Evening NEWS DIGEST
30 Nov. 2016: 29 Safar 1438: Vol: 8, No:49
Playing national anthem
mandatory in cinema halls: SC
New Delhi:The national
anthem must be played before any movie is screened at a public theatre, the
Supreme Court ordered on Wednesday, setting a 10-day deadline for cinema and
multiplexes across India to carry out the directive.The SC banned any
“dramatisation” or commercial exploitation of the Jana Gana Mana and said the
Tricolour must be displayed on the movie screen when the anthem is
played.“Respect must be shown as the national anthem is symbol of patriotism.
People shouldn’t follow paths of individually perceived notion of freedom,”
justice Dipak Misra said as he read out the verdict. The decision is likely to
re-ignite a debate over a resurgent wave of nationalist activism that has seen
fights break out over cricket matches and film stars. SC also outlawed any
abridged version of the 52-second song and said it shouldn’t be printed on any
“undesirable object”.The national anthem is already played before movies in
some states – such as Maharashtra – but the measure is often controversial,
with instances of people beaten up for not standing up for the anthem.“You
don’t mind restrictions when you are abroad. But when you are here, you don’t
want restrictions,” Misra said. “Directions are to be issued for love of the
motherland.”The SC said every citizen is “duty-bound” to abide by the ideals in
the Constitution – one of it is to “show respect to national anthem”. HT
SC makes national anthem,
flag on screen mandatory before movies
National Anthem in
theatres: SC’s decision will inculcate patriotism among people, says Naidu
SC order on National Anthem
will strengthen nationalism:BJP
Twitter Is Having A Field
Day Railing Against Supreme Court's National Anthem Judgement
Stand up for the national
anthem please: Going to a cinema to reinforce patriotism
SC on anthem; Owaisi asks
will it boost patriotism? whether it requires people to stand up being
sung?
New Delhi: AIMIM chief
Asaduddin Owaisi welcomed the Supreme Court's direction today that cinema halls
across the country must play national anthem before the screening of a film,
but wondered if it would help boost the feeling of patriotism. Owaisi said the
Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971 and Union Home Ministry's
advisory regarding the national anthem do not talk about citizens requiring to
stand up when the anthem is being rendered, and suggested to the govt to amend the law and revise the advisory.
"It (the directive) is alright and it has to be followed. But the question
is whether it requires people to stand up when the anthem is being rendered?
Will this help see rise in patriotism or nationalism?" Owaisi asked.
Referring to a report about a disabled person being beaten up for allegedly not
standing up while the national anthem was being played at a multiplex in Goa
last month, Owaisi sought to know "what can be done in this regard".
PTI
Just Why Should National
Anthem Be Played In Cinema Halls? Shivam Vij Deputy Editor, HuffPost India
Muslim outfits slam Assam
Govt for warning madrasas on Friday
holiday
Guwahati:Various Muslim
outfits and madrasa teachers’s organisations in Assam have objected to state
Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s warning against madrasas remaining
closed on Fridays, instead of Sunday. “If govt wants to bring a law to shift
the weekly-off to Sundays, then it should be done through normal process. But
an education minister saying that he had only recently discovered that madrasas
remain shut on Fridays is surprising,” said Amirul Islam, general secretary,
All Asam Madrasa Teachers’ Association, noting that madrasas have remained
closed on Fridays since the time of British, and the state Madrasa Board has a
resolution to this effect, dating back to 1934.Nekibur Zaman, chairman of the
state Waqf Board, said the education minister should first regulate the
mushrooming growth of madrasas across Assam. “Though about 700 madrasas are
affiliated to the state Madrasa Education Board, the reality is that there are
several hundred more madrasas across the state, of which the govt has no information at all. There have been
instances of terrorist groups using some such unregistered madrasas in recent
times. The govt should first streamline the establishment of madrasas,” Zaman
said. Mokhlisur Rahman, president of All Assam Madrasa TET-qualified Teachers’
Association, said that the rights of the minorities, including the Muslims,
have been guaranteed and protected by Article 29 and 30 of the Constitution. “Education
minister is either not aware of this, or is trying to create an unwarranted
situation. Moreover, while madrasas remain closed on Fridays, they also remain
closed for Saraswati puja, Durga puja, Holi, Diwali, Christmas, Guru Naka
Jayanti and other such festivals,” Rahman added. Congress MLA Abdul Khalek
condemned the minister’s remark, saying: “Sarma has hurt the religious
sentiments of the Muslims of Assam by referring to Pakistan and Bangladesh…He
should find out what Murli Manohar Joshi (HRD minister in Vajpayee govt) had
done for modernisation of madrasa education in the country.”Indian express
Clerics rattled by madrassa
offs row
Mumbai: Assam education
minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's announcement that govt -run madrassas will not
get their weekly off on Friday has rattled clerics.The leaders said that this
move by the BJP-led Assam govt might
derail the attempt to modernize madrassas everywhere, including Mahrashtra, as
maulvis would be see it as "interference" in their affairs and stop
taking govt aid to teach modern subjects. "Our worst fears are co ming
true. It is already difficult to convince the madrassas to get themselves
registered with govt and accept aid for improvement of infrastructure and
teaching of modern subjects. Now it seems the BJP govt s want to interfere in
the madrassa affairs," said Maulana Athar Ali of madrassa Darul Uloom
Mohammadiya.Bihar is one of the few states where madrassas observe Friday as
weekly off. "If the Assam govt decides against the Friday weekly offs in
madrassas in the state, it will send a wrong message. Madrassas are set up for
a specific purpose," said Maulana Aneesur Rahman Qasmi, ex-chairman, Bihar
Madrassa Board. timesofindia
Dialogue only viable option
to resolve Palestinian issue, says India at UN:PTI
UN:India has said that
dialogue is the only viable option for a durable and comprehensive peaceful
solution of the Palestinian issue, as it voiced concern over the deteriorating
security situation in the region.“Regrettably,security situation contiia nues
to deteriorate. The imperative need is of restraint and moderation,” India’s Deputy
Permanent Representative to the UN Tanmaya Lal said here yesterday at the
General Assembly annual debate on the ‘Question of Palestine’.Lal said India
firmly believes that dialogue is the only viable option in the search for a
just, durable and comprehensive peaceful solution of the Palestinian issue.“We
hope that both sides will demonstrate the necessary political will to return to
the negotiations,” he said, adding that New Delhi is hopeful of the early
resumption of a peaceful dialogue between the 2 sides.
Bhopal encounter:
Independent fact finding team raises questions over official version
New Delhi:An independent
fact finding team has released its report on last month’s Bhopal encounter,
where 8 alleged SIMI activists were killed. The report raised several questions
on the official version of the events that led to the encounter, suggesting
that a jailbreak was “next to impossible” at Bhopal Central Prison and, also,
highlighted several “inconsistencies” in eyewitness accounts. Speaking at an
event in Delhi to mark its release, Vipul Kumar of Quill Foundation, and Ansar
Indori of NCHRO, who were both part of the team, touched up on the main issues
raised in the report.After being denied permission to visit the jail premises,
the team got in touch with an under-trial prisoner who was out on bail, a week
before the jailbreak. The team claimed that it was “impossible to escape
without anyone taking notice”, based on the inputs given by the under-trial.
The team also visited the site of the encounter to inspect the markings of the
dead bodies. The marking suggested that the activists were standing very close
to each other and “seems inconsistent with the official version”.They concluded
that there could be only three possibilities:“(1) Either they were collectively
offering to surrender, or (2) they were collectively challenging to fire
(prepared to die) or (3) they were not actually encountered there but were
brought there after being encountered somewhere else. ”Fact finding team
consisted of Ashok Kumari (Research scholar at Delhi University), Ansar Indori
(NCHRO), Hisham (Solidarity Youth Movement, Kerela), MH Banna (Senior
Journalist, Madhyamam Daily), Salman (Criminal-justice fellow, TISS), Swati
Gupta (Bastar Solidarity Network), Surya Ghildyal (Research Associate, Quill
Foundation) Timisha Dadhich (MA Criminology and Justice, TISS) and Vipul Kumar,
Researcher, Quill Foundation. indian express
Fact Finding Report on
Bhopal Encounter Released
CM Chouhan defends calling killed SIMI men
‘terrorists’
Bhopal encounter:
Fact-finding team rubbishes official version, says jailbreak 'virtually
impossible'
PM Modi's notes ban neither
intelligent nor humane: Sen
New Delhi: "Despotic and authoritarian" is how
Nobel Laureate and Bharat Ratna Amartya Sen describes the decision to abruptly
ban 500- and 1000-rupee notes. " Alleged objective of dealing with black
money is something all Indians would laud. But we have to ask whether this is
the good way to do it? This decision is about minimal achievement and maximal
suffering," Dr Sen said, appearing from Harvard University on NDTV's The
Buck Stops Here.Making the case that only a very small percent of black money
is held in cash "about 6 % and certainly less than ten percent,"Dr
Sen said that demonetisation is "small fry in terms of achievement but a
big disruptor to the Indian economy." Like other critics of the PM's
initiative, he said he backs the intent but faults the execution of the reform,
"We all want something to be done about black money. But surely, it also
has to be intelligent and humane. That has not happened."NDTV
BJP paid crores in cash to
buy land in Bihar before note ban. Amit Shah authorised deals
On 25 Nov.Catch published a
story on BJP's land buying spree in Bihar before PM Narendra Modi's note ban.
In response to the expose,BJP claimed that all the transactions were in white. Reacting
a few hours after the story was published, senior paty leader and former deputy
CM of Bihar Sushil Modi had said that loans had been taken out to purchase
these lands."BJP provides every details of its spending to the Income Tax;
any purchase of land is through cheque/RTGS not cash," he had said. It
turns out that these claims were false.Documents accessed by Catch from Bihar's
revenue department show that BJP paid over Rs 2 crore in cash to buy properties
just before PM Narendra Modi announced his demonetisation policy on 8 Nov.The
deeds of 5 properties show that Rs 2.07 crore was paid in cash to buy land
parcels in Bihar.These transactions adding up to Rs 2.07crore have been
authorised by none other than BJP president Amit Shah himself. Catch has
accessed the letter bearing his signature authorising these transactions.The
properties have been bought by Sanjeev Chaurasia, member of the Bihar
Legislative Assembly from Digha and general secretary Bihar unit; Lal Babu
Prasad, vice president BJP's Bihar unit; and Dilip Jaiswal, treasurer, Bihar
BJP.Catch News
UP official Hifazat Ullah
suspended for posting ‘objectionable’ picture of Modi on WhatsApp
A panchayat official has
been suspended and the manager of a college booked for allegedly posting
objectionable pictures of PM Narendra Modi in separate WhatsApp groups in
Bareilly.Panchayati Raj Dept.official Hifazat Ullah Khan was suspended after he
posted an objectionable picture of Modi on a WhatsApp group managed by the SDM,
a senior official said today. Khan, who was posted at Bahedi panchayat, had
been served a show-cause notice and his response was not satisfactory after
which he was suspended, the official said.PTI
Demonetisation shock:
Newly-married girl killed after father failed to give dowry in new Rs 500, Rs
2000 notes
New Delhi: In a shocking
news coming from Odisha, a newly-married girl was killed by her in-laws in
Ganjam district as her father failed to fulfill the dowry rituals of Rs 1.70
lakh through the new currency notes of 500 & 2000, Odisha police said
today. This crime took place in a village called Rangipur located in Ganjam.Bride
named Prabhati married the bridegroom named Laxmi Nayak, hailing from the same
village on Nov.9, a day after currency notes were demonetised. The bride’s
family had earlier agreed to fulfill the aforementioned amount as cash in the
form of dowry on the marriage day. But the girl’s father was not aware of the
sudden declaration on demonetisation by the Centre. Thus, when he offered Rs1.70
lakh in old denomination notes, the bridegroom’s family refused to receive the
cash. Instead, they demanded the new currency notes within a specified time.
Way demonetisation is
playing out, some clear winners and losers are emerging:R Jagannathan
RBI restricts withdrawal
limits on Jan Dhan accounts to Rs 10,000; cites ‘farmer protection’
New Delhi:RBI has put
withdrawal limits on bank accounts opened under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana
(PMJDY) which are funded through deposits of Specified Bank Notes (SBNs) after
Nov.9. The notification issued by RBI stated that the limits are being imposed
to protect “innocent farmers from activities of money launders and legal
consequences under the Benami Property Transaction & Money Laundering
laws”.
Faizal murder: search on
for 3 RSS hitmen
Malappuram: The police are
on the trail of 3 RSS workers who were believed to have executed the murder of
P. Faizal at Kodinhi, near Tirurangadi, on Nov.19. 8 RSS men involved in
plotting and helping the murder were arrested on Sunday.P radeep Kumar, DSP, who
led a 19-member probe team, said they had identified the 3 RSS men who executed
the murder. One of them, according to the police, is a prominent functionary of
the Sangh in the district. The police said the men had been trained in such
attacks. the hindu
Muslim rule in India cannot
be considered as 'foreign rule': Shashi Tharoor
Jaipur: Congress MP and
author Shashi Tharoor refused to consider the 1,200 years of Muslims' rule as
'foreign rule' during the launch of his book 'An Era of Darkness' in the city
on Tuesday. He was responding to questions on the social media as to why he
didn't elaborate much on the darkness during the Muslim rule."Muslim
rulers married and assimilated here. Even if they looted India, they became
part of this nation. On the contrary, the British came here to exploit our
resources. They shipped and spent our money abroad. They destroyed the future
of this country. That is the difference between the British and Muslim
rulers," said Tharoor.MP was in conversation with Rajasthan Congress (PCC)
chief Sachin Pilot. Both had a long discussion on the changing colour and tone
of nationalism. Pilot stated that people should look up to country's
constitution which defines what our nation stands for."Our nation is
beyond those nations whose identities are based on religions. Some elements
have misunderstood jingoism for nationalism. It is very important for the right
voices to come forward to educate and guide our youngsters who are exposed to
internet and social media about nationalism," said the PCC chief.TOI
In first, NHRC recommends
commutation of death sentence of 4 death row convicts of the Bara massacre
New Delhi: Asian Centre for
Human Rights (ACHR) today welcomed the recommendation of the NHRC to the
Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to commute the death sentence of 4 death row
convicts ie Krishna Mochi, Nanhe Lal Mochi, Bir Kuer Paswan and Dharmendra
Singh @ Dharu Singh who were convicted in the Bara massacre case of 13 Feb.1993
in light of the Supreme Court judgments on undue, unexplained and inordinate
delay in execution due to pendency of mercy petitions. This is the first ever
recommendation made by the NHRC on commutation of death sentences and ACHR
described it as a historic step in the right direction.NHRC in its latest order
has directed the MHA to make appropriate proposals to the President of India
for commutation of death sentence and submit action taken report within 3
months.TCN
Students To Go On
Indefinite Sit-In Over JNU Warning Against Protests, Scuttling Of Justice in
Najeeb Case
New Delhi:JNU students
union has decided to start an indefinite sit-in at the varsity's administration
block protesting the university's decision to not allow protests and scuttling
justice in the case of missing student Najeeb Ahmed.The administration had
warned the students union to avoid any protests or demonstration at the venue,
which is now known as "Freedom square" or face disciplinary
action."Today after not getting any reply from administration JNUSU has
decided to go for indefinite sit-in at the administration block against
scuttling of protest space and scuttling justice in Najeeb's case," JNUSU
President Mohit Pandey said.PTI
Army's chopper crashes near
Sukna in Bengal; 3 army officers killed, one critical
3 army officers lost their
lives on Wednesday when a Cheetah helicopter of the Indian Army crashed near
Sukna region in Bengal. One Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) has been
critically injured in the accident, according to CNN-News 18.
Writer Tufail Ahmad
proposes draft Uniform Civil Code
New Delhi: Tufail Ahmad has
proposed a draft Uniform Civil Code (UCC) to initiate a public debate on it.A
former journalist with BBC World Service and author of Jihadist Threat to India
- The Case for Islamic Reformation by an Indian Muslim, Ahmad has called it a
"working draft for public consultation."A uniform civil code was desired
by the framers of the Constitution to ensure that basic fundamental rights of
citizens, irrespective of their religious and other identities, are protected
within a larger human rights framework," he said in a statement. "UCC
is drafted within a broader context of a Universal Bill of Rights for the
Indian citizen (Ubric). This draft UCC is the first-ever attempt to bring
specific issues before the public for a wider discussion," he added.The
12-clause document is a working draft to be improved through wider public
consultation.IANS
Kashmiri activist Khurram
Parvez released from prison
Prominent Kashmiri human
rights activist Khurram Parvez was released from prison in Jammu on Wednesday
after spending 76 days in detention following the Jammu and Kashmir high court
quashing his imprisonment under the controversial PSA.On Friday, Justice
Muzaffar Hussain Attar in his order said Parvez’s detention was
“illegal”.Shortly after his release, Parvez took to social media to update his
status.HT
Million Indian troops in
Kashmir a hurdle to implementing UN resolution: Pak
Islamabad:Pakistan Foreign
Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria has said the presence of one million Indian
troops in Kashmir is “a hurdle in implementing UN resolution” on the
State. Foreign Office spokesman says
Indian forces had “killed innocent Kashmiris and violated basic human
rights”.Pakistan on Wednesday said India had deployed one million troops in
J&K, which is the highest concentration of soldiers in the world at one
place.The spokesman alleged that since the last 4 months, Indian troops had
“killed innocent Kashmiris and violated basic human rights.” He urged India to
stop “bloodshed in occupied Kashmir.” He emphasised Pakistan’s desire to
resolve outstanding issues with India peacefully.The spokesman also called on
the UN to play its role in resolving the Kashmir issue and implement its
resolution.IANS
Despite year-long probe,
govt not sure how many militants attacked Pathankot
NIA has almost prepared the
first charge sheet in the Pathankot attack, but the govt is still flip-flopping
on the number of militants who targeted the airbase.Minister of state for home
Hansraj Ahir told Lok Sabha on Tuesday that only four militants had entered the
air force station to carry out the Jan. 2 strike, killing 8 people. “4 Pak-based
terrorists entered Punjab via Janial road, Dhusi turn, near Ravi river bridge,
Gulpur Simli village, Akalgarh, and attacked the air force station in
Pathankot,” said Ahir, in response to a question. However, a senior home
ministry official clarified later in the day that govt’s stand on the matter
has not changed. “Forensic reports confirmed the presence of two more
attackers. It was on the basis of these reports that home minister Rajnath
Singh informed Parliament in March that 6 attackers were involved. Ministry will
make a suo moto correction on Wednesday,” an official said on the condition of
anonymity.HT
Pathankot strike: After
months of investigation, govt appears
unsure about number of attackers
Aadhaar not mandatory for
availing subsidy, benefits: Centre
New Delhi:Individuals
without Aadhaar can offer alternate means of identification for availing govt subsidies, benefits and services,IT and
Electronics Ministry has informed Lok Sabha. The govt said it is strictly adhering to Supreme
Court’s order that production of Aadhaar will not be a condition for citizens
to obtain any benefit due to them.Individuals without Aadhaar number can offer
alternate means of identification for availing govt subsidies, benefits and services, it added.PTI
Jameel Ahmed wanted to join
IS in Syria: ATS
Jaipur: Jameel Ahmed from
Sikar, accused of “actively supporting” Islamic State by funding the group
while working in Dubai as an assistant financial manager at a reputed firm, was
sent in judicial custody Tuesday, ATS SP Vikas Kumar said. Investigating
Officer Vijay Swarnkar said that they need to investigate Ahmed’s foreign
travels as well as gather more details about his Dubai office. Indian express
Malegaon blast: HC starts
hearing Pragya’s bail plea
Mumbai:Bombay High Court
has started hearing arguments put forth by Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur’s defence
counsel with respect to her bail plea in the Malegaon blast of Sept.
2008.Lawyer Avinash Gupta told a division bench of Justice Ranjit More and
Justice Shalini Phansalkar that the forensic reports suggesting that the
motorcycle on which the bomb was planted belonged to Sadhvi cannot be relied
upon. Advocate Niyaza Lodhi also filed an intervention application on behalf of
the father of 19-year-old Sayyed Ahmed, who died in the blast, stating that ATS
had collected substantial evidence that pointed to the complicity of Sadhvi.
The hearing will continue on Dec.16. Indian Express
After ban on IRF, International
School faces shutdown
New Delhi:Islamic
International School (IIS) is ready to face shutdown as education officer has
asked parents to remove their students from the school with immediate effect. A
meeting was held at the school in which 150 parents were to meet the education
officers from south zone.PTA of IIS signed a petition to the education officer
of south zone and also to the Education Minister, Vinod Tawde explaining them
the difficulties and asking them to complete this academic year. Also, after
receiving a notice from Education Department, the school is likely to move
court."We have reminded Tawde about his assurance. There are students
appearing for standard 10 and they can't find a new school at such a short
notice. We should be allowed to complete the current academic year. We were
asked to call the meeting in which the parents were asked to give feedback
about the school. But what happened at the meeting was shocking," said Imran
Qureshi, Principal of IIS.
Temple in Kerala eases
women’s dress code, allows salwar kameez
Sree Padmanabhaswamy
temple, one of the country’s richest shrines, on Tuesday decided to ease the
dress code for women by allowing salwar kameez apart from sarees. Temple
executive officer KN Satheesh issued the order after the Kerala high court
began hearing a plea filed by a female devotee in the matter. The petitioner,
Riya Raje, who is an advocate, argued that customs demand decent clothing in
places of worship but nowhere insists on a particular kind of dress.HT
Hindu outfits protest over
relaxing dress code for women
Dargah: Not just women, men
too cannot touch tomb
Mumbai: A prolonged
legal battle which went up to the Supreme Court may have gotten women the right
to enter the sanctum sanctorum of the Haji Ali dargah, but not before the
Trust, which runs the shrine, came up with an ‘equaliser’ – a discriminatory
one.According to the new rules at the dargah, while all visitors are free to
enter the sanctum santorum, nobody is allowed to touch the saint Sayed Pir Haji
Ali Shah Bukhari’s tomb. Until just days ago, men were allowed to touch the
tomb.More than 80 women, led by BMMA and Haji Ali Sabke Liye, entered the
mazzar room of the dargah on Tuesday. The Trust’s management however downplayed
the new rules.“We are simply following whatever is written in Islam,” said A S
Merchant, Chairman and Managing Trustee of Sayed Pir Haji ali Shah Bukhari
Dargah Trust.Mumbai Mirror
How a Tamil channel
listened to a viewer, and acted (sort of) against blatant Islamophobia: Ahamed
Ansar
Amid Kashmir unrest, 2 kids
from the Valley clinch gold at international championships
Curfew gives Valley its
very own karate kid, a 7-year-old
World
Netherlands MPs vote to bar
women from wearing veil at public places
The Netherlands has joined
the list of European countries who have chosen to ban face-covering Islamic
veils from public places including hospitals and schools.An overwhelming
majority of Dutch MPs voted in favour of banning face-covering clothing items,
which includes the face veil that is a part of the burqa as well as ski-masks
and helmets. The rule was approved by 132 members of a 150 seat of the Dutch
Parliament’s lower house. Now the Dutch Senate must approve the bill in order
for it to become a law.However, the law does not apply to streets so the full
burqa with the face veil can be worn on streets without getting fined – it
cannot be worn in schools, hospitals, govt building and public transport. Offenders could
face a fine of 410 Euros if seen covering their face in places where the ban
has been enforced.Not a lot of women in the Netherlands wear the Niqab. Previously
an attempt to ban the burqa in all public spaces including streets failed on
ground that it was unnecessary. Indiatimes.com
Dutch MPs approve partial
ban on burka
Water supply cut off for
half of Mosul as almost 650,000 people left without water
Fighting between Iraqi
forces and ISIL fighters has cut water supplies across a large part of Mosul,
affecting 40% of residents in the city where poorer families are already
struggling to feed themselves. Water was cut to 650,000 people when a pipeline
was hit during fighting between ISIL and the Iraqi govt forces trying to crush them in their northern
Iraq stronghold."We are facing a humanitarian catastrophe," said
Hussam al-Abar, member of Mosul's Nineveh provincial council, adding that 1.5
million people were still inside Mosul."Basic services such as water,
electricity, health, food are non-existent."Barely more than a third of the
200,000 displaced that the UN had expected in the first few weeks of the Mosul
offensive have fled their homes so far. The lack of clean drinking water could
now make it difficult for residents to remain, however. aljazeera
US coalition says Mosul
battle 'very hard', hopes for north, south advances: Reuters
For Mosul perfume trader,
militants meant business: Reuters
Aleppo: Up to 20,000 flee
as govt advances
Up to 20,000 people have
fled eastern Aleppo over the past 72 hours as Syrian govt forces continued to advance in the rebel-held
part of the city, according to the Red Cross.Terrified civilians have fled
empty-handed into remaining rebel-held territory, or crossed into govt -controlled
western Aleppo or Kurdish-held districts.The 20,000 figure is an estimate and
could increase as "people are fleeing in different directions",
International Committee of the Red Cross spokesperson Krista Armstrong told the
AFP news agency. aljazeera
UNICEF: Half a million
children living under siege in Syria
Israel president decries
bill to quieten mosques
Jerusalem: Israeli
President Reuven Rivlin spoke out today against a controversial bill that would
prohibit mosques from using loudspeakers to summon believers to prayers early
in the morning.The draft law, which sparked outrage around the Arab and wider
Muslim world, is set to be submitted to its first reading in parliament
tomorrow.Rivlin today hosted in his Jerusalem residence a meeting of religious
leaders “seeking to bridge gaps over the issue of the muezzins,” the Muslim lay
officials charged with calling the faithful to prayer across the country, a
statement from his office read.PTI
Israeli TVs hacked with
image of Haram al-Sharif, sound of adhan, on eve of vote to restrict prayer
call
UN: Rohingya may be
enduring 'crimes against humanity'
Myanmar's Rohingya Muslims
may be victims of crimes against humanity, the United Nation's rights agency
has said, as former UN chief Kofi Annan arrived to the country for a visit that
will include a trip to the conflict-ravaged region of Rakhine.The army has
carried out a bloody crackdown in the western state and thousands of the Muslim
minority have flooded over the border into Bangladesh this month, making
horrifying claims of gang rape, torture and murder at the hands of security
forces.Some 30,000 have fled their homes and analysis of satellite images by
Human Rights Watch found that hundreds of buildings in Rohingya villages have
been razed." Govt has largely failed to act on the recommendations made in
a report by UN Human Rights Office... (that) raised the possibility that the
pattern of violations against the Rohingya may amount to crimes against
humanity," UN agency said.
At least 10,000 Rohingya
fled to Bangladesh from Myanmar:UN
Myanmar’s Suu Kyi vows
‘reconciliation’ amid Rohingya crisis
Myanmar’s de facto
leader Aung San Suu Kyi vowed to work for “peace and national reconciliation”
amid mounting international condemnation of a bloody army crackdown on her
country’s Muslim Rohingya minority.Nobel Prize winner did not mention the
violence in Rakhine state, but told a business forum in Singapore that
multi-ethnic Myanmar needed to achieve stability to attract more investment.AFP
Sudan may mediate between
Egypt, Muslim Brotherhood
Sudan’s former president
has said that Sudan may be able to build bridges between the Egyptian regime
under President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and the Muslim Brotherhood, Quds Press has
reported.The former president and senior Sudanese military officer, Abdel
Rahman Swar Al-Dahab, said: “Sudan can mediate between the Egyptian regime and
the Muslim Brotherhood in order to put an end to the division between the
Egyptian people and achieve security and stability for Egypt if both parties
accept the mediation.”In remarks to Quds Press, Al-Dahab said that “the
national dialogue in Sudan can be used as a model for Arab parties to achieve
stability.”“Anyone keen on the interest of the nation, can see that if the
Egyptian govt accepted a third party to
intervene between it and the Muslim Brotherhood it can reach an end to the
intractable dispute between them,” he added. middleeastmonitor
Top German spy reportedly
converted to Islam while monitoring Islamists in Cologne: report
A GERMAN intelligence
officer arrested for allegedly plotting blow up his agency’s HQRS converted to
Islam so secretly not even his wife knew, according to reports.The man worked
for the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the
Bundesverfassungsschutz (BfV), and reportedly converted to Islam while working
to monitor Islamists in Cologne.51-year-old German national was arrested for
sharing “sensitive information” online – understood to be code for leaking
intelligence secrets to other Jihadists.The man, who is said to be married with
children, is yet confirmed as having has links to the Islamic State.A BfV
spokeswoman said: “BfV has managed to expose a suspected Islamist among its
associates.” [He] made Islamist remarks online under a false name, and had
offered internal information during online chats”.The man is now in detention
and his mobile devices and computers being analysed to gauge the extent of his
treachery.The BfV did not confirm that he planned to bomb the agency HQ in
Cologne – an allegation widely reported in German media.However, it did say he
has made a “partial confession” – confirming he crossed over from his job of
observing radical Islamists to becoming part of the scene himself. The Sun UK
Pak Jamaat demands
withdrawal of Sindh law on conversion
ISLAMABAD: Ameer,
Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan, Senator Sirajul Haq, said that the law passed by the
Sindh Assembly regarding change of religion was against the constitution and
the UN Charter and it could prove to be a conspiracy to pit the Muslims against
the non-Muslims.Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, he said that the
JI was against converting any non-Muslim to Islam by force, however, if a
non-Muslim embraced Islam by his own free will, there should not be any bar on
it. He has called upon Asif Ali Zardari and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto ZArdari
to direct the Sindh govt to rescind the
law. He said the Sindh govt had
sabotaged the tranquility in the society by raising a non-issue.Sirajul Haq
said that under the new law framed by the Sindh Assembly, a non-Muslim under 18
years of age could not embrace Islam.Anyone embracing Islam before attaining 18
years would be kept in govt custody for
21 days and whoever invited him to Islam would be given 3 years jail.He said
that the JI had always stood for the rights of the minorities.Sirajul Haq
condemned India’s ban on world fame Muslim preacher Dr Zakir Naek, and said
this amply proved New Delhi’s hatred for Islam. He said that Indian govt was simply befooling the world by raising the
slogan of secularism. jasarat
Compiled and edited by Anwarulhaq (Released at: 8:01 PM)
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