9300 people killed in Russian airstrikes in Syria during last year

It is now one year that Russia had launched its air campaign in Syria in support of Syrian President Bashar Assad. In this one year, Russian airstrikes on areas outside government control in Syria have killed more than 9,000 people, displaced tens of thousands and caused wide destruction.
These figures are made available by the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) which is an opposition monitoring group.
This has been reported in foxnews.com dated 30 September 2016.

Russia had begun an air campaign backing the ground forces of President Bashar Assad. It helped him to turn the balance of power in his favor in many areas. These included the northern province of Aleppo and the suburbs of the capital Damascus. Opposition activists have held Russia responsible for most of the recent airstrikes against rebel-held neighborhoods of east Aleppo city that killed more than 320 civilians in the past two weeks and demolished many buildings.
As revealed by The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that keeps track of Syria's civil war, the Russian airstrikes have killed 9,364 people in the war-torn country. These include 3,804 civilians (906 of them were children). The dead also include 2,746 members of the Islamic State group and 2,814 from other rebel and militant groups, including Al Qaeda's affiliate in Syria.


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MH17 flight shot down by rocket over Ukraine in 2014 was work of pro-Moscow rebels

Based on fresh evidence that has emerged, it is believed that the rocket that brought down MH17 over eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014 was fired from territory held by pro-Moscow rebels. A surface-to-air missile had hit the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 that was en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. Most of the 298 people on board were Dutch citizens.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 28 September 2016.

International prosecutors have indicated that one rocket from the BUK system was fired from the rebel-held village of Pervomaysk, in eastern Ukraine, before being moved back to Russia. Ukraine has said that the findings prove Russia's 'direct involvement'. However, Russia's foreign minister has termed the investigation 'biased and politically motivated'.
Based on various evidence collected by the Joint Investigation Team, it may be concluded that MH17 was shot down by a 9M38 missile launched by a Buk which had been brought in from the territory of the Russian Federation. After the launch it was returned to the Russian Federation.


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For pandal hoppers during Durga Pujas in Jamshedpur - try the pool bus service

Rejuvenate the lakes of Bengaluru - bring back the birds

Bengal unable to hold on to homegrown start-ups - they end up flourishing in other states


Lord Shiva in the world of deodorants (satire)

Didi off to Rome in search of goodies (satire)

Moody learns about honey traps (satire)


Syrian ceasefire breaks down - airstrike in Aleppo claims at least 45 civilian casualties

Construction begins on the Great Wall Of Calais to keep out illegal migrants

MI6 to recruit 1000 extra people to assist in solving modern day crimes


Tamil film Visaranai is India's official entry for Academy Awards 2017

Tension on the Indo-Pak border has its effect on Bollywood movies

Shah Rukh Khan could make a movie on tennis star Sania Mirza

Shooting in Burlington - gunman on the run after shooting dead four women in a shopping center

A gunman entered the Cascade Mall in Burlington, 65 miles north of Seattle, shot dead four women and is at large. Police have released an image of the gunman, who is described as an Hispanic man wearing a black dress. The motive for the shooting is, at present, not clear.
Apart from the four women killed, there was one man who suffered life-threatening injuries.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 24 September 2016.

The victims were found in the makeup section of a Macy's department store and, as indicated by a Washington State Patrol trooper, the gunman had used a "rifle-type weapon".
The Cascade Mall, where the incident occurred, is an enclosed shopping center that opened in 1990. It features J.C. Penney, TJ Maxx, and Macy's stores, among other stores, apart from restaurants and a cinema.
This shooting comes less than a week after a man stabbed nine people at a mall in central Minnesota before being shot dead. The FBI is of the opinion that it was a potential act of terrorism and is investigating accordingly.


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United States police have fatally shot 706 people ths year - could equal the figures of 2015

The latest unrest in Charlotte that was sparked by a police officer fatally shooting Keith Lamont Scott there, has revealed the manner the police use deadly force on suspects. From available records, it appears that the police in the United States are on track to fatally shoot about as many people this year as they did last year.
Last year, police officers shot and killed nearly 1,000 civilians and this year, they have already reached the figure of 706.
This has been reported in nzherald.co.nz dated 23 September 2016.

Every such death generates anger and demonstrations erupt in cities across the country. These push the sensitive issue into the national consciousness. However, the actual pace of deadly shootings remains unchanged.
Comparison between last year and this year shows that police shot and killed 18 people younger than the age of 18 last year - the corresponding figure this year, so far, is 12. The latest one being a 13-year-old in Columbus. He was the second-youngest person shot and killed by an officer this year.
The youngest one was a 12-year-old in Pennsylvania who was accidentally shot and killed during an eviction. The youngest, dating back to the beginning of last year, was a 6-year-old who was shot while his father tried to flee officers in Louisiana.


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U

Syrian ceasefire breaks down - airstrike in Aleppo claims at least 45 civilian casualties

The Syrian ceasefire has failed and diplomats failed to find a way in New York to revive a U.S. and Russian-brokered ceasefire that has collapsed. The Syrian military, backed by the Russian air force, has indicated that it was starting a new operation against the rebel-held east. This is home to at least 250,000 people and was one of the locations targeted in heavy air strikes.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 23 September 2016.

As informed by rescue workers and activists, fighter jets targeted rebel-held areas in the east of the city in a second day of heavy bombardment soon after the army announced the start of a military operation. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has reported at least 30 air strikes that had targeted different areas of Aleppo.
A five-year-old girl was pulled alive from the wreckage of a collapsed building after an airstrike in Aleppo killed her entire family. The shocking incident was from her family home in Bab al Nairab.
The girl had lost her parents, three sisters and brother - they were among the 30 civilians killed in the raids by Russian warplanes and regime aircraft. In the opinion of locals, the bombing is the beginning of an 'annihilation'.


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Suicide bomb attack in Pakistani mosque during Friday prayers kill at least 25

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29 people injured in an explosion in New York - no evidence of any terror link


Shah Rukh's 'Fan' and Salman Khan's 'Sultan' to be screened at Busan International Film Festival

Sequel to Guardians of the Galaxy to release in US theaters on May 5, 2017

London-born singer Skepta wins the 25th Mercury prize fr his album Konnichiwa

MI6 to recruit 1000 extra people to assist in solving modern day crimes

The face of crime and criminals the world over has undergone a sea change and MI6 plans to recruit up to 1,000 extra staff to fight the modern threats that are facing the UK. The Secret Intelligence Service has already been allotted additional funds to expand its operations.
Detail are not known but it is believed that the new personnel will be experts in cyber, data collection, languages and foreign analysis. With this recruitment, it will take the size of MI6 from about 2,500 staff to as many as 3,500 by 2020.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 22 September 2016.

The news was first made public in the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review and it indicated the planned recruitment of 1,900 extra staff to the intelligence agencies - with MI6 to get the bulk of that increase. The Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service while speaking alongside his counterparts from the US, Australia and Canada at an event in Washington DC dwelt at length on the challenges facing Western intelligence agencies.
The digital age has broken down physical and geographical barriers and ideologies can spread easily through the internet. As a result, the cyber world acts both as a great enabler as well as a great disrupter of the intelligence mission. The information revolution has, in short, changed our operating environment.


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Construction begins on the Great Wall Of Calais to keep out illegal migrants

Construction has started on the Great Wall Of Calais which is expected out to keep out illegal migrants from targeting vehicles around Calais. The wall would be a four-meter high concrete barrier and will run for nearly a mile along the main motorway to Calais. It is being paid for by British taxpayers.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 21 September 2016.

The location of the wall is within a few hundred meters of the so-called 'Jungle' migrant camp. It is believed that there are more than 10,000 people in this camp. The cost of the wall will be around £1.9m and its purpose would be to add another layer of protection against attempts to stow away on vehicles as they approach the port heading for Britain.
The Great Wall Of Calais is due to be completed by the end of the year and it would replace the existing wire fences. It has been observed that migrants try to force the vehicles to slow down on the motorway, by creating makeshift roadblocks like tree trunks, branches, gas cylinders, and then climb aboard in an attempt to reach the UK by ferry or Eurotunnel services.
The wall is going to prevent migrants, especially unaccompanied children, from getting onto the road every night. Statistics from the camp reveal that there were 865 children living in August and, 676 of them unaccompanied.


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Hillary Clinton has pneumonia - she fell ill at September 11 memorial

Lord Ganesh's laddu weighing 21-Kg auctioned for Rs 14.65 in Hyderabad


Moody wants Gold medals from Olympics (satire)

Didi and her BMW dreams (satire)

Goddess Durga and her kids wait for the annual bash (satire)


Suicide bomb attack in Pakistani mosque during Friday prayers kill at least 25

Security beefed up for Munich Oktoberfest 2016

29 people injured in an explosion in New York - no evidence of any terror link


Shah Rukh's 'Fan' and Salman Khan's 'Sultan' to be screened at Busan International Film Festival

Sequel to Guardians of the Galaxy to release in US theaters on May 5, 2017

London-born singer Skepta wins the 25th Mercury prize fr his album Konnichiwa

Mexican police discover truck with bazooka to send drugs into the United States

Drug peddlers continue to come up with innovative measures to spread drugs and the latest one is from Mexico where Police have discovered a truck fitted with a home made bazooka designed to send consignment of drugs into the United States.
Mexico’s National Security Commission has announced over the weekend that federal police officers have found a panel van kitted out with an air compressor and a metal tube nearly 10 feet long. They believe the contraption was used as a bazooka to blast packets of narcotics across the border into the United States.
This has been reported in foxnews.com dated 19 September 2016.

The van was designed with a cut in the roof toward the rear to enable the tube to be used to launch projectiles, possibly from close to the border into the United States. The van was found abandoned in the town of Agua Prieta, Sonora, across the border from Douglas, Arizona. It had no license plates, and it had been reported stolen in Hermosillo, some 220 miles south of Agua Prieta, on July 1.
Illicit drugs are smuggled into the US from Mexico in a number of ways like hidden in cargo, carted in tunnels, via drug mules, catapulted or carried by drones. In the opinion of the authorities, drug traffickers have been using homemade cannons since as early as 2012. Packets of crystal meth, cocaine and marijuana that might have been fired from such cannons have turned up on the U.S. side of the border.


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29 people injured in an explosion in New York - no evidence of any terror link

29 people were injured in an explosion in New York's busy and upscale neighborhood that is also frequented by tourists. It is being treated as an "intentional act" with no evidence of any terror link as indicated by the authorities. The incident has happened hours before world leaders are expected to arrive here for the high-level UN General Assembly session. This has been reported in thestatesman.com dated 18 September 2016.

The explosion happened hours after a pipe bomb went off in a garbage can in New Jersey and took place in the Chelsea neighborhood at 23rd St. and 6th Avenue. It is a busy residential and commercial area frequented by tourists and city residents. President Barack Obama has been apprised of the explosion as revealed by the White House. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has indicated that the number of people injured is now 29 but none is life threatening except for one who is in "serious" condition. A second site in Manhattan is under investigation. The Mayor has added that the explosion is as an "intentional act" and there is no evidence at this point of a terror link. There is already tight security in view of nearly 190 world leaders, including Obama, arriving in the city for the about week-long high-level annual UN General Assembly session.


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Security beefed up for Munich Oktoberfest 2016

Oktoberfest 2016 is the world's biggest beer festival and Munich is taking precautions to prevent any terrorist attack in the event that is expected to attract more than six million visitors. Backpacks and large bags have been banned and the number of security cameras has risen from 19 to 29.
It has opened with long queues to get into the beer tents and will continue till 3 October.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 17 September 2016.

The venue of the festival is the 75-acre Theresienwiese site and every visitor has to go through security checks that is conducted by a team of 450 guards. During peak periods, there will be 600 police officers - this will be nearly 100 more than last year.
The security services continue to remain on high alert after Bavaria was hit by three attacks in a week in July, two of which were claimed by Islamic State. In one instance, a 17-year-old, who had sought asylum in Germany, was shot dead by police after he ran amok with an axe and knife on a train near the city of Wuerzburg. He left five people wounded, three of them seriously.
There are a total of 14 halls at this year's event, which dates back to 1810. In spite of the wet weather conditions, people began to queue up at 4:30 am because they were keen to see the mayor of Munich Dieter Reiter tap the first keg at noon.


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Suicide bomb attack in Pakistani mosque during Friday prayers kill at least 25

A suicide bomb attack in a Pakistani mosque during Friday prayers has killed at least 25 and more than 35 worshipers were left injured when a huge blast destroyed the building. The incident happened in the Mohmand tribal area of the country's north west that is bordering Afghanistan.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 16 September 2016.

The mosque was packed with people attending Friday prayers and the attacker shouted 'Allahu Akbar' before detonating an explosive vest. The explosion brought a portion of the building, including its veranda collapsed crushing worshipers below. Bodies are still being hauled out of the rubble and the death toll could rise.
Local tribal elder feels that the attack may have been carried out by Islamist militants who are seeking revenge after local tribesmen gathered a volunteer force and killed one and captured another insurgent.
Regarding security in Pakistan, the military says 'terrorist incidents' have reduced from 128 in 2013 to 74 last year and Islamist extremists continue to stage major attacks. Killing of 74 people including lawyers in the city of Quetta last month was an attack claimed by both the Islamic State and Jamaat-ur-Ahrar which is a breakaway faction of the Pakistani Taliban. The Jamaat-ur-Ahrar also claimed the Easter Sunday bombing in a park in the eastern city of Lahore in which 72 people were killed - many of them were children.


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Clicking selfie with Ma Durga may be banned in Kolkata

Tackle the obesity crisis by outdoor activities like gardening

Cable cars stranded over Mont Blanc - 45 tourists had to spend the night suspended in air


Moody and the cow syndrome (satire)

Didi off to Rome in search of goodies (satire)

Lord Shiva and the auto hub that did not happen (satire)


At least 100 killed in airstrikes in Syria before ceasefire begins

Hillary Clinton reiterates that US will not put ground troops in Iraq and Syria

Abandoned car with gas cylinders found near Notre Dame cathedral


MTV's Video Music Awards in New York - Beyonce walked away with top honours

Sonakshi Sinha breaks bones and throws punches in Akira

Lindsay Lohan wants to participate in a Russian talk show with President Putin


Aamir Khan and Amitabh Bachchan to star together in Thugs of Hindostan

Dwayne Bravo says Deepika Padukone is his favourite star

Hollywood inequality - women hardly get a chance to speak

Humanitarian aid reaches Aleppo as ceasefire holds for first full day

As the ceasefire holds for the first day, fresh humanitarian aid is believed to be on its way to the besieged Syrian city of Aleppo. Nearly 20 trucks carrying food, children's clothes and toys crossed into northern Syria from the Turkish border town of Cilvegozu with the death toll of the five-year civil war reaching 300,000.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 13 September 2016.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has revealed that more than 86,000 civilians were among the 301,781 people killed since the start of the conflict in March 2011. This figure is an increase of nearly 9,000 on the last death toll published by the UK-based monitoring group in early August. This would mean 9000 deaths happened last month. The ceasefire will be renewed every 48 hours and, if it holds for a week, the US and Russia are due to begin sharing intelligence too. Hopefully, humanitarian supplies can also be distributed.
While Turkey and Russia had both pledged to deliver aid to Aleppo right away, Moscow has reportedly deployed a "mobile observation post" to monitor the ceasefire on Castello Road. This is the remaining single supply route that leads to the rebel-held portion of the city.


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Clicking selfie with Ma Durga may be banned in Kolkata

Tackle the obesity crisis by outdoor activities like gardening

Cable cars stranded over Mont Blanc - 45 tourists had to spend the night suspended in air


Moody and the cow syndrome (satire)

Didi off to Rome in search of goodies (satire)

Lord Shiva and the auto hub that did not happen (satire)


At least 100 killed in airstrikes in Syria before ceasefire begins

Hillary Clinton reiterates that US will not put ground troops in Iraq and Syria

Abandoned car with gas cylinders found near Notre Dame cathedral


MTV's Video Music Awards in New York - Beyonce walked away with top honours

Sonakshi Sinha breaks bones and throws punches in Akira

Lindsay Lohan wants to participate in a Russian talk show with President Putin


Aamir Khan and Amitabh Bachchan to star together in Thugs of Hindostan

Dwayne Bravo says Deepika Padukone is his favourite star

Hollywood inequality - women hardly get a chance to speak

At least 100 killed in airstrikes in Syria before ceasefire begins

Before ceasefire can take effect in Syria, airstrikes in Aleppo and Idlib killed nearly 100 persons - in Idlib, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights SOHR has revealed that 58 people were killed in a series of bombings, including one on a vegetable market and there are at least 13 children among the dead. The market was full of shoppers who were buying presents for their kids and they were all civilians.
This is reported in news.sky.com dated 11 September 2016.

Another at least 30 people died when barrel bombs were dropped in Aleppo from army helicopters in the east and further civilian deaths were reported from other parts of the city. Obviously, both sides seem to be trying to maximize gains before the cessation of hostilities begins at sundown on Monday - this is the start of the Muslim Eid al Adha holiday.
The Syrian government has indicated to Moscow that it is prepared to comply with the deal. Opposition forces have also said they will fulfill the peace plan's requirements if the government demonstrates it is serious about ending the bloodshed. However, Syria's moderate Free Syrian Army is of the opinion that the chance of the deal's success is slim. The argument is that Damascus and Moscow had not observed the last agreement and were unlikely to observe this one.


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2,300 migrants traveling in 17 inflatable boats rescued from the Mediterranean

Refugees from Syria and other Middle Eastern countries keep trying to flee from the violence and atrocities in their homeland and enter Europe for safety and a better life. They try to cross the Mediterranean using various means and, sometimes they succeed, at other times, they are drowned in the attempt.
As per latest reports, nearly 2,300 migrants including many women and very young children have been rescued from the Mediterranean while they were on a perilous crossing to Italy.
This has been reported in thestatesman.com dated 11 September 2016.

The rescue was carried out by a team of a Spanish ship, an Irish naval vessel and several humanitarian boats. The migrants were traveling on 17 inflatable boats and a fishing boat. The rescues comes after a huge wave of migrants who arrived in Italy at the end of August. At that time, more than 14,000 people mostly from sub-Saharan Africa, were brought to safety in the span of five days.
As per records of Italy's interior ministry, about 124,500 migrants have arrived since the start of 2016 - this was slightly lower than the 122,000 recorded last year. Italy continues to extend shelter to growing numbers of would-be refugees because other European countries have tightened their borders.
Italy now has 148,000 asylum-seekers in reception centers as compared to 103,000 in 2015 and 66,000 in 2014.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


Some more interesting links -

Didi meets Puja organisers and outlines her do's and dont's

Researchers unearth reasons of why people snore

Population of blackbuck in Bareilly district have fallen by more than 71% in three years


Moody wants Gold medals from Olympics (satire)

Didi to search for the stolen gold medallion (satire)

Lord Shiva stumped by the sea of humanity on 21st (satire)


Man slips while watching bull running in Spain and gored to death

Suicide bomb and gun attacks in northwestern Pakistan leave at least 13 dead

Explosion in a street market in Philipines kills at least 12


MTV's Video Music Awards in New York - Beyonce walked away with top honours

Sonakshi Sinha breaks bones and throws punches in Akira

Lindsay Lohan wants to participate in a Russian talk show with President Putin

US and Russia to join forces to tackle the twin threats of ISIS and Al-Qaida

A landmark agreement has been announced that will see the US and Russia join forces to tackle the twin threats of ISIS and Al-Qaida. Both countries announced a ceasefire after a day-long meeting between secretary of state John Kerry and his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov in Geneva, Switzerland. If the ceasefire, which begins Monday, holds for a week, the two countries will then launch a military partnership to target Islamic extremists in the region.
The deal comes after months of diplomacy that included four meetings between Kerry and Lavrov since August 26 followed by a lengthy face-to-face meeting between Presidents Obama and Putin in China.
This has been reported in dailymail.,co.uk dated 10 September 2016.

At a joint news conference, John Kerry has indicated that the plan could reduce violence in Syria and lead to a long-sought-after political transition because, it would end more than five years of bloodshed that has claimed the lives of 500,000 people.
Of course, success of the deal would depend upon support from both Syria's Russian-backed government, led by President Bashar Assad, and US-supported anti-Assad rebels. The arrangement hinges on Moscow pressuring Assad's government to halt all offensive operations against Syria's armed opposition and civilian areas.
Simultaneously, it would be the responsibility of Washington to persuade 'moderate' rebels to break away from the Nusra Front which is al-Qaida's Syria affiliate, and other extremist groups. Moreover, both sides would have to withdraw from demilitarized zones to allow civilian traffic and humanitarian deliveries. The ceasefire and traffic must hold for a week before collaboration between the countries begins after which the US and Russia will then begin intelligence sharing and targeting coordination and Assad's forces will focus their attention on ISIS instead of Nusra.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


Some more interesting links -

Didi meets Puja organisers and outlines her do's and dont's

Researchers unearth reasons of why people snore

Population of blackbuck in Bareilly district have fallen by more than 71% in three years


Moody wants Gold medals from Olympics (satire)

Didi to search for the stolen gold medallion (satire)

Lord Shiva stumped by the sea of humanity on 21st (satire)


Man slips while watching bull running in Spain and gored to death

Suicide bomb and gun attacks in northwestern Pakistan leave at least 13 dead

Explosion in a street market in Philipines kills at least 12


MTV's Video Music Awards in New York - Beyonce walked away with top honours

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Hillary Clinton reiterates that US will not put ground troops in Iraq and Syria

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has reiterated that the US will not put ground troops into Iraq and Syria in the military campaign against the Islamic State (IS) militant group. It was the stand taken by Barack Obama and Clinton wants to continue with the same. In her opinion, putting a large contingent of American ground troops in Iraq and Syria would not be in the best interest of the fight against the IS and other terrorist groups.
This has been reported in thestatesman.com dated 9 September 2016.

She did not want to drag the US back into a ground war in the Middle East but would prefer to continue US President Barack Obama's current anti-IS strategy in spite of severe criticism from the Republicans. She admitted that she would support the air campaign, special forces and the enablers. She would also support surveillance, intelligence and reconnaissance and would be prepared to do whatever is necessary to support the Arab and Kurdish fighters on the ground so that they can destroy as much of the infrastructure of the IS from the air.
And, she will also be committed to target-killing of IS leadership.
Incidentally, at present there are about 5,000 US troops in Iraq and several hundreds more are dispatched to northern Syria. But, they do not fall in the category of "ground troops" because they are not combat troops and are there to assist and train local forces in their fight against the IS.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


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North Korea confirms carrying out its fifth nuclear test

North Korea has announced that it has carried out its fifth nuclear test. This was hours after seismic monitors detected a blast near the secretive country’s nuclear test site, and led to tensions in neighboring South Korea and Japan. NK's state TV has said that it now has the capability of mounting nuclear warheads on ballistic rockets. It has also added that the test, which is probably the North’s biggest so far, had no leakage of nuclear material and no environmental impact.
This has been reported in hindustantimes.com dated 9 September 2016.

US, European and Chinese agencies have reported that there was a tremor at 0030 GMT with a magnitude of 5.3 and it was detected near North Korea’s Pyunggye-ri nuclear test site as the country celebrates Foundation Day, which marks the anniversary of the founding of the nation in 1948. South Korea’s military was analyzing the nature of the tremor, and had convened an emergency meeting of its National Security Council. In the opinion of the China Earthquake Networks Center, the tremor was a suspected explosion and China’s environment ministry had taken up emergency radiation monitoring along its borders with North Korea in northeast China.


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Abandoned car with gas cylinders found near Notre Dame cathedral

Police are believed to have made two more arrests following the discovery of an abandoned car containing gas cylinders in Paris. The vehicle did not have any registration plates and, was found with its hazard lights flashing. The car contained six gas tanks and, police are of the opinion that it may have been part of a "test run" for a terror attack.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 8 September 2016.

Two people had been arrested earlier near Montargis which is around 70 miles south of Paris and two other people, aged 34 and 29, were arrested at a service station in southern France. Both are said to have been known to police for having links to extremist Islamists.
The owner of the recovered vehicle was briefly detained and later released, but his "radicalized" daughter is being sought by police. Three other people have also been held and questioned before being released. Obviously, there is a security alert which has come after a warning from Paris prosecutor Francois Molins that an increasing number of teenagers have been radicalized in the French capital. As per his information, 35 minors - 23 boys and 12 girls - are being investigated under preliminary charges and, nine of whom have been detained.
It may be recalled that France has been under a state emergency since the November 2015 attacks on Paris in which 130 people were killed and hundreds others injured.


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Explosion in a street market in Philipines kills at least 12

An explosion at a packed night market in Davao, the home city of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, has killed at least 12 people and wounded dozens more. The cause of the blast was not immediately clear and no agency has taken responsibility for it.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 3 September 2016.

The blast tore through a street market outside the high-end Marco Polo hotel which is a frequent haunt of Duterte but he was, at the time, in the southern city of Davao and hence was not hurt. The locality where the explosion happened was a massage parlour.
Davao is located in Mindanao, a large southern island beset by decades of Muslim insurgency. The region is also home to Abu Sayyaf, a rebel group that has links to Islamic State and is notorious for making tens of millions of dollars from kidnappings. The city of Davao is largely peaceful and Duterte has converted it from a lawless town to a southern commercial hub for call centres apart from offshore business processing services.


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Suicide bomb and gun attacks in northwestern Pakistan leave at least 13 dead

Suicide bomb and gun attacks in northwestern Pakistan leave at least 13 dead and 54 others injured. A suicide bomber shot his way through the main gate leading to the district court in the city of Mardan, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and threw a hand grenade before detonating his suicide vest among the morning crowds. Many of the wounded are in a critical condition and death toll could increase.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 2 September 2016.

As revealed by a senior police official, the bomber had up to eight kilogrammes of explosives packed into his vest. The dead included lawyers, police personnel and civilians.
On Friday, a group of militants had stormed a Christian neighborhood near Warsak Dam, just north of Peshawar. Four of the militants wore suicide vests and entered the colony and one of them went into a church, but it was empty. But, the attackers killed one Christian. The suicide bombers were later killed by soldiers backed by army helicopters in an exchange of gunfire. Three security officials and two civilian guards were also wounded in the attacks.
Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a faction of the Pakistani Taliban, has claimed responsibility for both attacks. It has also admitted that it was behind a massive suicide blast three weeks ago in which a number of lawyers wee killed in the southwestern city of Quetta, apart from the Lahore Easter bombing that killed 75 people.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


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Cannes bans burkinis on its beaches due to terror threats

Street vendors in Bengaluru want to remain open and do business till 1am

Karnataka bans selfies in specific tourist spots like waterfalls, dams, cliffs etc


Didi’s naughty boys tie her up in knots (satire)

Lord Shiva loves and enjoys dancing (satire)

Moody discusses women’s fashion with Baba Someday (satire)


War waged on ISIS by the US and UK has destroyed 26000 targets

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Suspected chlorine gas attack in Aleppo kill at least four


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'Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah' crosses 2000 episodes - enters Limca Book of Records

Next James Bond movie would not come before 2018