Sunday, March 19, 2017

Paris airport attacker was ‘radicalised’

A man who had been investigated for being radicalised was shot dead at Orly airport south of Paris on Saturday after attacking a soldier on patrol and trying to grab her rifle.
The same man is suspected of having shot at police earlier in the day, leaving an officer with minor wounds after being pulled over while driving in a suburb north of the French capital.
Police sources say he is a 39-year-old Frenchman with several previous convictions, including for drugs and armed robbery, who was being sought by police.
His home was searched in 2015 after he was “detected as having been radicalised” but no incriminating evidence was found, the sources said.
French Interior Minister Bruno Le Roux confirmed he was “known to the police and the intelligence services”.
The man´s father and brother were being questioned by police Saturday.
Police also searched his house in the northeastern Paris suburb of Garges-les-Gonesse, in the multi-ethnic Seine-Saint-Denis area.
The suspect was pulled over by police at around 6:55am (0555 GMT) Saturday while driving in Garges-les-Gonesse. He drew a gun and fired shots at the officers, slightly injuring one in the head, before fleeing.
He then continued south to steal another car in the suburb of Vitry-sur-Seine about 10 kilometres (six miles) from Orly airport. In Vitry, he also “burst into a bar and threatened those present,” Le Roux said.
Minutes later, at around 8:30am (0730 GMT), he walked onto the departures floor of Orly-Sud terminal, where he tried to grab the rifle of a female officer on patrol with two others.
A senior military source said he knocked the soldier to the ground and grabbed her rifle. The two other soldiers then opened fire, killing him, the source said. Le Roux was adamant that he “did not succeed” in taking the rifle.
No-one else was injured in the melee.
Identity documents found on the attacker matched those presented by the man who fired at police in Garges-les-Gonesse.

Xi Jinping and Rex Tillerson meeting

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson today in Beijing. According to a statement released by the Chinese foreign ministry, Xi told Tillerson that there are far more shared interests between the two countries than disputes and called for strengthened bilateral cooperation and appropriate handling of sensitive issues.
The meeting occurred hours after North Korea claimed success in testing a new type of rocket engine. Sate-run Korean Central News Agency reports North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the successful test of a high-thrust engine. It said, the event had historic significance that could lead to the new birth of the country’s indigenous rocket industry.

Death toll rises to 72 in Peru mudslides

The intense rains, overflowing rivers, mudslides and flooding being experienced in the country are the worst seen in in two decades, Peruvian authorities said Saturday, affecting more than half the nation as the death toll since the beginning of the year hits 72. Prime Minister Fernando Zavala on Saturday updated the number of dead to 72 in comments to local radio station RPP. The rains have overwhelmed the drainage system in the cities along Peru’s Pacific coast and the health ministry has started fumigating around the pools of water that have formed in the streets to kill mosquitoes that carry diseases like dengue. Lima has been without water service since the beginning of the week. The government has deployed the armed forces to help police control public order in the 811 cities that have declared an emergency

Bangladesh SC upgolds death sentence for ex-HuJI leader

Bangladesh Supreme Court today upheld the death sentence of banned Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami’s former leader and two of his accomplices for a grenade attack in 2004 on Britain’s former envoy in Dhaka.
HuJI leader Mufti Hannan lost the legal battle to save himself from the charges of an attempt on life of then British High Commissioner, Anwar Choudhury. An Appellate Division bench led by the Chief Justice scrapped petitions by Hannan and two others for a review of the verdict.
Mr. Choudhury was injured along with nearly 40 employees of the Sylhet district administration. In December 2008, a Sylhet court ordered death sentence for the three.

Jat quota stir called off

Jat agitation planned in Delhi tomorrow has been called off after a meeting between Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal and Jat leaders. Addressing media at Haryana Bhawan this evening, the Chief Minister said there are other constitutional ways to press for demands.
Speaking on the occasion, Jat leader Yashpal Malik said Jats will not come to Delhi tomorrow to protest. He said they have agreed to the 5 points laid down by Chief Minister. He also said they trust the government and are sure that their demands will be met.
The All India Jat Aarakshan Sangarsh Samiti is demanding reservations in education and government jobs. It had given a call for a march to gherao Parliament and to hold dharnas on the Delhi border blocking all highways to press for its demands.

EVENT POSTPONED:’Globalisation in Question’: Changing Nature of Global Political Economy

Mar
20
EVENT POSTPONED:
CPR is pleased to invite you to a lecture series on ‘Globalisation in Question’:
Changing Nature of Global Political Economy
Monday, 20 March 2017, 4:30 – 6:00 p.m.
Arvind Subramanian
Conference Hall, Centre for Policy Research
We regret to inform you that the event listed above has been postponed due to unavoidable circumstances. We will announce the new date and time for the talk soon. We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused.

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