News Watch

In Darjeeling, West Bengal, in eastern India, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), an ethnically Gorkha separatist group, staged violent protests in late June after the state government made the Bengali language mandatory in schools. At least five protesters were killed and more than 100 people were injured, including 30 police officers.

The GJM, whose goal is the creation of an independent state of Gorkhaland, also committed to a month-long general strike throughout June during the...

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A group of gunmen attacked the tourist resort Le Campement Kangaba in Mali, near the capital, Bamako, on June 19, killing five people and taking guests hostage. 

Mali special forces responded to the attack, killing four assailants and arresting four others. The attackers were found to be carrying explosives, though no explosions were reported. An al-Qaeda-allied group claimed responsibility for the attack. 

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A man driving a rented truck struck a group of Muslims who had gathered to help a man who had collapsed near a mosque in northern London, England, on June 19, killing one person and seriously injuring nine others. The incident was called a terrorist attack. 

A man, identified as a citizen of Wales, was arrested on the scene and charged with murder and attempted murder. Statements he made at the scene indicate that he had targeted the group because of their religion.

In...

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In Paris, a man deliberately drove his car into a police van on the Champs-Élysées on June 19, causing his car to erupt into flames. The driver was killed in the incident, but no other injuries occurred. Police found guns and ammunition in the car. The man was identified as a person known to intelligence officials, but no group affiliation was reported.

On June 29, outside of a mosque in the Parisian suburb of Créteil, a man attempted to drive his car into a group of Muslims but was...

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Near the resort town of Guatapé in northwestern Colombia, a tour boat carrying 167 people sank in a reservoir on June 27, killing nine.

Victims described the boat as sinking very quickly, within five minutes. Authorities are working to raise the boat to investigate why it sank. Colombian officials believe that one possible cause may have been overcrowding. The boat was operated by the tour company Asobarcos.

A stolen police helicopter opened fire and dropped four grenades on Venezuela’s Supreme Court building in Caracas on June 28, causing minor damage but no casualties. A police officer released a video statement claiming to have piloted the helicopter and saying that he represented a group consisting of members of the military and the police as well as civilians opposed to the government of President Nicolás Maduro.

President Maduro called the attack a “terrorist act”...

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The US Department of State warns against all travel to Crimea and the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, Ukraine. Russian-allied separatists continue to control areas in the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, where violent clashes have resulted in over 9,000 deaths. 

Artillery and rocket attacks near the line of contact continue to occur regularly, and there have been multiple casualties due to land mines in areas previously controlled by the Russian-led separatists. 

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The US Department of State warns of the risks of traveling in Burkina Faso and recommends avoiding travel to the northern part of the Sahel region due to continuing threats to safety from terrorism. 

Known groups considered terrorist organizations that are active in Burkina Faso include Daesh (ISIL), al-Qaeda in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and al-Murabitun. Violent extremist groups increased their activities in Burkina Faso’s Sahel region in 2016 and 2017,...

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