Strangeland Strangers

The death toll from a hotel attack in Somalia by Al-Shabaab rose to 26 on Saturday with victims including Kenyans, Tanzanians, Americans, a Briton, a Canadian as well as prominent Somali politicians. A presidential candidate for upcoming regional elections was also killed in the siege in Kismayo city that was carried out by al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab, Jubbaland President Ahmed Mohamed said in a statement. More than 50 people were also wounded. Police in the southern port city earlier put the toll at 13. The attack lasted more than 14 hours before troops shot dead all attackers inside the hotel compound, Colonel Abdiqadir Nur, a local police officer, told The Associated Press.

Defying strenuous  objections and the threat of sanctions from USA, Turkey began receiving the first shipment of a sophisticated Russian surface-to-air missile system S-400 on Friday, a step certain to test the country’s uneasy place in the NATO alliance. The system, called the S-400, includes advanced radar to detect aircraft and other targets, and the United States has been unyielding in its opposition to Turkey’s acquisition of the equipment, which is deeply troubling to Washington on several levels. It puts Russian technology inside the territory of a key NATO ally and also a potential threat to stealth intelligence of F-35 . The Russian engineers who will be required to set up the system, American officials fear, will have an opportunity to learn much about the American-made fighter jets that are also part of Turkey’s arsenal.

The upgraded version of the Indo-Russian joint adventure BrahMos missile with an enhanced range of up to 500 km is ready, the CEO of BrahMos Aerospace, Sudhir Kumar Mishra, has said. Mishra, in an interview broadcast on Doordarshan News Sunday, said it is possible to increase the range of this missile because India is now a part of the elite Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR). "India has successfully test-fired a vertical deep dive version of BrahMos, the world's fastest supersonic cruise missile, that can now change the dynamics of conventional warfare... The upgraded version of the missile with enhanced range of up to 500 km is also ready," he said. He said India is now the only country in the world to integrate long-range missiles onto fighter jets after the BrahMos missile was test-fired from a Sukhoi 30 aircraft of the Indian Air Force

The Russian Defence Ministry on Friday said and confirmed that it scrambled a Sukhoi Su-27 fighter aircraft to intercept a rival US P-8A Poseidon reconnaissance jet heading towards the Russian airspace over the Black Sea most probably meant for spy job. " A Su-27 fighter jet as part of the Southern Military District's air defences was scrambled to intercept the target. The crew flew the aircraft at a safe distance to the aerial target and identified it as a US P-8A Poseidon reconnaissance jet, which immediately changed the direction of its flight to fly away from the Russian state border, " The ministry exclaimed. The Russian flight was carried out in line with international rules and the fighter jet returned to its home base after completing the mission, the ministry added.

Two women have won the backing of the EU’s leaders to head the European commission and European Central Bank, breaking with more than 60 years of male dominance at the top of the bloc’s institutions. After three days of tortuous negotiations, Germany’s defence minister, Ursula von der Leyen, received the support of heads of state and government to replace Jean-Claude Juncker as president of the commission in Brussels. And the French managing director of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, will move to Frankfurt to take over from Mario Draghi as the first female president of the ECB once it is formally signed off by the Eurozone group.

The US has deployed  F-22 stealth fighters to Qatar for the first time, its military said on Friday, adding to a buildup of US forces in the Gulf amid tensions with Iran.  The Air Force F-22 Raptor stealth fighters have been deployed "to defend American forces and interests," the US Air Forces Central Military Command said in a statement that did not specify how many of the hi-tech planes had been sent. A photo handout showed five of the jets flying above the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. So all this will further lead to rise in tensions in Gulf and oil crisis is on cards .

The US military launched a cyber-attack on Iranian weapons systems on Thursday, according to sources, as President Donald Trump backed away from plans for a more conventional strike in response to Iran’s downing of a US surveillance drone . The hack disabled Iranian computer systems that controlled its rocket and missile launchers. Two of the officials said the attacks, which specifically targeted computer systems of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), had been provided as options after two oil tankers were bombed. The IRGC has been designated a foreign terrorist group by the Trump administration already.

The  Umbrella Movement   was a political movement that emerged during the Democracy protests of 2014 in Hong  Kong . Its name arose from the use of umbrellas as a tool for passive resistance and hiding from the pepper spray used by the  use  of pepper spray by Hong  Kong Police to disperse the crowd during a 79-day occupation of the city demanding more transparent elections, which was sparked by a decision of  the Standing Committee of National People's Congress  (NPCSC) of 31 August, 2014 that prescribed a selective pre-screening of candidates for the 2017 election. The name 'Umbrella Revolution' was coined by Adam Cotton on Twitter on 26 September 2014 and it is also remembered by another name the Occupy Central Campaign. Almost all students in universities of Hong Kong were in echo of 2014 Hong Kong class boycott campaign, and fully supported the "Umbrella Movement".  Wong and two other prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy student leaders, Nathan Law

SCO member  states including India ( represented by Prime Minenister  Narendra Modi ) in  on Friday condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, and called on the international community to promote cooperation in combating the deadly menace with cleanest of approach without any discrimination. Meanwhile Prime Minister Modi also highlighted the need to force nations to stop their support to terrorism in any way.

Tiananmen Squarein  is in the center of Beijing, On June 04 1989 Chinese military stormed it  killing and arresting thousands of pro-democracy protesters. The brutal Chinese government assault killing thousands  of  the protesters shocked the West and brought denunciations and sanctions from the United States. It was an aftermath of a month long pro-democracy protest in which  nearly a million protesters mostly young students, crowded into central Beijing to protest for greater democracy and call for the resignations of Chinese Communist Party leaders deemed too repressive which was in no way hearable for Communists. For nearly three weeks, the protesters kept up daily vigils, and marched and chanted which irritated the rulers further. Western media captured much of the events.

OPINION  / AFRICA Today,  Eritrea   is celebrating its hard-won independence from Ethiopia, a victory earned after 30 years of fierce and deadly armed struggle, followed by 20 years of deadlock  after the border conflict of 1998-2000. Like previous years, the Eritrean authorities have this time too made extensive preparations to mark the anniversary with a major festival in the streets of Asmara. The regime clearly wants to celebrate the peace agreement and rapprochement with Ethiopia, still brandishing it as a their major achievement. However, it will do so under tight security. The Eritrean people, who initially also rejoiced at the peace agreement, hoping that the resolution of the cold conflict could bring them much-desired relief for them, are yet to see any change in their daily lives. Interestingly social media is banned their while Internet access makes only 1.3 percentage of population. There is no mobile internet. Meanwhile Saudi-UAE alliance and made-

When a place has been under war for years and hunger stalks the streets, you might have imagined people would have little interest in books. But Darya enthusiasts have stocked an underground library in Syria with volumes rescued from bombed buildings - and users dodge shells and bullets to reach it. That kind of spirit makes people believe that wars can destroy cities but not civilizations ................ Darya is under control of Syrian Rebels and has been under regular bombings but still people of Darya had a different idea and best part people reach these libraries dogdeing all scares .......... After  all Base of Strength is Education ( Sanskrit Quote)

Pictures showing Iranian paramilitaries loading attack boats with missiles are reportedly behind the US' sharp escalation of tensions with Tehran  This is being reported by a lot of weatern media houses but as we all know about U.S.A. ..............When they want war they make it happen regardless of circumstances........Wheather it was Vietnam to Afganisthan to Syria it was they who decided where the stair of escalation ends and tipping point is reached. All in all war is in no one's interest especially when it in Gulf.........