W O R L D

Day after coup, Thai junta detains ex-PM Yingluck
Bangkok, May 23
Thailand's military rulers detained former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Friday, a senior officer said, after summoning her for talks a day after the Army overthrew her caretaker government in a coup. As the Army moved to consolidate its grip on the country, its chief, General Prayuth Chan-ocha, set out his plans for the country, saying reforms were needed before an election.

Tightening the grip: Thai soldiers clear the protest camp occupied for months by anti-government protesters a day after the army seized power in Bangkok on Friday. AFP

Sanctions will boomerang on West, says Putin
St Petersburg, May 23
Facing sanctions and economic boycott over the Ukraine crisis, Russian President Vladimir Putin today hit back at the West, saying sanctions will only boomerang on them as he vowed to respect the outcome of Kiev’s presidential election. Putin warned that Ukraine has descended into a full-scale civil war and blamed the US of choreographing a “coup” in February against a Moscow-backed leader who upset the West by breaking a closer alliance with Europe and seeking Russia’s economic help instead.

Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed the US of choreographing a “coup” against a Moscow-backed leader who upset the West by breaking a closer alliance with Europe and seeking Russia’s economic help instead

Xinjiang attack: China to ‘hunt down terrorists’, toll touches 39
Beijing, May 23
China today launched a one-year campaign to "hunt down terrorists" in the restive Xinjiang province as the death toll in the deadly Urumqi bomb blasts rose to 39. China has also stepped up security in Beijing and other major cities after suffering its bloodiest terror strike in Xinjiang, and said the Islamist militants who carried out the attack were influenced by terrorists from outside the country.

2 dead in Istanbul protest
Ankara, May 23
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, reacting to two deaths in clashes between the police and protesters, said today that he was “amazed” by the patience of the police. The police fought with more than a dozen youths who hurled stones and firebombs yesterday. One man, described as a bystander and not a demonstrator, was shot and died. Second man died today.

The riot police use water cannons and teargas to disperse protesters in Istanbul on Thursday. AP/PTI

Day after coup, Thai junta detains ex-PM Yingluck
Army chief spells out his plans, says reforms needed before poll

Bangkok, May 23
Thailand's military rulers detained former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Friday, a senior officer said, after summoning her for talks a day after the Army overthrew her caretaker government in a coup. As the Army moved to consolidate its grip on the country, its chief, General Prayuth Chan-ocha, set out his plans for the country, saying reforms were needed before an election. But some Thais defied martial law to protest against the takeover.

Prayuth launched his coup after rival factions refused to give ground in a struggle for power between the royalist establishment and Yingluck's populist government that had raised fears of serious violence and damaged the economy. "We have detained Yingluck, her sister and brother-in-law," a senior military officer told Reuters.

The two relatives have held top political posts. "We will do so for not more than week, that would be too long. We just need to organise matters in the country first," said the officer who declined to be identified. He declined to say where Yingluck was being held, but media said she was at an army base in Saraburi province, north of Bangkok.

Soldiers detained politicians from both sides on Thursday after Prayuth announced the military takeover, which drew swift international condemnation. In what appeared to be a coordinated operation to neutralize possible opposition to the coup, the military summoned the ousted Yingluck to a meeting and then banned her and 154 others, including politicians and activists, from leaving Thailand.

Yingluck is the sister of Thaksin Shinawatra, a billionaire telecommunications tycoon-turned-politician who won huge support among the poor but the loathing of the royalist establishment, largely over accusations of corruption and nepotism. He was ousted as premier in a 2006 military coup.

Responding to the summons, Yingluck arrived at an Army facility at noon along with other politicians. Prayuth was there at the same time but there was no confirmation they met. After Prayuth had left, nine vans with tinted windows were seen leaving but it was not clear if Yingluck was in one of them or where they were going.

An aide to a minister in the ousted government who declined to be identified said some people, including his minister, had been detained. A former aide to Yingluck said she been out of telephone contact for hours.

Yingluck was forced to step down as prime minister by a court on May 7 but her caretaker government, buffeted by more than six months of protests against it, had remained nominally in power, even after the army declared martial law on Tuesday. — Reuters

India recalls its troops from joint exercise

New Delhi: India has recalled its troops currently in Thailand for the bilateral 'Maitree' military exercise in the wake of the coup there even as it pitched for restoration of normalcy based on the principles of democracy and will of the people of that country. Spokesperson in Ministry of External Affairs said the troops have been "advised to return" to India following the situation in that country. There are about 50 Indian troops who had gone to participate in the exercise, which was scheduled to start from Saturday.

Sanctions will boomerang on West, says Putin

St Petersburg, May 23
Facing sanctions and economic boycott over the Ukraine crisis, Russian President Vladimir Putin today hit back at the West, saying sanctions will only boomerang on them as he vowed to respect the outcome of Kiev’s presidential election.

Putin warned that Ukraine has descended into a full-scale civil war and blamed the US of choreographing a “coup” in February against a Moscow-backed leader who upset the West by breaking a closer alliance with Europe and seeking Russia’s economic help instead.

In a key-note address to foreign and Russian businessmen at the annual Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum, Russia’s answer to the Davos World Economic Forum, Putin said using sanctions as a tool can have a boomerang effect.

“In the modern, interconnected world, economic sanctions as an instrument of political pressure can have a boomerang effect, and in the end they have an impact on the businesses and economies of the countries that initiated them,” he said, two days after inking a $400 billion gas deal with China.

Putin also underlined that these sanctions were “illegal” as they did not have the approval of the UN Security Council. He said the West was planning to impose second and third phase of sanctions on Russia.

The US and EU have imposed a series of sanctions on Russia over its annexation of Crimea — an autonomous peninsula within Ukraine with a Russian ethnic majority — in March and alleged support for pro-Russian rebels who have seized control of parts of eastern Ukraine. — PTI

Xinjiang attack: China to ‘hunt down terrorists’, toll touches 39

Beijing, May 23
China today launched a one-year campaign to "hunt down terrorists" in the restive Xinjiang province as the death toll in the deadly Urumqi bomb blasts rose to 39. China has also stepped up security in Beijing and other major cities after suffering its bloodiest terror strike in Xinjiang, and said the Islamist militants who carried out the attack were influenced by terrorists from outside the country.

State-run Xinhua news agency today said that the death toll in yesterday's attack has risen from 31 to 39.

Chinese banks halt Afghan banking deals A move by some Chinese commercial lenders to stop doing dollar business with most Afghan banks is connected to Beijing's concern over recent unrest in China's western Xinjiang region But in Kabul, senior industry officials said the move came as a result of US pressure on banks to stop clearing dollar transactions originating from Afghanistan due to money laundering concerns It was not immediately clear whether authorities in Beijing had evidence that the Afghan banking system was being used to channel funds to groups such as the East Turkestan Islamic Movement.

Over 90 persons were injured in the attack at a busy market street in Urumqi when five suicide bombers driving SUVs ploughed into people, threw bombs and exploded their vehicles.

Four of the suicide bombers have died and one was caught by the police, the report said. Police said two vehicles were used in the attack, but media reports said there were five.

It was by far the worst attack carried out by militants, suspected to be from the al Qaeda-backed East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), fighting for the independence of Xinjiang, where native Muslim Uygurs resent the settlements of Hans from other provinces. To crackdown on the Islamist militants, the government launched the anti-terror campaign lasting for a year.

It will focus on terrorists and religious extremist groups, gun and explosive manufacturing dens and terrorist training camps, Xinhua reported. — PTI

2 dead in Istanbul protest

Ankara, May 23
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, reacting to two deaths in clashes between the police and protesters, said today that he was “amazed” by the patience of the police. The police fought with more than a dozen youths who hurled stones and firebombs yesterday. One man, described as a bystander and not a demonstrator, was shot and died. Second man died today.

The protests focused on the 301 deaths in the coal mine disaster last week, and the death of a 15-year-old boy, Berkin Elvan, who was hit in the head by a police tear-gas canister in disturbances last year and died in March without regaining consciousness. Tens of thousands of people came to his funeral.

“We won’t remain silent against the blood mongers who use (the mine disaster) as an excuse to break, ravage, attack police and commit murder,” Erdogan said in a speech to members of his ruling party. “Do you expect police to stand idly by and watch? I am amazed at their patience.”

As for Elvan, Erdogan said: “Are we to hold a ceremony every time there’s a death? He died and it’s over.” News of the death yesterday triggered more clashes in the same neighbourhood, injuring at least nine people including a man who died in a hospital of a severe injury today, Istanbul Gov Huseyin Avni Mutlu told reporters.

Mutlu earlier identified the dead bystander as 30-year-old Ugur Kurt. Police investigators are trying to identify the person who fired the bullet. The second man who died was not identified. — AP

BRIEFLY

Iran cuts nuclear stockpile: IAEA
VIENNA: Iran has sharply cut its most sensitive nuclear stockpile under an interim pact with world powers and has begun engaging with a long-stalled IAEA investigation into suspected weapons research, the UN nuclear agency said on Friday. The findings are likely to be welcomed by the six powers trying to negotiate a long-term deal with Iran on ending a decade-old dispute over its nuclear programme that has raised fears of a new war in the Middle East. Pti

Pavlo Klets rides a Tyrolean traverse over the Dnipro river in Kiev on Friday. Klets attempted to set a national record for the longest distance travelled on a Tyrolean traverse with metal clamps pierced through one’s back. Reuters

Indian-origin woman killed son over custody battle
London: An Indian-origin mother who died along with her four-year-old son in a fire in Britain earlier this month is believed to have started the blaze deliberately following a custody battle with the boy's father. Jamna Joshi and Moksha Jai Joshi, known as Jai, died in the house fire in the city of Liverpool on May 8 and the police have confirmed that an accelerant had been used and there was "no evidence of any third-party involvement". pti

A drone could soon walk your dog
Washington: Soon, a drone could take your dog for a walk! A man in New York has released a video showing how a drone can be used to take pets out for their daily exercise. Jeff Myers, who likes to experiment with product design and interaction design, created a video showing a person programming the walking route of his dog into an AR drone, a radio controlled flying quadcopter helicopter built by the French company Parrot. Pti

Tipu Sultan's ring sells for £145,000 in UK
London: A unique golden ring belonging to Mysore's 18th Century legendary ruler Tipu Sultan has been sold for a whopping 145,000 pounds at an auction here, 10 times more than its estimated price. Auction house Christie's said the 41.2 gram ring was sold to an undisclosed bidder at the auction in central London amid criticism from heritage groups. Pti

Indian dentist tries to extract 20 teeth in one go
NEW YORK: The licence of an Indian dentist was revoked in the US after he attempted to extract 20 teeth from the mouth of a 64-year-old woman in one sitting which led to her death. The dentist, Dr Rashmi Patel, was performing the procedure on Judith Gan on February 17 when she gurgled and lost consciousness. Pti

NASA releases ‘global selfie’ of Earth
Washington: For the first time, NASA has released a 'global selfie' created by combining over 36,000 pictures clicked by individual people from more than 113 countries and regions. For Earth Day this year, NASA invited people around the world to step outside to take a "selfie" and share it with the world on social media. Pti