Tag: United States

Collide Midair At Airshow

US: Six Feared Dead After Military Planes Collide Midair At Airshow

By LokMarg

Six people are feared dead after a B-17 heavy bomber collided with another aircraft and crashed during an airshow in Dallas, Texas, a local affiliate of ABC News broadcaster reported on Saturday.

The incident occurred during “America’s Premier World War II Airshow,”, which was reportedly Veterans Day weekend, where guests were to see more than 40 World War II-era aircraft.
Leah Block, a spokesperson for Commemorative Air Force, told ABC News that she believes there were five crew members on the B-17 and one aboard the P-63.

Soon after the news broke, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson, said many details remain unknown or unconfirmed at this time and city authorities continue to provide support.

A number of videos of the mid-air collision were making rounds on Twitter. In the videos, the two aircraft appeared to collide in the air before they both rapidly descended, causing a large fire and plumes of black smoke.

“As many of you have now seen, we have had a terrible tragedy in our city today during an airshow. Many details remain unknown or unconfirmed at this time. The @NTSB has taken command of the crash scene with @DallasPD and @DallasFireRes_q continuing to provide support,” Mayor Johnson tweeted.

“The videos are heartbreaking. Please, say a prayer for the souls who took to the sky to entertain and educate our families today,” he added.

The US government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation said it was launching a go-team to investigate Saturday’s mid-air collision.

“The NTSB is launching a go-team to investigate Saturday’s mid-air collision between a Boeing B-17G and a Bell P-63F near Dallas, Texas. Member Michael Graham will serve as spokesperson on scene. The team is expected to arrive tomorrow. Check Twitter @ntsb_newsroom for updates,” National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Newsroom tweeted.

US media reports said the B-17 is an immense four-engine bomber and was a cornerstone of U.S. air power during World War II. The majority of B-17s were scrapped at the end of World War II and only a handful remain now. (ANI)

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Car Bomb Explosions Somalia

2 Car Bomb Explosions Near Somalia’s Education Ministry, 100 Dead

By LokMarg

As many as 100 people were killed and more than 300 others were wounded in Somalia on Saturday after two car bombs exploded near the education ministry in the capital Mogadishu.

The two car bombs exploded near a busy intersection in the capital and near the Ministry of Education, according to an official with the president’s office, reported CNN.
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in a video statement posted on his official Twitter account claimed that the Al-Shabaab terror group in Somalia was responsible for the deadly attack.

“Today’s cruel and cowardly terrorist attack on innocent people by the morally bankrupt and criminal al-Shabaab group cannot discourage us but will further strengthen our resolve to defeat them once and for all,” Mohamud wrote on Twitter.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but the Islamist group Al-Shabaab has claimed other recent attacks, reported CNN.

“Our government and brave people will continue to defend Somalia against evil,” Mohamud added.

The intersection, Zobe junction, was the same location as a deadly bombing attack on October 14, 2017, which killed more than 500 people and injured around 300 others.

“By the will of God, no other October like this will happen. They won’t get the chance to commit such a thing,” Mohamud said, calling Saturday’s attack a repeat of the 2017 bombings.

The recent siege of an upscale hotel in the capital Mogadishu killing at least 20 people is a grave reminder of the security challenges the country is facing.

Al-Shabaab emerged as the radical youth wing of Somalia’s now-defunct Union of Islamic Courts, which controlled Mogadishu in 2006, before being forced out by Ethiopian forces.

Al-Shabaab advocates the Saudi-inspired Wahhabi version of Islam, while most Somalis are Sufis.

It has imposed a strict version of Sharia in areas under its control, including stoning to death women accused of adultery and amputating the hands of thieves.

It is banned as a terrorist group by both the US and the UK.

There have been numerous reports that Al-Shabab may have formed some links with other militant groups, such as Boko Haram in Nigeria and Al-Qaeda.

Somalia has long been called a failed or fragile state that has seen one of the biggest failures of international counter-terror operations.

Somalia has not had an effective national government for more than 20 years, during which much of the country has been a war zone.

Al-Shabaab gained support by promising people security, but its credibility was knocked when it rejected Western food aid to combat a 2011 drought and famine.

In 2022, there was a peaceful transition of power in Somalia after the successful completion of the legislative and presidential elections.

In recent years, despite international counter-terror measures, Al-Shabab has grown in strength, cashing in on the humanitarian crisis in Somalia and the security crises in neighboring countries. (ANI)

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India, US to Hold War Games Near LAC With China

By LokMarg

India and the US will hold their regular Yudhabhyas series of wargames in the Auli area in Uttarakhand along the China border from November 15.

The exercise, which was planned many months in advance, was earlier planned to be held in October but would now be held next month, Army officials said.

The war games would see the two armies practice counter-terrorist operations along with many drills during the exercise, they said.

The exercise would be held from November 15 to December 2 in the mountainous terrain in the area which has seen the additional deployment of assets and troops in the last two years, they said.

The Americans are in a tense relationship with the Chinese due to the Taiwan issue while the Indian military has been in a standoff with them since May 2020 timeframe.

This would be the 18th of the Yudhabhyas wargames between India and the US to help enhance interoperability between the two sides. (ANI)

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Hacker Darknet Cybercrime

Turkey Helped Pakistan Raise Cyber Army Against US, India

By LokMarg

Turkey secretly helped Pakistan in setting up a cyber-army camouflaged under the bilateral agreement which was used for domestic political goals as well as directed to attack the US and India and undermine criticism leveled against the Pakistani rulers.

Turkey helped Pakistan in setting up a cyber-army to shape public opinion, influence the views of Muslims in Southeast Asia, attack the US and India and undermine criticism leveled against the Pakistani rulers, Nordic Monitor has learned.

The plan was given a go-ahead by Imran Khan, the then-prime minister who simultaneously held the position of interior minister, during a meeting with Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu in 2018.

The secret work was camouflaged under the bilateral agreement on cooperation against cybercrime when in fact it was against perceived influence operations pursued by the US, India, and other foreign powers, according to sources familiar with the project, reported Nordic Monitor.

The proposal to establish such a unit was first put on the table during private talks between visiting Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu and his host, Shehryar Khan Afridi, the then-minister of state for interior, on December 17, 2018. The matter was discussed at the senior level and kept confidential from most of the staff at Islamabad’s interior ministry, Nordic Monitor reported.

The first public admission of this clandestine operation was made by Soylu during an interview on October 13, 2022, with a local TV station in Kahramanmaras. He did not name the country but made clear he was in fact talking about Pakistan when he referred to a country that was a five or six-hour direct flight from Turkey.

Unlike his predecessors, Soylu has gained notoriety in running troll and bot armies in cyberspace on behalf of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and had worked on similar covert operations even before he became interior minister in September 2016, added Nordic Monitor.

The AKP set up teams to dominate social media in influence operations and attacks on critics. When he was deputy chairman of Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in 2014 with a research and development portfolio, Soylu secretly set up a large Twitter team to insult and target with offensive language prominent social and political figures who did not embrace the AKP’s ideals and practices. According to the parliamentary record, he controlled a 6,000-strong troll army at the time.

In the end, using intelligence and information as a weapon, the newly revamped cyber police department was turned into machinery to undermine the public view of the opposition and smear critics and dissenters within the ruling party reported Nordic Monitor.

Instead of investigating real crime on the internet, the teams at the cyber unit are busy hacking opponents’ emails and social media accounts, collecting private data from cell phones and computers they gained access to, and using the hacked material to intimidate and at times blackmail dissidents. (ANI)

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Russian Def Min Conveys Concerns About Dirty Bomb To Rajnath

By LokMarg

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu on Wednesday held a telephonic conversation with his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh and conveyed his concerns about the provocations by Ukraine on the possible use of a ‘dirty bomb’.

“On October 26, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, and Rajnath Singh discussed the situation in Ukraine. Sergei Shoigu conveyed his concerns about possible provocations by Ukraine with the use of a ‘dirty bomb’,” tweeted Russian Embassy in India.
Responding to Shoigu’s telephonic talks, Rajnath Singh tweeted, “He briefed me on the evolving situation in Ukraine, including his concerns about possible provocations through the use of ‘dirty bomb’. I reiterated India’s position on the need to pursue the path of dialogue and diplomacy for an early resolution of the conflict.”

Singh also pointed out that the nuclear option should not be resorted to by any side as the prospect of the usage of nuclear or radiological weapons goes against the basic tenets of humanity.

In the telephone conversation, both leaders discussed bilateral defence cooperation as well as the deteriorating situation in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, in a briefing on radiation security threats by the chief of nuclear, biological and chemical protection troops Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the Russian Ministry of Defence said that it has information about the Kyiv regime’s planning to commit a provocation by exploding the so-called ‘dirty bomb’ or low-power nuclear warhead.

“The provocation is aimed at accusing Russia of using mass destruction weapons at the Ukrainian theatre of operations that would launch a powerful anti-Russian campaign in order to undermine the confidence in Moscow,” added a press release of Kirillov.

The Ministry of Defence has arranged to counter Ukraine’s possible provocations: the means and forces are alerted to operate amid radioactive contamination.

Meanwhile, the US and other Western officials have dismissed Moscow’s claim that Ukraine is planning to use a so-called dirty bomb as a Russian false-flag operation.

A “dirty bomb” is a conventional bomb laced with radioactive, biological or chemical materials disseminated in an explosion.

The term is often used interchangeably with radiological dispersal device (RDD), a bomb where radioactive materials are used.

In a joint statement, the US, France and Britain — three of the other nuclear powers on the United Nations Security Council — said Sunday that Russia’s claims were “transparently false”.

They and Kyiv suspect that Russia might use a dirty bomb in a “false flag” attack, possibly to justify Moscow’s use of conventional nuclear weapons as it finds itself on the back foot in eastern and southern Ukraine.

Russia on Tuesday also flagged allegations to the UN Security Council that Ukraine is preparing to use a “dirty bomb” on its own territory. (ANI)

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Stolen Antiquities To India

US Returns 307 Stolen Antiquities To India

By LokMarg

After the 15-years of investigation, the US authorities returned 307 antiquities that were stolen by multiple smaller trafficking networks to India, valued at nearly 4 million Dollars, according to a press statement released on Monday.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L Bragg Jr on Monday announced that they are returning 307 antiquities valued at nearly USD 4 million to the people of India and the majority of them were seized from disgraced art dealer Subhash Kapoor.
Subhas Kapoor is a looter, who had helped to traffic the items from Afghanistan, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and other countries.

According to the statement, “Five of the antiquities were seized according to the Office’s investigation into Nancy Wiener, and one according to an investigation into Nayef Homsi.”

All the antiquities were returned during a repatriation ceremony at the Indian Consulate in New York attended by India’s Consul General Randhir Jaiswal, and US Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) Acting Deputy Special Agent-in-Charge, Tom Lau.

“We are proud to return hundreds of stunning pieces to the people of India,” the press statement quoted District Attorney Bragg as saying.

“These antiquities were stolen by multiple complex and sophisticated trafficking rings – the leaders of which showed no regard for the cultural or historical significance of these objects. Tracking down these antiquities would not be possible without the collaboration of our law enforcement partners at HSI and the outstanding work of our world-class investigators,” he added.

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Alfonso said, “Today we are proud to join our partners from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office to return an incredible 307 stolen works of art and antiquities to their rightful home in India. This repatriation is the result of a globe-spanning, fifteen-year investigation whereas the investigative team chased leads, followed the money, and ultimately seized these pieces, ensuring their return to the people of India,”

He further added that HSI will continue to investigate artifacts with little or no provenance, or of questionable origin, and work with domestic and international partners to return these priceless pieces of history to their rightful homes, the statement reads.

The District Attorney’s Antiquities Trafficking Unit, along with law enforcement partners at Homeland Security Investigations, have investigated Kapoor and his co-conspirators for the illegal looting, exportation, and sale of artifacts from numerous countries all over the world, for over a decade.

Among the pieces being returned is the Arch Parikara, crafted from marble and valued at approximately USD 85,000.

The Arch Parikara first surfaced in photographs depicting antiquity in a dirty, pre-restoration condition. These photographs, along with dozens of others depicting antiquities lying in the grass or on the ground, were sent to Kapoor by a supplier of illicit in India. The piece was smuggled out of India and into New York in May 2002, the statement reads.

Thereafter, Kapoor laundered the Arch Parikara to the Nathan Rubin – Ida Ladd Family Foundation, who donated the piece to the Yale University Art Gallery in 2007, the statement added.

In 2022 alone, the Office has returned 682 antiquities, valued at over USD 84 million to 13 countries. Since its founding, the Antiquities Trafficking Unit has returned nearly 2,200 antiquities, valued at over USD 160 million, to 22 countries. (ANI)

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Desperate And Reprehensible: US condemns Attacks On Kyiv

By LokMarg

The United States on Monday condemned early morning drone strikes on Kyiv as it rebuked Russia for “reprehensible” attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.

“More desperate and reprehensible Russian attacks this morning against civilians and civilian infrastructure. We admire the strength and resilience of the Ukrainian people. We will stand with you for as long as it takes,” the US embassy in Ukraine tweeted.
Ukraine’s capital city Kyiv was rocked by multiple explosions early on Monday in an attack by “Kamikaze” drones, according to a Ukrainian official. Andriy Yermak, head of the presidential office of Ukraine, said kamikaze drones targeted the city.

“The Russians think it will help them, but these actions look like desperation,” Yermak said in a statement, blaming Russia for the attack, CNN reported.

Several residential buildings were damaged in the attack. In a Telegram message, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the “drone attack” caused a “fire in a non-residential building.”

Kyiv says Moscow has used Iranian-supplied drones in the strikes against major Ukrainian cities in recent weeks and pleaded with Western countries to step up their assistance in the face of the new challenge, CNN reported.

On Monday, at least three explosions were heard in Kyiv at around 6.45 am (local time). One of the blasts was in the Shevchenkivskyi district in the center of the Ukrainian capital. In order to tackle the situation, emergency services have been sent on-site.

The war between Russia and Ukraine has only escalated after a truck recently exploded on the Crimea road bridge, causing seven fuel tanks of a train heading to the Crimean Peninsula to catch fire. Three people were killed in the blast, which also led to the partial collapse of two spans of the road bridge.

The Crimean Bridge was opened in 2018 by Russian President Vladimir Putin, four years after Moscow annexed Crimea, and was designed to link the peninsula to Russia’s transport network.

The 19-kilometer bridge, which runs across the Kerch Strait and connects Crimea with mainland Russia, consists of a railway and vehicle sections. It became fully operational in 2020.

Earlier, the transport ministry had said the bridge, which consists of two parallel routes for automobiles and trains, will possibly open to trains by 8 pm Moscow time (1700 GMT) on Saturday. (ANI)

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Pak To Summon Blome, Issues Demarche Over Biden’s Statement

By LokMarg

The Pakistan government is set to summon US Ambassador Donald Blome for an official demarche over American President Joe Biden’s statement regarding the country’s nuclear capability, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said.

While addressing the news conference, Bilawal said, “We will call their ambassador and issue a demarche, but I don’t think this was an official function […] it wasn’t an address to the parliament or an interview,” according to Dawn
This statement came after US President Biden, at a Democratic congressional campaign committee reception, said that Pakistan may be “one of the most dangerous nations in the world” as the country has “nuclear weapons without any cohesion”, according to the statement released by the White House.

“And what I think is maybe one of the most dangerous nations in the world: Pakistan. Nuclear weapons without any cohesion,” the White House quoted Biden as saying.

The remarks on Pakistan were made while Biden was talking about US foreign policy with regard to China and Vladimir Putin’s Russia. Biden concluded by saying he considered Pakistan to be the most dangerous country in the world.

“This is a guy (Xi Jinping) who understands what he wants but has an enormous, enormous array of problems. How do we handle that? How do we handle that relative to what’s going on in Russia? And what I think is maybe one of the most dangerous nations in the world: Pakistan. Nuclear weapons without any cohesion,” said Biden, as quoted in a White House press release of his remarks at the Democratic party event.

Addressing the conference at the Bilawal House in Karachi today, the foreign minister said that Pakistan’s nuclear assets “meet each and every international standard in accordance with the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) as far as security and safety is concerned”.

“I am surprised by the remarks of President Biden […] I believe this is exactly the sort of misunderstanding that is created when there is a lack of engagement.”

Bilawal said that Pakistan had embarked on a “journey of engagement” and just marked the 75th anniversary of bilateral engagements with the US, according to Dawn.

“If this was such a concern, I imagine it would’ve been raised in that meeting with me, I believe that we have just started our journey of engagement and we will have many more opportunities to engage with the US and address any concerns and misconceptions they might have to this specific question,” Bilawal said as quoted by Dawn.

Although, Bilawal said that he doesn’t believe it negatively impacts the relations between Pakistan and the US. but still, Biden’s remarks could be seen as a setback to the Shehbaz Sharif government’s bid to improve ties with the US. (ANI)

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Dangerous Nations: Biden’s Candid Comment On Pakistan

By LokMarg

In perhaps the most candid statement made against it, US President Joe Biden described Pakistan as “one of the most dangerous nations” in the world which holds “nuclear weapons without any cohesion.”

The US President made these remarks at a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Reception in Los Angeles (California), during which he berated both China and Russia.
The remarks on Pakistan were made while Biden was talking about US foreign policy with regard to China and Vladimir Putin’s Russia. Biden concluded by saying he considered Pakistan to be the most dangerous country in the world.

“This is a guy (Xi Jinping) who understands what he wants but has an enormous, enormous array of problems. How do we handle that? How do we handle that relative to what’s going on in Russia? And what I think is maybe one of the most dangerous nations in the world: Pakistan. Nuclear weapons without any cohesion,” said Biden, as quoted in a White House press release of his remarks at the Democratic party event.

Biden’s remarks could be seen as a setback to the Shehbaz Sharif government’s bid to improve ties with the US.

At the event, Biden said there were enormous opportunities for the US to change the dynamic in the second quarter of the 21st century.

“So, folks, there’s a lot going on. A lot going on. But there are also enormous opportunities for the United States to change the dynamic in the second quarter of the 21st century,” the US president said.

These comments come two days after the release of the US National Security Strategy. The 48-page document makes no reference to Pakistan.

On Wednesday, the Biden administration released the Congress-mandated key policy document, underlining the threat posed to the US by both China and Russia.

The National Security Strategy states that China and Russia who earlier this year announced a “no-limits partnership” are increasingly aligned with each other but the challenges they pose are distinct.

“We will prioritize maintaining an enduring competitive edge over the PRC while constraining a still profoundly dangerous Russia,” it adds.

The policy document contends that competition with China is most pronounced in the Indo-Pacific, but it is also increasingly global.

The US Security Strategy highlighted that the next ten years will be a decisive decade of competition with China.

On the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the document says Moscow’s “imperialist foreign policy” culminated “in a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in an attempt to topple its government and bring it under Russian control.” (ANI)

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Russian Airline Bomb Threat

Russian Airline Receives Bomb Threat, Investigation Underway At Delhi Airport

By LokMarg

Russian airline Aeroflot flight SU 232 received a bomb threat on Thursday while the plane was en route to Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) airport.

“Our investigation is underway at the airport, all the passengers and their luggage are being checked and the SOPs are followed, the aircraft is currently in the isolation bay,” an official investigation team told ANI.
“Threat was received by electronic medium this time,” he added.

Aeroflot SU 232 departed from Moscow on time and landed at Delhi airport around 3:20 am on Friday.

“There was a call at 11:15 pm about a bomb in the flight coming from Moscow to Terminal 3 (T3) at 3:20 tonight. Flight number SU232 landed on runway 29,” an official said.

“All passengers and crew members were de-boarded. The flight is being checked and investigation is underway,” Delhi Police said.

Nothing serious has been found so far, further investigation is on.

Earlier, on September 10 also, a bomb threat call for a London-bound Air India flight was received at the airport after that security agencies were alerted.

“We received a bomb threat call about a flight going to London. On Thursday night at 10.30 pm, a phone call came on the landline of Ranhola police station in Outer Delhi. The caller said that on the lines of 9/11 attacks in the US, an Air India flight to London would be blown up,” Delhi Police sources had said. (ANI)

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