India celebrated Republic Day yesterday with a grand military parade in New Delhi held under tight security conditions, two months after the terror attacks on Mumbai.
Police shot and killed two suspected Pakistani militants near the capital on the eve of the national day celebrations, as 20,000 troops were deployed to prevent extremist strikes.
India says Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a Pakistan-based militant group, was behind November’s carnage in Mumbai, during which 10 gunmen killed 165 people.
PHOTO: AFP
“The concerted and well-planned attacks in Mumbai stand out as an example of a ruthless operation undertaken to damage the confidence of India,” Indian President Pratibha Patil said in an address to the nation.
“Countries must own up to their responsibilities,” she said, without naming arch-rival Pakistan.
Delhi police commissioner Y.S. Dadwal had warned that Islamist militants could try to attack the parade, which emphasizes India’s role as a regional economic and military power, as it passed through the ceremonial heart of New Delhi.
“There are intelligence inputs [of possible strikes by guerrillas],” Dadwal said.
The center of New Delhi was virtually shut down for yesterday’s celebrations, which attracted large crowds, and security was focused on areas close to the parade route such as metro stations and shopping centers.
Dadwal said a “ground-to-air security apparatus” was in place with anti-aircraft guns, snipers and helicopter gunships at the ready to protect the event, which passed off peacefully.
Federal Home Minister P. Chidambaram had ordered all 28 Indian states, including the seven restive northeast provinces and disputed Kashmir, to be on high alert.
On Sunday, police said they had prevented a planned attack on New Delhi by killing two Pakistani militants on the outskirts of the city.
Brij Lal, a senior police officer in Uttar Pradesh state, said an anti-terrorist team chased a car carrying the men towards the capital before they intercepted it in the suburb of Noida.
Police said they found two AK-47 assault rifles and five hand grenades in the car.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh missed yesterday’s events after undergoing major heart surgery.
Doctors said the 76-year-old was “doing extremely well” after five bypasses on Saturday to clear blockages in his arteries.
Singh’s role in the Republic Day schedule was filled by Indian Defense Minister A.K. Anthony, while Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev was chief guest.
Bejewelled elephants that have been a highlight of Republic Day festivities for decades were banned from this year’s parade because of fears about their unruly behavior and animal rights concerns.
Among the military hardware on show were locally built T-90 tanks, which made their first appearance in the parade, and a cruise missile system being jointly built by India and Russia.
BACKLASH: The National Party quit its decades-long partnership with the Liberal Party after their election loss to center-left Labor, which won a historic third term Australia’s National Party has split from its conservative coalition partner of more than 60 years, the Liberal Party, citing policy differences over renewable energy and after a resounding loss at a national election this month. “Its time to have a break,” Nationals leader David Littleproud told reporters yesterday. The split shows the pressure on Australia’s conservative parties after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left Labor party won a historic second term in the May 3 election, powered by a voter backlash against US President Donald Trump’s policies. Under the long-standing partnership in state and federal politics, the Liberal and National coalition had shared power
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
A documentary whose main subject, 25-year-old photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza weeks before it premiered at Cannes stunned viewers into silence at the festival on Thursday. As the cinema lights came back on, filmmaker Sepideh Farsi held up an image of the young Palestinian woman killed with younger siblings on April 16, and encouraged the audience to stand up and clap to pay tribute. “To kill a child, to kill a photographer is unacceptable,” Farsi said. “There are still children to save. It must be done fast,” the exiled Iranian filmmaker added. With Israel
Africa has established the continent’s first space agency to boost Earth observation and data sharing at a time when a more hostile global context is limiting the availability of climate and weather information. The African Space Agency opened its doors last month under the umbrella of the African Union and is headquartered in Cairo. The new organization, which is still being set up and hiring people in key positions, is to coordinate existing national space programs. It aims to improve the continent’s space infrastructure by launching satellites, setting up weather stations and making sure data can be shared across
RSS