The latest hijack of the Libyan Afriqiyah Airways A320 by pro-Gaddafi activists in Malta ended happily. The two men asked for asylum in Malta. The hijack didn&rsquo;t seem planned. They had grenades and threatened to blow up the plane, but let go of the crisis fast enough. The world went on high alert but the impasse ended fairly quickly, and the world moved on.

Usually, a hijack doesn&rsquo;t end that easily. Usually, the statement it makes is heard loud and clear across the globe. The downside is that it usually is the last statement the movement ever makes in describing what it stands for. Holding innocent civilians hostage and killing them is not a motto you want to hold on to as a group, or even as an individual, to describe your challenges in understanding your world or trying to fit in.

&nbsp;

Hijackings &amp; movements

Hijackings have traditionally been used to birth political movements into the public domain. Their means have been violent, to draw attention to their perceived causes with no thought to the damage wreaked. In the &rsquo;70s,&nbsp;when Palestinian militants started hijacking planes, the target was primarily Jews and Americans. The Dawson&rsquo;s Field hijackings involved El Al Flight 219, the Trans World Airlines (TWA) Flight 741, Swissair Flight 100, and Pan American Flight 93. The El Al hijacking was thwarted by the pilot. Terrorists from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) successfully hijacked the other three jetliners en route to the US from European airports in September 1970. When 421 passengers and crew on board the three planes were freed in Jordan on September 11, hijackers held on to 56 hostages, most of them Jewish and American men. They blew up the empty planes on September 12.

On June 23, 1985, Sikh separatists blew up Air India Flight 182 when it was flying over the Atlantic Ocean en route to New Delhi from Montreal via London. A bomb was detonated in the cargo bay of the plane. The crash resulted in the deaths of 329 people.

It speaks volumes that several of the movements today remembered by incidents of hijacking, operated&mdash;often killing hundreds for years&mdash;long before they performed these acts. Islamic extremist group Al-Qaeda, dominant in their area of operations, shot to prominence with the hijacking of September 11, 2001, when they used American Airlines Flight 11 and Flight 77, United Airlines Flight 175 and Flight 93 to launch an attack on the USA. Nineteen militants hijacked four airliners. Two planes were flown into the World Trade Center in New York, a third hit the Pentagon, and the fourth crashed in Pennsylvania.

The same goes for the Taliban, which the world only took notice of on December 24, 1999, when they hijacked Indian Airlines Flight 814, holding 176 passengers and 15 crew members hostage by the militants of Harkat-ul-Mujahideen. The flight from Kathmandu to New Delhi was diverted to Kandahar, Afghanistan. To end the hostage crisis, the Indian government, led by then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, released three militants, who later masterminded the 9/11 Mumbai attacks.

&nbsp;

Hijack spells a downfall

The holding of airlines ransom to political causes has been a favoured ploy by political asylum seekers and ideologues alike. But often the acts that bring these by-any-means-necessary groups to notice, are also what brings about the downfall of their movements. The choice of violent means inevitably comes when their cause has lost the justice of purpose.

A long-time Palestinian diplomat once wondered on live television if his people &ldquo;would have to hijack your planes again&rdquo; to get the West interested in the Palestinian cause. It was a lament, not a threat, and came from a place of frustration that many political causes, few just, are not noticed until they adopt violent means. &ldquo;You always wait for things to reach the boiling point and explode, causing you harm, before you intervene&rdquo; said Nabil Shaath, senior Palestinian official, addressing the Western world.

Sadly, the success of early hijackings made them an increasingly popular weapon of the PLO. In 1976, Zehdi Terzi, the first PLO representative to the United Nations, said, &ldquo;the first several hijackings aroused the consciousness of the world and awakened world opinion much more&ndash;and more effectively&ndash;than 20 years of pleading at the United Nations&rdquo;.

Since 2010 however, hijackings have also become motivated more by personal than political ends. Individuals were prompted by unstable psyches to commit such attacks. None were armed, and in many instances, the hijacker surrendered after negotiations.

&nbsp;

Planes may fly, but will crash your cause

Any movement in the last few decades that has decided to take the route of hijacked planes has been viewed as a desperate last measure. Targeting civilians cannot be a respectable statement of moral high ground. If you have a point and you are trying to build a society on the basis of a democracy, then your voice cannot be kept quiet. Even your smallest squeak will be heard.

So, if you really do want to make a point, then do so with peace, not with planes. They will not help your cause fly.

(This article first appeared in DNA)

Militant movements can capture global attention with a hijacking but this ultimately fails them, because it undermines their own legitimacy

The latest hijack of the Libyan Afriqiyah Airways A320 by pro-Gaddafi activists in Malta ended happily. The two men asked for asylum in Malta. The hijack didn’t seem planned. They had grenades and threatened to blow up the plane, but let go of the crisis fast enough. The world went on high alert but the impasse ended fairly quickly, and the world moved on. Usually, a hijack doesn’t end that easily. Usually, the statement it makes is heard loud and clear across the globe. The downside is that it usually is the last statement the movement ever makes in describing what it stands for. Holding innocent civilians hostage and killing them is not a motto you want to hold on to as a group, or even as an individual, to describe your challenges in understanding your world or trying to fit in. Hijackings & movements Hijackings have traditionally been used to birth political movements into the public domain. Their means have been violent, to draw attention to their perceived causes with no thought to the damage wreaked. In the ’70s, when Palestinian militants started hijacking planes, the target was primarily Jews and Americans. The Dawson’s Field hijackings involved El Al Flight 219, the Trans World Airlines (TWA) Flight 741, Swissair Flight 100, and Pan American Flight 93. The El Al hijacking was thwarted by the pilot. Terrorists from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) successfully hijacked the other three jetliners en route to the US from European airports in September 1970. When 421 passengers and crew on board the three planes were freed in Jordan on September 11, hijackers held on to 56 hostages, most of them Jewish and American men. They blew up the empty planes on September 12. On June 23, 1985, Sikh separatists blew up Air India Flight 182 when it was flying over the Atlantic Ocean en route to New Delhi from Montreal via London. A bomb was detonated in the cargo bay of the plane. The crash resulted in the deaths of 329 people. It speaks volumes that several of the movements today remembered by incidents of hijacking, operated—often killing hundreds for years—long before they performed these acts. Islamic extremist group Al-Qaeda, dominant in their area of operations, shot to prominence with the hijacking of September 11, 2001, when they used American Airlines Flight 11 and Flight 77, United Airlines Flight 175 and Flight 93 to launch an attack on the USA. Nineteen militants hijacked four airliners. Two planes were flown into the World Trade Center in New York, a third hit the Pentagon, and the fourth crashed in Pennsylvania. The same goes for the Taliban, which the world only took notice of on December 24, 1999, when they hijacked Indian Airlines Flight 814, holding 176 passengers and 15 crew members hostage by the militants of Harkat-ul-Mujahideen. The flight from Kathmandu to New Delhi was diverted to Kandahar, Afghanistan. To end the hostage crisis, the Indian government, led by then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, released three militants, who later masterminded the 9/11 Mumbai attacks. Hijack spells a downfall The holding of airlines ransom to political causes has been a favoured ploy by political asylum seekers and ideologues alike. But often the acts that bring these by-any-means-necessary groups to notice, are also what brings about the downfall of their movements. The choice of violent means inevitably comes when their cause has lost the justice of purpose. A long-time Palestinian diplomat once wondered on live television if his people “would have to hijack your planes again” to get the West interested in the Palestinian cause. It was a lament, not a threat, and came from a place of frustration that many political causes, few just, are not noticed until they adopt violent means. “You always wait for things to reach the boiling point and explode, causing you harm, before you intervene” said Nabil Shaath, senior Palestinian official, addressing the Western world. Sadly, the success of early hijackings made them an increasingly popular weapon of the PLO. In 1976, Zehdi Terzi, the first PLO representative to the United Nations, said, “the first several hijackings aroused the consciousness of the world and awakened world opinion much more–and more effectively–than 20 years of pleading at the United Nations”. Since 2010 however, hijackings have also become motivated more by personal than political ends. Individuals were prompted by unstable psyches to commit such attacks. None were armed, and in many instances, the hijacker surrendered after negotiations. Planes may fly, but will crash your cause Any movement in the last few decades that has decided to take the route of hijacked planes has been viewed as a desperate last measure. Targeting civilians cannot be a respectable statement of moral high ground. If you have a point and you are trying to build a society on the basis of a democracy, then your voice cannot be kept quiet. Even your smallest squeak will be heard. So, if you really do want to make a point, then do so with peace, not with planes. They will not help your cause fly. (This article first appeared in DNA)

Hijackings hijack their own cause

A day after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) filled a charge sheet against Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar in the Pathankot attack, India took on Pakistan at the United Nations and called on the hostile neighbour to leave behind its ways of terrorism, with the warning saying that, &quot;what you sow will bear fruit&quot;.

Speaking at the United Nations Security Council, India&#39;s permanent envoy to the UN&nbsp;Syed Akbaruddin in a veiled attack on Pakistan, said that safe havens being provided to terrorists must be dealt with in order to bring sustainable peace.

&quot;We need to address, as an imperative, the support that terrorist organisations like the Taliban, Haqqani Network, Daesh, Al- Qaeda and its designated affiliates such as Lashkar-e-Toiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammed which operate entirely outside the fabric of international law draw from their shadowy supporters outside Afghanistan,&quot; he said.

Quoting poet Rumi, Akbaruddin said &quot;what you sow will bear fruit. If you&#39;ve any sense my friend, don&#39;t plant anything but peace,&quot; which seemed to be a clear message to Islamabad to refrain from stooping to terrorism.

The NIA on Monday filed a chargesheet in the NIA special court against senior commanders of Jaish-e-Mohammed including its Chief Maulana Masood Azhar, for their involvement in the terrorist attack at Pathankot Airbase on 2nd January, 2016.

(ANI)

India's UN envoy, in a veiled attack on Pakistan, said sustainable peace depends on not giving terrorists safe haven

A day after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) filled a charge sheet against Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar in the Pathankot attack, India took on Pakistan at the United Nations and called on the hostile neighbour to leave behind its ways of terrorism, with the warning saying that, "what you sow will bear fruit". Speaking at the United Nations Security Council, India's permanent envoy to the UN Syed Akbaruddin in a veiled attack on Pakistan, said that safe havens being provided to terrorists must be dealt with in order to bring sustainable peace. "We need to address, as an imperative, the support that terrorist organisations like the Taliban, Haqqani Network, Daesh, Al- Qaeda and its designated affiliates such as Lashkar-e-Toiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammed which operate entirely outside the fabric of international law draw from their shadowy supporters outside Afghanistan," he said. Quoting poet Rumi, Akbaruddin said "what you sow will bear fruit. If you've any sense my friend, don't plant anything but peace," which seemed to be a clear message to Islamabad to refrain from stooping to terrorism. The NIA on Monday filed a chargesheet in the NIA special court against senior commanders of Jaish-e-Mohammed including its Chief Maulana Masood Azhar, for their involvement in the terrorist attack at Pathankot Airbase on 2nd January, 2016. (ANI)

India targets Pakistan on terror at UN: 'What you sow will bear fruit'

It doesn&#39;t get more direct than what President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan had to say at Amritsar on Sunday.

&quot;Pakistan,&quot; he told representatives of nearly 50 countries or organisations, including Pakistan foreign affairs and security adviser Sartaj Aziz, who had gathered in the northern Indian town for the sixth edition of the Heart of Asia - Istanbul Process on Afghanistan,&nbsp;&quot;has pledged 500 million dollars for Afghanistan&rsquo;s development. This amount, Mr Aziz, can be spent to fight terrorists and extremists in Pakistan.&quot;

TV cameras did not capture Aziz&#39;s expression but the sting in&nbsp;Ghani&#39;s words was not lost on anyone. The Afghan President did not stop at that. 
 
&ldquo;A key Taliban leader,&quot; the Afghan President said, &quot;has himself admitted to getting sanctuary in Pakistan. He said that without Pakistan support, we would have&nbsp;not lasted for more than a month.&rdquo; 
 
As if on cue, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, who co-chaired the conference with Ghani, called for action &quot;against those who support, shelter, train and finance&quot; terrorists.&nbsp;

&quot;Silence and inaction against terrorism in Afghanistan and our region will only embolden terrorists and their masters,&quot; he continued in the same vein.

This double-barrelled attack on Pakistan, by the Afghan and Indian leaders, was in keeping with India&#39;s attempts of late to shame their common neighbour and further isolate it diplomatically.&nbsp;The bonhomie between Kabul and New Delhi extended to the bilateral talks between Ghani and Modi on the margins of the conference.

Economic partnership via trade and connectivity, development assistance and security cooperation were among the bilateral, regional and global issues that came up for discussion in their meeting.

Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said that Ghani and Modi agreed to strengthen counter-terrorism cooperation to combat especially the cross-border nature of the scourge which had caused immense suffering to the people of India and Afghanistan.

Both countries decided to operationalise the additional one billion meant as Indian development assistance for infrastructure and connectivity projects. They also plan to introduce an air transport corridor between India and Afghanistan&nbsp;to give India and Afghan consumers and producers unimpeded access to each other&#39;s products and services.

Modi was to amplify it later by saying that &quot;Afghanistan should be at the centre of our connectivity networks, not peripheral to them. On our part, we see Afghanistan as the hub for strengthening links of connectivity between South Asia and Central Asia&quot;.&nbsp;

&quot;We,&quot; he said, &quot;cannot deny that the more connected Afghanistan is with the regional arteries of trade, capital and markets, the more assured would be its economic growth and progress. President Ghani and I have converged on the priority of strengthening trade and transport linkages with other partners in the region.&quot;

For his part, Ghani said that all the countries in Afghanistan&#39;s neighbourhood and beyond &quot;need to identify cross-border terrorism and a fund to combat terrorism&quot;. He lauded India&#39;s development role in his war-torn country by saying that Indian assistance is transparent and came without without strings attached. &quot;There are no hidden agreements [or] secret conditions...it is convergence of interests and values of two states inspired by the belief in cooperative advantage.&quot;

Aziz defended by saying in his intervention afterwards at the conference that &quot;it is simplistic to blame only one country for the recent upsurge in violence&quot; in Afghanistan. In an oblique reference to the continued India - Pakistan tensions, he said that peaceful resolution of outstanding disputes will further improve regional cooperation and connectivity in the region. (Pakistan does not allow India access through its territory for exporting goods to Afghanistan.) 
 
However, at a joint news conference with Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Karzai of Afghanistan, Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley (standing in for Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj, who is indisposed) said that terrorism was at the very core of the deliberations and that the tone had been set by Ghani and Modi earlier in the day. 
 
Karzai, in turn, spoke about how Pakistan, without naming it, is nurturing and flirting with terrorism, which has consequences not only for Pakistan itself but also for the region. 
 
The participating countries, Jaitley added, recognised that terrorism was the biggest threat to peace and stability and the Amritsar Declaration (see below) adopted towards the end of the summit expressed concern over violence perpetrated by terrorist groups, such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad.

If there were fears that India - Pakistan tensions would hijack the conference agenda, it was not to be. In the end, Aziz&#39;s engagements did not go beyond the customary handshake and photo-op with Modi. Indian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup maintained that there was no pull-aside or bilateral meeting between Aziz and Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval either.&nbsp;

An excerpt from the Amritsar Declaration:

&quot;We remain concerned by the gravity of the security situation in Afghanistan in particular and the region and the high level of violence caused by the Taliban, terrorist groups including ISIL / DAISHand its affiliates, the Haqqani Network, Al Qaida, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, East Turkistan Islamic Movement, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, TTP, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, Jundullah and other foreign terrorist fighters. Acknowledging the support that terrorism derives in our region, we demand an immediate end to all forms of terrorism, as well as all support to it, including financing of terrorism. We recognize that terrorism is the biggest threat to peace, stability and cooperation in our region. We encourage the international community to continue to assist the Government of Afghanistan. We strongly call for concerted regional and international cooperation to ensure elimination of terrorism, in all its forms and manifestations, including dismantling of terrorist sanctuaries and safe havens in the Heart of Asia region, as well as disrupting all financial, tactical and logistical support for terrorism.&quot;

(WION)

Silence and inaction against terrorism in Afghanistan and our region will only embolden terrorists and their masters: Modi

It doesn't get more direct than what President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan had to say at Amritsar on Sunday. "Pakistan," he told representatives of nearly 50 countries or organisations, including Pakistan foreign affairs and security adviser Sartaj Aziz, who had gathered in the northern Indian town for the sixth edition of the Heart of Asia - Istanbul Process on Afghanistan, "has pledged 500 million dollars for Afghanistan’s development. This amount, Mr Aziz, can be spent to fight terrorists and extremists in Pakistan." TV cameras did not capture Aziz's expression but the sting in Ghani's words was not lost on anyone. The Afghan President did not stop at that. “A key Taliban leader," the Afghan President said, "has himself admitted to getting sanctuary in Pakistan. He said that without Pakistan support, we would have not lasted for more than a month.” As if on cue, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, who co-chaired the conference with Ghani, called for action "against those who support, shelter, train and finance" terrorists. "Silence and inaction against terrorism in Afghanistan and our region will only embolden terrorists and their masters," he continued in the same vein. This double-barrelled attack on Pakistan, by the Afghan and Indian leaders, was in keeping with India's attempts of late to shame their common neighbour and further isolate it diplomatically. The bonhomie between Kabul and New Delhi extended to the bilateral talks between Ghani and Modi on the margins of the conference. Economic partnership via trade and connectivity, development assistance and security cooperation were among the bilateral, regional and global issues that came up for discussion in their meeting. Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said that Ghani and Modi agreed to strengthen counter-terrorism cooperation to combat especially the cross-border nature of the scourge which had caused immense suffering to the people of India and Afghanistan. Both countries decided to operationalise the additional one billion meant as Indian development assistance for infrastructure and connectivity projects. They also plan to introduce an air transport corridor between India and Afghanistan to give India and Afghan consumers and producers unimpeded access to each other's products and services. Modi was to amplify it later by saying that "Afghanistan should be at the centre of our connectivity networks, not peripheral to them. On our part, we see Afghanistan as the hub for strengthening links of connectivity between South Asia and Central Asia". "We," he said, "cannot deny that the more connected Afghanistan is with the regional arteries of trade, capital and markets, the more assured would be its economic growth and progress. President Ghani and I have converged on the priority of strengthening trade and transport linkages with other partners in the region." For his part, Ghani said that all the countries in Afghanistan's neighbourhood and beyond "need to identify cross-border terrorism and a fund to combat terrorism". He lauded India's development role in his war-torn country by saying that Indian assistance is transparent and came without without strings attached. "There are no hidden agreements [or] secret conditions...it is convergence of interests and values of two states inspired by the belief in cooperative advantage." Aziz defended by saying in his intervention afterwards at the conference that "it is simplistic to blame only one country for the recent upsurge in violence" in Afghanistan. In an oblique reference to the continued India - Pakistan tensions, he said that peaceful resolution of outstanding disputes will further improve regional cooperation and connectivity in the region. (Pakistan does not allow India access through its territory for exporting goods to Afghanistan.) However, at a joint news conference with Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Karzai of Afghanistan, Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley (standing in for Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj, who is indisposed) said that terrorism was at the very core of the deliberations and that the tone had been set by Ghani and Modi earlier in the day. Karzai, in turn, spoke about how Pakistan, without naming it, is nurturing and flirting with terrorism, which has consequences not only for Pakistan itself but also for the region. The participating countries, Jaitley added, recognised that terrorism was the biggest threat to peace and stability and the Amritsar Declaration (see below) adopted towards the end of the summit expressed concern over violence perpetrated by terrorist groups, such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad. If there were fears that India - Pakistan tensions would hijack the conference agenda, it was not to be. In the end, Aziz's engagements did not go beyond the customary handshake and photo-op with Modi. Indian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup maintained that there was no pull-aside or bilateral meeting between Aziz and Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval either. An excerpt from the Amritsar Declaration: "We remain concerned by the gravity of the security situation in Afghanistan in particular and the region and the high level of violence caused by the Taliban, terrorist groups including ISIL / DAISHand its affiliates, the Haqqani Network, Al Qaida, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, East Turkistan Islamic Movement, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, TTP, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, Jundullah and other foreign terrorist fighters. Acknowledging the support that terrorism derives in our region, we demand an immediate end to all forms of terrorism, as well as all support to it, including financing of terrorism. We recognize that terrorism is the biggest threat to peace, stability and cooperation in our region. We encourage the international community to continue to assist the Government of Afghanistan. We strongly call for concerted regional and international cooperation to ensure elimination of terrorism, in all its forms and manifestations, including dismantling of terrorist sanctuaries and safe havens in the Heart of Asia region, as well as disrupting all financial, tactical and logistical support for terrorism." (WION)

Heart of Asia: Modi, Ghani launch double-barrelled attack on Pakistan

Will India-Pakistan tensions hijack the agenda of an international conference on Afghanistan? That is the question agitating the minds of delegates who began arriving at the Indian holy city of Amritsar for the two-day Heart of Asia - Istanbul Process which began on Saturday.&nbsp;

The Indian government was scrambling to insulate the talks about rebuilding Afghanistan - economically via trade and connectivity; development assistance; and security cooperation - after Pakistan foreign affairs and security adviser Sartaj Aziz landed in the evening, ahead of his scheduled arrival on Sunday morning.&nbsp;

Whether Aziz&#39;s engagements before he returns home on Sunday will go beyond the customary handshakes and photo-ops to informal, unstructured contacts with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India or his aides, is the subject of animated discussions on the margins of the Afghan conference.&nbsp;

The symbolism of Aziz&#39;s visit is not lost on key world capitals coming as it does soon after the terrorist attack on an Indian Army installation at Nagrota in Jammu and Kashmir, which was only the latest in a series of attacks which have rocked Jammu and Kashmir starting with the attack on the Pathankot air base in January this year, followed by the 18 September attack on an Indian Army camp at Uri, which claimed the lives of 19 Indian soldiers, among others.

For the third time in as many years, India is hosting world leaders or multilateral summits outside national capital Delhi. The choice of Amritsar as the venue of the Afghan conference is in keeping with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s desire to take summitry outside the cloistered confines of New Delhi. In 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi received President Xi Jinping of China in the western Indian state of Gujarat. In October this year India hosted the BRICS Summit in the western Indian beach resort and popular tourist destination of Goa.

India&#39;s decision to host the Afghanistan conference is being interpreted by some around the world as a deliberate move by India to underscore how Pakistan has consistently blocked connectivity in this region. It is also about terrorism, and New Delhi and Kabul seem to have a plan to further embarrass Islamabad. Of late, India has not lost any opportunity to diplomatically isolate Pakistan, be it at the G-20 Summit in China, the East Asia Summit in Vietnam, the United Nations General Assembly or the now-cancelled SAARC Summit. Amritsar also has a historical significance to it; it is a key location on the Grand Trunk Road, one of the longest and oldest roads in Asia connecting Central Asia with South Asia. The GT Road was rebuilt and upgraded by a ruler of Delhi named Sher Shah Suri nearly 500 years ago. Suri was of Afghan origin. The road links Kabul via Lahore, Amritsar, Delhi to Kolkata in eastern India and all the way upto Chittagong on Bangladesh.&nbsp;

India and Afghanistan have given enough notice that they will try and corner their common neighbour for giving sanctuary and support to terrorist groups. The Amritsar conference can be expected to delve into specifics and identify ways to deal with terrorism and terror threats and also detail what steps should be taken against those who support and glorify terrorists.

Afghanistan may demand binding clauses to contain terror infrastructure. It is pushing for the early adoption of a Regional Counter-Terrorism Framework. New Delhi and Kabul are also toying with plans to firm up an air cargo agreement to boost their bilateral trade even as Pakistan continues to stall all possibility of signing up for promoting regional trade and connectivity. &nbsp;

(WION)&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Many have discussed whether Pakistan's foreign affairs adviser will hold unstructured contact with the Indian PM on the sidelines

Will India-Pakistan tensions hijack the agenda of an international conference on Afghanistan? That is the question agitating the minds of delegates who began arriving at the Indian holy city of Amritsar for the two-day Heart of Asia - Istanbul Process which began on Saturday. The Indian government was scrambling to insulate the talks about rebuilding Afghanistan - economically via trade and connectivity; development assistance; and security cooperation - after Pakistan foreign affairs and security adviser Sartaj Aziz landed in the evening, ahead of his scheduled arrival on Sunday morning. Whether Aziz's engagements before he returns home on Sunday will go beyond the customary handshakes and photo-ops to informal, unstructured contacts with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India or his aides, is the subject of animated discussions on the margins of the Afghan conference. The symbolism of Aziz's visit is not lost on key world capitals coming as it does soon after the terrorist attack on an Indian Army installation at Nagrota in Jammu and Kashmir, which was only the latest in a series of attacks which have rocked Jammu and Kashmir starting with the attack on the Pathankot air base in January this year, followed by the 18 September attack on an Indian Army camp at Uri, which claimed the lives of 19 Indian soldiers, among others. For the third time in as many years, India is hosting world leaders or multilateral summits outside national capital Delhi. The choice of Amritsar as the venue of the Afghan conference is in keeping with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's desire to take summitry outside the cloistered confines of New Delhi. In 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi received President Xi Jinping of China in the western Indian state of Gujarat. In October this year India hosted the BRICS Summit in the western Indian beach resort and popular tourist destination of Goa. India's decision to host the Afghanistan conference is being interpreted by some around the world as a deliberate move by India to underscore how Pakistan has consistently blocked connectivity in this region. It is also about terrorism, and New Delhi and Kabul seem to have a plan to further embarrass Islamabad. Of late, India has not lost any opportunity to diplomatically isolate Pakistan, be it at the G-20 Summit in China, the East Asia Summit in Vietnam, the United Nations General Assembly or the now-cancelled SAARC Summit. Amritsar also has a historical significance to it; it is a key location on the Grand Trunk Road, one of the longest and oldest roads in Asia connecting Central Asia with South Asia. The GT Road was rebuilt and upgraded by a ruler of Delhi named Sher Shah Suri nearly 500 years ago. Suri was of Afghan origin. The road links Kabul via Lahore, Amritsar, Delhi to Kolkata in eastern India and all the way upto Chittagong on Bangladesh. India and Afghanistan have given enough notice that they will try and corner their common neighbour for giving sanctuary and support to terrorist groups. The Amritsar conference can be expected to delve into specifics and identify ways to deal with terrorism and terror threats and also detail what steps should be taken against those who support and glorify terrorists. Afghanistan may demand binding clauses to contain terror infrastructure. It is pushing for the early adoption of a Regional Counter-Terrorism Framework. New Delhi and Kabul are also toying with plans to firm up an air cargo agreement to boost their bilateral trade even as Pakistan continues to stall all possibility of signing up for promoting regional trade and connectivity. (WION)

Heart of Asia conference: Will India-Pakistan tensions divert from Afghan issues?

Representatives from nearly 40 countries and leading groupings like the European Union are in the Indian holy city of Amritsar in Punjab to attend the Heart of Asia - Istanbul process, aimed at exploring ways to effectively deal with the threat of terrorism in the region.&nbsp;

The annual conference is deliberating on various challenges facing Afghanistan, including the&nbsp;revival of a peace process in the country, which is facing the resurgence of Taliban.&nbsp;

The conference will be jointly inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Sunday.&nbsp;

The ministerial conference begins amid heightened tensions between Pakistan and India. Adviser to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz will travel to India tomorrow.&nbsp;

India had earlier ruled out any bilateral talks with Pakistan on the sidelines of the conference, saying the &quot;atmosphere of continued terror&quot; proved to be a major hindrance.&nbsp;

Ahead of the conference, both India and Afghanistan had called terror emanating from Pakistan as the &quot;greatest threat&quot; to regional peace and stability. Both the countries are pressing hard for adopting the counter-terror framework at the conference.&nbsp;

Today, senior officials of all 14 countries, including India, China, Russia, Iran and Pakistan were deliberating on a vast range of issues facing the region, including its complex security scenario, and dealing with the&nbsp;threat of terrorism, radicalisation, and extremism.

Issues like enhancing Afghanistan&#39;s connectivity with South and Central Asian countries to boost trade were being discussed at the senior officials&#39; meeting which was co-chaired by India&#39;s foreign secretary S Jaishankar and Deputy Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Hikmat Khaleel Karzai.

They will also finalise the text for tomorrow&#39;s ministerial conference and deliberate on its declaration which will have a&nbsp;substantial portion on terrorism.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from PTI)&nbsp;

Pushing for a counter-terror framework, India & Afghanistan called terror emanating from Pakistan the 'greatest threat' to the region

Representatives from nearly 40 countries and leading groupings like the European Union are in the Indian holy city of Amritsar in Punjab to attend the Heart of Asia - Istanbul process, aimed at exploring ways to effectively deal with the threat of terrorism in the region. The annual conference is deliberating on various challenges facing Afghanistan, including the revival of a peace process in the country, which is facing the resurgence of Taliban. The conference will be jointly inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Sunday. The ministerial conference begins amid heightened tensions between Pakistan and India. Adviser to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz will travel to India tomorrow. India had earlier ruled out any bilateral talks with Pakistan on the sidelines of the conference, saying the "atmosphere of continued terror" proved to be a major hindrance. Ahead of the conference, both India and Afghanistan had called terror emanating from Pakistan as the "greatest threat" to regional peace and stability. Both the countries are pressing hard for adopting the counter-terror framework at the conference. Today, senior officials of all 14 countries, including India, China, Russia, Iran and Pakistan were deliberating on a vast range of issues facing the region, including its complex security scenario, and dealing with the threat of terrorism, radicalisation, and extremism. Issues like enhancing Afghanistan's connectivity with South and Central Asian countries to boost trade were being discussed at the senior officials' meeting which was co-chaired by India's foreign secretary S Jaishankar and Deputy Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Hikmat Khaleel Karzai. They will also finalise the text for tomorrow's ministerial conference and deliberate on its declaration which will have a substantial portion on terrorism. (WION with inputs from PTI)

Heart of Asia conference begins with focus on tackling terror

Two days ahead of the Heart of Asia conference in the Indian city of Amritsar, external affairs ministry clarified that there would be no bilateral talks with Pakistan on the sidelines of the meeting.&nbsp;

India emphasised that it would not accept the atmosphere of &quot;continued terror&quot; as the &quot;new normal&quot; in the bilateral relationship.

External affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said, &quot;We have not received any request from Pakistan for a bilateral meeting.&quot;

He added that the government is awaiting detailed information on the specifics of the Nagrota terror attack, in which 7 Indian armymen were killed, before it decides on the next steps.&nbsp;

&quot;I do wish to emphasise that the government takes this incident very seriously and will do what it feels is required for our national security,&quot; he asserted.

Pakistan will be represented by Sartaj Aziz, foreign affairs advisor to Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif at the conference on December 3 and 4.&nbsp;

Tensions between the two South Asian neighbours heightened after India&#39;s surgical strikes against militants on Pakistan-administered Kashmir.&nbsp;

Replying to a question on Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif&#39;s telephonic call with US President-elect Trump, Swarup said the Indian government is looking forward to the US addressing Pakistan&#39;s &quot;most outstanding of outstanding problems - terrorism&quot;.&nbsp;

&quot;We have seen the reports of the conversation (between Trump and Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif) that were one-sided and claimed the President-elect promised to help Pakistan with all outstanding issues,&quot; Swarup said.&nbsp;

Pakistan today claimed that Trump&#39;s &quot;willingness to play any role&quot; in resolving its &quot;outstanding issues&quot; was a reference to the Kashmir issue.

(WION with inputs from PTI) 
&nbsp;

New Delhi emphasised that bilateral ties cannot improve amid continued attacks along the Line of Control

Two days ahead of the Heart of Asia conference in the Indian city of Amritsar, external affairs ministry clarified that there would be no bilateral talks with Pakistan on the sidelines of the meeting. India emphasised that it would not accept the atmosphere of "continued terror" as the "new normal" in the bilateral relationship. External affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said, "We have not received any request from Pakistan for a bilateral meeting." He added that the government is awaiting detailed information on the specifics of the Nagrota terror attack, in which 7 Indian armymen were killed, before it decides on the next steps. "I do wish to emphasise that the government takes this incident very seriously and will do what it feels is required for our national security," he asserted. Pakistan will be represented by Sartaj Aziz, foreign affairs advisor to Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif at the conference on December 3 and 4. Tensions between the two South Asian neighbours heightened after India's surgical strikes against militants on Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Replying to a question on Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's telephonic call with US President-elect Trump, Swarup said the Indian government is looking forward to the US addressing Pakistan's "most outstanding of outstanding problems - terrorism". "We have seen the reports of the conversation (between Trump and Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif) that were one-sided and claimed the President-elect promised to help Pakistan with all outstanding issues," Swarup said. Pakistan today claimed that Trump's "willingness to play any role" in resolving its "outstanding issues" was a reference to the Kashmir issue. (WION with inputs from PTI)

India: No talks with Pakistan in atmosphere of 'continued terror'

US&nbsp;authorities remain concerned about the possibility for&nbsp;both homegrown&nbsp;violent extremism and an al Qaeda threat in advance of the election.&nbsp;

The public will continue to see increased security in public places, a Department of Homeland Security official said on Friday.

&quot;Our concern that violent extremists could be inspired to conduct attacks inside the US&nbsp;have not diminished,&quot; the official said on condition of anonymity. &quot;The public should expect to continue to observe an increased law enforcement and security presence across communities in public places.&quot;

The official would not elaborate on intelligence matters.

The warnings about possible domestic violence&nbsp;come&nbsp;just as CBS reports that sources told them there was potential for an al Qaeda terror threat the day before the November 8 Presidential&nbsp;election.

US intelligence has alerted joint terrorism task forces that in three states on Monday al Qaeda could be planning an attack. While no specific locations were mentioned, the three states named were New York, Texas and Virginia.

While the authorities are taking the threats seriously, they are still being assessed and their credibility hasn&#39;t been confirmed. Officials are said to be taking extra precaution in advance of the election, as they do for big events or holidays.

Federal law enforcement is said to be planning for severeal worst-case scenarios. Local police were warned this week about &quot;polling places&quot; seen as &quot;attractive targets&quot; for &quot;lone wolf&quot;-type attacks.

(With inputs from Reuters)

Intelligence agencies are concerned about the potential for an attack by either a lone-wolf type or al Qaeda at 'polling places'

US authorities remain concerned about the possibility for both homegrown violent extremism and an al Qaeda threat in advance of the election. The public will continue to see increased security in public places, a Department of Homeland Security official said on Friday. "Our concern that violent extremists could be inspired to conduct attacks inside the US have not diminished," the official said on condition of anonymity. "The public should expect to continue to observe an increased law enforcement and security presence across communities in public places." The official would not elaborate on intelligence matters. The warnings about possible domestic violence come just as CBS reports that sources told them there was potential for an al Qaeda terror threat the day before the November 8 Presidential election. US intelligence has alerted joint terrorism task forces that in three states on Monday al Qaeda could be planning an attack. While no specific locations were mentioned, the three states named were New York, Texas and Virginia. While the authorities are taking the threats seriously, they are still being assessed and their credibility hasn't been confirmed. Officials are said to be taking extra precaution in advance of the election, as they do for big events or holidays. Federal law enforcement is said to be planning for severeal worst-case scenarios. Local police were warned this week about "polling places" seen as "attractive targets" for "lone wolf"-type attacks. (With inputs from Reuters)

US security officials warn of terror threats in advance of presidential election

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today briefed his Kiwi counterpart John Key about terrorism emanating from Pakistan and the recent Uri attack after which the two sides sought elimination of terrorist safe havens and infrastructure, disruption of terrorist networks and their financing, and a halt to cross-border terrorism.

According to official sources, Modi &quot;forcefully&quot; conveyed India&#39;s concerns over cross-border terrorism and last month&#39;s Uri attack which was carried out by Pakistan-based terrorists killing 19 jawans.

&quot;Terrorism remains one of the greatest challenges to global peace and security. Today, the financial, logistical and information networks of terror span the entire globe. The barriers of geography do not safeguard against the threat of radicalization and terrorism. Nations who believe in humanity need to coordinate their actions and policies to counter this threat.

&quot;Prime Minister Key and I have agreed to strengthen our security and intelligence cooperation against terrorism and radicalization, including in the domain of cyber security,&quot; Modi said at a joint media event with Key.

A joint statement issued after the talks said the two Prime Ministers agreed to enhance cooperation, bilaterally as well as in the framework of UN and especially in 1267 Committee, to combat the full spectrum of terrorist threats in all their forms and manifestations.

&quot;They called for eliminating terrorist safe havens and infrastructure, disrupting terrorist networks and their financing, and stopping cross-border terrorism.

&quot;Both sides called for the early adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) that would contribute to the further strengthening of the international counter-terrorism legal framework,&quot; it said.

The two Prime Ministers also pledged to continue the close coordination between the two countries on issues of mutual interest during and beyond New Zealand?s UNSC term, including terrorism sanctions, peacekeeping policy and UNSC reform, the statement added.

New Zealand also welcomed India&#39;s entry into the Missile Technology Control Regime, which would strengthen global non- proliferation objectives.

Asserting that his government was committed to relations with India, Key said the bilateral partnership was growing in several areas including cyber security and trade.

&quot;Both Prime Minister Modi and I underlined a strong intent in advancing nuclear disarmament and non- proliferation,&quot; Key added.

The two leaders also underlined the fact that India and New Zealand are both maritime nations with a strong interest in the Asia-Pacific and Indo-Pacific regions being stable and prosperous, including by ensuring the safety and security of sea lanes and freedom of navigation.

Accordingly, they agreed to further strengthen the political, defence and security relationship and to drive this enhanced political-security relationship, the two Prime Ministers agreed that the sides establish a Bilateral Ministerial Dialogue through annual meetings, either in India, New Zealand or on the margins of regional or global gatherings.

(PTI)

The two prime ministers agreed to enhance cooperation, bilaterally as well as in the framework of the United Nations

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today briefed his Kiwi counterpart John Key about terrorism emanating from Pakistan and the recent Uri attack after which the two sides sought elimination of terrorist safe havens and infrastructure, disruption of terrorist networks and their financing, and a halt to cross-border terrorism. According to official sources, Modi "forcefully" conveyed India's concerns over cross-border terrorism and last month's Uri attack which was carried out by Pakistan-based terrorists killing 19 jawans. "Terrorism remains one of the greatest challenges to global peace and security. Today, the financial, logistical and information networks of terror span the entire globe. The barriers of geography do not safeguard against the threat of radicalization and terrorism. Nations who believe in humanity need to coordinate their actions and policies to counter this threat. "Prime Minister Key and I have agreed to strengthen our security and intelligence cooperation against terrorism and radicalization, including in the domain of cyber security," Modi said at a joint media event with Key. A joint statement issued after the talks said the two Prime Ministers agreed to enhance cooperation, bilaterally as well as in the framework of UN and especially in 1267 Committee, to combat the full spectrum of terrorist threats in all their forms and manifestations. "They called for eliminating terrorist safe havens and infrastructure, disrupting terrorist networks and their financing, and stopping cross-border terrorism. "Both sides called for the early adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) that would contribute to the further strengthening of the international counter-terrorism legal framework," it said. The two Prime Ministers also pledged to continue the close coordination between the two countries on issues of mutual interest during and beyond New Zealand?s UNSC term, including terrorism sanctions, peacekeeping policy and UNSC reform, the statement added. New Zealand also welcomed India's entry into the Missile Technology Control Regime, which would strengthen global non- proliferation objectives. Asserting that his government was committed to relations with India, Key said the bilateral partnership was growing in several areas including cyber security and trade. "Both Prime Minister Modi and I underlined a strong intent in advancing nuclear disarmament and non- proliferation," Key added. The two leaders also underlined the fact that India and New Zealand are both maritime nations with a strong interest in the Asia-Pacific and Indo-Pacific regions being stable and prosperous, including by ensuring the safety and security of sea lanes and freedom of navigation. Accordingly, they agreed to further strengthen the political, defence and security relationship and to drive this enhanced political-security relationship, the two Prime Ministers agreed that the sides establish a Bilateral Ministerial Dialogue through annual meetings, either in India, New Zealand or on the margins of regional or global gatherings. (PTI)

Indian Prime Minister Modi briefs New Zealand PM on terror emanating from Pakistan

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday kept up India&#39;s efforts to diplomatically isolate Pakistan when he used the forum of the 8th BRICS Summit at Goa to urge the international community to lean on purveyors of terror who justify the use terrorism for political gains.

Without naming Pakistan, he said that the &quot;mother ship&quot; of terrorism &quot;is a country in India&rsquo;s neighbourhood&quot; and that terror modules of the world were linked to that particular country. In the same vein, he called for actions against the &quot;hardware of terrorism&quot;, including, but not limited to, terror financing, supply of weapons and training. 
&nbsp; 
In a double-barrelled attack, Mr Modi also obliquely took a swipe at China which employed the exact phrase (&quot;political gains&quot;) to justify its opposition to a United Nations ban on Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar, who New Delhi accuses of having had a hand in a series of terrorist attacks in India, including the September 18 attack at Uri in Jammu and Kashmir. On October 10, China&#39;s Vice Foreign Minister Li Baodong had said about India that no country should &quot;pursue its own political gains in the name of counter-terrorism&quot;.

Mr Modi continued the fusillade by pointing out that those who nurture, shelter, support or sponsor terrorism are as much a threat to regional and global peace and security as terrorists themselves.

Similar sentiments found a reflection in the Goa Declaration. A relevant extract from the document read: &quot;We strongly condemn the recent several attacks, against some BRICS countries, including that in India[.] There can be no justification whatsoever for any acts of terrorism...&quot;

Mr Modi has been relentless in his pursuit of a proactive policy against Pakistan. He has consistently raised the issue at every multilateral fora. At the G20 Summit at China, he had this to say: &quot;Indeed one single nation in South Asia is spreading these agents of terror in countries of our region[.]

Those who sponsor and support terrorism must be isolated and sanctioned, not rewarded.&quot;

The same narrative was heard at the East Asia Summit at Vietnam, where he spoke about a country &ldquo;whose competitive advantage rests solely in producing and exporting terrorism&rdquo; and that &quot;the time has come for us to stop this global exporter of terror.&quot;

And most recently, India exercised its right of reply to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif&#39;s address to the United Nations General Assembly speech by describing Pakistan as the &quot;Ivy league of terrorism&quot;.

However, the jury is out on whether the Goa Declaration adopted by the BRICS member-states did justice to India&#39;s concerns about cross-border terrorism emanating from its immediate neighbourhood. On the face of it, the language of the relevant paragraphs from the Goa Declaration on the subject of terrorism are similar to the boilerplate formulation contained in some previous BRICS documents.

Asked if the outcome document, which was sanitised of specific references to either Pakistan or the terrorism directed against India, had come as a disappointment to New Delhi, Secretary (Economic Relations) Amar Sinha in the Ministry of External Affairs said, &quot;We are satisfied[.] You don&#39;t have to spell out everything.&quot; Mr Sinha went on to suggest that the Goa Declaration should be read together with the bilateral documents agreed upon by India and the BRICS countries, which highlighted a convergence of ideas.

Although the Goa Declaration mentions the Islamic State terrorist group by name, there were no references to terror groups such as the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), which could be partly be attributed to China which sees Pakistan as an all-weather ally and a countervail to India. For his part, Mr Sinha sought to explain it away by saying that the JeM &quot;is focussed on India&quot; and therefore &quot;does not concern all of BRICS.&quot; 
 
(WION)

Without naming Pakistan, PM Modi said the 'mother ship' of terrorism 'is a country in India?s neighbourhood'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday kept up India's efforts to diplomatically isolate Pakistan when he used the forum of the 8th BRICS Summit at Goa to urge the international community to lean on purveyors of terror who justify the use terrorism for political gains. Without naming Pakistan, he said that the "mother ship" of terrorism "is a country in India’s neighbourhood" and that terror modules of the world were linked to that particular country. In the same vein, he called for actions against the "hardware of terrorism", including, but not limited to, terror financing, supply of weapons and training. In a double-barrelled attack, Mr Modi also obliquely took a swipe at China which employed the exact phrase ("political gains") to justify its opposition to a United Nations ban on Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar, who New Delhi accuses of having had a hand in a series of terrorist attacks in India, including the September 18 attack at Uri in Jammu and Kashmir. On October 10, China's Vice Foreign Minister Li Baodong had said about India that no country should "pursue its own political gains in the name of counter-terrorism". Mr Modi continued the fusillade by pointing out that those who nurture, shelter, support or sponsor terrorism are as much a threat to regional and global peace and security as terrorists themselves. Similar sentiments found a reflection in the Goa Declaration. A relevant extract from the document read: "We strongly condemn the recent several attacks, against some BRICS countries, including that in India[.] There can be no justification whatsoever for any acts of terrorism..." Mr Modi has been relentless in his pursuit of a proactive policy against Pakistan. He has consistently raised the issue at every multilateral fora. At the G20 Summit at China, he had this to say: "Indeed one single nation in South Asia is spreading these agents of terror in countries of our region[.] Those who sponsor and support terrorism must be isolated and sanctioned, not rewarded." The same narrative was heard at the East Asia Summit at Vietnam, where he spoke about a country “whose competitive advantage rests solely in producing and exporting terrorism” and that "the time has come for us to stop this global exporter of terror." And most recently, India exercised its right of reply to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's address to the United Nations General Assembly speech by describing Pakistan as the "Ivy league of terrorism". However, the jury is out on whether the Goa Declaration adopted by the BRICS member-states did justice to India's concerns about cross-border terrorism emanating from its immediate neighbourhood. On the face of it, the language of the relevant paragraphs from the Goa Declaration on the subject of terrorism are similar to the boilerplate formulation contained in some previous BRICS documents. Asked if the outcome document, which was sanitised of specific references to either Pakistan or the terrorism directed against India, had come as a disappointment to New Delhi, Secretary (Economic Relations) Amar Sinha in the Ministry of External Affairs said, "We are satisfied[.] You don't have to spell out everything." Mr Sinha went on to suggest that the Goa Declaration should be read together with the bilateral documents agreed upon by India and the BRICS countries, which highlighted a convergence of ideas. Although the Goa Declaration mentions the Islamic State terrorist group by name, there were no references to terror groups such as the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), which could be partly be attributed to China which sees Pakistan as an all-weather ally and a countervail to India. For his part, Mr Sinha sought to explain it away by saying that the JeM "is focussed on India" and therefore "does not concern all of BRICS." (WION)

At BRICS summit, India calls for action against 'hardware of terrorism'

The man expected to be voted in as the next UN secretary-general tomorrow says 'migration is necessary, better to organise it'

“I’ve never seen a Portuguese taking care of my mother,” Antonio Guterres says, with a tinge of exasperation at the ongoing debate in Europe and North America about migration. His 93-year-old mother needed a caregiver, so he contracted one from a private agency. “They are all migrants,” he says. And then he drives home his point. “There is no way Europe, an ageing continent, can deal with the problems of the elderly people without migration.” Guterres would know. The 67-year-old is a former prime minister of Portugal and former United Nations high commissioner for refugees. In an exclusive interview in New Delhi on July 22, the day after he emerged as the front runner to become the next United Nations secretary-general -- he is expected to be formally voted in as the next UN chief on Friday -- Guterres insisted that migration is part of the solution to global problems. And he has a compelling argument against the insular, myopic and at times hypocritical debates, bordering, some would say, on xenophobia and racism, which have engrossed and agitated Britain, Hungary and France in Europe and across the Atlantic in the United States. The fertility rate in most European countries is below 1.5. In my country Portugal it is between 1.2 and 1.3. There is no way these countries can survive without immigration × Fertility rate is the ratio of births to the population, expressed per 1,000 population per year. “So if migration is necessary, (it is) better to organise it,” Guterres wonders aloud. He concedes that there may be some truth to the claims that smugglers and people traffickers are manipulating the migration of millions into Europe and that, in turn, is causing social tensions in local communities and aiding some terrorist organisations. But he is categorical that the alternative is not to say no to refugees. “Several leaders in Europe and North America say we don’t need Muslim refugees. This is the worst thing you can say in a country that has millions of Muslims. This is the best propaganda for Daesh,” Guterres says, taking the Arabic name for the so-called Islamic State. “Those that are saying these things are helping terrorists recruit people. They are telling Muslims that you don’t belong and this is absolutely crazy. Xenophobic populist leaders are the best allies of terrorist organisations,” he adds. Guterres has in the past said that the migration debate in Europe is irrational and schizophrenic. He wants migration to be made legal and structured. He is equally critical of some leaders in Europe and North America for failing to, what he calls, create "the conditions for Muslim communities to feel that they belong". He says the fight against the so-called Islamic State is a battle for values which needs to be waged on two fronts – by the Muslim and the non-Muslim worlds alike. On the one hand, the Islamic religious scholars and civil society should fight radicalism and the rise of extremist tendencies with as much intensity and effective propaganda as the terrorist organisations. On the other hand, governments must realise that if they “start discriminating against Muslims you are only helping these terrorist organisations". He cautions that the use of force against the so-called Islamic State “is legitimate (and) is necessary but it will not alone solve the problem". Guterres feels the need for a surge in diplomacy to make the UN a more effective organisation. “The Oslo accord and the Iran (nuclear) agreement are good examples of discreet diplomacy,” he says. “I see the need in today’s world for an honest broker; someone that is independent; someone that wants to cooperate with States and is at the disposal of the States, to create the bridges that are necessary. Today’s wars are wars that nobody wins.” He speaks about the centrality of prevention of conflicts as opposed to the policy of pre-emption, which some countries such as the United States have espoused and practised before. “The problem with prevention,” he says, “is that TV cameras are not there when prevention takes place. TV cameras are there when a crisis erupts. So prevention is normally not a political priority for parliaments, for governments and for international organisations.” “We also need to have a comprehensive approach to prevention. To invest in adaptation for climate change is a way to prevent conflicts. To make sure that human rights are respected is a way to prevent conflicts. Then there are inequalities of development. “We need to bring all of this together and then use the classical instruments of diplomacy and political dialogue to avoid conflicts and to make sure that parties are able to resolve their contradictions peacefully.” In sharp contrast, pre-emption is rooted in suspicion and miscalculation. “We need dialogue to prevent misunderstandings. Some countries believe that what some other countries are doing can be a threat to them but it can be completely false, it can be their imagination so they strike first. We need to avoid misunderstandings and misperceptions that have contributed to so many conflicts in the world.” So are Syria and Iraq among some of the UN’s failures? The diplomat ventures only so far as to say that they represent “a failure of the international community” and “to that extent they are also a failure of the UN. But the UN would never be able to solve the problem if those key stakeholders that have an influence on the parties to the conflict would not be able to come together and solve the problem.” In the straw poll conducted by the United Nations security council in New York on July 21, Guterres got 12 out of 15 votes. The Council is composed of five permanent members - China, France, Russia, the UK and the US - and 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms by the General assembly currently consist of Angola, Egypt, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Senegal, Spain, Ukraine, Uruguay and Venezuela. There are 12 candidates in the fray, half of them women. In the UN’s 70-year history there have been eight secretary-generals, all male and none from eastern Europe. Eight of the 12 candidates this year hail from eastern Europe, including three women. So should the next secretary-general be a woman and/or from eastern Europe? Guterres has this to say: “I understand the symbolic value of having a woman secretary-general and if I have to be a victim of my own convictions in relation to gender equality I am ready to accept it. I believe that if elected I will be totally committed to gender parity in the organisation and to effective protection and empower of women in everything the UN does.” (WION)

Migration is a solution to global problems: Antonio Guterres

At least four people were wounded in Afghan capital of Kabul today when an explosion hit a bus carrying government employees during rush hour traffic, police and witnesses told Reuters news agency.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

A spokesman for the interior ministry, Sediq Seqqi.&nbsp;said: &quot;The target appeared to be a bus carrying employees of the ministry of mining and petroleum.&quot;&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The blast was reported at around 5 pm (1230 GMT) on a major road near a university and an old parliament building.

&nbsp;

Reuters quoted officials as saying that three men and one woman were among the wounded.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from Reuters)&nbsp;

 
&nbsp;

The target appeared to be a bus carrying employees of the ministry of mining and petroleum, an official said

At least four people were wounded in Afghan capital of Kabul today when an explosion hit a bus carrying government employees during rush hour traffic, police and witnesses told Reuters news agency. A spokesman for the interior ministry, Sediq Seqqi. said: "The target appeared to be a bus carrying employees of the ministry of mining and petroleum." The blast was reported at around 5 pm (1230 GMT) on a major road near a university and an old parliament building. Reuters quoted officials as saying that three men and one woman were among the wounded. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Explosion hits bus carrying government employees in Kabul, at least four injured

Sri Lanka on Friday said that the prevailing conditions in South Asia were not conducive for holding the regional summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

&quot;Peace and security are essential elements for the success of meaningful regional cooperation for the benefit of the people of South Asia. As a founding member of SAARC, committed to regional cooperation, Sri Lanka hopes that the steps required to ensuring our region&rsquo;s peace and security will be taken to create an environment that is conducive for the pursuit of regional cooperation,&quot; read a statement issued by the ministry of foreign affairs in Colombo.

Sri Lanka thus expressed its unwillingness to attend the upcoming SAARC summit in Islamabad.

The country stressed on the need for a unanimous decision-making by the region at all levels.

Four other countries have earlier conveyed their decision to pull out of this year&rsquo;s summit - India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan.

The countries wrote to Nepal, the current Chair of SAARC, stating rising terrorism in the region as the reason behind the withdrawal.

(WION with inputs from agencies)

The ministry of foreign affairs stated rising terrorism in the region as the reason behind its reluctance to attend the summit

Sri Lanka on Friday said that the prevailing conditions in South Asia were not conducive for holding the regional summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). "Peace and security are essential elements for the success of meaningful regional cooperation for the benefit of the people of South Asia. As a founding member of SAARC, committed to regional cooperation, Sri Lanka hopes that the steps required to ensuring our region’s peace and security will be taken to create an environment that is conducive for the pursuit of regional cooperation," read a statement issued by the ministry of foreign affairs in Colombo. Sri Lanka thus expressed its unwillingness to attend the upcoming SAARC summit in Islamabad. The country stressed on the need for a unanimous decision-making by the region at all levels. Four other countries have earlier conveyed their decision to pull out of this year’s summit - India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan. The countries wrote to Nepal, the current Chair of SAARC, stating rising terrorism in the region as the reason behind the withdrawal. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Sri Lanka expresses unwillingness to attend regional summit

Arcan Cetin has been charged with five counts of first-degree murder after he confessed to killing five people in a shooting rampage at a mall in Washington, Reuters reported. 
 
The 20-year-old appeared in Skagit county district court in Mount Vernon, Washington on Monday morning and the bail was set on $2 million. 
 
Skagit County District Attorney Richard Weyrich declined to discuss a motive for the shooting rampage, Reuters reported. The Federal Bereau of Investigation said there was no sign that the incident was an act of terrorism but haven&#39;t ruled out the possibility. 
 
Turkish-born Arcan Cetin, a legal US resident, walked into the Cascade Mall in Burlington, Washington, about 65 miles (105 km) north of Seattle and began shooting at about 7 pm local time on Friday, Washington State Patrol spokesman Mark Francis said on Twitter. Cetin fled after the attack. He was captured by the police on Saturday evening about 48 km from where the deadly shooting occurred. 
 
Wearing red and blue jail garb and shackled at the waist, Cetin showed no emotion and spoke only to respond &quot;yes, your honour&quot; several times to the judge, Reuters said. 
 
Cetin admitted to bringing a .22 calibre rifle into the Macy&#39;s department store at Cascade Mall in Burlington on Friday evening and fatally shooting five people. 
 
Weyrich told reporters that the prosecutors have not yet decided if they will be asking for death penalty in the case. 
 
This latest attack took place only a few days after a man stabbed nine people at a mall in central Minnesota before being shot dead on September 17. 
 
(WION with inputs from Reuters)

Arcan Cetin, a 20-year-old US citizen of Turkish origin, was arraigned at a district court and bail was set at $2 million

Arcan Cetin has been charged with five counts of first-degree murder after he confessed to killing five people in a shooting rampage at a mall in Washington, Reuters reported. The 20-year-old appeared in Skagit county district court in Mount Vernon, Washington on Monday morning and the bail was set on $2 million. Skagit County District Attorney Richard Weyrich declined to discuss a motive for the shooting rampage, Reuters reported. The Federal Bereau of Investigation said there was no sign that the incident was an act of terrorism but haven't ruled out the possibility. Turkish-born Arcan Cetin, a legal US resident, walked into the Cascade Mall in Burlington, Washington, about 65 miles (105 km) north of Seattle and began shooting at about 7 pm local time on Friday, Washington State Patrol spokesman Mark Francis said on Twitter. Cetin fled after the attack. He was captured by the police on Saturday evening about 48 km from where the deadly shooting occurred. Wearing red and blue jail garb and shackled at the waist, Cetin showed no emotion and spoke only to respond "yes, your honour" several times to the judge, Reuters said. Cetin admitted to bringing a .22 calibre rifle into the Macy's department store at Cascade Mall in Burlington on Friday evening and fatally shooting five people. Weyrich told reporters that the prosecutors have not yet decided if they will be asking for death penalty in the case. This latest attack took place only a few days after a man stabbed nine people at a mall in central Minnesota before being shot dead on September 17. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

US mall shooting: Assailant confesses, charged with five counts of murder

Speaking at a national meet of his party the BJP&nbsp;in India&#39;s southern state of Kerala on Saturday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose to directly address the people of Pakistan. 
 
The Indian Prime Minister&nbsp;challenged the people of Pakistan to a fight -- but one to end poverty, unemployment, and illiteracy in his first speech after the Uri attack in Kashmir in which 18 Indian soldiers had been killed. 
 
&quot;Let us see which country wins, India or Pakistan,&quot; he said. 
 
Modi said both India and Pakistan will win when they stand together and&nbsp;speak in one voice. 
 
But while he extended an olive branch to the people of&nbsp;Pakistan, it wasn&#39;t all sugary sweet. Prime Minister Modi also adopted a harder tone, and warned Pakistan that the Uri attack would not be forgotten by India. 
 
&quot;Terrorists should hear out clearly that India will never forget the Uri attack.... I want to tell the leadership of Pakistan that the sacrifice of our 18 jawans (soldiers) will not go in vain,&quot; Modi said at a public meeting held on the Kozhikode beach on the sidelines of the BJP&#39;s national meet. 
 
Referring to the country again, he said: &quot;India has never bowed before terrorists, and it never will. Because of one country, the entire continent of Asia is beleaguered with terrorism. The country wants blood, wants to kill innocents and is stuck to doing that.&rdquo; 
 
And he blamed Pakistan for &quot;exporting&quot;&nbsp;the terrorists who carried out the attack on the Indian army camp in Kashmir last Sunday. 
 
&quot;The leaders of the neighbouring country who read out scripts written by terrorists are singing the Kashmir song. Today from here, I want to talk to people of Pakistan directly. I want to remind them that before 1947, your forefathers had saluted this land,&quot; he said. 
 
He went on to add that every terrorist attack in South Asia -- be it&nbsp;Bangladesh or Afghanistan -- can be traced back to Pakistan. And that the country was responsible for harbouring terrorists. 
 
&quot;Every nation is holding only one country responsible for terrorism. Only one country in Asia is safe haven for terrorists. This is the only country engaged in exporting terror across the world. 
 
&quot;Terrorism is enemy of humanity. Humanitarians all over the world have to unite and condemn terror,&quot; he said. 
 
Mr Modi asked the people of Pakistan to question their leaders. 
 
&quot;You should ask your leaders why they were not able to handle PoK, erstwhile Bangladesh, Pakhtunistan, Gilgit and Balochistan and were trying to mislead you by talking about Kashmir,&quot; he said. 
 
He told them their government&nbsp;cannot &quot;handle&quot;&nbsp;Pakistan-controlled&nbsp;Kashmir but misleads its own people by talking about Kashmir. 
 
&quot;Ask them,&nbsp;you can&#39;t handle Gilgit, PoK, Balochistan which is with you, then why mislead people by talking of Kashmir?&rdquo; 
 
The 21st&nbsp;century is Asia&#39;s century, Mr Modi said, but that added that&nbsp;one country was hindering the continent&#39;s success. He was of course referring again to Pakistan. 
 
&quot;All countries in Asia is working forward to make sure that 21st century becomes Asia&#39;s 21st century except one country. There is one nation in Asia whose aim is this century does not become Asia&#39;s and is associated with terrorism. Question is not only about India, everywhere this is one country which is exporting terrorism everywhere,&quot; he said.&nbsp; 
 
(WION, with inputs from DNA and PTI)

He challenged them to a fight -- but one to end poverty and unemployment. Then got tough, said 'India will never forget Uri attack'

Speaking at a national meet of his party the BJP in India's southern state of Kerala on Saturday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose to directly address the people of Pakistan. The Indian Prime Minister challenged the people of Pakistan to a fight -- but one to end poverty, unemployment, and illiteracy in his first speech after the Uri attack in Kashmir in which 18 Indian soldiers had been killed. "Let us see which country wins, India or Pakistan," he said. Modi said both India and Pakistan will win when they stand together and speak in one voice. But while he extended an olive branch to the people of Pakistan, it wasn't all sugary sweet. Prime Minister Modi also adopted a harder tone, and warned Pakistan that the Uri attack would not be forgotten by India. "Terrorists should hear out clearly that India will never forget the Uri attack.... I want to tell the leadership of Pakistan that the sacrifice of our 18 jawans (soldiers) will not go in vain," Modi said at a public meeting held on the Kozhikode beach on the sidelines of the BJP's national meet. Referring to the country again, he said: "India has never bowed before terrorists, and it never will. Because of one country, the entire continent of Asia is beleaguered with terrorism. The country wants blood, wants to kill innocents and is stuck to doing that.” And he blamed Pakistan for "exporting" the terrorists who carried out the attack on the Indian army camp in Kashmir last Sunday. "The leaders of the neighbouring country who read out scripts written by terrorists are singing the Kashmir song. Today from here, I want to talk to people of Pakistan directly. I want to remind them that before 1947, your forefathers had saluted this land," he said. He went on to add that every terrorist attack in South Asia -- be it Bangladesh or Afghanistan -- can be traced back to Pakistan. And that the country was responsible for harbouring terrorists. "Every nation is holding only one country responsible for terrorism. Only one country in Asia is safe haven for terrorists. This is the only country engaged in exporting terror across the world. "Terrorism is enemy of humanity. Humanitarians all over the world have to unite and condemn terror," he said. Mr Modi asked the people of Pakistan to question their leaders. "You should ask your leaders why they were not able to handle PoK, erstwhile Bangladesh, Pakhtunistan, Gilgit and Balochistan and were trying to mislead you by talking about Kashmir," he said. He told them their government cannot "handle" Pakistan-controlled Kashmir but misleads its own people by talking about Kashmir. "Ask them, you can't handle Gilgit, PoK, Balochistan which is with you, then why mislead people by talking of Kashmir?” The 21st century is Asia's century, Mr Modi said, but that added that one country was hindering the continent's success. He was of course referring again to Pakistan. "All countries in Asia is working forward to make sure that 21st century becomes Asia's 21st century except one country. There is one nation in Asia whose aim is this century does not become Asia's and is associated with terrorism. Question is not only about India, everywhere this is one country which is exporting terrorism everywhere," he said. (WION, with inputs from DNA and PTI)

In first public address after Kashmir terror strike, Indian PM Modi addresses people of Pakistan

Making a statement during the 33rd Session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva on Monday, India said that cross-border terrorism promoted by Pakistan was the fundamental reason for disturbances in Kashmir. 
 
India said it firmly believes that a policy of &quot;zero tolerance&quot; against terrorism is as much an international obligation as it is a commitment to its own people, a day after four Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorists killed 18 Indian army soldiers in Kashmir. 
 
&quot;India has been a long-suffering victim of terrorism emanating from our neighbourhood. The fundamental reason for disturbances in Kashmir is cross-border terrorism promoted by Pakistan which is so ruthless that it doesn&#39;t shy away from using civilians and even children by putting them in harm&#39;s way, at the forefront of violent mobs instigated and supported by their handlers from across the border,&quot; said India. 
 
India also called upon the Council to urge Pakistan to dismantle the terrorism infrastructure and stop acting as an epicentre of terrorism. 
 
&quot;It is time that moral and material support provided by Pakistan to the perpetrators of this continuing heinous violence on the Indian soil should attract this Council s attention,&quot; it added. 
 
India once again raised the &quot;blatant abuse and violation of human rights in the Pakistan-controlled Kashmir and in other parts of Pakistan, including Balochistan.&quot; 
 
India said it has moved beyond the country&#39;s domestic problem and was adversely impacting the stability of the entire region. 
 
&quot;Pakistan&#39;s continued mistreatment of large parts of its own population has created a cauldron of tumult that has begun to jeopardise the safety and security of its neighbouring countries.&quot; 
 
It added that the fact that known terrorists like Hafiz Saeed and Syed Salahuddin have been able to hold huge rallies in Pakistan&#39;s main cities is a reflection of the state of affairs and can mean only one thing, an active support for such personalities and the designated organisations they lead in blatant disregard of rule of law is the new normal in Pakistan. 
 
&quot;Rather than internationalising issues with India, Pakistan should cleanse itself of its terrorists.&quot; 
 
India urged the Council to take a holistic view of this threat and not permit the use of terrorism as state policy to be masqueraded as advocacy of human rights. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

India's statement at the UNHRC said the policy of zero tolerance against terror is as much an international obligation as its own

Making a statement during the 33rd Session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva on Monday, India said that cross-border terrorism promoted by Pakistan was the fundamental reason for disturbances in Kashmir. India said it firmly believes that a policy of "zero tolerance" against terrorism is as much an international obligation as it is a commitment to its own people, a day after four Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorists killed 18 Indian army soldiers in Kashmir. "India has been a long-suffering victim of terrorism emanating from our neighbourhood. The fundamental reason for disturbances in Kashmir is cross-border terrorism promoted by Pakistan which is so ruthless that it doesn't shy away from using civilians and even children by putting them in harm's way, at the forefront of violent mobs instigated and supported by their handlers from across the border," said India. India also called upon the Council to urge Pakistan to dismantle the terrorism infrastructure and stop acting as an epicentre of terrorism. "It is time that moral and material support provided by Pakistan to the perpetrators of this continuing heinous violence on the Indian soil should attract this Council s attention," it added. India once again raised the "blatant abuse and violation of human rights in the Pakistan-controlled Kashmir and in other parts of Pakistan, including Balochistan." India said it has moved beyond the country's domestic problem and was adversely impacting the stability of the entire region. "Pakistan's continued mistreatment of large parts of its own population has created a cauldron of tumult that has begun to jeopardise the safety and security of its neighbouring countries." It added that the fact that known terrorists like Hafiz Saeed and Syed Salahuddin have been able to hold huge rallies in Pakistan's main cities is a reflection of the state of affairs and can mean only one thing, an active support for such personalities and the designated organisations they lead in blatant disregard of rule of law is the new normal in Pakistan. "Rather than internationalising issues with India, Pakistan should cleanse itself of its terrorists." India urged the Council to take a holistic view of this threat and not permit the use of terrorism as state policy to be masqueraded as advocacy of human rights. (WION with inputs from agencies)

India at UNHRC: Pakistan must stop acting as epicentre of terrorism

Continuing with its efforts to internationalise the Kashmir issue, Pakistan on Sunday took up the matter on the second day of the NAM summit in Venezuela.&nbsp; 
 
Head of the Pakistani delegation and the Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said the group should be outraged by the situation in the Indian state of Kashmir.&nbsp; 
 
Aziz said resolving the Kashmir issue in accordance with the resolutions of the UN Security Council is imperative to the peace in South Asia. 
 
&quot;It is tragic that 60 years after being promised, the people of Jammu and Kashmir are still waiting to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination and Kashmir along with Palestine has become one of the longstanding items on the UN agenda,&quot; Aziz said. 
 
&quot;We should also be outraged by the horrific images of innocent Kashmiris being killed, maimed and blinded by the use of boot force in Kashmir in the last two months,&quot; he added. 
 
Aziz asserted that Pakistan strongly endorses the NAM agreement to undertake measures to oppose terrorism and violent extremism.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. ..Pakistan has lost tens of thousands of lives in this fight yet are resolve is firm, our commitment unflinching and our actions tougher and more wide-ranging than ever,&quot; Aziz said. 
 
Aziz told the 120-nation group that Pakistan is willing to share the valuable experience it has acquired in successfully tackling the menace of terrorism in the past three years. &nbsp; 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

Islamabad said Kashmir issue has been a longstanding UN agenda and must be resolved to bring peace in the South Asian region

Continuing with its efforts to internationalise the Kashmir issue, Pakistan on Sunday took up the matter on the second day of the NAM summit in Venezuela. Head of the Pakistani delegation and the Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said the group should be outraged by the situation in the Indian state of Kashmir. Aziz said resolving the Kashmir issue in accordance with the resolutions of the UN Security Council is imperative to the peace in South Asia. "It is tragic that 60 years after being promised, the people of Jammu and Kashmir are still waiting to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination and Kashmir along with Palestine has become one of the longstanding items on the UN agenda," Aziz said. "We should also be outraged by the horrific images of innocent Kashmiris being killed, maimed and blinded by the use of boot force in Kashmir in the last two months," he added. Aziz asserted that Pakistan strongly endorses the NAM agreement to undertake measures to oppose terrorism and violent extremism. "We condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. ..Pakistan has lost tens of thousands of lives in this fight yet are resolve is firm, our commitment unflinching and our actions tougher and more wide-ranging than ever," Aziz said. Aziz told the 120-nation group that Pakistan is willing to share the valuable experience it has acquired in successfully tackling the menace of terrorism in the past three years. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Pakistan raises Kashmir issue at NAM summit, says it is outraged by suppression of innocent civilians

Terrorism charges were filed by&nbsp;Brazilian prosecutors on Friday&nbsp;against eight people, accused of plotting attacks and recruiting followers for terrorist organisations ahead of the Rio Olympics held last month.&nbsp; 
 
The eight Brazillian nationals were arrested in July for organising what the authorities described as an &quot;amateur&quot; terrorist cell that had sworn loyalty to the Islamic State, international news agency AFP reported today.&nbsp; 
 
The prosecutors reportedly asked a court to charge all eight accused, including two minors, with &quot;recruitment and promotion of a terrorist organisation.&quot; 
 
The&nbsp;police intercepted messages sent using the cell phone application Telegram in which the suspects discussed &quot;the idea that they had to step out of the virtual realm and start acting for real,&quot; prosecutor Rafael Brum told a news conference. The investigation was dubbed as Operation Hashtag.&nbsp; 
 
While there was no direct evidence of concrete plot or an actual link with the Islamic State group,&nbsp;the discussions included the possibility of staging an attack on the Games and tips on home-made bomb-making. But there was no evidence of a he added. 
 
The Brazilian authorities received an initial tip-off about the group from the FBI in the United States, prosecutors said.&nbsp; 
 
Meanwhile, six other suspects remain under investigation. 
 
The Olympics, which were held from August 5 to 21, went off without major incident despite security fears. Some 85,000 police and soldiers were deployed for the event. 
 
(WION with inputs from AFP)&nbsp; 
 
 
 
&nbsp;

The Brazillian nationals were arrested in July for organising what the authorities described as an 'amateur' terrorist cell

Terrorism charges were filed by Brazilian prosecutors on Friday against eight people, accused of plotting attacks and recruiting followers for terrorist organisations ahead of the Rio Olympics held last month. The eight Brazillian nationals were arrested in July for organising what the authorities described as an "amateur" terrorist cell that had sworn loyalty to the Islamic State, international news agency AFP reported today. The prosecutors reportedly asked a court to charge all eight accused, including two minors, with "recruitment and promotion of a terrorist organisation." The police intercepted messages sent using the cell phone application Telegram in which the suspects discussed "the idea that they had to step out of the virtual realm and start acting for real," prosecutor Rafael Brum told a news conference. The investigation was dubbed as Operation Hashtag. While there was no direct evidence of concrete plot or an actual link with the Islamic State group, the discussions included the possibility of staging an attack on the Games and tips on home-made bomb-making. But there was no evidence of a he added. The Brazilian authorities received an initial tip-off about the group from the FBI in the United States, prosecutors said. Meanwhile, six other suspects remain under investigation. The Olympics, which were held from August 5 to 21, went off without major incident despite security fears. Some 85,000 police and soldiers were deployed for the event. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Brazil prosecutors file terror charges against 8 accused of plotting attacks before Olympics

The bomb that exploded in New York wounding 29 people was an act of terrorism but has no apparent international link, the state governor said on Sunday. 
 
&quot;A bomb exploding in New York is obviously an act of terrorism, but it&#39;s not linked to international terrorism. In other words, we find no ISIS connection, et cetera,&quot; New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said,&nbsp;in reference to the Islamic State extremist group based in Iraq and Syria, reported AFP. 
 
The explosion in the Chealsea neighbourhood of Manhattan on Saturday evening, left the city on high alert.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Early indications are that this was an intentional act,&quot; mayor Bill de Blasio had earlier said at a press conference. But he was not sure it had &quot;a terror connection&quot;. 
 
Meanwhile, local news reports added that a second device -- which looked like a &quot;pressurised cooker&quot; -- had been found four blocks from the first blast site. &nbsp; 
 
And Reuters reported an official as saying that the Joint Terrorism Task Force, an inter-agency group of federal, state and local officials, was called to investigate the Chelsea blast, suggesting authorities have not ruled out the possibility of a terror connection.
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Manhattan *IED Explosion* W 23 St &amp; 7th Ave. Photo By: <a href="https://twitter.com/itaycohai">@itaycohai</a> video by: <a href="https://twitter.com/itaycohai">@itaycohai</a> <a href="https://t.co/spaIg1uCYN">pic.twitter.com/spaIg1uCYN</a>
&mdash; NYCFireWire (@NYCFireWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/NYCFireWire/status/777310900613152768">September 18, 2016</a></blockquote>
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Fire department commissioner Daniel Nigro said 24 people had been admitted to hospital with scrapes and bruises recieved from glass and metal. CNN reported that one of the victims was believed to be critical. &nbsp; 
 
Reports said law enforcement officials believed the explosion took place in a dumpster, but would not say what might have caused it.&nbsp; 
 
CNN reported officials as saying they believed it was an improvised explosive device or IED.&nbsp; 
 
New York city police department deputy commissioner J Peter Donald tweeted that the blast occured at about 8.30 pm between 6th Avenue and 7th Avenue on 23rd Street and that several injured were transported to an area hospital.&nbsp; 
 
Police issued a notice asking motorists to avoid the area and that they should &quot;expect extensive traffic delays and emergency personnel in the area of 23rd Street and 7th Avenue.&quot; 
 
The blast happened outside the Associated Blinding Housing facility at 135 W. 23rd Street. Hundreds were seen fleeing the area in panic after the blast. &nbsp; 
 
Tsi Tsi Mallett, who was driving along 23rd Street when the explosion took place, told Reuters, &quot;It was really loud, it hurt my eardrums. My 10-year-old boy was sat in the back seat of the car, and the explosion blew the back window out.&quot; Reuters reported her son was not injured.&nbsp; 
 
Neha Jain, who lives in the neighbourhood, told Reuters she was sitting in her room watching a movie when she suddenly heard a huge boom and everything shook. 
 
&quot;Pictures on my wall fell, the window curtain came flying as if there was a big gush of wind. Then we could smell smoke. Went downstairs to see what happened and firemen immediately told us to go back.&quot; 
 
This was the second explosion that took place on Saturday, the first one being at New Jersey&#39;s Seaside Park, when a pipe bomb in a trash can exploded along the route of a charity race to benefit military veterans.&nbsp; 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

At least 29 people were injured in the explosion in Manhattan. Mayor Bill de Blasio had said the blast was 'intentional'

The bomb that exploded in New York wounding 29 people was an act of terrorism but has no apparent international link, the state governor said on Sunday. "A bomb exploding in New York is obviously an act of terrorism, but it's not linked to international terrorism. In other words, we find no ISIS connection, et cetera," New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said, in reference to the Islamic State extremist group based in Iraq and Syria, reported AFP. The explosion in the Chealsea neighbourhood of Manhattan on Saturday evening, left the city on high alert. "Early indications are that this was an intentional act," mayor Bill de Blasio had earlier said at a press conference. But he was not sure it had "a terror connection". Meanwhile, local news reports added that a second device -- which looked like a "pressurised cooker" -- had been found four blocks from the first blast site. And Reuters reported an official as saying that the Joint Terrorism Task Force, an inter-agency group of federal, state and local officials, was called to investigate the Chelsea blast, suggesting authorities have not ruled out the possibility of a terror connection. Manhattan *IED Explosion* W 23 St & 7th Ave. Photo By: @itaycohai video by: @itaycohai pic.twitter.com/spaIg1uCYN — NYCFireWire (@NYCFireWire) September 18, 2016 Fire department commissioner Daniel Nigro said 24 people had been admitted to hospital with scrapes and bruises recieved from glass and metal. CNN reported that one of the victims was believed to be critical. Reports said law enforcement officials believed the explosion took place in a dumpster, but would not say what might have caused it. CNN reported officials as saying they believed it was an improvised explosive device or IED. New York city police department deputy commissioner J Peter Donald tweeted that the blast occured at about 8.30 pm between 6th Avenue and 7th Avenue on 23rd Street and that several injured were transported to an area hospital. Police issued a notice asking motorists to avoid the area and that they should "expect extensive traffic delays and emergency personnel in the area of 23rd Street and 7th Avenue." The blast happened outside the Associated Blinding Housing facility at 135 W. 23rd Street. Hundreds were seen fleeing the area in panic after the blast. Tsi Tsi Mallett, who was driving along 23rd Street when the explosion took place, told Reuters, "It was really loud, it hurt my eardrums. My 10-year-old boy was sat in the back seat of the car, and the explosion blew the back window out." Reuters reported her son was not injured. Neha Jain, who lives in the neighbourhood, told Reuters she was sitting in her room watching a movie when she suddenly heard a huge boom and everything shook. "Pictures on my wall fell, the window curtain came flying as if there was a big gush of wind. Then we could smell smoke. Went downstairs to see what happened and firemen immediately told us to go back." This was the second explosion that took place on Saturday, the first one being at New Jersey's Seaside Park, when a pipe bomb in a trash can exploded along the route of a charity race to benefit military veterans. (WION with inputs from agencies)

New York blast an act of terrorism but no international link: State governor

Making a strong anti-terror pitch at the NAM Summit in Venezuela, India today asserted that &quot;concrete action&quot; was needed in the fight against terrorism. 
 
India urged the 120-nation group to set up a mechanism to ensure effective cooperation in combating the menace. 
 
Vice-President Hamid Ansari is leading the Indian delegation at the 17th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit in the absence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 
 
In his address to the plenary meeting of the bloc, Ansari said, &quot;The time has come for our movement to recognise the need for concrete action in the fight against terrorism.&quot; 
 
Ansari described terrorism as the &quot;biggest threat&quot; to international peace and to the sovereignty of states. 
 
&quot;We need to establish a mechanism within our movement that will ensure effective cooperation in combating terrorism, that is the main threat to security, sovereignty and development,&quot; he said. 
 
He said terrorism is one of the &quot;most egregious sources of human right violations today&quot; and its use as an instrument of state policy is to be unequivocally condemned. 
 
India has raised the issue of Pakistan&#39;s support to cross-border terrrorism at several international forums.&nbsp; 
 
Ansari asserted that no cause justifies the indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians as a means to achieve a political goal or change of policies. 
 
Prime Minister Modi had made clear references to Pakistan&#39;s support to terrorism without naming it at the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, at a BRICS meeting in Hangzhou and at the ASEAN and East Asia summits in Lao PDR. 
 
Ansari stated that terrorism has become a major impediment to development. 
 
&quot;It is therefore imperative for the Non-Aligned Movement to galvanise the international community to strengthen the international legal framework to address this menace, including by adopting the draft Comprehensive UN Convention on Terrorism, to ensure the closest cooperation amongst the international community to counter the scourge of terror.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We must also ensure that all existing structures that are the building blocks of UN&#39;s Global Counter Terrorism Strategy function in a non-partisan and professional manner,&quot; Ansari said. 
 
India had earlier called on NAM to set up a &quot;working group on terrorism&quot; to safeguard world peace, stability and prosperity. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

India has raised its concerns at various international fora over Pakistan's support to cross-border terrorism

Making a strong anti-terror pitch at the NAM Summit in Venezuela, India today asserted that "concrete action" was needed in the fight against terrorism. India urged the 120-nation group to set up a mechanism to ensure effective cooperation in combating the menace. Vice-President Hamid Ansari is leading the Indian delegation at the 17th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit in the absence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In his address to the plenary meeting of the bloc, Ansari said, "The time has come for our movement to recognise the need for concrete action in the fight against terrorism." Ansari described terrorism as the "biggest threat" to international peace and to the sovereignty of states. "We need to establish a mechanism within our movement that will ensure effective cooperation in combating terrorism, that is the main threat to security, sovereignty and development," he said. He said terrorism is one of the "most egregious sources of human right violations today" and its use as an instrument of state policy is to be unequivocally condemned. India has raised the issue of Pakistan's support to cross-border terrrorism at several international forums. Ansari asserted that no cause justifies the indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians as a means to achieve a political goal or change of policies. Prime Minister Modi had made clear references to Pakistan's support to terrorism without naming it at the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, at a BRICS meeting in Hangzhou and at the ASEAN and East Asia summits in Lao PDR. Ansari stated that terrorism has become a major impediment to development. "It is therefore imperative for the Non-Aligned Movement to galvanise the international community to strengthen the international legal framework to address this menace, including by adopting the draft Comprehensive UN Convention on Terrorism, to ensure the closest cooperation amongst the international community to counter the scourge of terror." "We must also ensure that all existing structures that are the building blocks of UN's Global Counter Terrorism Strategy function in a non-partisan and professional manner," Ansari said. India had earlier called on NAM to set up a "working group on terrorism" to safeguard world peace, stability and prosperity. (WION with inputs from agencies)

NAM summit: India makes strong anti-terror pitch, seeks action against state sponsors of terror

In their sixth meeting on Thursday, representatives from Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (BRICS) responsible for security encouraged cooperation and sharing of information on counterterrorism issues within the group, Indian news agency ANI reported today.&nbsp; 
 
India&#39;s ministry of external affairs (MEA) spokesperson Vikas Swarup said: &quot;The higher representatives encouraged cooperation and exchange of best practices, expertise, information and knowledge on counterterrorism issues. In this context, they welcomed the first meeting of the BRICS Working Group on Counter Terrorism that was held a day before. They also agreed to expand BRICS counter-terrorism cooperation further to include measures for denying terrorists access to finance and terror hardware such as equipment, arms and ammunition.&quot; 
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Stronger security linkages with BRICS nations. NSA Doval chairs meeting of NSAs in Delhi in runup to <a href="https://twitter.com/BRICS2016">@BRICS2016</a> <a href="https://t.co/aNQJvNnIo4">pic.twitter.com/aNQJvNnIo4</a>
&mdash; Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/MEAIndia/status/776306393825423360">September 15, 2016</a></blockquote>
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&#39;Acknowledging the positive contribution of the BRICS grouping on important global issues, they deliberated on security issues such as counterterrorism, cyber security and energy security. In the area of cyber security and information security they agreed to strengthen joint efforts on enhancing cyber security by sharing information on best practices, combating cyber crimes improving cooperation between technical and law enforcement agencies including joint cyber security R and D and capacity building,&#39; he added. 
 
The representatives also discussed and exchanged assessment of recent developments in west-Asia and north-African region.&nbsp; 
 
Swaroop said: &quot;BRICS representatives also agreed to explore regular energy dialogue between BRICS countries in order to discuss long term and medium term energy security issues while highlighting the need for resolution of standing disputes in west Asia, North Africa through dialogue peaceful means and in accordance with international law and the principals of the UN charter,&quot; he said. 
 
National security adviser Ajit Doval led the talks from India&#39;s side. 
 
Other representatives included General Sergio Westphalen Etchegoyen, Brazil minister of state, Nikolai P Patrushev, Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, Mr. Yang Jiechi, state councilor, People&#39;s Republic of China, Mbangiseni David Mahlobo, minister of state security South Africa. 
 
(WION with inputs from ANI)

Representatives from Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa encouraged cooperation and sharing of information to combat terrorism

In their sixth meeting on Thursday, representatives from Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (BRICS) responsible for security encouraged cooperation and sharing of information on counterterrorism issues within the group, Indian news agency ANI reported today. India's ministry of external affairs (MEA) spokesperson Vikas Swarup said: "The higher representatives encouraged cooperation and exchange of best practices, expertise, information and knowledge on counterterrorism issues. In this context, they welcomed the first meeting of the BRICS Working Group on Counter Terrorism that was held a day before. They also agreed to expand BRICS counter-terrorism cooperation further to include measures for denying terrorists access to finance and terror hardware such as equipment, arms and ammunition." Stronger security linkages with BRICS nations. NSA Doval chairs meeting of NSAs in Delhi in runup to @BRICS2016 pic.twitter.com/aNQJvNnIo4 — Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) September 15, 2016 'Acknowledging the positive contribution of the BRICS grouping on important global issues, they deliberated on security issues such as counterterrorism, cyber security and energy security. In the area of cyber security and information security they agreed to strengthen joint efforts on enhancing cyber security by sharing information on best practices, combating cyber crimes improving cooperation between technical and law enforcement agencies including joint cyber security R and D and capacity building,' he added. The representatives also discussed and exchanged assessment of recent developments in west-Asia and north-African region. Swaroop said: "BRICS representatives also agreed to explore regular energy dialogue between BRICS countries in order to discuss long term and medium term energy security issues while highlighting the need for resolution of standing disputes in west Asia, North Africa through dialogue peaceful means and in accordance with international law and the principals of the UN charter," he said. National security adviser Ajit Doval led the talks from India's side. Other representatives included General Sergio Westphalen Etchegoyen, Brazil minister of state, Nikolai P Patrushev, Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, Mr. Yang Jiechi, state councilor, People's Republic of China, Mbangiseni David Mahlobo, minister of state security South Africa. (WION with inputs from ANI)

Counterterrorism issues take centre stage as BRICS nations meet

Hours after National Institute of Criminology in Brussels was set alight&nbsp; in an attack that prosecutors said was &#39;more likely linked to organised crime than terrorism&#39;, five suspects were detained, according to Reuters news agency for questioning. 
 
However, according to AFP, the five suspects were &#39;arrested&#39; after the blast in the wee hours at the country&#39;s national crime lab just north of Brussels caused major damage but no casualties. 
 
Several attackers rammed a car through the gates of the crime laboratory today and then started a fire in what prosecutors said may have been an attempt to destroy evidence, reported the news agency. 
 
The AFP report also stressed the prosecutors informed there was no immediate reason to believe there was any terror link while Belgium is still on high alert after deadly Islamic State-claimed attacks in March. 
 
&quot;The possibility of a terrorist act is not confirmed,&quot; Ine Van Wymersch, a spokeswoman for the Brussels&#39; prosecutor&#39;s office said in a statement. 
 
Wymersch said the crime lab, which gathers and analyses evidence, &quot;was not chosen by chance. It is an important part of the justice department and deals with sensitive information in connection with several ongoing cases.&quot; 
 
&quot;It goes without saying that several individuals may have wanted to destroy evidence... An investigation is underway and several lines of inquiry are being considered,&quot; the statement said. 
 
&quot;Late (in the) night, around two o&#39;clock, a fire broke out at NICC, the (Belgian) National Institute of Criminalistics and Criminology, in Neder-Over-Heembeek in Brussels. Because of the late hour, nobody was present in the building. As a result, nobody was injured,&quot; she elaborated. 
 
She added several attackers entered the site of the institute by car around 2 am and went into the wing of the building where the laboratories are located. 
 
(WION with inputs from AFP, Reuters) 
 
&nbsp;

The prosecutors said the incident was more likely linked to organised crime than terrorism

Hours after National Institute of Criminology in Brussels was set alight in an attack that prosecutors said was 'more likely linked to organised crime than terrorism', five suspects were detained, according to Reuters news agency for questioning. However, according to AFP, the five suspects were 'arrested' after the blast in the wee hours at the country's national crime lab just north of Brussels caused major damage but no casualties. Several attackers rammed a car through the gates of the crime laboratory today and then started a fire in what prosecutors said may have been an attempt to destroy evidence, reported the news agency. The AFP report also stressed the prosecutors informed there was no immediate reason to believe there was any terror link while Belgium is still on high alert after deadly Islamic State-claimed attacks in March. "The possibility of a terrorist act is not confirmed," Ine Van Wymersch, a spokeswoman for the Brussels' prosecutor's office said in a statement. Wymersch said the crime lab, which gathers and analyses evidence, "was not chosen by chance. It is an important part of the justice department and deals with sensitive information in connection with several ongoing cases." "It goes without saying that several individuals may have wanted to destroy evidence... An investigation is underway and several lines of inquiry are being considered," the statement said. "Late (in the) night, around two o'clock, a fire broke out at NICC, the (Belgian) National Institute of Criminalistics and Criminology, in Neder-Over-Heembeek in Brussels. Because of the late hour, nobody was present in the building. As a result, nobody was injured," she elaborated. She added several attackers entered the site of the institute by car around 2 am and went into the wing of the building where the laboratories are located. (WION with inputs from AFP, Reuters)

Brussels crime lab set alight to 'destroy evidence', five held

As a growing power, India has a role to play in meeting the challenge of terrorism, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said as the two countries agreed to upgrade their security consultations. 
 
Assad made the assertion during a meeting with Indian minister of state for foreign affairs M J Akbar when the latter called on him yesterday during his Syria visit. 
 
&quot;There was an agreement between both sides for further upgrading security consultations,&quot; the sources said. 
 
However, the sources did not mention the level to which they have been upgraded to. During the meeting, Assad also welcomed India&#39;s objective position on the conflict in Syria and both leaders acknowledged that terrorism was a global problem, sources said. 
 
&quot;As a growing power, India has a role to play in meeting the challenge of terrorism,&quot; sources quoted Assad as saying. 
 
On his part, Akbar, during their meeting, said the age of destruction should give way to the age of reconstruction in Syria. Assad also invited India to play an active role in the reconstruction of the Syrian economy. 
 
Both leaders agreed that as secular nations, India and Syria believe in faith equality. Akbar is currently on a nearly week-long visit to West Asia from August 17. 
 
(PTI)

Indian foreign minister Akbar met President Assad who welcomed India's objective position on the conflict in Syria

As a growing power, India has a role to play in meeting the challenge of terrorism, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said as the two countries agreed to upgrade their security consultations. Assad made the assertion during a meeting with Indian minister of state for foreign affairs M J Akbar when the latter called on him yesterday during his Syria visit. "There was an agreement between both sides for further upgrading security consultations," the sources said. However, the sources did not mention the level to which they have been upgraded to. During the meeting, Assad also welcomed India's objective position on the conflict in Syria and both leaders acknowledged that terrorism was a global problem, sources said. "As a growing power, India has a role to play in meeting the challenge of terrorism," sources quoted Assad as saying. On his part, Akbar, during their meeting, said the age of destruction should give way to the age of reconstruction in Syria. Assad also invited India to play an active role in the reconstruction of the Syrian economy. Both leaders agreed that as secular nations, India and Syria believe in faith equality. Akbar is currently on a nearly week-long visit to West Asia from August 17. (PTI)

Syria and India agree to scale up security consultations

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility today for an attack that wounded two policewomen in the Belgian city of Charleroi, saying the machete-wielding assailant was a &quot;soldier&quot; of the group. 
 
Quoting an unidentified source, the IS-linked Amaq Agency said yesterday&#39;s attack came &quot;in response to calls to target citizens&quot; belonging to countries in a US-led coalition bombing IS in Syria and Iraq. 
 
Police said today he was a 33-year-old Algerian with the initials K B. Belgium today opened a terrorism probe into the attack, the latest in a string of jihadist assaults in Europe. 
 
The&nbsp;Algerian national had &quot;a criminal record but was not known for terrorism,&quot; prosecutors said today. 
 
The incident took place yesterday outside the main police station in the city of Charleroi, around 60 kilometres south of Brussels.&nbsp;The assailant died on yesterday after being shot by officers. 
 
Two searches have been made in the neighbourhood, the prosecutor&#39;s statement said. The local prosecutor in Charleroi handed the case to the federal prosecutor &quot;as there are indications that the attack could have been inspired by terrorist motives,&quot; it said. 
 
&quot;An examining magistrate specialising in terrorism has been named&quot; for the investigation, it said. Belgian investigators said late yesterday the assailant cried &quot;Allahu Akbar&quot; (God is greatest) as he carried out the attack. 
 
&quot;We have been informed by federal prosecutors that an investigation has started for attempted terrorist murder given certain elements (in the case),&quot; Prime Minister Charles Michel told reporters. Michel, who saluted the courage of the police victims, was referring to the attacker&#39;s cry of &quot;Allahu Akbar&quot; (God is greatest) during the assault in front of a police station. 
 
Police spokesman David Quinaux told broadcaster RTL-TVI the assailant had &quot;taken a machete out of a sports bag he was carrying and dealt very violent blows to the faces of the two policewomen&quot;. 
 
Belgium has been on high alert since suicide bombers struck Brussels airport and a metro station near the European Union&#39;s institutions on March 22, killing 32 people. Those attacks were claimed by IS, which controls large areas of territory in Iraq and Syria and has claimed numerous terror strikes in Europe over the past year. 
 
(AFP) 
&nbsp;

Amaq Agency said yesterday's attack came 'in response to calls to target citizens' of countries in the US-led coalition bombing IS

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility today for an attack that wounded two policewomen in the Belgian city of Charleroi, saying the machete-wielding assailant was a "soldier" of the group. Quoting an unidentified source, the IS-linked Amaq Agency said yesterday's attack came "in response to calls to target citizens" belonging to countries in a US-led coalition bombing IS in Syria and Iraq. Police said today he was a 33-year-old Algerian with the initials K B. Belgium today opened a terrorism probe into the attack, the latest in a string of jihadist assaults in Europe. The Algerian national had "a criminal record but was not known for terrorism," prosecutors said today. The incident took place yesterday outside the main police station in the city of Charleroi, around 60 kilometres south of Brussels. The assailant died on yesterday after being shot by officers. Two searches have been made in the neighbourhood, the prosecutor's statement said. The local prosecutor in Charleroi handed the case to the federal prosecutor "as there are indications that the attack could have been inspired by terrorist motives," it said. "An examining magistrate specialising in terrorism has been named" for the investigation, it said. Belgian investigators said late yesterday the assailant cried "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest) as he carried out the attack. "We have been informed by federal prosecutors that an investigation has started for attempted terrorist murder given certain elements (in the case)," Prime Minister Charles Michel told reporters. Michel, who saluted the courage of the police victims, was referring to the attacker's cry of "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest) during the assault in front of a police station. Police spokesman David Quinaux told broadcaster RTL-TVI the assailant had "taken a machete out of a sports bag he was carrying and dealt very violent blows to the faces of the two policewomen". Belgium has been on high alert since suicide bombers struck Brussels airport and a metro station near the European Union's institutions on March 22, killing 32 people. Those attacks were claimed by IS, which controls large areas of territory in Iraq and Syria and has claimed numerous terror strikes in Europe over the past year. (AFP)

Islamic State claims Belgium machete attack

A machete-wielding man shouting &quot;Allahu akbar&quot; (God is the greatest) wounded two policewomen in southern Belgium today before being shot dead by police, with Europe on edge after a wave of jihadist attacks. 
 
The attack outside the main police station in the city of Charleroi, around 60 kilometres (40 miles) south of Brussels left one of the policewomen with &quot;deep wounds to the face&quot; while the other was slightly injured, Belga news agency said. 
 
Charleroi police said the attacker was shot and killed, while the two victims were out of danger. 
 
Belgium has been on high security alert for months since suicide bombers struck Brussels airport and a subway station near the European Union&#39;s institutions on March 22, killing 32 people. 
 
The attacks were claimed by the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group, which controls large areas of territory in Iraq and Syria and has claimed numerous terror attacks in Europe in the last year. 
 
Belgian Interior Minister Jean Jambon condemned a &quot;disgusting act in Charleroi&quot; on his Twitter account and said the country&#39;s terror threat level, currently at level three on a scale of four &nbsp;would be examined. 
 
Belgian police have carried out dozens of anti-terror raids since the November 2015 attacks in Paris, planned in Belgium and involving Belgian extremists, which left 130 people dead. 
 
Last month they arrested and charged a 33-year-old man, identified as Nourredine H., with attempting to commit &quot;terrorist murder&quot; and &quot;taking part in the activities of a terrorist organisation&quot;. 
 
Prosecutors said there was for now no link to the Brussels suicide bombings. 
 
Belgium is the main source per head of population of jihadist recruits going from European Union countries to fight with IS in Syria, causing deep concern that they will return home battle-hardened and even more radicalised. 
 
The interior ministry said 457 Belgian men and women had gone or tried to join jihadists in the Middle East, including 90 who are missing or dead. 
 
Belgium launched its first attacks against IS in Iraq in late 2014 as part of a US-led coalition. It joined a similar anti-IS operation in Syria this year. 
 
Several of those involved in the Brussels bloodshed in March were directly linked to the November 13 bomb and gun attacks in Paris. 
 
In June Belgian authorities charged two men with terrorist offences amid reports of a planned attack on a Euro 2016 fanzone in central Brussels. 
 
Belgium then beefed up security for its July 21 national day celebrations after a truck attack that killed 85 people in the French city of Nice on Bastille Day, July 14. 
 
(AFP)

Charleroi police said the attacker was shot dead, while the two victims were out of danger

A machete-wielding man shouting "Allahu akbar" (God is the greatest) wounded two policewomen in southern Belgium today before being shot dead by police, with Europe on edge after a wave of jihadist attacks. The attack outside the main police station in the city of Charleroi, around 60 kilometres (40 miles) south of Brussels left one of the policewomen with "deep wounds to the face" while the other was slightly injured, Belga news agency said. Charleroi police said the attacker was shot and killed, while the two victims were out of danger. Belgium has been on high security alert for months since suicide bombers struck Brussels airport and a subway station near the European Union's institutions on March 22, killing 32 people. The attacks were claimed by the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group, which controls large areas of territory in Iraq and Syria and has claimed numerous terror attacks in Europe in the last year. Belgian Interior Minister Jean Jambon condemned a "disgusting act in Charleroi" on his Twitter account and said the country's terror threat level, currently at level three on a scale of four would be examined. Belgian police have carried out dozens of anti-terror raids since the November 2015 attacks in Paris, planned in Belgium and involving Belgian extremists, which left 130 people dead. Last month they arrested and charged a 33-year-old man, identified as Nourredine H., with attempting to commit "terrorist murder" and "taking part in the activities of a terrorist organisation". Prosecutors said there was for now no link to the Brussels suicide bombings. Belgium is the main source per head of population of jihadist recruits going from European Union countries to fight with IS in Syria, causing deep concern that they will return home battle-hardened and even more radicalised. The interior ministry said 457 Belgian men and women had gone or tried to join jihadists in the Middle East, including 90 who are missing or dead. Belgium launched its first attacks against IS in Iraq in late 2014 as part of a US-led coalition. It joined a similar anti-IS operation in Syria this year. Several of those involved in the Brussels bloodshed in March were directly linked to the November 13 bomb and gun attacks in Paris. In June Belgian authorities charged two men with terrorist offences amid reports of a planned attack on a Euro 2016 fanzone in central Brussels. Belgium then beefed up security for its July 21 national day celebrations after a truck attack that killed 85 people in the French city of Nice on Bastille Day, July 14. (AFP)

Machete-wielding assailant shouting 'Allahu akbar' attacks, wounds two Belgian policewomen

Saudi Arabia has offered to help German investigators find those behind Islamist bomb and axe attacks in July, news magazine Der Spiegel reported today, citing a senior member of the Saudi government. 
 
Saudi authorities are in contact with their German colleagues, responding to new findings that show both attackers were in close contact via a chat conversation with possible Islamic State backers from Saudi Arabia, Spiegel said. 
 
Traces of the chat, which investigators have been able to reconstruct, indicate that both men were not only influenced by but also took instructions from people, as yet unidentified, up until the attacks, the report said. 
 
The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for an attack on July 18 near Wuerzburg in Bavaria in which a 17-year-old refugee believed to be from Pakistan or Afghanistan wounded five people with an axe before police shot him dead. 
 
A twenty-seven-year-old Syrian who blew himself up in Ansbach, southern Germany on July 24 had pledged allegiance to Islamic State on a video found on his mobile phone, investigators said. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the bombing, which wounded 15 people.

Bavaria&#39;s Interior Minister said at the end of July that the Ansbach bomber had been &quot;significantly influenced&quot; in a chat conversation on his mobile phone that ended just before the attack. 
 
(Reuters)

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for both the attacks that happened on July 18 and 24 in Germany

Saudi Arabia has offered to help German investigators find those behind Islamist bomb and axe attacks in July, news magazine Der Spiegel reported today, citing a senior member of the Saudi government. Saudi authorities are in contact with their German colleagues, responding to new findings that show both attackers were in close contact via a chat conversation with possible Islamic State backers from Saudi Arabia, Spiegel said. Traces of the chat, which investigators have been able to reconstruct, indicate that both men were not only influenced by but also took instructions from people, as yet unidentified, up until the attacks, the report said. The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for an attack on July 18 near Wuerzburg in Bavaria in which a 17-year-old refugee believed to be from Pakistan or Afghanistan wounded five people with an axe before police shot him dead. A twenty-seven-year-old Syrian who blew himself up in Ansbach, southern Germany on July 24 had pledged allegiance to Islamic State on a video found on his mobile phone, investigators said. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the bombing, which wounded 15 people. Bavaria's Interior Minister said at the end of July that the Ansbach bomber had been "significantly influenced" in a chat conversation on his mobile phone that ended just before the attack. (Reuters)

Saudi?Arabia?to?help?Germany?investigate?attacks, reports Spiegel

&nbsp;Paris&#39;s Eiffel Tower was evacuated in error after an employee mistook a safety drill for a real incident, a police source said in the increasingly jittery terror-hit country. 
 
&quot;It was a safety exercise drill, the sort that is done dozens of times a week, which went wrong. One employee thought that it was a real threat and the Eiffel Tower was evacuated,&quot; the source said yesterday. 
 
It was unclear how many people were told to leave the landmark and the tower&#39;s management could not immediately be reached for comment. 
 
The incident came as French authorities announced the cancellation of two major events over security fears. 
 
One of Europe&#39;s biggest flea markets, in the northern French city of Lille, and the European road cycling championships, which were due to be held in Nice from September 14 to 18, were both called off yesterday. 
 
They are the latest events to be cancelled following the November attacks in Paris that left 130 dead and last month&#39;s Bastille Day truck massacre in the Riviera town of Nice that claimed 85 lives following a fireworks display. 
 
Many traditional and cultural festivities have been either downsized or cancelled altogether, with Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian saying the series of jihadist attacks in France put the country in a &quot;war situation&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
(AFP)

The evacuation happened after an employee mistook a safety drill for a real incident

Paris's Eiffel Tower was evacuated in error after an employee mistook a safety drill for a real incident, a police source said in the increasingly jittery terror-hit country. "It was a safety exercise drill, the sort that is done dozens of times a week, which went wrong. One employee thought that it was a real threat and the Eiffel Tower was evacuated," the source said yesterday. It was unclear how many people were told to leave the landmark and the tower's management could not immediately be reached for comment. The incident came as French authorities announced the cancellation of two major events over security fears. One of Europe's biggest flea markets, in the northern French city of Lille, and the European road cycling championships, which were due to be held in Nice from September 14 to 18, were both called off yesterday. They are the latest events to be cancelled following the November attacks in Paris that left 130 dead and last month's Bastille Day truck massacre in the Riviera town of Nice that claimed 85 lives following a fireworks display. Many traditional and cultural festivities have been either downsized or cancelled altogether, with Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian saying the series of jihadist attacks in France put the country in a "war situation". (AFP)

Eiffel Tower evacuated in safety drill muddle

Pakistan&#39;s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today said the country is committed to jointly working with South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) member countries for fighting terrorism, corruption and organised crimes. 
 
Addressing the inaugural session of the SAARC home ministers&#39; conference, Sharif cited Pakistan&#39;s anti-terror operations in restive tribal areas and National Action Plan to emphasise &quot;the government&#39;s determination to eliminate the scourge of terrorism from our soil for good&quot;. 
 
He said the SAARC region is blessed with tremendous human and natural resources. &quot;So, SAARC can and should provide a platform to optimally harness the regional potential for peace and prosperity of our people.&quot; 
 
Sharif said such an approach is in sync with his government&#39;s vision of &quot;peace for development and peaceful neighbourhood&quot;. &quot;Pakistan has always been supportive of initiatives taken by SAARC to advance its ideals and objectives as enshrined in its charter,&quot; he said. 
 
He said Pakistan has also been a&nbsp;strong advocate of stepping up regional efforts to ensure energy security through sharing of indigenous sources. 
 
The Prime Minister said Pakistan shares the perception that connectivity is critical to the progress and prosperity of the region and supports, in principle, road, air, rail and water connectivity within the region. 
 
&quot;Realisation of the goals and objectives envisaged in SAARC charter is our collective responsibility,&quot; he said. 
 
Addressing the inaugural session, SAARC secretary general Arjun Bahadur Thapa said there is a need to take effective measures to tackle the menace of terrorism, narcotics, cyber crimes and other transnational crimes. 
 
The day-long 7th meeting of the eight-member grouping is being held to review the progress on decisions taken in previous meetings. SAARC comprises Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. 
 
(PTI)

'Realisation of the goals and objectives envisaged in SAARC charter is our collective responsibility,' Nawaz Sharif said

Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today said the country is committed to jointly working with South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) member countries for fighting terrorism, corruption and organised crimes. Addressing the inaugural session of the SAARC home ministers' conference, Sharif cited Pakistan's anti-terror operations in restive tribal areas and National Action Plan to emphasise "the government's determination to eliminate the scourge of terrorism from our soil for good". He said the SAARC region is blessed with tremendous human and natural resources. "So, SAARC can and should provide a platform to optimally harness the regional potential for peace and prosperity of our people." Sharif said such an approach is in sync with his government's vision of "peace for development and peaceful neighbourhood". "Pakistan has always been supportive of initiatives taken by SAARC to advance its ideals and objectives as enshrined in its charter," he said. He said Pakistan has also been a strong advocate of stepping up regional efforts to ensure energy security through sharing of indigenous sources. The Prime Minister said Pakistan shares the perception that connectivity is critical to the progress and prosperity of the region and supports, in principle, road, air, rail and water connectivity within the region. "Realisation of the goals and objectives envisaged in SAARC charter is our collective responsibility," he said. Addressing the inaugural session, SAARC secretary general Arjun Bahadur Thapa said there is a need to take effective measures to tackle the menace of terrorism, narcotics, cyber crimes and other transnational crimes. The day-long 7th meeting of the eight-member grouping is being held to review the progress on decisions taken in previous meetings. SAARC comprises Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. (PTI)

Pak PM: We are committed to working with SAARC to combat terror

Israeli lawmakers approved jailing children as young as 12 convicted of &quot;terrorist offences&quot; in the wake of repeated attacks by young Palestinians, parliament said today. 
 
&quot;The &#39;Youth Bill&#39; which will allow the authorities to imprison a minor convicted of serious crimes such as murder, attempted murder or manslaughter, even if he or she is under the age of 14, passed its second and third readings Tuesday night,&quot; an English-language statement said. 
 
It added that the seriousness of attacks in recent months &quot;demands a more aggressive approach, including toward minors&quot;. 
 
The statement quoted Anat Berko, a lawmaker from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu&#39;s right-wing Likud party and the bill&#39;s sponsor, as saying &quot;to those who are murdered with a knife in the heart, it does not matter if the child is 12 or 15&quot;. 
 
Violence in the Palestinian territories and Israel since October has killed at least 218 Palestinians, 34 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese, according to an AFP count. 
 
Most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, according to Israeli authorities.&nbsp;Many of the assailants were young people, including teenagers. Other youths have been shot dead during protests and clashes with security forces.&nbsp;Israeli justice minister Ayelet Shaked gave the bill full backing when it came before a ministerial committee last year. 
 
&quot;Youths, such as Ahmed Manasra, who engage in terror and seek the death of Jewish civilians will not be shown mercy by the law,&quot; media quoted her as saying. 
 
Manasra, a 14-year-old Palestinian, was convicted in May of the attempted murder of two Israelis in a knife attack last October. He was 13 when he carried out the attack and is yet to be sentenced. 
 
Along with a 15-year-old cousin, he stabbed and seriously wounded a 20-year-old and a 12-year-old boy in the Jewish settlement neighbourhood of Pisgat Zeev in annexed east Jerusalem.&nbsp;The cousin was shot dead by security forces, while Manasra was hit by a car as they fled. 
 
Manasra, an east Jerusalem resident, was the youngest Palestinian to be convicted by an Israeli civilian court in the current round of violence.&nbsp;Israeli rights group B&#39;Tselem criticised the bill and Israel&#39;s treatment of Palestinian youths. 
 
&quot;Rather than sending them to prison, Israel would be better off sending them to school where they could grow up in dignity and freedom, not under occupation,&quot; it said in a statement today.&nbsp;&quot;Imprisoning such young minors denies them the chance of a better future.&quot; 
 
Military law, applied to Palestinian residents of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, already allows imprisonment of 12-year-olds. 
 
A 12-year-old Palestinian girl from the West Bank, convicted of attempted murder by a military court as part of a plea bargain and sentenced to four months, was released from prison in April. 
 
(AFP)

In the wake of repeated attacks by young Palestinians, 'Youth Bill' will allow a minor convicted of crimes like murder to be imprisoned

Israeli lawmakers approved jailing children as young as 12 convicted of "terrorist offences" in the wake of repeated attacks by young Palestinians, parliament said today. "The 'Youth Bill' which will allow the authorities to imprison a minor convicted of serious crimes such as murder, attempted murder or manslaughter, even if he or she is under the age of 14, passed its second and third readings Tuesday night," an English-language statement said. It added that the seriousness of attacks in recent months "demands a more aggressive approach, including toward minors". The statement quoted Anat Berko, a lawmaker from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party and the bill's sponsor, as saying "to those who are murdered with a knife in the heart, it does not matter if the child is 12 or 15". Violence in the Palestinian territories and Israel since October has killed at least 218 Palestinians, 34 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese, according to an AFP count. Most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, according to Israeli authorities. Many of the assailants were young people, including teenagers. Other youths have been shot dead during protests and clashes with security forces. Israeli justice minister Ayelet Shaked gave the bill full backing when it came before a ministerial committee last year. "Youths, such as Ahmed Manasra, who engage in terror and seek the death of Jewish civilians will not be shown mercy by the law," media quoted her as saying. Manasra, a 14-year-old Palestinian, was convicted in May of the attempted murder of two Israelis in a knife attack last October. He was 13 when he carried out the attack and is yet to be sentenced. Along with a 15-year-old cousin, he stabbed and seriously wounded a 20-year-old and a 12-year-old boy in the Jewish settlement neighbourhood of Pisgat Zeev in annexed east Jerusalem. The cousin was shot dead by security forces, while Manasra was hit by a car as they fled. Manasra, an east Jerusalem resident, was the youngest Palestinian to be convicted by an Israeli civilian court in the current round of violence. Israeli rights group B'Tselem criticised the bill and Israel's treatment of Palestinian youths. "Rather than sending them to prison, Israel would be better off sending them to school where they could grow up in dignity and freedom, not under occupation," it said in a statement today. "Imprisoning such young minors denies them the chance of a better future." Military law, applied to Palestinian residents of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, already allows imprisonment of 12-year-olds. A 12-year-old Palestinian girl from the West Bank, convicted of attempted murder by a military court as part of a plea bargain and sentenced to four months, was released from prison in April. (AFP)

Israel approves law jailing terrorists aged 12

The second &#39;jihadist&#39; involved in a French church attack had tried to travel to Syria, prosecutors said today as calls mounted for the prime minister and interior minister to resign after the latest terror attack. 
 
The prosecutor&#39;s office said that the second killer was 19-year-old Abdel Malik Petitjean, who was listed on France&#39;s &quot;Fiche S&quot; of people posing a potential threat to national security in June after trying to reach Syria from Turkey. 
 
Petitjean, whose face was disfigured after being gunned down by police, had been harder to identify than his accomplice Adel Kermiche, 19, and investigators confirmed his identity after a DNA match with his mother. 
 
&#39;Petitjean described perfectly normal&#39;&nbsp; 
 
Petitjean was described as perfectly normal by his incredulous family and friends. 
 
Unlike his accomplice, Petitjean never raised suspicions for radicalisation among his neighbours, and was unknown to police until last month when he tried to go to Syria. 
 
Petitjean was born to a family of Algerian origin and lived in the quiet lakeside town of Aix-les-Bains in the shadow of the Alps, popular with visitors seeking thermal cures. 
 
<img alt="" class="img-responsive" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/france-20160728104730.jpg" />

<div class="media-description">
Petitjean, whose face was disfigured after being gunned down by police, had been harder to identify than his accomplice Adel Kermiche
</div>

 
The resort is 700 kilometres (430 miles) from the industrial Normandy town of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray where Petitjean and Kermich stormed a church and took hostages on Tuesday. 
 
He and Kermiche, also a Frenchman born to an Algerian family, slit the 86-year-old priest&#39;s throat at the altar. Another elderly worshipper was severely injured but several other hostages escaped unharmed. 
 
Both assailants were shot dead by police. 
 
&#39;What was inside his head?&#39; 
 
Djamel Tazghat, who manages the local mosque in the Aix-les-Bains suburb where Petitjean lived in social housing, said he recognised the young man in a video published by the Islamic State group in which the two pledged allegiance to the jihadist movement. 
 
&quot;I liked him a lot. We never had a problem with him at the mosque. No strange observations, he was always smiling... It&#39;s incredible,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;All the believers are shocked because he was known for his kindness, his calm. We never had any sign of radicalisation. What was going on inside his head?&quot; 
 
Petitjean -- whose identity card was found at Kermiche&#39;s house -- had never been convicted of a crime in France so his DNA and fingerprints were not available to speed up the identification process. 
 
Sources say that after being gunned down by police, the second attacker&#39;s face was too disfigured to allow him to be clearly identified, and that his DNA had to be matched to that of his mother. 
 
He came onto the radar of French police in June after he tried to travel to Syria from Turkey, and was placed on France&#39;s &quot;Fiche S&quot; of people posing a potential threat to national security. 
 
Sources close to the investigation said Petitjean &quot;strongly resembles&quot; a man hunted by anti-terrorism police in the days before the attack over fears he was about to carry out an act of terror. 
 
The sources said France&#39;s anti-terrorism police unit UCLAT sent out a note four days before the attack -- saying it had received &quot;reliable&quot; information about a person &quot;about to carry out an attack on national territory&quot;. 
 
Three members of Petitjean&#39;s family were taken in for questioning, said a source close to the investigation. 
 
Unlike Kermiche and other jihadists carrying out recent attacks in Europe, there have been no indications that Petitjean suffered from psychological problems. 
 
 
&#39;Hard to believe&#39; 
 
After finishing high school in 2015, Petitjean&nbsp;worked part-time sales jobs and his resume said he liked science-fiction movies, video games, music and boxing. 
 
&quot;It is hard to believe. He was against Daesh. He was not radical at all,&quot; said Hakim, 17, who claimed he was Petitjean&#39;s friend. 
 
His mother, Yamina Boukessoula, refused to believe her son was involved when she spoke to AFP just hours before the official confirmation. 
 
&quot;He was a good French citizen. He is gentle. I know my child, I know my son. He was not involved at all,&quot; she said. 
 
Petitjean grew up with two sisters in a blended family. 
 
His mother said he had left their home on Monday to visit his cousin in the northeastern city of Nancy. 
 
His last text message to his mother came on Tuesday morning, just before the attack: &quot;Don&#39;t worry, everything is fine... I love you.&quot; 
 
On Wednesday afternoon his mother, still refusing to believe her son was involved, sent him a final message: &quot;Malik, it&#39;s mum, I don&#39;t know where you are. I have bad news. Call me. The police have come, they are talking rubbish. I hope nothing has happened to you my son. I love you. I miss you so much.&quot; 
 
 
&#39;Government guilty of being unable to stop attacks&#39; 
 
The attack came as the government was already facing a firestorm of criticism over alleged security failings after the Bastille Day truck massacre that left 84 dead two weeks ago. 
 
A brief show of political unity at a mass attended by different faiths in Paris on Wednesday quickly dissolved as Prime Minister Manuel Valls and Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve faced fresh calls to resign. 
 
&quot;If the government is not responsible for the wave of terrorism, it is guilty of not having done everything to stop it,&quot; said Laurent Wauqiez, the deputy leader of the right-wing Republicans party in an interview with Le Figaro newspaper. 
 
&quot;Manuel Valls and Bernard Cazeneuve must go because they refuse to take vital measures to fight Islamism.&nbsp;We need a new government, determined to act&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
France to form National Guard&nbsp; 
 
The French government has assured the country that everything possible is being done to protect citizens, while warning that more terror attacks are inevitable, after three major strikes and several smaller attacks in the past 18 months. 
 
President Francois Hollande confirmed today that the creation of a National Guard to be made up of reserve forces, after the government earlier urged &quot;patriots&quot; to sign up to become reservists. 
 
Hollande said parliamentary consultations on the formation of the force would take place in September &quot;so that this force can be created as fast as possible to protect the French&quot;. 
 
The government has faced tough questions as it emerged both church attackers were on the radar of intelligence services, and had tried to go to Syria. 
 
One of the criticisms is that Kermiche had been released from prison while awaiting trial on terror charges after his second attempt to travel to Syria. 
 
(AFP)&nbsp;

The second killer was Abdel Malik Petitjean, who was listed on France's 'Fiche S' of people posing a potential threat to national security

The second 'jihadist' involved in a French church attack had tried to travel to Syria, prosecutors said today as calls mounted for the prime minister and interior minister to resign after the latest terror attack. The prosecutor's office said that the second killer was 19-year-old Abdel Malik Petitjean, who was listed on France's "Fiche S" of people posing a potential threat to national security in June after trying to reach Syria from Turkey. Petitjean, whose face was disfigured after being gunned down by police, had been harder to identify than his accomplice Adel Kermiche, 19, and investigators confirmed his identity after a DNA match with his mother. 'Petitjean described perfectly normal' Petitjean was described as perfectly normal by his incredulous family and friends. Unlike his accomplice, Petitjean never raised suspicions for radicalisation among his neighbours, and was unknown to police until last month when he tried to go to Syria. Petitjean was born to a family of Algerian origin and lived in the quiet lakeside town of Aix-les-Bains in the shadow of the Alps, popular with visitors seeking thermal cures. Petitjean, whose face was disfigured after being gunned down by police, had been harder to identify than his accomplice Adel Kermiche The resort is 700 kilometres (430 miles) from the industrial Normandy town of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray where Petitjean and Kermich stormed a church and took hostages on Tuesday. He and Kermiche, also a Frenchman born to an Algerian family, slit the 86-year-old priest's throat at the altar. Another elderly worshipper was severely injured but several other hostages escaped unharmed. Both assailants were shot dead by police. 'What was inside his head?' Djamel Tazghat, who manages the local mosque in the Aix-les-Bains suburb where Petitjean lived in social housing, said he recognised the young man in a video published by the Islamic State group in which the two pledged allegiance to the jihadist movement. "I liked him a lot. We never had a problem with him at the mosque. No strange observations, he was always smiling... It's incredible," he said. "All the believers are shocked because he was known for his kindness, his calm. We never had any sign of radicalisation. What was going on inside his head?" Petitjean -- whose identity card was found at Kermiche's house -- had never been convicted of a crime in France so his DNA and fingerprints were not available to speed up the identification process. Sources say that after being gunned down by police, the second attacker's face was too disfigured to allow him to be clearly identified, and that his DNA had to be matched to that of his mother. He came onto the radar of French police in June after he tried to travel to Syria from Turkey, and was placed on France's "Fiche S" of people posing a potential threat to national security. Sources close to the investigation said Petitjean "strongly resembles" a man hunted by anti-terrorism police in the days before the attack over fears he was about to carry out an act of terror. The sources said France's anti-terrorism police unit UCLAT sent out a note four days before the attack -- saying it had received "reliable" information about a person "about to carry out an attack on national territory". Three members of Petitjean's family were taken in for questioning, said a source close to the investigation. Unlike Kermiche and other jihadists carrying out recent attacks in Europe, there have been no indications that Petitjean suffered from psychological problems. 'Hard to believe' After finishing high school in 2015, Petitjean worked part-time sales jobs and his resume said he liked science-fiction movies, video games, music and boxing. "It is hard to believe. He was against Daesh. He was not radical at all," said Hakim, 17, who claimed he was Petitjean's friend. His mother, Yamina Boukessoula, refused to believe her son was involved when she spoke to AFP just hours before the official confirmation. "He was a good French citizen. He is gentle. I know my child, I know my son. He was not involved at all," she said. Petitjean grew up with two sisters in a blended family. His mother said he had left their home on Monday to visit his cousin in the northeastern city of Nancy. His last text message to his mother came on Tuesday morning, just before the attack: "Don't worry, everything is fine... I love you." On Wednesday afternoon his mother, still refusing to believe her son was involved, sent him a final message: "Malik, it's mum, I don't know where you are. I have bad news. Call me. The police have come, they are talking rubbish. I hope nothing has happened to you my son. I love you. I miss you so much." 'Government guilty of being unable to stop attacks' The attack came as the government was already facing a firestorm of criticism over alleged security failings after the Bastille Day truck massacre that left 84 dead two weeks ago. A brief show of political unity at a mass attended by different faiths in Paris on Wednesday quickly dissolved as Prime Minister Manuel Valls and Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve faced fresh calls to resign. "If the government is not responsible for the wave of terrorism, it is guilty of not having done everything to stop it," said Laurent Wauqiez, the deputy leader of the right-wing Republicans party in an interview with Le Figaro newspaper. "Manuel Valls and Bernard Cazeneuve must go because they refuse to take vital measures to fight Islamism. We need a new government, determined to act". France to form National Guard The French government has assured the country that everything possible is being done to protect citizens, while warning that more terror attacks are inevitable, after three major strikes and several smaller attacks in the past 18 months. President Francois Hollande confirmed today that the creation of a National Guard to be made up of reserve forces, after the government earlier urged "patriots" to sign up to become reservists. Hollande said parliamentary consultations on the formation of the force would take place in September "so that this force can be created as fast as possible to protect the French". The government has faced tough questions as it emerged both church attackers were on the radar of intelligence services, and had tried to go to Syria. One of the criticisms is that Kermiche had been released from prison while awaiting trial on terror charges after his second attempt to travel to Syria. (AFP)

France church attack: Second suspect 'never raised suspicions for radicalisation'

Pakistan&#39;s &quot;obsession&quot; to match India in military strength and efforts to equalise the field with &quot;crazies&quot; like Hafiz Saeed, would only create hatred which will bite it back, former Pakistan ambassador to US Husain Haqqani has said. 
 
&quot;My argument as a Pakistani is why do we even want to be equal (with India in terms of military prowess). Why do not we want to be happier and prosperous and successful,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;What is this obsession about being equal and trying to equalise the field with crazies like Hafiz Saeed because he will only create hatred, which will only bite us back,&quot; Haqqani said in Bengaluru last night during an interaction on his book &#39;India vs Pakistan - Why Can&#39;t We Just Be Friends&#39;. 
 
&quot;Pakistan always had this presumption that India has a tremendous conventional military advantage and Indian army will be much more bigger than Pakistan&#39;s. So Pakistan needs irregular methods to be able to be equal,&quot; he alleged. 
 
Haqqani recalled a private conversation of former Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf with Pakistani newspaper editors, wherein he said Lashkar-e-Taiba was his reserve core for fighting India and thus establishes the strong nexus between ISI, terrorists and Pakistani establishment. 
 
&quot;He (Musharraf), in a private meeting with Pakistani newspaper editors, had said &#39;Well all of you keep telling me or some of you keep telling me that I should shut down Lashkar e -Taiba, but it is actually my reserve core in fighting India,&#39; a fact that establishes a strong nexus between ISI, terrorists and Pakistani establishment,&quot; Haqqani said. 
 
The former Pakistani envoy said it was disturbing to know that a head of a country had thought so as these terrorists &quot;would not do good to Pakistan&quot; as the world had seen them attacking Shias, Ahmediyas and Christians in Pakistan, apart from India. 
 
Haqqani said unfortunately Pakistani strategic thinkers in uniform do not realise this &quot;disturbing line of thinking of patronising terrorists and outfits like Jaish-E-Mohammad and Lashkar-E-Taiba.&quot; 
 
Throwing light on the &#39;Jihadi movement&#39; in Pakistan, the former diplomat said Zia-Ul-Haq was not the first man to spread &#39;jihadi awareness&#39; as is presumed, but it was much before him. 
 
&quot;There is a presumption that Zia-Ul-Haq was the first man to start jihadi awareness, but I argue that no it was even further back and there was always a desire for irregular warfare,&quot; he said. 
 
Asked how to shut down the large armed militias, Haqqani said it was not easy because they are well trained in warfare. 
 
But the establishment can put them out of business if they are denied the resources for their mobility and movement, he said. 
 
&quot;If we make this decision now it will take some 15 years to put their business out,&quot; Haqqani added.&nbsp; 
 
(PTI) 
&nbsp;

Haqqani recalled Pakistan General Pervez Musharraf's words that Lashkar-e-Taiba was his reserve core for fighting India

Pakistan's "obsession" to match India in military strength and efforts to equalise the field with "crazies" like Hafiz Saeed, would only create hatred which will bite it back, former Pakistan ambassador to US Husain Haqqani has said. "My argument as a Pakistani is why do we even want to be equal (with India in terms of military prowess). Why do not we want to be happier and prosperous and successful," he said. "What is this obsession about being equal and trying to equalise the field with crazies like Hafiz Saeed because he will only create hatred, which will only bite us back," Haqqani said in Bengaluru last night during an interaction on his book 'India vs Pakistan - Why Can't We Just Be Friends'. "Pakistan always had this presumption that India has a tremendous conventional military advantage and Indian army will be much more bigger than Pakistan's. So Pakistan needs irregular methods to be able to be equal," he alleged. Haqqani recalled a private conversation of former Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf with Pakistani newspaper editors, wherein he said Lashkar-e-Taiba was his reserve core for fighting India and thus establishes the strong nexus between ISI, terrorists and Pakistani establishment. "He (Musharraf), in a private meeting with Pakistani newspaper editors, had said 'Well all of you keep telling me or some of you keep telling me that I should shut down Lashkar e -Taiba, but it is actually my reserve core in fighting India,' a fact that establishes a strong nexus between ISI, terrorists and Pakistani establishment," Haqqani said. The former Pakistani envoy said it was disturbing to know that a head of a country had thought so as these terrorists "would not do good to Pakistan" as the world had seen them attacking Shias, Ahmediyas and Christians in Pakistan, apart from India. Haqqani said unfortunately Pakistani strategic thinkers in uniform do not realise this "disturbing line of thinking of patronising terrorists and outfits like Jaish-E-Mohammad and Lashkar-E-Taiba." Throwing light on the 'Jihadi movement' in Pakistan, the former diplomat said Zia-Ul-Haq was not the first man to spread 'jihadi awareness' as is presumed, but it was much before him. "There is a presumption that Zia-Ul-Haq was the first man to start jihadi awareness, but I argue that no it was even further back and there was always a desire for irregular warfare," he said. Asked how to shut down the large armed militias, Haqqani said it was not easy because they are well trained in warfare. But the establishment can put them out of business if they are denied the resources for their mobility and movement, he said. "If we make this decision now it will take some 15 years to put their business out," Haqqani added. (PTI)

Former Pakistan diplomat points to nexus between ISI and terrorists, says hobnobbing with 'crazies' like Hafiz Saeed will backfire

The head of the European Commission yesterday pledged &quot;Europe&#39;s solidarity and cooperation in the fight against barbarity&quot;, in a letter to French President Francois Hollande after a church attack claimed by the Islamic State group. 
 
&quot;More than ever, all over Europe, solidarity and cooperation will be essential in the fight against barbarity and to ensure that our shared values prevail,&quot; Jean-Claude Juncker wrote. 
 
&quot;The European Commission is fully mobilised, along with other European institutions, to provide all the support it can to France in these painful moments,&quot; he added. 
 
In a statement, the EU&#39;s foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini also expressed solidarity and offered her &quot;condolences to the families of the victims, to France and the Catholic Church.&quot; 
 
&quot;Targeting a man of faith, of any faith, is always a crime against our common humanity because it means targeting the deeper essence of our lives, believers and non-believers alike,&quot; she said. 
 
&quot;The right answer is to keep living together, to stop the hatred,&quot; Mogherini said. 
 
&quot;The terrible, daily news of attacks reinforce our common work against terrorism, within and beyond our borders,&quot; she said. &quot;It&#39;s unity that will make us prevail.&quot; 
 
The president of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, wrote on Twitter: &quot;We stand side by side with the French in the face of this incomprehensible savagery.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

EU members pledged their solidarity and cooperation to France. EU's foreign policy chief stressed on unity in fight against terrorism

The head of the European Commission yesterday pledged "Europe's solidarity and cooperation in the fight against barbarity", in a letter to French President Francois Hollande after a church attack claimed by the Islamic State group. "More than ever, all over Europe, solidarity and cooperation will be essential in the fight against barbarity and to ensure that our shared values prevail," Jean-Claude Juncker wrote. "The European Commission is fully mobilised, along with other European institutions, to provide all the support it can to France in these painful moments," he added. In a statement, the EU's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini also expressed solidarity and offered her "condolences to the families of the victims, to France and the Catholic Church." "Targeting a man of faith, of any faith, is always a crime against our common humanity because it means targeting the deeper essence of our lives, believers and non-believers alike," she said. "The right answer is to keep living together, to stop the hatred," Mogherini said. "The terrible, daily news of attacks reinforce our common work against terrorism, within and beyond our borders," she said. "It's unity that will make us prevail." The president of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, wrote on Twitter: "We stand side by side with the French in the face of this incomprehensible savagery." (AFP)

EU vows to help France fight Islamic State 'barbarity'

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