Evening NEWS
DIGEST
INDIA
Feeling of unease among Muslims and sense of insecurity among
Muslims:Outgoing Vice President Ansari
New Delhi:Outgoing Vice President Hamid Ansari today said there is a
feeling of unease and a sense of insecurity among the Muslims in the country,
asserting the "ambience of acceptance" is now under threat. Ansari,
whose second 5-year term as the Vice-President ends tomorrow, made these
remarks in the backdrop of incidents of intolerance and cow vigilantism and
comments made by some saffron leaders regarding the minority community. Stating
that he had flagged the issue of intolerance with PM Narendra Modi and his
cabinet colleagues, Ansari, also described as a "disturbing thought"
that Indianness of citizens was being questioned. Asked in an interview to
Karan Thapar on Rajya Sabha TV whether he shared his concerns with the PM ,
Ansari replied in the affirmative. "Yes...Yes. But what passes between the
Vice President and the PM in the nature
of things must remain in the domain of privileged conversation," the Rajya
Sabha Chairman said. He also said that he has flagged the issue with other
union ministers too. In the interview, Ansari referred to incidents of lynching
and 'ghar wapsi' and killings of rationalists as a "breakdown of Indian
values, breakdown of the ability of the authorities at different levels in
different places to be able to enforce what should be normal law enforcing work
and over all the very fact that Indianness of any citizen being questioned is a
disturbing thought." "Yes it is a correct assessment," Ansari
said when asked whether he agreed with the assessment that the muslim community
is apprehensive and that it was feeling insecure as a result of the kind of
comments made against them. "Yes it is a correct assessment, from all I
hear from different quarters, the country; I heard the same thing in Bangalore,
I have heard from other parts of the country, I hear more about in north India,
there is a feeling of unease, a sense of insecurity is creeping in," he
said. Asked whether he felt that the muslims are beginning to feel they are not
wanted, Ansari said, "I would not go that far, there is a sense of
insecurity." He said India is a plural society that for centuries, not for
seventy years, has lived in a certain "ambience of acceptance" which
is now under threat. He was of the view that the propensity to be able to assert
your nationalism day in and day out is "unnecessary". Ansari was of
the view that while tolerance is a good virtue, it is not a sufficient virtue.
"...Therefore you have to take the next step and go from tolerance to
acceptance," he said. Responding to a question on comments made by some
BJP leaders related to minorities, he said he would not talk about political
people or political parties. "But to me, every time such a comment
appeared or came to my knowledge; I mean my first reaction was that, A: the
person is ignorant, B: that he is prejudiced and C: he does not fit into the
framework that India has always prided to itself on, which is to be
accommodative society," he said. Responding to questions on triple talaq,
Ansari said it is a social aberration, not a religious requirement. He said the
courts do not have to step in as the reform has to come from within the
community. "The courts can say that we don't recognise it. That's all. I
mean a marriage has to be recognised on certain occasions by the system of the
state. And if a state functionary at a particular point of time refuses to
recognise a happening which may be the product of a triple talaq, that's
it," he explained. To a poser on the situation in J&K, he said, "the
problem has always been primarily a political problem. And it has to be
addressed politically." "That's my impression. And I'm not the only
one in the country...When young boys and girls come out on to the streets and
throw stones day after day, week after week, month after month, it's something
to worry about because they are our children, they are our citizens. PTI
Gujarat riots case: HC defers order on Zakia Jafri's plea challenging
clean chit to Modi to Aug 21
Ahmedabad: Gujarat High Court today deferred to August 21 the
pronouncement of its order on a petition by Zakia Jafri, widow of slain
Congress leader Ehsan Jafri, challenging a lower court order upholding a clean
chit to the then CM Narendra Modi and
others in the 2002 riots cases. Justice Sonia Gokani told the lawyers
representing Zakia, SIT and the state Govt that she will pronounce the order on August
21.The hearing in the case had concluded on July 3. The high court had earlier
said that it would pronounce the order today.It has heard a criminal review
petition moved by Jafri and activist Teesta Setalvad's NGO Citizen for Justice
and Peace, challenging the lower court order upholding the clean chit given by
the SIT on the alleged larger criminal conspiracy behind the 2002 riots.The
petitioners also demanded fresh investigation. The petition demanded that Modi
and 59 others be made as accused on charges of criminal conspiracy behind the
riots.PTI
Muslim clerics tear into Shia board for Babri affidavit
Lucknow/Meerut: Muslim clerics have slammed the UP Shia central wakf
board’s affidavit in the Babri masjid mosque case as an attempt to drive a
wedge in the community.“The mosque belongs to Allah and not to a Sunni or a
Shia. I don’t think the issue deserves any more importance,” Maulana Khalid
Rashid Farangi Mahali said on Thursday. He is the imam of the Lucknow Eidgah
and a member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB). He was
referring to the board staking claim to the disputed site, saying the Babri
mosque, which was demolished by a Hindu mob in 1992, was built by a Shia.The
affidavit was an attempt to divert attention from corruption in managing of
wakf properties, Shia cleric Maulana Kalbe Jawad said. “I have met CM Yogi Adityanath and informed him about the
misdeeds and illegal land deals by the wakf board. I am sure this move is an
attempt to deflect attention from the charges against the board,” he said.The
affidavit was just an appeal that had no legal, Babri Masjid Action Committee
convener Zafaryab Jilani said. He said AIMPLB, which was monitoring the case,
had clerics from both the sects and there were no differences between them.The
affidavit is in contrast to the position the Shia board took in a meeting on
Oct.6, 2010 when it decided to back the Sunni board in the Supreme Court in the
Ayodhya title suit.Shia board chairman Waseem Rizvi didn’t answer the phone or
respond to messages for comments.Rizvi is locked in a tussle with minister of
state for minorities, waqf and Haj Mohsin Raza over the control of Shia board.
Both Shia and Sunni boards are in the crosshair of the state Govt with the Central Wakf Council recommending
their dissolution and a CBI inquiry into their land deals.By toeing a
pro-temple line, Rizvi was trying to impress the BJP, which is in power in the
state and at the Centre, to save himself, sources said.Others see the Shia
board’s move as a ploy by the RSS to pave the way for the construction of the
Ram temple ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.“BJP and RSS are using the Shias
to pave way for the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya,” All India Imam
Association state president Mufti Zulfikar said.The influential Islamic
seminary Darul Uloom Deoband, however, distanced itself from the issue.
Seminary’s vice-chancellor Mufti Abul Kasim Nomani said the Darul Uloom was a centre
for education and he would not comment on the issue.HT
Babri case: Shia Board not main appellant to title dispute
New Delhi: The Sunni Wakf Board is one of the appellants, the Shia
Central Wakf Board is cited as one of the
parties but not the main appellant to the title dispute. In an affidavit, the
Shia board, asserted that the Babri Masjid site was its property and only it
was entitled to hold negotiations for an amicable settlement of the dispute.Deccan
Chronicle.
Shia Wakf Board's affidavit 'god sent', says Swamy
New Delhi: BJP leader Subramanian Swamy has said that Shia Waqf Board's
affidavit in the Supreme Court about Ram Temple in Ayodhya is "god
sent".While averring that the Shia's have always vouched for peace in the
matter, Swamy said that Shia's affidavit is god sent which will give his case a
positive push."That has been the original Shia stand; I have been to Iran
also. I have checked up there and the Iranians are also of the view that we
don't need to fight over the issue," said Swamy."The mosque belonged
to the Shias. This notice has boosted my confidence. The probability of
constructing a ram temple has increased. This intervention of Shia's has been
in my opinion is god sent," he added.ANI
Doklam standoff: Countdown to clash between Indian and Chinese forces
has begun, says China Daily
New Delhi: In one of the most scathing editorials till now aimed at
India over the Doklam row in the Sikkim sector, China Daily has warned that
‘the countdown to a clash between the two forces has begun’. The stinging editorial titled ‘New Delhi
should come to its senses while it has time’, opined that the window to
peacefully resolve the standoff in Doklam is closing even as the row enters its
seventh week. “Countdown to a clash between the 2 forces has begun, and the
clock is ticking away the time to what seems to be an inevitable conclusion.” Editorial
goes onto say that all India needs to do is withdraw its troops from the Doklam
area for any kind of meaningful talks and for Beijing to avoid any kind of
conflict. “Beijing has time and again sent the message that to avoid conflict
all India needs to do is withdraw all its troops from an area that based on
historical treaties, historically expressed agreements and long-exercised
control both have long agreed is Chinese territory.”India, the editorial said,
should not take advantage of the restraint shown by China or underestimate the
resolve of People’s Liberation Army.“There’s a ‘bottom line’to the restraint
shown by China to India’s trespass,” it said. indianexpress
I dare RSS to ask PM Modi to snap India-China bilateral trade: Asaduddin
Owaisi
Hyderabad:Dubbing senior RSS leader Indresh Kumar’s remarks that Indians
should boycott Chinese products as “hypocritical”, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi
has dared the Sangh to ask PM Modi to
discontinue the bilateral trade between India and China. Kumar had recently
said Indians should boycott Chinese products and focus on “swadeshi”
goods.“This is the hypocrisy of the RSS. If he (Kumar) really believes in what
he is saying, Modi is also a swayamsevak. Let him go the PM . Let RSS go and
tell the Govt to put an end to bilateral
trade with China immediately,” Owaisi said.PTI
NC, PDP unite against abrogation of Article 35A; warn New Delhi could
lose legal validity over J&K
Srinagar: Political parties in Kashmir have not only warned of agitation
over the abrogation of Article 35A that bars people from outside to own
properties in Kashmir but maintain that New Delhi will lose the legal validity
to call J&K as an integral part of
India if it is revoked.While some legal experts in Srinagar have opined that
scrapping Article 35A will not only make the Presidential Order of 1954 –
through which it was made part of the Indian Constitution – irrelevant, it
would also affect other previous orders. National Conference (NC) and PDP have
also stiffened their stand over the issue.Former CM and NC working president Omar Abdullah has
said that the abrogation of Article 35A will raise a debate on the validity of
accession with the Indian Union. CM Mehbooba Mufti has gone a step forward by
declaring that there will no one left to hoist the Indian flag in Kashmir if
the powers of the state to limit the state subjects' rights are abolished. firstpost
Teenager dies of pellet wounds sustained during clashes near encounter
site
Srinagar: 3 militants were killed in the encounter in Pulwama district
of J&K . A teenager died on Wednesday of the pellet injuries he sustained
in clashes that broke between protesters and security forces near the site of
an encounter in which three militants were killed in Pulwama district of J&K
.Mohammad Younis (16) was brought to the SMHS hospital in Srinagar but he died
of his injuries there, police said.The clashes broke out at Gulab Bagh in Tral
area of the district.PTI
Caught between fear of arrest and need for compensation, Kashmir’s
pellet victims face identity crisis
Srinagar:Bilal*, a youth from strife-torn south Kashmir, was hit by
pellets during the summer unrest in the Valley last year. A bleeding Bilal was
rushed to the nearest govt hospital from where he was referred to Srinagar.
With pro-azadi sentiments running high among the youth at that time, Bilal got
himself registered as “Burhan” in the hospital.But today, a partially-blind
Bilal is at his wit’s end to prove his real identity in order to avail the
compensation announced by the state government. He has to convince officials
that it was indeed he (Bilal) who was hit by pellets that day, and not some
fictitious Burhan.The large-scale protests that broke out last summer following
the gunning down of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani, saw scores of stone-pelting
youth receiving pellet injuries in retaliatory action by security forces. Most
of these victims or their attendants did not enter their real identities in the
hospital records to avoid “harassment” by police.HT
Evict encroachers on Waqf land: Delhi
HC to govt
New Delhi: Delhi High Court has asked AAP Govt and other agencies to
enforce the pending eviction orders against encroachers of 990 Waqf properties
in the national capital. court also directed the Delhi Govt, Waqf Board and
other authorities to file an action taken report within four weeks with regard
to recovery of the properties, failing which it said it “shall be compelled to
initiate action against the officer concerned of the area”.A Bench of Acting
Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C.Hari Shankar said, “We have to remove
the encroachers from those properties and recover it”. It expressed displeasure
over the agencies’ failure to get back those properties, saying they “do not
seem to be working at all”.The court has now listed the matter for September
18. The direction was issued after it was informed by the counsel for the
authorities that they need some more time to file the status report with regard
to restoring the Waqf properties to their original status.The court was hearing
a PIL filed by advocate Shahid Ali on 990 Waqf properties, claiming that they
have already been ordered to be vacated from illegal and unauthorised occupation
of encroachers under Waqf Act, but the concerned SDMS have not been enforcing orders.thehindu
Delhi HC bars JNU students from protesting within 100 metres of
University's admin block
New Delhi: Delhi High Court has ruled that students cannot protest
within 100 metres of the administration building on the campus of JNU.The court
also asked the JNU admin to set up CCTV cameras at the gates of the university
and the admin block. JNU admin had approached the High Court seeking orders
against protests in admin block which had blocked office work and entry of
officials into h admin buildings.The High Court ruled that students did not
have a fundamental right to protest anywhere in the Universities. The protests
will now only be held at the earmarked designated places for protests in the
JNU campus – the Sabarmati lawns, the open theatre and the student activity centre.The
HC also ruled that the entry and exit of University officials cannot be
stopped. The court also observed that it is not welcome that police has to
enter a University but in the case of an obstruction the JNU admin can seek
assistance.PTI
JNU teachers’ association protests university’s ‘failures’, march to
administrative block
JNU teachers may soon organise public lectures on “research methodology”
as entrance exams to research courses at the institute will have questions on
the topic according to University Grants Commission guidelines. hindustantimes
Missing JNU student Najeeb: HC pulls up CBI over report
New Delhi : Delhi High Court has pulled up the CBI for submitting the
same status report that it had submitted on July 17 regarding the steps taken
to probe the disappearance of JNU student Najeeb Ahmad. “What is the idea of
listing it today?…There is nothing new,” said a bench of Justice G S Sistani
and Justice Chander Shekhar, adding that it had not transferred the case to the
agency “for fun”. The bench also said that the previous status report showed
only “cosmetic steps”.CBI said it has taken further steps, but is yet to come
up with a status report. It also said there was progress in the case, and it
was examining the investigation carried out by police. The CBI also sought an
extension of two to three weeks to file a fresh status report. Noting that the
status report mentions some people who have been examined, the bench asked the
counsel for CBI if the agency had taken fresh statements of these people, or
had mentioned examinations by the Delhi Police. The counsel replied that he was
not aware of it and that he will meet the probe team in a week. indianexpress
Gujarat RS poll exposed BJP's personal vendetta, political terror: Ahmed
Patel
Gandhinagar: After retaining his Rajya Sabha seat from Gujarat, Senior
Congress leader Ahmed Patel on Wednesday alleged that the election exposed the
"personal vendetta and political terror" of the BJP."BJP stands
exposed of personal vendetta and political terror. People of Gujarat will give
them a befitting reply in this year's election," Patel tweeted.He also
thanked the Congress leadership for giving him the opportunity to fight this
election and also lauded the MLAs who voted in his favour."I thank my
party leadership for giving me this opportunity & all my party workers
& colleagues whose relentless hardwork made this possible. I want to thank
each & every MLA who voted for me despite unprecedented intimidation &
pressure from BJP. They voted for an inclusive India," Patel said in a
series of tweets.Patel said that his victory in Rajya Sabha polls was a defeat
of the most blatant use of money power, muscle power and abuse of state
machinery.ANI
Congress expels 8 Gujarat MLAs for violating party whip in Rajya Sabha
polls
Hours after senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel won the Rajya Sabha
elections, the party on Wednesday expelled 8 of it MLAs for violation of its
whip. The party will also expel six more MLAs in coming days. “8 Gujarat
Congress MLAs have already been expelled from the party. Six more have been
expelled from the party for violation of the whip in the Rajya Sabha polls,”
said Gujarat Congress in-charge Ashok Gehlot.All the 8 MLAs are close to senior
leader Shankarsinh Vaghela who quit the party before the Rajya Sabha
elections.In a bitterly fought contest, Patel beat BJP nominee after Election
Commission reject the votes of 2 dissident MLAs of the main opposition party
for violating electoral rules. indianexpress
Talk of JD(U) split as Sharad Yadav, others ‘unhappy’ with Nitish’s
withdrawal from Grand Alliance
Patna: The possibility of a split in Bihar’s ruling JNU swirled on
Wednesday, after the party broke ranks with the RJD and Congress to form a new Govt
with the BJP on July 27.Several JD(U)
leaders, including former party chief Sharad Yadav, are said to be unhappy with
CM Nitish Kumar’s alleged unilateral
decision to withdraw from the three-party grand alliance and realign with the
BJP.Talk of a division increased after Yadav declared a four-day tour of Bihar
from Thursday to assess the mood of party workers.Besides, RJD chief Lalu
Prasad also fanned the flames on Wednesday, saying the grand alliance still
exists as his party, the “Sharad Yadav-led JD(U)” and Congress are partners. hindustantimes
Ready to work with Lalu, but not out of fear of BJP: Owaisi
Hyderabad: In a surprised move AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP
Asaduddin Owaisi extended his friendship to Rashtriya Janta Dal president and
former CM of Bihar, Lalu Prasad
Yadav.While addressing a public meeting in remembrance of party revivalist
Abdul Wahed Owaisi in the old city of Hyderabad, Owaisi said, ''Lalu yadav you
cannot defeat BJP alone. If you want to work for the sake of Muslims welfare in
Seemanchal , AIMIM is ready to come with you. But don't think that I am saying
this because of fear of the BJP.'' Criticising Nitish Kumar who broke
'Mahagathbandhan' with Congress- RJD in the state and joined hand with BJP,
Owaisi said that knew Nitish will one day join BJP. indiatoday
Sonia Gandhi indirectly attacks RSS, says 'some organisations didn't
have a role in freedom struggle': ABP
New Delhi: Without naming the RSS, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on
Wednesday targeted the right-wing outfit
by saying "we must not forget that some organizations opposed Quit India
Movement, such organisations have no role in freedom struggle."Sonia was
speaking in Lok Sabha which was holding a special discussion to commemorate the
75th anniversary of Quit India Movement.She said in current environment, there
are clouds of hatred and political vendetta hovering over the society. The
scope of a dialogue has reduced in the public space. Describing the role of
Congress leaders in the freedom struggle ,she said, " Nehru spent several
years in jail, many Congress workers died in jail."
Those Who Boycotted Quit India Preach Nationalism Today: Ashutosh
‘Hindu-Muslim unity made Quit India Movement successful’
Marital rape is not penal offence; Parliament already debated it, says
Supreme Court:PTI
New Delhi : The raging issue whether to make forced marital intercourse
and sexual acts part of offence of rape in penal law has been extensively
debated and now it cannot be considered as a criminal act, the Supreme Court
today said. Section 375 of IPC, which defines the offence of rape, has an
exception clause that says the intercourse or sexual act by a man with his
wife, not below 15 years, is not a rape.The SC however, sought to know as to
whether Parliament debated the aspect of protecting married girls, between the
age group of 15-18 years, from the forced sexual acts by their spouses. It also
asked whether the court could intervene to protect the rights of such married
girls who may be sexually exploited by their spouses.
Rajiv Gandhi assassination case: High Court asks Tamil Nadu govt to file
counter by August 16
Chennai:Madras High Court has directed the Tamil Nadu Govt to file by August 16 its counter to a petition
by two life convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, seeking to be
included in the list of 180 accused proposed for premature release on Republic
Day eve.When the Habeas Corpus Petition filed by Robert Payas and Jayakumar
came up for hearing on Wednesday, justices A Selvam and Pon Kalaiarasan in its
order said “considering the long pendency of the matter the respondent (Govt )
is directed to file the counter by Aug16.”PTI
CIA discussed political scenarios in event of Indira Gandhi’s death:
Report
Washington: Nearly 2 years before the assassination of Indira Gandhi, they
had suggested that her son Rajiv Gandhi may not succeed her in the event of her
sudden death because he was “politically immature” and had “failed to excite
either the party or the public”, according to a secret report declassified by
the US agency. CIA in a report dated Jan.14, 1983, noted that the Congress would
become weaker in such circumstances. However, the sequence of events after the
then premier’s assassination in Oct.1984 proved otherwise as she was succeeded
by Rajiv, who within a few months was re-elected with an unprecedented
mandate.A sanitised copy of the report ‘India in the Mid-1980s: Goals and
Challenges’ was released by CIA under Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), which
is similar to India’s Right to Information Act. Running into more than 30
pages, document discussed the prospects of India in mid-1980s and looked into
various political scenarios, which among others included re-election of Indira
Gandhi in the next general election in 1985 with a slim majority and what
happens in the case of her sudden death.“In the event of (Indira) Gandhi’s
sudden death, Raiiv Gandhi, working closely with President Zail Singh, would be
one of major figures involved in the selection of a successor. His own chances
of being elevated to the office right now are uncertain, in part because of his
political immaturity and because of his still junior status,”CIA had said in
its secret report declassified in Dec.PTI
NIA names 4in Bhopal-Ujjain train blast case: Daily Mail
NIA has filed its charge sheet against four men connected to the
self-radicalised Kanpur ISIS module for the train blast between Bhopal-Ujjain
that injured 10 people last March. According to investigators, 4 accused were
self radicalised by online content and an ISIS-inspired publication. The
accused reportedly tried to migrate to ISIS-controlled territory several times
but failed.Investigators say the four took an oath of allegiance to ISIS leader
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and planned to carry out several attacks in India.The charge
sheet by the central agency was filed in a special NIA court in Bhopal where
they named UP residents Atif Muzaffar,
Mohd Danish Akhtar alias Jaafar, Syed Mir Hussain alias Hamja Abu Bakkas and
Ghaus Mohd Khan. They have been charged under various sections of the Indian
Penal Code and UAPA
Bhopal: SIMI chief Nagori, others seek transfer to Gujarat
Bhopal: SIMI activists Safdar Nagori and 10 others have asked for
transfer to a Gujarat jail, from Bhopal Central Jail.Jail superintendent has
forwarded the application to the jail administration, whereas the Gujarat Govt has already informed the state Govt , ‘no need
to transfer’. SIMI chief Nagori and 10 members of his outfit were sentenced to
life imprisonment by a special CBI court in Indore on Feb.27. Family members of
some SIMI suspects lodged at Bhopal Central Jail have approached NHRC, alleging
that prison authorities were torturing them and denying adequate food since the
killing of 8 under trials in an encounter last year. NHRC team visited Bhopal
Central Jail on June 21 to conduct on the spot inquiry for SIMI
suspects.Gujarat Govt has already
informed MP Govt that they are under
trial of the case and through video conferencing their hearing is being
conducted, so that it’s not needed to transfer them.Free Press
1,000 Muslim clerics urge UN to act against Saeed:TOI
Mumbai: Over 1,000 Muslim clerics and imams have passed a resolution
against Hafiz Saeed, demanding that he be punished for his anti-India
activities. The resolution, passed at a gathering at Madrassa Darul Uloom Ali
Hasan Ahle Sunnat in Mumbai, also denounces JuD, along with several other
Pakistan-based terror outfits.It has been sent to Amr Abdellatif Aboulatta,
chair of the UNSCl's Counter-Terrorism Committee at Security Council, with a
copy marked to the PMO. "Hafiz Saeed and the terror outfits he heads are
threats to global peace. He calls India enemy number one but he is the enemy of
Islam and humanity," said the chief of Mumbai-based NGO Islamic Defence
Cyber Cell, Dr Abdur Rahman Anjaria, who introduced the resolution.The fresh
resolution says that around 60 terror outfits operate from Pakistan, and urges
the UN to initiate action against them. Asked the reason behind passing the
resolution, Maulana Hashim Ashrafi, patron of Madrassa Darul Uloom Ali Hasan
Ahle Sunnat, said Indian clerics were "morally bound to oppose those who
kill or support the killing of innocents in the name of Islam". The head
of Mumbai's Saki Naka madrassa Abdul Manzar Khan Ashrafi explained,
"Pakistan is a nuclear-armed country and if people like Saeed are voted to
power, he will be a bigger threat to not just India, but the world. He will try
to influence Muslim opinion globally and radicalise more youths." Mufti
Mohammed Manzar Hasan Khan issued a fatwa against suicide bombing at the same
meeting.13-page resolution also asserts that Kashmir is an internal issue of India
and no third party should interfere in it.
42 linked to terror groups, including IS, suspected missing in 5 years:
Kerala CM
42 people linked with various organisations, including terror outfit IS,
were suspected to have gone missing from Kerala in last five years, CM Pinarayi Vijayan said on Tuesday. There was no
information about these missing people, Vijayan said in a written reply in the
state assembly, adding that all cases connected with IS were probed by NIA.Vijayan
also said the state Govt did not receive
any confirmation report from central agencies about the death of any of these
missing persons.PTI
Ready to include Urdu in NEET from new session: Govt to SC
New Delhi: Supreme Court has
considered the submission of the Centre Govt that it was willing to include Urdu as a
language in NEET, common entrance test for admission into undergraduate medical
courses across the country, from next academic session onwards. According to
PTI, a bench, headed by Justices Dipak Misra, noted the submission made by
Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar, appearing for the Centre, that it was not
opposed to conducting the NEET in Urdu medium also from 2018.On April 13, the
Supreme Court had asked the Centre to conduct NEET examination in Urdu from
academic year 2018-2019 onwards but ruled out holding the entrance exam in the
language this year. The bench of Justice Dipak Misra, Justice A.M. Khanwilkar
and Justice Mohan M. Shantanagoudar directed that NEET entrance exam be held in
Urdu this year after CBSE told the court that it was extremely difficult to
hold the exam in Urdu this year. The supreme court's direction came on a
petition by filed by the Students Islamic Organisation of India.NDTV
Maratha reservation protest reaches Mumbai, Fadnavis says committed to
grant reservation
New Delhi:Thousands of people demanding reservations for the Maratha
community marched from Jijamata Udyan in Byculla till Azad Maidan on Wednesday.
Mumbai briefly turned into a sea of saffron as protesters walked down south
Mumbai’s JJ flyover. Traffic movement was disrupted in several areas of south
Mumbai despite the presence of hundreds of policemen personnel.Protesters
pulled down banners put up by the Shiv Sena as they did not want any “political
interference”. Rajya Sabha member Chhatrapati Sambhaji Raje, who was part of
the march, told reporters that he was participating as an “ordinary member” of
the Maratha community. Bollywood actor Ritersh Deshmukh also extended his
support to the march last night. “Ek Maratha, Lakh Maratha,” he tweeted in
Marathi.The protest was organised by the Maratha Kranti Morcha, who had taken
out 57 silent protest marches last year. This was, however, the biggest silent
protest march so far. indianexpress
Soon, Maharashtra textbooks to omit mention of Mughals, Muslim rulers,
to have larger chapter on Shivaji
Mumbai: History textbooks for class 7 and 9 students in Maharashtra will
no longer have chapters on Mughals and Muslim rulers before them, a move that
provoked an opposition attack on the BJP-led Govt for promoting the "RSS agenda".The
Devendra Fadnavis Govt came in the line
of the opposition's fire after the state education board revised the textbooks
which would now focus mainly on the Maratha Empire founded by Chhatrapati
Shivaji.Chapters from the previous edition on the Mughals, and Muslim rulers in
India before them such as Razia Sultana and Muhammad bin Tuqhlaq, have been
expunged from the new books for students of Govt schools.At least 5 chapters on the rise and
fall of major dynasties in India have been condensed into one chapter - India
before the times of Shivaji Maharaj.PTI
Did Modi Mislead Parliament on the Number of Fake Ration Cards that
Aadhaar Had Exposed? thewire
New Delhi: Nobody in the Narendra Modi Govt seems to know where the PM got the data on the basis of which he told the
Lok Sabha that the use of technology and Aadhaar led to the discovery of 3.95
crore bogus ration cards (from 1:19 onwards in the video below), Right to
Information Act activist Anjali Bharadwaj on Tuesday claimed at a press
conference organised to “expose the false claims of the Govt about the benefits of Aadhaar”.While Bharadwaj
spoke about how Aadhaar has been cited to deprive crores of citizens of their
right to food, other activists who participated in the meeting highlighted how
the identity number has become a tool in the hands of the Centre as well as the
state Govt s to reduce their expenditure on social welfare and to exclude
people at will and on whims from their entitlement to pension, job cards under
the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) rations
and even mid-day meals.During the recently concluded hearings on privacy in the
Supreme Court, the activists – who were drawn from Satark Nagrik Sangathan
(SNS), Delhi Rozi Roti Adhikar Abhiyan, Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS)
and the Right to Food Campaign – said that while the Govt made tall claims about Aadhaar ensuring food
security for millions of people, the “experience on the ground and information
accessed under the RTI Act shows that such claims are not backed by
evidence”.While six months have passed since the PM made the claim before the Lok Sabha, Bharadwaj
said attempts by her to obtain information on how the PM reached the conclusion have so far drawn a
blank. “The PM ’s office and the department of food and public distribution
(DFPD) have not been able to provide information or evidence on the basis of
which the PM made the statement in the
Lok Sabha,” she said.
60 communal incidents in 2017 in UP,highest so far
The current year has seen 296 incidents of communal violence so far,
with 44 deaths, according to data released by the home ministry in Parliament.
The previous two years in their entirety saw 703 deaths (2016) and 751 (2015),
with 86 and 97 deaths respectively. UP has seen the highest number of incidents
with 60, while Karnataka, MP, Rajasthan and Bengal too figure high on the list.
In UP ’s 60 incidents, 16 people have been killed and over 150 injured. indianexpress
WORLD
Israel involved in secret meetings about Syria truce
An Israeli paper has revealed that Israel, Russia and the US held a
series of secret meetings last month to discuss the truce agreement in southern
Syria, New Khalij has reported. According to Haaretz, Israeli officials and
Western diplomats, all of whom requested anonymity, said that the meetings were
held in Amman and a European capital before the announcement of the
establishment of de-escalation zones in southern Syria. Senior diplomats and
security officials from the 3 countries participated in those
meetings.Furthermore, said Haaretz, the meetings were held in the presence of
the US special envoy to Syria, Michael Ratney, and the White House envoy for
the Global Coalition, Brett McGurk, as well as officials from Israel’s Ministry
of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Defence, the Israel Defence Forces and Mossad
spy agency. Moscow’s special envoy to Syria, Alexander Lafrentiev, was also
there. In Amman, attendees included Jordanian officials. The third meeting, in
Europe, was at a higher level than the meetings in Jordan’s capital. The
Israeli delegation apparently opposed the de-escalation memorandum, noting
that, according to Tel Aviv, this deal does not pay enough attention to curbing
Iranian influence across Syria. Israel’s representatives protested against the
failure of the Russian-American agreement with Hezbollah and the Iranian
factions, and called for the withdrawal of Hezbollah fighters, the Iranian
Revolutionary Guards and Shia militia groups from Syria.Last month, in Hamburg,
Russia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov announced his country’s
agreement with the US on a ceasefire in southern Syria.Despite the fact that
Israel coordinates its security activities in Syria with Russia — such
coordination is at the level of direct telephone calls at any time between
Israeli military bases in the occupied Golan and Russian bases in Syria —
Israel does not trust the Russian leadership.It doubts that the Russians could
reach agreements with Iran concerning all matters related to the control of the
land, as part of their common interest in keeping Bashar Al-Assad in power.It
is known that Israel considers Daraa, the Province of Suwayda (Jabal Al-Arab)
and other areas adjacent to the occupied Golan Heights as being of political
interest and necessary for its own security. The Israelis have several allies
there, including the Druze militia of Golan Knights and many others, with
different names, which claim to be subordinates of the Free Syrian Army. Govt in Tel Aviv believes that these allies can
form the basis for the establishment of a “South Syrian Army”, similar to the
“South Lebanon Army” that it established and financed in the past. middleeastmonitor
4 Palestinians wounded in Israel air attacks on Gaza:
At least four Palestinians have been wounded, one of them seriously,
after Israel carried out air attacks on Hamas locations in Gaza. Attacks on
Tuesday targeted 3 locations in Gaza, officials told Al Jazeera. Israeli
military said it carried out the air attacks in response to a rocket fired
towards Israel. Hamas spokesman, Hazem Qasem, rejected Israel's claims. "Airstrikes
targeted Hamas positions in the centre of the Gaza Strip," Qasem said.
" Occupation claims that a group from Gaza launched rockets at them, but
there is no side in Gaza that has claimed responsibility."We are
maintaining the period of calm and did not launch any rockets. It is not
beneficial for the occupation to violate this period of calm." aljazeera
Israel demolishes two houses in occupied East Jerusalem
Israeli forces have demolished two homes in different Palestinian
neighbourhoods in occupied East Jerusalem, residents have told Al Jazeera.
Israeli army arrived at Thaer Siyam's newly-built house in Beit Hanina at 5am
and razed it to the ground with a bulldozer.Ismaeel Siyam, Thaer's father, told
Al Jazeera that he had built the house from wood so that the "Israeli
occupation would not demolish it".40-sq metre house was uninhabited and
sparsely furnished, and intended for Thaer to move in before he got married,
Siyam said. AlJazeera
Fake companies in Jordan buy land in occupied West Bank for Jewish
settlers
A local official revealed on Tuesday that a network of fake companies
based in Jordan has been established in order to buy Palestinian land in the
occupied West Bank for Jewish settlers, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed has reported. The
settlers, it is claimed, are from the settlement of Amona, which Israel also
regarded as illegal; and evacuated earlier this year.According to the
neighbourhood head in Silwad, located to the east of Ramallah, a Jordanian MP
is involved. Abdul-Rahman Saleh added that these companies pay high prices for
the land, up to 60,000 Jordanian Dinars for each dunam (quarter of an acre),
whereas the market rate would be around 2,000 Dinars. Saleh said that some of
the Palestinians travelled to Jordan to be paid the money.After a review of the
companies in question, he explained, they denied that they are buying land for
Israeli settlers. However, he stressed that they have a history of buying real
estate in Jerusalem on behalf of Israelis. middleeastmonitor
Israel committing ‘war crime’ by revoking residency
of Jerusalemites
Israel is maintaining a two-tier
system in Jerusalem, Human Rights Watch has warned, adding that this is
illustrated by the fact that the residency of thousands of Palestinians in
occupied East Jerusalem has been revoked over the years.“Deportation or forced
transfers of any part of the population of an occupied territory could amount
to war crimes under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court,” the
rights group warned.ata provided by the organisation states that from the
beginning of Israel’s occupation of Jerusalem in 1967 until the end of 2016,
the residency of at least 14,595 Palestinians from East Jerusalem was revoked,
according to the Israeli Ministry of Interior. middleeastmonitor
Israel: Security ties with Egyptian Army more vital
than active Cairo embassy
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu cares more about
maintaining good security ties with the Egyptian Army than with re-staffing Israel’s
embassy in Cairo which has been empty since the end of 2016, National Security
Council officials told a special session of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and
Defence Committee last month.Ambassador David Govrin and his team left Cairo
eight months ago on security grounds. They have not returned because of Egypt’s
failures to ensure adequate security measures for the Israelis.The meeting of
the foreign affairs subcommittee was convened after member of the Knesset
Ksenia Svetlova sent a letter to Avi Dichter and Robert Ilatov, respectively
heads of the committee and the subcommittee, outlined her concerns about the
scaling back of relations between Egypt and Israel to contacts between a small
number of army officers on both sides, and conversations by PM’s special envoy,
Isaac Molho, with Egyptian officials. middleeastmonitor
'US-led coalition' air raids kill 29 civilians in
Raqqa
US-led coalition raids on Raqqa in northern Syria
have killed 29 civilians over the past 24 hours as American-backed forces
battle the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group, a monitor said on
Tuesday. Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said nine women and
14 children had been killed in coalition air raids on Raqqa city since Monday
evening.It said 14 of the dead were members of one family, who had fled to
Raqqa from Palmyra.The death toll could rise because of the number of
critically wounded, it added.A US-backed Arab-Kurdish alliance is battling to
overthrow ISIL from Raqqa, its main Syrian stronghold, and has taken around 45 %
of the city.Meanwhile, Syrian activists say pro-Govt forces have intensified their bombardment of
the capital's rebel-held Eastern Ghouta suburbs, one day after rebels
frustrated a Govt attempt to advance.The
opposition-affiliated Ghouta Media Centre said one civilian was killed and
several others injured in Govt shelling
and aerial bombardment. aljazeera
US denies bombing Iraqi Shi’ite militia near Syrian
border
US-led coalition fighting Daesh on Tuesday denied
responsibility for an attack near the Syrian border which killed dozens of members
of an Iraqi Shi’ite militia and, that group said, several of Iran’s elite
Revolutionary Guards.A spokesman for the Iran-backed Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada
militia said 36 of its fighters had been killed in the attack on Monday and 75
others were wounded and receiving treatment.“We hold the American army
responsible for this act,” the militia said in a statement late on Monday,
noting that they were targeted with smart rockets.Iraq’s PM Haider al-Abadi said on Tuesday that initial
investigation showed that Daesh launched the attack against the militia
group.“It seems that Daesh carried out a breach using artillery and car bombs,”
Abadi said in a televised press conference in Baghdad.US-led coalition, which
is attacking Daesh militants from the air in Syria and Iraq, said the
allegations were “inaccurate” and denied conducting air attacks in that area at
the time.In a statement circulated by its supporters, Daesh claimed it was
responsible for the attack and said it had captured armoured vehicles, weapons
and ammunition. middleeastmonitor
Qatar shipping company moves hub from UAE to Oman
Dubai’s status as a financial hub for the region is
increasingly coming under threat as one of Qatar’s major shipping and logistics
firm relocates its regional trans-shipment hub from Dubai to Oman’s Sohar
port.With the Saudi led blockade of Qatar now entering its third month, Milaha
Maritime and Logistics, which “delivers a comprehensive range of services to
some of the region’s biggest players in the oil, gas and petrochemical
sectors”, announced the move that may raise concerns in Dubai over its
potential to remain the unrivalled economic hub of the region.One of the
measures taken by the blockading countries was to deny Qatar access to their
ports. Typically, cargo for Qatar stopped at the UAE’s massive port in Jebel
Ali, Dubai, or in Abu Dhabi, then got put on smaller boats heading to Doha.
Following the blockade, international free trade zones like Jebel Ali were
off-limits to Qatari companies. Hundreds of containers destined for Qatar were
seized by the authorities in clear breach of the provisions and laws of the
International Trade Organisation that safeguard the free flow of goods. middleeastmonitor
UAE and Bahrain grant Qatar Airways new routes
Qatar Airways can now access a new route over
international waters in the Gulf controlled by the United Arab Emirates and
Bahrain, the world aviation agency announced.The Montreal-based International
Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has been working with "various Middle
Eastern states to ensure equitable access to airspace for Qatar-registered
aircraft" since sanctions were announced on June 5, ICAO spokesman Anthony
Philbin said on Tuesday. aljazeera
Ex-Iraq official: Al Jazeera is cause of siege on
Qatar
Qatar has been “treated unfairly” and the reason
behind the Arab country’s siege on it is not its alleged support for terrorism,
but Al Jazeera, the former Iraqi Ambassador to the United Nations, Salah Omar
Al-Ali, has said.“The State of Qatar was treated unfairly in recent times, and
the fundamental reason for its siege is
Al Jazeera and not terrorism,” Al-Ali explained in an interview with Quds Press
today.“When we look at the details of the recent Gulf crisis, we find that
Qatar is oppressed, because the countries that are accused of terrorism are
Saudi Arabia in the first place, then the UAE, starting with the September
events in the United States, up to the JASTA law,” Al-Ali said. middleeastmonitor
Meeting between heirs was ‘turning point’ in
Saudi-Qatar relations
The Saudi-led blockade on Qatar took many people by
surprise but, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal, the growing
friendship between Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Zayed and Saudi Crown
Prince Mohammed Bin Salman marked a “turning point” in Riyadh’s relations with
its smaller neighbour. 2 struck-up a strong connection while on a camping trip
in the deserts of Saudi Arabia a year and half ago.Quoting officials from both
countries, the report described the meeting between the heirs to the thrones as
the “pivotal moment” in the shift towards a more hard-line policy against
opposition in the region. It is said that the two men hardly knew each other
until they enjoyed the “beloved Gulf pastime together”.Several well-informed
officials cited by the Wall Street Journal believe that the aggressive policies
of Bin Salman were not inevitable. While the Saudi leadership was divided over
its dealing with Qatar, Bin Salman himself was thought to have had good
relations with the ruling family in the capital Doha. Nevertheless, because of
the differences between the UAE and Qatar, Bin Salman was forced to choose
between Abu Dhabi and Doha, says Andreas Craig, a former adviser to the Govt of
Qatar and a Gulf expert at King’s College London. middleeastmonitor
10,000 people
die due to Yemen airport closure: NRC
At least 10,000 people have died in Yemen as a
result of the Saudi-led coalition's restriction on airspace and the closure of
Sanaa airport a year ago, Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said citing Sanaa's
Ministry of Health.The rights group joined 14 other aid organisations that
called on warring parties in Yemen to reopen the country's main airport on
Wednesday, saying the year-long closure was hindering the flow of aid and
preventing thousands of patients from flying abroad for life-saving
treatment."Denial of access to travel has condemned thousands of Yemenis
with survivable illnesses to death," Mutasim Hamdan, the NRC's director in
Yemen, said in a statement."Without access to safe, commercial travel,
Yemenis are left with no way to access critical medical care."The result
is devastating. Thousands of women, men and children who could have been saved
lost their lives."Coalition, which intervened in Yemen conflict in 2015 to
support the internationally recognised Govt of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, controls
the airspace over Yemen.Sanaa International Airport was closed on Aug.9 last
year "leaving many Yemenis with no safe means of transport in or outside
of the country", NRC said.Citing UN figures, NRC estimated that 7,000
Yemenis went abroad from Sanaa annually for medical treatment before the conflict.Now,
the number of people needing life-saving healthcare is around 20,000 over the
past two years because of the violence, the group added. aljazeera
FLASH: NEWS & VIEWS
How (not) to commemorate the Quit India movement:Hilal Ahmed
Attack on Ahmed Patel was an attack on Sonia to show that ruling deity
of Congress wasn’t safe:ASHUTOSH
Minority status for Jamia Millia Islamia: Govt has no regard for freedom fighters: SHAH ALAM
Compiled and edited by Anwarulhaq (Released at: 9:01 PM)
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