Police zero in on attackers who bombed Erawan Shrine in Bangkok

The Thai police are gradually zeroing in on the bombers and, after nabbing one suspect, they are now after two new suspects — a Thai woman and a foreign man of unknown nationality. The police have released a photograph of the woman's Thai identification card. The photograph is showing a young woman in a black headscarf. Additionally, they have released a sketch of the man of unknown nationality.
This has been reported in foxnews.com dated 31 august 2015.

The bomb blast had taken place on Aug. 17 at the Erawan Shrine in which 20 people were killed - more than half of whom were foreigners. In addition, another more than 120 were injured.
The Thai police have already arrested a man from an apartment in Bangkok's outskirts and have seized bomb-making equipment like detonators, ball bearings and a metal pipe believed to be a bomb casing.
In addition, some more bomb-making materials were found in a second nearby apartment located in a neighborhood known as Min Buri. This was rented by the Thai woman identified as 26-year-old Wanna Suansun.
Items found in this apartment were fertilizer, gun powder, digital clocks and remote-controlled cars whose parts can be used for detonation.
(Image courtesy wikimedacommons.org)

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Treasure hunters told to keep away since the Nazi Gold train could be booby-trapped

Two men, a Pole and a German, have revealed that they had found a train with guns and valuables, supposedly a Nazi train that could have been carrying valuable stuff. The duo has informed through lawyers that they wanted 10% of the value of anything that was found as a reward. However, till now, there is no visual evidence about the existence of such a train.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 28 August 2015.

As per local folklore, the train had vanished near Ksiaz castle, two miles from the south-eastern city of Walbrzych. Rumor has it that the train was packed with gold, gems and weapons and went missing in Poland while fleeing the Red Army after the end of World War II.
Treasure hunters have been looking for it for decades, and in the communist era, the Polish army had also tried to locate it. Deputy Culture Minister Piotr Zuchowski has now warned to stay away from the long-lost Nazi "gold train" because, even if found after 70 years, it may be booby-trapped. It could be mined and dangerous.
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Foolish robbers caught in London - they wore burqas but did not walk like women!!

It was a case of a couple of foolish robbers in London who disguised themselves as women by wearing burkas to raid a pawnbrokers in Atlantic Road, Brixton but were caught after passers-by noticed they 'did not walk like women'.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 28 August 2015.

One of them was armed with a fake gun and he struck as the staff were preparing to open the shop. They then forced one woman to open a security room safe and stole jewelry and cash in various currencies worth £64,000. However, members of the public who saw them in the traditional full-length Islamic garments, realized that they were fakes - their manly gait gave them away.
The incident happened in May and they have been sentenced for a total of 20 years at Inner London Crown Court. A judge had described the robbery in May as 'professional'.
Michael Lindo, a football coach, had 19 previous convictions for robbery or attempted robbery. Two of these involved firearms. He was jailed for 11 years. His partner Aaron Dumetz was a trainee carpenter and he was jailed for 9 years. Both of them hailed from Lambeth and admitted to robbery and possession of an imitation firearm with intent.
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Resurgent left front on Mission Nabanna – police use water cannon, tear gas

After being thrown out of power, the left front in West Bengal had been nursing its wounds for the last four years. All of a sudden, it galvanized into action to wake up from slumber and reveal their true mettle in their march to Nabanna – the Secretariat of West Bengal.
The resultant battle of a resurgent left front with the police left blood splattered on the roads of Kolkata with stones and bricks strewn all over. From appearances, it looked as if the police had been taken by surprise. They had never expected such a display of togetherness.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 28 august 2015.

The police had to use water cannons and lob tear gas shells and also resort to lathicharge to control the huge crowds. The march to Nabanna was organized by 17 farmers' bodies of the Left and they wanted to demand compensation and rehabilitation for flood-affected farmers apart from higher price for farm produce and other farmer related demands.
The left front was naturally elated at the turnout and their message to the ruling TMC was clear – do not underestimate the left parties. They can still make a dent and this was a wakeup call.
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Horror of free access to firearms – West Virginia 14-year-old takes 27 classmates hostage at gunpoint

It was yet another instance of what can happen with the free availability of firearms in the United States. This time is was a 14-year-old boy of West Virginia who took 27 classmates and a teacher hostage at gunpoint. The boy has been arrested.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 26 August 2015.

The teenager had held the hostages in a second-floor classroom at Philip Barbour High School in the small city of Philippi, West Virginia. Fortunately, the negotiators succeeded in convincing the boy to set the teacher and his peers free, and later to drop the weapon and surrender.
Philippi, incidentally, is a small city of some 3,000 residents and located about 130 miles south of Pittsburgh. Fortunately, there was no mishap but, when one recalls the Sandy Hook mass murder in a school by a student, one realizes that there is a need to introduce some sort of check on who can own a firearm. It was the gruesome incident of December 2012 that should have rug warning bells. In that incident, the gunman walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, and killed 20 children, six adults, and himself.
Since then, there have been at least 887 mass shootings, with shooters killing at least 1,148 people and wounding 3,184 more. Details here at this link.
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Syrian migrants try to enter EU via Hungary and avoid the Mediterranean route

In order to prevent infiltration of migrants into its country through the Serbia borders, the government of Hungary is considering use of its army to secure the southern border. Migrants are pouring in from the Middle East, Africa, and Asia and any decision to send troops to the frontier would have to be approved by Budapest's parliament.
This has been reported on foxnews.com dated 26 August 2015.

The flow of migrants needs to be better controlled and Hungary is preparing laws to make it a crime to cut through the fence or to enter Hungary illegally and is increasing the penalties for human traffickers. Unless deterrent actions are taken, many European cities could face unsustainable situations.
Hungary is also trying to construct a 13-foot-high fence to keep out the migrants, many of whom are from Syria and the large numbers that are crossing the border could become EU’s worst refugee crisis since the end of World War II.
This Balkan corridor for migrants is becoming more and more popular because using this route, the migrants avoid the dangerous boat crossings in the Mediterranean from North Africa to Italy.
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Trained jihadists from Iraq and Syria returning to Europe to strike terror

Counter-terrorism sources in Spain have revealed that nearly 800 Islamist extremists had come back to Europe and their mission appears to be to launch attacks – they have been trained by extremists in Iraq and Syria.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 25 August 2015.

As indicated by officers of counter-terrorism squads, the fanatics had been recruited by the Islamic State or Al Qaeda-linked groups and were waiting for the order to strike on the Continent. Nearly half of the 700 Britons who have travelled to fight in the Middle East have already returned and, some of them are believed to be planning attacks in the UK.
The warning for Europe has come after it was revealed that the Moroccan gunman, who stormed a high-speed train from Amsterdam to Paris, was an 'Islamist returner' who had spent time in Syria. The youth had been instructed by a terrorist network to commit an atrocity. Unfortunately, the plan misfired as he was overpowered by six passengers, including three Americans and a British grandfather.
This Moroccan gunman had lived in Spain for seven years until 2014. He is being interrogated by anti-terror investigators, his version was that he only wanted to rob passengers. His story is that he had stumbled upon a weapons stash in a park in Belgium. He used to sleep rough and, once he got the weapons, he decided to use them to rob passengers.
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IS militants in destruction mode – blows up ancient Baal Shamin temple in Palmyra

#BaalShamin #Palmyra #ISIS #Syria #KhaledAsaad The Islamic State militants are in a destruction mode and have, now, destroyed the Baal Shamin temple located in Syria's ancient city of Palmyra. Large amount of explosives were used to blow up this Roman-era temple that was built in the 1st Century. It is dedicated to the Phoenician god of storms and fertilizing rains.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 24 August 2015.

The country's antiquities chief Maamoun Abdul Karim has revealed that the next phase of the IS would be that of terrorizing people and, destroying temples and important landmarks and edifices.
Baal Shamin is situated about 550 meters from Palmyra's famous amphitheater where IS fighters had killed more than 20 Syrian soldiers after capturing the historic town in May. And, last week, they beheaded Khaled Asaad, an 82-year-old antiquities scholar who worked for over 50 years in Palmyra. He was beheaded after he had been interrogated for over a month. Later, his body was hung from one of the town's Roman columns. This is as reported by state media agency SANA as well as the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
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White House discloses – 2nd in command of ISIS killed in drone strike in Mosul

#ISIS #Mosul #WhiteHouse #airstrikes As per the White House, the second-in-command of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group was killed in a US air strike in Iraq while travelling in a vehicle near Mosul, Iraq. It was a result of regular air strikes carried out by the US and its allies on ISIL targets in the group's self-declared caliphate in Iraq and Syria.
This has been reported in aljazeeara.com dated 22 August 2015.

The name has been given as Fadhil Ahmad al-Hayali, aka Hajji Mutazz ... he was killed in a US military air strike on August 18 along with an ISIL media operative known as Abu Abdullah.
In the opinion of the White House, the death of the 2nd in command would adversely impact ISIL's operations because he had great influence over ISIL's finance, media, operations, and logistics.
Hayali was a believed to be a "primary coordinator" for moving weapons, explosives, vehicles, and people between Iraq and Syria and looked after operations in Iraq and helped plan the group's offensive in Mosul in June of last year.
It may be recalled that last month, a drone strike had killed a senior leader in its Syrian stronghold of Raqqa. And, there is now only one top man [Abu Bakr] al-Baghdadi and he has already got a price on his head.
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Brave passengers foil terrorist attack - Moroccan terrorist caught alive with AK-47 in train in France

It was pure luck that a suspected Moroccan terrorist was apprehended in a high speed train by the presence of mind and alertness of a US airman who was knifed in the neck in his efforts to disarm the crazed gunman. Thus, a probable terrorist attack on a France-bound train carrying 550 passengers was foiled.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 22 August 2015.

It seems Spencer Stone, who is part of the U.S. Air Force, had spotted the 26-year-old Moroccan who was acting suspiciously. He also heard unusual noises coming from the toilet where he was trying to load his weapon. It was the high speed train between Amsterdam and Paris.
Incidentally, Spencer was travelling with Oregon National Guard member 22-year-old Alek Skarlatos who was on leave and was traveling through Europe after returning from a tour in Afghanistan.
The two of them got the help of their friend Anthony Sadler, from Pittsburg, California, and fellow passenger British IT consultant Chris Norman to wrestle and overpower the attacker to bring him to the ground with his AK-47.
Information is that this 26-year-old Moroccan national was known to security services and had boarded the train at Brussels and had attempted his attack soon after crossing the French border. He was later beaten unconscious by the three men on board.
He had emerged from the toilet brandishing the gun and had opened fire, wounding two people on board but, thanks to the hero passengers, he failed in his mission. He had at least nine full magazines of ammunition holding almost 300 rounds and was arrested by police at a train station in Arras.
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Kim Jong-Un prepares for a war – keeps his frontline troops in readiness

North Korean leader is preparing for a war with South Korea and has ordered his frontline troops onto a war footing – his instructions are that the troops should be "fully battle ready to launch surprise operations" while the entire frontline should be placed in a "semi-war state".
This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 21 august 2015.

Kim Jong-Un’s instructions are the result of exchange of artillery shells across their heavily fortified border. The forces of South Korea are also on maximum alert after the North`s military had issued an ultimatum for Seoul to switch off loudspeakers blasting propaganda over the border within 48 hours or face concerted military action.
Technically speaking, the two Koreas have been at war for the past 65 years because the ceasefire of the 1950-53 Korean War has not yet been ratified by a formal peace treaty. And, from time to time, North raises the war cry.
This time, there was some artillery exchange - North Korea fired several shells in the rough direction of one of its border propaganda units and South responded by firing "dozens" of 155mm howitzer rounds.
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Scuba diver smuggles cocaine across US-Mexico border via underwater tunnel

Drug smugglers have now resorted to using scuba divers to transport cocaine across the US-Mexico borders and this has been admitted by a Honduran national who has been apprehended while trying to smuggle drugs into the US via an underwater tunnel.
He was arrested in his scuba gear and a breathing tank with a "rebreather" to prevent surface bubbles, apart from 25 vacuum-sealed and giftwrapped packages that held a total of 55 pounds of cocaine. He has pleaded guilty in federal court in San Diego. He would face 20-years in prison if sentenced.
This has been reported in foxnews.com dated 20 August 2015.

As revealed by Border Patrol agents, they discovered near him a soaked Padilla in a wetsuit next to the All-American Canal, about 7 miles east of Calexico, California.
The police also discovered a 150-foot-long tunnel that began at a house in Mexicali, Mexico, and ended under the water of the canal. The modus operandi was to put the drugs on a trolley system on the dry Mexico side of the tunnel. The smugglers would then use scuba gear to retrieve it from under the canal's water from an opening normally invisible because of being obscured by rocks.
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Monster jellyfish invades Britain – sighted in beaches of Devon and Cornwall

Monster jellyfish of the Portuguese man o' war category with tentacles as long as five London buses (160-feet!!) have been spotted around the English coastline of Devon and Cornwall. These usually stay just below the surface and usually lives far out in the ocean. However, they are invading Britain.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 19 August 2015.

Swimmers, surfers and beach paddlers very seldom spot the creatures in time and that can be dangerous. The Portuguese man o'war gets its name from the shape of its body that looks like a 16th Century Portuguese warship - and their sting can prove fatal, especially for the frail, very young or elderly.
The beaches are packed with summer holidaymakers and doctors have cautioned that anyone stung by jellyfish must immediately seek advice from coastguards or lifeguards.
Experts from the Marine Conservation Society have indicated that they have received a huge number of reports of jellyfish from their survey team this year. These include vast numbers of barrel jellyfish, which are the size of dustbins. And - thirty Portuguese man o' wars have been seen drifting along the Devon and Cornwall coasts this July.
In 2013 it was a record year for jellyfish sightings – there were more than 1,000 reports involving hundreds of thousands of jellyfish.
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Bomb blast outside temple of Lord Brahma in Bangkok leaves at least 27 dead

The Erawan Shrine of Lord Brahma in Bangkok, capital of Thailand, is a major tourist attraction and a powerful bomb blast near this temple has left at least 27 dead and more than 100 injured. The temple is located in a crowded business district and surrounded by three major shopping malls.
This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 18 August 2015.

There are four foreigners who died in the twin blasts, two of them have been identified as Chinese and a Philipino. There are 117 others injured and the death toll could increase because of the large number of injured.
The Erawan Shrine is situated in downtown Chidlom district and is on a main road through the commercial hub of Bangkok. The first explosion was from an improvised explosive device that was fastened to a utility pole in front of the temple at the Ratchaprasong intersection. Immediately after that detonation, there was a motorbike bomb blast that resulted in two nearby taxis to explode.
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Syrian war planes bomb market in Douma, Damascus – at least 82 feared killed

It was an intentional attack carried out by Syrian war planes on its people in rebel held Douma near Damascus that has killed at least 82 people and have left more than 200 wounded at a busy market outside the Syrian capital.
The bombs were allegedly dropped by government war planes and the attack was during rush hour because Sunday was the beginning of the working week in Syria.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 17 August 2015.

The attack was one of the deadliest since the civil war erupted nearly five years ago and, a war that has killed more than 250,000 and injured at least one million. In the opinion of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the incident was "an official massacre that was carried out deliberately". The war planes had fired a first missile and then came back to fire more missiles minutes later against those who had come to help victims after the first attack.
The official version of the Syrian military was that air force strikes on Douma and nearby Harasta had targeted the headquarters of the rebel group Islam Army.
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Migrant chaos in Kos – free for all between warring groups of Asia

The migrant situation in the Greek island of Kos is gradually becoming tense as fighting broke out between a group of Asian migrants and the riot police could do practically as 50 asylum seekers from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran threw rocks and exchanged blows. This happened near a passenger ship where hundreds of migrants were being registered.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 15 August 2015.

It seems hordes of Asian migrants were standing near the police station when the brawl broke out. One reason could be that they had little chance of being processed on the Eleftherios Venizelos because the Greek authorities are giving priority to Syrians.
The Eleftherios Venizelos ferry can carry up to 2,500 people and will double up as screening center for migrants who will be allowed to stay there while they wait for temporary travel documents to leave the island of Kos and journey on to other parts of Europe.
This ferry will replace the island's main stadium where Greek authorities have issued documents to around 7,000 Syrians since Monday. The Greek police had been heavily criticized for locking over a thousand migrants into the stadium overnight - without food, shelter or access to toilets.
The Syrians are treated as refugees since they are fleeing their country's bitter civil war and therefore have greater rights under international law as compared to economic migrants.
Nearly 250,000 migrants have already crossed the Mediterranean into Europe this year and that number is expected to go up to quarter-of-a-million by the end of the month.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Homing pigeon caught with cannabis and cocaine inside a Costa Rica prison

In a first for Costa Rica prisons, a pigeon was caught in its grounds with cocaine and cannabis. The bird was seen landing in the central concourse of the medium security La Reforma jail in San Rafael de Alajuela and was apprehended by the guards who took it into custody.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 14 August 2015.

The drugs were inside a tiny zipped up pouch strapped to the bird’s chest. The seizure was of about 14g of cocaine and at least the same amount of cannabis – its street value of around £180 ($281). The drugs were inside the pouch and wrapped in plastic.
It was the first time that Costa Rican authorities have come across this practice but such cases have been reported earlier in Argentina in 2013 and in Colombia in 2011. In fact, use of a pigeon is nothing new. Drug traffickers have used cats and dogs to pass drugs to prisoners.
During the Second World War, thousands of homing pigeons were used to send messages between front line Allied troops and top brass because these birds can be trained to travel several miles with small loads, according to the Royal Pigeon Racing Association.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un does not like criticism – his critics get eliminated

Kim Jong-Un, the leader of North Koora, hates criticism and whosoever does criticize him or his policies, end up in the grave – it is immaterial whether the critic is his relative or a colleague. The latest casualty of Kim Jong-Un’s annoyance is 63-year-old Choe Yong Gon, the country’s Vice-Premier. He has reportedly been executed by firing squad after voicing discontent with the forestry policies of Kim Jong-Un, the country's young dictator.
This has been reported in nzherald.co.nz dated 14 August 2015.

He was executed within a year into his job and, it was carried out in the month of May. He has not been seen in public since December and Pyongyang has announced his replacement in July. The reason for his execution was for voicing discontent with the forestry policies of Kim Jong Un.
Earlier, Hyon Yong Chol, the Defence Minister, was reportedly blown apart by an antiaircraft gun in April because he had dozed off at a military parade. He was executed in front of a large crowd of officials to set an example to others.
It may be recalled that the dictator's uncle, Jang Song Thaek, had been killed in 2013 after being charged with treason and corruption. Moreover, many other officials are believed to have been killed since Kim Jong-Un took over the reins after the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, in 2011.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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At least 60 killed in truck bomb explosion by ISIS in a Baghdad food market

A truck bomb detonated in the Jameela Market in Baghdad and left at least 60 people dead and sores injured. The ISIS militants are suspected to be behind the attack. The incident happened in the predominantly Shiite Sadr City neighborhood shortly after daybreak and the truck was a refrigeration truck.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 13 August 2015.

The blast devastated a large portion of the market with charred wooden market stalls and scattered fruits and vegetables all around. The market is especially crowded on Thursdays because people from the other provinces come there to stock up on food for the weekend.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but it is common knowledge that ISIS militants usually target military checkpoints or predominantly Shiite neighborhoods such as Sadr City – the intention is to send out messages to the Shiite-dominated government in Baghdad.
The continuing violence in Iraq and other nearby countries has resulted in death of thousands and has displaced millions from their homes – wonder when this mindless violence would end and bring peace to the region.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Terrorism a family affair in London – 5 of a family arrested by counter-terror police

From the looks of it, terrorism has become a family affair in London – counter terror police have arrested five members of a single family on suspicion of terror offences. The incident is from east London and those arrested include three teenage girls. Those arrested are a man and a woman in their 50s and two girls aged 16 and 17, and a woman aged 19. Incidentally, the youngest girl was first arrested last month, when she was just 15 – that made her the youngest UK female terror suspect ever.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 12 August 2015.

All five family members are currently being questioned by officers at a London police station after being arrested on suspicion of being in possession of information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.
A large number of Britons have been arrested on suspicion of terror offences in the past few months following incidents of young men and women travelling to Syria to fight for ISIS. Only last month, a 15-year-old boy from Blackburn, Lancashire had pleaded guilty to encouraging Australian jihadists to murder soldiers during Anzac Day celebrations.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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ISIS planned to carry out ‘lone wolf’ terror attacks, target the Queen and the Royal family

#ISIS #Syria #London #Raqqa #lonewolfattack The new war cry of British jihadists in Syria is for establishing ‘lone wolf’ attack on the streets of Britain – some details of these plots have come to surface through messages from former computer hacker and his wife who had joined ISIS in 2013.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 11 August 2015.

The pair - dubbed as Mr and Mrs Terror – had been caught trying to incite carnage. It seems they have confided to undercover reporters, who had posed as wannabe jihadis, to carry out so-called 'Lone Wolf' attacks in Britain. The duo had even sent them guidebooks on how to make bombs.
Moreover, the militants have also revealed plans to target the Queen and the Royal Family with pressure cooker bombs. And, another terror chief has apparently claimed that four or five British recruits, trained in Syria, have now returned to Britain to launch strikes.
The plot was unearthed by two reporters posing as male and female jihadis on Twitter and in chatrooms. They made contact with the two British ISIS militants. One of them, the man, is from Birmingham and runs the ISIS recruitment arm in the terror group's de facto capital of Raqqa in Syria. He is a top-five target for the U.S. Secret Service.
The interactions between the reporters and this man went on for nearly four months and, they convinced the terrorists that they wanted to make a bomb. The woman then supplied them with detailed instructions on how to construct a pressure cooker explosive – she also insisted on seeing receipts to prove they had actually bought the materials.
Anyway, the information of an impending attack on the Queen and the Royal family was forwarded to the police and necessary measures have been taken.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Twin attacks on US consulate and police station in Istanbul leave many dead

Istanbul, the largest city of Turkey faced twin attacks on the U.S. consulate and a police station as tensions built up over the government's air campaign against Kurdish militants. It seems a suicide bomber detonated a vehicle packed with explosives at a police station in the Sultanbeyli district on the Asian side of Istanbul just after midnight. The attack wounded 10 persons, three of them were from the police. The clashes with police apparently went on throughout the night as other militants fired on the police station.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 10 August 2015.

Two militants were killed by police but their political links have not been established. One policeman also died in the clashes.
In the meantime, two militants, one of them a woman, attacked the US consulate in the district of Istinye on the Bosphorus on the outskirts of the city. The woman was wounded and captured.
Moreover, four Turkish police officers were killed in a roadside bomb attack in the Silopi district of Sirnak province that borders Iraq and Syria – this attack was blamed on Kurdish militants. And, a Turkish soldier was killed in yet another attack when militants targeted a military helicopter with rocket launchers as it was transporting personnel in Sirnak's Beytussebap district.
This attack led to an aerial operation by the Turkish military with Cobra helicopters bombing the area. (Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Suicide bombers attack Kabul –kill dozens of innocents

#Afghanistan #taliban #Kabul #AshrafGhani #suicidebomber A suicide bomber attired in a police uniform walked up to a group of recruits outside the police academy in Kabul and detonated his explosives-laden vest – the explosion claimed at least 20 lives and left another 25 injured. This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 8 August 2015.

There were explosions in other locations like one after a massive truck bomb killed at least 15 people near a government complex and military base in a residential area. Moreover, another 240 were left wounded in the blast which was one of the largest ever in Kabul – it flattened a city block and left behind a 30ft crater.
Obviously, it was proof that al is not well in Afghanistan and that that militants could still strike at Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's heavily fortified center of power.
No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks but, in the opinion of officials, the Taliban is behind the attacks. It seems there is a power struggle within its the appointment of Mullah Omar's deputy, Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, as his successor has led to protests from his brother and son, and has given rise to serious rifts that others were trying to contain.
The government feels that these were aimed at diverting public attention from the internal problems of the group. (Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Niloy Neel, fourth blogger of Bangladesh, hacked to death in Dhaka

#BangladeshiBlogger #niloy neel #Dhaka It was yet another incident of a shocking murder of a blogger of Bangladesh in Dhaka – and, with this murder, it becomes the fourth one in Bangladesh. This Bangladeshi blogger was known for his atheist views and he was hacked to death by a gang of men armed with machetes.
This has been reported in bbc.com dated 7 August 2015.

The name of the blogger s Niloy Neel and the attack took place in his home in the city's Goran area. He is the fourth secularist blogger who has been killed this year by suspected Islamist militants in Bangladesh.
AS per information there was a gang of six attackers. They had tricked their way into the house on the pretext of renting a flat. Two of them then took him to a room and then slaughtered him there while his wife was in the flat but confined to another room.
Ii is learnt that he had been an anti-extremist voice of reason. He was believed to be the voice against fundamentalism and extremism and also for minority rights - especially women's rights and the rights of indigenous people.
Niloy Neel was not only secular but atheist and, like two of the others, he was from a Hindu, not a Muslim, background.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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