Evening NEWS
DIGEST
11 March.2017: 11 Jamadiul Akhir 1438:Vol:8, No:138
UP (403/403)
Parties Leads Won
BJP 0 325
SP + CONG 0 54
BSP 0 19
OTH 0 5
RLD 0 0
PUNJAB (117/117)
CONG 1 76
AAP 0 20
SAD 0 15
BJP 0 3
OTH 0 2
UTTARAKHAND(70/71)
BJP 1 56
CONG 0 11
OTH 0 2
UKD 0 0
BSP 0 0
GOA (38/40)
CONG+ 0 19
BJP 0 13
MGP+ 0 3
OTH 0 3
AAP 0 0
MANIPUR (60/60)
CONG 0 28
BJP 0 21
OTH 0 7
NPF 0 4
PRJA 0 0
BJP captures UP,
Uttarakhand; Congress wins Punjab, leads in Manipur and Goa
BJP tampered with EVMs,
alleges Mayawati; asks for fresh polling by ballot papers
New Delhi:Not ready to
accept defeat in UP , BSP chief mayawati accused the BJP of tampering with the
EVMs and demanded fresh poll with the use of ballot paper. BJP is likely to
secure a landlisde victory in the state, according to the latest trend. But
Mayawati alleged that the voting was fudged and accused the BJP and its workers
of tampering with the electronic voting machines. She said that she will write
to the Election Commission to conduct a fresh poll in the state.“The results in
UP and Uttarakhand are surprising and not palatable to anyone…it seems EVMs did
not accept votes polled for any party other than BJP,” said Mayawati, whose BSP
has fared poorly in the UP elections.“People’s trust in EVM voting is broken. BJP
has tampered with the EVMs in UP. I have written to Election Commission in this
regard, people no more have faith in EVM machines.It’s is an attack on
democracy. Whatever reports I am getting my sources, in many areas people where
people have not even voted to for BJP, the party is emerging as winner,” she
added.“It is a matter of common discussion here that even if button is pressed
for any other party, vote will be polled in favour of BJP,”Mayawati added.She
asserted that BJP winning in Muslim dominated areas proves that there was
something wrong with EVM machines. “Muslims constitute 20% votes in the state
and the BJP did not give a single ticket to Muslims…but in Muslim-dominated
seats also the results went in the BJP’s favour and this is unpalatable to the
party,” she said.Her comments come as the BJP was poised to sweep the state. Issuing
an open warning to the BJP, Mayawati said they need not be happy that they got
a majority as they have “killed democracy and this is betrayal of democracy”. Indianexpress
Full list of Muslim winning
candidates in UP Vidhan Sabha
Lucknow: UP election 2017
sent only 20 Muslim candidates to UP Vidhan sabha. From 69 seats in the
previous assembly, election, this is like a white wash of sorts.In the last
assembly elections held in the year 2012, there were as many as 69 Muslim MLAs
in the house of 405. Though compared to their 20 percent population, there
should have been ideally 100 Muslim candidates, but it was among the highest in
the history of assembly elections in the state.Now the representation of the Muslim
in state assembly is just around 5 percent. Amroha 41 Mehboob Ali SP, Bilari 30
mohd. Faeem SP, Chamraua 35 Naseer Ahmad Khan SP, Gopalpur 344 Nafees Ahmad SP,
Isauli 187 Abrar Ahmad SP, Kairana 8 Nahid Hasan SP, Kanpur Cantt. 216 Sohil
Akhtar Ansari Congress, Kundarki 29 Mohammad Rizwan SP, Meerut 48 Rafiq Ansari SP,
Mau 356 Mukhtar Anshari BSP, Moradabad Rural 27 Haji Ikram Qureshi SP,
Najibabad 17 Tasleem Ahmad SP, Nizamabad 348 Alambadi SP, Pratappur 257 Mohd
Mujtaba Siddqui BSP, Rampur 37 Mohammad Azam Khan SP, Saharanpur 4 Masood
Akhtar Congress, Sambhal 33 Iqbal Mehmood SP, Sishamau 213 Hazi Irfan Solanki SP,
Suar 34 Abdullah Azam Khan SP, Thakurdwara 26 Navab Jan SP. ViewsHeadlines
UP: 27 Muslim candidates
leading; 68 had won in 2012
UP election results: BJP
doubles vote share from 2012, slight drop since Lok Sabha polls
From 47 seats in the 2012
Assembly elections of UP, BJP’s numbers are all set to surge to more than 300
in the 2017 polls. In terms of vote percentage, BJP has more than doubled its
vote share this time compared to the 2012 Assembly elections. BJP’s vote share
was just 15 % in 2012 Assembly elections
of UP which has risen to almost 40 % in 2017. In terms of the latest vote share
data, as available with the Election Commission, BJP polled 39.6 % , followed
by the SP and the BSP with 22 % each
while the Congress was seen getting over 6 % in 2017 state elections. Among others, the RLD
was seen getting less than 2 % vote
share and the CPI had just 0.2 % , while 0.9 % votes were cast for NOTA. Independent
candidates who were seen as leading on three seats polled 2.5 % votes.BJP had got 42.6 % vote share in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls in UP while the same was just 15 % in the last assembly elections in the state in
2012. SP’s vote share has remained largely unchanged from 22.3 % since 2014, but has come down from over 29% in
2012.BJP did even better in the neighbouring Uttarakhand with over 46 % vote share, though down from nearly 56 % in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. In Punjab, where
the Congress was headed for a victory, the BJP saw its vote share decline to
just about 5 % , down from nearly 9 % in
the 2014 elections.The party also saw its vote share drop in Goa to nearly 33 %
from over 54 % though it saw a big jump in Manipur to close
to 35 % from 12 % .BJP’s rival
parties—the SP, BSP and the Congress—have all seen their vote shares decline
sharply since 2012 Assembly polls in UP though there is surprisingly not much
change in their share since in the Lok Sabha elections of 2014.india tv news
BJP shining in Muslim
stronghold a big jolt to Mayawati, Akhilesh: indianexpress
New Delhi:Mayawati and
Akhilesh Yadav have all reasons to be upset with the UP poll results. Not only their parties failed to
return to power, the BJP secured massive victories in Muslim dominated areas –
where SP and BSP parties used to enjoy lead in previous polls. From all six
constituencies of riot-hit Muzaffarnagar to Deoband in Saharanpur, Bareilly,
Bijnor and Moradabad where Muslims dominate the demography, the BJP swept the
polls. Though the voting percentage is yet to come, Mayawati has alleged
tampering of EVMs by BJP, saying even the ‘Muslims votes have gone to the
saffron party which is unacceptable.’Well, how true is Mayawati’s allegation
will be probed by the Election Commission. But if Muslims have cast their vote
in favour of BJP, it is a big achievement for Narendra Modi and Amit Shah who
are accused of marginalising the minorities. And the result in this region
seems to be a big blow to the appeasement politics of the ruling SP and the
BSP. indianexpress
Elections 2017: Prashant
Kishor’s fall from grace as kingmaker is complete: HT
For poll strategist
Prashant Kishor, the time for basking in the glory of past achievements just
got over.Though the Congress registered a resounding victory in Punjab, the win
was largely attributed to Captain Amarinder Singh’s charisma and the ten-year
anti-incumbency factor against the SAD-BJP combine rather than Kishor’s
campaign strategy. But Kishor will have much explaining to do on his role in UP
and Uttarakhand, where the Congress has been reduced to ashes. It was Kishor
who had persuaded the Congress leadership to go in for an alliance with the SP
in UP and fight the assembly elections under outgoing CM Akhilesh Yadav.The move backfired for the Congress.Unlike
his stint with PM Narendra Modi and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, Kishor had a relatively tough
assignment with the Congress.Right from the beginning, he remained a ‘persona
non grata’ in the Congress. At the time of hiring Kishor early last year,
Congress leaders had insisted his expertise is needed to help the party adapt
to changes in the mode of campaign in the internet age with social media having
assumed much significance.But Kishor found it difficult to implement all his
ideas in the grand old party. A few of his suggestions that Rahul Gandhi be
declared the party’s UP CM ial candidate and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra should lead
the campaign were rejected outright by Congress leadership.HT
Irom Sharmila quits politics
Imphal: Manipur's
'Iron Lady' Irom Sharmila has reportedly decided to quit politics.The
activist-turned-politician decided to enter politics after ending her
16-year-long fast against AFSPA in August 2016. She announced her decision to
contest the Assembly elections in the state against incumbent CM Okram Ibobi Singh in Thoubal constituency,
where he had won the last three elections. Times of india
India snubs new UN chief,
rejects mediation on Kashmir issue
New Delhi: India has again
reiterated that only a bilateral solution to the Kashmir issue is possible,
amid signs that new UN secretary general Antonio Gutterres was looking at ways
to break the deadlock between the two nations. Responding to reports that
Guterres was considering opening a conversation with senior Indian and
Pakistani officials on Kashmir, Govt sources said, "Our position on addressing
all issues between India and Pakistan bilaterally has not
changed."Guterres' spokesperson Farhan Haq was quoted as saying that the
secretary general "will talk to different officials if it helps (to) move
the process along. That's something that he is looking into. Beyond that, I
have nothing new to say about the issue". Haq was answering journalists'
questions about the situation in Kashmir, and if Guterres had been able to
understand the Kashmir dispute and would he be talking to PM Narendra Modi to
start a dialogue with Pakistan.When asked if there was a timeline as to when
the UN chief would talk to leaders from the two countries, Haq said that, as
with any number of long-running situations, there were "a lot of complex
issues" that needed to be examined. UN chief "will... certainly...try
to see what can be done to improve the situation on the ground", Haq
said.Pakistan has repeatedly asked the UN to intervene in Kashmir, particularly
after the months-long unrest and violence in the Kashmir Valley last year.TOI
Gilgit Baltistan is an
integral part of J&K: Junaid Qureshi
New Delhi: Junaid Qureshi,
son of Kashmiri separatist leader Hashim Qureshi, on Friday said that Gilgit
Baltistan is an integral part of J&K and Pakistan has no right to divide
the state, ANI reported."Gilgit Baltistan (region) is an integral part of
(India's) Jammu and Kashmir state. Pakistan has no right to divide the state
further and sell its resources under false rubric of infrastructure
development," Junaid Qureshi said, adding that the "state is not for
sale." timesofindia
We can’t declare Pakistan a
terror state: Centre
New Delhi: The govt told
Rajya Sabha on Friday that declaring Pakistan a “terror state” could have
“diplomatic as well as other far-reaching consequences.” Independent Member of
Parliament Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who is also the Vice-Chairman of the BJP’s
Kerala unit, had moved ‘The Declaration of Countries as Sponsor of Terrorism
Bill, 2016’ to create a legal, economic and travel sanctions regime for
citizens of countries which promote terror.The Bill came up for discussion on
Feb. 3, the end of the first half of the Budget session and then it came up for
discussion again on Friday.The Hindu had reported on Feb.21 that Centre was set
to oppose the Bill as it would jeopardise international relations under the
Geneva Convention.On Friday, Minister of State for Home Hansraj Gangaram Ahir
told Rajya Sabha,“The Govt has taken
many steps to deal with terror.The existing laws already have sufficient
provisions for dealing with citizens of a terrorist country. To declare a
country as a terrorist state can have diplomatic as well as other far-reaching
consequences. Before doing so a detailed study is required. Therefore I request
Mr. Chandrasekhar to withdraw the bill.” thehindu
Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev
Chandrashekhar withdraws bill seeking to declare Pakistan terror state
Friday prayers not allowed
in Jamia Masjid Srinagar:Kashmir Reader
Srinagar: Authorities on
Friday closed all gates of Jamia Masjid Srinagar and sealed all routes leading
to the historical worship place to stop people from gathering for weekly
congregational prayers.“Even Mouzin of Jamia Masjid, Molvi Mohammad Yasin was
not allowed to call Azan,” spokesperson Auqaf Jamia Masjid told Kashmir
Reader.He added that all roads leading to Jamia Masjid were blocked by a heavy
deployment of police and CRPF men and no one was being allowed to move towards
Nowhatta.Pertinently, pro-freedom leadership had called for protests after
Friday prayers against the killing of a civilian at the hands of Govt forces on Thursday in south Kashmir. Two
militants were also killed in Awantipora area of the district during a
gunfight.Kashmir Reader
Over 100 military personnel
commit suicide every yr
New Delhi: The armed forces
continue to lose around 100 personnel to suicides every year despite successive
Govt s holding that several measures have been taken to reduce the stress among
soldiers. As many as 125 military personnel took the extreme step to end their
lives in 2016.Replying to question in Lok Sabha on Friday, minister of state
for defence Subhash Bhamre said 101 soldiers,19 airmen and five sailors
committed suicide last year, with another three cases of fratricide (to kill a
fellow soldier or superior) being reported from the three Services. This year,
13 Army jawans have already committed suicide, while two such cases have been
reported from the IAF. Soldiers posted in far-flung areas often undergo
tremendous mental stress for not being able to take care of the problems being
faced by their families back home, which could range from property disputes and
harassment by anti-social elements to financial and marital problems, as was
earlier reported by TOI. timesofindia
12 CRPF men killed in Naxal
attack in Sukma district
Raipur: In the first major
attack this year, Maoists on Saturday ambushed a team of CRPF, killing 12
jawans and injuring four others near Bhejji in Sukma district in tribal Bastar
region of Chhattisgarh.CRPF personnel, belonging to 219 battalion, were part of
a road opening party (ROP), which were clearing the road between Bhejji and
Kuttacheru when the Maoists rebels first triggered a powerful improvised
explosive device (IED) and then opened indiscriminate fire at the injured
security personnel.Police said the Maoists also looted 10 weapons and radio
sets from the slain security personnel. timesofindia
Aamir Rashadi Madni
questions Lucknow encounter
New Delhi: Rashtriya Ulama
Council (RUC) president Aamir Rashadi Madni on Friday, while lashing out at the
the ATS, the Govt and media, alleged
that the terror stand-off was fake and was performed to trigger communal
polarisation amid UP polls, ANI reported."The way police has killed the
suspect was wrong, this encounter was same as the Batla House fake
encounter," Madni said.He, after a brief interaction with Saifullah's
father Sartaj Mohammed, also questioned UP 's Additional Director General of
Police (Law and Order) Daljit Chaudhary's silence on the matter."The
police held the suspect hostage and it was the police who were firing from
inside, not the former. The photo of the encounter which went viral on social
media is the proof that it was a fake encounter," the RUC chief
said.Meanwhile, UP ADG (Law and Order) Daljit Chaudhary has directed SSP Kanpur
to register case against RUC chief for allegedly inciting kin of
Saifullah.TIMESOFINDIA
Muslim leader Aamir R Madni
calls Lucknow terror showdown 'fake' like Batla House
ATS Action in Lucknow: Fake
Encounter or a Planned Assassination?By Samiullah Khan, Urdu Media Monitor
8 suspects arrested in MP,
UP terror incidents: Rajnath
New Delhi: 8 suspects have
been arrested so far in connection with the blast on a train in MP and the
subsequent anti-terror operations leading to the killing of alleged militant
Saifullah in Lucknow, home minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday in Rajya
Sabha.Making a statement during the Zero Hour on incidents in Madhya Pradesh
and UP on March 7 and 8.PTI
Enemy Property Bill passed
in House of 31, Opposition says Govt breached trust
New Delhi: With just 31
members present, the Rajya Sabha Friday passed a Bill to amend a 49-year-old
law to guard against claims of succession or transfer by heirs of property left
behind by those who migrated to Pakistan and China, amid a walkout by the
handful of Opposition members. Registering their protest, the Congress and Left
parties alleged the Govt had pushed the
Bill in violation of an “understanding” within BusinessAdvisory Committee
(BAC), and on a Friday afternoon when the House was near-empty. “We strongly
protest. This is against the decision of the BAC. The Chair had directed in the
BAC Thursday that the Govt will talk to
the Opposition and this will be taken up only after a consensus is reached. The
Opposition will meet on this. Not only will we protest, we will take it up with
all our numbers and strength,” Congress deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma
said.CPI(M) Parliamentary party leader Sitaram Yechury said, “The bill was
passed in a very clandestine manner. In the BAC, they had agreed that the
matter will be shelved because it is a very sensitive issue. The general
impression was that they were not going to bring it. But contrary to the
understanding in the BAC, they smuggled it in today at the end of the private
member business when there are virtually nobody in the House. This is a total
sleight of hand and betrayal of the assurance that they gave.”“Govt has broken
mutual trust,” said CPI’s D Raja. None of the top leaders of the Opposition
were present in the Upper House when the Enemy Property (Amendment and
Validation) Bill, 2016, which amends the Enemy Property Act, 1968, was taken
up. Arguing that it be deferred, Congress’s Jairam Ramesh pointed to the
absence of senior members, including the Leader of Opposition, in the House.
“Therefore, the Bill should be taken up for discussion and passed on the next
working day,” he said. Ramesh’s views were echoed by other MPs, including SP’s
Javed Ali Khan and Trinamool Congress’s Sukhendu Shekhar Roy.The new Bill
ensures that the law of succession does not apply to enemy property; there
cannot be transfer of any property vested in the custodian by an enemy or enemy
subject or enemy firm; and, the custodian shall preserve the property till it
is disposed of in accordance with the Act. Bill also prohibits civil courts and
other authorities from entertaining disputes related to enemy property. indianexpress
Taking advantage of low
attendance of opposition NDA passes Enemy Property Bill in Rajya Sabha
'Syed Shahabuddin didn’t
speak only for Muslim India, but all India'
New Delhi: Politicians,
former diplomats, and Govt service
colleagues, including Vice-President Hamid Ansari, ex-PM Manmohan Singh, ex-J&K CM Farooq Abdullah and former Finance Minister
Yashwant Sinha, remembered politician and Muslim ideologue Syed Shahabuddin,
who passed away earlier this month, at a memorial meeting on Friday. Ansari,
who had known Shahabuddin first as a fellow foreign service officer until the
latter resigned in 1979, spoke of his commitment to “serving the nation and the
Constitution”. He praised Shahabuddin for the journal he published, “Muslim
India”, that focussed on issues concerning the minority in India. “Even now,
when I travel, I find the journal in prestigious libraries abroad, which shows
how important his research and documentation was,” Ansari said.Bihar CM Nitish Kumar said he knew Shahabuddin, who was
elected twice to Lok Sabha from Kishanganj constituency (1985 and 1991) and was
a Rajya Sabha member (1979-1984) from the Janata Party, both politically and
personally. “He did not care about a position; he only wanted to serve,” Kumar
said at the India Islamic Cultural Centre auditorium.Dr. Manmohan Singh spoke
of his long association with Shahabuddin, in particular his contribution to the
Sachar committee report on the status of minorities in India, while Yashwant
Sinha referred to him as his “mentor”. Farooq Abdullah said Shahabuddin had
“stood for the nation, and every downtrodden community. He didn’t just speak
for Muslim India, but all of India.”Family members recounted how Shahabuddin
had raised contentious issues after joining politics and then after he became
the president of the All India Majlis Mushawara. “He was trolled at a time the
world didn’t know what trolls were,” said his daughter Parveen Amanullah, who
is also a politician and served as Bihar’s Minister for Social Welfare. the
hindu
YouTube blocks Gujarat
riots documentary maker Rakesh Sharma’s channel
A YouTube channel run by
filmmaker Rakesh Sharma, whose documentary on the 2002 Gujarat riots created a
stir when it was released in 2004, has been terminated by the video-sharing
website. Sharma’s channel featured more than two dozen video clips from Final
Solution, his critically-acclaimed documentary that sharply criticises Narendra
Modi, who was Gujarat CM during the
violence, and the state’s BJP Govt for
the communal riots in 2002.On Friday, Sharma’s YouTube channel RakeshFilms was
blocked with a notice from the website that said, “This account has been
terminated due to multiple or severe violations of YouTube’s policy against
spam, deceptive practices, and misleading content or other Terms of Service
violations.”Filmmaker said his channel was perfectly functional three days ago,
and that he had not received any email, message or warning from the website about
any kind of violation. “I will certainly demand an explanation from YouTube for
their unilateral action. They should have reached out to me if there was any
issue,” he added.Sharma said he was not surprised by the move. “Since my film
was released in 2004, there have been concerted efforts to prevent it from
reaching the public realm,” he said. “This move is part of the same campaign to
whitewash Modi’s image and erase his stained past.” He added that the trend was
evident on social media, where “specific accounts are targeted and
suspended”.At the time of its release, Final Solution was initially denied a
censor certificate. Central Board Of Film Certification had cleared the
documentary only after intense public outcry. Scroll.in
Nashik: Dargah trust in
legal battle to reclaim Waqf property worth Rs 2,000 crore
Nashik:Shaikh Mulla Wali’s
Dargah is a modest subterranean structure — where the faithful have to crawl to
pay their respects. Its narrow interiors may not be able to accommodate over
half-a-dozen people, but its dank and musty premises, according to its
trustees, hold Waqf rights over property with a commercial value of over Rs
2,000 crore.The unassuming dargah called locally as the “Dudadhari dargah”
after the Sufi saint’s propensity to provide milk to visiting devotees is also
symbolic of the way land sharks in connivance with govt officials have
attempted to grab Waqf properties across the country. This was before the
present BJP Govt stepped in and decided to suspend a former Waqf Board CEO, who
had denied the dargah’s claim over Waqf land. The dargah trust still has a long
legal fight on its hands before it manages to reclaim 53 acres of the
contentious land, a part of which has been sold to a builder. The govt’s
decision to suspend one of its officials has, however, instilled some faith
that the community would be able to reclaim Waqf land that has been transferred
and sold illegally. In India, over 4 lakh acres comprise Waqf land, out of
which 90,000 acres are in Maharashtra alone. A committee instituted by the
state govt to look into irregularities in the functioning of Waqf properties
had claimed that nearly 70% of this land was encroached. indianexpress
Holding scrapped currency
notes beyond Dec.31 ‘illegal’: Centre to SC
New Delhi: Holding scrapped
currency notes of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 after the deadline of Dec.31 is “illegal”,
the central Govt told the Supreme Court on Friday.Attorney General Mukul
Rohatgi, appearing for the Centre, made the submission before the bench of
Chief Justice JS Khehar, Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice SK Kaul that Govt will contest petitions against the
demonetisation ordinance.Rohatgi opposed a batch of pleas seeking order to the Govt
to allow individuals and companies to
deposit their scrapped currency notes without any prejudice.Posting the matter
for March 21, the bench said: “If required, we will extend the date.”The court
was hearing a batch of PILs alleging that people are not being allowed to
deposit the demonetised notes till March 31, as promised by the Govt .IANS
Now, ATM in MP dispenses
'Manoranjan Bank' note
Bhopal: While investigators
across the country are trying to solve mystery behind 'Children Bank of India'
notes finding its way to ATMs, an SBI's machine in Hoshangabad district of
Madhya Pradesh has reportedly dispensed a Rs 500 note of "Manoranjan Bank
of India".A security guard of veterinary hospital in Hoshangabad who had
gone to withdraw cash from a State Bank of India ATM in Hosgangabad district
was in for a shock when an Rs 500 note allegedly dispensed from the machine read
"Manoranjan Bank of India" in Hindi and "Children Bank of
India" in English.Komal Singh Kewat had approached the bank officials to
get his note replaced, but was not heard, said sources.Kewat said he had gone
to withdraw Rs 2,000 from the ATM; one of the notes was fake. Kewat said he had
initially kept the notes in his wallet and moved out of the ATM. Later when he
checked them outside, he found that one of the notes was different. timesofindia
At least 55k villages off
mobile phone network
New Delhi: At least 55,000
villages in the country do not have mobile connectivity and efforts are being
made to provide it, the Govt informed Rajya Sabha.During the question hour,
minister of state for communications Manoj Sinha said the ministry had sent
letters to all CM s and chief secretaries seeking a list of villages that
didn't have mobile connectivity.
Indian-American federal
prosecutor Preet Bharara asked to quit
New York:Preet Bharara, a
high-profile Indian-American federal prosecutor who had an Indian diplomat
arrested, has been asked to quit by US President Donald Trump's administration
in a sweeping ouster of hold-overs from the previous administration. Bharara and
45 other federal prosecutors, who were appointed by former President Barack
Obama, were told on Friday by Attorney General Jeff Sessions to submit their
resignations. IANS
Lost in cacophony of elections, Najeeb Ahmad's
mother awaits answers:Shantanu Guha Ray
WORLD
Netherlands stops Turkey
FM's plane from landing
The Netherlands has
canceled Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu's flight permit on grounds of
"security" and "public safety", Dutch Foreign Ministry
announced in a statement Saturday. The announcement came just hours after
Cavusoglu said Turkey would impose “severe sanctions” on the Netherlands if
attempts were made to cancel his planned meeting in the European country.The
foreign minister was scheduled to address the Turkish community in the Dutch
city of Rotterdam later Saturday.In remarks made during a live television
interview on CNN Turk earlier, Cavusoglu said: "If the Netherlands cancels
my flight, we will impose severe sanctions on them that will affect it
economically and politically."He also asked: "Where is the harm in my
visiting the country?", adding he could travel anywhere as a foreign minister."If
tension will increase [between the two countries] because of my visit, then let
it increase," he said.World Bulletin
Netherlands revokes landing
rights for Mevlut Cavusoglu
Turkey warns Netherlands of
'severe sanctions'
Turkey will impose severe sanctions on the
Netherlands if it attempts to cancel my planned meeting there on Saturday,
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said.In remarks made during a live television
interview on CNN Turk, Cavusoglu said: "If the Netherlands cancels my
flight, we will impose severe sanctions on them that will affect it economically
and politically."World Bulletin
Netherlands branded ‘Nazi
remnants’ by Erdogan, as Turkey FM barred from entry
Twin bombing kills at least
40 in Damascus' Old City:
Two bombs killed at least
40 people, mostly Iraqi Shia pilgrims, and wounded more than 100 others in Old
City of Damascus on Saturday in a rare attack in the Syrian capital. Syria
State TV aired footage from the scene showing blood-soaked streets and several
damaged buses in a car park, apparently where the explosions went off near Bab
al-Saghir cemetery.The cemetery is one of the capital's most ancient and is
where several prominent religious figures are buried.Interior Minister Mohammed
al-Shaar visited the wounded in local hospitals. He said 40 were killed and 120
were injured.Shaar said the attacks targeted civilians, including Arab visitors,
who were frequenting the shrines in the area. He didn't elaborate, but Iraqi
Shia often visit shrines in Syria. Iranians and other Shia from Asia are often
also among the pilgrims to the area. aljazeera
Fear and hunger in Iraq's
west Mosul
In parts of Iraq's war-torn
second city seized this week by Iraqi forces, hundreds of residents queued up
behind a Govt truck as they waited for
their first proper meal in weeks."We have been under siege for more than
six months on this side" of Mosul, said Khaled Meshaal, a resident of
Al-Mansur district, which Govt forces
took on Wednesday."We bought food four times but we finished it all, there
was nothing left.""The markets were empty: we only had a little rice,
flour and dates," said Abu Ahad, a 45-year-old from Al-Mansur.In a street
devastated by fighting, hundreds of men with shaggy beards waited to receive
cartons containing bottles of oil, boxes of baby formula, rice, tea and
sugar.The cardboard packages were emblazoned with the label "Ministry of Migration
and the Displaced".
Daesh frees dozens of
Iraqis from Mosul jails
Iraq's UN envoy: No
evidence ISIL used chemical weapons
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/03/iraq-envoy-evidence-isil-chemical-weapons-170310211044131.html
Mohamed Ali Alhakim, Iraq's
ambassador to the United Nations, has said there is "no evidence"
that ISIL fighters have used chemical weapons in Mosul, where they are battling
an offensive by US-backed Iraqi forces.His comments on Friday came nearly a
week after medical workers said that several people, including women and
children, had been treated for possible exposure to chemical weapons agents in
Mosul since the start of the month. Alhakim said he spoke with officials in
Baghdad and "there was really no evidence that Daesh has used this
chemical weapon". aljazeera
Tehran welcomes Chinese
offer to mediate with Riyadh
Iran’s embassy in Beijing
on Friday announced Tehran’s readiness to hold talks with Saudi Arabia based on
a Chinese offer to mediate between the two regional rivals, according to Iran’s
official IRNA news agency.The news agency reported that Tehran welcomed a
mediation initiative proposed earlier this week by Chinese Foreign Minister
Wang Yi with a view to promoting regional stability.In a Wednesday press statement,
Yang had voiced hope that Tehran and Riyadh would “resolve their differences on
the basis of equality and friendly consultation”. China, he added, “is a friend
to both countries and is ready to play a mediating role”.Gulf States, led by
Saudi Arabia, frequently accuse Iran of meddling in their domestic affairs –
claims denied by Tehran. middleeastmonitor
Putin and Erdogan vow
cooperation to help end Syria war
Russian President Vladimir
Putin has said a truce in Syria is on the whole being observed, as he welcomed
his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan in Moscow, adding that he is cautiously
optimistic about the prospects of a deal to end the six-year Syrian
conflict.Russia andTurkey,which back opposing sides in Syria's war, co-brokered
a ceasefire in December that helped reduce the scale of fighting between Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad and the opposition.They also supported two rounds of
talks this year between the Govt and the
rebels, while a third set is scheduled for next week. aljazeera
UN invokes human rights on
Israeli anti-adhan bill
UN Secretary-General’s
spokesperson has stressed protection of freedom of religion after a preliminary
move by Israeli MPs to limit the Muslim call to prayer – adhan – through
loudspeakers.“Of course we want to make sure that the rights of all, including
the religious rights of all, are respected,” Farhan Haq said Friday.He said the
effort seemed to be in its early stages. “We’ll have to see what happens with
this as it proceeds,” he added.A spokesperson from Neturei Karta, an Orthodox
Jewish organisation against Zionism, said the group is against the policy and
is planning a protest in New York City to defend the adhan. middleeastmonitor
Donald Trump invites
Mahmoud Abbas to White House
US President Donald Trump
has invited Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas for a visit to the White House, in
the first phone call between the two leaders since Trump's inauguration on
January 20.Trump invited Abbas "to visit the White House soon to discuss
ways to resume the [Palestinian-Israeli] political process", Wafa, the
official Palestinian news agency, quoted Abbas' spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina as
saying on Friday.The White House said in a statement that Trump invited Abbas
to a meeting at the White House "in the near future". Abbas told
Trump that peace was a "strategic choice" for the Palestinian people
which should lead to the "establishment of a Palestinian state alongside
Israel," Wafa reported. aljazeera
8 Afghan police killed in
"insider attack"
8 local policemen were
killed by their colleagues after they were poisoned in their base in southern
Afghanistan, officials said Saturday, in a latest so-called "insider
attack".The Taliban claimed responsibility for the incident, which
happened in the Nawshar district of southern Zabul province late on Friday, as
the militants escalate a deadly winter campaign of violence."The
infiltrators first poisoned their colleagues and then shot them dead,"
provincial spokesman Gul Islam Seyal told AFP, adding that the attackers fled
the area taking all the weapons and munitions from the base.World Bulletin
Compiled and edited by Anwarulhaq (Released at: 8:48 PM)
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