Evening NEWS
DIGEST
18
Sept. 2017: 26 Zilhajja 1438:Vol:8, No:280
Rohingya crisis:
Centre says refugees have links with Islamic State, ISI, tells SC to not
interfere with deportation
New Delhi: Many
Rohingya refugees have links with the global terror outfit Islamic State as
well as Pakistan’s spy agency ISI and allowing them to stay in India would pose
a security threat to the country, the Govt told the Supreme Court today.Centre
also said the plan to deport Rohingya refugees was a policy decision and the
court should desist from interfering in the matter. BJP-led Govt’s argument was
in response to a petition filed by two Rohingya refugees challenging the
Centre’s decision to deport an estimated 40,000 people of the community living
in India.Govt said many Rohingyas have
managed to avail PAN cards through forged documents. The fundamental rights of
Indians will also be seriously violated if Rohingya refugees are allowed to
stay in the country and deprive Indians of their legitimate share, it
added.“This would lead to social unrest,” Govt said.Centre said India has not signed any
international treaty on refugees and was under no obligation to keep the
Rohingyas, lakhs of whom have fled Myanmar over the past few weeks to escape a
crackdown by Govt forces in the neighbouring country.The top court will hear
the matter again on Oct.3.Ahead of the hearing, junior home minister Kiren
Rijiju said the Govt ’s stand to deport Rohingya refugees was in the nation’s
interest.He also requested international human rights bodies not to spread
misinformation about India and said: “India is a sovereign country and
protecting the nation is our duty.”HT
Illegal Rohingya
refugees pose security threat:Centre toSC
Centre’s decision
to deport Rohingya refugees in nation’s interest, says Rijiju
SC Will Take A Call
On Rohingyas, Says Rajnath
New Delhi: Supreme
Court will take a call on the central Govt's plans to deport Rohingya Muslims,
who entered the country "illegally", Home Minister Rajnath Singh
said."An affidavit has been filed. Whatever decision is to be taken, it
will be taken by the court," he told reporters in New Delhi.PTI
Omar Abdullah on
Rohingya: Threat in J&K post-2014
development
Omar Abdullah said
the Centre's stand that Rohingya Muslims are a security threat is a post-2014
development, at least in his home state, where a large section of Rohingya
refugees from Myanmar have been living for a long time."This threat, at
least in J&K, is a post-2014 development. No such intelligence reports ever
came up for discussion in Unified HQ meetings," the NC leader tweeted
shortly after Centre told the Supreme Court the Rohingya Muslims are
"illegal" immigrants in the country and their countinous stay posed
"serious national security ramifications".2014 was the year PM Narendra
Modi was elected to power after BJP won its biggest ever mandate in the general
elections that year. indiatoday
Arunachal CM
expressed concerned on the issue of granting citizenship to Chakma, Hajong
Guwahati:Arunachal CM
Pema Khandu reiterated the concerns of the people of Arunachal Pradesh on the
vexed issue of granting citizenship to Chakma and Hajong refugees in the state.
In a letter to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Khandu said the matter is of
deep emotional concern and that the state is not ready to accept any infringement
of the Constitutional protection bestowed on the tribals of the state. CM
pointed that Arunachal Pradesh with its unique history is governed by a special
Act namely the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873, which prescribes a
line to be called the “Inner Line”. Section 2 of which prohibits all citizens
of India or any class of such citizens from going beyond such line without a
pass issued under the hand and seal of the CEO of such district or such officer
authorised to such function.economictimes
Centre to urge SC
to modify order on Chakma-Hajong refugees: Rijiju
Itanagar: Union
minister Kiren Rijiju has said the Centre will urge the Supreme Court to modify
its order of granting citizenship to Chakma-Hajong refugees so that rights of
indigenous people of Arunachal Pradesh are not diluted."There is no
decision of the Govt of India to grant
citizenship. It is the order of the Supreme Court. We are trying to tell the
honourable Supreme Court that giving Chakmas and Hajongs the same rights as
Arunachali is not acceptable to us.PTI
Centre grants
citizenship to 1 lakh Buddhists, Hindus Chakma-Hajong refugees
New Delhi: Centre
has reportedly granted citizenship to Chakma and Hajong refugees after the
Supreme Court asked it to expedite their requests.They, however, cannot own
land and will have to apply for Inner Line Permits, TOI reported, citing the Govt.
Chakmas and Hajongs had migrated from Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts after
they were displaced by Kaptai dam project in the 1960s. They are Buddhists and
Hindus. Some 1 lakh Chakma and Hajong refugees are believed to staying in
India.In a significant step in 2005, the Election Commission issued guidelines
to include them in the electoral rolls of Arunachal.Zee news
Attacks on
Rohingyas in Myanmar ‘act of cowardice’: Ajmer shrine dewan to PM Modi
Jaipur:The dewan of
Ajmer Sharif Dargah, Syed Zainul Abedin Ali Khan said that he has written to
the PM and the External Affairs Minister
condemning the attacks on Rohingya muslims in Myanmar and termed it an “act of
cowardice”. In the letter to Narendra Modi and Sushma Swaraj, Abedin said, he
has asked the Govt to raise the Rohingya
issue at the UN.India is a major power centre in Asia and it is our
responsibility to lodge protests if a neighbouring country indulges in inhuman
acts, he said in a statement on Sunday. The dewan of the dargah has also
requested the Union Govt not to send the Rohingya refugees back to Myanmar in
such trying times and take responsibility of their safety and security.PTI
Terror suspect, who
came to India for Rohingya cause, arrested in Delhi: indianexpress
New Delhi ; A
suspected al-Qaeda operative has been arrested from east Delhi, police claimed
on Monday. The arrested has been identified as Shauman Haq (27) and was
arrested near Vikas Marg yesterday following a tip-off by Delhi Police’s
Special Cell, an official said.“He came to India to set up base in Mizoram,
Manipur and send people to Myanmar, basically espousing the cause of
Rohingyas,” claimed P Kushwaha, DCP Special Cell. Earlier on Monday, the
Supreme Court said that Rohingya Muslims were “illegal” immigrants in the
country and posed “serious national security ramifications”.
Goa outfit holds
rally against atrocities on Rohingyas
Panaji:Members of a
Goa-based Muslim outfit today staged a peace march to denounce the atrocities
on Rohingyas in Myanmar and sought the intervention of India and the UN to stop
their exodus from the neighbouring country. Nearly 100 members of the Salcette
Muslim Forum in Margao, located 35 km south of Panaji, took out the march.The
protesters alleged thousands of Rohingya Muslims have been subjected to
“torture” and forced to flee their homes in Myanmar’s Rakhine state. They also
submitted a memorandum addressed to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The memorandum was submitted to South
Goa District Collector Anjali Sehrawat.PTI
'We will kill you
all': Rohingya beg for safe passage as at least 430,000 Rohingya fled
Thousands of
majority-Muslim Rohingya in violence-wracked northwest Myanmar are pleading
with authorities for safe passage from two remote villages cut off by hostile
Buddhists and running short of food. "We're terrified," Maung Maung, Rohingya
official at Ah Nauk Pyin village, told Reuters by telephone. "We'll starve
soon and they're threatening to burn down our houses."Another Rohingya
contacted, who asked not to be named, said ethnic Rakhine Buddhists came to the
same village and shouted, "Leave or we will kill you all."Fragile
relations between Ah Nauk Pyin and its Rakhine neighbours were shattered on Aug.25
when deadly attacks by rebels in Rakhine prompted a ferocious response from
Myanmar's security forces. At least 430,000 Rohingya have since fled into
neighbouring Bangladesh to evade what the UN has called a "textbook
example of ethnic cleansing". aljazeera
UN urged to punish
Myanmar army over Rohingya ‘atrocities’
Yangon:Pressure
grew on Myanmar on Monday as a rights group urged world leaders to impose sanctions
on its military, which is accused of driving out more than 410,000 Rohingya
Muslims in an orchestrated “ethnic cleansing” campaign.The call from HRW came
as the UN General Assembly prepared to convene in New York, with the crisis in
Myanmar one of the most pressing topics. It also came on eve of a
highly-anticipated national address by Myanmar’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi — her
first on Rakhine crisis.The exodus of Rohingya refugees from mainly Buddhist
Myanmar to neighbouring Bangladesh has sparked a humanitarian emergency. Aid
groups are struggling to provide relief to a daily stream of new arrivals, more
than half of whom are children.AFP
Rohingya refugees
tell of new violence, call for Myanmar sanctions
Bangladesh police
disperse rally against Myanmar's treatment of Rohingyas
Dhaka;Bangladesh
police on Monday broke up a gathering of around 20,000 members of an Islamist
organisation staging a march towards the Myanmar embassy in Dhaka calling for
an end to the alleged genocide against the minority Rohingya population in that
country.The demonstrators, protesting amid the full-blown Rohingya refugee
crisis in Bangladesh, were stopped several kms from the embassy area, Efe news
reported."Nearly 20,000 joined the protest today. Naturally, there were
some tensions, but we handled the situation with patience. It ended without any
violence," Anwar Hossain, deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan
police, said. However, the police allowed 10 protest leaders to approach the
embassy and present their demands.Azizul Haque, a Hefazat-e-Islam organisation
spokesperson, said that the police escorted them to the embassy but they did
not find any Myanmar embassy official there."We were told to hand over our
demands to a peon, which we did not do," Haque said.IANS
'No food, no
shelter': Rohingya suffer in Bangladesh
Cox's Bazar:Hundreds
of Rohingya, including children, were jostling to get hold of aid packages
being thrown from trucks at Balukhali in the Bangladeshi city of Cox's Bazar
bordering Myanmar.Women, many with babies on their shoulders, stood in
torrential rain in the hope of getting food, tarpaulins and clothes distributed
by local Bangladeshis.Chaos was all around at Balukhali, where a large number
of Rohingya have taken refuge, as the rain added to the misery of the
persecuted community.Highlighting the grave conditions for Rohingya refugees,
aid agencies reported on Sept. 15 that
at least two children and one woman were killed in a stampede that broke out as
aid was being distributed.More than half of the estimated 412,000 Rohingya who
have escaped Myanmar's military crackdown live in makeshift sites without
proper shelter, clean drinking water and sanitation. Aljazeera
Hyderabad police
keeping a watch on pro-Rohingya meets
Hyderabad: Even as
meetings and round-table conferences protesting the deportation of Rohingya
Muslims in Hyderabad have increased during the recent past, the Hyderabad
police is keeping an eye on the meetings. Hyderabad police have become vigilant
in the wake of Centre’s statement told to the Supreme Court that the illegal
immigrants from Myanmar posed a security threat to the country and that they
would be sent back soon.Several political and social parties like MIM, MBT,
Welfare Party, Congress, TDP and the Left parties are openly demanding that
BJP-led NDA Govt should not deport Rohingyas from here on humanitarian grounds.
Religious outfits like Jamat-e-Islami Hind are also backing the demand. The
Sunday Guardian has quoted an official with the Special Branch police as saying
“We are aware of the role of some NGOs working for Rohingyas, but we are watching
if there are any invisible outfits with links to terror network.” siasat
INDIA: OTHERS
Gujarat riots case:
Saw Kodnani in assembly, hospital, testifies Amit Shah in Naroda Gam riots case
Ahmedabad: BJP
president Amit Shah told a special court on Monday that he had seen ex Gujarat
minister Maya Kodnani in the state assembly and later at a Govt hospital the day deadly riots broke out in
parts of the city in Feb.2002.Deposing as a defence witness for Kodnani, who is
accused of inciting a mob that killed 11 people in the city’s Naroda Gam area,
Shah testified that he saw her while entering the assembly building in
Gandhinagar on the morning of Feb.28, 2002.Shah said he saw her again later the
same morning at the civil hospital in Sola, Ahmedabad. “I reached there between
9:30am and 9:45am,” he told the court.Shah testified that he first saw Kodnani
at the hospital between 11am and 11:30am when he was leaving, prosecution
lawyer Shamsad Pathan told Hindustan Times. Thereafter, they were escorted out
together by police. BJP chief told the court he did not know where Kodnani was
during the time he left the assembly building and arrived at the hospital, or
where she went after being escorted out of the hospital, defence lawyer Chetan
Shah told HT. “Police were escorting Mayaben out of the hospital when I first
saw her at the hospital between 11:15am to 11:30am,” news agency PTI quoted
Shah as saying.“They also escorted me out of the hospital along with Mayaben to
some distance away in their vehicle, and dropped me at Gota Cross Road but she
was still in the (police) jeep,” Shah added.“After that I went to my home and I
don’t know where she went.”The state assembly and the hospital are about 23 kms
apart. The prosecution accuses Kodnani of leading the rioters at Naroda Gam
between 9 am and 10am. After Shah’s hour-long
testimony, defence and prosecution lawyers differed on its interpretation. “Amit
Shah has testified in favour of Kodnani,” said defence lawyer Shah.But
prosecution lawyer Pathan contended that Kodnani’s presence in the assembly and
later at the hospital didn’t necessarily absolve her. “Amit Shah told the court
Maya Kodnani was in the assembly in the morning and then was seen leaving the
hospital around 11:30am. This proves she was present at Naroda Gam when the
violence happened,” said Pathan.Kodnani, the women and child welfare minister
in the then Narendra Modi Govt in Gujarat, has already been sentenced to life
in prison for a separate case of rioting in Ahmedabad’s Naroda Patiya area, a
verdict she has challenged. She’s been on bail since 2014.Asked why he did not
depose earlier in the Naroda Patiya riots trial, Shah said he wasn’t called to
testify. The prosecution had argued that Shah did not turn up despite the
special court asking anyone with knowledge of the case to depose.For the
prosecution, 187 witnesses deposed. Pathan said the final arguments are
expected to begin from Sept. 25.Reacting
to Shah’s testimony, the opposition said the issue should be left to courts.HT
Amit Shah deposes
in favour of murder accused ex-minister Maya Kodnani in Gujarat riots case
YC Modi, who was
part of SC-appointed SIT probing Gujarat riot cases, named NIA chief
New Delhi:Senior
IPS officer Y.C Modi, who was part of the Supreme Court-appointed SIT that
probed 2002 Gujarat riot cases, was on Monday named chief of NIA.The federal
probe agency is tasked with probing terrorism and terror-financing related
cases.The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved Modi’s
appointment as DG of NIA, an order issued by the Department of Personnel and
Training (DoPT), said.Another senior IPS officer, Rajni Kant Misra, has been
appointed DG of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB).Modi will hold the post till his
superannuation, i.e. May 31, 2021, order said.ACC has also approved the
appointment of Modi as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in NIA with immediate
effect to ensure a smooth takeover.Modi, a 1984 batch IPS officer of the
Assam-Meghalaya cadre, is at present special director in the CBI. He will take
over from Sharad Kumar after he completes his tenure on Oct.30, the order
said.PTI
Modi’s upcoming
Visit to Varanasi: Order telling madrasas to get women to PM talk withdrawn
Lucknow ;A proposed
interaction between PM Narendra Modi and
“minority women” during his upcoming Varanasi visit suffered a setback after
the local administration on Sunday withdrew its order issuing directives to
madrasas in the district for Sept. 22 event. The order, which assigned each
madrasa the responsibility of ensuring the presence of a minimum of 25
“minority women” at the programme, was issued on Friday. The local
administration cited protests from madrasas as the reason behind withdrawal of
the order.In the order, Varanasi district’s minority welfare officer R K Yadav
had instructed the managers and principals of all aided and non-aided madrasas
of Varanasi to ensure the presence of minority women at a DLW auditorium on Sept.
22, when the PM is slated to address
them. “….Ukt tithi par alpsankhyak mahilaon ka karyakram stahl par pahunchane
ka uttardaitwa apko diya ja raha hai,” it said.There are 23 aided and 127
unaided madrasas in Varanasi, which are recognised by UP Madrasa Education Board.
At the auditorium, seating arrangements will be made for 700 women. The
administration had also called a meeting with madrasa staff on Monday regarding
preparations for the event.“The order has been withdrawn and the meeting
scheduled for Monday too has been cancelled following protest from madrasas.
Programme of PM’s interaction with minority women has only been proposed so
far, and the administration has not received any final minute-to-minute
programme of the PM yet,” said R K Yadav, social welfare officer of Varanasi,
who is presently holding additional charge of district minority officer as
well.Diwan Saheb Zaman Khan, general secretary of Teachers’ Association
Madaris-e-Arabia, said, “The order of the state Govt has been opposed because we are running
academic institutions and are not workers of BJP or Muslim Rashtriya Manch
(MRM). It should not be our responsibility to ensure gathering in PM’s
programme.” Khan is also principal of Madarsa Arabic Madinatul Uloom, a Govt-aided
madrasa in Jalalipur area. Zaman also claimed that the Association had asked
the administration to withdraw the order.Sources in the district administration
said that help from madrasas was sought so that “all chairs are occupied with
Muslim women” and the “auditorium appears packed” during the PM’s address. HT
UP Govt Asks Madrassas to Ferry Muslim Women to PM
Narendra Modi's Minority Interaction Event
Men allegedly tried
to poison water at madrasa run by Hamid Ansari's wife
Aligarh: As many as 4,000 students had a narrow escape
when an alert student caught some unidentified men allegedly trying to mix rat
poison in a water tank at Aligarh's Madrasa Chacha Nehru. The madrasa is run by
the Al Noor Charitable Society, which is headed by former Vice President Hamid
Ansari's wife, Salma Ansari.Afzal, who stays at the madrasa, had gone to get
water on Saturday evening when he saw at least two men allegedly trying to
contaminate the water in the water cooler. When he tried to raise an alarm, he
was threatened with a country-made pistol and told to keep quiet, he told the
police. However, as soon as the men escaped, he recovered a wrapper that
contained rat poison from near the tank and alerted the madrasa warden who
immediately informed the police."When people target innocent children (one
wonders) what level humanity will stoop to," Salma Ansari told ANI.She
added that several tablets of rat poison were found in the water. "Had he
not come down and seen them, consequences would have been terrible," she
said.The police have registered an FIR under sections 328 (causing hurt by
poison) and 506 (criminal intimidation) and have sent the water sample for
forensic examination. The two men are yet to be identified. The society runs
three schools in slum areas where students are taught essential skills like
English communication, fundamentals of Mathematics, importance of health and
hygiene and use of modern technology. ndtv
Bid to poison
Aligarh madrasa students foiled: FIR
Class 7 madrassa student foils attempt to
poison 4000 children
In RSS schools,
Muslim students are taught to live with Hindutva
Agra: Rabul
Hussain, Mohammed Adil and Shoaib Khan do their morning prayers differently
from most Muslims. The three teenagers don't sit on the floor and bow westwards
in the direction of Mecca. Instead of praying to Allah, they pray before the
images of Saraswati and Durga, Hindu godesses of knowledge and power.They
recite hymns devoted to Hindu gods and goddesses, chanting Sanskrit shlokas
like Karaagre Vasate Lakshmi and Deep Jyoti, followed by patriotic songs. One
"patriotic" song in Hindi that appears in their "moral
science" textbook starts thus: "The one culture and the blood that
flows through our veins is Hindu."On a Monday, along with a thousand other
schoolmates, they recited verses of the Gayatri Mantra and performed yoga.
Dressed in grey and white uniforms, the students sat in straight lines,
mirroring each other's movements like competitive rowers at a regatta. With the
school band pitching in the next day, the school hall resonated with a spirited
rendition of the Hanuman Chalisa, an ode to the Hindu god Hanuman. As one
student pounded on the cymbal of the drum kit and the others let loose on their
tablas and dholaks, the performance reached a crescendo. Get top stories and
blog posts emailed to me each day. Newsletters may offer personalized content
or advertisements. Muslim students in
RSS schools have to reconcile their personal faith with the prayers they
perform every morning.It wasn't easy to spot Hussain, Adil and Khan in the sea
of grey and white uniforms. 3 Muslim students could have got away with doing
the yoga exercises and avoided saying the actual words of the hymns and
shlokas. Later in the day, they told HuffPost India that recited as much as
they can remember in the morning assembly.Hussain, who is in class 12, went on
to recite several verses of the Hanuman Chalisa. huffingtonpost
Hindu Jagran Manch
organizes 'ghar wapasi' of woman who married a Muslim, converted
Agra: RSS's
offshoot Hindu Jagran Manch organized a "ghar wapsi samaroh' for the re
conversion of a 27 year-old-woman, who had embraced Islam after marrying a
Muslim in 2006, to Hinduism. Hindu Jagran Manch Aligarh in charge, Akash Gupta,
said that we have helped a "sister" to return to her religion get her
real identity back. He said, "We want to convey to all Hindu sisters that
we are with them and if they want to come back, we will support them", he
said adding that a havan and namkaran rituals were held to bring her back to
Hindu religion.Tanu Singh (Simran Khan after marriage) alleged that her
husband. Imran Khan had identified himself as a Hindu (Thakur) before marriage.
She said when she was three months pregnant, she got married and later learnt
about her husband being a Muslim. timesofindia
Manmohan panel
asked to ‘help resolve Kashmir row’
Srinagar: A
majority of the 1,200 delegates who called upon former PM Dr. Manmohan Singh — heading the Opposition
Congress’s J&K policy and planning panel — during his two-day visit to
Srinagar, sought “his intervention to resolve the Kashmir issue.” J&K
Pradesh Congress Committee chief GA Mir said the predominant thrust of 60
delegations, comprising 1,200 people, during the interactions with Dr. Singh
was “resolution of the Kashmir issue.”“Delegates from civil society referred to
the Congress’s and Dr. Singh’s past initiatives like working groups,
interlocutors and talks with Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf. There was a
common refrain that such initiatives lacked follow-up. I believe the Congress
can make it a starting point,” said Mir. Singh held a 6-hour meeting on Sunday
with lawyers, traders, writers, party leaders and leaders of other Opposition
parties.He directed party leaders, comprising Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ambika Soni,
“to follow up with the demands made by the delegates in New Delhi once the
party starts to prepare a Kashmir report.”Mir said Dr. Singh was planning to
visit Ladakh too. “We have decided to listen to people in the first stage.”Welcoming
the Hurriyat’s willingness to back “any meaningful dialogue,” Mir said,
“Congress position is that New Delhi should open channels of dialogue with all
stakeholders.” The Hindu
Geelani wants UN to
appoint war crimes tribunal in Valley
Srinagar:
Separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani has written to UN, urging it to appoint a
war crimes tribunal for J&K to ‘identify the culprits’ of human rights
abuses and penalise them.The UN general assembly session begins on Monday in
New York where Pakistan is expected to raise Kashmir issue.Geelani has written
a letter to the secretary general of UN that the people of Kashmir demand UN
intervention for a peaceful settlement of the Kashmir issue, lingering for the
last seven decades before the world body. “The people of Kashmir also demand to
appoint a war crimes tribunal to identify the culprits of human rights abuses
and to penalise them as violation of human rights at the hands of Indian occupation
forces, and denial of civil and political liberties has become alarming and
grim,” it urges.It also mentions ‘indiscriminate use’ of lethal weapons, pellet
guns, bullets, pawa shells to contain public rallies has become a routine
matter.“People are mercilessly killed, maimed arrested, blinded, bruised and
molestation of woman is used as a war weapon by Indian occupation forces,”
Geelani claims.HT
Geelani urges UN
chief to intervene on K-issue
Swaraj to share
stage with Pak minister at UN
Newdelhi: External
affairs minister Sushma Swaraj is likely to share stage with her Pak
counterpart Khawaja Muhammad Asif next week on the sidelines of the 72nd
session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.Swaraj and Asif are
slated to come face-to-face during a group meeting of foreign ministers
belonging to SAARC nations.This is the second time since the NDA formed the
central Govt in 2014 that the 65-yearold
leader will lead the Indian delegation at the United Nations.The senior BJP
leader is likely to have a packed schedule involving meetings with an array of
leaders on the sidelines of UNGA, which she will address on Sept.23.Swaraj is
also scheduled to take part in meetings of the leaders of Non-aligned Movement,
G4, BRICS, Community of Latin American and Caribbean States and G77 group of
developing nations. “The external affairs minister is expected to hold about 20
bilateral and trilateral meetings with leaders attending the session,” external
affairs ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar said.Ahead of the session, India said
UN reforms need to be “broad-based and all-encompassing” and the changes should
not be restricted to the body’s secretariat only.“We feel that reforms need to
be much more broad based. You cannot have reform only of the secretariat.
Reforms cannot side step issues related to governance of UN bodies,” India’s
permanent representative to the UN, Syed Akbaruddin said.HT
New China-Nepal
highway can be used by military, move likely to ‘irritate’ India
Beijing:A new
strategic highway in Tibet will link the region to Nepal and can be used for
military purposes, state media reported on Monday, adding the road can help
open up South Asia to China .Experts said the 25-metre wide highway can be used
by armoured vehicles and serve as a runway for military aircraft if
required.India is likely to be “irritated” by the development, the state media
reported.“Tibet highway between Xigaze airport and Xigaze city centre
officially opened to the public on Friday, a short section linking the national
highway to the Nepal border which experts said will enable China to forge a
route into South Asia in both economic and defence terms,” the Global Times
tabloid said in a report.The 40.4-km highway will shorten the journey between
the dual-use civil and military airport and Tibet's second-largest city from an
hour to 30 minutes.The highway is expected to be linked to the China-Nepal
railway in future, experts said. hindustantimes
TN Speaker
disqualifies 18 AIADMK MLAs loyal to TTV Dinakaran
New Delhi :A day
after AIADMK’s Sasikala faction leader and her nephew TTV Dinakaran raised
serious charges against CM Edappadi K
Palaniswami alleging direct links of him and his family with mining baron
Sekhar Reddy, Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal today disqualified 18 AIADMK MLAs
supporting Dinakaran.While the immediate impact of the disqualification of MLAs
is likely to be a hurried floor test to be held on Thursday, top sources in
Dinakaran faction said they are approaching the court challenging the decision
that they claim is an attempt to “manipulate the minority status into a
majority.”While Govt needed 117 MLAs in
234 member house to retain the majority, CM Palaniswami has the support of only
113 MLAs, excluding the speaker and the seat of late J Jayalalithaa. While MLAs
having no-confidence in the incumbent ministry are 119, including 89 MLAs of
DMK, 8 of Congress, 1 IUML MLA and 21 MLAs of AIADMK’s Dinakaran faction, the
ruling faction hopes that the minimum majority number will come down to 107
with disqualification of 18 MLAs, who are among the 21 supporting Dinakaran
camp. Indian express
Shiv Sena-BJP
alliance to end? Will soon decide, won’t take blame for price rise, says Sanjay
Raut
New
Delhi:Maharashtra’s ruling ally Shiv Sena on Monday launched a scathing attack
on its partner BJP for increasing price rates and unresolved farmer issues. It
also hinted at breaking the alliance. “Unprecedented price rise, farmer issues
unresolved. We are not responsible and don’t want to share the blame. Whether
we will stay in Govt or withdraw, this
will be decided soon,” Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said.The party which has
been at loggerheads with BJP over multiple issues, alleged that those without
any merit or connect with the people are at the helm of power. It also hit out
at new union minister K.J. Alphons who recently said that “those who can afford
high prices of petrol and diesel are not starving”, saying that his remarks are
an ‘insult’ to the poor and middle class. Saying that hiked fuel prices was the
main reason behind the farmer suicides in the country, the party called out
Alphons for making “such highly irresponsible utterances.” Indianexpress
Alwar lynching:
Fearing gaurakshaks, Pehlu Khan’s driver now ferries vegetables
Arjun Kumar Yadav,
who was driving the truck attacked by alleged cow vigilantes killing dairy
farmer Pehlu Khan in April, doesn’t transport cattle anymore. Instead, the
23-year-old, also a key witness in the case, ferries vegetables to villages on
Jaipur outskirts, incurring a monthly loss of Rs 10,000.Yadav’s family members,
in Chomu town near Jaipur, said the financial loss was a small cost to pay as
long as it doesn’t risk their son’s life.Yadav, had managed to escape when Khan
and other dairy farmers, Azmat and Rafique, were attacked. Since then, pickup
truck remained confiscated at the Behror police station as Yadav treated the
injuries that he sustained in the attack.“I got the pickup truck back last
month and had to pay Rs 1.5 lakh to repair the damages.Now I am back to driving
it,” Yadav said reluctant to speak about the lynching incident.HT
Qamarul Islam,
Muslim leader from Karnataka dies
Bengaluru: Qamarul
Islam, former Congress minister and prominent Muslim leader from
Hyderabad-Karnataka region, passed away following a brief illness in the city
on Monday. He was 69. Islam was admitted to hospital 11 days ago for cellulitis
of the leg and poor cardiac function. Dr. Shivaprasad, Senior Consultant and
In-charge of Medical ICU, Department of Critical Care at Narayana Health told
The Hindu that he had hypertension, diabetes and was also under treatment for
Myasthenia Gravis, a neuromuscular disorder. He died of cardiogenic shock and
multi organ failure in the hospital at noon on Monday, the doctor said. Islam
had a long political career. He represented Kalaburagi (North) constituency and
was Walf Minister in Siddaramaih cabinet. But, he was dropped from the cabinet
in last year’s reshuffle. thehindu
NIA arrests ISIS
suspect Shakul Hammed in Chennai:PTI
New Delhi:NIA
arrested suspected ISIS operative Shakul Hammed in Chennai for his alleged
involvement in a conspiracy to stage attacks in parts of Tamil Nadu. The
central probe agency said in a statement that Hammed is an accused, alongside 8
others, of hatching conspiracy to launch the attacks to further activities of
proscribed organisation ISIS. A case was registered suo motu against the nine
accused at the NIA police station in Delhi on Jan.26.PTI
WORLD
Iraq SC orders
suspension of Kurdistan referendum
Baghdad: Iraq’s
supreme court has ordered the suspension of a Sept. 25 referendum on the independence of Iraqi
Kurdistan, to examine whether such a poll would be constitutional. “The supreme
court has issued the order to suspend organising the referendum set for Sept. 25... until it examines the complaints it has
received over this plebiscite being unconstitutional,” it said in a
statement.The court took the decision after it “reviewed requests to stop the
referendum”,statement said. Court spokesman Ayas al-Samouk said: “We have
received several complaints and this is why we decided to suspend the
referendum.”A source in parliament said at least 3 lawmakers had filed
complaints against the poll.Neighbours Turkey and Iran, as well as US and UN,
have pleaded for the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq to settle its
differences with Baghdad through negotiations rather than secession. Iraqi
Kurdish leader Massud Barzani has said a “yes” vote would not trigger an
immediate declaration of independence but rather kick-start “serious
discussions” with Baghdad.AFP
UN chief: Northern
Iraq vote would detract from Daesh fight
UN
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that a planned 25 Sept. independence referendum in Iraq’s
semi-autonomous Kurdish region “would detract from the need to defeat” Daesh
and to reconstruct regained territories.“ Secretary-General respects the
sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity of Iraq and considers that all
outstanding issues between the federal Govt and the Kurdistan Regional Govt should be resolved through structured dialogue
and constructive compromise,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a
statement.“ Secretary-General calls upon the leaders across Iraq to approach
this matter with patience and restraint,” he said. middleeastmonitor
Tehran: We will
close borders with Iraq if Kurds secede
Secretary of
Iranian Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani threatened to close all
border crossings with Iraqi Kurdistan if it secedes from Baghdad.“Iran will
work, within the framework of securing its common borders, to re-examine the
ways of dealing with the presence of terrorist movements hostile to Tehran in
the region. Tehran will take steps which are completely different from those
taken before.” middleeastmonitor
UK Minister: Qatar
offered great support to defeat Daesh
British Defence Secretary
Michael Fallon said the State of Qatar has offered great support for the
international campaign against terrorism and Daesh.“3 years after the start of
this campaign, all the achievements would not have been possible without
Qatar’s support,” Fallon said, adding that his country “supports all mediation
efforts to resolve the current Gulf crisis, especially Kuwaiti
efforts.”Minister explained that during his recent visit to Kuwait three weeks
ago, he had encouraged the Kuwaitis to continue their mediation efforts.He
warned of the negative impact of prolonging the crisis in the Middle East,
stressing that “the crisis should not be allowed to continue in light of the
challenges facing the region”. Middleeastmonitor
In jail, Saudi
cleric Al-Ouda begins open hunger strike
The prominent Saudi
Islamist preacher, Salman Al-Ouda, who was recently arrested by the Kingdom’s
authorities, has started an open hunger strike in protest of his detention,
online activists revealed yesterday.“Sheikh Al-Ouda is banned from contacting
anybody,” Twitter user Mujtahidd said, adding that he started an open hunger
strike “until he is released or is being treated with justice”. Middleeastmonitor
Saudi plan to
‘accept Israel as a brotherly state’
Saudi Crown Prince
Mohammed Bin Salman is working to “westernise” the Kingdom and change people’s
mindsets when it comes to Israel, Twitter user Mujtahidd has reported. The
account, which is believed to be reporting from inside the ruling family in
Saudi Arabia, wrote: “Arrangement among UAE, Egypt, Saudi and Bahrain is wider
than our expectations. Israel and American bodies linked to Trump are
involved.” “Plan is complete. It is based on unifying the bases of security,
media, culture and education, including religion, in Egypt and all the Gulf
States except Oman.”Plan, according to Mujtahid, was drawn in Egypt which is
the “supplier of cadres who will deal with the issues of media, security,
Islamic movements, education syllabuses and religious institutions.” According
to Mujtahidd, it aims to “distance any political, cultural, educational,
financial, religious effect on the people of Egypt and the Gulf States in order
to reach a state of full and eternal normalisation with Israel.”It also said
that the arrangement for this plan started in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE and
Israel before US President Donald Trump was inaugurated, noting that former
American President Barack Obama did not join the plan because he feared these
states and the recklessness of Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman. Middleeastmonitor
Bahrain to allow
citizens to visit Israel: middleeastmonitor
Bahrain’s King
Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa is tired of Arab boycott of Israel, adding that
citizens of his country are free to visit the country, according to the
Jerusalem Post.Israeli paper said that this statement was revealed at a
multi-national event held last week in Los Angeles and hosted by the city’s
Simon Wiesenthal Centre.King Hamad made remarks during a visit by the Rabbis
Marvin Hier and Abraham Cooper, who head the Wiesenthal Centre, to Manama in
early 2017, rabbis revealed.
Israel is ‘looting’
Palestinians’ natural resources in W. Bank, says NGO: middleeastmonitor
Israel is “looting”
the Palestinians’ natural resources in the West Bank, with the blessing of the
Supreme Court, an NGO has charged.According to Yesh Din, Israeli quarrying
industry in the occupied West Bank has “expanded significantly” since a ruling
by Israel’s top court, rejecting a petition brought by the NGO demanding an end
to all mining and quarry activities in the region. Yesh Din’s petition had
claimed Israeli policy of “economic exploitation of occupied territory”
constitutes a “blatant violation of international law”. But in 2011, Israel’s
Supreme Court rejected the petition, “thereby regulating a colonial
exploitation of natural resources on occupied land”. According to data obtained
by the NGO, the amount of gravel mined in Area C of the West Bank –including
both Israeli and Palestinian quarries – rose by 40 % from 2008 to 2015.Over 20 % of the State of Israel’s general consumption
now comes from the quarries owned by Israel in the occupied West Bank.
Ahead of UN meet,
Israel to offer economic ‘benefits’ to Palestinians
Fatah welcomes Hamas’
decision to dissolve Gaza Govt
Member of Fatah
Executive Committee Azzam Al-Ahmed welcomed Hamas’ announcement to dissolve the
administrative committee in Gaza, Palestinian media reported. Al-Ahmed, Fatah
envoy to the reconciliation talks with Hamas, said: “Long meetings held between
the Fatah delegation in Cairo with the Chief of the Egyptian Intelligence
Khalid Fawzi ended with an agreement to hold bilateral meetings between Fatah
and Hamas.”He noted that another meeting to follow including all Palestinian
factions which signed the reconciliation agreement in order to start actual
measures to carry out the terms of the agreement, considering Hamas’
announcement a step towards ending Palestinian division. middleeastmonitor
3,000 Israeli settlers storm Ibrahimi Mosque
More than 3,000
settlers stormed the Ibrahimi Mosque in the southern occupied West Bank town of
Hebron last night to mark a Jewish holiday.The Hebrew news site 0404 reported a
heavy army presence was deployed in the area to allow the settlers to pray in
the Muslim holy site. middleeastmonitor
Israel Minister : Settlements are Israel’s
‘defensive wall’
Illegal settlements
in the occupied West Bank ensure Israel’s security, Defence Minister Avigdor
Lieberman announced at an event celebrating Jewish New Year.In his toast at the
event, held in the settlement of Vered Yeriho which overlooks the Palestinian
city of Jericho, Lieberman emphasised how settlements were increasingly
necessary as Israel faces threats from missiles and cyber-attacks. He used the
event, attended by numerous settler leaders, as an opportunity to emphasise his
commitment to construction in the occupied territories, alleging that he has
done more for settlement building than anyone else over the past 17 years. middleeastmonitor
Knesset report:
Israel army not ready for war
Israeli Knesset
Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee warned of the army’s inability to wage a
new war or to face a military confrontation.The parliamentary committee issued
a report “warning that the army is not ready enough for war,” according to the
Hebrew Channel 2. It is expected that the report, which it described as
“strongly worded”, will be sent to the Knesset next week to discuss its
content, as it includes a warning of serious gaps in the readiness of the
Israeli army to face a future military confrontation, Hebrew channel clarified.
Hamas: Rafah
crossing could open within a month
The crossing
between Egypt and the besieged Gaza Strip may be opened in some three weeks
after renovation works on the border are completed, senior Hamas official Mousa
Abu Marzouk has said. Abu Marzouk discussed the strengthening of ties between
Egypt and Hamas with many of the latter’s prominent figures are reportedly due
to settle in Cairo to work more closely with the Egyptian Govt . middleeastmonitor
US flies powerful
warplanes amid tensions with N. Korea
US military flew
advanced bombers and stealth jets over the Korean Peninsula and near Japan in
drills with South Korean and Japanese warplanes on Monday, 3 days after North
Korea fired a missile over Japan. US often sends powerful military aircraft in
a show of force in times of heightened animosities with North Korea. North
launched its latest missile as it protested against tough new UN sanctions over
its sixth nuclear test on Sept. 3. AP
Iran Says it Has
'Father of All Bombs' to Trump America's 'Mother of All Bombs'
Tehran: A top
commander of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) claimed that the
country possesses the "father of all bombs" which overshadows the
most powerful non-nuclear ordnance of the US.The bomb was developed under a
special request of the IRGC, the corps' Aerospace Force commander, Brigadier
General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, said in an interview on Friday to Press
TV."Following a proposal by the Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolution
Guards Corps (IRGC), (Iran's) Defence Industries (Organisation) manufactured a
10-ton bomb. These bombs are at our disposal," commander said.IANS
Pak PML-N's Kulsoom
Nawaz wins by-elections
Lahore: Pakistan
Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) won by-election of the National Assembly
constituency NA-120 Lahore-III on Sunday when PML-N candidate Kulsoom Nawaz
beat her main opponent Dr Yasmeen Rashid of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) with
a margin of 14,646 votes.Begum Kulsoom won the seat, which fell vacant due to
the disqualification of her husband and former PM Nawaz Sharif by the Supreme Court in Panama
Papers case.Kulsoom Nawaz secured 61,745 votes to win the seat while PTI’s Dr
Yasmeen Rashid bagged 47,099 votes and remained second.Sheikh Muhammad Azhar
Hussain Rizvi of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah remaind third with 7,130
votes while Yaqoob Sheikh, who contested the election as an independent
candidate as his party Milli Muslim League got 5,822 and remained fourth. While Jamaat-e-Islami
Pak’s Ziauddin Ansari got just 592 votes.Dunya News
Compiled and edited by
Anwarulhaq (Released at: 9:36 PM)
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment