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US airstrike kills 60 Al Shabab militants in Somalia

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The US military on Tuesday said its special forces conducted an airstrike in the vicinity of Harardhere town in Mudug region of central Somalia on October 12, killing 60 Al Shabab militants.

The US Africa Command (Africom) which oversees American troops on the African continent said this airstrike was the largest airstrike against the militants since November 21, 2017, when American forces killed about 100 terrorists in an airstrike against the insurgents’ camp, Xinhua reported.

“We currently assess this airstrike killed approximately 60 terrorists. We also currently assess this airstrike did not injure or kill any civilians,” Africom said in a statement.

Africom has vowed to work with its partners to transfer the responsibility for lasting security from the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) to the Somali government and its member states.

“Alongside our Somali and international partners, we are committed to preventing al-Shabab from taking advantage of safe havens from which they can build capacity and attack the people of Somalia,” the statement said.

“In particular, the group uses portions of southern and central Somalia to plot and direct terror attacks, steal humanitarian aid, extort the local populace to fund its operations, and shelter radical terrorists.” it said.

Ians

H1N1 death cases rises in Karnataka

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H1N1 death cases have rised in the state as the toll rises to eight in the recent report.

As per the latest reports, over 542 people reported positive for the flu of the 5,191 swab samples tested.

Bengaluru has around 86 cases identified, Shivamogga – 60, Bengaluru Urban – 54 cases and 35 cases in Chikkamagaluru.

Health department has planned for orientation programme including awareness drives will be conducted at gram panchayat level, taluk, district and in every city of the state.

Jawaid Akhtar, Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare has written in a letter to the district health officers, : “It has been instructed that IEC should be taken up in a big way to educate public about the virus, the manner in which it spreads, and precautions to be observed to control the spread. Organise ward wise IEC meetings in urban areas and village level health and sanitation committee meetings in rural areas.”

PTI

My focus in life right now is acting, films: Ranveer Singh

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There has been immense buzz surrounding his coming wedding with actress Deepika Padukone, but Bollywood star Ranveer Singh says his focus in life right now is acting and films.

“Right now, I am focussed on the work that I am doing in films. I am doing back-to-back films. I’ve been very blessed to have some really amazing projects at hand and I tremendously value these opportunities,” Ranveer told IANS in an email interview.

“I want to do my bit to contribute towards the filmmaking process and to try and make the best films possible. So, my focus in life right now is acting and films,” added the actor, who has been named as the brand ambassador of nutritional supplement brand BigMuscles Nutrition.

Ranveer walked into Bollywood in 2010 as a raw Delhi boy with “Band Baaja Baaraat”. Since then he has essayed varied roles to perfection.

There are projects like “Ladies vs Ricky Bahl”, “Lootera”, “Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela”, “Gunday”, “Dil Dhadakne Do”, “Bajirao Mastani” and “Padmaavat” in his film portfolio.

At the moment, he is working on Zoya Akhtar’s “Gully Boy”, Rohit Shetty’s “Simmba” and Kabir Khan’s “83”.

Ranveer says finding a place in Bollywood was a tough task.

“Trying to get a break in a very insulated mainstream Hindi film industry was a great and big challenge. Then to try and shoulder big films and larger-than-life characters in parts that have… myriad layered emotions to play… some requiring a level of maturity and evolution. Those are some significant challenges that I have faced,” he said, responding to a question on the challenges he faced while making a name for himself.

Have you felt a pressure of failing the expectations of others?

“I actually never feel pressure because I never allow it (to) creep (in). I feel pressure is a very negative connotation and I never allow anything negative to enter my system or affect me in any way.

“I am an artiste, so for me there is no success or failure. There are no rights or wrongs in acting. There is nothing that is quantifiable in acting.”

He says there are just “different ways to do things”.

“Acting falls into the realm of subjectivity, so there is no success or failure. There are no good or bad performances. There are just different performances. I don’t feel pressured. The only person’s expectations I need to fulfill are my own.

“I need to ensure that I pump more and more of myself and my energy into my performances and hopefully, with each performance and each character that I play, I grow and evolve. I have expectations of myself. So it’s a very personal thing. So, pressure is something I don’t feel and most certainly not from any external source,” he added.

On his association with BigMuscles Nutrition, he said: “I was supposed to transform my body for my action film ‘Simmba’ and I was looking for a supplement brand that would help me in this endeavour, and I started using the products. They then shortly invited me on board as their brand ambassador and I am glad to be associated with a fitness and quality-conscious brand like BigMuscles Nutrition.”

 

IANS

#Me too : 20 Women Journalists and Support Priya Ramani, Against MJ Akbar

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As the #MeToo movement gains ground, 19 women journalists who have worked with ‘The Asian Age’ newspaper, came out in support of their colleague Priya Ramani who has accused union minister MJ Akbar of sexual harassment, a joint statement issued by them said.

The journalists have urged the court to hear their testimonies against MJ Akbar, claiming that some of them suffered sexual harassment by the minister and others have been a witness to it.

“Ramani is not alone in her fight. We would request the honourable court hearing the defamation case to also consider the testimonies of sexual harassment of some of us at the hands of the petitioner, as also of the other signatories who bore witness to this harassment,” the journalists said in the joint statement undersigned by them.

Meenal Baghel who worked for Asian Age (1993 to 1996), Manisha Pande (1993-1998), Tushita Patel (1993-2000), Kanika Gahlaut (1995-1998), Suparna Sharma (1993-1996), Ramola Talwar Badam (1994-1995), Hoihnu Hauzel (1999-2000), Aisha Khan (1995-1998) and Kushalrani Gulab (1993-1997) have signed the statement.

Kaniza Gazari (Asian Age 1995-1997), Malavika Banerjee (1995-1998), AT Jayanthi (1995-1996), Hamida Parkar (1996-1999), Jonali Buragohain, Meenakshi Kumar (1996-2000), Sujata Dutta Sachdeva (1999-2000), Reshmi Chakraborty (1996-98), Kiran Manral (1993-96) and Sanjari Chatterjee are the other journalists to sign the statement.

One journalist from Deccan Chronicle, Christina Francis (2005-2011), also signed the statement.

“What Akbar has demonstrated through his legal actions is his refusal to introspect, acknowledge or atone for his actions that have caused immense pain and indeed harm to many women over the years.

“He himself, in the meanwhile, continues to enjoy enormous power and privilege as minister and Member of Parliament,” the statement said.

“When Ramani spoke out against him in public, she spoke not only about her personal experience, but also lifted the lid on the culture of ‘casual misogyny, entitlement and sexual predation’ that Akbar engendered and presided over at The Asian Age,” it said.

Many journalists from multiple media platforms have come forward with their stories of harassment against the Minister of State for External Affairs under the social media campaign ‘#MeToo’ against sexual misconduct.

MJ Akbar, however, has denied the allegations and on Monday filed a private criminal defamation complaint against Ms Ramani.

Hours after returning from a trip to Africa, the union minister issued a statement trashing the charges against him, saying accusations without evidence has become a “viral fever” among some sections.

Ms Ramani on Monday asserted that she was ready to fight the defamation complaint filed against her, and expressed disappointment over the minister’s statement, saying it paid no heed to the “trauma and fear of the survivors”.

“I am ready to fight the allegations of defamation laid against me as truth and the absolute truth is my only defence,” she had said.

PTI

Sri Lanka: Sanath Jayasuriya defends ‘integrity’ amid ICC charges

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Sri Lanka’s former cricket captain Sanath Jayasuriya has said he has always acted with integrity and transparency, a day after he was charged with two counts of breaching the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) anti-corruption code.

The World Cup winner and former national team selector is accused of failing to cooperate with an investigation by the ICC’s anti-corruption unit, cricket’s world governing body said in a statement on Monday.

The 49-year-old was also charged with trying to conceal, destroy or tamper with evidence that could be crucial to the probe.

“The contents of the letter which has been released to the media has caused a lot of speculation among the cricket-loving public both domestically and internationally,” Jayasuriya said in a statement on Tuesday.

“I am under advice to state that the charges do not contain any allegations pertaining to match-fixing, pitch-fixing or any other corrupt activity.

“The charges allege that I have not been cooperative and not assisted the investigations.”

The ICC has given Jayasuriya 14 days to respond to the charges but did not state which matches the charges and investigation relate to.

“I am under strict legal advice that no comment is to be made in respect of the above charges as such a course would offend the ICC rules,” the retired cricketer said, adding that his legal team is drafting a response for submission.

“I have always conducted myself with integrity and transparency with matters concerning the sport and I will continue to do so,” he said.

Match-fixing in Sri Lanka
Earlier this month, the ICC said Alex Marshall, general manager of the anti-corruption unit, was overseeing a probe into potential corrupt practices over “serious allegations” in Sri Lanka.

The world body said it has provided a detailed briefing to the country’s president, prime minister and sports minister.

Match-fixing allegations plagued Sri Lankan cricket earlier this year, when Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit exposed three former international players, including Sri Lanka’s Jeevantha Kulatunga, who were prepared to take money to fix matches.

As part of the investigation, media also revealed how criminals fixed two Test matches – Sri Lanka versus India in July last year and Sri Lanka versus Australia in August 2016.

Jayasuriya famously led Sri Lanka to its first and only victory at the World Cup in 1996 and is widely considered one of the greatest batsmen in history.

After a 22-year-long career that ended in 2011, he served in the Sri Lankan parliament and became the national team’s chairman of selectors.

Last year, the Jayasuriya-led selection panel resigned en masse following protests over Sri Lanka’s slump in form.

The Sri Lankan team, who are currently playing a home series against England and are in action on Wednesday, have distanced themselves from the scandal.

“We have decided that the players will not answer any questions with regard to Sanath,” said Sri Lankan team manager Charith Senanayake during a press conference on Tuesday.

“It’s not a distraction because Sanath has no role to play with the squad at the moment and as a team as a whole, we would like to stay away without a comment on the whole saga,” he added.

Aljazeera

Afghan election candidate killed in Taliban attack

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An Afghan election candidate has been killed in Helmand province in an attack claimed by Taliban, officials said.

Abdul Jabar Qahraman, who was preparing to contest Saturday’s parliamentary polls was killed in his office in the Lashkar Gah city, a senior government official told Reuters news agency.

Seven people were injured in the blast.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack hours after they released a statement warning teachers and students not to participate in the parliamentary elections due on October 20, and not to allow schools to be used as polling centres.

Dozens of Afghan police were killed or wounded in heavy fighting in northern and central provinces overnight on Tuesday, just days before parliamentary elections which the Taliban have promised to disrupt.

The Taliban armed group has called for the boycott of the elections.

“People who are trying to help in holding this process successfully by providing security should be targeted and no stone should be left unturned for the prevention and failure [of the election],” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid earlier said in the statement.

Helmand, bordering Pakistan, has long been one of the strongholds of the Taliban group, which has been waging an armed rebellion since they were removed from power in Afghanistan by US-led forces in 2001.

Aljazeera

US, eight others, request briefing on Myanmar Rohingya crackdown

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The United States and eight other countries requested a UN fact-finding mission that accused Myanmar’s military of atrocities against Rohingya Muslims to brief the UN Security Council on its findings.

The move comes as global pressure mounts on Myanmar to act on accountability after a military crackdown in the western state of Rakhine last year drove some 700,000 of the largely stateless minority over the border into Bangladesh.
The nine countries said a briefing by the mission’s chairperson would allow the council to “receive further information on this situation and its implications for international peace and security”.
The request is likely to run into opposition from China, which has friendly ties with Myanmar’s military and has sought to shield it from UN Security Council action.

In a letter to the council, Myanmar’s Ambassador Hau Do Suan said his government “strongly objects” to the request to hear from the fact-finding mission.

In a report released last month, the UN fact-finding mission said that Myanmar’s top generals – including Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing – must be investigated and prosecuted for genocide in Rakhine.

They urged the council to refer the case to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, or create an ad hoc international criminal tribunal, such as the one that was established on the former Yugoslavia.

Myanmar has rejected accusations that its military committed atrocities in the crackdown.

Britain, France, Peru, Sweden, Ivory Coast, the Netherlands, Poland and Kuwait joined the US in requesting the meeting be held this month. Nine votes are required at the 15-member council to approve an agenda item and vetoes do not apply.
‘One-sided’
In his letter, Myanmar’s ambassador repeated the country’s complaints that the UN report was “one-sided”, based on “narratives and not on hard evidence”.

“Putting accountability above all else without regard to other positive developments is a dangerous attempt that will face utter failure,” he warned in the letter.

Myanmar says the violence in Rakhine was triggered by Rohingya rebels who attacked border posts in August 2017.

But the fact-finding mission said there were reasonable grounds to believe the atrocities were committed with the intention of destroying the Rohingya, warranting the charges of “genocide”.

The report found the military’s tactics had been “consistently and grossly disproportionate to actual security threats”, adding estimates that some 10,000 people were killed in the crackdown were probably too conservative.

IANS

Facebook likely to launch camera-equipped hardware for TVs

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San Francisco Social networking giant Facebook is developing a camera-equipped set-top box for TVs that would support functionalities like video-calling, a media report said.

Internally codenamed “Ripley”, the device would use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to automatically detect and follow people as they move through the frame during a video call, news website Cheddar reported on Tuesday.

Apart from facilitating video-chat, the device could also help Facebook compete with the likes of Apple and Amazon in the TV-segment.

In October, the social networking major launched its smart-speakers — “Portal” — which incorporated AI technology to follow user-movements while on a video-chat amd remove unwanted background noise during a call.

Priced at $199, sporting a 10-inch display, built-in Amazon Alexa support and pre-loaded with Facebook’s own “Watch” video service, the smart speakers would begin shipping in November.

With projects like “Portal” and “Ripley” Facebook is trying to build a consumer-hardware business outside of its virtual reality brand ‘Oculus’ that was acquired by the social networking giant in March 2014 for nearly $2 billion.

Facebook declined to comment on the subject, the report added.

(IANS)

Six of family die in Andhra accident

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Vijayawada Six members of a family were killed and 15 others injured in a road accident in Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool district early on Wednesday, police said.

The passengers travelling in an auto trolley which was hit by a truck from behind near Peddahutur village.

The family was on their way to a ‘dargah’ at Eltari for a tonsuring ceremony of a newborn when the accident occurred.

According to the police, 21 people were travelling in the vehicle. The dead include three youth, two children and a woman.

The injured were admitted to a government-run hospital in Kurnool.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu directed officials to provide best treatment to the injured.

(IANS)

5.5-magnitude quake hits Assam

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Guwahati An earthquake measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale shook Guwahati and its adjoining areas on Wednesday, the Met said. No damage was reported.

The quake occurred at a depth of 13 km around 10.20 a.m. with its epicentre in Kokrajhar district, the India Meteorological Department said.

An Assam State Disaster Management Authority official said there was no report of any major damage from anywhere in the state so far.

(IANS)

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