New Delhi: The Colombo Security Conclave, comprising Maldives, India, Sri Lanka, and newest member Mauritius, have agreed on a roadmap on the five pillars of cooperation, including countering terrorism and radicalization and combating trafficking and transnational organised crime.

The 5th National Security Adviser level meeting of the Colombo Security Conclave, held in Male on March 9-10, identified key areas of cooperation to enhance and strengthen regional security in the five pillars of · Maritime Safety and Security · Countering Terrorism and Radicalisation · Combating Trafficking and Transnational Organised Crime · Cyber Security, Protection of Critical Infrastructure and Technology · Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief The Member states agreed upon a roadmap for further cooperation and collaboration on these pillars of cooperation.

The roadmap will facilitate robust mechanisms for coordinated responses, capacity building and strengthening information flow between member states, said a joint Press Statement. Delegations from Bangladesh and Seychelles participated as Observers.

The delegates participating included Mariya Ahmed Didi, Maldivian Defence Minister; Ajit Doval, India’s National Security Adviser; General Kamal Gunaratne (Retd.), Secretary to the Ministry of Defence of Sri Lanka; and Kumaresan Ilango, National Security Adviser of Mauritius.

The delegation from Bangladesh was led by Tarique Ahmed Siddique, Defence and Security Adviser to the Bangladesh Prime Minister, and Seychelles was represented by Simon Archange Dine, Chief of Staff of Seychelles Defence Forces. As maritime neighbours, facing similar threats, the Conclave reaffirmed their commitment to engage in consistent joint efforts to achieving regional peace and security. (UNI)

By: Yogesh Sagotra

Jammu: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday took over the probe of Udhampur blast, in which a person was killed while 14 people were injured.

Officials said that a team of NIA led by SP rank officer visited Salathia Chowk area, where an IED blast took place.

“The team collected evidence from the spot and also recorded statements of eyewitnesses,” they said. “Till now, the central anti-terror probe agency was informally assisting newly constituted State Investigation Agency (SIA) and local police in the investigation of the case.”

They said that NIA will also investigate the role of groups operating from other countries including Pakistan as it has the mandate to carry out investigations abroad.

A team of NIA, a central probe agency created after the 2008 Mumbai attack, has taken over maximum terror related cases in Jammu and Kashmir.

Earlier, a low-intensify Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast took place at vegetable market Salathia Chowk in Udhampur district on Wednesday afternoon.

One person was killed while 14 others sustained injuries in the blast.

Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Jammu region, Mukesh Singh said that preliminary investigations reveal that it was a low-intensity IED. “One person was killed while 14 others sustained injuries, who all are stable,” he said.

Two of the injured are reportedly having serious injuries and being referred to Government Medical College Jammu.

Soon after the explosion took place, senior officers of police, CRPF and army rushed to the spot and the area of incident was cordoned for examination of evidence.

“Sniffer dogs, bomb squad were also called on spot for necessary operation, area sanitization and examination,” the officials said. “Samples collected from the blast site have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL),” officials said. (KNO)

New Delhi: The battle for Kiev is already underway as Russian tanks push to within just a few miles of the city outskirts, analysts and witnesses have said, though initial assaults to the west and east of the capital were repelled as Vladimir Putin’s forces face a long and bloody campaign to take the capital, Daily Mail reported.

Kremlin troops launched two attacks on Kiev on Wednesday – one via the besieged western city of Irpin and another through the eastern district of Brovary, with video showing how a column of Russian tanks was bombarded with artillery in a devastating ambush and forced to turn back. Intercepted radio chatter suggested the column took heavy losses with the regimental commander killed, though that could not be verified.

Vadym Denysenko, adviser to Ukraine’s interior ministry, said Ukrainian forces had managed to stop the attack in Irpin and were counter-attacking on Thursday morning with battles now underway.

“The night was quite difficult, but in general we can say that the Ukrainian army counter attacked near Kiev,” he said. “There is no further detailed information yet.”

It means the Russian mission to assault the Ukrainian capital is now underway, analysts at the Institute for the Study of War said, amid fears that devastating airstrikes on the city of Mariupol – which struck a maternity hospital killing three including a six-year-old girl – and Kharkiv could soon be seen in the capital, Daily Mail reported. (IANS)

Bengaluru: An FIR has been lodged against five people in Karnataka for thrashing a street dog and allegedly pouring acid on it, police said on Thursday.

The miscreants also threatened an elderly woman who questioned them.

Banashankari police has filed a FIR in this regard.

According to police, the accused would walk on streets at nights in an inebriated state agitating street dogs. They enjoyed street dogs barking at them.

On March 4, the accused tied up a street dog at Ambedkarnagar in Banashankari and thrashed it for no reason. They then allegedly sprayed acid and petrol on it.

When a 50-year-old woman questioned them, they threatened her with the same treatment.

The woman has filed a complaint in this regard with police after taking help from a social activist. The five-year-old injured male canine has been shifted to an animal rescue centre and is undergoing treatment. The centre has named the dog as Bunny.

Police have booked a case under IPC Sections 34 (criminal act done by several persons), 428 (whoever commits mischief by killing, poisoning, maiming or rendering useless any animals), 429 (mischief by killing or maiming cattle e.t.c.) and 354 (any man who assaults or uses criminal force to any woman or abets such act with the intention).

Further investigation is on.

In an earlier case reported in February, a 23-year-old youth had deliberately ran his Audi over a street dog Lara and killed it in the limits of Siddapura police station in Bengaluru.

The CCTV footage of the incident had gone viral on social media and created public outrage.

Srinagar: An army man was killed and five others including a JCO were injured after a vehicle they were travelling in met with an accident in frontier north Kashmir’s Kupwara district on Wednesday afternoon.

An official said that an army vehicle carrying personnel from 21 Mahar Regiment turned near Sarkulli, while on the way from Machil.

Six army personnel sustained injuries in the incident and were evacuated to 168 Military Hospital Drugmulla for treatment, the official said adding however one of them was declared as dead on arrival by the doctors there.

The deceased have been identified as Hav Chander Shekhar while injured include Naib Sub Vikas Pandit, Sep Manoj Yadav, Sep Babul Kumar, Hav Tulasi  and Sanjay (55 RR). (GNS)

By: Nadeem Nadu

Anantnag: Eleven students were injured when a bus of Army Goodwill School High Ground Anantnag turned turtle in the south Kashmir district on Thursday.

The bus had an accident near Sarnal Kadipora, official sources said.

The injured students were shifted to GMC Anantnag and some of them have been identified as Midhat Aadil, Hashim Ahmad, Aisha, Numan Ahmad, Haziq Ahmad, Aliya Imtiyaz and Sonaber.

Medical Superintendent of GMC Anantnag Dr Iqbal Sofi said all students are stable and most of them have already been discharged.(GNS)