Two suicide bombers kill at least 27 in Baghdad market

Two suicide bombers attacked a market in Baghdad and killed at least 27 people and left another 50 injured - many of the victims were shopkeepers who had gathered around a cart that was selling breakfast when the explosions took place.
The market is located in the al Sinek neighborhood on Rasheed Street, which is one of the main thoroughfares in the Iraqi capital. The area is packed with shops and markets and was targeted at a time when it was crowded.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 31 December 2016.

This attack is believed to be the deadliest attack on the city since mid-October when a man blew himself up at a funeral, killing more than 30 people. Islamic State has claimed responsibility for that attack.
It is known that the city of Baghdad has been on alert ever since the beginning of the offensive to re-take the city of Mosul in the north from IS. Prime Minister Haider al Abadi had indicated that the Mosul operation would take at least three months more - he had earlier promised that it would be completed before 2017.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

Drone delivers hot food items and cold beverages to customers' homes in the US

18th rhino killed in Kaziranga - this exceeds the figures of last year

Christmas in Delhi - fancy Santa hats from China sell for Rs 400 a piece


Moody in silent mode over black money (satire)

Didi upbeat about Christmas tourism (satire)

Lord Shiva and Goddess Durga discuss swipe machines (satire)


London Police deputes anti-terrorism patrol units under Operation Servator

Australian police foil a IS terror plot targeting Melbourne during Christmas

12 persons killed as truck ploughs into Christmas shoppers in Berlin


Carrie Fisher of Star Wars fame stops breathing on board a non-stop London-Los Angeles flight

Aamir Khan's Dangal expected to cross Rs 100 crore in first weekend

Glastonbury Festival could shift from Somerset to a new location towards the Midlands

Woman beheaded in Afghanistan for entering a city without her husband

Another instance of atrocities on women in Afghanistan has come to light. A woman has reportedly been beheaded by a group of armed men after she entered a city without her husband. The incident took place in the remote village of Latti in Sar-e-Pul province, which is under Taliban control but, the Taliban have rejected any involvement in the incident.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 28 December 2016.

It seems the 30-year-old woman was targeted because she went out alone without her husband, who is in Iran. She had apparently gone to the market to shop. Under Taliban rule, women are not supposed to leave their homes unless they are accompanied by a close male relative. Moreover, they are banned from working or education and are forced to wear the burqa.
Earlier this month five female Afghan guards who were working in the airport in southern Kandahar were killed by unknown gunmen as they were on their way to work. These five women were in charge of searching female travelers at the Kandahar airport, and had been hired by a private security company. They were killed by two gunmen on motorbike who followed their van and opened fire on them, killing them as well as their driver.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

Drone delivers hot food items and cold beverages to customers' homes in the US

18th rhino killed in Kaziranga - this exceeds the figures of last year

Christmas in Delhi - fancy Santa hats from China sell for Rs 400 a piece


Moody in silent mode over black money (satire)

Didi upbeat about Christmas tourism (satire)

Lord Shiva and Goddess Durga discuss swipe machines (satire)


London Police deputes anti-terrorism patrol units under Operation Servator

Australian police foil a IS terror plot targeting Melbourne during Christmas

12 persons killed as truck ploughs into Christmas shoppers in Berlin


Carrie Fisher of Star Wars fame stops breathing on board a non-stop London-Los Angeles flight

Aamir Khan's Dangal expected to cross Rs 100 crore in first weekend

Glastonbury Festival could shift from Somerset to a new location towards the Midlands

Australian police foil a IS terror plot targeting Melbourne during Christmas

Australian police have successfully foiled a IS terror plot targeting high-profile locations in Melbourne with a series of bombs on Christmas Day. The targets were prominent sites in Melbourne, Australia's second largest city and included Federation Square, Flinders Street Station and St Paul's Cathedral.
The five suspects aged between 21 and 26 had been under close surveillance for a fortnight and are now being held in connection with the alleged plot.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 23 December 2016.

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner has indicated that the plot had been "inspired by ISIS (Islamic State) and ISIS propaganda" and had been removed "in its entirety". The attacks would have involved the use of explosives, and either guns or knives resulting in death and injuries to people.
Three of the suspects have been charged with preparing or planning a terrorist attack. The remaining two would also be charged. Four of those being held were born in Australia, the fifth was Egyptian-born with Egyptian and Australian citizenship.
In order to ensure safety, there will be extra officers on patrol on Christmas Day and at the annual cricket Test on Boxing Day.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

Squirrels of Seattle, Boston and Toronto are stealing Christmas light bulbs

Petrol tanker crashes into other vehicles in Kenya - leaves at least 30 dead

Qantas to fly non-stop from Perth to London in 17 and a half hours


Moody and the half pant brigade (satire)

Lord Shiva cracks jokes and Durga fries samosas (satire)

Didi sharpens her weapons to conquer the Hindi belt (satire)


AR Rahman contender for Oscar nomination for Pele: Birth of a Legend

Julia Roberts of 'Pretty Woman' fame to star in her first TV series

Meryl Streep creates history with her 30th Golden Globes nomination


Suicide bomber kills at least 49 people in a military camp in Aden

US estimates that active ISIS fighters in Iraq and Syria have dropped considerably

Syrian forces shoot dead 82 Aleppo civilians in their homes

12 persons killed as truck ploughs into Christmas shoppers in Berlin

12 persons killed and another 48 injured as truck ploughs into Christmas shoppers in Berlin near the Kaiser-Wilhelm Memorial Church in, what is believed to be, a terrorist attack. The truck mowed down the people who had come for Christmas shopping in the market.
This has been reported in nzherald.co.nz dated 20 December 2016.

Local police have arrested an alleged attacker. A second man, believed to be the passenger in the truck, died at the scene. Police armed with machine guns have been patrolling streets around the church, which is one of Berlin's most famous landmarks. It is known as an anti-war memorial to peace and reconciliation.
The overall level of advice for Germany is that travelers should follow normal safety precautions and be aware of the increased threat of terrorism.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

Squirrels of Seattle, Boston and Toronto are stealing Christmas light bulbs

Petrol tanker crashes into other vehicles in Kenya - leaves at least 30 dead

Qantas to fly non-stop from Perth to London in 17 and a half hours


Moody and the half pant brigade (satire)

Lord Shiva cracks jokes and Durga fries samosas (satire)

Didi sharpens her weapons to conquer the Hindi belt (satire)


AR Rahman contender for Oscar nomination for Pele: Birth of a Legend

Julia Roberts of 'Pretty Woman' fame to star in her first TV series

Meryl Streep creates history with her 30th Golden Globes nomination


Suicide bomber kills at least 49 people in a military camp in Aden

US estimates that active ISIS fighters in Iraq and Syria have dropped considerably

Syrian forces shoot dead 82 Aleppo civilians in their homes

Suicide bomber kills at least 49 people in a military camp in Aden

A suicide bomber kills at least 49 people and wounded another 60 in a blast near a military camp in the southern Yemen city of Aden. The dead were soldiers who had assembled to collect their salaries. There were several medics were among the wounded.
Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack and has confirmed that it was behind a suicide bombing at the same base on 10 December in which at least 45 soldiers were killed and another 50 injured.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 18 December 2016.

Aden continues to be under the control of President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi and his internationally recognized government in exile in Saudi Arabia. They are fighting the Shia rebels who took over Sanaa, the capital, in 2014 and have since occupied much of the north of the country. A coalition led by Saudi Arabia has joined the fight against the rebels in 2015 but has not been able to remove them from Sanaa.
Britain is helping the Saudis to select targets which will ensure that the country complies with the rules of war. Moreover, the UK is a major exporter of arms to Saudi Arabia and has assured that the sales would continue since there was no evidence of weapons being used in contravention of international law.
Coalition airstrikes have resulted in the deaths of hundreds of civilians as the population struggles against starvation and disease.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org
Use of wild animals banned in 21 circuses in Kolkata

Giraffes may soon vanish from the face of the Earth

Book comes back to the library after 130-years


Moody fires cannons to eliminate mosquitoes (satire)

Fuchka Festival in Kolkata and selfies (satire)

Lord Shiva and Goddess Durga discuss swipe machines (satire)


Beatles Ashram in Rishikesh sees more footfalls of Indians rather than foreigners

Legendary Hollywood actor Kirk Douglas celebrates his 100th birthday

Spider-Man: Homecoming - first trailer released


Two schoolgirls turn suicide bombers and kill 56 in a Nigerian market

All is not well in Europe - 1750 ISIS jihadists have returned to carry out attacks

Anonymous caller threatens terror attack in Los Angeles near a Hollywood theme park

Car bomb in Turkish city of Kayseri kills 13 soldiers and injures another 48

A total of 13 soldiers were killed and 48 more injured in a car bomb attack in the Turkish city of Kayseri. The car bomb hit a bus that was transporting off-duty military personnel in the central Turkish city. This incident comes one week after a twin bombing targeted police in Istanbul.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 17 December 2016.

Last week's bombing left 44 dead and wounded more than 150 and these blasts have angered a Turkish public that is frustrated by a string of deadly bombings this year - some of these have been claimed by Kurdish militants. However, no agency has claimed responsibility for the car bomb in Kayseri.
It seems the bus transporting the military was stopped at a red light near the campus of Erciyes University in Kayseri when a car approached it and detonated the car bomb. Kurdish militants have previously targeted buses that were carrying military or security forces.
Turkey is faced with multiple security threats including spillover from the fight against Islamic State in northern Syria - there Turkey is a member of a U.S.-led coalition against the militant group. Turkey also faces regular attacks from Kurdish militants.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org
Use of wild animals banned in 21 circuses in Kolkata

Giraffes may soon vanish from the face of the Earth

Book comes back to the library after 130-years


Moody fires cannons to eliminate mosquitoes (satire)

Fuchka Festival in Kolkata and selfies (satire)

Lord Shiva and Goddess Durga discuss swipe machines (satire)


Beatles Ashram in Rishikesh sees more footfalls of Indians rather than foreigners

Legendary Hollywood actor Kirk Douglas celebrates his 100th birthday

Spider-Man: Homecoming - first trailer released


Two schoolgirls turn suicide bombers and kill 56 in a Nigerian market

All is not well in Europe - 1750 ISIS jihadists have returned to carry out attacks

Anonymous caller threatens terror attack in Los Angeles near a Hollywood theme park

US estimates that active ISIS fighters in Iraq and Syria have dropped considerably

The US anti-ISIS envoy has indicated that the ISIS ranks had fallen from more than 60,000 to between 12,000 and 15,000 and these are 'battle ready' fighters. This is because nearly three quarter of ISIS fighters have been killed during the campaign of airstrikes against the terror group.
The aerial bombing campaign has conducted 17,000 strikes against ISIS targets.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 15 December 2016.

It seems that the bombing campaign launched against ISIS, which began two years ago, has eliminated more fighters in Iraq and Syria than are remaining on the battlefield. As per US records, the American-led coalition had killed 50,000 ISIS militants since 2014.
In the course of a talk at the White House, the US special envoy to the anti-ISIS coalition, has predicted that the number of ISIS fighters would continue to decline - this is due to the fact that the terror group is no longer in a position to replenish its members.
However, efforts to neutralize ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has not been successful but he will be found and eliminated.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org
Use of wild animals banned in 21 circuses in Kolkata

Giraffes may soon vanish from the face of the Earth

Book comes back to the library after 130-years


Moody fires cannons to eliminate mosquitoes (satire)

Fuchka Festival in Kolkata and selfies (satire)

Lord Shiva and Goddess Durga discuss swipe machines (satire)


Beatles Ashram in Rishikesh sees more footfalls of Indians rather than foreigners

Legendary Hollywood actor Kirk Douglas celebrates his 100th birthday

Spider-Man: Homecoming - first trailer released


Two schoolgirls turn suicide bombers and kill 56 in a Nigerian market

All is not well in Europe - 1750 ISIS jihadists have returned to carry out attacks

Anonymous caller threatens terror attack in Los Angeles near a Hollywood theme park

Syrian forces shoot dead 82 Aleppo civilians in their homes

Syrian forces of president Bashar al-Assad have shot dead 82 Aleppo civilians in their homes and the citizens have posted harrowing 'death bulletins' pleading for help from the outside world. The UN has described it as a 'complete meltdown of humanity' in the war-torn city.
Reports indicate that 11 women and 13 children were among those killed in 'on the spot' shootings in the besieged Syrian city while 100 unaccompanied children are believed to be trapped in a building under heavy attack.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 13 December 2016.

Syrian troops were poised to recapture all of Aleppo, the country's war-torn second city and Rights group Amnesty International has described global inaction over the siege as 'shameful'. Thousands of civilians are trapped as rebels make a desperate last stand in their remaining pocket of territory in the former opposition stronghold.
The UN human rights office has received reports of the massacre by forces loyal to president Bashar al-Assad in which at least 82 civilians have been killed as they entered the last remaining strongholds of the rebels in eastern Aleppo.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon has expressed alarm over reports of atrocities against 'a large number of civilians, including women and children' in Aleppo.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org
Use of wild animals banned in 21 circuses in Kolkata

Giraffes may soon vanish from the face of the Earth

Book comes back to the library after 130-years


Moody fires cannons to eliminate mosquitoes (satire)

Fuchka Festival in Kolkata and selfies (satire)

Lord Shiva and Goddess Durga discuss swipe machines (satire)


Beatles Ashram in Rishikesh sees more footfalls of Indians rather than foreigners

Legendary Hollywood actor Kirk Douglas celebrates his 100th birthday

Spider-Man: Homecoming - first trailer released


Two schoolgirls turn suicide bombers and kill 56 in a Nigerian market

All is not well in Europe - 1750 ISIS jihadists have returned to carry out attacks

Anonymous caller threatens terror attack in Los Angeles near a Hollywood theme park

Two schoolgirls turn suicide bombers and kill 56 in a Nigerian market

A couple of schoolgirl became suicide bombers and killed at least 56 people and wounded dozens more in a coordinated attack on a crowded market in Nigeria. It happened in the northeastern Nigerian town of Madagali. In the opinion of experts, the bombings bore the hallmark of Islamist militant group Boko Haram. However, no group has claimed responsibility.
This group has been waging an insurgency to set up a state that will adhere to a strict interpretation of Muslim laws in the northeast.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 10 December 2016.

An official of the local district government has confirmed that the bombings have left 56 people dead and another 57 wounded. The attacks had been carried out simultaneously by two schoolgirls.
It is known that Boko Haram usually targeted crowded areas like markets, places of worship and refugee camps. These suicide bomb attacks happen across northeast Nigeria and in neighboring Cameroon and Niger. The jihadist group has so far killed some 15,000 people and forced more than two million people to flee their homes.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

Make in Odisha conclave attracts investment of more than Rs 22000 crore on first day

Guwahati airport could become a major airline hub and gateway to the Southeast Asia

Patna zoo adds Chyawanprash to its menu to protect chimpanzees from cold


Lord Shiva cracks jokes and Durga fries samosas (satire)

Moody hates black money and strikes at midnight (satire)

Didi sharpens her weapons to conquer the Hindi belt (satire)


Ohio student stabs people with a butcher knife before being shot dead

Ukraine plans missile tests, Russia responds by sending warships to the Black Sea

London Police deputes anti-terrorism patrol units under Operation Servator


Sir Roger Moore says he could play James Bond once again

President Putin grants Russian citizenship to Hollywood star Steven Seagal

US President Barack Obama presents Medal of Freedom to Tom Hanks, Bruce Springsteen, Robert De Niro, Diana Ross and Bill Gates

Is a war imminent as Kremlin sends new Su-35S fighter jets to the Finnish border

Kremlin has sent four Sukhoi Su-35S jets, Russia's 'super-maneuverable' state-of-the-art fighter jets to the base in Karelia. This squadron of fighter jets has been deployed to a Russian air base located less than 200-Km from the border with Finland.
Kremlin officials have indicated that these planes will help protect Russia's northwestern frontier.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 9 December 2016.

Sukhoi Su-35S jets are capable of supersonic speeds and are the best fighter planes in the Russian fleet. They can carry guided 'air-to-air' class missiles, apart from anti-submarine missiles and guided aerial bombs. They are also equipped with cannons which can fire 1,500 rounds per minute, and are well equipped for dodging missiles.
After Russian missiles were deployed in Kaliningrad last month, Finland's defence minister had said that officials hoped that military activity in the Baltic Sea can 'calm down'. They wanted to see the military situation calm down in the Baltic Sea, instead of escalating.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

Make in Odisha conclave attracts investment of more than Rs 22000 crore on first day

Guwahati airport could become a major airline hub and gateway to the Southeast Asia

Patna zoo adds Chyawanprash to its menu to protect chimpanzees from cold


Lord Shiva cracks jokes and Durga fries samosas (satire)

Moody hates black money and strikes at midnight (satire)

Didi sharpens her weapons to conquer the Hindi belt (satire)


Ohio student stabs people with a butcher knife before being shot dead

Ukraine plans missile tests, Russia responds by sending warships to the Black Sea

London Police deputes anti-terrorism patrol units under Operation Servator


Sir Roger Moore says he could play James Bond once again

President Putin grants Russian citizenship to Hollywood star Steven Seagal

US President Barack Obama presents Medal of Freedom to Tom Hanks, Bruce Springsteen, Robert De Niro, Diana Ross and Bill Gates

All is not well in Europe - 1750 ISIS jihadists have returned to carry out attacks

EU has indicated that nearly 1,750 ISIS jihadists have returned to Europe - some of them have orders to carry out terror attacks. It seems 5,000 European fanatics had gone to Syria and Iraq and 15 to 20 per cent of them have been killed on the battlefield.
However, 35 percent have returned and some of them have come with 'specific missions'. Another 50 percent have remained in the battle arena.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 8 December 2016.

Belgium had expressed concerns on this development. There were two types of 'foreign terrorist fighters' returning and one of these is those who will be sent on specific missions.
Some of the European women and children born or raised in the so-called caliphate declared by ISIS in Iraq and Syria could pose a security threat because of radicalization. Some returnees have been convicted and are serving prison sentences and others are being monitored while some are free in their communities.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

Make in Odisha conclave attracts investment of more than Rs 22000 crore on first day

Guwahati airport could become a major airline hub and gateway to the Southeast Asia

Patna zoo adds Chyawanprash to its menu to protect chimpanzees from cold


Lord Shiva cracks jokes and Durga fries samosas (satire)

Moody hates black money and strikes at midnight (satire)

Didi sharpens her weapons to conquer the Hindi belt (satire)


Ohio student stabs people with a butcher knife before being shot dead

Ukraine plans missile tests, Russia responds by sending warships to the Black Sea

London Police deputes anti-terrorism patrol units under Operation Servator


Sir Roger Moore says he could play James Bond once again

President Putin grants Russian citizenship to Hollywood star Steven Seagal

US President Barack Obama presents Medal of Freedom to Tom Hanks, Bruce Springsteen, Robert De Niro, Diana Ross and Bill Gates

Anonymous caller threatens terror attack in Los Angeles near a Hollywood theme park

Security has been tightened at metro stations in Los Angeles following a "specific" threat of a terror attack close to a major Hollywood theme park. As per FBI, the threat was made on an anonymous tip line and passed on to the US Joint Terrorism Task Force by an international partner.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 6 December 2016.

The call was apparently made by a man who was speaking English. He threatened an attack on the "off-ramp" at the Universal City/Studio City Red Line metro station situated north of Los Angeles, about half a mile from the Universal Studios attraction.
The FBI, the Los Angeles police and sheriff's departments will step up security on the metro system and there will be more number of uniformed and undercover officers on duty. The red and purple lines carried around 145,000 passengers a day.
Major employers in the area around Universal City have alerted their staff accordingly.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

Make in Odisha conclave attracts investment of more than Rs 22000 crore on first day

Guwahati airport could become a major airline hub and gateway to the Southeast Asia

Patna zoo adds Chyawanprash to its menu to protect chimpanzees from cold


Lord Shiva cracks jokes and Durga fries samosas (satire)

Moody hates black money and strikes at midnight (satire)

Didi sharpens her weapons to conquer the Hindi belt (satire)


Ohio student stabs people with a butcher knife before being shot dead

Ukraine plans missile tests, Russia responds by sending warships to the Black Sea

London Police deputes anti-terrorism patrol units under Operation Servator


Sir Roger Moore says he could play James Bond once again

President Putin grants Russian citizenship to Hollywood star Steven Seagal

US President Barack Obama presents Medal of Freedom to Tom Hanks, Bruce Springsteen, Robert De Niro, Diana Ross and Bill Gates

Kim Jong-Un has network of 20 underground tunnels to invade South Korea

There appears to be a network of 20 underground tunnels in North Korea and Kim Jong-Un could be preparing for an invasion of South Korea through this network of secret tunnels. Officials of South Korea are aware of four tunnels under the border between the two countries and doubt that there could be 16 more.
The presence of these tunnels raises fears that Pyongyang is plotting to invade the south and it comes barely two months after the secretive nation carried out nuclear bomb tests.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 5 December 2016.

There are fears that some of the tunnels were designed to transport up to 30,000 troops an hour. However, border guards feel the size and design of the passages would mean that such a large figure would be 'impossible' to achieve.
In 2014 South Korean authorities searched for tunnels under the demilitarised zone between the two countries - the last one to be discovered was in 1990. The first was found a mile into South Korean territory in November 1974. At the time there were estimates that up to 2,000 troops an hour would have been able to emerged from the underground passage. Subsequent searchers revealed a second possible invasion route in March 1975 and a much deeper third tunnel in October 1978 following a tip-off from a defector.
One of the tunnels is now a tourist site, but is still closely guarded.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

Make in Odisha conclave attracts investment of more than Rs 22000 crore on first day

Guwahati airport could become a major airline hub and gateway to the Southeast Asia

Patna zoo adds Chyawanprash to its menu to protect chimpanzees from cold


Lord Shiva cracks jokes and Durga fries samosas (satire)

Moody hates black money and strikes at midnight (satire)

Didi sharpens her weapons to conquer the Hindi belt (satire)


Ohio student stabs people with a butcher knife before being shot dead

Ukraine plans missile tests, Russia responds by sending warships to the Black Sea

London Police deputes anti-terrorism patrol units under Operation Servator


Sir Roger Moore says he could play James Bond once again

President Putin grants Russian citizenship to Hollywood star Steven Seagal

US President Barack Obama presents Medal of Freedom to Tom Hanks, Bruce Springsteen, Robert De Niro, Diana Ross and Bill Gates

Ukraine plans missile tests, Russia responds by sending warships to the Black Sea

Ukraine has begun two days of missile tests near Crimea and it has angered Russia in a fresh escalation of tensions between the two countries. Russia has retaliated by putting its air defence forces on high alert and deploying warships in the Black Sea.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 1 Dcember 2016.

It may be recalled that relations between the one-time allies had collapsed in 2014 when Russia seized Crimea and backed pro-Russian separatists fighting in eastern Ukraine.
Regarding the present escalation of tension is attributed to Ukraine trying to bolster its defence capabilities and testing S-300 medium-range surface-to-air missiles. As the head of the Ukrainian military's southern branch press-service has explained - the exercise is to gain experience in using these anti-aircraft missile systems and to check the quality of the rockets. These rockets had been repaired. Another reason is to improve the skills of the anti-aircraft missile troop units. He has added that the tests are being carried out in accordance with international law.
It seems Russian President Vladimir Putin has deployed 55,000 troops on the Ukrainian border in Russia's latest muscle-flexing exercise. This sudden influx of feet on the ground adds to up to 7,500 Russian soldiers already stationed in Ukraine. This has prompted fears of an invasion.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


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President Pranab Mukherjee to be present for Vikramshila Mahotsav

Baliyatra fair on the banks of the Mahanadi sees over one lakh visitors on opening day

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin to bury the hatchet and work together to fight terrorism


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Moody fires cannons to eliminate mosquitoes (satire)

Fuchka Festival in Kolkata and selfies (satire)


Spanish police arrest two suspected ISIS terrorists in Barcelona and Madrid

At least 52 killed and more than 100 injured in a bomb blast at a remote Sufi shrine in Pakistan

Joint action by RFA, Royal Navy and US Coast Guard nets huge haul of cocaine from the sea


La La Land to have its Indian premiere at the Jio MAMI Film Club

Jackie Chan gets an Oscar after a 56-year career

Spider-Man: Homecoming will see Michael Keaton as Spider-Man's main adversary Vulture

Ohio student stabs people with a butcher knife before being shot dead

A student of Ohio State University went on a stabbing spree in the campus of the University. He was a Somali-born student and he plowed his car into a group of pedestrians on campus. Then he got out of the car and began to stab people with a butcher knife today before being shot dead by an officer.
The incident happened on on the 60,000-student campus of the University.
This has been reported in nzherald.co.nz dated 29 November 2016.

A total of eleven people were hurt, one of them is critical. Most of the injured were hurt by the car, and at least two were stabbed and one had a fractured skull.
It seems the assailant deliberately drove his small grey Honda over a curb outside an engineering classroom building and then began knifing people. He has been identified as being born in Somalia and he was a legal permanent US resident. The FBI has joined the investigation.
The Islamic State group wants its sympathizers online to carry out "lone wolf" attacks in their home countries with whatever weapons are available to them. Police are investigating whether this was a terrorist attack.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


Some more interesting links -

President Pranab Mukherjee to be present for Vikramshila Mahotsav

Baliyatra fair on the banks of the Mahanadi sees over one lakh visitors on opening day

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin to bury the hatchet and work together to fight terrorism


Lord Shiva and long ATM queues - bullock carts and ATM don't gel (satire)

Moody fires cannons to eliminate mosquitoes (satire)

Fuchka Festival in Kolkata and selfies (satire)


Spanish police arrest two suspected ISIS terrorists in Barcelona and Madrid

At least 52 killed and more than 100 injured in a bomb blast at a remote Sufi shrine in Pakistan

Joint action by RFA, Royal Navy and US Coast Guard nets huge haul of cocaine from the sea


La La Land to have its Indian premiere at the Jio MAMI Film Club

Jackie Chan gets an Oscar after a 56-year career

Spider-Man: Homecoming will see Michael Keaton as Spider-Man's main adversary Vulture

London Police deputes anti-terrorism patrol units under Operation Servator

London Police has decided to depute anti-terrorism police patrol units on the streets of London in order to spot people carrying out "hostile reconnaissance" and other criminal activity. Known as Operation Servator, it is a tactic of policing that is already used by other forces including City of London and British Transport Police.
Scotland Yard has clarified that the move was "not in response to a specific threat".
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 28 November 2016.

Lambeth and Wandsworth will be the first areas where the new patrol units of uniformed and undercover officers will begin and it will be extended to other boroughs in the coming months. Operation Servator "is based on extensive research into the psychology of criminals and what undermines their activities", as indicated by the Metropolitan Police.
Apart from the patrol units, there will be the dogs and boat units and the territorial support unit riot police. It may be recalled that the City of London Police had introduced Servator tactics in February 2014, using undercover teams, CCTV and number plate recognition technology to add to the 1990s "ring of steel" in place around the Square Mile.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


Some more interesting links -

President Pranab Mukherjee to be present for Vikramshila Mahotsav

Baliyatra fair on the banks of the Mahanadi sees over one lakh visitors on opening day

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin to bury the hatchet and work together to fight terrorism


Lord Shiva and long ATM queues - bullock carts and ATM don't gel (satire)

Moody fires cannons to eliminate mosquitoes (satire)

Fuchka Festival in Kolkata and selfies (satire)


Spanish police arrest two suspected ISIS terrorists in Barcelona and Madrid

At least 52 killed and more than 100 injured in a bomb blast at a remote Sufi shrine in Pakistan

Joint action by RFA, Royal Navy and US Coast Guard nets huge haul of cocaine from the sea


La La Land to have its Indian premiere at the Jio MAMI Film Club

Jackie Chan gets an Oscar after a 56-year career

Spider-Man: Homecoming will see Michael Keaton as Spider-Man's main adversary Vulture

Car bomb exploded in a busy market in Mogadishu - at least eight killed

A car bomb exploded near a busy market in Somalia's capital Mogadishu and left at least eight people dead and medical sources have warned that the toll could be far higher.
An official of the police have indicated that eight civilians have been killed in the blast and more than 10 others wounded but the death toll could rise because the area is a market and it was densely populated when the blast occurred. Most of those wounded have serious injuries.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 26 November 2016.

Unconfirmed sources had suggested nearly 30 people had been killed, but this was not confirmed by authorities. The ambulance service have indicated about collecting 13 wounded civilians and 28 dead bodies and the toll could be higher. The blast happened in the densely populated Afisiyone area in southern Mogadishu.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the immediate suspicion falls on the Al-Qaeda linked Islamist group al-Shabaab. It has been locked in battle against the Somali government and regularly carries out attacks in the city. It still control vast swathes of outlying rural areas from which they launch guerrilla operations. Its most deadly recent attack was in August when a car bomb outside a popular hotel close to the presidential palace killed 15.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


Some more interesting links -

President Pranab Mukherjee to be present for Vikramshila Mahotsav

Baliyatra fair on the banks of the Mahanadi sees over one lakh visitors on opening day

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin to bury the hatchet and work together to fight terrorism


Lord Shiva and long ATM queues - bullock carts and ATM don't gel (satire)

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Horror in Mexico - 32 bodies and nine human heads found in clandestine graves

Investigators have discovered 32 bodies and nine human heads in clandestine mass graves in southern Mexico where rival drug gangs have been engaged in a wave of extortion, kidnappings and turf battles. Soldiers and police have found the graves at an outlaw camp in Guerrero state following a tip-off that people were being held at the site located near a mountain in the municipality of Zitlala.
The police rescued a kidnap victim and discovered 12 bodies and human remains in coolers. Subsequently, after further excavations of the site, a total of 32 bodies and nine human heads came to the surface.
This has been reported in thehindu.com dated 25 November 2016.

The Guerrero Coordinating Group has said that soldiers were combing the area to check for any more clandestine graves. Work is also on to identify the bodies and the killers - the drug gangs frequently decapitate their victims.
Incidentally, residents of the community of Tixtla, Guerrero had found nine decapitated bodies along a highway and the prosecutors are checking out whether the nine heads found in Zitlala have links to these bodies. Guerrero has seen an upsurge in gang-related violence and, the largely rural, impoverished state had 1,832 reported homicides in the first 10 months of 2016.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


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Truck bomb in a petrol station kills at least 70 in Iraq

At least 70 people, most of them Iranians, have been killed and another 45 wounded when a truck bomb ripped through a petrol station south of Baghdad. The incident happened in the village of Shomali near the city of Hilla which is located some 75 miles southeast of the capital Baghdad.
The target appeared to have been buses that were ferrying Iranian pilgrims heading home after participating in Arbaeen, a major Shia holiday in the holy city of Karbala.
This has been reported in news.sky,com dated 24 November 2016.

Head of the provincial security committee for Babylon, the province where the bombing happened, has revealed that several buses were targeted and that it was a suicide attack. There are at least 70 dead and fewer than 10 were Iraqis, remaining were Iranians.
ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack.
As per reports, more than 20 million people visited Karbala this year, and the Iraqi authorities have indicated that around three million of them were Iranians. Iraq had positioned nearly 25,000 members of the security forces in and around the shrine city to protect the pilgrims from a feared IS attack.
Iraqi forces are at present engaged in driving out militants from the northern city of Mosul which had been captured by the ISIS in 2014. This Iraqi city is the last major urban centre still held by the extremist group.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


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French police arrest ISIS suspects who were targeting a theme park

Anti-terror officers arrested ISIS suspects from the eastern city of Strasbourg and Marseille in the south. The suspects were planning to target a theme park and an area with a high police presence and the arrest came after an investigation by security services that lasted for more than eight months.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 23 November 2016.

In the course of the raids, two handguns, an automatic pistol, a machine pistol and jihadist propaganda were found. The alleged terror ring could have been plotting an attack on a theme park. However, no specific target was revealed.
The seven alleged plotters detained by the police hail from France, Morocco and Afghanistan. Moreover, the four suspects held in Strasbourg, all French, aged between 35 and 37 and not previously known to the intelligence services, were still being interrogated. Two of them are suspected of traveling to Syria in 2015 before returning to Europe.
It may be noted that France is under a state of emergency. This gives security forces enhanced powers to mount surveillance and launch raids. These are after the attacks by Islamic State jihadists on Paris that left 130 people dead.
It may be recalled that France has suffered three major attacks since January 2015 - when gunmen targeted the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine and a Jewish supermarket, followed by last November's atrocities in Paris. Then in July, a self-radicalised extremist drove a truck through crowds watching fireworks in the southern city of Nice and killed 86.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


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Suicide bombing at a mosque in Kabul kills at least 27 and leaves 35 injured

At least 27 people have been killed and 35 others injured in a suicide bombing at Baqir ul Olum mosque in Kabul. The attacker entered the premises and detonated a suicide vest in a crowd of worshippers who had gathered at the mosque to mark the Shiite ceremony of Arbaeen.
This festival comes 40 days after the major festival of Ashura.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 21 November 2016.

The Taliban has denied responsibility for the bombing. Its spokesperson has said that they have never attacked mosques because it is not their agenda.
The attack comes a week after a blast at a US army base in Bagram, 35 miles north of Kabul, in which four Americans were killed.
A Government chief executive has branded the attack as a "war crime and an act against Islam and humanity." In his words - 'this attack is against religions, faiths, humanity, human ideologies and every human belief. This is a sign of barbarism and cruelty.... Afghans care for the blood of their people. Our security forces will hold the perpetrators accountable by bringing them to justice.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


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Spanish police arrest two suspected ISIS terrorists in Barcelona and Madrid

Spanish police have arrested two suspected ISIS terrorists in Barcelona and Madrid - they were planning to carry out attacks in Spain. The Moroccan pair was 'dangerous' and 'directed and controlled' by the terror group, as revealed by Spanish Ministry of Interior officials.
The two men had isolated themselves from the rest of society and had limited their contact with the outside world through 'radical jihadist profiles' on the internet.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 19 November 2016.

The two of them were held during dawn raids in the Spanish capital and Roda de Ter in the province of Barcelona which is an hour's drive north of the Catalan city. As indicated by a Spanish Ministry of Interior spokesman, the suspects were fully integrated into DAESH, and were following their instructions and their plans of actions.
Moreover, they were also active on the Internet and social media with the aim of radicalizing and recruiting new conscripts. Upon interrogation, they have disclosed a wealth of radical material including propaganda material designed to fill western societies with fear.
Their arrests brought the number of suspected Islamic terrorists held in Spain since the start of last year, when the country went onto a level 4 terror alert, to 215. It may be recalled that earlier this month four people suspected of trying to recruit so-called Caliphate Cubs - child soldiers as young as 12 to fight for ISIS - were held in Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta. And, last month two Muslim preachers accused of supporting ISIS were held in the Ibizan party resort of San Antonio.


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At least 52 killed and more than 100 injured in a bomb blast at a remote Sufi shrine in Pakistan

ISIS has claimed responsibility for a bomb blast in a Sufi shrine in Baluchistan with at least 52 killed and more than 100 others injured - many of the victims were women and children. Devotees were at the time participating in a ceremony of devotional dance session, which is held daily before dusk, when the blast occurred.
The shrine of the Sufi saint Shah Noorani is located some 750-Km south of Quetta, the provincial capital of restive southern Balochistan province. The shrine sits on a hill which devotees have to climb for half an hour as there is no regular road.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 13 November 2016.

The shrine is revered and visited both by minority Shia and Sunni Muslims, but militant groups like the Taliban and Islamic State (IS) consider the practice against Islam. IS has claimed responsibility for the attack saying that a suicide bomber had targeted the shrine and had killed around 35 people and injured 95 others.
At the time of the attack, there wee about 600 people at the shrine - many of the devotees traveled to the site from Karachi during weekends.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


Some more interesting links -

British Prime Minister Theresa May's visit to India - mango and visa on the agenda

Air India Express to provide improved air connectivity between Kolkata and Singapore

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Lord Shiva’s views on Kalighat and marriages (satire)

Moody and the half pant brigade (satire)

Didi’s idea - deflate tyres to punish unruly drivers (satire)


Iraq special forces advanced into Mosul while ISIS militants killed 20

British police have foiled 12 terror plots against Britain in the last three years

No-fly zones to be imposed over jails to prevent drones from being used to smuggle drugs into prisons


Michael Fassbender says no to next James Bond - will a woman take over?

Second trailer of Wonder Woman released- will be in the cinemas in July 2017

Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) begins 11 November