LIVE! Nazi salutes, anti-immigrant chants disrupt Brussels memorial

LIVE

Sun, 27 March 2016

Nazi salutes, anti-immigrant chants disrupt Brussels memorial

Timeline Refresh

21:45 Nazi salutes, anti-immigrant chants disrupt Brussels memorial

Though organizers postponed a Sunday march in the Belgian capital out of security fears, those who gathered at Brussels' Place de la Bourse were confronted by protesters raising their arms in Nazi salutes and shouting anti-immigrant slogans.

The gathering, which took place in a commercial district in the capital, started out peacefully with mourners laying flowers at the foot of the stairs leading to the Brussels Stock Exchange.

The mood changed at about 2:45 p.m. when several hundred men -- most of them dressed in black, a handful of them with their faces totally or partially obscured, and many of them carrying alcoholic beverages -- arrived on the square.

One demonstrator sparked a flare, and others lit firecrackers in the square. One group unfurled a white banner that said "FCK ISIS" and "Casuals Against Terrorism." It's unclear if the groups are related, but Casuals United is a British far-right group affiliated with the English Defence League, which opposes the spread of Islam and Sharia law.

Read more HERE.

At least 50 people have been killed and 100 others wounded in a blast in Lahore's Gulshan Iqbal Park.

Rescuers say the blast occurred at the central gate of the park near the motorcycle parking stand.

They say they have ferried the dead and the wounded to the Jinnah Hospital, Shaikh Zayed Hospital and other nearby hospitals. An emergency has been declared in all hospitals of the provincial capital.

According to doctors at the Jinnah Hospital, many injured are in critical condition and fear the death toll may rise.

The area has been cordoned off. Police say they are trying to determine the nature of the blast.

Employees of the park say the park was packed with people since it was Sunday and Easter Day.

Witnesses said there were pools of blood and scattered body parts in the park, where a large number of families, especially women and children, were enjoying their weekend.

After Uttarakhand was brought under central rule, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today accused the Modi government of being "anti-democracy" and alleged that it wanted to impose President's rule across the

country.

"Prez rule imposed one day before trust vote? BJP is anti-democracy. BJP/RSS want dictatorship, want to rule India thro Prez Rule," Kejriwal tweeted.

Aam Aadmi Party leader Ashutosh also took to Twitter to criticise the Centre's decision, saying it was "murder of democracy".

"Whatever has happened in Uttarakhand, is murder of democracy. A govt has majority or not should be proved on the floor of the house," he tweeted.

Flight operations in Nepal's Tribhuvan International Airport here were affected today after airport authorities were warned of a bomb onboard a Jet Airways flight that left from New Delhi this afternoon.

An unidentified person made a call to the airport

authorities saying that a Jet Airways aircraft that took off

from New Delhi today afternoon had explosives inside it.

There was panic in the airport as soon as the news was

spread.

Shortly after the aircraft landed at the airport at

around 4:30 pm, search operations were carried out inside the

aircraft which was taken to isolation.

However, after the inspection was complete, the bomb

threat turned to be a hoax. No explosive was found inside the

aircraft.

Belgian police detained four people for questioning in connection with terrorism after 13 raids today across Brussels and the towns of Duffel and Mechelen to the north, the federal prosecutor said.

"In connection with the terrorism dossier, 13 raids were carried out this morning... in all nine people were questioned, with five of them later released," the prosecutor said in a statement.

18:43 Bomb threat to six flights at IGI Airport

Security at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here was scaled up after a local hotel received a call about bomb threat to half a dozen flights.

The Bomb Threat Assessment Committee is currently checking whether the call is specific or non-specific, a source said, adding operations at IGIA are "absolutely normal" at this stage.

Some of the flights mentioned by the anonymous caller do not exist, the source said.

"The call was made to a hotel in Paschim Vihar (West Delhi) at around 3 pm with the anonymous caller saying that bombs have been planted on six flights, including one on a Jet Airways plane," the source said.

The information was passed on to the security agencies concerned, including the CISF and Delhi Police, the source said, adding that "BTAC meeting is underway to check to whether it is a specific or non-specific call."

Belgium has charged a second man linked to a foiled French attack with involvement in a terrorist group, the federal prosecutor said today.

The prosecutor named the suspect as Abderamane A. Another man named as Rabah N was charged yesterday with the same offence in connection with the arrest of Reda Kriket near Paris on Thursday.

Police found arms and explosives in a flat Kriket was using.

Terming peaceful assembly as a "crucial tool" of public participation, India has told the UNHRC that while the right to peaceful protests cannot be taken away, any demonstration should also not be allowed to "paralyse" the normal life.

"The ability to protest peacefully is an essential enabler for other rights and freedoms," India's Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva Ajit Kumar told the United Nations Human Rights Council.

"Peaceful assembly is a crucial tool of public participation," he said in India's Explanation of Vote at the adoption of draft resolution on 'Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in the Context of Peaceful Protests' on Thursday.

Uttarakhand assembly speaker has disqualified 9 rebel Congress MLAs from the assembly.

The speaker also informed the Election Commission of India regarding the decision.

Meanwhile, security has been tightened outside the assembly after President's rule imposed in the state.

Researchers, including one of Indian-origin, have detected what appears to be a Saturn-like planet residing near the Milky Way galaxy's bulge.

The newly discovered exoplanet has a mass somewhere between Saturn and Jupiter and orbits a star with half the mass of the Sun, scientists said.

If a star moves in front of another star, the light from the distant star is bent by the gravitational pull of the nearer star and the more distant star is magnified.

Researchers used the gravitational microlensing technique which does not rely on the light from the host stars. Thus, it can detect planets, even when the host stars cannot be detected, 'Phys.org' reported.

As many as 150 people have been booked in connection with smearing of black ink and throwing eggs at the posters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley here during a demonstration by

the businessmen and bullion traders four days ago.

The FIR was registered today under sections 147 (rioting), 341 (wrongful restraint) and 505 (public mischief) of the Indian Penal Code in which traders' leader Rajkumar Bharadwaj, General Secretary of Meerut Bullion Traders Association Survesh Kumar Saraf and three others have been named while 145 are unknown, police said.

They said the process to identify others involved in the incident is on.

Rebel Congress leader Vijay Bahuguna today welcomed the imposition of President's Rule in Uttarakhand, saying the government headed by Harish Rawat needed to be dismissed as it was involved in "corruption".

Bahuguna, a former Chief Minister, expressed hope that the central rule will not prolong and fresh elections would be held in his state.

"I welcome it..It is a good step," he said while commenting on imposition of the central rule in his state.

He also alleged that the developments in Uttarakhand prior to imposition of President's Rule amounted to "murder of democracy" as he criticised the role of the Speaker in the whole affair.

15:26 Hugh Jackman rescues swimmer at Bondi Beach

Australian actor Hugh Jackman may be known internationally for his roles as a superhero in the X-Men film series, but on Saturday he was doing some real life rescuing at Sydney's Bondi Beach.

When several swimmers became caught in a strong riptide, including his teenage son Oscar, he was filmed helping to retrieve them.

A video obtained by Australia's Nine News shows the 47-year-old actor in the water grabbing the arm of a man and pulling him along. The man is also holding onto a young girl.

Jackman is seen waving at people in the water alerting them to swim back to safety.

Read more HERE.

Authorities arrested a 23-year-old man in the Toronto suburbs on a terrorism-related charge, but stressed it was not linked to the deadly suicide bombings in Brussels.

Kevin Omar Mohamed was arrested under a "Fear of Terrorism Offence" law, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said in a statement, suggesting he was preparing to travel abroad to train with extremists.

He was also charged with carrying a concealed weapon and possession of a weapon dangerous to public peace. If convicted, he could face a maximum of 10 years in prison.

14:59 Brussels march canceled over security fears

Organizers canceled a march planned for Sunday in the Belgian capital because of security fears following last week's terror attacks.

With Brussels still on edge after Tuesday's bombings, authorities requested that the rally be postponed, organizer Sophie Barthlemi said.

The rally was set to mark the Tuesday terror attacks that killed 28 people from various nations.

Belgian authorities said Saturday that the widely reported death toll of 31 included the three suicide attackers, putting the victims' tally at 28.

14:20 President's rule imposed in Uttarakhand

President's rule imposed in Uttarakhand, as per media reports on Sunday.

The state assembly kept in suspended animation.

President Pranab Mukherjee signed the proclamation under Article 356 of the Constitution this morning.

The recommendation for central rule was made by the Union Cabinet at its emergency meeting last night, chaired by PM Narendra Modi who cut short his visit to Assam.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat on Sunday condemned the "threat" by the Centre to impose President's rule in the hill state hit by a political crisis, saying it will be a murder of democracy and that it is not acceptable in a parliamentary system.

"The Centre is threatening a small state like Uttarakhand with President's rule. It is not acceptable in a parliamentary system. There is a procedure for President's rule, which has emerged following precedence," he told reporters on the eve of the floor test which he is due to face in the state assembly.

Rawat also accused BJP of attacking democracy with money and muscle power in its bid to dislodge his four-year-old Congress government.

Read more HERE.

A genuine India-Pakistan spy thriller, a la Le Carre, could be finally unfolding, writes Rediff.com blogger M K Bhadrakumar in his latest blogpost.

The brawls involving spy agencies of India and Pakistan are crass encounters eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth. They are never riveting like a Le Carre thriller, he says.

On Thursday, Pakistan announced that it caught an Indian spy, a naval officer working for the R&AW, in the restive Baluchistan province, with an Indian passport in his pocket with Iranian visa stamp.

On Friday, Islamabad lodged a protest through diplomatic channels that New Delhi is promoting subversive activities on Pakistani soil.

On Saturday, Pakistani army chief General Raheel Sharif waded into the controversy and took up the matter with the visiting President of Iran Hassan Rouhani.

Read the full blogpost HERE.

A five-member Pakistan Joint Investigation Team has arrived in India today to probe the Pathankot terror attack. The team will be allowed to question witnesses but not security personnel, sources have said.

The five-member delegation comprises Chief of Punjab's Counter Terrorism Department, Additional Inspector General of Police Muhammad Tahir Rai, Lahore's Deputy Director General Intelligence Bureau Mohammad Azim Arshad. Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt Col Tanvir Ahmed, Military Intelligence Lt Col Irfan Mirza and Gujaranwala CTD Investigating Officer Shahid Tanveer, reported news agency PTI citing sources.

The Pakistan team has been granted access to a limited set of witnesses. They will be allowed to question Gurdaspur SP Salwinder Singh, his friend and cook. The Pakistan team will also be allowed to quiz the 17 people who were injured in the attack. Security personnel of NSG, BSF and Garud commandos of IAF will not be interrogated by the Pakistan team.

Pope Francis concluded a bleak week in Europe with a message of hope during an Easter Vigil service Saturday, saying darkness and fear must not prevail and "imprison" the world with pessimism.

Francis' call to hope on the eve of the most joyful celebration in the Christian calendar contrasted sharply with his sharp condemnation in recent days of the attacks in Belgium and elsewhere by Islamic extremists.

Francis entered the silent and darkened basilica with just a single candle guiding him at the start of the vigil. As he reached the altar, the basilica's floodlights flipped on in a symbolic show of light after the darkness of Good Friday, which recalls Jesus' death.

Syrian forces recaptured Palmyra from ISIS on Sunday, months after the city fell to the Islamic extremist group, state media reported.

The army, along with militias loyal to the government, took over the city and chased out ISIS fighters, Al-Ikhbariya TV reported.

The militants seized control of Palmyra in May and started demolishing ancient ruins considered among the world's most treasured.

Read more HERE.

Suspense continued over the fate of the nine rebel Congress MLAs ahead of the trial of strength in Uttarakhand Assembly as lawyers of these legislators today met Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal in a last ditch attempt to prevent action against them.

About half-a-dozen lawyers met Kunjwal in his chamber in the state Assembly seeking personal hearing and more evidence in support of the charges levelled against the MLAs in the disqualification notice served to them by the Speaker just a day after trouble erupted in the state assembly on March 18.

It was their second meeting with the Speaker in two days. They had met him yesterday seeking personal hearing in the matter, a request turned down by the Speaker.

According to sources, replies to show cause notices issued to the MLAs are being examined and consultations are being held with legal experts on the issue.

12:02 Moon once spun on a different axis: study

The Moon used to spin on a different axis and show a slightly different face to the Earth, according to a new study which also indicates the presence of water ice on the lunar body.

Scientists used data from NASA's Lunar Prospector mission collected in the late 1990s and spotted two hydrogen-rich regions near the Moon's poles, probably indicating the presence of water ice.

The icy patches are opposite each other - the line between them passes through the middle of the Moon - so it appears that this used to be its spin axis, 'BBC News' reported.

According to Matt Siegler, from the Planetary Science Institute in Arizona, and his colleagues, it describes a gradual wobble, or "true polar wander", adding up to about a six-degree shift altogether.

Days after a journalist was held for allegedly posting objectionable comments on social media, another scribe was arrested from Chhattisgarh's Bastar region on charges of manhandling school staffers and house trespass.

Deepak Jaiswal (32) was held on a complaint lodged by principal of a government high school Ranjeet Tikam last year in which he had also named journalist Prabhat Singh, who was arrested on March 22 by Bastar Police.

"Jaiswal was held yesterday for entering government high school in Geedam police station area in Dantewada without permission during an examination in May, 2015, and threatening the principal," Dantewada Superintendent of Police Kamlochan Kashyap told PTI.

11:30 South China Sea: Taiwan enters power struggle

Taiwan claims to have continuously occupied this postage stamp-sized island in the azure waters of the South China Sea for 60 years.

But it wasn't until this week, that the government invited journalists to see the tiny place firsthand.

Also known as Itu Aba, Taiping island consists of little more than a 1,360 meter long airstrip bordered on two sides by palm trees and white sandy beaches.

But that is enough for Taiwan to make its case in the growing struggle for control of this hotly disputed body of water -- where $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes through annually.

Read more HERE.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the nation on the 18th edition of his Mann ki Baat radio programme.

Earlier, the Election Commission of India had given its approval for the broadcast, with a condition that his address to the public should not violate the Model Code of Conduct in place for the coming Assembly elections in four States and a Union Territory.

The PM began Mann Ki Baat by conveying Easter greetings to people across the world.

During the monthly show the prime minister announced that India is set to host under-17 FIFA World Cup in 2017.

"India had a good run in football earlier but that is not the case now. Our rankings are also very low," he said.

"I believe that FIFA Under-17 World Cup is a big chance for us to present brand of India on global level," he added.

The prime minister also congratulated the Indian cricket team for their wins against Pakistan and Bangladesh.

He also conveyed best wishes for the match today.

Senator Bernie Sanders has won the US Democratic presidential caucuses in Alaska and Washington, slightly narrowing party's front-runner Hillary Clinton's significant delegate lead in the race to the White House.

Sanders, 74, swept Washington state by getting more than 72 per cent of the total votes counted. In Alaska, he received more than 79 per cent of the votes, when last report came in.

For Clinton, 68, who continues to lead in the delegate count and her path to the White House appears to be much easier as compared to Sanders, a defeat in the crucial state of Washington is seen as a major setback.

Home to major iconic US companies like Boeing, Microsoft and Starbucks, Washington state has more than 100 delegates, a large chunk of which has now gone to Sanders.

The Clintons, including the former president Bill Clinton, and their daughter Chelsea Clinton, spend quite a bit of time in Washington.

In Alaska, which has 16 delegates at stake, the wife of Sanders campaigned for a few days.

Stalking has become a "menace" which not only makes women feel unsafe and nervous to move out alone but also violates their right to life and liberty, a Delhi court has observed.

Metropolitan magistrate Susheel Bala Dagar made the observation while convicting a man for stalking.

The man was, however, set free, as the court sentenced him to simple imprisonment for seven months and 25 days, which he had already undergone during pendency of the trial, saying he showed "genuine remorse".

"Stalking is a typical social crime which violates the right to life and liberty of the women in the metropolitan cities. A large percentage of Indian women have faced or are facing this menace.

"Whether it is a public transport system or public place or shopping malls or multiplexes, women find themselves vulnerable to the threat of stalking everywhere," the court observed.

"In the light of the facts and circumstances of the case, and by balancing the mitigating or extenuating and aggravating factors, I am of the opinion that the convict be sentenced to simple imprisonment for the period already undergone for the offence under section 354D/341/509 of IPC," the court said.

10:05 First verdict in coal scam likely tomorrow

A special court is likely to pronounce tomorrow its first judgment in the coal scam in which Jharkhand Ispat Pvt Ltd (JIPL) and its two directors are facing trial in a case of allotment of a coal block in Jharkhand.

Special CBI Judge Bharat Parashar had on March 21 fixed the matter for tomorrow for pronouncing the verdict.

This is the first case in coal block allocation scam in which the special court, exclusively dealing with all the related matters, is to pronounce its verdict.

The case involves JIPL and its directors R S Rungta and R C Rungta who are accused of acquiring the coal block allegedly on the basis of false and forged documents.

The court had on March 21 last year framed charges against them for the alleged offences punishable under sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) read with 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating) and 471 (using a forged document as genuine) of IPC.

All the accused had pleaded not guilty and claimed trial, while refuting the allegations levelled against them by the CBI.

Image used for representational purposes only.

North Korea released a new propaganda video on Saturday showing a nuclear strike on Washington and then threatened South Korea with a "merciless military strike" for slandering leader Kim Jong-Un, AFP reported.

Pyongyang has been ramping up the bellicose rhetoric and propaganda for weeks, since the launch of annual South Korea-US war games that it views as provocative rehearsals for invasion.

Seoul and Washington made the already large-scale joint drills bigger than ever this year in response to the North's nuclear test in January and long-range rocket launch a month later.

Menacingly titled "Last Chance", the video released on Saturday shows a submarine-launched nuclear missile laying waste to Washington and concludes with the US flag in flames.

The four-minute video romps through the history of US-Korean relations and ends with a digitally manipulated sequence showing a missile surging through clouds, swerving back to Earth and slamming down in front of Washington's Lincoln Memorial.

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has asked the PDP and the BJP to inform the people of the state the reason for the delay in announcing the date for the swearing-in ceremony of the ministers of the new government.

"Would anyone from the PDP or BJP care to inform the people of J&K why the date for the oath taking can't be announced now? What's the delay?" Omar wrote on Twitter.

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, along with her party leaders and BJPs deputy chief minister nominee Nirmal Singh, had on Saturday called on Governor N N Vohra and handed him letters of support.

Though the BJP has assured full support to PDP, Mehbooba said other modalities like date of swearing-in ceremony would be discussed with the alliance partner the BJP.

00:55 Top headlines at this hour

U'khand crisis: PM holds cabinet meet, Speaker disqualifies rebel MLAs

Mehbooba, BJP stake claim to form government in J&K

Pak JIT to arrive tomorrow, will get limited access to Pathankot airbase

Had no personal knowledge about Ishrat: Headley

England survive Sri Lanka scare to reach World T20 semis; SA ousted

To read Saturday's commentary, click HERE

Timeline Refresh

TOP STORIES