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US service member killed in ‘insider attack’ in Afghanistan

Washington, July 8 (IANS) A US service member has been killed and two others injured in what appears to be an insider attack in Afghanistan, NATO said.
The attack took place in southern Afghanistan on Saturday, a statement from the NATO-led Resolute Support mission said, BBC reported.
It was not immediately clear who carried out the attack, or whether they had been apprehended.
However, the statement said it was "an apparent insider attack".
The two wounded service members are in a "stable" condition, NATO said, adding it would not be releasing any further details until next-of-kin had been informed.
But a police officer said the shooting happened at the airport in Tarinkot, the capital of Uruzgan province - although they were unable to confirm this detail with any NATO officials.
The Taliban have also released a statement, saying an Afghan soldier opened fire on US soldiers in Uruzgan.
The attack comes a year after three US special forces soldiers were shot dead by one of their Afghan colleagues. It was claimed by the Taliban.
However, these kind of attacks -- where local troops turn on international forces and often referred to as "green on blue" incidents -- are not necessarily the work of militants infiltrating the security forces.
Cultural misunderstandings and combat stress have also been named as the cause in previous attacks.
The US still has an estimated 14,000 troops in the country helping support the Afghan military, despite NATO's combat mission in Afghanistan officially ended in 2014.
--IANS<br>pgh/

It’s a wrap for ‘Body’ shoot

Mumbai, July 8 (IANS) The shooting of Jeetu Joseph's film "Body", featuring Emraan Hashmi and Rishi Kapoor, has been wrapped up.
The film also features Sobhita Dhulipala and Vedhika. Its shooting was wrapped after they shot a 45-day schedule in parts of Mumbai and Mauritius, read a statement.
"Body" marks the directorial debut of Joseph, who directed Malayalam film "Drishyam".
It is produced by Sunir Kheterpal for Azure Entertainment and Viacom18 Motion Pictures.The post-production of the film will begin next month.
--IANS<br>rb/pgh/<br>

UN to hold high-level debate on children protection in armed conflict

United Nations, July 8 (IANS) The UN Security Council will hold a high-level open debate on children and armed conflict with the theme "Protecting Children Today Prevents Conflict Tomorrow" on Monday, aiming to bring world attention to the protection of children in armed conflict.
Diplomatic sources said on Saturday that the meeting will be chaired by Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven. UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict Virginia Gamba will present the secretary-general's annual report on children and armed conflict, Xinhua reported.<br> <br>Other speakers include the executive director of the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) Henrietta Fore, and Yenny Londono, a civil society representative from Colombia.<br> <br>The Council is expected to adopt a resolution during the meeting, informed sources said.<br> <br>There were at least 21,000 grave violations of children's rights verified by the UN last year (6,000 by government forces and 15,000 by non-state armed groups), a 27 per cent increase over 2016, according to the Security Council Report, Inc. whose mission is to advance the transparency and effectiveness of the Security Council.<br> <br>Increasing violations are largely attributed to "the changing nature of conflict and the deterioration in a number of situations," the SCR said in a report.<br> <br>Among the trends that Gamba may highlight are "the denial of humanitarian access as a weapon of war and increased attacks on schools and hospitals," according to the SCR.<br> <br>Sweden, the chair of the Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict, circulated a concept note on June 21, which highlights three key areas: protecting children and upholding their rights; successful reintegration of former child soldiers; and peace processes as an entry point for protecting children.<br> <br>Londono, who was forcibly recruited by the FARC-EP (the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, a guerrilla movement involved in the continuing Colombian armed conflict from 1964 to 2017) when she was 13, is expected to speak about the special needs of children who have been forcibly recruited. She was involved in the peace negotiations between the Colombian government and the FARC-EP and may provide insights on how to better integrate children's needs in peace processes.<br> <br>Sweden had been keen to have a resolution which would build on the approach of last year's presidential statement, which addressed the connection between conflict prevention and the protection of children.<br> <br>While a more focused resolution was originally considered, ultimately it was decided that a more comprehensive resolution would send a strong signal of the Council's commitment to the children and armed conflict agenda, according to the SCR.
--IANS<br>pgh/

Twitter suspends over 70 mn fake accounts

San Francisco (IANS) Twitter Inc. has suspended more than 70 million fake accounts in May and June in a massive drive to clear out bots…

Leading Conservatives critical of May’s ‘soft Brexit’ proposals

London, July 8 (IANS) Critics of a so-called soft Brexit have given their reactions to British Prime Minister Theresa May's proposals for a future trade deal with the European Union after Britain leaves the bloc next year.
May's senior ministers, summoned to her country retreat at Chequers, all backed the soft-Brexit plan she aims to send to Brussels for EU approval. Brexit-supporting Conservative MPs were quick to voice their concerns on Saturday, Xinhua news agency reported.

Jacob Rees-Mogg, who is leader of the influential European Research Group of pro-Brexit Conservatives, told the BBC early morning Today programme: "It is possible that this deal is worse than a no deal Brexit."

Rees-Mogg, once spoken of as a successor to May as Prime Minister, said he was waiting to see the full details of the proposals, adding: "If it turns out that it is a punishment Brexit, that it is keeping us in the European Union in all but name, I will stick to the Conservative party's manifesto commitments and will not vote for it."

Media reports on Saturday said May had told her cabinet ministers they were now have to adhere to the convention of cabinet responsibility. This would prevent any of them from speaking against the proposals agreed at her Chequers meeting.

It was also seen, according to the media, as a stark warning to Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson that he would lose his job is he makes any outspoken comments.

John Longworth, one-time director general of the British Chambers of Commerce and co-chairman of the pro-Brexit group Leave Means Leave, pulled no punches with his message, saying: "Those who campaigned for Leave but have not resigned will see their reputations in tatters."

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Longworth accused May of totally misleading the 17.4 million British people who voted leave, "and left it as late as possible to reveal that she remains a stubborn Remainer".

"We are faced with becoming a vassal state of the EU, they have us exactly where they want us - unable to compete, taking enormous quantities of their products at inflated prices, protected from global competition by the fortress Europe tariff and regulatory wall and impeded from doing trade deals around the globe," added Longworth.

Elsewhere there was a sigh of relief that the government finally had a proposed deal to present to Brussels.

Conservative MP Andrea Leadsom, who is Leader of the House of Commons, said on her social media site: "As a passionate Brexiteer with huge optimism about future as a free trading nation, I agree with the PM (May) that keeping the UK together is vital. Alignment on goods, with Parliament sovereign on each decision, free to trade, no more vast payments, ending free movement - good for UK."

--IANS
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Minaj, Grande reunite for mermaid-themed video

Los Angeles, July 8 (IANS) Rapper Nicki Minaj has teamed up with singer Ariana Grande for a new music video "Bed", which shows her dressed as a mermaid.
In the clip, Minaj writhes on the beach as a topless mermaid and showcases a skimpy swimsuit in a private swimming pool and sexy lingerie on a bed, while Grande dances seductively in white fuzzy lingerie on a grassy hill by the sea, reports eonline.com.
They then unite together on rocks by the ocean, wearing bikinis and short cover-ups and join two men, played by Odell Beckham Jr and Brad Wing, on daybeds.
The single "Bed" was released in June.
Minaj and Grande have had several music collaborations in the past.
--IANS<br>rb/pgh/<br>