ISIS kills over 200 and abducts 8000 families to use as human shields in Mosul

ISIS is feeling the heat and is realizing that its days are numbered as troops are closing in on Mosul. Therefore, ISIS has killed more than 200 people and abducted nearly 8,000 families from their homes around Mosul and shifted them to the center of the city to be used as human shields.
Those killed included 190 former Iraqi Security Forces officers.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 28 October 2016.

The United Nations Human Rights Office has indicated that at least 232 people in and around the city were shot dead because they refused to follow their orders as Iraqi forces advanced and jihadis retreated. The reports of the dead are not corroborated and the number could be higher.
Inside the small, sparsely populated villages that ring Mosul, Iraqi forces have to deal with explosive booby-traps and hidden snipers.
It may be recalled that the jihadists had captured the city in a matter of days in 2014, and have been holding fort for more than two years to build up its defenses and brutally root out any internal opposition. Therefore, the operation to retake Mosul is expected to be a long drawn out affair.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


Some more interesting links -

Pine needles to produce electricity in Uttarakhand

Lost £250 wedding ring retrieved after the eight million gallon lake was drained

Jakarta to pay $1.5 for every rat caught to contain rat menace


Fuchka Festival in Kolkata and selfies (satire)

Moody fires cannons to eliminate mosquitoes (satire)

Lord Shiva’s Durga puja is about selfish people and selfies (satire)


Carey Mulligan leaves teddy bears outside gates of 10 Downing Street to protest attacks on Aleppo

Battle to liberate Mosul rages and ISIS fighters flee the city dressed as women

Group clashes in prisons in Brazil kill at least 18 inmates


The Guardians of the Galaxy 2 trailer released

Trailer of xXx: Return of Xander Cage starring Deepika Padukone launched in four Indian languages

Jackie Chan's Kung Fu Yoga to release on 28th January 2017

Fire breaks out as clearing the 'Jungle' in Calais enters the third day

Fires have broken out across the 'Jungle' in Calais as the police carry out operation to clear out the camp which has entered its third day. Firefighters battled the flames in shelters, tents and small shops and, at least 10 large blazes were believed to be ripping through what had been until recently the homes of thousands of migrants and refugees at the sprawling French camp.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 26 October 2016.

In the opinion of Calais police commissioner, four migrants have been arrested in connection with starting the blazes. It seems migrants "have a tradition" of burning their shelters before leaving.
As volunteers assisted the French firefighters to tackle the blaze, a number of children remained at the camp. The authorities have said that all minors with links to the UK have been transferred from the camp. However, charities who are helping to coordinate the extraction, maintain this is not true.
The demolition of the camp would happen within a week once everyone is out. It is understood that after two full days of the operation, French authorities have transported about 4,000 migrants to reception centers.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


Some more interesting links -

Pine needles to produce electricity in Uttarakhand

Lost £250 wedding ring retrieved after the eight million gallon lake was drained

Jakarta to pay $1.5 for every rat caught to contain rat menace


Fuchka Festival in Kolkata and selfies (satire)

Moody fires cannons to eliminate mosquitoes (satire)

Lord Shiva’s Durga puja is about selfish people and selfies (satire)


Carey Mulligan leaves teddy bears outside gates of 10 Downing Street to protest attacks on Aleppo

Battle to liberate Mosul rages and ISIS fighters flee the city dressed as women

Group clashes in prisons in Brazil kill at least 18 inmates


The Guardians of the Galaxy 2 trailer released

Trailer of xXx: Return of Xander Cage starring Deepika Padukone launched in four Indian languages

Jackie Chan's Kung Fu Yoga to release on 28th January 2017

Terrorists attack police training college in Quetta and at least 51 reported killed

Three terrorists had attacked a police training college in Quetta and an operation had to be launched by military and Frontier Corps forces to clear the premises which houses at least 600 police cadets. At least 51 people, most of them cadets, were killed and 97 others were injured in the attack.
This has been reported in thestatesman.com dated 25 October 2016.

There were three terrorists, all wearing suicide vests, and were reportedly in contact with their handlers in Afghanistan. Two of the suicide attackers blew themselves up, which resulted in casualties, and the third one was shot dead by the troops.
The training college is situated on Sariab Road, believed to be one of the most sensitive areas of Quetta.
Incidentally, militants have been targeting security forces in the area for almost a decade and, the training college has come under attack in the past in 2008 and 2006 when attackers had fired rockets into the college playground.
The college is spread over an acre of land and is located about 13 kilometres outside the main city of Quetta.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


Some more interesting links -

Pine needles to produce electricity in Uttarakhand

Lost £250 wedding ring retrieved after the eight million gallon lake was drained

Jakarta to pay $1.5 for every rat caught to contain rat menace


Fuchka Festival in Kolkata and selfies (satire)

Moody fires cannons to eliminate mosquitoes (satire)

Lord Shiva’s Durga puja is about selfish people and selfies (satire)


Carey Mulligan leaves teddy bears outside gates of 10 Downing Street to protest attacks on Aleppo

Battle to liberate Mosul rages and ISIS fighters flee the city dressed as women

Group clashes in prisons in Brazil kill at least 18 inmates


The Guardians of the Galaxy 2 trailer released

Trailer of xXx: Return of Xander Cage starring Deepika Padukone launched in four Indian languages

Jackie Chan's Kung Fu Yoga to release on 28th January 2017

More than 200 drug addicts breakout of rehabilitation centre in Vietnam

More than 200 drug addicts overpowered the security staff and are believed to be on the run after a mass escape from a rehabilitation center in Vietnam. The inmates overpowered the security and forced them to open the main gate to let them out.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 24 October 2016.

There were two inmates who initiated the breakout and as many as 562 (including 58 women), escaped from the centre in Dong Nai province, in the south east region of the country. Police managed to recapture 332, but 230 are still missing from the compound. The centre accommodates 1,481 inmates.
As per estimates, there are 200,000 drug addicts in Vietnam and, many of them heroin users. The Vietnamese government enforces compulsory treatment for these drug addicts. These programs involve education, communist ideology and physical labor for up to two years.
However, the conditions in the rehab centres have been condemned by the US-based Human Rights Watch group. In their opinion, these should be closed because the treatment centres are like "forced labour camps" where inmates do not receive proper health care and are often subjected to physical violence.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


Some more interesting links -

Pine needles to produce electricity in Uttarakhand

Lost £250 wedding ring retrieved after the eight million gallon lake was drained

Jakarta to pay $1.5 for every rat caught to contain rat menace


Fuchka Festival in Kolkata and selfies (satire)

Moody fires cannons to eliminate mosquitoes (satire)

Lord Shiva’s Durga puja is about selfish people and selfies (satire)


Carey Mulligan leaves teddy bears outside gates of 10 Downing Street to protest attacks on Aleppo

Battle to liberate Mosul rages and ISIS fighters flee the city dressed as women

Group clashes in prisons in Brazil kill at least 18 inmates


The Guardians of the Galaxy 2 trailer released

Trailer of xXx: Return of Xander Cage starring Deepika Padukone launched in four Indian languages

Jackie Chan's Kung Fu Yoga to release on 28th January 2017

Carey Mulligan leaves teddy bears outside gates of 10 Downing Street to protest attacks on Aleppo

Actress Carey Mulligan has left teddy bears outside the gates of Downing Street to protest the persistent, deadly attacks on Aleppo. She is the star of films such as Shame and Drive and, also, an ambassador for the charity War Child She has said that one of her one-year-old daughter's toys was among the teddies.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 22 October 2016.

Hundreds of protesters had gathered in London's Whitehall to call on the Government to do more to end civilian deaths in the Syrian conflict. The teddy bears they brought represented the thousands of children who were trapped in rebel-held eastern areas of the city.
The Syrian government regime has recently stepped up attacks and civilians were being pulled out dead from the rubble after numerous devastating barrel bombings.
Carey Mulligan hoped that the protesters could send a "real message" that governments must act to stop the fighting in Aleppo because these are examples of breaking humanitarian international laws. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has termed the attacks in Syria and eastern Aleppo as "crimes of historic proportions". Many targets are hospitals and schools and the death toll in the civil war stands at more than 300,000.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


Some more interesting links -

Calcutta Tramways Company to increase frequency of tram service at night from November

Tampara wetland, a tourist spot in Ganjam district, to get a facelift

Durga idol of 2016 to be preserved in Park Street metro station


Moody becomes moody after surgical strike (satire)

Lord Shiva in the world of deodorants (satire)

Three cheers for Didi – the Jill of all trades (satire)


Terrorist attacks and suicide bombing kill at least 46 in Iraq

21 school girls of Chibok, abducted by Boko Haram in 2014, return home

Indications are there that both United States and Russia are preparing for war


Power Rangers to return after a decade and hit the screens on March 24 next year

Bob Dylan, the 75-year-old American folk singer, wins Nobel Prize for literature

Antonio Banderas gifted a pair of monkeys to Salma Hayek on her birthday

Battle to liberate Mosul rages and ISIS fighters flee the city dressed as women

ISIS fighters who do not have the courage to stand up and fight are believed to be fleeing Mosul, some of them dressed in women's clothing after orders had been given for wives and girlfriends to evacuate the city. Even as the battle to liberate Mosul enters the fourth day in Iraq, the terror group's commander Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has apparently issued orders to women affiliated with the group's leaders to get themselves out of the firing line.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 20 October 2016.

It is evident that Baghdadi is cornered in Mosul and his band of spineless terrorists have used his orders as an opportunity to escape the war by dressing as women. Two men, presumed to be ISIS fighters, were caught by Kurdish Peshmerga troops near Mosul as per media reports.
A Major General of the US Army, who is in-charge of the anti-IS coalition's land component has indicated that ISIS commanders are 'fleeing the city' ahead of 'multiple assaults' that have been planned. In his opinion, many foreigners among the 6,000 IS fighters would likely end up forming the core of the holdout jihadist force.
The women were evacuated by orders from Baghdadi to avoid being captured by the security forces or rebellious people of Mosul after Mosul was liberated.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


Some more interesting links -

Calcutta Tramways Company to increase frequency of tram service at night from November

Tampara wetland, a tourist spot in Ganjam district, to get a facelift

Durga idol of 2016 to be preserved in Park Street metro station


Moody becomes moody after surgical strike (satire)

Lord Shiva in the world of deodorants (satire)

Three cheers for Didi – the Jill of all trades (satire)


Terrorist attacks and suicide bombing kill at least 46 in Iraq

21 school girls of Chibok, abducted by Boko Haram in 2014, return home

Indications are there that both United States and Russia are preparing for war


Power Rangers to return after a decade and hit the screens on March 24 next year

Bob Dylan, the 75-year-old American folk singer, wins Nobel Prize for literature

Antonio Banderas gifted a pair of monkeys to Salma Hayek on her birthday

Group clashes in prisons in Brazil kill at least 18 inmates

At least 18 inmates died in group clashes in two separate penitentiaries in Brazil's Amazon region. In addition, more than three dozen escaped after a third prison riot caused a large fire in a complex outside Sao Paulo. The authorities were examining a possibility of there being some connection between the first two uprisings in the jungle states of Rondonia and Roraima.
Ten prisoners died in the mutiny at the Monte Cristo prison in the city of Boa Vista in Roraima and eight others were killed in a similar riot about 800 miles away in the penitentiary in Rondonia.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 18 October 2016.

The trouble began during visiting hours when some inmates armed with knives and wooden sticks broke padlocks and attacked those in another wing, who are believed to have been members of a rival gang. The rioters also took 100 women visitors hostage.
The riots erupted on a day the prisoners had about 50 people who were visiting the penitentiary in Roraima. This is situated on the border with Venezuela and Guyana. The rioters had taken hostages but they were later released unharmed.
Incidentally, Brazil has the fourth largest prison population in the world. It has 600,000 inmates packed into a number of increasingly ramshackle jails and, at Monte Cristo, there are 1,400 inmates held in a prison which was supposed to have a capacity of half that figure.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


Some more interesting links -

Calcutta Tramways Company to increase frequency of tram service at night from November

Tampara wetland, a tourist spot in Ganjam district, to get a facelift

Durga idol of 2016 to be preserved in Park Street metro station


Moody becomes moody after surgical strike (satire)

Lord Shiva in the world of deodorants (satire)

Three cheers for Didi – the Jill of all trades (satire)


Terrorist attacks and suicide bombing kill at least 46 in Iraq

21 school girls of Chibok, abducted by Boko Haram in 2014, return home

Indications are there that both United States and Russia are preparing for war


Power Rangers to return after a decade and hit the screens on March 24 next year

Bob Dylan, the 75-year-old American folk singer, wins Nobel Prize for literature

Antonio Banderas gifted a pair of monkeys to Salma Hayek on her birthday

Battle to retake Mosul from ISIS has begun

The battle has been launched to retake control of the Iraqi city of Mosul from Islamic State and convoys of Iraqi and Kurdish forces were moving towards the east of the city. Simultaneously, the US-led coalition airstrikes are extending aerial support.
The bid to regain control of the city of Mosul is seen as the biggest military operation in Iraq since American troops left in 2011.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 17 October 2016.

It is estimated that nearly 2,000 Iraqi special forces are in action with support of four brigades of the regular Iraqi Army, 15,000 Sunni militia, 15,000 Kurdish Peshmerga and a few thousand Shia militia. Their objective is to take the fight to an estimated 3,000 IS fighters in the city and snipers will be sent in first to fight street-by-street.
There are genuine fears that Mosul will be rigged with explosives. Moreover, the fear of chemical weapons cannot be ruled out. Islamic State does have the capability and it is quite possible that they have been saving the weapons for 'D-Day'. Mosul is the last city in Iraq that is still held by IS.
The UN has cautioned that up to one million people could be displaced from Mosul during the operation. The families are at "extreme risk" of not only being caught in crossfire, but tens of thousands may end up besieged or held as human shields and thousands could be forcibly expelled.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


Some more interesting links -

Calcutta Tramways Company to increase frequency of tram service at night from November

Tampara wetland, a tourist spot in Ganjam district, to get a facelift

Durga idol of 2016 to be preserved in Park Street metro station


Moody becomes moody after surgical strike (satire)

Lord Shiva in the world of deodorants (satire)

Three cheers for Didi – the Jill of all trades (satire)


Terrorist attacks and suicide bombing kill at least 46 in Iraq

21 school girls of Chibok, abducted by Boko Haram in 2014, return home

Indications are there that both United States and Russia are preparing for war


Power Rangers to return after a decade and hit the screens on March 24 next year

Bob Dylan, the 75-year-old American folk singer, wins Nobel Prize for literature

Antonio Banderas gifted a pair of monkeys to Salma Hayek on her birthday

Pakistani terrorists use ladder to climb over the electrified fence at the LoC

Four Pakistani terrorists had gained entry into India by using a ladder to climb over the electrified fence at the LoC - they then massacred 19 soldiers in cold blood in the Army camp of Uri last month.
Investigations carried out by the Army have brought to light the fact that one of the four terrorists who mounted the brazen attack in Uri, about 102 km from Srinagar, first infiltrated into Indian territory by taking advantage of the gaps along the fence near the Salamabad nallah. He then erected a ladder on the Indian side of the fence. The other three had a ladder on their side and the two ladders were connected like a pedestrian bridge.
This has been reported in thehindu.com dated 17 October 2016.

They used this method because it was difficult for all the four to infiltrate through the gap used by the first terrorist since each of them carried heavy rucksacks filled with ammunition, weapons and eatables.
After infiltrating into India, they handed over the ladder to the guides who had accompanied them up to the LoC to ensure that there were no tell-tale signs.
The Army is conducting an inquiry at Gohallan and adjoining village Jablah because they suspect that the terrorists might have holed up there before they carried out the attack on September 18.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


Some more interesting links -

Calcutta Tramways Company to increase frequency of tram service at night from November

Tampara wetland, a tourist spot in Ganjam district, to get a facelift

Durga idol of 2016 to be preserved in Park Street metro station


Moody becomes moody after surgical strike (satire)

Lord Shiva in the world of deodorants (satire)

Three cheers for Didi – the Jill of all trades (satire)


Terrorist attacks and suicide bombing kill at least 46 in Iraq

21 school girls of Chibok, abducted by Boko Haram in 2014, return home

Indications are there that both United States and Russia are preparing for war


Power Rangers to return after a decade and hit the screens on March 24 next year

Bob Dylan, the 75-year-old American folk singer, wins Nobel Prize for literature

Antonio Banderas gifted a pair of monkeys to Salma Hayek on her birthday

Terrorist attacks and suicide bombing kill at least 46 in Iraq

Terrorist attacks in Iraq have killed at least 46 people - the attacks included a suicide bombing and its responsibility has been claimed by the Islamic State group. This attack was the deadliest to hit Baghdad in months.
The violence has been unleashed as Iraqi forces get ready for an operation to retake Mosul which is the last IS-held city in the country. This will be a key battle, but it will not put an end to the threat of attacks as was witnessed.
This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 15 October 2016.

It seems in the deadliest attack, a suicide bomber targeted a funeral tent where mourners had assembled to pay their respects in the Shiite-majority Shaab area of north Baghdad - the blast killed at least 34 people and wounded at least 36. The suicide bomber entered the funeral tent and blew himself up as lunch was being served. ISIS issued an online statement claiming the attack and saying it was carried out by a man who detonated an explosive vest.
ISIS is a Sunni extremist group and it considers Shiites to be heretics. Therefore, they frequently carry out suicide bombings and other attacks against them in Baghdad and other parts of the country.
The latest bombing is the deadliest to hit the Iraqi capital since early July. At that time a suicide bombing in central Baghdad sparked infernos in a crowded shopping area and more than 300 people were killed.
Apart from the Baghdad attack, militants attacked two areas north of Baghdad, killing another 12 people.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


Some more interesting links -

Taiwan struck by Typhoon Megi, third typhoon in two weeks

Terrorist alarm in Uran was the figment of a 12-year-old schoolgirl's imagination

Tourist season in Kaziranga National Park to start from October 1 instead of November 1


Moody is off mood – Na Buzz had fooled him again (satire)

Didi’s version of ABCD - cycle to work to bypass potholes (satire)

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


9300 people killed in Russian airstrikes in Syria during last year

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

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


Mark Wahlberg talks about movie on Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf of Mexico

Adele creates a record - her latest album 25 has gone platinum in the US

Movie memorabilia go under the hammer - Batman's batpod fetches £312,000

Indications are there that both United States and Russia are preparing for war

If recent indications are anything to go by, it is evident that tensions between the US and Russia have escalated to their worst levels since the Cold War - both sides appear to be preparing for conflict. Moscow has been prepping up its civilians for potential war by instructing them to check on the availability of bomb shelters and gas masks.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 15 October 2016.

These instructions are believed to have been in response to news that CIA is preparing for a possible cyber attack on the Kremlin to embarrass its leadership. In the opinion of defense experts, Russia is not keen on war but is actually throwing its weight around to deter western countries from intervening with its bombing in Syria.
It is understood that Kremlin has taken the help of its state-sponsored television to guide citizens on how to prepare in the event of an attack on Russian soil. Among some important activities for civilians are to familiarize themselves with the nearest bomb shelters and clarifying which government bodies would take command in the breakout of war.
These developments are against the backdrop of the administration of US President Barack Obama preparing for a possible cyber strike on the Kremlin to ensure that Russian hackers are not able to interfere with the Presidential vote in November. It seems the CIA has already begun opening cyber doors, selecting targets and making other preparations for an operation.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


Some more interesting links -

Taiwan struck by Typhoon Megi, third typhoon in two weeks

Terrorist alarm in Uran was the figment of a 12-year-old schoolgirl's imagination

Tourist season in Kaziranga National Park to start from October 1 instead of November 1


Moody is off mood – Na Buzz had fooled him again (satire)

Didi’s version of ABCD - cycle to work to bypass potholes (satire)

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


9300 people killed in Russian airstrikes in Syria during last year

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

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


Mark Wahlberg talks about movie on Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf of Mexico

Adele creates a record - her latest album 25 has gone platinum in the US

Movie memorabilia go under the hammer - Batman's batpod fetches £312,000

21 school girls of Chibok, abducted by Boko Haram in 2014, return home

276 school girls were abducted from their school in Chibok in 2014 by a Boko Haram jihadi group and, 21 of them have now returned - some of them have come back with their children born during this period. These 21 school girls who have been freed from their Boko Haram captors in Nigeria have been pictured for the first time.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 14 October 2016.

The release of these girls is believed to be the result of a swap for detained Islamic leaders. Another school of thought is that they were released in lieu of a ransom payment. This gains ground because a Nigerian hostage negotiator, who was not involved in the release, believes that a 'handsome ransom' in millions of dollars was paid by Switzerland's government on behalf of Nigerian authorities.
Anyway, the freed girls, some with their children, attended a reception held by the Nigerian Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the state house. His wife also embraced several of the girls, who had been forced to become jihadi brides during their time in captivity.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


Some more interesting links -

Taiwan struck by Typhoon Megi, third typhoon in two weeks

Terrorist alarm in Uran was the figment of a 12-year-old schoolgirl's imagination

Tourist season in Kaziranga National Park to start from October 1 instead of November 1


Moody is off mood – Na Buzz had fooled him again (satire)

Didi’s version of ABCD - cycle to work to bypass potholes (satire)

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


9300 people killed in Russian airstrikes in Syria during last year

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

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


Mark Wahlberg talks about movie on Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf of Mexico

Adele creates a record - her latest album 25 has gone platinum in the US

Movie memorabilia go under the hammer - Batman's batpod fetches £312,000

Russia recalling its people fearing a global war with the United States

It is understood that Russia is ordering all of its officials to fly home any relatives living abroad amid heightened tensions over the prospect of global war with the United States. Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has also warned that the world is at a 'dangerous point' as a result of rising tensions between the super powers Russia and the US.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 12 October 2016.

It seems politicians and high-ranking officials have received a warning from president Vladimir Putin to bring their loved-ones home to the 'Motherland'. This is after President Putin cancelled a planned visit to France. It is a fallout of a furious row over Moscow's role in the Syrian conflict.
Moreover, it was just days after it was revealed that the Kremlin had moved nuclear-capable missiles near to the Polish border. The Iskander missiles that have been sent to Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave on the Baltic Sea between NATO members Poland and Lithuania, are now within range of major Western cities including Berlin.
The instructions are for all administration staff, regional administrators, lawmakers of all levels and employees of public corporations to take their children out of foreign schools immediately. Those who do not comply could jeopardize their chances of promotion.
It is no secret that relations between Russia and the US are at their lowest since the Cold War and have become worse in recent days after Washington pulled the plug on Syria talks and accused Russia of hacking attacks.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


Some more interesting links -

Taiwan struck by Typhoon Megi, third typhoon in two weeks

Terrorist alarm in Uran was the figment of a 12-year-old schoolgirl's imagination

Tourist season in Kaziranga National Park to start from October 1 instead of November 1


Moody is off mood – Na Buzz had fooled him again (satire)

Didi’s version of ABCD - cycle to work to bypass potholes (satire)

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


9300 people killed in Russian airstrikes in Syria during last year

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

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


Mark Wahlberg talks about movie on Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf of Mexico

Adele creates a record - her latest album 25 has gone platinum in the US

Movie memorabilia go under the hammer - Batman's batpod fetches £312,000

Militant attack on a Shiite shrine in Kabul leave 14 dead

A militant attack on a Shiite shrine in Kabul has left behind at least 14 dead with another 26 people wounded in the attack on Sakhi Shrine in the city's western suburbs. The dead included 13 civilians and one policeman and, in addition, another three police officers were wounded.
This shrine is the largest such shrine in Kabul.
This has been reported in foxnews.com dated 11 October 2016.

Initially it was given to understand that there were three gunmen but, actually, only one gunman was involved and he was shot dead by police. The incident happened as Shiites had gathered ahead of Wednesday's Ashoura. This is a holy day of mourning to commemorate the death in 680 AD of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson, Imam Hussein.
Kabul police had alerted the Shiites against large gatherings because attacks were expected. It seems there were credible reports that Ashoura activities would be targeted and Shiites had been advised to hold the ceremonies "within limits."
Incidentally, Shiites make up an estimated 15 percent of Afghanistan's population of around 30 million people and most of the Afghan Shiites are ethnic Hazaras. Since militant Sunni fundamentalists like the Taliban and the Islamic State group look at Shiites as apostates, there are frequent attacks on Shiite mosques and public gatherings.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


Some more interesting links -

Taiwan struck by Typhoon Megi, third typhoon in two weeks

Terrorist alarm in Uran was the figment of a 12-year-old schoolgirl's imagination

Tourist season in Kaziranga National Park to start from October 1 instead of November 1


Moody is off mood – Na Buzz had fooled him again (satire)

Didi’s version of ABCD - cycle to work to bypass potholes (satire)

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


9300 people killed in Russian airstrikes in Syria during last year

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

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


Mark Wahlberg talks about movie on Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf of Mexico

Adele creates a record - her latest album 25 has gone platinum in the US

Movie memorabilia go under the hammer - Batman's batpod fetches £312,000

MI5 agent reveals how he tracked down a suspected Islamic terrorist

It was like a mission from the story books - the MI5 agent had dressed up as a tramp in urine-soaked clothes and sat in front of a mosque while tracking a suspect. He was part of an MI5 team that was tracking a suspected Islamist terrorist and he sat outside a London mosque during evening prayers. To make it look realistic, he was dressed as a tramp and pretended to ask for change. His own clothes were soaked in his own urine to compliment that cover.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 4 October 2016.

While keeping watch, he observed that the number of woman worshippers who left was more than the number that had gone in. He immediately alerted the team that there was a possibility the suspect had changed his appearance. Actually, he had changed into a burka and was pretending to be a woman. Agents of the MI5 team called in a Special Forces unit to arrest the terrorist and two Range Rovers slammed into the suspect's car. The man was dragged him out of the car and the team found weapons and pipe bombs in the boot.
His planned target was for the very next day. It seems he was waiting for a couple of coach loads of children who were returning from a trip to France and his plan was to kill them, the teachers and the parents.
The MI5 agent had spent 10 years as a surveillance agent for British intelligence.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


Some more interesting links -

Taiwan struck by Typhoon Megi, third typhoon in two weeks

Terrorist alarm in Uran was the figment of a 12-year-old schoolgirl's imagination

Tourist season in Kaziranga National Park to start from October 1 instead of November 1


Moody is off mood – Na Buzz had fooled him again (satire)

Didi’s version of ABCD - cycle to work to bypass potholes (satire)

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


9300 people killed in Russian airstrikes in Syria during last year

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

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


Mark Wahlberg talks about movie on Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf of Mexico

Adele creates a record - her latest album 25 has gone platinum in the US

Movie memorabilia go under the hammer - Batman's batpod fetches £312,000