Evening NEWS DIGEST
26 Nov. 2016: 25 Safar 1438: Vol: 8, No:45
With no jobs, hungry daily
wagers turn to langar halls
New Delhi:About 500 kg of
dal, 600 kg of vegetables and one tonne of rice is what it takes to feed
thousands of people at the Sis Ganj Gurdwara in Chandni Chowk on an average
day. The langar or community kitchen at the popular gurdwara has always been
busy, with everyone from local shopkeepers and foreign tourists to the faithful
and the destitute sitting down for a meal.But for the past 2 weeks, the lunch
rush at the langar hall has been more hectic than usual, and officials of the
gurdwara management say extra food is being cooked.That’s because the usual
lunch crowd is now being joined by daily wage labourers, who have been left
without work due to the ongoing cash crunch.With job offers drying up and their
pockets empty, labourers from around Old Delhi are making their way to
gurdwaras and other religious places in search of a meal.Every day since Nov.9,
when govt withdrew Rs.500 and Rs.1,000 notes from circulation, a group of
workers who gather at Hauz Qazi Chowk has made its way to Sis Ganj Gurdwara
around 2pm Making daily 1 km pilgrimage for food provides the only meal for
most.Before the cash crunch, the carpenters, painters and construction workers
would gather at the chowk in the morning and be picked up for jobs around the
city. Now, they wait there all day, hoping to find work.thehindu
Modi graft case: SC refuses
to order probe into ‘Sahara-Birla papers’
New Delhi: Supreme Court
refused to order an investigation into a tranche of documents recovered during
raids at the offices of the Aditya Birla and Sahara groups in 2013 and 2014
allegedly showing entries of “massive” bribes paid to high-profile politicians
and ministry officials.A Bench of Justices JS Khehar and Arun Mishra said the
entries did not “arouse its conscience” enough to order a probe. Among the
records is an email dated Nov. 16, 2012 found in the laptop of an Aditya Birla
executive which contained a cryptic entry of bribe paid to “Gujarat CM”. Delhi
CM Arvind Kejriwal had recently claimed in the Assembly that it was a reference
to PM Modi.“We cannot initiate an investigation just because a big man has been
named by someone. He is a high public functionary and we cannot proceed on
materials like this.We need better material,” Justice Khehar told senior
advocate Shanti Bhushan, appearing for NGO Common Cause, on Friday. The SC
ordered NGO to produce “better material” by Dec. 14 or withdraw the case.
No credible reason for
probe into Birla, Sahara I-T raid papers: SC
‘Small setback’ says Bhushan
on SC’s observation in Sahara Bribery case
Renowned Supreme Court
lawyer, Prashant Bhushan, on Friday termed the SC’s observation in Sahara/Birla
bribery case a ‘minor setback’ but added that Supreme Court should have
followed the same principles it had laid down in Jain Hawala case.He told Janta
Ka reporter, “Supreme Court in Jain Hawala case had said that if a raids at the
premises of business houses throw up documents showing payments of bribery to
public servants, then a probe must happen because there’s a prima facie
evidence of payment here.He said, “Supreme Court today questioned the
authenticity of documents.Now, authenticity will only be proven if a probe is
commissioned. In Birla’s case, the Income Tax authorities questioned its
officials based on the documents they had seized. Birla officials conceded that
they had indeed made Hawala payments in crores to various big names on the
instructions of the company’s group president Shubhendu Amitabh.” jantakareporter
CBI not probing Modi will
be travesty of justice: AAP
New Delhi: Taking on PM Narendra
Modi on the issue of demonetisation and for allegedly taking a bribe from
Sahara Birla, AAP has said that it will be a big travesty of justice if CBI
does not investigate him.Convenor of the AAP’s Delhi unit, Dilip Pandey told ANI,
“See the irony, there is so much chaos in the country because of demonetisation
and PM Narendra Modi is the one who has
done a scam of 8 lakh crore. The blame of taking a bribe from Sahara Birla of
crores of money is on him. The blame of purchasing lands with black money and
converting the black money in white before demonetisation are on BJP. What will
be a bigger travesty of justice than this that the CBI cannot do an
investigation against them?ANI
BJP ‘lands’ into trouble,
land buying spree in Bihar questioned
BJP has found itself in some trouble after BJP
leaders in Bihar have come under the scanner for their land buying spree at 6
locations in Bihar.The land was reportedly bought before Narendra Modi’s
announcement to demonetise ₹500 and ₹1000 rupee notes.Times Now have accessed
papers that reveal that 25 land plots were purchased by BJP in Bihar weeks before
the demonetisation announcement. The land plots were purchased by BJP in
Bihar's Madhepura, Katihar, Madhubani, Lakhisarai, Kishanganj and Arwal
districts.Names of 3 state BJP leaders - Dilip Kumar Jaiswal, Sanjeev Chaurasia
and Lal Babu Prasad – have been mentioned in the papers. The size of the
acquired plots ranges from 250 square feet to about half an acre and the value
of each land plot ranges between ₹8 lakh and ₹1.16 crore.The documents accessed
by Times Now shows BJP President Amit Shah’s signature authorising the purchase
of the land. Opposition has now demanded a probe into land purchases by BJP
unit in Bihar. Opposition has alleged that land was bought days before
announcement of demonetisation and has now sought a probe into the controversy.The
JD(U) has now alleged that BJP leaders had an inkling of the move to demonetise
currency, and that the leaders rushed to buy this land to “convert their black
money into white.”“The total revenue of BJP is around ₹970.43 crore and the
land deals is predicted to cost around ₹1914 crore. So we would like to know
from the BJP, where did this money come from? And right before the decision to
demonetise the currency, in the past 3 to 4 months, you registered land deals
in various locations. So was this a way to convert black money into white? BJP
must clarify where the money came from and where it was used," stated
Neeraj Kumar, spokesperson of JD(U).“BJP, just before demonetisation, purchased
lands worth crores and crores of rupees across the country. We have given out
details of 8 land transactions, most of which are in the name of BJP National
President Amit Shah,” said Randeep Surjewala, Chief of the Congress’ media
cell. Timesnow
Before Modi banned Rs 500,
Rs 1000 notes BJP was busy investing in real estate
BJP purchased properties
worth crores of rupees days before note ban
JD (U) accuses BJP of using
black money for buying land below govt rate to evade tax
Nitish reiterates support
to Modi over demonetisation, but denies cosying up to BJP
One-time 60% penalty for
voluntary cash disclosure
New Delhi:Govt has devised
a two-track approach towards disclosure of unaccounted cash in excess of Rs 2.5
lakh threshold announced by PM Modi by setting a moderate penalty for voluntary
action but imposing stiff fines on tax evaders caught trying to beat
demonetisation.Those who come forward with disclosures will be asked to pay a
penalty of 60% of the amount. This will ensure that the cash that remains with
them becomes "white", providing a legal alternative as opposed to
illegal parking slots like gold, real estate or offshore accounts.The new
penalty is higher than the 33.9% tax levied on current (high) income. However,
those detected trying to squirrel money into multiple accounts or converting it
into other assets will face the full force of the law, a senior govt source said. 60% penalty option is seen as
income declaration scheme part 2 with a rate that is higher than the 45% fine
in the just concluded IDS 2016. The funds collected through fines will be
placed in a "PM Garib Kalyan Kosh" planned by Centre — a measure
intended to underline the govt's claim that demonetisation is a pro-poor
measure. Timesofindia
Defects in new Rs 500
notes, RBI blames it on rush
New Delhi: As the crisis
owing to demonetisation persists, reports have emerged that the new notes
issued by banks are surprisingly different in colour and design from each
other. TOI reported on Friday about at least 3 cases where there was a marked
difference between two new 500 notes.Report said such differences in legal
tender could cause counterfeiting easier, which was one of the reasons cited
for effecting demometisation.RBI, for its part, told TOI that the defect could
be due to “rush” in printing and that people could use these notes or return
them to RBI. indianexpress
FIR Against RBI Governor By
Congress Lawmaker Who Spent Hour In Bank
Bharatpur: He couldn't draw enough money from the bank,
so a Congress lawmaker and former royal in Rajasthan has filed a police
complaint against RBI governor Urjit Patel.Vishwendra Singh, 54, went to the
police in exasperation after failing to withdraw Rs. 10,000 from a bank in
Bharatpur.On Thursday, he stood in line at the Oriental Bank of Commerce for
about an hour to withdraw new currency after the abrupt ban on Rs. 500 and Rs.
1,000 notes on Nov. 8. ndtv
Demonetisation move declares all Indians as
possible crooks, unless they can establish otherwise:Amartya Sen
Demonetisation is a
draconian move: Greek Minister
Demonetisation: Don't laugh
at Manmohan Singh, a 2% GDP fall can get really painful
India's cash crisis could
kill its economic boom: CNN
Demonetisation is a
permanent transfer of wealth from poor to the rich:Shankar Gopalakrishnan
Cash shortage to continue
for 4 to 5 months: Bank Employees Federation
Hyderabad: 6 arrested for
printing fake currency including newly introduced Rs 2,000 notes
Cash crunch hits cycle hub:
no sales, production slashed, workers leave
ZAKIR
NAIK
Zakir Naik links ban on IRF
to demonetisation drive, asks why no action on Yogi Adityanath or Sadhvi Prachi
Mumbai: Dr Zakir Naik on
Friday released his second letter. Naik linked ban on his NGO IRF to PM Narendra
Modi’s demonetisation drive and called it a ‘communal decision’. Naik, in his
letter, said the ban on IRF is an attack on Indian Muslims peace, democracy and
justice”, and vowed to fight it tooth and nail. In a 3-page open letter issued
here, Naik said it was timed to coincide with the demonetisation ‘fiasco’ to
prevent resistance and divert the media’s attention. “It is now proven that the
decision to ban the IRF was taken months ago and it is a communal decision.
Before investigations were done, even before reports submitted, the ban was
already decided. IRF was to be banned. Whether it was owing to my religion, or
some other reason, it does not matter,” said Naik. He said his completely lawful work of the past 25
years has been banned, “which is most unfortunate for India”. “I won’t be
surprised if this ban is meant to distract the media from what is going on in
the country. For, public starved of cash, trade and basic amenities, one cannot
expect much of resistance,” Naik said. He said it must be the most unique ban
in Indian history as he was not even questioned once or given a chance to
explain himself before the ban.“No notice, no summons, no calls, and no contact
ever made with me to get my side of the story. I kept offering my help in
investigation but it wasn’t taken. I have no choice left but to answer them
only through the legal system, and not personally. Their agenda is open and
clear: Implicate me by hook or crook, which I will fight,” Naik stated. On the
UAPA, Naik said since the plan was to ban IRF and not investigate, the govt invoked
the draconian law. “The law does not seem to apply to the likes of Rajeshwar
Singh, Yogi Adityanath or Sadhvi Prachi, who continue to make inflammatory
speeches. “I will fight this ban, come what may, with all legal options to
repeal it,” Naik said. india.com
Zakir Naik slams govt, dubs
ban ‘communal decision’
IRF ban to ‘distract from
demonetisation fiasco’: Naik
Abu Azmi defends Zakir
Naik, alleges RSS, VHP creating "negative perception" about Islam
New Delhi: Backing Zakir
Naik's claim that he is being unnecessarily targeted by the Centre, Samajwadi
Party leader Abu Azmi on Saturday said the imposition of the UAPA against the
former's IRF is wrong and alleged that the right wing organisations like RSS
and VHP were creating a negative perception about Islam.ANI
Zakir Naik believes no
religion is better than Islam: BJP
New Delhi: Welcoming the
Centre`s decision to ban IRF, run by Zakir Naik, BJP on Saturday asserted that
the preacher believes no religion is better than Islam.ANI
Trouble for Zakir Naik
grows after ban: NIA tightens noose, IRF staff resigns
Mumbai: Trouble seems to be
brewing for Zakir Naik and his NGO IRF.While the NIA is tightening its noose on
IRF after the ban on one hand, on the other, the IRF staff has resigned. Fearing
the impact of the ban on their careers, all the staff of IRF, including CEO
Manzoor Shaikh, has given their resignation to an official identified as
Shaukat Jamati. Indiatoday
OTHERs
Shiv Sena opposes Centre’s
Islamic Window idea
Mumbai: BJP ally Shiv Sena
has opposed the Centre’s proposal for an “Islamic window” or “Islamic Banking”
however the Muslim community has welcomed the decision while expressing concern
over politicising the issue.H. Abdur Raqeeb, general secretary, Indian Centre
for Islamic Finance (ICIF), said that though a committee helmed by ex-RBI
governor, Raghuram Rajan, pushed the idea of inclusion of Muslim community into
the mainstream, the move was needed right from the time of recession in USA in
2008-09.“Several committees were instituted and several discussions were held.
Later, experts from the Muslim community were involved in the committee and
finally, Modi govt took a decision to start at least an ‘Islamic window’ in the
conventional banking system,” said Raqeeb.He added that there was no need for
an amendment in the existing Banking Regulation Act and simply a notification
would suffice. Raqeeb said that the move would attract trillions of dollars
into India which would boost the economy. However, Sena threatened not to allow
banking in the name of any religion. Referring to the demonetisation drive, Raqeeb
said that the Muslim community had been most affected as a majority of Muslims
did not have bank accounts. He said that if the Islamic Banking facility was
made available in India, the community would suffer less. “If Japan has an
Islamic Bank, London has it, and most of the non-Muslim countries have it, why
not India?” he questioned while praising PM Narendra Modi for his decision.
Asian Age
What is Sharia banking?
Here is an insight into Islamic dos and don’ts: financialexpress
Parbhani masjid blast:
Imam, not Maharashtra govt, files appeal against acquittal of all accused
Aurangabad (Maharashtra):Hafeez
Abdul Qadir, original complainant in the Parbhani masjid blast case and Imam of
Mohammadiya Masjid where a blast took place in 2003, has challenged the
acquittal of all 4 accused from the case before Aurangabad bench of Bombay High
Court. Maharashtra state has not filed appeal against acquittal so far, even
though time limit of 90 days after the judgment for filing such appeal expired
recently.On Nov. 21, 2003 a bomb exploded at Mohammadiya Masjid, Parbhani
killing 1 person and injuring 34 others. Nearly three years later, on Aug. 18,
2016 the Parbhani sessions judge MS Jawalkar acquitted all four in the case
citing lack of evidences.The acquitted included Rakesh Dhawade who is currently
an under trial in Malegaon 2008 blasts case.The revision petition was filed on
Wednesday with a prayer of ‘denovo trial’ meaning a re-trial as Abdul Qadir
alleged that prosecution did not carry out the trial with full strength and
crucial evidences were not brought before trial court.The petition alleges that
in addition to the dubious conduct of prosecution agency trial court also
remained a mute spectator and did not utilize its powers to call upon any
person or document which was likely to be affecting the outcome of trial. Surprisingly, Maharashtra state has not challenged acquittal of all the
accused from case due to which Abdul Qadir, being a complainant in the case was
forced to file revision petition.“Looking at the prosecution’s conduct during
trial I knew state will not appeal against acquittal and therefore I approached
Jamiat Ulama-e-Maharashtra to provide legal aid so that justice can be provided
to the victims of the blast. I wish to get justice from high court”, Abdul
Qadir said.TCN
No more fireworks: Supreme
Court orders complete ban on sale of firecrackers in Delhi, NCR
The Supreme Court on Friday
has banned sale of firecrackers in Delhi-NCR in an attempt to keep the rising
pollution level of the capital and its surrounding areas under check.Where initiatives
by older people and veteran campaigners failed, 3 infants have pulled it
off. Passing orders on a joint PIL by
Arjun Gopal, Aarav Bhandari and Zoya Rao Bhasin, all aged between six months
and 14 months, the SC banned the sale and stocking of all kinds of
firecrackers, taking into consideration the grave quality of air.The court also
imposed a ban on issuance of new licence in Delhi and National Capital Region
with immediate effect. However, there is no restriction on bursting crackers as
it would be difficult to implement and monitor, the apex court has
said.DailyMail
CBI files corruption case
against leader Amanatullah in Waqf Board
In another setback to the
AAP, CBI registered a case against party MLA from Okhla, Amanatullah Khan, on
Friday for the alleged recruitment scam and financial irregularities in Delhi
Waqf Board when Khan was its chairman. Agency registered a corruption case
against Khan after Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung recommended a CBI probe into scam
allegations, after he dissolved the board in October. This is expected to
further escalate tension between the Centre and the AAP govt ."We have
registered a corruption case against the then chairman of Delhi Waqf Board and
unknown persons under IPC sections related to criminal conspiracy and
provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act related to criminal misconduct
and corruption," said a senior CBI officer.DNA
Swamy, Owaisi both say they
will abide by SC's decision on Ram Mandir
New Delhi: Fierce opponents
BJP MP Subramanian Swamy and AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi said today they both
will accept the decision of the Supreme Court on the disputed Babri Masjid-Ram
Janmabhoomi site, no matter what that decision is.And that's not all they
agreed on. They both were united in their distrust for finance minister Arun
Jaitley. Owaisi openly talked about that while Swamy mostly alluded to it.The
two were debating at the Times Litfest in Delhi and TV journalist Rajdeep
Sardesai moderating."I will accept anyting the court decides,"Swamy
said. "I am not advocating violence, I am advocating the decision of the
law,"he added.Owaisi too said the same thing.If one were to score the
debate it would seem Owaisi would score a tad higher, as he was more reasonable
and backed his arguments a lot better than Swamy did.Swamy cited Directive
Principles(DPs)of the Constitution to justify a ban on cow slaughter, and to
justify the call for a Uniform Civil Code (UCC).Owaisi reminded the audience
that DPs were just that - 'directives.'And that Fundamental Rights were a lot
higher in hierarch than DPs. Freedom of Religion, a Fundamental Right,
therefore takes primacy over religion, Owaisi said.Swamy, on his part, talked
about Hindu civilisation always being accepting of other religions. He spoke of
how India welcomed Jews, Christians and even Muslims way back in the day, in
Kerala.At this point, the moderator TV journalist Rajdeep Sardesai asked
whether it was right to avenge in 2016 (or 1992 when the Babri Masjid was
destroyed by Hindus) an act of violence that occurred in the 17th century. He
also made a veiled accusation that Swamy is communal.TOI
Ram temple should be an
issue in UP polls: Swamy
India isn’t secular, says
Saaed Naqvi
Madras HC sets aside order
banning protests on Dec.6
Madurai: A Division Bench
of the Madras High Court Bench here on Friday set aside an order passed by a
single judge of the High Court on Dec. 4 directing State govt not to give permission for demonstrations,
rallies or any other form of protest by any religious organisation on De.6, the
day when Babri Masjid in Ayodhya was demolished, beginning from this year. Disposing
of a writ appeal preferred by an office-bearer of PFI, Justices M.
Sathyanarayanan and J. Nisha Banu set aside two paragraphs from the single
judge’s order passed on a writ petition filed by an office-bearer of the Hindu
Munnani seeking permission to hold a demonstration in Dindigul on Dec.6,
demanding construction of Ram temple at site where the 16th century mosque was
demolished in 1992. The hindu
Congregational prayers
allowed at Jamia Masjid after 19 Fridays
Congregational Friday
prayers were offered at historic Jamia Masjid today after remaining barred for
nineteen consecutive weeks. Witnesses said that siege was lifted from the areas
surrounding the mosque in downtown Srinagar today for the first time in the
ongoing unrest triggered by the July 8 killing of militant commander Burhan
Wani.A large number of people offered prayers at the mosque today, they
said.However, Hurriyat (M) chairman and chief priest Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who
delivers the sermon every Friday at the mosque, continued to be placed under
house arrest.
Detention of rights
activist Khurram Parvez illegal, release him: J&K HC
Haneef seeks bail, says
religious preaching not illegal
Mumbai: Mohammed Haneef, a
religious scholar from Kerala — booked for radicalising son of a Mumbai-based
businessman and inducing him to join ISIS — moved a bail plea before the
sessions court earlier this week, saying that preaching or providing religious
knowledge is not an offence under the law.In a bail plea filed by advocate
Sharif Shaikh and his associates, Haneef said he was falsely implicated. “He
was undertaking religious work as an Imam in Masjid, according to Islam and its
customs. Haneef said he did not engage or participate in or became a member of
any unlawful organisations at any point. He also claimed that the allegations
against him were concocted.HT
Veteran Journalist Dileep
Padgaonkar Passes Away
Senior journalist Dileep
Padgaonkar passed away at a private hospital in Pune on Friday morning.He was
72 years old. Padgaonkar, who was ex editor of TOI, began his career as a
journalist at the age of 24.He was born in Pune and studied at the St Vincent
High School and Fergusson College.He later received a doctorate in humanities
from the Sorbonne in June 1968 and joined TOI as its Paris correspondent. He
served the paper in various capacities before he was appointed its editor in
1988, a post he held for 6 years. He also worked with UNESCO in Bangkok and
Paris from 1978 to 1986.AP
Muslim youth arrested for
allegedly circulating objectionable photo of Modi
Morena: A man was arrested
in Banmore town in MP for allegedly circulating an objectionable picture of PM
Narendra Modi on social media, police said on Friday. Aslam Khan (25), who runs
a mobile shop, was arrested Thursday for allegedly circulating the
objectionable photo of PM, Banmore SDOP Atmaram Sharma said.siasat
Govt, cops get notice after
Najeeb's mother moves HC
More than a month after JNU
student Najeeb Ahmed went missing under mysterious circumstances, his mother
Fatima Nafees on Friday filed a Habeas Corpus petition in the High Court,
expressing dissatisfaction over the police investigation in the case.The matter
was listed before the Division Bench comprising Justices GS Sistani and Sunita
Gupta, which issued notices to the Delhi govt and the police, asking them to come up with
explanations. Bench also directed the Delhi Police to come up with their investigation
report within 3 days.In her petition, Nafees expressed dissatisfaction with the
way the Delhi Police have been conducting the investigation and accused the
varsity administration of "shielding the persons responsible for her son's
disappearance". dnaindia
VC's confinement: JNU
issues show cause notices to Kanhaiya, 19 others
New Delhi: JNU
administration has issued show cause notices to 20 students, including sedition
accused Kanhaiya Kumar and Umar Khalid, seeking explanation for the alleged
" illegal confinement " of VC and other officials in the varsity
building.A group of agitating students had confined the VC and other senior
officials in the administrative building for over 20 hours last month alleging
inaction on the administration's part in locating missing student Najeeb..PTI
Rally for missing JNU
student Najeeb: Expedite search operation, demand Mumbai students
Mumbai students protest
over missing JNU student
Bulandshahr assault victim
says she was gangraped too by Bajrang Dal men
Khurja: The woman, who
along with her friend was assaulted, allegedly by Bajrang Dal members, in
Khurja town of UP’s Bulandshahr district Sunday, has alleged that she was
gangraped too but police did not lodge her complaint in this regard. The
victim’s statement was recorded before the court Thursday. Police have included
the gangrape charges in FIR on the basis of her statement in court. Draped in a
burqa, the woman in her late 20s told The Indian Express that she lived in
Bulandshahr city with her husband and three children and had come to visit her
parents in Khurja a few days ago. According to her, she and her friend were
talking while waiting for pizza when some persons, claiming to be Bajrang Dal
members, attacked them. “They sexually abused me. When police arrived, they
tried to strangulate me with my dupatta,” she alleged. “I was to return on
Sunday. These people did this. They made a video too. My husband asked why I
went there and banged the phone. Where will I go now? The wounds may get
healed, but my life won’t be fixed. I need justice.”In the video that has gone
viral, the man and the woman, both Muslims, can be seen being assaulted with
sticks.Police have arrested five persons, including district convener of
Bajrang Dal Praveen Bhati. Circle officer Vijay Prakash Singh said the man and
woman were old friends. Both were in Khurja on Sunday and decided to meet.“They
went to a confectionery shop to have pizza, but wanted to talk in private. This
(attack) happened when some Bajrang Dal men noticed 2 and were told that one of
them is a Muslim. Bhati thought it was a case of ‘love jihad’. Later, he found
both were Muslims, but beat them up anyway,” he said. He said they had named 20
persons, including Bhati, in FIR. They have been booked under charges of
rioting, attempt to murder, illegal detention and molestation. While four
accused are still in jail, Bhati was granted bail Wednesday. indian express
AIMPLB's smartphone app
receives massive response
Hyderabad: AIMPLB
smartphone app, designed by a city-based techie, has received massive response
with thousands having downloaded it.App was designed so that those supporting
the Muslim panel could take photos of a board released form signed by the user
who declares full faith in AIMPLB in matters of marriage, divorce and other
aspects of faith.TOI
Bareilly:Clerics form panel
to oppose uniform civil code
RSS leader to talk on 'Uniform
Civil Code' on Nov 30
Bangladesh PM Hasina to
honour Indian soldiers killed in 1971 war, will meet their kin
World
Israeli PM trying to
benefit from Haifa fires:Palestinian Knesset member
Jerusalem - A Palestinian
member of the Israeli Knesset has accused Benjamin Netanyahu of seeking to
achieve "political gains out of an unfortunate state of events".The
accusation came in response to to a barrage of statements by the Israeli PM and members of his coalition blaming Israel's
Arab minority for the fires that have swept across the country since
Tuesday."Israeli ministers not only blamed Palestinians for igniting the
fires, but Netanyahu, the PM , and Aryeh Deri, the internal affairs minister,
suggested revoking the citizenship of anyone who lit fires," said Jamal
Zahalka, a Knesset member of the Joint List, a coalition of Arab Palestinian
political parties and leader of Balad faction.Since Tuesday, strong winds and
dry weather have fuelled hundreds of fires across Israel and occupied Palestinian
territory.Tens of thousands of residents were allowed to return to their homes
in Haifa on Friday after being evacuated on Thursday, but fires raged around
Jerusalem, northern parts of the country and parts of the occupied West Bank
into Friday night.Israeli fire crews received air support from Cyprus, France,
England, Greece, Turkey, Italy, Russia and the US, Rosenfeld said.Palestinian
firefighters assisted Israeli crews in the efforts on the ground and the flames
were pushed back by night. 40 Palestinian firefighters travelled to Jerusalem
on Thursday night after the Palestinian Authority offered to assist in efforts
to contain the spread of the fires.After the fires in Haifa were contained,
Palestinian crews travelled to Jerusalem, said Nael Azzeh, spokesperson for the
Palestinian Civil Defence.Micky Rosenfeld, Israeli police spokesperson, said
that "12 people had been arrested in connection with the fires" in
recent days, without elaborating further on individual cases.Meanwhile,
Palestinian agency Wafa reported that a fire that broke out near Palestinian
town of Huwwara in the occupied West Bank on Thursday was allegedly carried out
by Israeli settlers from Yitzhar.Al Jazeera
Palestinian firefighters
arrive to fight Israeli wildfires
Netanyahu thanks Turkey for
plane to fight wildfires
EU slams Israel over
settlement construction
European Union (EU) slammed Saturday the Israeli decision to advance
plans for 500 new housing units in Ramat Shlomo settlement illegally built in
occupied Jerusalem.PIC
Fidel Castro, Cuban
Revolutionary, Dies at 90
Fidel Castro, the fiery apostle of revolution who brought the Cold War
to the Western Hemisphere in 1959 and then defied the United States for nearly
half a century as Cuba’s maximum leader, bedeviling 11 American presidents and
briefly pushing the world to the brink of nuclear war, died Friday. He was 90.
His death was announced by Cuban state TV. nytimes
Syria's war: Aleppo
residents '10 days from starvation'
The inhabitants of besieged
eastern Aleppo have fewer than 10 days to receive aid or face starvation and
death from a lack of medical supplies, according to the head of Syria Civil
Defence, or White Helmets. Volunteer group, which works in opposition-held
territory and has rescued thousands of people from buildings bombed in the
civil war, is also running out of basic equipment from lorries to diesel and
gas masks."You cannot imagine how the situation is," Raed al-Saleh
told Reuters.With freezing winter conditions setting in, about 275,000 people
are trapped in eastern Aleppo, where the last UN food rations were distributed
on Nov.13. Aljazeera
Suu Kyi accused of
'legitimising genocide of Rohingya Muslims'
Burma’s Aung San Suu Kyi,
stands accused of not protecting Rohingya Muslims in the country and
potentially “legitimising genocide”.Military operations in Rakhine State have
caused thousands to flee across the border to Bangladesh. A UN official said
Rohingya in Burma were being ethnically cleansed with Rohingya alleging that govt
soldiers have killed and raped
civilians. Military action – launched in response to coordinated attacks by
armed men on border posts in Oct - has left scores of people dead.Army says it
is fighting an armed insurgency in the region and the govt denies abuses.“International
community misunderstood us because of Rohingya lobbyists who distributed
fabricated news,” the presidential spokesman, Zaw Htay, said this week. independent
Myanmar crisis sparks
Muslim protests in Asian capitals
Burma is pursuing ‘ethnic
cleansing’ of Rohingyas: un
‘They raped us one by one,’
says Rohingya woman:AFP
Qamar Javed Bajwa appointed
as Pak New Army Chief
New Delhi: Pakistan PM Nawaz
Sharif on Saturday appointed Lt General Qamar Javed Bajwa as the country’s new
army chief.Bajwa would take over as Pakistan's 16th army chief from Raheel
Sharif, whose 3-year term ends on Nov.29.Bajwa belongs to the Balochistan
Regiment and is currently serving as Inspector General of the Training and
Evaluation.Others in contention for the post were Lt. General Ishfaq Nadeem
Ahmed, Bahawalpur Corps Commander Lt General Javed Iqbal Ramday and Lt Gen
Zubair Hayat.Outgoing army chief Raheel Sharif's choice of successor was said to
be Lt. General Ishfaq Nadeem Ahmed, who enjoys a high reputation within the
force. But PM Nawaz Sharif was said to be wary of Nadeem’s “straight and blunt”
approach.CNN-News18
General Qamar Javed Bajwa
named new Pakistan Army chief:Reuters
Lt Gen Qamar Bajwa chosen
as new army chief: Dawn
Pakistan allows Russia use
of Gwadar Port under CPEC
Ashgabad:Pakistan on
Saturday decided to accord approval to a Russian request for using the Gwadar
Port for its exports as Moscow has also showed its willingness to be part of
the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).Following Iran and Turkmenistan,
Russia has decided to use the Gwadar Port for trade to have an access to warm
waters, a top official privy to the development told Geo News. Russia also
wants to join the CPEC to reap maximum dividends. In addition, Russia aspires
to develop strategic defence ties with Pakistan, Geo News reported. Islamabad
has moved forward with a green signal allowing Russia to use the Gwadar Port
for trade.IANS
Hungarian village bans
mosques, muezzins, burqas, burkinis to block migrants
Budapest, Hungary: The
far-right mayor of a Hungarian village says councilors have voted to ban the
construction of mosques and the activity of muezzins, as well as the use of
veils and headscarves like burqas, chadors and burkinis worn by Muslim women. Asotthalom
mayor Laszlo Toroczkai says the ordinance was adopted to defend the village's
"community and traditions" from any EU scheme to resettle
asylum-seekers among the members of 28-nation bloc. Southern village is on the
border with Serbia and has been a major entry point into Hungary for migrants
on Balkan route trying to reach Western Europe.AP
Scores killed in Iran train
collision
At least 44 people have
been killed and 100 others injured when two passenger trains collided in Iran's
north-central province of Semnan, and the death toll is likely to rise,
according to news reports and local officials. aljazeera
Turkish foreign minister
visits Iran, meets Rouhani
Turkish Foreign Minister
Mevlut Cavusoglu visited Iran on Saturday and met President Hassan Rouhani,
Iranian state media reported, in rare previously announced talks between the
regional rivals.Cavusoglu was also due to meet his Iranian counterpart Mohammad
Javad Zarif during the visit, the official news agency IRNA
reported."Despite (their differences), the two countries' officials are
looking for solutions and seeking to draw closer their points of views,
especially on Iraq and Syria," IRNA reported, without giving details of
the talks.
Erdogan,Putin in Syria
talks after Turkish soldiers killed
Turkish President Tayyip
Erdogan discussed the Syrian conflict with his Russian counterpart Vladimir
Putin by phone Friday after the Turkish army accused Moscow ally Damascus of
killing its soldiers in northern Syria.Erdogan informed Putin of the strike
that killed four Turkish soldiers, presidential sources said, which the Turkish
army assessed to have been by the forces of Bashar al-Assad early on
Thursday.World Bulletin
Return of secret informants
scares Sunnis in Iraq
The reactivation of a
programme of secret informants in the predominantly Sunni Arab Iraqi province
of Diyala has frightened residents who fear this would lead thousands of them
to prisons by vengeful and deceitful informers, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported
yesterday.During the reign of former PM and current Vice President Nouri Al-Maliki,
thousands of Iraqis were sent to prisons based on false information provided by
secret informants. After an agreement with Sunni political groups and tribes,
current PM Haider Al-Abadi agreed to stop the use of these informants. middleeastmonitor
Iraq parliament recognizes
Shia militia
Iraqi parliament Saturday voted to recognize
the Shia Hashd al-Shaabi militia as an official force. Some 208 MPs of the
328-seat parliament attended Saturday’s vote, which was boycotted by Sunni
lawmakers. World Bulletin
Egypt: Brotherhood official
insists dispute is with Sisi, not military
A senior official of
Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood has told the Cairo Criminal Court that the movement
has every respect for the armed forces, and its dispute is with President Abdel
Fattah Al-Sisi.Mohamed El-Beltagy said that militant factions are wreaking
havoc in Sinai because they believe that the current regime has no
legitimacy.He made his comments when a video was presented as evidence in
court. It showed him at the pro-Morsi Rabaa Al-Adawiyya Square sit-in,
stressing that terrorist acts would stop only with the reinstatement of the
ousted president.“This video clip,” he told the court, “was political and did
not incite violence…We hold every respect for our armed forces; our dispute is
with Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi.” middleeastmonitor
World’s largest university
for women in Saudi to boost female sports
Princess Nora bint
Abdulrahman University (PNU), which is believed to be the largest women’s
university in the world, has signed an agreement with the Saudi govt General Authority for Sports to promote
healthy lifestyles amongst women and to increase women’s sports participation. middleeastmonitor
Compiled
and edited by Anwarulhaq (Released at: 8:27 PM)
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