Evening NEWS DIGEST
1 Feb.2017: 3 Jamadiul Awwal 1438: Vol:8, No:104
Sadhvi Pragya, 7 others
acquitted in Malegaon, Samjhauta blasts accused Sunil Joshi murder case:HT
Dewas: A local court in
Madhya Pradesh’s Dewas on Wednesday acquitted Sadhvi Pragya Thakur and 7 others
accused of killing former RSS pracharak Sunil Joshi. Joshi, a close associate
of Sadhvi Pragya, was shot dead on Dec.29, 2007, when he was walking back to
his hideout at Chuna Khadan locality in Dewas. Ex-RSS pracharak was on the run
for his alleged role in the murder of a tribal Congress leader.He was also
allegedly involved in both the Malegaon and Samjhauta blast cases.Those present
in the court and their relatives broke down in tears when the judgment was
pronounced.Pragya Thakur, who is undergoing treatment in a Bhopal hospital
under judicial custody, was not present in the court when the judgment was
pronounced. She is also one of the prime accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast
case.The other accused Lokesh Sharma and Rajendra Chaudhary are in jail in
Haryana’s Panchkula in connection with the Samjhauta blast case. Another
accused Harshad is also in jail in connection with another case.Other accused
Jitendra Sharma, Ramcharan Patel, Vasudev Parmar and Anandraj Kataria are out
on bail.
Sadhvi Pragya acquitted in
Sunil Joshi murder case
Don’t have recording of
conspiracy meeting attended by Sadhvi: NIA
Mumbai:In a twist to the
2008 Malegaon bomb blast case, the NIA has told the Bombay High Court it did
not know if recordings or transcripts existed of a conspiracy meeting in
Bhopal, as claimed by Maharashtra ATS, to plot the crime which prime accused
Sadhvi Pragya Thakur allegedly attended. Maharashtra ATS, which earlier probed
the case, had alleged in its charge sheets that Thakur attended several
conspiracy meetings held by the right wing group Abhinav Bharat in Bhopal,
Indore, Faridabad, Dharamkot and Ujjain.It claimed key witnesses had heard
Thakur discussing the conspiracy at a closed-door meeting in Bhopal on April
11, 2008, it said. This was the first meeting attended by Thakur, ATS claimed,
and said its proceedings as also of such previous and subsequent gatherings,
had been recorded and saved by the co-accused Sudhakar Dwivedi on his
laptop.ATS recovered the laptop, seized its hard disk for examination at FSL
labs, and cited a host of audio and video clips retrieved from it to back its
claims.The division bench headed by Justice R V More, which was hearing
Thakur’s bail plea today, was informed about the meeting by advocate BA Desai,
who appeared for blast victims.When the HC asked NIA to produce the transcript
of the recording of the Bhopal meeting, the agency said it was not aware if it
existed.Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, representing NIA, the
country’s anti-terror probe agency, said it only had the transcripts of an
alleged meeting in Faridabad and if any more video recordings or transcripts
existed, ATS had failed to hand them over to it. The HC then directed
additional public prosecutor Jayesh Yagnik to take instructions from the ATS.
Yagnik, on instructions from an ATS officer present in the court, said it had
submitted to the lower court a video clip of the Bhopal meeting.The bench
ordered the lower court to release, for the High Court’s inspection, copies of
11 CDs, some video clips, and call details that ATS had annexed with charge
sheets.HC is likely to resume hearing the matter on Feb.7.PTI
Malegaon blast: Produce
video, audio recordings of meetings, says Bombay HC to trial court registry
Delhi HC reserves order on
Zakir Naik's petition challenging Home Ministry's ban on his NGO
New Delhi:The Delhi High
Court on Wednesday reserved its order on a plea filed by Zakir Naik challenging
the ban imposed by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on his NGO, the Islamic
Research Foundation (IRF).The MHA showed confidential documents to the court on
the basis of which decision was taken.IRF's legal counsel told the court that
the MHA's notification mentioned "chargesheet" against IRF members
even though no chargesheet had been filed."MHA passed order on basis of
falsehood," he said.However, Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva said that any
information obtained after the notification passed could not be looked into as
the basis for ban. During the hearing today,
senior advocate Dinesh Mathur, representing IRF, submitted that the MHA
notification gives no reason and cites no material for taking such a step as
was required by the law laid down by the Supreme Court. IRF also said the
immediate ban was imposed without giving it any show cause notice.
huffingtonpost /PTI
HC reserves order on Naik's
plea challenging ban on IRF
Centre defends in HC its
decision to ban Zakir Naik’s IRF
Fake encounter case: Sadiq
Jamal’s father files petition in Gujarat HC for Rs 50L compensation
Ahmedabad; Father of Sadiq
Jamal, who was killed in an alleged fake encounter by Ahmedabad police in 2003,
has filed a petition in the Gujarat High Court seeking compensation of Rs 50
lakh from the state govt. The court of Justice J B Pardiwala had on Jan. 16
issued notice to the state government.The govt pleader on Tuesday opposed the
petition stating that the special CBI court hearing the encounter case is yet
to decide whether it was fake, and hence the question of compensation does not
arise at this stage. The pleader told the court that CBI is conducting further
probe into the matter and trial is going on.Petitioner Jamal Mehtar in a
special criminal application filed this month has sought the court’s direction
to the state govt to provide him a compensation of Rs 50 lakh as his son was
“killed” while in police custody.PTI
Mulund blast: Bombay HC
denies bail to Saquib Nachan
Mumbai:Bombay high court on
Tuesday refused to release a Mulund blast convict Saquib Nachan on bail after
observing that that there was no change in circumstances to merit the relief. A
POTA court last March had convicted 10 accused including Nachan and acquitted
three in the 2002- 2003 blasts which occurred Mumbai Central Vile Parle and
Mulund. Nachan’s lawyer Sudeep Pasbola on Tuesday arguing before a bench of
Justices Abhay Oka and Amjad Sayed said that Nachan has already completed nine
years and two months of the 10-year sentence and given that the appeal may not
be heard for at least a couple of years, he ought to be released, before he
"walks out of prison in Dec. 2017''.When the court asked him what was the
change in circumstances for him to seek bail, he said he had been granted bail
last October in another pending case. The court however, observed that the bail
granted there was not on merits of the case. timesofindia
PM Modi likely to make
first visit to Israel in June-July: India’s Ambassador
Jerusalem: PM Narendra
Modi’s much-anticipated visit to Israel could take place in mid-2017 in what
would be the first such tour by an Indian Premier to the Jewish state, as the 2
countries mark 25 years of their diplomatic ties.India’s Ambassador to Israel
Pavan Kapoor told news portal ‘Ynet’ about the visit and mentioned about
efforts to boost defence cooperation with Israel, which is looking to set up
manufacturing units in India under ‘Make in India’ initiative. Informed sources
told PTI the dates for Modi’s visit have not been finalised but “it is likely
to happen in June-July of 2017.” Modi’s visit is being discussed amid talks of
a “close chemistry” between him and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu.PTI
UNION BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS
Budget: Income tax rates
for individuals companies reduced; for
individual earning Rs2.5-5 lakh cut to 5%,
New Delhi: Finance Minister
Arun Jaitley today announced tax sops to individuals and companies in his
budget speech. Jaitkey announced a reduction in the tax rate in the income tax
slab of Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 5 lakh to 5% from 10%.He also announced a reduction
in tax rates for small and medium sized companies as part of an earlier promise
to gradually reduce these corporate tax rates and phasing out of exemptions
given to companies.Tax rate for companies with an annual turnover of upto Rs 50
crore has been brought down to 25% from 30%. This will benefit 96% of the
companies, Jaitley said. He also announced a surcharge of 10% on those
individuals earning an income between Rs 50 lakh to Rs 1 crore while retaining
the surcharge on those earning an income above Rs 1 crore. Basic customs duty on LNG to be reduced from 5% to 2.5%. Making MSMEs
(micro, small and medium enterprises) more viable, income tax for smaller firms
to be reduced. Tax rate for companies with an annual turnover up to Rs50 crore
to be reduced to 25%.Rate of growth in advance tax in personal income tax in
last three quarters of this financial year is as high as 34.8%. livemint
Personal income tax
proposals in the Budget
Highlights of Union Budget
2017-18
Jaitley’s budget speech: highlights
& reactions
Minority Affairs allocation
up by 9.6 % ahead of UP polls
New Delhi: Union Minority
Affairs received Rs 4195 crore in the 2017-18 general budget, a rise of 9.6% from
the previous year. In the previous year, the allocation for the Ministry has
been Rs 3,827.25 crore in 2016-17.Presenting the budget today Arun Jaitley
allocated a hike of Rs 367.75 crores to Minority Affairs budget.The govt has
done away with the plan and non-plan heads of the budget instead this
expenditure will be outcome based. The budget will be utilised in executing the
umbrella schemes for minority communities like - Muslims, Sikhs, Jains Christians
and Parsis. newindianexpress
Minorities get only Rs
4,195 cr while SC Rs. 52,393 Cr, ST Rs 31,920 cr in Union Budget 2017
Minority communities have
been sorely disappointed with the minuscule allocation for the development of
minority communities in the country. They were expecting a huge boost in
allocation for the new year. But They were let down.But even this minuscule
increase didn’t stop Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi to praise
the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. “After many years,Minority Affairs Ministry
Budget increased by more than Rs 395 cr. It is Rs 4195 cr for 2017-18 from Rs
3800 cr in 2016-17” said Naqvi.ViewsHeadlines
Allocation for welfare of
SC, ST, minorities to be enhanced Aadhar based smart cards containing health
details for senior citizens to be introduced
Govt increases allocation
for Dalit,minority communities
Cash donation to parties
capped at Rs. 2,000
New Delhi: In order to
cleanse the political funding system and check black money, Arun Jaitley today
proposed to restrict cash donations to political parties from individuals to
Rs. 2,000 and introduced an ‘electoral bonds’ scheme.The electoral bonds, which
will be issued by notified banks, can be redeemed by recognised political
parties within a prescribed time limit.“In accordance with the suggestion made
by the Election Commission, the maximum amount of cash donation that a
political party can receive will be Rs. 2,000 from one person. Political parties
will be entitled to receive donations by cheque or digital mode from their
donors,” Jaitley said PTI
Cash dealings above Rs3 lakh banned from April
1:Jaitley
In a bid to clamp down on
black money, Arun Jaitley proposed to ban all cash transactions above Rs 3 lakh
effective April 1, 2017. The decision taken is based on the recommendation of
the SIT on black money that was set up by the Supreme Court, Jaitley said.He said,
“SIT has suggested no cash transaction above Rs 3 lakhs. Govt has accepted
this.” indianexpress
Budget gives a major push
to Digital Economy; proposes No Cash Transaction above Rs 3 lakh
Budget 2017: Defence sector
gets close to 10% hike
New Delhi : Arun Jaitley
has allocated Rs. 2,74,114 crore for the Defence sector, an increase of 9.5%
compared to the previous year’s. Defence pension is not part of the allocation.
The capital budget allocation — meant for new purchases — for the coming
financial year is Rs. 86,488 crore, a 10% hike from the previous allocation of
Rs 78,586.68 crore.the hindu
Defence Budget increased to
Rs. 2.74 lakh crore
Cabinet approves loan
tenure of 20 yrs under credit-linked subsidy scheme in PMAY
New Delhi: Union cabinet has
approved the extension of tenure of loans under the Credit Linked Subsidy
Scheme (CLSS) vertical of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) Mission from 15 to
20 years and introduced the scheme for middle income group (MIG) category.An
allocation of Rs 1,000 crore initially in the budget for 2017-18 at the
Budgetary Estimate stage has been made for the proposed CLSS for MIG.The scheme
will be named as CLSS for economically weaker sections of society/Lower Income
Group (LIG), an official statement said. The cabinet also allowed the Primary
Lending Institutions (PLIs) that have signed an MoU with the Central Nodal
Agencies (CNAs), under the CLSS vertical of PMAY (Urban) to extend the mandate
of their MoU to CLSS for MIG with appropriate changes as applicable.IANS
First rail budget merger
lays down reform measures
New Delhi: 500 railway
stations will be made differently-abled friendly by providing lifts and
escalators.The first merger of rail Budget with Union Budget presented by Arun
Jaitley in Parliament on Wednesday focussed on improving rail safety, pushing
digital transactions, listing rail public sector units on stock markets and
setting fares competing with other modes of transportation.A rail safety fund,
named ‘Rail Sanraksha Kosh’, with a corpus of Rs. 1 lakh crore is proposed to
be set up over a period of five years, Jaitley announced. He added that all unmanned
railway crossings on broad gauge lines will be eliminated by 2020.He announced
the waiver of service charges on e-tickets booked through IRCTC. Earlier, IRCTC
used to levy a service charge of Rs 20 on sleeper class and Rs 40 on AC class
e-tickets. The service charge waiver may hit Indian Railways’ revenues by Rs 2
crore a day, according to senior Railway Ministry officials. However, IRCTC
will be able to raise money from the market as a plan to list the railway PSU
on stock markets was announced by Jaitley. Along with IRCTC, Indian Railway
Finance Corporation and Ircon will also be listed on stock markets. thehindu
'Tax evasion a way of
life': Only 76 lakh Indians showed income of over Rs 5 lakh:Jaitley
Union Budget 2017:
Smartphones may become costlier
Industry status for
affordable housing, easing of capital gains tax norms a big hit with real
estate sector
Opposition slams Budget,
Mamata calls it clueless, actionless, heartless
Over 8 million internal
migrants, economic slowdown hits their flow
No cash transactions above
rs. 3 lakhs: Jaitley
Budget 2017: Income Tax cut
by 5% for individuals
Budget 2017: Jaitley's tax
relief to demonetisation-hit middle class was a lollypop
OTHERS
Ex-Minister E Ahamed dies
after cardiac arrest
New Delhi: Ex-Union
Minister E Ahamed, who collapsed Tuesday in parliament, has died. He was 78.
Ahamed was admitted at Delhi's RML hospital after he suffered a cardiac arrest
while both houses of parliament were being jointly addressed by President
Pranab Mukherjee. At around 2.15 pm, Ahamed was shifted to the RML trauma
centre's ICU where he was put on ventilator. Ahamed died at 2:15am at RML
hospital."E Ahamed has passed away at 2:15 am. His body has been taken to
AIIMS hospital for embalming (a method to preserve a corpse from decaying) as
the facility is not available at RML," a senior RML doctor was quoted by
PTI.His body will be taken to Kerala later today.News of his death was preceded
by high drama as Ahamed's family earlier alleged that they were not allowed to
meet him by hospital authorities. NDTV
Congress leader Kharge accuses govt of delaying E Ahamed’s
death announcement, terms it ‘inhuman act’
New Delhi: Congress leader
Mallikarjun Kharge has accused the ruling dispensation of deliberately trying
to delay senior parliamentarian E Ahamed’s death announcement, suggesting that
NDA administration did not want to postpone the Union Budget. Lok Sabha
Opposition leader also described these allegations as an “inhuman act”.“In our
opinion, including JDU leaders and Deve Gowda, the budget should be postponed,”
Kharge told reporters ahead of the presentation of Union Budget. “Govt already
knew that he had passed away but they were trying to maybe delay announcement,”
he alleged.“It is not March 31, there is a lot of time to present the Budget. Govt
can postpone it,” Kharge said further. RJD chief Lalu Prasad, said Union Budget
should not be presented.The death of a sitting House member is generally
followed by adjournment of the House after obituary references. indian express
Kerala CM slams Centre for
presenting Union Budget, showing disrespect to E Ahamed
Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday slammed the
Centre for presenting the Union Budget, hours after the death of former Union
Minister E Ahmed saying it was “improper, unfortunate and amounted to showing
disrespect” to the departed leader. In a statement, the CM said it was in the same Parliament building
that Ahamed, a senior sitting member in the Lok Sabha had collapsed on Tuesday.
“Presenting budget in the same building within hours after his death was
totally improper and unfortunate. The Centre has gone ahead with the budget
presentation, hurting the sentiments of the members of the House,” he said.“The
act amounted to disrespect to the memories of the deceased and insulting the
democratic consciousness of the nation. It was a grave mistake that the govt had
gone ahead with the budget presentation at a time when tributes should have
been paid to such a senior leader,” he said.PTI
PM Modi visits E Ahamed’s
residence, pays last repects
When the Govt
"Stopped" the Death of an MP From Being Declared...The Citizen Bureau
NEET 2017 not to be
conducted in Urdu: Students' Islamic Organisation to move Supreme Court
Urdu, which was earlier
supposed to be made a medium for conducting NEET, is not included in the
notification released. The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) 2017
which was earlier supposed to be conducted in 8 languages including Hindi,
English and Marathi will now have additional 2 more languages - Oriya and
Kannada. But the Students' Islamic Organisation (SIO) of India has decided to
move Supreme Court as Urdu, which was earlier supposed to be made a medium for
conducting NEET is not included in the notification released.According to TOI
report, the test will be conducted across 80 cities. "There are about 168
schools in Maharashtra alone. There will be students from other states too
whose first language could be Urdu, how can they ignore such a large number of
students," said Mohammad Ali, public relations secretary of SIO.Earlier an
online petition was organised by the SIO after which Urdu language was likely
to become one of the medium of NEET examination. Following these efforts,
Maharashtra Health Minister Girish Mahajan had also urged the central govt to
think about the same. indiatoday
NEET 2017 in 2 more
languages, Urdu excluded
Protest stepped up for NEET
in Urdu
Court adjourns hearing in
2013 Muzaffarnagar riots case
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-court-adjourns-hearing-in-2013-muzaffarnagar-riots-case-2302966
A local court today
adjourned its hearing against union minister Sanjiv Balyan and BJP MLAs Sangit
Som and Suresh Rana as they failed to appear before it in connection with 2013
Muzaffarnagar riots.Additional CJM Jitender Kumar allowed the plea of exemption
from presence of Balyan, Som, Rana, BJP MP Bhartendu Singh, VHP leader Sadhvi
Prachi, and BJP leader Umesh Malik and adjourned the case till Feb.27.In
another riots case, CJM Garima Choudhry adjourned hearing against BJP leader
Vikram Saini and others and fixed the next hearing for Feb.14 in connection
with a car burning case. PTI
Muzaffarnagar: People
apprehensive atmosphere may be vitiated
Ishrat encounter accused top
cop given extension
Gandhinagar: Gujarat’s
Acting Director General of Police PP Pandey, who is an accused in the killing
of Ishrat Jahan and associates in an alleged shootout, was given a three-month
extension of service on Tuesday, the day he retired.The state govt’s
recommendation to extend Pandey’s services was approved by Union Home
Ministry.Besides heading the Anti-Corruption Bureau, Pandey was holding the
charge of the Director General of Police of the state. A 1980 batch IPS
officer, Pandey was arrested in July 2013 in connection with the killing of
Ishrat Jahan, a 18-year-old girl from Mumbra in Mumbai, in the alleged
gunfight.IANS
RSS attacking Mehbooba over
her anti-national remark puts PDP-BJP alliance in jeopardy
J&K BJP has launched a
scathing attack on PDP, its coalition partner in the state, targeting CM Mehbooba Mufti for her remarks on Article 370
which has triggered a political storm in the state.The Hindu right-wing party,
on Tuesday, demanded the remarks of CM, that those who speak against the
Article 370 are "anti-nationals", should be expunged from the records
of the state assembly's ongoing budget session.Earlier on Tuesday, a high drama
was witnessed in the assembly after the Speaker Kavinder Gupta who describes
himself as a "proud RSS man", passed directions to expunge these
remarks made by Mehbooba on Monday. firstpost
3 killed in blast at venue
of Congress poll rally in Bathinda
Chandigarh:3 persons,
including a minor girl, were killed and 15 others injured in an explosion in a
car at the site of an election meeting Tuesday in Bathinda district of Punjab.
Police said a pressure cooker had been recovered from the site which had been
cordoned off by BSF personnel.The incident took place at Maur Mandi shortly
after 8.30 pm, around the time Congress Maur candidate Harminder Singh Jassi
wrapped up his campaign speech. indianexpress
Haryana: 40 Dalit families
flee Mirchpur after caste clash
Rohtak: Almost seven years
after Mirchpur witnessed the fury of communal flames, caste violence reared its
head again on Monday night at the small village in Haryana's Hisar district.
The fresh violence forced around 40 Dalit families to flee their homes. Trouble
erupted after some Jat men allegedly thrashed a youth from the Balmiki
community, leaving 4 injured, during a cycle show on Monday night. A case under
the provisions of the SCST Act has been registered against 15 persons in
Narnaund Police Station.Hisar SP Rajender Meena said 4 upper caste men were
arrested for the attack on the Dalit youth. The arrested four have been
identified as Ram Prasad, Satish, Neelu and Pravesh. Fearing a backlash from
Jats, 40 Dalit families, including women and children, left the village on
Tuesday morning for nearby Talwandi Rana village. Police and other officials
followed the families and tried to persuade them to stay back but to no avail.
Later, the administration shifted them to govt officers' mess in Hisar.
Mirchpur first hit headlines in 2010, when 70-yearold Tara Chand and his
physically-challenged teenage daughter Suman were killed and several houses
were burnt by upper caste men following a clash over a trivial issue. Dalits
had refused to return to the village after the incident and a court had ordered
to deploy CRPF personnel at the village. Rajat Kalsan, state coordinator of
National Alliance for Dalit Human Rights, said Monday's incident occurred because
the security personnel provided for the village after the 2010 clash were
withdrawn. He said his organisation would conduct a fact finding survey and
then move the high court, seeking proper rehabilitation of Dalit victims.TOI
Fresh violence triggers another
Dalit exodus at Hisar
2010 horror haunts Haryana
village again: 6 injured, Dalits plan to leave Mirchpur village
Law allows animal
sacrifice, so nothing wrong with Jallikattu: Centre tells SC
New Delhi:Law allows animal
sacrifice in the name of religion and there is nothing wrong in holding
Jallikattu, the Centre told the Supreme Court, which on Tuesday refused to stay
a recent legislation that overrode the court’s ban on the bull-taming sport.The
court didn’t put the new Tamil Nadu law on hold but it came down hard on the
state govt for failing to maintain law and order during recent protests.“Goats
are sacrificed throughout the country during a festival. This is done because
the law -- prevention of cruelty to animals -- permits it to do so,” Centre’s
top legal officer Mukul Rohatgi said in a reference to Eid ul Adha as he defended
the state govt’s new law.He said the law was conscious that there should not be
cruelty to animals. “But, a holistic approach is required to be taken,” he told
a bench of justice Dipak Misra and justice RF Nariman.HT
In UP, growing disquiet
within RSS & BJP over tickets
Lucknow:There is growing
disquiet within a section of the BJP and the RSS over the allocation of tickets
in UP. Torching effigies of party national chief Amit Shah and state chief
Keshav Prasad Maurya, protests blocking Shah’s vehicle on his recent visit to
Lucknow, holding Faizabad BJP MP and party’s district president virtual hostage
in Ayodhya — party insiders say this is the first time that such resentment has
boiled over so close to the election.RSS has 6 state units in UP and at least 4
of them are said to have expressed their reservations against what they call
“arbitrary ticket distribution” to “outsiders and relatives” instead of those
who have worked on the ground. indianexpress
India, Pak cannot live in
mutual hostility forever: Kulkarni
Mumbai:Govts and people in
India and Pakistan must work together to normalise ties between the two
countries and promote all-round cooperation for mutual benefit as well as for
changing the destiny of South Asia, Sudheendra Kulkarni, chairman of Observer
Research Foundation (ORF) Mumbai, said at Mumbai. Kulkarni, a peace activist
who has been trying to promote India-Pakistan reconciliation, was speaking
during the launch of an ‘Indo-Pak peace calendar’ here.PTI
H-1B visa issue: US should
carefully calibrate conditions keeping in mind skill storage, says NASSCOM
New Delhi:In the backdrop
of the recent H1-B visa legislation introduced in US House of Representatives,
NASSCOM said it will continue to engage with Trump administration both directly
and indirectly through Govt of India. While maintaining that the bill will need
to go through several legislative discussions at the US Congress and Senate
before this can become a law, the industry body said in a statement on Tuesday
that their focus would be on highlighting the value contribution of India’s IT
sector as a “net creator” of jobs in the US.“Lofgren Bill contains provisions
that may prove challenging for the Indian IT sector and will also leave
loopholes that will nullify the objective of saving American jobs,” read the
statement. indianexpress
Fake Rs. 2,000 notes have
50% of security features
Kolkata: Counterfeiters
have expertly replicated half of the security features of the new Rs. 2000
notes, a consignment of fake Indian currency notes (FICN) seized on the
Bangladesh border recently reveals.BSF and NIA intercepted 4 consignments of
Rs. 2000 notes between Dec. 2016 and Jan. this year from areas near Malda
district.With the quality of the fakes improving over time, the seizure has set
alarm bells ringing for intelligence agencies and security forces. thehindu
JNUSU pulled up for
‘disrupting’ meeting
New Delhi: JNU Students’
Union was pulled up by the Registrar for allegedly disrupting a meeting related
to an admission policy at university. Union members were protesting outside a
Standing Committee meeting as a part of the ongoing hunger strike being
organised on the campus against a notification of the University Grants
Commission that seeks to change the admission criteria for M.Phil and Ph.D
courses.“By their violent behaviour, a group of about 50 JNU students are
damaging the future of thousands of socially and economically poor students,” JNU
Registrar Pramod Kumar said. thehindu
Mob cane-charged after
ruckus at Muslim Rashtriya Manch’s meet on Triple Talaq in Jabalpur: timesofindia
Jabalpur: Hardly a week
after a fatwa was issued against a leader of the community for his public
statements opposing Triple Talaq, 2 groups clashed on the issue on Tuesday
forcing cops to resort to lathicharge to control the situation. The clash took
place outside a prominent city hotel where the Muslim Rashtriya Manch organised
a meet to discuss the issue of 'triple talaq' in the light of the social,
education status and sharia. While the meet was on, a group of protesters
reached the venue and tried to disrupt the proceedings leading to an
altercation with the hosts.Convener of Muslim Rashtriya Manch, Reshma Hussain,
national co-convener Shahnaz Afzal and other officer bearers were present
during the function. It was during that time that a group of protesters led by
former Congress corporator Azam Khan reached the spot and started
protesting.Later Khan was arrested under section 151 and mild force was used to
control the situation.Just a week ago, Darul Ulme Ahle Sunnat a religious body
from Jabalpur, issued a 'fatwa' against the chairperson of state backward class
and minority finance development corporation, SK Muddin calling for his social
boycott till he apologises.
Divorced in absentia, woman
moves SC
Saharanpur: The Supreme
Court has accepted the petition of a 30-year-old Saharanpur-based resident, Atiya
Sabari, who approached the court after her husband gave her triple talaq in her
absence. In her petition, Sabari has made Darul Uloom as party alleging that
the seminary did not hear her before issuing a fatwa to validate the triple
talaq. She also made her husband, in-laws and Union govt parties in her
petition. The SC will hear the case on Fe.15.The petition has been moved at a
time when a batch of PILs on triple talaq and t he plight of Muslim women is
pending with the SC.In her petition, Sabari said she was married to Wajid Ali
of Jasoddarpur village in Uttarakhand’s Haridwar district on March 25, 2012. timesofindia
WORLD
Israel authorises 3,000
more settler homes in West Bank
Israel has announced the
construction of 3,000 settlement homes in the occupied West Bank, fourth such
announcement in less than two weeks since the inauguration of US President
Trump. "Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman and PM Benjamin Netanyahu have decided to authorise construction
of 3,000 new housing units in Judea-Samaria," the defence ministry said in
a statement on Tuesday, using the term Israel uses for the West Bank, a
Palestinian territory.Since the Jan.20 inauguration of Trump, Israel has
approved the construction of 566 housing units in three settlement areas of
occupied East Jerusalem and announced the building of 2,502 more in the West
Bank.On Thursday last week, Israeli officials gave final approval for 153
settler homes in East Jerusalem. Aljazerra
Israel begins evacuation of
illegal Amona outpost:Aljazerra
Hundreds of Israeli border
police have entered a hardline Jewish settlement outpost in the West Bank
Wednesday to evict its residents after a court ruled the homes were built on
private Palestinian land.Hundreds of officers marched into the Amona outpost
near Ramallah, just hours after the Israeli govt announced that another 3,000
more illegal homes would be built in occupied Palestine.The officers' evacuation
of Amona marked the end of months of attempts by govt hardliners to legalise
the outpost, and the approval over past 2 weeks of nearly 5000 new settler
homes elsewhere in the occupied Palestine was widely seen as a move to win
their support.
Israeli govt plan to
connect illegal settlements with cities
'Witch hunt' fears as US
may outlaw Muslim Brotherhood
US civil liberties groups
have slammed plans by members of Congress to proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood
as a terrorist group. Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) said the
legislation, tabled by Republican senators Ted Cruz and Mario Diaz-Balart and
supported by the Trump administration, could lead to a "witch
hunt".The bill, titled Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act, was
submitted in Jan.shortly before President Trump took power.It accuses the group
of plotting a "grand jihad" to destroy Western civilisation from
within. "This potent threat to our civilisation has intensified under the
Obama administration due to the wilful blindness of politically correct
policies that hamper our safety and security," Cruz said in statement
accompanying the bill.He further accused the former US president of overseeing
a "detente" with the group, which has renounced violence. aljazeera
Hamas’s power increased due
to ‘minister of leaks’, accuses ex-Israeli minister Defence Minister
Ex-Defence Minister Moshe
Ya’alon has said that Hamas’s power increased due to the continuous leaks of
the transcripts of the Israeli cabinet’s security discussions during the military
offensive against Gaza in 2014, Safa reported on Tuesday. “Hamas had been
deterred for two years [after the 2014 offensive], but the leaks by the
‘minister of leaks’ gave it more power,” Ya’alon wrote on Twitter. He included
information reported by the Israeli Channel 2 TV wherein a spokesman for the
Islamic movement’s military wing said, “Leaks prove our narrative that we won
the battle.”Insisting that the leaks had damaged Israeli security, Ya’alon
accused Education Minister Naftali Bennett of being responsible for them.middleeastmonitor
Hamas rejects elections
before end of internal split
Hamas has rejected the
proposal to hold local elections before reconciliation has been achieved to end
the internal political split, Al-Risalah reported. It claimed that setting a
date for the elections actually serves the interests of its main rival, Fatah. “The
decision to hold the elections was made to meet the interests of Ramallah-based
govt run by Fatah at the expense of Palestinian interests and the unity of the
Palestinian institutions, said Hamas spokesman. middleeastmonitor
Leaked call between Al-Sisi
and minister reveals Saudi support for Qatar against Egypt
A leaked recording of a
telephone call between Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and his foreign minister has been
broadcast by Mokamileen TV. It revealed the behind-the-scenes diplomatic
activity in Egypt following the statement issued by GCC in defence of Qatar. Statement
expressed Qatar’s displeasure with the fact that the Egyptian Interior Ministry
“mentioned its name” in the bombing of a church in Cairo case.Qatari pressure
with Saudi Arabia’s support was the ultimate reason for the issue of a
“watered-down and balanced” version of the statement, claimed Egypt.The leak
also confirmed the efforts of Kuwait’s Emir,Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah,
to diffuse the tension between Cairo and Riyadh. This first surfaced in October
after Egypt voted in favour of a Russian resolution on Syria, to which Saudi
Arabia was firmly opposed.middleeastmonitor
Hijab-clad woman harassed
in US, asked 'do you have green card'
Washington: A hijab-clad
woman in the US was allegedly harassed and abused at a cafe by a man who asked
her "do you have a green card", the latest in a slew of incidents in
which immigrants have been targeted following Donald Trump's 'visa ban' on 7
Muslim nations.A young Muslim-American woman filmed the moment she was harassed
and called a b***h after a man took photos of her in an Atlanta coffee
shop.Asma Elhuni, 39, noticed the man, news outlets believe to be Rob Koehler,
walk into Joe's Coffee Shop and start taking pictures of her as she worked on
her laptop.PTI
UAE minister says Trump
travel ban not anti-Islam
Abu Dhabi:US President
Donald Trump's travel ban on citizens of seven Muslim-majority nations is not
anti-Islam, the United Arab Emirates foreign minister said on Wednesday.Sheikh
Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan, whose country like neighbouring Saudi Arabia is a
close ally of Washington, said it was "wrong to say" that the
decision by the new US administration was "directed against a particular
religion".AFP
Trump picks conservative
Neil Gorsuch for Supreme Court
US President Donald Trump
has nominated Neil Gorsuch to the US Supreme Court, picking the 49-year-old to
restore the court's conservative majority and shape rulings on divisive issues
such as abortion, gun control, the death penalty and religious rights.The
Colorado native faces a potentially contentious confirmation battle in the US
Senate after Republicans last year refused to consider Democratic President
Barack Obama's nominee to fill the vacancy caused by the February 2016 death of
conservative justice Antonin Scalia.The Senate's top Democrat, Chuck Schumer,
indicated his party would mount a procedural hurdle requiring 60 votes in the
100-seat Senate rather than a simple majority to approve Gorsuch, and expressed
"very serious doubts" about the nominee. aljazeera
Trump's chief strategist
Steve Bannon in 2010: 'Islam is not a religion of peace'
President Donald Trump's
chief strategist Steve Bannon once dismissed the notion that Islam is a
religion of peace, describing it in a 2010 radio interview as "a religion
of submission."Bannon made the comments on "Western Word Radio with
Avi Davis," an online right-wing radio station.In the segment, Bannon, who
at the time served on the board of Breitbart, criticized former President
George W. Bush for what he and fellow guest conservative columnist Diana West
described as injecting political correctness into the federal government. Bannon
mocked Bush for proclaiming "Islam is a religion of peace."CNN
Travel ban on Muslims to
include social media 'vetting'
Travellers to the United
States from seven Muslim-majority countries singled out for "extreme
vetting" will face scrutiny of their social media activity and phone
records, the new US Homeland Security secretary has said.John Kelly on Tuesday
sought to explain President Donald Trump's travel ban, four days after he
issued it with no warning, setting off mass protests, legal challenges and
confusion. aljazeera
No 'terrorism' charges for
Quebec mosque attack suspect Alexandre Bissonnette
Authorities in Canada have
charged Alexandre Bissonnette, a French-Canadian university student known for
his far-right views, over a shooting rampage on a Quebec City mosque that
killed six people.Bissonnette faces six counts of first-degree murder and five
of attempted murder, but has not been charged with any terrorism-related
offences, despite Sunday's attack being widely condemned, including by Canadian
PM Justin Trudeau, as a "terrorist
act" against Muslims.When asked on Tuesday why Bissonnette was not facing
terrorism-related charges, Thomas Jacques, a representative of the prosecutor's
office, replied: "The charges laid correspond to the evidence
available," said. aljazeera
Syrian militias get more US
support for IS fight, plan new phase
US-led coalition fighting
Islamic State has boosted support for its Syrian allies, supplying armoured
vehicles for the first time as they prepare for a new phase in their campaign
to capture Raqqa, a spokesman for the militia said on Tuesday.US-backed Syrian
Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance, which is dominated by the Kurdish YPG
militia, is waging a campaign to capture Islamic State's base of operations in
Raqqa.A Kurdish military source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told
Reuters the next phase of the Raqqa campaign would aim to seal off all
remaining roads to the city, including the route to Deir al-Zor province,
another IS stronghold. SDF is likely to figure prominently in US President
Donald Trump's strategy for fighting IS in Syria, where the jihadist group
still holds large areas of territory stretching to the Iraqi border.SDF
spokesman Talal Silo said the delivery of the armoured vehicles marked a
significant improvement in US support and attributed the change to the new
administration. Trump says eradicating IS will be one of his biggest
priorities.IS is being fought in Syria by 3 sets of enemies:Syrian Democratic
Forces in northern Syria, Syrian govt and its Russian and Iranian-backed
militia allies in central and eastern Syria, and the Turkish army and its
Syrian rebel allies in a strip of land near the border.Reuters
Compiled and edited by Anwarulhaq (Released at: 7:55 PM)
Posts
Thanks for sharing this information.
ReplyDelete