Evening NEWS
DIGEST
INDIA
Darjeeling on boil: 3 dead, police officer critical as Mamata sees
foreign hand
Darjeeling/kolkata:West Bengal was grappling with a serious crisis in
the Darjeeling Hills which descended into chaos Saturday after violence and
firing on the streets left at least three activists of the Gorkha Janmukti
Morcha (GJM) dead, a police officer in critical condition and several persons
injured.GJM, spearheading an agitation that began as a protest against the
mandatory teaching of Bengali in schools and then escalated into a movement for
a separate state of Gorkhaland, said three of its cadre were killed in police
firing — a charge that CM Mamata
Banerjee and police rejected. The GJM identified its three dead as Bimal
Sashankar of Goke Basti, Sunil Rai of Kainjalay and Mahesh Gurung of Relling.
It said Sashankar and Rai were killed in the Singamari area and Gurung in
Ghoom. But ADG (Law and Order) Anuj Sharma said: “We have confirmation of one
death. We will know the cause only after post-mortem. 36 policemen were
injured, some victims of gunshots.” indianexpress
Gorkha Janamukti Morcha observes black day, slams Modi govt, questions
Darjeeling's BJP MP's absence
Darjeeling;Thousands of Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) protesters today
took out huge rallies to observe 'black day' in Darjeeling to protest the death
of three its activists in police firing.The GJM activists marched with the
coffins of the three activists who were allegedly shot dead in the police
firing in Darjeeling's Singmari on Saturday.GJM, which is an BJP ally, also
slammed the Modi Govt. They said they were disappointed with Centre's role and
questioned BJP MP SS Ahluwalia's absence. BJP MP has not visited once since the
crisis broke out.Meanwhile, administration had deployed heavy security forces
across the city and there were no reports of fresh clashes.IndiaToday
Darjeeling On Edge As Protesters Take Out Rally With Body Of Activist
Killed In Clashes With Police
Bhim Army hits Delhi streets 2nd time, led by Kanshi Ram’s
sister, Chandrashekhar’s mother,demands to release chief
New Delhi: Mobilised by Bhim Army, a large number of Dalit youths hit
the streets of Delhi on Sunday, for the second time in less than a month,
protesting caste violence in UP and
demanding the release of Chandrashekhar Azad, the outfit’s chief.The spirited
gathering, of around 2,500 as estimated by the police, saw the presence of
Chandrashekhar’s mother Kamlesh Devi and BSP founder Kanshi Ram’s sister Swarn
Kaur among others.The stretch between the Parliament Street police station and
the New Delhi Municipal Council convention centre turned into a sea of blue,
the colour of Dalit resistance, and pulsated with the cries of ‘Jai Bheem’ as
protesters from UP, Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab trooped in, from around 10
am.“I will protest, sit on dharna and also stage indefinite fast till my son is
not released. We will fight. I have no expectation from the Narendra Modi Govt or the UP Govt , especially since the violence has been
triggered by the very rise of Yogi Adityanath,” Kamlesh Devi told PTI.
TISS scholar seeks UNHRC intervention for ‘protection of Dalit, tribal
students’ rights’: Indian Express
Mumbai;A Research scholar from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences
(TISS), Mumbai, has drawn the attention of the UNHRC to the recent cuts in the
expenditure on higher education in the country.Sangharsh Apte, who is pursuing
a PhD in reproductive health from TISS, made a representation at the UNHRC in
Geneva on Friday. In his statement, Apte had urged the council “to take appropriate
measures and make the Indian Govt accountable for the protection [of] Dalit and
tribal students’ rights. TISS administration’s recent withdrawal of its
financial aid to the students belonging to Scheduled Castes , Scheduled Tribes and
OBC, with a family income below the union Govt norms, also found mention in Apte’s statement.
Rajasthan CM hints Pratapgarh man’s death wasn’t murder, gets trolled
Breaking her silence on the lynching of social activist Zafar Hussein in
Pratapgarh on Friday, Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje on Sunday tweeted that “demise”
was extremely unfortunate.However, she also indicated that the death was not a
murder by re-tweeting a tweet posted by IG Udaipur that scientific evidence did
not point to murder.Commenting on the incident, Raje tweeted Sunday morning,
“the demise of Zafar Khan ji in Pratapgarh is extremely unfortunate.
Investigation is on - justice shall prevail.”But the CM’s choice of words in
the tweet drew a couple of sharp reactions.Rajasthan Congress president Sachin
Pilot took a swipe at Raje’s tweet by re-tweeting that “killed would have been
a far more appropriate word, and going by previous lynching incidents, justice
is unlikely to prevail.”Senior journalist Shekhar Gupta also hit out at CM
tweeting, “when a lawfully elected CM , sworn to rule based on the
Constitution, can’t call a murder a murder, it’s time to cry.” hindustantimes
Rajasthan lynching: Daylight murder is the appropriate term, says
Twitter after CM Raje calls it 'demise'
Zafar was a ‘pillar of support’ for locality
Jaipur:The earth on a mound, far inside the Peerbagh graveyard, is still
drying up. The flowers on the mound indicate that a body was buried there not
long ago.There’s no tombstone. There’s no epitaph. In fact, there’s nothing out
of the ordinary to signify who lies buried there.Ask the residents of the
Jagwas Kachchi Basti and they’ll tell you that the man they buried on Friday at
the Peerbagh graveyard was anything but ordinary.“Wohi they basti ka support
(He was the pillar of support for this locality),” says Ajab Khan about Zafar
Hussain, his neighbour and now the occupant of that grave at Peerbagh. Zafar
died after being allegedly thrashed brutally by some municipal officials for
objecting to them clicking photographs of women defecating in the open.“My wife
woke me up saying that he is being assaulted. When I reached the spot, the
officials were getting into their car to leave,” says Khan. He rushed to lift
Zafar in his arms.The Jagwas Kachchi Basti locality remembers Zafar for his
simplicity. He always wore kurta pyjama, used an entry level android phone, and
owned a motorcycle but mostly preferred to walk. “Every year he used to
organize an iftar for the people here,” says Kalu Khan, a neighbour who sells
biryani on cart in the city.“People from all castes and faiths are here,
mourning his death. This tells you what kind of a person he was,” says
Kalu.Another resident, Ramdev Maru says that Zafar was the one who got
everything done for the locality. “There is nobody now. He was the one who
helped the labourers get assistance from Govt for marriage of their daughters.
He was the one who filled up forms, got us identity cards, and helped us get
loans.” Younger women of the locality regarded him as a father figure.20-year-old
Rekha Kumari says that when her father died 5 years ago, it was Zafar who
helped the family get Rs 30,000 from the Govt .Zafar was the district president
of Rajasthan Nirman Mazdoor Sangathan. His red-colour visiting card pronounced
his Marxist leanings.“Whenever any labourer approached him for help, he would
just pull on the kurta and say chalo,” says Ishwar Bhai Dhobi, district
president of Congress’ labour wing. The civic body reportedly offered Rs 2 lakh
to victim’s family,a contractual job to family member and Rs 1,500 pension
every month to his wife. But she rejects the idea with disdain.HT
‘Saw father die in front of my eyes,’ says daughter of man lynched in
Rajasthan
Pratapgarh: “I followed my father on Friday morning. He fell down before
me and died in front of my eyes,” said Sabira, 17. Civic body officials in
Rajasthan’s Pratapgarh have denied that they assaulted Zafar Khan. On Saturday,
Sabira and residents of Mehtab Shah Kutchi Basti said they witnessed the
assault unfold and Khan die on the spot.Speaking to The Sunday Express, they
also said that women here have been facing harassment for months from the
accused on the issue of open defecation — but without a single toilet in this
unauthorised settlement, they have nowhere else to go. indianexpress
An Adivasi Dies and Maybe a Bull Too. Guess Which Death the Gujarat
Police is Probing?The Wire
Ahmedabad: Allegations about a bull having been slaughtered in the
Sabarkantha village of Kotda in April led to the arrest of four men and the
mysterious death in custody of one of them. Yet seven weeks later, the
exertions of the Gujarat police remain focused on the alleged killing of the
bull and not on the circumstances under which the man, Kodarbhai Chapabhai
Gamar, an adivasi who was 65 years old, died. The three other men arrested with
him remain in custody, despite allegations of torture and extortion against the
police.Most bizarre of all, there is no information about the dead bull. The
‘crime’ is supposed to have occurred in Gamar’s village, Kotda, tucked away in
the north-eastern corner of Gujarat bang on the border with Rajasthan. But
there are no remains, no witnesses, no blood or flesh samples.Gamar was
arrested on May 2, after a complaint was registered under the state’s recently
amended cow slaughter law. The complaint was filed under the Kheroj police
station. This was the first FIR under the new Act in the district. “On the
morning of May 2 this year, police sub inspector (PSI) AS Rabari raided the
houses of Kodar Gamar (my father), Shabber Ahmed Raees Ahmed Sheikh and
Imamuddin Nemauddin Padi. All three of them are residents of Kotda. The police
then brought them to Lambadya Choraya (the local market place), tied them to a
vehicle and assaulted them,” alleged Bhimabhai, one of Gamar’s sons.“Later
Rabari demanded five lakh rupees from their families. The amount, the PSI said,
was to guarantee that the three men would not be tortured in custody. My family
told Rabari that we are poor tribals and don’t have that kind of money. We
pleaded that they not assault our father in custody.But he did not listen. Our
father died two days later,” said Bhimabhai.
Elderly man shot dead while offering prayers in Sonepat mosque
Rohtak:A 56-year-old man was shot dead in a mosque in Sonepat’s Rasoi
village at a time when he was offering his evening prayers on Saturday.The
deceased has been identified as Shabbir Ahmed.A part of the incident was caught
on camera, where a masked assailant is seen entering the mosque and running
away after shooting Ahmed dead.The police said he died on the spot, while the
assailant managed to flee away. An FIR under section 302 against an unknown man
has been registered at Kundli police station.“The family said he had no enmity
of any kind with anyone. We are probing the incident and will make arrest
soon,”Kundli SHO inspector Sombir said. hindustantimes
MP sees 10 farmer suicides in a week
Dhar: 2 more farmers committed suicide in Madhya Pradesh, taking to 10
the number of farmer suicides in the state this week.Jagdish More, 35, consumed
poison in Rampura area of Dhar Police Station on Friday. He died later in the
day. Rajendra Navaria, the in-charge of Dhar Police Station, confirmed that the
farmer committed suicide.The deceased farmer’s family told the police that he
committed suicide as he was upset over the pressure built by the bank for
repayment of debt.Another farmer named Imrat died after consuming sulphas pills
in Chandlaun village in Gotegaon, Narsinghpur. He breathed his last enroute to
Jabalpur for treatment.IANS
Chandigarh Jama Masjid Imam says azaan shouldn’t disturb non-Muslims
Chandigarh: After singer Sonu Nigam tweeted in April expressing his
displeasure on being woken up early by loudspeakers blaring the azaan from a
mosque, Maulana Ajmal Khan, the Imam of Chandigarh’s Jama Masjid, said that the
loudspeakers should not disturb the non-Muslims.On the third Friday of Ramzan,
when Muslims from across the city had gathered for their afternoon prayers,
Khan said, “We should not bother our neighbours unnecessarily. The volume of
our loudspeakers should be brought down to a level that it does not disturb
them. I believe that disturbing the neighbours is a nuisance, which is
forbidden in Islam.”He added, “We make announcements at Sehri at about 3:40am
when the other residents are sleeping. We should avoid doing this. It is a
sensitive issue and anybody is free to take action against us. One can move
court as well.”Khan gave an example of one of the mosques in Kerala where the
authorities have decided to recite azaan once in five times.“They have decided
that only a single azaan will be delivered from the Masjid and others in the
area will repeat it without any noise,” Khan added.HT
Delhi:Govt panel fails to decide fate of 123 wakf properties
New Delhi: Delhi wakf commissioner should take a final call on the
ownership rights of 123 prime wakf properties in national capital, govt-appointed
committee has recommended. The panel’s suggestion is seen as a temporary
setback to the VHP that approached the Delhi high court challenging UPA govt’s
decision to de-notify the properties in March 2014, 2 months before its term
ended.VHP had raised the issue with NDA Govt shortly after it came to power.The urban
development ministry set up the one-member committee under retired judicial
officer JR Aryan in May last year to review the UPA decision that resulted in
the ownership rights of these 123 properties getting transferred to Delhi Wakf
Board from the Govt .A majority of these properties are mired in controversy
over their ownership rights. Located in prime real estate such as Connaught
Place, Janpath, Ashoka Road, Pandara Road and Jangpura, the properties are
estimated to be worth crores of rupees in current market value.“Had the panel
taken a call on the ownership of properties and not left it to the waqf
commissioner, NDA Govt could have struck
down the UPA’s decision,” an official source said. The issue could now hang
fire as its resolution will involve AAP-led Delhi Govt, which appoints the waqf
commissioner. The post is vacant after the last incumbent Azimul Haque was
transferred to Arunachal Pradesh last Oct. The then Delhi Lt. governor Najeeb
Jung had also dissolved the Delhi Wakf Board last October. The new board is yet
to be constituted.The commissioner, a bureaucrat appointed by Delhi Govt, plays
the role of an arbitrator in disputes related to waqf properties. Aryan
committee has recommended that Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and the urban
development (UD) ministry should approach the Delhi wakf commissioner for a
solution in the politically sensitive case, sources said.In its petition, the
VHP accused the UPA Govt of showing
“undue favour” towards the “Muslim community for showing them that the Govt was gifting them away 123 prime properties in
Delhi”. HT
Dissolution of Waqf boards 'illegal; Ready to face CBI inquiry in alleged
scam of waqf properties; Azam Khan
Rampur: Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan has said that he is ready to
face a CBI inquiry into the alleged scam involving Waqf properties in UP.
Recently, state minister Mohsin Raza had announced that Shia and Sunni Waqf
Boards in UP would be dissolved in the wake of corruption charges against them.
The dissolution process has been started after taking into account all legal
aspects, the minister had said.“Shia and Sunni Central Waqf Boards are
autonomous bodies governed by the Constitution of India. The chairpersons and
other members of these boards are elected after voting. Dissolving them will
amount to an attack on the democratic values of the country and on the minorities,”
Azam said. According to PTI Khan said,"The state Govt 's decision to
dissolve the waqf boards is not legal and democratic as there is no provision
to dissolve the waqf boards.If the Govt was so keen to dissolve them, it should have
held fresh elections of Mutavallis (managers), according to the Parliamentary
Act in this regard. He said if there were reports of irregularities, the Govt can order a CBI probe. “What is the point of
dissolving the boards? Not a single inch of Waqf land is registered in my
name,” he said. Clarifying over the issue of Jauhar trust acquiring Waqf
properties in Rampur during the SP rule, Azam said “That was the decision of
the state Govt after conducting an
inquiry and the land was used for the purposes of education.”TOI
UP Govt's Order To Dissolve Waqf Boards 'Illegal And Undemocratic', SP
Leader Azam Khan
IS case: Delhi HC rejects plea of Mufti Abdus Sami Qasmi
New Delhi:Delhi High Court has rejected ISIS suspect plea seeking nod to
inspect the documents, submitted by the NIA to a trial court in a case relating
to the alleged charges of recruiting and financing people to join the terror
group.A bench of justices GS Sistani and Vinod Goel said that the case was
related to the "larger conspiracy" by the ISIS and further investigation
in the matter was going on.The court also said that a charge sheet has already
been filed in the case and the material relied upon by the NIA would be part of
the final report filed by the investigators.Delhi-based Mufti Abdus Sami Qasmi had
approached the high court challenging a special court's December order by which
he was denied the copy of documents submitted by the NIA in sealed
covers.Upholding the special court order, the bench referred to the agency's
affidavit before it which said that during the investigation, credible
intelligence inputs were received that a module for ISIS was active in
different parts of the country and is engaged in recruiting Muslim youth for
the banned terror group."The input was developed and raids were conducted
in different cities at different locations. 18 accused persons were arrested in
the instant case and incriminating literature, material to fabricate IEDs,
electronic devices and money received through hawala channels were seized from
the possession of the accused," the bench noted in its order.NIA claimed
that Qasmi was "delivering provocative and inflammatory speeches and was
instigating youths for anti- national activities".The agency, in its
affidavit, has also claimed that Qasmi "in the guise of a religious
preacher was inciting, motivating and abetting Muslim youths, who sought his
guidance in waging violent jihad and supporting and joining the ISIS".The
accused persons against whom the agency had filed the charge sheet include Mohd
Aleem, Mohd Obaidullah Khan, Nafees Khan, Mohd Shareef Moinuddin Khan, Asif
Ali, Najmul Huda, Mudabbir Mushtaq Shaikh, Mohd Abdul Ahad, Suhail Ahmed, Syed
Mujahid, Mohd Hussain Khan, Mohd Afzal, Imran and Abu Anas.PTI
NIA investigating if Hurriyat received money to send Kashmiris to Pak
for studies
New Delhi: NIA is probing if some Hurriyat leaders are seeking and
getting money to recommend Kashmiri students for medical or engineering studies
in Pakistan.The probe is part of the federal anti-terror agency’s larger
investigation into funding of Kashmiri separatists from Pakistan to fuel unrest
in the Valley. “We suspect that some of these separatists charge anything
between Rs 25-Rs 30 lakh to recommend names of Kashmiri students for studying
in Pakistan. For more than a decade now, Pakistan has reserved dozens of seats
in its medical and engineering colleges for Kashmiri students, but they get
admission only after a recommendation from Hurriyat leaders. We believe, in
many cases, these recommendations come after money changes hands,” said a
senior NIA official. For years, there have been murmurs of sale of these seats
but a formal probe is being initiated now. NIA believes the ‘sale of seats’ is
one of the many channels of funding for Kashmiri separatists from Pakistan.
Investigators say other channels of funding include cross-LoC trade between PoK
and J&K, donations for charities and even legal banking channel.HT
No triple talaq in single sitting, families add clause in nikahnama in a
very simple wedding held at Nagpur's Jafar Nagar Markaz Masjid
Nagpur: Even as the nationwide debate over triple talaq continues,
assistant professor of Women's College of Arts and Commerce, Ayub Khan, has set
a fine example by incorporating a clause against the 'evil' practice in the
nikahnama of his 22-year-old daughter.Since no such clause is printed in
nikahnamas, the condition that triple talaq won't be practised and that the
girl would get 'khula' (when woman seeks divorce) without any delay was hand
written."Triple talaq in one sitting shall not be practised and if the
girl seeks divorce, she will be given without any delay," the clause
included in the nikahnama reads.Khan's daughter, who is MSc in Biotech, was
married to Pune-based Imtiyaz Shaikh's eldest son, who is R&D engineer in
Turkey.Shaikh says, "We added the condition to send a message to society
that triple talaq is wrong."Besides this, Khan married off his daughter in
a Pune-based family during the ongoing month of ramzan to demonstrate the
simplicity and ease of nikah. Generally, Muslims avoid marrying in the holy
month of Ramzan since most part of the day and night goes in fasting and
offering special prayers 'taraweeh'. But, the bride and groom's families
believed that rituals like haldi, mehendi were unwarranted in Islam.Both, the
Khans and Shaikhs, also incurred minimum cost on the wedding. Shaikh says, only
eight members from his family had come from Pune. The nikah was solemnized at
Markaz Masjid in Jafar Nagar."We had made ourselves very clear right from
the beginning. No cards would be printed, no lawn or hall will be booked, no
baraat and no festivities would be held," Khan says. Khan had laid these
conditions so that the prospective groom and his family weren't disillusioned.
The families had also agreed that there won't be any exchange of gifts and
dowry except that has been prescribed by shariah."We also told that she
won't be given dowry but her share in parents' property would be allocated to
her," Khan says.In keeping with their agreement to follow shariah, the
groom also handed over two tolas of gold as dower (mehr), which is kept pending
for lifetime in many cases, on the spot.On his inspiration to follow the
shariah in its pristine form, Khan says, "When I studied quran and hadith,
I realized nikah should be as simple as any other routine task. The prophet
prescribed making nikah easy and making illegitimate relations difficult so
that people adopt the easier path."TOI
RSS-affiliate sets up Indian Institute of Democratic Leadership to train
young guns for politics
Mumbai;By the end of this year when BJP will be locked in a high-voltage
electoral battle with political rivals in Gujarat, an affiliate of its
ideological mentor RSS will be using the opportunity to shape up the greenhorns
in the Congress, Bahujan Samaj Party, Shiv Sena and other parties as future
leaders.Cutting across political lines, the participants coming from these
parties will undergo an internship programme in poll-bound Gujarat conducted by
Maharashtra-based Indian Institute of Democratic Leadership.Programme is an
initiative of RSS-affiliated Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini but notwithstanding the
political ideology, it has already received over 400 applications from
aspirants across all parties.indiatoday
RSS enters last leg of BJP deliberations on next President
New Delhi: RSS has joined the last leg of the process of internal
deliberations within the ruling party to finalise a candidate for the post of
President, ahead of an announcement early next week. With RSS No. 2 Bhaiyyaji
Joshi indisposed — he is said to be recovering from a surgery — the task of
informal consultations has fallen on RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and joint general
secretaries Dattatreya Hosabale and Krishna Gopal, sources said.Sources did not
rule out the possibility of Bhagwat having already held informal talks with a
senior BJP leader before he left New Delhi Saturday morning. Bhagwat was in the
capital Friday for a scheduled meeting with President Pranab Mukherjee. Indianexpress
GST roll-out on July 1, confirms Arun Jaitley; rates for hotels, lottery
fixed: indianexpress
New Delhi:With the GST set for a July 1 rollout, Union Finance Minister
Arun Jaitley on Sunday stated that state-run lotteries will be taxed at 12 % of
the face value, while a 28% tax rate has been fixed for state-authorised
private lotteries. Addressing the 17th GST Council meeting at Vigyan Bhawan,
Jaitley said 28 % limit in hotels will start from Rs 7,500, while a GST rate of
18 % has been made applicable for hotel rooms between Rs 2,500 to Rs 7,500. He
further said GST on restaurants in these hotels will be at par with other
air-conditioned restaurants (18%). He also confirmed that GST will roll out on
July 1 and that the next meeting of the GST Council will be held on June 30.
“We don’t have the luxury of time to defer the implementation of GST. Council
decided categorically it will be implemented from 1st July onwards,” he said.
WORLD
Israeli forces denounced for 'fascist' assault on Palestinian
worshippers at Al-Aqsa
Israeli forces raided the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East
Jerusalem on Sunday morning and assaulted Muslim worshippers, as extremist
Jewish Israelis were allowed to tour the holy site, with a Fatah official
condemning the incident as “an extension of Israel’s fascist and aggressive
policies against Palestinian people.”At least 3 Palestinians were injured from Israeli
police beating, several others suffered from pepper spray and tear gas
inhalation, and 2 Palestinians were also detained from the compound.The
incident came as Palestinian in occupied East Jerusalem were being subjected to
“collective punishment” measures following a deadly attack in front of Old City
2 days ago, in which 3 Palestinians were shot dead after conducting an attack
that left on Israeli policewoman killed.Director of Al-Aqsa Mosque Sheikh Omar
Kiswani told Ma’an that some 250 Israeli soldiers had stormed the compound
through Moroccan Gate entrance and allowed “Israeli settlers” to enter.Israeli
forces stationed at the doors of the compound’s main mosque, al-Qibli mosque,
started to prevent Muslim worshippers from leaving the building, and subsequently
began violently beating them and also fired rubber-coated steel bullets and
tear gas canisters. maannews
Israel forces arrest 2 Palestinians after Aqsa standoff
Saudis 'reject' Turkey offer to build base in kingdom
Saudi Arabia has rejected an offer from Turkey to build a military base
in the kingdom, saying it "cannot allow" Ankara to establish such a
facility on its territories, according to state-run media. The official SPA reported
on Saturday that the kingdom would not be welcoming a Turkish military base
similar to that built in neighbouring Qatar since its "armed forces and
military capabilities are at the best level". Quoting an unnamed official,
the statement said: "Saudi Arabia can not allow Turkey to establish
military bases on its territories," before adding that Saudi armed forces
were participating abroad, including from Turkey's Incirlik base, "in the
fight against terrorism and protecting security and stability in the
region". aljazeera
Iraq VP accuses Qatar of having tried to split his country
Qatar promoted a plan to split Iraq along sectarian lines, Iraqi Vice
President Iyad Allawi said on Saturday, voicing support for the isolation of
Doha by some Arab states.Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and
Bahrain have broken off ties and imposed sanctions on Qatar, accusing it of
supporting terrorism and courting regional rival Iran – allegations Doha
denies.Allawi is a secular Shia politician who has some support within Iraq’s
Sunni community. His position as vice president is largely ceremonial and his
views do not reflect those of the Govt in Baghdad, headed by PM Haider al-Abadi.Abadi has refused to take
sides officially in the Gulf Arab rift but criticised the sanctions imposed on
Qatar, saying they hurt the population, not the Qatari Govt. PM belongs to the Dawa party, which traditionally
has close ties to Iran, Saudi Arabia’s regional foe. middleeastmonitor
Afghan soldier opens fire on US troops, wounds 7
An Afghan soldier has opened fire on American troops, wounding at least
seven of them, before being shot dead in a military base in northern
Afghanistan, officials said, in the second so-called "insider attack"
in the past week.Abdul Qahar Araam, spokesman for the US military, said on
Saturday that the attack took place at Camp Shaheen in Mazar-i-Sharif. Araam
added that the soldiers returned fire and killed the attacker.General Dawlat
Waziri, a spokesman for the Afghan defence ministry, also confirmed the incident. aljazeera
Afghan police officers killed in Taliban attack in Gardez
At least 5 police officers have been killed after the Taliban stormed a
provincial police headquarters building in eastern Afghanistan, according to
the interior ministry.Sardar Wali Tabasim, spokesman for the Paktia provincial
police chief, said another nine officers and nine civilians were wounded in the
attack in Gardez city.Tabasim added that all five of the attackers were killed
at the compound, which also houses the regional command for Afghanistan's
eastern provinces. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement
that the group was responsible for the attack. aljazeera
Afghan security forces recaptured Tora Bora from IS
A top Afghan security official says he welcomes US Govt decision to send
an additional 4,000 US troops to Afghanistan. Gen.Tariq Shah Bahrami, acting
Afghan defense minister, said Saturday the decision was in consultation with
the Afghan Govt . The mission for the new US troops will be to train and advise
Afghan security forces.Meanwhile, Bahrami says army security forces recaptured
Tora Bora in eastern Nangarhar province. He said at least 22 Islamic State
group fighters were killed and 10 others were wounded in a clearance operation.AP
700 IS militants killed in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province during
operations:ANI
UN believes up to 150,000 civilians trapped in Mosul
UN believes up to 150,000 civilians are still trapped in harrowing
conditions in Mosul's Old City, where ISIL fighters battling advancing Iraqi
forces are shooting at anyone trying to flee as part of a tactic to keep them
as human shields.The UN's humanitarian chief Lise Grande said in an interview
on Friday with AP that the global body expects the final battle for the Old
City to start "within days". She said conditions there "are
desperate" and the UN expects almost all civilians to try to
escape.US-backed Iraqi forces have been battling fighters from the ISIL in
Mosul since October. Grande said there have been more than 7,000 gunshot wounds
of people trying to leave districts still controlled by ISIL.Around 860,000
people have already fled Mosul, which was "beyond the worst case"
scenario of 750,000 that UN had planned for, said Grande. UN and Iraqi
authorities have coordinated to build new camps and find spaces in existing
camps for families returning to already recaptured eastern Mosul.Grande said
the Iraqi forces have tried to keep the daily flight of people below the
saturation point of 20,000 when they attack a neighbourhood."We're
averaging between 8,000 and 15,000 a day," she said. aljazeera
At least 117 civilians killed in US-backed Syrian offensive to expel IS
Cairo: At least 117 civilians have been killed in the Syrian city of
al-Raqqa since June 6, when US-backed Syrian forces began an offensive to expel
the IS, a British-based war monitor reported. Syrian Observatory for Human
Rights said that the civilians, including 25 children and 21 women, lost their
lives in fighting and airstrikes by the US-led international coalition, Efe
news reported. The SOHR explained that the coalition’s airstrikes also injured
hundreds of citizens, with some of the victims suffering mutilation of limbs or
permanent disability.It added that the death toll could rise due to the serious
condition of those injured.Dozens of houses and civilian facilities in the
Syrian city were destroyed because of the intense bombing against al-Raqqa city
and its surroundings.The NGO added that the airstrikes and military operations
of the Syrian Democratic Forces — a Kurdish-led alliance backed by the US —
killed 142 IS militants, including local leaders.On Friday, SDF announced it
had killed 312 IS militants and captured seven others during 10-day offensive
in al-Raqqa.IANS
Russia says 180 IS fighters including 2 commanders killed
Moscow: Russia said Saturday that airstrikes carried out this month had
killed about 180 Islamic State jihadists in Syria, including two field
commanders. “As a result of June 6 and 8 aerial strikes on targets belonging to
IS fighters, IS field commanders Abu Omar al-Belgiki and Abu Yasin al-Masri
were killed” in Deir Ezzor, a province held mostly by IS forces, the defence
ministry said in a statement carried by the Interfax news agency.The ministry
said that around 180 fighters were killed, and that 16 military vehicles were
destroyed along with weapons stores.AFP
Philippines eyes truce with communist rebels amid Islamic group's siege
Manila: Philippine Govt said
Sunday that it would suspend offensives against communist guerrillas to
reciprocate a similar plan by the insurgents and allow troops to focus on
quelling a bloody siege by Islamic State group-aligned militants that has
dragged on for nearly a month in a southern city.Philippine negotiator
Silvestre Bello III said the Govt move
aims to foster talks for a cease-fire accord and a peace pact with New People's
Army rebels. Troops have been battling communist and Muslim militants
simultaneously in the country's south.AP
Philippine troops battle IS militants in Marawi as civilian death toll
rises to 300
Philippine troops pounded Islamist militants holding parts of southern
Marawi city with air strikes and artillery on Saturday as more soldiers were
deployed and the death toll rose to more than 300 after nearly a month of
fighting.Fires erupted and dark plumes of smoke rose from enclaves still
occupied by the militants as the air force staged bombing runs to support
ground troops struggling to dislodge the fighters from entrenched positions,
AFP journalists at the scene said.MG520 attack helicopters and FA50 fighter
jets were used in the raids, while sustained bursts of automatic gunfire could
be heard in the distance, indicating the intensity of the fighting.AFP
US issues terror alert for Istanbul; Turkey rejects statement, says it
isn't based on 'concrete intelligence'
Istanbul: A US consulate in Turkey has alerted its citizens of
heightened security in an Istanbul neighborhood because of a possible terror
threat.Turkey's foreign ministry issued a statement Saturday saying "US
authorities made this statement based on normal precautions taken by our
security forces rather than any concrete intelligence."AP
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Compiled and edited by Anwarulhaq (Released at: 7:17 PM)
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