Evening NEWS
DIGEST
25
Sept. 2017: 4 Muharram 1439:Vol:9, No:03
I went to Kerala event as state guest, no
police officer warned me about PFI: Hamid Ansari
Former Vice president Hamid Ansari has said he
went to Kerala as a state guest and no police officer warned him against
attending an event organized by a Delhi-based Institute along with the women’s
wing of PFI, an organization that is suspected of having terror links.The
saffron group VHP had lambasted him for attending the event.Ansari told Outlook
in a telephonic interview he was invited to the event by the Delhi-based
Institute of Objective Studies, and no other organiser’s name was mentioned in
the invitation. He was apparently ambushed by the organizers by not revealing
that PFI’s unit was part of the event.“I was invited by a Delhi-based body
called Institute of Objective Studies; they had come to me saying they are
organizing a study on status of women and role of women in making a humane
society, with a focus, of course, on Muslim women,” said Ansari.“I was a state
guest, which is the standard practice. When a former President or former
Vice-President travels, the state Govt makes the necessary arrangements,
starting with security. Senior police officials met me, but nobody told me not
to go for it or there was a second sponsor. The controversy came as a great
surprise to me,” he told Outlook.VHP Joint General Secretary Surendra Jain had
said Ansari ‘stands exposed’ after attending the programme. "He was spreading
dissatisfaction in the Muslim community even when he was holding the post of
Vice President," Jain had said.Earlier, Calicut University had cancelled
permission to hold the programme on the campus saying that the parent body of
the Chair of Islamic Studies at the University objected to the women’s wing of
PFI, which were initially not part of the event, later collaborating with it.
However,PFI sources in Kerala said that only the Delhi-based Institute of
Objective Studies organised the event and the PFI has not organised it.But amid
the hullaballoo over the organisers not being kosher, what got sidelined was
the content of Ansari speech that blamed patriarchy in India for gender
inequality.The former deputy head of state also spoke at length on how women
should overcome this ‘subordination.’Outlook
Ansari draws VHP's ire for reportedly
attending PFI event
BHU: Varanasi tense, Teesta arrested,
demonstration planned at Lanka, protests all over the country
BHU students are planning to hold a huge
demonstration at Lanka.The administration and police are keeping a strict
vigil. The entire city is put under strict watch and social activists and
political leaders coming from outside are also being closely watched.UP Police
first detained and then arrested social activist and writer Teesta Setalvad.
She had gone to Varanasi to take part in a youth training programme. But police
detained her as soon as she reached the airport. Despite her telling the police
that she has come to Varanasi to participate in a different programme, the
police refused to let her go.The administration in Varanasi is making every
effort to stop people from supporting the BHU girl students. A huge
demonstration is being organised at Lanka Gate on Monday evening. BHU has
already declared holidays till Oct. 2. The rest of the degree colleges have also
been closed till Oct. 2.On Sunday evening, UP Congress president Raj Babbar was
detained and not allowed to enter BHU.The members of All India Democratic Women
Association were also stopped by the police from staging a demonstration at
Singh Dwar of the BHU. They had some arguments with the police. Members of the
Samajwadi Party too tried to stage a protest at the gates of BHU but all were
detained and removed from there.Many students’ organisations and social bodies
are organising protests and demonstrations in many parts of the country against
the police lathi-charge on girl students in BHU. These demonstrations are being
held in Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Pune, Bhopal and in the states of Punjab,
Gujarat and Rajasthan. Meanwhile, UP Governor Ram Naik has announced a
four-member committee to probe into the incident of violence in BHU.nationalheraldindia
Student organisations, women activists stage
protests against crackdown on BHU students
We Were Locked Inside Hostels, Our Friends
Beaten Up Outside: BHU Female Students
FIR against 1000 students for BHU violence
Varanasi: An FIR has been registered against
over 1,000 students in connection with the violence in the Banaras Hindu
University here and also against policemen involved in the baton-charge on
protestors. Seperate FIRs have been registered at the Lanka Police Station in
connection with the violence on the campus, the police said today.Besides the
students, an FIR has been filed against unidentified policemen involved in the
baton-charge.A number of students, including women, and two journalists were
injured in a lathicharge by the police in the BHU where a protest on Saturday
night against an alleged eve-teasing incident turned violent. PTI
AMU students march in support of BHU
protestors
Agra: Women students of AMU held a protest
march in support of their counterparts in Banaras Hindu University, who were
beaten up and abused by police personnel during a protest rally on Saturday
night.A large number of BHU students, who were protesting against the alleged
sexual harassment of a female student, were cane charged by the police.While
condemning BHU incident, AMU students said that they want to send the clear
message to BHU V-C that he will not be able to "silence" the students
through organised violence. One of the protesting students, slamming VC, said,
"We are outraged at his double standards where at one hand he screams
'Beti bachao beti padhao' but on the other he keeps mum at the harassment of
women students in his campus.Addressing the protest march, students said that
AMU stands with BHU and will not tolerate gender or community bias.
Cracks emerge in victorious alliance in
University of Hyderabad Students Union polls,claims NewIndianExpress
Hyderabad Alliance for Social Justice (ASJ),
which emerged victorious in University of Hyderabad (UoH) Students Union (SU)
elections on Friday, has already started developing cracks. ASJ is a coalition
of 2 panels of student organisations formed to defeat RSS backed students
organisation ABVP. A panel led by CPM backed SFI and other is headed by
Ambedkar Students Association (ASA). A rift has become public between the 2
panels. The reason behind the rift is Jamaat-e-Islami Hind backed Students
Islamic Organization claim of being part
of the ruling coalition of ASJ, which SFI has outrightly rejected.All India
joint secretary of SFI B Sambashiva said, “We cannot accept being allied with
SIO which UoH unit of SFI had made clear before students union election. SIO is
claiming to be part of ruling coalition in UoH to show off in other university
campuses.” Laeeq Ahmed Khan, president of SIO Telangana said, “We were part of
ASA led panel last year along with MSF during students union election and
continue to be a member of the panel this year as well.”Another reason behind
difference between ASA and SFI led panels is a public spat between SFI and IUML
backed Muslim Students Front. MSF has alleged SFI of being islamophobic saying
that after election results, SFI members raised hateful slogans against MSF and
SIO.To this, SFI released statement on Sunday condemning derogatory remarks
made by certain individuals. Surprisingly, ASA has been quite on the entire
episode. ASA could not be contacted for its comment.
NIA probe identifies 60 students behind 2017
protests in J&K, suspects separatists' role in fuelling crisis
Srinagar: NIA and J&K Police are currently
investigating nearly 60 students for taking part in stone-pelting and
"provoking violence" during the students' protests in April 2017, of
which nearly 35 have already been questioned.The police and NIA also suspect
that separatist leaders funded the April 2017 students' protests, and the
recent NIA summons to Aala Fazili, a PHD student in University of Kashmir's
pharmacy department, is part of the investigation."The police have
identified at least 60 students who took part in the April 2017 protests,"
a senior police official said."Fazili was making pro-separatist speeches
on the campus. There are allegations against Fazili that he was active in
separatist activities on the campus for a long time. He was active even before
protests triggered in Kashmir in July 2016 following the killing of former
Hizbul Mujahideen militant commander Burhan Muzafar Wani," said a police
official.Fazili, however, is not the only student being questioned by the NIA
and J&K Police. An official told
Firstpost that the J&K Police and
the NIA are looking into the role of nearly 60 students, including a PHD
scholar of Islamic Studies, in fanning unrest against the Govt inside the
University of Kashmir campus. Firstpost
Cops confirm Kashmir ‘human shield’ had voted
before being tied to army vehicle
Srinagar:An interim report of a police probe
into the infamous ‘human shield’ episode in Kashmir last April backs the claim
of Farooq Ahmad Dar who was tied to an army vehicle and driven around for 5
hours, that he had gone out to vote that morning.An Army officer Major Leetul
Gogoi who ordered Dar to be tied to a vehicle, had claimed Dar was the ring
leader of stone pelters and was leading a mob.“Police saw voter mark on Dar’s
finger the day we went to investigate the case,’’ a senior police official in
Budgam who did not want to be identified told HT.The police report also
corroborates the same. “During investigation, it came to light that that the
victim Farooq Ahmad Dar had cast his vote at polling booth in his native
village, Chill. After casting his vote, he along with Hilal Ahmad Magrey left
for Gampora for a condolence meeting,” the report says.The interim report says
“investigation of the instant case is going on and after obtaining reports from
District Election office Budgam/Coy Commander 53 RR Camp Beerwah and analysing
of video clips the investigation of the instant case will be concluded on its
merits.”HT
41,000 deaths in 27 yrs: Anatomy of Kashmir
militancy in numbers: HT
Kashmir releases tourism video with Shah
Faesal’s to counter negative portrayal
Srinagar: J&K has launched a new
five-minute film to counter perceived “negative portrayal of Kashmiris” in the
national media and highlight the hospitality offered by Valley locals to
visitors. The video, Warmest Place on Earth, garnered over 1.5 million views on
Facebook and 35 thousand views on YouTube in a little over 24 hours. It was
released by the CM Mehbooba Mufti at a
grand launch function in Srinagar on Saturday evening attended by senior minister
and top officials.The film.5-minute video has a Kashmiri song with powerful
lyrics playing in the background, which is written by Indian Administrative
Service officer Shah Faesal. HT
Funding: NIA summons Geelani's son, few others
to Delhi
Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Geelani's son Naseem
Geelani, Yaseen Khan of Kashmir Traders and Marketing Federation and some
others have been summoned by the NIA to Delhi on Monday. According to sources, NIA has also summoned Shah Wali
Mohammad of Sopore district and Abdul Hameed Magrey. However, Naseem has sought
more time for appearing before NIA citing father Ali Shah Geelani's ill
health.Meanwhile, Kashmir Bar Association president Mian Abdul Qayoom is also
likely to be summoned in the coming week. india today
Sufism being replaced with Wahabism while IS
ideology merging with left wing parties:warns Jaitley
The effect of communism is fading in the
states of Kerala and West Bengal said Finance Minister Arun
Jaitley."Traditional political brands like the Left and Right are
gradually fading out. Electoral relevance is also declining, as we have seen
post the breakup of Soviet Union and abandonment of state-controlled economy by
China. Even in states like West Bengal and Kerala, the presence of the ideology
is being washed away, and slowly the support for us (BJP) is going up in
numbers," said Jaitley.Jaitley further said that a part of Islamic State's
ideology is converging with certain extreme-left ideas. He warned that Sufism
was being replaced by 'Wahabism' in the Kashmir Valley, which has been on the
boil for well over a year now.He was addressing a National Seminar on Integral
Humanism-Indian Way of Attaining Sustainable Development Program in New Delhi
where he said: "The demand for political autonomy is rising as an Islamist
movement. You can see the signs throughout India. I feel India is fortunate
that elements like ISIS are few as compared to other countries. However, the
opinions arising from them and ultra-left opinions are converging in some
sectors."OneIndia News
ISIS-like Ideologies Now Converging With
Ultra-Left, Says Arun Jaitley, Cites JNU Incident as Example
Doklam row: China deployed more, standoff
began earlier
New Delhi:Contrary to public perception that
the border standoff between India and China at Doklam involved a small number
of troops, the Chinese had posted more than 12,000 soldiers, 150 tanks and
artillery guns opposite Sikkim at Phari Dzong in Chumbi Valley during the
73-day standoff, a new book has revealed.The book, Securing India The Modi Way:
Pathankot, Surgical Strikes and More (Bloomsbury), written by Nitin A Gokhale,
also contains Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) images of the site, which show that
the standoff had actually started in the third week of May — it was made public
by the Chinese on June 26.Apart from a blow-by-blow account of the standoff,
the book includes extensive quotes from NSA Ajit Doval, military chiefs and
other senior Indian officials on Modi government’s approach to security issues.
A chapter of the book, which will be released by Vice President Venkaiah Naidu
in Delhi on Friday, was accessed by Indian Express.
'China used loudspeakers, tanks to bully
India, Bhutan during Doklam standoff'
Gurgaon civic body polls:Independent
candidates win 21 out of 35 while BJP wins 13 seats
Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG)
elections, held on Sunday, saw independent candidates emerging victorious in 21
of the 35 wards, leaving the BJP — which fielded candidates in every ward and
also runs the government in the state — with only 13 seats. The Indian National
Lok Dal (INLD), meanwhile, secured just one seat.The elections, being held
after 6 years, involved a total of 202 candidates in the fray, of whom 147 were
independent candidates, and 20 were fielded by INLD. Although the tenure of the
earlier councillors, elected by a voter turnout of 63.3 per cent in 2011, ended
in June 2016, fresh elections had been delayed due to disputes over demarcation
of wards. Voter turnout remained low, with only 55.92 per cent of voters
showing up at polling booths across the city. According to officials, Gurgaon
has a total of 5,58,884 voters, of whom 2,92,938 are men and 2,65,946 are
women. Only 3,12,550 of them exercised their franchise across the 35
wards.Among the many who chose to stay home were residents of gated
condominiums in the city, with their reasons for the decision ranging from lack
of relevance of the elections to a dearth of candidates who deserved their
vote.“I am not dependent on MCG for my day-to-day needs. These are provided by
the private builder of my locality, so MCG polls have little impact on my
life,” said a resident of a private condominium in DLF5, where booths saw one
of the lowest turnouts. Results, declared late Sunday evening, saw relatives of
prominent figures in the city among those who lost their seats to their
opponents. indianexpress
Setback for BJP in Gurgaon civic polls
Amnesty: India's Rohingya need support, not
expulsion
Amnesty International has initiated an online
campaign and petition calling for people's support to stop India's plan to
deport thousands of Rohingya refugees living across India. Characterising
Rohingya refugees and asylum-seekers as illegal immigrants and deeming them
"security threats" will expose them to grave risks if forcibly
returned, the rights group said on Monday, while pushing
#istandwithrohingyarefugees campaign online.Last week, India's Govt said it had
evidence showing that some Rohingya in the country have ties to "terror
organisations" and pose a security threat that justifies a mass
deportation of the approximately 40,000 Rohingya."In terms of India's
position, it is their legal and moral obligation to not allow the expulsion
from happening," Arijit Sen, project manager at Amnesty Indi said.More
than 800,000 Rohingya currently live in Bangladesh, nearly 600,000 arrived in
the last year. aljazeera
Protest in Punjab against killings of
Rohingyas
Phagwara: A Punjab-based Muslim body took out
a rally here to protest against the killings of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar. Members
of Muslim Dharmik Committee Punjab, led by its state president Maulana
Ubais-ur-Rehman, carried out a march from Jama Masjid to Tehsil complex last night,
a police official said on Monday.They also presented a memorandum to duty
magistrate Swapan Kaur for forwarding it to President Ram Nath Kovind. “We have
sought the intervention of President Kovind and PM Modi against the atrocities
on Rohingya Muslims,” said he.They also demanded that the Rohingya seeking
asylum in India should be allowed to settle here. PTI
UP: Cops scuttle Bajrang Dal’s plan to perform
‘shuddhikaran’ for Hindu woman
Meerut: Police beat back Bajrang Dal
supporters who tried to forcibly take away a married couple from police custody
in Hapur on Sunday evening after accusing the man of forcing the woman to
convert to Islam after marriage. Police lathi-charged Bajrang Dal workers when
they insisted on ‘shuddhikaran’ (purification ceremony) of the woman. Police
also took the couple to a police station to ensure their safety.Hapur’s SP,
Hemant Kutelia transferred police station in-charge, Kotwali Nagar, Samrjeet
Singh for using force on protesters. He also directed the police officials to
provide security to the couple. “Police had to use mild force to stop them. The
situation is under control,” Kutelia said.Later, BJP MP from Meerut, Rajendra
Agarwal and other leaders sat on a dharna to protest against police action on
Bajrang Dal workers.The demonstration ended later in the night after the party
leaders reportedly talked to CM over the phone. BJP leaders are likely to meet
CM to brief him about the incident.On Monday, the couple left for an
undisclosed destination with the police facilitating their travel.Police said
26-year-old woman fell in love with a Muslim man while working at his coaching
institute in Sitamarhi in Bihar. He had a branch of his institute in Hapur and
the duo eloped from Bihar and settled in Shivpuri locality of Hapur where they
had a court marriage last month.HT
Peepli Live co-director Farooqui acquitted of
rape charge
New Delhi: Delhi high court on Monday cleared
Peepli Live co-director Mahmood Farooqui of charges of raping a US citizen,
setting aside a lower court verdict that sentenced him to seven years in jail.
The high court quashed the rape charges giving the 44-year-old film-maker
benefit of doubt. Delhi Police had on June 19, 2015 lodged an FIR against
Farooqui on the complaint of the woman, an American citizen of India descent,
after which he was arrested. HT
MP ‘baba’ Gyandayal Anand booked for
‘sodomising’ devotee a decade ago
Bhopal: Emboldened by the recent conviction of
Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Singh for raping 2 of his devotees, a 29-year-old
man from MP lodged a police complaint against a self-styled godman for
allegedly sodomising him a decade ago.In his complaint registered on Sunday,
the victim said he used to work with the Anand Trust at Ishagarh in Ashok Nagar
district in 2007 when Gyandayal Anand alias Chakki waale Baba committed the
crime in an inebriated condition. An FIR has been registered against the
so-called religious man under section 377 of IPC that criminalises carnal intercourse
against the order of nature, Ashok Nagar SP Santosh Singh Gour said. The victim
said in the past one decade, he faced intimidation, but the conviction of Dera
Sacha Sauda encouraged him to lodge a criminal complaint against Gyandayal
Anand.HT
Congress must find space for religion:
journalist Tully
New Delhi: Veteran journalist Mark Tully has
suggested that the Congress party should consider looking at the Gandhian model
of nationalism to revive itself, and must find a place for religion in its
politics. Tully, who has seen the Congress evolve from the time before Indira
Gandhi took over its leadership, said that the party’s leaders need to revive
its ideology and state what it stands for.“ Congress should find a place for
religion” in what the party stands for, said Tully. When the Congress talks
about secularism it gives the impression that they are “anti-religion” while “most
Indians are religious”, he said. Suggesting that the party should look at “a
nationalism with a religious colouring to it, which was a multi-faith religious
colouring to it,” he said that according to Congress and its supporters today,
“if you say anything about Hinduism, if you say anything about religion, you
are RSS”.
Mulayam rules out forming new party as of now,
accuses son Akhilesh of betrayal
Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh
launched a fresh attack against his son and former CM Akhilesh, accusing him of betrayal but didn’t
announce his own outfit as was widely expected.77-year-old leader, who was
replaced as the SP chief by Akhilesh in the run-up to the Feb.-March election
that ended disastrously for the party, said he would not attend the party’s
national convention in Agra on Oct. 5.“I am not forming any new party as of
now,” Mulayam told a crowded press conference in Lucknow. He was responding to
questions if he would part ways with the party he founded 25 years ago.
Mukul Roy quits Trinamool Congress
Senior Trinamool Congress leader and Rajya
Sabha member Mukul Roy on Monday resigned from the working committee and
primary membership of the party."Today, I will resign from the working
committee of the TMC... I will resign as MP after the pujas," Roy said in
a hurriedly called press conference.One of the most prominent leaders of the
Trinamool Congress, Mr Roy, who also served as Railway Minister, was associated
with the party since its inception in January 1998. Till a few years ago, he
was considered the second most powerful leader after party chairperson Mamata
Banerjee. thehindu
Jamiat slams Nitish for slow relief work in
flood-hit Seemanchal
Patna: Jamiat Ulama-I-Hind has alleged that
Bihar Govt of CM Nitish Kumar was not
doing relief and rehabilitation work effectively in the flood-hit Seemanchal
region of the state. Jamiat's General Secretary Maulana Mahmood Madani raised
question mark over the relief operation by Bihar Govt in Seemanchal. He said
that although one fourth of the total population of Seemanchal have lost
everything but only a meagre amount of five hundred crore have been announced
for their rehabilitation. Maulana was taking stock of the newly constructed 74
houses by Jamiat for the flood victims. He also handed over the key of one
house to a widow. IndiaTomorrow
Untouchability Didn't Exist In Ancient India,
It Came From Outside In Last Thousand Years:RSS Leaders
RSS ideologues often say things that most
people find obnoxious. Now, a senior RSS leader Krishna Gopal said that the
practice of untouchability didn’t exist in ancient India and it came from
outside in last thousand years. The joint general secretary of RSS said no
person living in ‘our streets, our towns can be untouchable."When I
believe (as a Hindu) that there is Brahma, Vishnu and Shiv in humans (Jab maine
manaa insan me Brahma, Vishnu aur Shiv hain), then why discriminate? This
(tradition of) discrimination came in the last thousand years. There was no
such thing as the untouchability in this country (before that)," he
said."Our Vedic rishis never mentioned this. Where did it come from?...it
came from outside," Gopal claimed.Indiatimes
Muslim as chief guest at RSS’ function:
Political compulsion or a paradigm shift? Economic Times
In a significant departure from past,
organisers of one of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's Dusshera functions and
Shastra Pujan ceremonies in Nagpur for young volunteers, or Shishu and Bal
Swayamsevaks, on Sunday invited an eminent Muslim homeopath as its chief guest.
For the first time in RSS history, a Muslim was given such an honour. The
decision to invite Munawar Yusuf is a noteworthy step in RSS efforts to secure
acceptance among Muslims. It also paves the way for tighter embrace of eminent
and politically neutral Muslims.
Naroda Gam massacre: Gujarat SIT requests
judge to visit riot site
Ahmedabad: SIT today requested the judge, who
is hearing the 2002 Naroda Gam massacre case, to visit the site of the incident
to understand the topography of the area.Special SIT judge P B Desai agreed to
visit the site on an application filed by prosecutor Suresh Shah. Desai asked
the lawyers of the accused and the victims to submit a joint application with
the SIT regarding the same, which they did.The court is likely to pass an order
on the application tomorrow.PTI
SBI lowers minimum balance to Rs3,000;
pensioners, minors exempted
Mumbai:The country’s largest lender State Bank
of India on Monday lowered the minimum average monthly balance (MAB)
requirement in a savings account to ₹3,000 from ₹5,000, in addition to revising
downwards penalties for non-adherence. The revised MAB requirement and charges
will become applicable from Oct. , the bank said in a statement.The public
sector lender also decided to exempt pensioners, beneficiaries of social
benefits from Govt and minors from the requirement of minimum balance in
savings account.PTI
Rupee crashes to 6-month low of 65.10 on against
dollar
Triple talaq verdict led to confusion:
Scholars
Charminar: Muslim women scholars and
intellectuals held a meeting at Jamiat-Ul-Mominath at Moghalpura on Saturday to
debate the Supreme Court's verdict on triple talaq. The women scholars felt
that the SC order had triggered confusion among Muslims across the country. After
the meeting, one of the parti cipants, Mufti Mohammed Hassanuddin, said that
women research scholars shared their perspective on the issue. "The SC
passed the judgment on triple talaq owing to pressure from a few women who had
moved the court for their personal gains. Instant triple talaq is already prohibited
in Islam," said Hassanuddin.While some scholars alleged that the triple
talaq issue was raised for political gains, others said there were several
important issues that needed immediate attention in the Muslim community. They
demanded that the Centre should seek opinion of Muslim religious leaders before
bringing a new law in this regard. timesofindia
‘Love India, but not Eman’s doctor’: Why
family of ‘world’s heaviest woman’ moved her out of India
Egyptian national Eman Ahmed Abdelaty,once
known as the world heaviest woman, had undergone a weight reduction surgery in
Mumbai in March before being moved to a Abu Dhabi hospital, where she died on
Monday.According to medical experts at Burjeel Hospital in Abu Dhabi, Eman died
to “complications from the underlying comorbid conditions, including heart
disease and kidney dysfunction”.Her sister Shaimaa Selim had asked doctors in
Abu Dhabi not to speak to the media without her permission over Eman’s
treatment.She had told the HT her sister was doing better there because the
hospital treated them “like humans, not animals”. Selim was referring to the
day Eman was discharged from Saifee Hospital in Mumbai when hundreds of
journalists were given direct access to the hospital lobbyI still love India
and its kind people, but not Dr Muffazal Lakdawala (Eman’s doctor) and Saifee.
Fame and propaganda made them crazy,” she said.HT
WORLD
Iraqi Kurds vote in independence referendum: aljazeera
People in Iraq's autonomous region of
Kurdistan are voting in an independence referendum, amid rising tensions and
international opposition.Polls opened at 05:00 GMT with balloting also taking
place in the disputed areas between the northern city of Erbil and the capital
Baghdad, as well as the oil-rich province of Kirkuk, which is ethnically
mixed.The central Govt in Baghdad, which strongly opposes the referendum,
sought control of the region's international border posts and airports on
Sunday, in anticipation of Monday's vote.Iraq's Govt has also called on foreign
countries to stop importing oil from the Kurdish region and to deal with them
instead.In a televised address on Sunday, Iraq's PM Haider al-Abadi warned of the dire
consequences of the vote and vowed to never accept the disintegration of
Iraq."This is an unconstitutional decision against the social fabric of
our citizens. We will not recognise the referendum, nor its results,"
Abadi said.Meanwhile, the President of Iraq's Kurdish regional government,
Masoud Barzani, has defended the decision to hold the referendum."Is it a
crime to ask people in Kurdistan to express in a democratic way what they want
to have for the future?" he asked in a speech on Sunday.The Kurdish leader
also said he would seek talks with Iraq's central Govt on how to implement the
outcome of the vote. About 2,065 polling stations are open for 10 hours. A
total of 5.6 million people are eligible to vote in Kurdistan and other
Kurdish-controlled areas in northern Iraq, according to the election
commission.Voters will be asked: "Do you want the Kurdistan region and
Kurdish areas outside the region to become an independent state?" Official
results are expected by Tuesday.Meanwhile, Iran closed its border with northern
Iraq's Kurdish region on Monday, the Foreign Ministry said."At the request
of Iraq, we have closed the airspace and ground borders with the Kurdish
Regional Government," ministry spokesman Behram Qasimi said at a news
conference in Tehran.A day earlier, Iran halted flights to airports in Iraqi
Kurdistan at the request of the central Govt in Baghdad, the semi-official Fars
news agency reported.
Moscow: Russian general killed in Syria
because of US policy
Russian Defence Ministry said the general had
been killed by shelling near Deir al-Zor.Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei
Ryabkov said that “2-faced policy” of the US was to blame for the death of
Russian general Valery Asapov in Syria, RIA news agency quoted him.“Death of
Russian commander is the price, the bloody price for the two-faced American
policy in Syria,” Ryabkov told reporters, according to RIA. The Russian Defence
Ministry said on Sunday the general had been killed by shelling near Deir
al-Zor.REUTERS
US air strikes kill 17 ISIL fighters in Libya
6 US air strikes on an ISIL desert camp in
Libya killed 17 fighters and destroyed 3 vehicles, the first American attack in
Libya since President Donald Trump took office in Jan.US Africa Command said in
a statement on Sunday that strikes on Friday targeted a camp 240km southeast of
Sirte, a city that was once the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant stronghold
in Libya.The camp was used to move fighters in and out of Libya, plot attacks
and store weapons, the statement said. aljazeera
HRW: US-led coalition killed dozens in school
bombing
US-led coalition forces killed 84 civilians
including 30 children in Syria in March because it failed to take adequate
precautions in minimising civilian casualties, said HRW in a 42-page report.The
rights group investigated coalition attacks on a school near Raqqa as well as
three other attacks in the area that resulted in significant civilian
casualties. While HRW did not dispute coalition claims that it was targeting
Daesh fighters, it confirmed that “hundreds” of civilians were also at the site
including dozens of people queuing up for bread next to a refugee shelter.In
its investigation, HRW interviewed dozens of locals who had witnessed the
carnage. A local HRW activist confirmed the names of 145 civilians, including
38 women and 58 children, whom he says were killed in airstrikes in the town of
Tabqa between 19 March and 10 May. middleeastmonitor
Trump slaps travel ban on Chad, North Korea,
Venezuela
President Donald Trump slapped new travel
restrictions on citizens from North Korea, Venezuela and Chad, expanding the
list of countries covered by his original travel bans that have been derided by
critics as targeting Muslims.Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen and Somalia were left on
the list of affected countries in a new proclamation issued by the president on
Sunday. Restrictions on citizens from Sudan were lifted."We cannot afford
to continue the failed policies of the past, which present an unacceptable
danger to our country," Trump said. "My highest obligation is to
ensure the safety and security of the American people, and in issuing this new
travel order, I am fulfilling that sacred obligation."Iraqi citizens will
not be subject to travel prohibitions but will face enhanced scrutiny or vetting.The
current ban, enacted in March, was set to expire on Sunday evening.The new
restrictions, slated to take effect on Oct.18, resulted from a review after
Trump's original travel bans sparked international outrage and legal
challenges.Unlike the first ban - which sparked chaos at airports across the
country - officials said they had been working for months on the new rules, in
collaboration with various agencies and in conversation with foreign
governments.The addition of North Korea and Venezuela broadens the restrictions
from the original, mostly Muslim-majority list. aljazeera
Sudan vows to normalise ties with US as travel
ban lifted
Khartoum;Sudan vowed today to step up efforts
to normalise relations with the US after Washington dropped the country from a
list of countries facing a US travel ban.President Donald Trump decided to
remove Sudan from the list just days ahead of an Oct. 12 decision on whether to permanently lift
decades-old US sanctions on Khartoum.The decision was "a positive
development in the two countries' bilateral relations", the Sudanese
foreign ministry said in a statement. outlookindia
Qaradawi: In spite of Egypt, millions pray for
Mahdi Akef
Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, Head of the Muslims
Scholars International Union, mourning the death of former Supreme Guide of the
Muslim brotherhood Mohammed Mahdi Akef, has criticized the Egyptian
regime.“While the Egyptian regime prevented the popular funeral of former
Muslim Brotherhood leader Mahdi Akef, millions of Muslims around the world
prayed for him”, al-Qaradawi said in a speech following performing a funeral
prayer for Akef, at his home in Doha. Khalid Mashaal, former Head of the
Political Bureau of Hamas, leaders of the Egyptian opposition and a number of
scholars were present.Al-Qaradawi declared that Muslims were performing
absentee funeral prayers for Akef in Istanbul, Gaza, and al-Aqsa Mosque.
Moreover, members of muslim brotherhood brothers did, as well as millions
around the world. Al-Qaradawi thanked Qatari Emir, Sheikh Tamim, who allowed
the absentee funeral prayer to be performed at any mosque they choose. But the
people poured in the Sheikh’s house for condolences.Mashaal explained that
“when Arafat used to visit Cairo, he couldn’t but pay a visit to the martyr
Akef, for his sincere positions, and his long jihadist history since the
beginning of the occupation.”He added that “Palestinian prisoners prayed for
the martyr (Akef) in the occupation’s prisons as Palestinians prayed for him in
al-Aqsa Mosque and Gaza, too.”Mashaal also stressed that Akef “was eager to
maintain the unanimity of the Palestinian position and he permanently called
for unity and reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas.”In a statement on Friday,
the Muslim Brotherhood called disciples and supporters of Akef around the world
to hold absentee funeral prayer after the authorities banned funeral services
in Egypt, according to the statement. On Saturday morning, Akef’s family
finished his burial ceremony in eastern Cairo cemetery, in presence of security
guards and only 4 people, according to Anadolu earlier interview with Abd
el-Menem Abd al-Maqsood, head of Akef’s defense committee. After the burial
ceremony, Akef’s daughter, Alia, stated in a post on her Facebook page that:
“they banned every single thing” without providing any further details.On
Saturday, the Egyptian Endowment Ministry banned the absentee funeral prayer on
Akef without a prior official permit, warning that those who violate the ban
will be subject to legal accountability, according to the statement. middleeastmonitor
Sudanese president aid Al-Senoussi: Sisi
regime culpable in the death of Akef
Ibrahim Al-Senoussi, a counsellor to Sudanese
president and former Secretary-General of the Sudanese Popular Congress Party,
criticised the Govt of Egypt over the death of Mahdi Akef.According to
Al-Senoussi, the fact that Akef’s remained in prison, despite his old ages and
illness, demonstrates that the Egyptian authorities are in fact culpable in his
demise.Senoussi described Akef – who is former General Leader of the Egyptian
Muslim Brotherhood – as a “martyr”.“The death of the former Egyptian Muslim
Brotherhood leader in the hospital under the Egyptian security forces’
supervision and his burial in a funeral that was not attended by people and the
media is an evidence of the great extent of injustice and tyranny that
characterize the Egyptian regime,” he said. He added: “The absence of people
from Akef’s funeral prayer and burial rituals also reflects the sense of
fragility that stains this corrupt and oppressive regime, which is afraid of
Akef living or dead.”Senoussi also stressed that “The martyrdom of Akef is a
continuation of the killing process by the coup authorities in Egypt since they
came to power in July 2013.” middleeastmonitor
German polls:Merkel wins 4th term
as her bloc gets most votes while far-right nationalist AfD enters parliament
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has won a
fourth term in office after a general election that has surged an overtly
nationalist party to enter parliament for the first time in decades.Merkel's
centre-right Christian Democratic Union party secured 33 % of the vote on
Sunday, down about nine % compared to the last election in 2013.Their main
rival and current coalition partner, the centre-left Social Democrats led by
Martin Schulz, got around 21% of vote - their worst result in post-war
Germany.But the biggest change to Germany's political scene was the emergence
of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party as the country's third
biggest political force with 12.6 % of the vote.Pro-business Free Democrats
(FDP) bounced back into parliament with 10.1 % of the vote, while the
environmental Greens scored 9.2 % and the leftist Die Linke picked up 8.9
percent.The far-right, anti-immigrant party was founded just four years ago as
an anti-euro force. Its manifesto included a pledge to ban all mosques and
criminalise people wearing the veil.Forming a coalition Govt is expected to be
an arduous process for Merkel that could take months as all potential partners
are unsure whether they really want to share power with her. aljazeera
German polls: Anti-AfD protests erupt in
Berlin, terming new 'nazi party'
Hundreds of protesters have taken to the
streets in central Berlin after exit polls showed that far-right Alternative
for Germany (AfD) party had become Germany's third-largest political
force.Shouting slogans such as "All Berlin hates the AfD!" and ''Nazi
pigs!", the demonstrators gathered outside a building in Germany's capital
where the anti-immigrant party's leaders were celebrating winning an estimated
13.1 % of the votes in Sunday's federal poll.The election result produced
shockwaves, both internationally and domestically. Luxembourg Foreign Minister
Jean Asselborn said Nazis are back in the German parliament.Major Jewish groups
also expressed alarm and dismay about the nationalists' strong showing on
Sunday.Josef Schuster, president of the German Central Council of Jews, said
the party "tolerates far-right thoughts and agitates against
minorities". aljazeera
Majority of Brits think UK should recognise
Palestine as state
A majority of the British public believe the
UK should recognise Palestine as a state, according to the results of a new
YouGov poll published Monday.53% of respondents said they agree with such a
step, as opposed to just 14% who disagreed (33% said they were
‘neutral’).Responding to poll, Manuel Hassassian, Palestinian envoy to UK, said
public opinion has been shifting. “I have been here for 11 years and have
noticed dramatic changes in the British public’s views on Palestine”, he
said.“That only 14 % say they wouldn’t want the Palestinian state to receive
recognition is an indication of the Palestinian cause worldwide being
accepted”, he added. middleeastmonitor
Israel set to advance plans for 2,000
settlement homes next week
Israeli authorities are expected to advance
plans as soon as next week for up to 2,000 new settlement homes in the occupied
West Bank.According to a report in Haaretz on Monday, citing an unnamed senior Govt
official, most of the homes in question will be advancing to another stage in
the planning process.However, some plans will be ready for immediate
construction, reportedly including some 300 homes in Beit El, “which the Govt promised
to settler leaders more than five years ago, following the demolition of
illegally built homes in the settlement’s Ulpana neighbourhood”.The official
said that “over the next 2 days, final talks will be held to decide whether to
add or remove certain construction plans from the committee’s agenda”. middleeastmonitor
Hamas criticises Abbas for continuing punitive
measures against Gaza
Hamas said that there is no reason for PA
President Mahmoud Abbas to delay cancelling his punitive measures against the
Gaza Strip, Al-Resalah newspaper reported.Members of the Democratic Front for
the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) have pointed out that the PA’s punitive
measures against the Strip, such as cutting civil servants’ salaries, cutting
electricity and limiting medical services and funds, have hit young
professionals and the poor the hardest.Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said that
Abbas should have cancelled punitive measures against Gaza as soon as Hamas
dissolved the administrative committee of Gaza, which he claimed was the reason
for such measures. middleeastmonitor
Hamas has good intention on reconciliation:
Fatah official
The Secretary of Fatah’s Executive Committee
said on Sunday that Hamas has a good intention towards reconciliation with his
movement, Al-Quds has reported. Jebril Al-Rajoub noted that the committee
discussed this issue during its latest meeting in Ramallah and that he is
optimistic about ending the internal division.“We insist on opening a new page
and to strengthen the internal Palestinian front,” he explained. Fatah
leadership is to hold a series of meetings to review the internal political
track.Al-Rajoub stressed the importance of the Palestinian National Council and
claimed that after the siege is ended, “between 300 and 500 national figures”
would be able to go to Gaza where a PNC meeting could be held. At the moment,
he pointed out, no Arab country would agree to host the PNC due to the ongoing
wars in the region. middleeastmonitor
53 attacks on mosques and churches in Israel
produce 7 convictions
More than 50 Christian and Muslim sites in
Israel and the occupied West Bank have been attacked over the last 8 years, but
authorities have only filed nine indictments.According to official data
reported by Haaretz, 53 mosques and churches have been vandalised since 2009
(data goes up to July 2017). Yet only nine indictments have been filed, and
only seven convictions handed down. 45 of the cases have been closed, with just
eight still under investigation. middleeastmonitor
Egypt’s court sentences 14 for football
stadium stampede
An Egyptian court has sentenced 14 people over
violence at a football stadium in Cairo in 2015. 2 people were sentenced to
life in prison and 12 were handed between 2 and 10 years in prison over the
deadly football stadium stampede in which 19 people died when police fired tear
gas at fans as they tried to make their way into the Cairo football
stadium.Their sentences can be appealed. The match between Cairo teams Zamalek
and ENPPI was one of the first football games that the public had been allowed
to attend following a ban that was imposed after 70 people were killed and
1,000 were injured in the stadium riots in Port Said in 2012.The police – who
reportedly encouraged the violence at the Port Said stadium – turned off the
lights which created confusion among the crowds. People were crushed as crowds
pushed against a locked gate to try and get out of the stadium. The ban has now
been reinstated.
Oman expels Indian preacher for criticising
siege on Qatar
Omani authorities have asked the Indian Muslim
preacher Suleiman Ben Taher Al-Husseini to leave the country after he criticised
the Saudi-led siege on Qatar,Rassd.net reported yesterday.Omani foreign
ministry said that Sheikh Suleiman’s religious lecture at the College of the
Sharia Sciences on Tuesday did not “conform to the principles of the country,
its system and its policies”. Sheikh Suleiman criticised Saudi Arabia for its
alliance with the US and President Donald Trump, as well as for boycotting
Qatar.He said that these countries are hostile to Qatar because it hosts Hamas,
the Muslim Brotherhood and Grand Muslim Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradawi. Sheikh
Suleiman said that the US is the enemy of Muslims, stating that it had killed
over a million Muslims in Iraq, a million in Afghanistan and around a million
in Syria.middleeastmonitor
Under attack for violence in Rakhine state,
Myanmar Army blames Rohingya Muslims for killing 28 Hindus: abp live
At a time when the global community has been
slamming the Myanmar Govt for alleged state-sponsored violence against lakhs of
Rohingya Muslims in the country’s troubled Rakhine state, the Myanmar Army said
on Sunday that it had discovered a mass grave of 28 Hindus in the region. The
Myanmar Army has blamed the killings on Muslim Rohingya militants associated
with Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army. A report by AFP (Yangon) said that the
Army’s announcement “could not be independently verified in a region that has
been seized by communal violence since Rohingya militant raids on August 25
triggered a sweeping security crackdown.” “Security members found and dug up 28
dead bodies of Hindus who were killed by ARSA extremist Bengali terrorists in
Rakhine State,”a statement posted on the army chief’s website said. Army said
that security officers found 20 dead women and eight men in the graves,
including six boys under the age of 10.
Turkey blames Myanmar of 'Buddhist terror'
against Rohingya
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on
Monday accused the security forces in Myanmar of waging a "Buddhist
terror" against the Rohingya Muslim minority in the country, hundreds of
thousands of whom have fled to neighbouring Bangladesh. Erdogan, who has
repeatedly highlighted the plight of the Rohingya, again accused the Yangon Govt
of carrying out a "genocide" against the people in Rakhine state.AFP
Muslim surgeon stabbed outside UK mosque in
alleged ‘hate crime’
London :A 58-year-old Muslim doctor in the UK
was stabbed in his neck on his way to a mosque by two men who shouted “abusive”
comments, media reports said on Monday. Nasser Kurdy, was attacked on Sunday
with a knife from behind near the Altrincham Islamic Centre in Greater
Manchester. Two men, aged 32 and 54, were arrested within an hour of the
attack, which the force is treating as a hate crime but not terrorism related,
Greater Manchester Police said. “This is a very nasty and unprovoked attack
against a much-loved local man,” Assistant Chief Constable Russ Jackson
saidPolice are treating the incident as a hate crime, the Manchester Evening
News reported. Kurdy was rushed to hospital but has since been discharged, the
report said.PTI
Nearly 50,000 people evacuated from Bali amid
fears of Mount Agung's volcanic eruption
Karangasem: Nearly 50,000 people have
evacuated their homes for fear of an imminent volcanic eruption on the
Indonesian resort island of Bali, disaster officials said Monday. Mount Agung,
75 km from the tourist hub of Kuta, has
been shaking since August and threatening to erupt for the first time in more
than 50 years.The disaster mitigation agency said 48,540 people had fled and
the number was expected to rise because more than 60,000 people lived in the danger
zone."There are still people who don't want to be evacuated," Sutopo
Purwo Nugroho, an agency spokesman, told a press conference."The reason is
firstly, the mountain hasn't erupted yet. Secondly, they are worried about
their livestock."AFP
Pak, Russian armies begin second joint
exercise
Special
forces of Russia and Pakistan on Monday began a joint counter-terrorism
exercise in the Mineralnye Vody region, weeks ahead of Pakistan Army chief Gen
Qamar Javed Bajwa’s visit to Moscow.The two-week exercise, the second in the
Druzhba (friendship) series, will focus on counter-terrorism operations,
hostage rescue and cordon and search operations, the media wing of the
Pakistani military said.“The joint exercise will enhance and further strengthen
military ties between both the countries and share Pakistan Army’s experience
in the war against terrorism,” the military said in a statement. The opening
ceremony of the exercise was attended by senior military officials of both
countries. hindustantimes
Pakistan's Zia-ul-Haq pressed China for joint
nuclear-test backed by Saudi, Libya
Pakistan under Zia-ul-Haq pressed China in
1980 for a “joint [nuclear] explosion” to be carried out at a Chinese site,
given the “new technical problems” Rawalpindi was facing in going for its own
nuclear test.This was the assessment of ambassadors of the socialist countries
based in Islamabad ahead of Gen Zia’s visit to China and North Korea in May
1980. The analysis is contained in a ciphered telegram sent by the Hungarian
Embassy to its headquarters on April 30, 1980, now available at the Wilson
Centre digital archive in Washington. Though there have been consistent reports
of the Chinese sharing nuclear technology with Pakistan, this cable is perhaps
the first from non-Western sources that points to the intensive contacts
between the two countries in this sensitive field.In May 1979, Soviet
ambassador Sarvar Alimzhanovich Azimov informed his socialist colleagues in
Islamabad that Pakistan possessed both “material and intellectual capabilities”
to carry out a nuclear explosion.“Execution of the programme is being
accelerated by the recent discovery of uranium of a favourable composition near
Dera Ghazi Khan. They began to set up the already available enrichment facility
in the vicinity of the quarry,” Hungarian Embassy quoted the Soviet envoy as
saying in his May 17, 1979, cable to HQRS.Soviet ambassador also stated that
the Pakistani nuclear programme, proceeding at an accelerated pace, was
“actively supported” by both Saudi Arabia and Libya.Interestingly, on the same
day as the Hungarian cable was sent in 1979, Israeli PM Menachem Begin wrote to his British
counterpart Margaret Thatcher informing her of Libya’s close partnership with
Pakistan in the nuclear field. British, too, shared the Israeli (and Soviet)
view of close Pakistani-Libyan collaboration in nuclear field.thehindu
Sharif returns, scotching rumours of escape
Islamabad: Pakistan's ousted PM Nawaz Sharif returned to Islamabad on Monday
to face corruption cases filed against him and his children by the country's
anti-graft body in the accountability court after spending nearly a month with
his ailing wife.With his return, Sharif put to rest speculation by his
political rivals that he had left the country to escape facing corruption cases
in courts. Since he left Pakistan on August 30, the Imran Khan-led opposition PTI
was claiming that he would not return to Pakistan. timesofindia
FLASH:
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the Midnight Death of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya: P. RAMAN
Hindustan Times Editor’s Exit Preceded by
Meeting Between Modi, Newspaper Owner: ANUJ SRIVAS
Jharkhand’s anti-conversion law is part of
ongoing project to politicise tribal identity along religious lines:Shahana
Munazir
Pakistan showed a wrong image at UNGA, but
Kashmir’s pellet woes are real:Abhishek Saha
Maharashtra: History lessons, Maratha style:
Musab Qazi
After Hadiya, now Athira: Why Kerala is in the
grip of panic over religious conversions:TA Ameerudheen
Haryana cops killed 36 people in a day, yet
there’s no outrage:Robin David
Refugees in Delhi: Centre's decision to deport
Rohingyas has other Stateless migrants living in India worried that they could
be next:Pallavi Rebbapragada
NITI Aayog’s three year agenda does not
recognise the role of trade policy in agriculture:Siraj Hussain
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Anwarulhaq (Released at: 9:19 PM)
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