21 FEBRUARY 2016

Ø  Security forces were locked in a major stand-off with militants who occupied a seven-storey government building in the Sempora area of south Kashmir on Saturday. At least three militants barged into the building soon after attacking a convoy of security forces, leaving three CRPF jawans dead and eight injured. One civilian, Abdul Gani Mir. died after sustaining a bullet injury later. Security agencies ruled out a hostage situation. But the operation may take time as storming the building at night is a difficult proposition. Around 4 p.m., the heavily armed militants surfaced on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway and opened indiscriminate fire at the convoy near Sempora. A bus carrying CRPF jawans, at the end of the convoy, bore the brunt of the attack. Constables Bola Singh and D.K. Rana, who was driving the bus, of the 79 Battalion were among the three killed. Several jawans are in hospital in a critical state. Later, the militants were spotted on the premises of the Entrepreneurship Development Institute (EDI), housing three complexes with nearly 95 people in them, with many staying in the hostel. “I was in the main EDI building. We were told by militants to empty it and run. When we tried to flee from the gate, a volley of bullets from security forces drove us towards the hostel building, where we were stranded for hours together before being evacuated in seven shifts,” EDI employee Ishfaq Mir told The Hindu.

Ø  India and Nepal signed seven agreements on Saturday at a summit meeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Nepal counterpart K.P. Sharma Oli, even as leaders of the Madhesi people in Nepal threatened one more blockade. Addressing the press after the signing ceremony at the Hyderabad House, Mr.Oli said that both sides were determined to avoid the disruption of Nepal’s transit facilities as experienced over the past five months. Referring to Nepal’s dependence on India for receiving essential commodities, Mr.Oli said without naming Madhesi protesters, “Unscrupulous elements should not be allowed to abuse the open borders between Nepal and India”. Nepali sources told The Hindu that differences persisted between India and Nepal over how to address the aspirations of the blockade-enforcing Madhesis, the “unscrupulous elements” in Mr.Oli’s speech.

Ø  India has accepted Pakistan's request to send a Special Investigation Team to probe the Pathankot air base attack. We look forward to the visit of Pakistan SIT and our investigative agencies will extend all necessary cooperation.

Ø  A British exit from the European Union would rock the Union — already shaken by differences over migration and the future of the euro zone — by ripping away its second-largest economy, one of its top two military powers and by far its richest financial centre. Pro-Europeans warn an exit could also trigger the break-up of the United Kingdom by prompting another Scottish independence vote. The $2.9-trillion British economy would face years of uncertain negotiations over the terms of a divorce. A Cabinet meeting, the first to be held on a Saturday since the 1982 Falklands War, will formalise government support for staying in the EU and Mr. Cameron has said ministers will then be free to campaign on whichever side they want.