles. A separatist group, Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) has apparently taken responsibility for the attack.

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Nashik Kumbhmela 2015 – a once in 12-years pilgrimage

Trip to Nashik should take in Shirdi and the Ajanta and Ellora caves

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the epic Ramayana

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the Mahabharata

Kumbhmela 2015 in Nashik – guided tours to wineries and vineyards

Nashik transforms from a place of pilgrimage to an industrial hub


Pattern of death changing in India – heart and lung related diseases are top killers

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Auckland girl sweet talks thief to return stolen mobile phone

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87-year-old woman passenger forced an Air Canada flight to divert to Shannon

It was an Air Canada flight ACA-877 from Frankfurt to Toronto with 211 passengers on board and an 87-year-old woman passenger forced it to divert to Shannon Airport in Ireland – she was a pensioner and was traveling First Class but had been creating disturbance on board. The cabin crew had to restrain her and the Boeing 777-300 had to go in for an unscheduled landing.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 11 April 2015.

Once the pilot was alerted by the flight crew, he contacted the Irish Aviation Authority’s (IAA) North Atlantic Communications Service centre at Ballygirreen in Co Clare and they advised him to land at Shannon Airport.
After the Boeing touched down, airport police officers took the woman into custody. She was, subsequently, released without charge but will have to undergo a 'fit-to-fly’ screening so that she can continue on her journey.

A few more must reads -

Nashik Kumbhmela 2015 – a once in 12-years pilgrimage

Trip to Nashik should take in Shirdi and the Ajanta and Ellora caves

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the epic Ramayana

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the Mahabharata

Kumbhmela 2015 in Nashik – guided tours to wineries and vineyards

Nashik transforms from a place of pilgrimage to an industrial hub


Pattern of death changing in India – heart and lung related diseases are top killers

Stray dogs attend funeral of Mexican woman who fed them

Nationwide ban on cow slaughter on the cards says Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh

Health tips – lose weight without dieting

Auckland girl sweet talks thief to return stolen mobile phone

Anchovies can boost good cholesterol and reduce risk factors of the heart


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ISIS shoots dead 10 doctors who refused to treat wounded jihadists

#ISIS #jihadists #Mosul #Tikrit #AshCarter #SouthKorea That the ISIS hates refusal has once again come to light when they shot dead 10 doctors who did not agree to treat wounded jihadists in Iraq. This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 9 April 2015.
The summary execution by the bloodthirsty militants happened in a location near Mosul when the militants fighting for the Islamic State in Iraq savagely executed the doctors who refused to treat wounded members of the terrorist organization. The location was the battle-ravaged area 15 miles south of the extremists' northern Iraqi stronghold Mosul. Video released has captured the moment the fighters killed the doctors with a bullet to the head.

As per information, the ISIS jihadists had been fighting local groups in the Hammam al-Alil area and a number of them sustained injuries that necessitated medical treatment. But, the doctors refused saying that they do not support the terror group's activities. That led to their execution.
Observers have described the city of Mosul as being a massive open-air prison. The residents here are subjected to barbaric torture at the hands of the ISIS terrorists. The jihadists had, reportedly, executed 60 Sunni tribal fighters in Anbar province of Iraq on charges of collaborating with the Iraqi security forces.
Iraqi Army soldiers and the Iran-backed volunteer Shiite militias have joined up with the Iraqi regime to have successfully pushed back the ISIS from important towns and villages. The liberation of Tikrit was an example. Tikrit was the birthplace of Saddam Hussein and a strategically important location and the Iraqi Army will now try to regain control of Mosul and eventually force ISIS out of the country.
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter has indicated that the U.S. has made progress against ISIS in Iraq but was unable to make any prediction on how long the fight will take. He was interacting at a joint news conference with his South Korean counterpart and admitted that he could not say with confidence that it was the beginning of the end for ISIS in Iraq.

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Nashik Kumbhmela 2015 – a once in 12-years pilgrimage

Trip to Nashik should take in Shirdi and the Ajanta and Ellora caves

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the epic Ramayana

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the Mahabharata

Kumbhmela 2015 in Nashik – guided tours to wineries and vineyards

Nashik transforms from a place of pilgrimage to an industrial hub


Pattern of death changing in India – heart and lung related diseases are top killers

Stray dogs attend funeral of Mexican woman who fed them

Nationwide ban on cow slaughter on the cards says Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh

Health tips – lose weight without dieting

Auckland girl sweet talks thief to return stolen mobile phone

Anchovies can boost good cholesterol and reduce risk factors of the heart


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At least 6 killed and 63 injured in Taliban attack in Mazar-e-Sharif

#Taliban #mazaresharif #Afghanistan #Balkh Taliban gunmen, dressed in military uniforms, stormed the office of the attorney general in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e-Sharif and killed at least six people and injured 63 as reported in bbc.com dated 9 April 2015.
As revealed by witnesses, a group of five attackers enter the office, followed by heavy gunfire and several explosions. The dead included a local police chief and two officers while another 26 officials of the government were among the injured. A spokesman for the Taliban has confirmed that it carried out the attack.

It was a siege that lasted for six hours and all five gunmen were killed by the Afghan National Security Forces which had surrounded the area. The police rescued the attorney general from his office, which is just 200m (650ft) from the office of the governor of Balkh province.
The chief doctor at the Balkh Provincial Hospital has confirmed the number of those dead and injured as 6 and 63 respectively.
The Taliban has been targeting Afghanistan's legal system continuously. In June 2013, it had detonated a car bomb in front of the compound of Afghanistan's Supreme Court in which 17 were killed and another 39 were wounded.

A few more must reads -

Nashik Kumbhmela 2015 – a once in 12-years pilgrimage

Trip to Nashik should take in Shirdi and the Ajanta and Ellora caves

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the epic Ramayana

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the Mahabharata

Kumbhmela 2015 in Nashik – guided tours to wineries and vineyards

Nashik transforms from a place of pilgrimage to an industrial hub


Pattern of death changing in India – heart and lung related diseases are top killers

Stray dogs attend funeral of Mexican woman who fed them

Nationwide ban on cow slaughter on the cards says Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh

Health tips – lose weight without dieting

Auckland girl sweet talks thief to return stolen mobile phone

Anchovies can boost good cholesterol and reduce risk factors of the heart


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Another interesting blog - Ramblings

At least 1700 bodies in Tikrit mass graves – Iraqis mercilessly killed by ISIS

#Tikrit #ISIS #Baghdad #Iraq #CampSpeicher #massgraves After liberating Tikrtit from the hands of ISIS, mass graves of around 1700 Iraqi soldiers have been discovered as reported in edition.cnn.com dated 6 April 2015. There are believed to be at least 10 mass graves inside the presidential palace complex which was once the residences of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. The presidential complex had been converted to ISIS headquarters after the militants occupied the city. The soldiers have, most probably, been executed after they were captured in June outside Camp Speicher which is a fortified Iraqi base near Tikrit.

From reports of one of the survivors it seems the soldiers were herded inside the compound, separated into smaller groups, executed and buried in mass graves. Just how the Iraqi soldiers ended up in the hands of ISIS is a mystery but one version is that in June, some military units had been given orders to move to Camp Speicher. Another version is that the soldiers were told to leave the base and move closer to Baghdad and the soldiers left unarmed and in civilian clothes. However, military commanders and the Iraqi Defense Ministry have denied issue of any such orders. The official version is that the men had deserted.

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Cocaine worth £1million in bag of holidaymaker on flight from Dominican Republic to French Riviera

#cocaine #drugmule #NiceAirport #drugsmugglers #FrenchRiviera A tourist became an unsuspecting drug mule when Directorate-General of Customs in France discovered 18 packages of cocaine weighing 46lbs (21-Kg) stuffed inside a suitcase that was abandoned on the baggage carousel. The suitcase had the name of the tourist on it but it did not belong to him.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 4 April 2015.

The tentative value of the illicit drugs was more than €1.3million (£950,000) in street value and the stuff were in a suitcase that arrived at the airport in Nice on a flight from the Dominican Republic.
Customs officers detained the individual who was waiting for his luggage at the airport and after interrogation were convinced that the bag did not belong to him and that he had nothing to do with the smuggling of drugs.
The investigators believe that this could be the handiwork of smugglers in the Dominican Republic who would have filled the suitcase with cocaine and used the tourist’s identity. Their intention could have been to sneak the drugs into France through Nice Cote d’Azur International Airport.
The authorities are trying to find out who packed the bag and how it wound up on the transatlantic flight.

A few more must reads -

Nashik Kumbhmela 2015 – a once in 12-years pilgrimage

Trip to Nashik should take in Shirdi and the Ajanta and Ellora caves

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the epic Ramayana

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the Mahabharata

Kumbhmela 2015 in Nashik – guided tours to wineries and vineyards

Nashik transforms from a place of pilgrimage to an industrial hub


Teenage girl of Brighton sat on a needle in a bus and is now getting her blood tested for HIV

Stray dogs attend funeral of Mexican woman who fed them

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Anchovies can boost good cholesterol and reduce risk factors of the heart


Another interesting blog - Citizen Journalist

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Two women of New York planned to carry out a Boston style bombing in NYC

#FBI #HeraldSquare #NYC #BostonBombing #terrorists FBI has arrested a team of two women of New York who had planned a terrorist attack on NYC on the lines of the Boston bombings – they had conspired to use weapons of mass destruction. One of these women was apparently in possession of a number of gas tanks and instructions on turning them into bombs.
This has been reported in bbc.com dated 3 April 2015.
A Brooklyn court has charged both the women who are US citizens. They have said that they understood the charges.
As per court documents, they had referred to themselves as "citizens of the Islamic State" and one of them had been in regular contact with members of the foreign terrorist organization al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Her accomplice referred to Osama Bin Laden as a hero.

It seems the two of them had plotted to unleash terror by creating explosive devices. They had even researched the pressure cooker bombs used during the Boston Marathon bombing. This has been revealed by the FBI.
The women had been plotting to build an explosive device since at least August of last year and had, accordingly, studied chemistry and electricity. They did not have any specific target in mind but had considered Herald Square in Manhattan as a target.
Interestingly, one of the women had criticized a US Air Force veteran who was arrested for trying to go to Syria engage in violent jihad. Her logic is – why go to Syria when there were targets in the US that could be put to use.

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Al-Shabaab attacks students in Garissa – 15 killed, unknown numbers taken hostage

#Garissaattack #alshabaab #kenya #gunmen #hostage Al-Shabaab militants stormed a university in Garissa, north-eastern Kenya and have killed at least 15, injured over 65 others while taking away an unknown number of students as hostage. This has been reported in bbc.com dated 2 April 2015.
Troops are engaging the gunmen and, from information available, it seems masked attackers had fired indiscriminately and the number of casualties could increase. The Al-Shabaab is linked to al-Qaeda, and it appears it was holding Christians as hostage while setting free the Muslims.

They have done such segregation earlier also. The hostages from the two groups had been separated, and 15 of the Muslims had already been released. This is what they had done previously namely, sparing the lives of Muslims while killing the non-Muslims.
Kenya's Interior Minister Joseph Nkaissery has revealed to journalists that five masked gunmen are said to have stormed the university and one of them had been killed as he tried to flee. Moreover, out of 815 students, 535 had not yet been accounted for. The Kenyan Red Cross has added that about 50 students had been "safely freed", but an unknown number were still being held hostage by the militants.

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Medieval mystery of 1300 skeletons under the University of Cambridge

#universityofcambridge #stjohnscollege #victorianera A piece of medieval history came to light only when a lecture hall belonging to a Cambridge college needed refurbishing. It was revealed that beneath it lay 1300 skeletons of the period 1195. This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 31 March 2015.

As history goes, some of the dead were sickly Cambridge University scholars, others homeless wayfarers or simply the infirm and, having fallen upon hard times, and being too poor to care for themselves, they landed up in the medieval Hospital of St John the Evangelist. The hospital had been set up in 1195 and the people came there in their last moments to receive spiritual succor.
Once they died, they were buried in the hospital's own cemetery.
The exact location and scale were a mystery for centuries and, the mystery has, now, been solved. A team of archaeologists were digging under the Old Divinity School. This was a building of the Victorian era and owned by St John's College. This college was founded in 1511 on the site of the hospital and, takes its name from it.
That is how the cemetery and the remains of 1,300 people was unearthed. It was a six-month operation and the team found some 400 almost perfectly preserved human skeletons and the partial remains of up to 900 more. All of them dated from the 13th to 15th centuries.

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Nashik Kumbhmela 2015 – a once in 12-years pilgrimage

Trip to Nashik should take in Shirdi and the Ajanta and Ellora caves

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the epic Ramayana

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the Mahabharata

Kumbhmela 2015 in Nashik – guided tours to wineries and vineyards

Nashik transforms from a place of pilgrimage to an industrial hub


Nine medical students go to Syria, their families try to bring them back

First Russian woman cosmonaut returns to Earth after six-month stay in ISS

The mystery space plane X-37B of the United States

Serial killer of Brazil arrested as he tried to kill his 40th victim

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Anchovies can boost good cholesterol and reduce risk factors of the heart

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