Evening NEWS
DIGEST
01
Oct.2017: 10 Muharram 1439:Vol:9, No:09
Rtd army officer in Assam, appointed by Abdul
Kalam, asked to prove Indian citizenship after 30-yrs of services
An Indian Army’s retired Junior Commissioned
Officer, Mohd. Azmal Haque has been accused of being an illegal immigrant by
the Assam Police after having served the forces for 30 years.In a strange but
common situation in Assam, the officer has been served notice to prove
citizenship by the Foreigners’ Tribunal (FT). Azmal Haque, who joined the
Indian Army as a mechanical engineer in Sept. 1986 and served the Indian Army for 30 years,
last held the rank of a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) when he retired. He
was appointed by then President late APJ Abdul Kalam in 2003.This is not the
first time Haque has been acquainted with such an allegation. Azmal Haque’s
wife Mamataj Begum was accused as illegal immigrant earlier, however,
Foreigners’ Tribunal later declared her an Indian citizen.Ex Army officer was
born in Kamrup district of Assam in 1968, “My father’s name (Maqbool Ali) is in
the 1966 voter’s list, and in village surveys in 1961, 1962 and we have kheraj
patta from 1963, while my mother’s name (Rahimon Nesa) is mentioned in the 1951
National Register of Citizens (NRC),” he says.Haque also said that the summon
states, that he had entered India after 1971 without any documents. National
Register of Citizens, 1951 is a register prepared after the conduct of the
Census of 1951 in respect of each village, showing the houses or holdings in a
serial order and indicating against each house or holding the number and names
of persons staying therein.These registers covered each and every person
enumerated during the Census of 1951 and were kept in the offices of Deputy
Commissioners and Sub Divisional Officers according to instructions issued by
the Govt of India in 1951. Later these registers were transferred to the Police
in the early 1960s, as reported.Azmal Haque’s son is also a student of the
prestigious Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC), Dehradun, which is a
feeder institute to NDA, NAVAC and Indian Defense Services. He has also
expressed his desire to serve Indian Army.Haque exclaimed,“I am a khilonjia
axomiya (someone whose origins are in Assam); I belong to this soil. Why is the
Govt trying to harass us on communal
grounds.”Another such incident occurred when earlier Assam Police had accused
its own Constable of being an illegal immigrant. On Sept.21, 2017, the
Foreigners Tribunal had declared him an Indian citizen as well.Aman Wadud, a
Guwahati based activist and advocate said that it was a modus operandi of Assam
Police. Indian citizens are being accused as illegal immigrants without any
investigations. jantakareporter
Retired army officer from Assam Azmal told
'prove you are Indian' after 30 yrs of service
Paramilitary readies ‘non-lethal’ alternatives
after criticism over pellet guns
New Delhi: Stung by criticism for using pellet
guns that left unarmed protesters blind, especially in Srinagar, paramilitary
forces are now readying new crowd-control devices — long range acoustic devices
(LRADs), sticky foam that immobilises people, shock batons and the world’s
hottest chilli pepper, ‘bhut jolokia’ of Assam.The weapons, currently under trial,
are being introduced with the intent to boost the usage of “non-lethal” or
“less lethal” technology to combat unrest, especially in J&K , senior
paramilitary officials told HT.The weapons will be used by RAF, the riot
control specialist wing of CRPF, as soon as DRDO clears them.RAF is, however,
not deployed in Kashmir, and it will be CRPF, responsible for peace-keeping in
the Valley, that is likely to use the “less lethal” weapons, given that defence
and home ministry back these.Among weapons that are being currently tested are
long-range acoustic devices (LRAD), designed to frighten people with a
high-pitched sound. A similar weapon was first designed by Israel, named “The
Scream”. It has been used by the US forces in Iraq for crowd control.Second on
the list is the laser dazzler — a non-lethal intense ray of laser light that
can cause temporary blindness. RAF is also likely to use ghost pepper or ‘bhut
jolokia’ as the main component in chili grenades, which will replace PAVA
shells that were also used mostly in Kashmir. PAVA shells, considered an
alternative to pellet guns, are made up of the organic compound found in
natural chili pepper. It causes severe irritation to eyes officials said.
Security forces in Kashmir have received a lot flak from human rights groups
that accuse them of excessive use of pellet guns against agitators in Kashmir
in recent years. Officials said ‘bhut jolokia’, which is found mostly in
India’s north-eastern states, is likely to be used in pepper grenades to
disperse crowds .The chili was once certified by Guinness World Records as the
hottest in the world and is known to cause extremely painful burns when it
comes in contact with skin. hindustantimes
New Haj policy this week, Mumbai-Jeddah sea
route to be revived
Centre is expected to come out with a new Haj
Yatra policy this week aiming to ensure a smooth pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, Govt
sources have said. A key feature of the
policy, expected to be implemented from the next year, will be to revive the
option of sending pilgrims via the sea route to Jeddah, after a hiatus of more
than two decades, they said.The option of ferrying the faithfuls from the
coastal city of Mumbai to Jeddah has been considered as the Supreme Court in a
2012 order asked the Centre to abolish by 2022 the airways subsidy offered to
Haj pilgrims.Govt feels the sea route
will help cut down the travel expenses.The Muslims, however, will continue to
have the option of travelling to their holiest site by air from 21 embarkation
points in the country, including Delhi and Mumbai, the sources said. Another
feature of the policy is to limit the pilgrimage to once-in-a-lifetime affair,
they said, adding the Govt will come out with the policy this week.“It is in
line with the apex court’s order and revives the option of sending pilgrims via
ships to Saudi Arabia as it is a cheaper yet comfortable option,” a source
said. The practice of ferrying the pilgrims by waterways was discontinued in
1995 on account of MV Akbari, the ship which used to transport them, growing
old, the source said. The sources said a modern ship can ferry 4,000 to 5,000
passengers at a time and cover the 2300-odd nautical miles distance between the
two cities in 2-3 days. Before the sea route was closed, it used to take nearly
a week for the pilgrims to reach Jeddah from the Yellow Gate in Mumbai’s
Mazgaon, source added. On the idea of restricting the pilgrimage to once in a
lifetime, another source added it is to ensure that all desirous people get a
fair chance to undertake the journey.PTI
UGC panel seeks to curb AMU say in picking its
V-C
New Delhi: A Govt audit of AMU has recommended
that the selection process of its V-C should be tweaked to align with the
appointment procedure followed by other central universities. Unlike other
centrally-funded varsities, AMU has a unique process to select its head. The
university’s Executive Council shortlists a panel of five candidates and
forwards it to AMU Court, which, in turn, selects 3 names and dispatches the
list to HRD Ministry.President then appoints one of the three finalists. The
audit report, submitted to UGC recently, has suggested that AMU should no
longer be an exception and follow the process adopted by its counterparts. For
most central universities, V-C is appointed through a competitive process.
Applications are invited via a public advertisement, and are then screened by a
Govt -appointed selection committee. The committee usually shortlists a panel
of 3 names and forwards it to the HRD Ministry. President appoints one of these
three finalists as V-C.According to a member of the audit committee, who spoke
to the Sunday Express on condition of anonymity, the report has also flagged
the culture of “inbreeding” in AMU, under which a majority of faculty
appointments are of former students of the university.“There should be a rule that
ensures a gap year or a cooling-off period before an AMU alumnus is immediately
absorbed as a teacher,” said a panel member. That apart, committee has also
called for more transparency in the university’s functioning. One of the ways
to achieve this is to follow the policy of self-disclosure under the Right to
Information Act, the member said.Audit report has made close to 15 suggestions
to improve the functioning of the university. According to sources, UGC hasn’t
taken any decision on the recommendations as it is waiting for other audit
reports to be submitted.UGC has ordered an audit of 10 central universities, at
the behest of HRD Ministry, to probe complaints of financial, administrative
and academic irregularities.indian express
‘Inbreeding’ at AMU affecting diversity:
Central panel
Sharp spike in buffalo meat export via south
ports raises beef question
New Delhi:A sudden jump in buffalo meat
shipments through southern ports has raised the question whether some of these
might actually be beef from cattle (cow and its progeny), the export of which
is banned. The basis for this is primarily two-fold. Between 2014-15 and
2016-17, India’s buffalo meat exports fell from 14.76 lakh tonnes (valued at Rs
29,289.16 crore) to 13.31 lakh tonnes (Rs 26,307.93 crore).This was reflected
at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) at Nhava Sheva near Mumbai, the
country’s biggest container-handling port, where the consignments fell by over
a fifth.But the same period saw exports through Chennai and the nearby
Kattupalli port going up by roughly five times (see table).Secondly, quite a
few of those exporting sizable cargoes — between 50 and 250 full container
loads (each of 28 tonnes) annually — from the two southern ports have
processing plants in places as far away as Dasna (Ghaziabad) and Sahaspur
(Bijnor) in UP and Burma Camp (Dimapur)
in Nagaland. The choice of ports, 2,000-3,000 km away from their plants, has
raised questions. “We have asked the firms to submit all the relevant documents
to enable us to verify whether the exports are genuine buffalo meat
consignments,” Devendra Kumar Singh, chairman, Agricultural & Processed
Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) said. indian express
How this Hyderabad qazi solemnized 200
weddings without Wakf board's certificate: oneindia
The Hyderabad police who have arrested foreign
nationals in connection with 'child bride for sale' racket has alleged that a
qazi used fake certificates to solemnize illegal marriages. The number of
marriages he solemnized, including those involving minor girls, stands at a
whopping 200. Hyderabad police are questioning Ali Abdullah Rafai over using
fake Siyahnamas (marriage forms) to solemnize marriages. A qazi from Mumbai,
Farid Ahmed Khan, is also being interrogated for following a similar modus
operandi and being an associate of the accused qazi. The police have so far
arrested 3 qazis and have found that the Waqf Board had not issued a single
Siyahnama to Rafai since 2014. He has, however,solemnized 200 marriages,
including those of minor girls to Arab nationals. Marriages have taken place
using fake certificates not authorized by the Wakf board in the last 2 years.
Officials probing the racket told the media on Friday that when they contacted
the Waqf Board authorities to ascertain the authenticity of the Siyahnamas
issued by Rafai for the marriages, the board claimed that they had not supplied
a single Siyahnama to him since 2014. The board however, claimed that the
certificates may have been what was issued to Rafai's father, who was also a
qazi, before he passed away. Officials were also told that qazi in question,
Rafai was even suspended from his post but had moved the High court against the
order which is currently pending. Wakf board even claimed that the qazi did not
have the permission to perform the duties and hence Siyahnamas were not given
to him. Police, who are having a tough time communicating with the accused in
the same, have sought the help of Waqf Board's Nasirul Qazath, supervisor of
qazis, and 2 Waqf Board employees who are experts in Arabic. Wakf board members
are helping the police search and understand documents from Rafai's room, most
of which are in Arabic. OneIndia News
Fake Hyderabad qazi solemnised 200 weddings
Did US intelligence agency try to protect
Mahatma Gandhi, questions PIL in Supreme Court
New Delhi:This question is one among many
raised before the Supreme Court in a petition which has sought the re-opening
of the investigation into Mahatma Gandhi’s murder, suggesting whether it was
one of the biggest cover-ups in history.In his written submission, Dr Pankaj
Phadnis, a researcher and a trustee of Abhinav Bharat, Mumbai, who has filed
the petition, said telegrams were sent from the US Embassy to Washington on
Jan.30, 1948, after the assassination of Gandhi and one of the reports relating
to it still remains classified.He has put on record one of the telegrams
“obtained officially” by him during his recent visit to the National Archives
and Research Administration, Maryland in USA, during a visit in May this year. Phadnis
maintained that as per the “restricted” telegram of January 30, 1948, sent from
the US Embassy at 8 pm, Herbert Tom Reiner, Disbursing Officer, was within five
feet of Gandhi when he was shot, and with the aid of Indian guards, he had
apprehended the assassin.PTI
Congress takes a dig at BJP, says there's a
difference between 'Ramrajya and RSS Rajya'
New Delhi: Congress has used the occasion of
Dussehra to "distinguish between Ramrajya and RSS Rajya," in a
stinging commentary on RSS and NDA Govt at the Centre.Accusing RSS and PM Narendra Modi's Govt of subverting the vision of Mahatma Gandhi to
propagate "tyranny," Congress insisted that it is "reclaiming
the concept of Ramrajya."The party charged that PM Modi's "leadership
can only be described as being informed by RSS rajya, not the ideal of
Ramrajya.""They are in the habit of reducing Lord Ram to a signifier
of difference based on who worships Him, rather than adhere to the secular
takeaways of his rule during what many of the faithful believe was a temporal
kingship. There is a clear departure between the Modi Sarkar as a political
phenomenon and his leadership can only be described as being informed by RSS
rajya, not the ideal of Ramrajya," it accused.It contrasted this with
Mahatma Gandhi's understanding of Ram and Ramrajya, stressing that to the
father of the nation, "Lord Ram embodied the triumph of good over evil and
Ramrajya the happy human condition under a culture of good
governance.""By Ramrajya, I do not mean Hindu Raj. For me Ram and
Rahim are one and the same deity. I acknowledge no other God but the one God of
truth and righteousness. Whether Ram of my imagination ever lived or not on
this earth, the ancient ideal of Ramarajya is undoubtedly one of true democracy
in which the meanest citizen could be sure of swift justice without an
elaborate and costly procedure," the commentary quoted the Mahatma as
saying.TOI
Rahul may take over as Congress chief after
Diwali: Pilot
New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi may take over as the
Congress president shortly after Diwali, Rajasthan leader Sachin Pilot said on
Sunday, stressing that the time had come for the party vice president to lead
from the front.PTI
Rane announces his new party Maharashtra
Swabhiman Paksha, expected to align with BJP
Mumbai:Nearly 2 weeks after quitting the
Congress party, senior leader Narayan Rane on Sunday announced formation of his
new party, named Maharashtra Swabhiman Paksha. While Rane was mum over whether
he would back the ruling NDA, he did announce his support for the bullet train
project and backed the development agenda of the BJP. This pointed towards his
possible support to the ruling alliance in the near future.Rane took potshots
at Shiv Sena, while sparing BJP from criticism. "Shiv Sena will never
leave power until it has been voted out by the voters," Rane said on the
party's constant threats to pull out of the Maharashtra govt. Criticising Sena
supremo Uddhav Thackeray for his salvos against PM Narendra Modi, CM Devendra
Fadnavis and NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, Rane said, "Who is Uddhav to talk
about these elected leaders. Udhhav is just the leader of the Shiv Sena. He has
no credentials to criticise them." firstpost
Bullet train will kill rail safety, says
Chidambaram
New Delhi:Former finance minister and Congress
leader P Chidambaram on Saturday came down heavily on the Ahmedabad-Mumbai
bullet train project, saying “it will be like demonetisation” and “will kill
everything else including railway safety”. The money for the project should
instead be spend on improving railway safety, Chidambaram said in a series of
tweets a day after the Elphinstone stampede in Mumbai.He alleged that the
project being executed with Japanese technical and financial assistance “is not
for ordinary people. It is an ego trip for the high and mighty”. indianexpress
No Durga idol immersion today despite Calcutta
HC nod. Another victory for Mamata govt?IndiaToday
New Delhi:The state Govt had imposed
restrictions on Durga idol immersion on Vijaydashami on Sept. 30 after 10 pm and Oct. 1 which is 10th day of
the holy month of Muharram.But the order was stayed effectively by the Calcutta
High Court. Regardless of the high court order, no organising committee sought
permission for idol immersion today, thereby silencing the BJP and Hindu
hardliner outfits who had long been trying to browbeat TMC Govt.According to
sources, about 95% TMC leaders are associated with pandals or organising
committees in their districts, which could have pivoted the Durga idol
immersion plans in favor of Banerjee Govt . Interestingly, of all 25,000
worship communities in Kolkata, not one has till now sought permission from the
police or the local administration for statuary immersion. indiatoday
Amit Shah to kick off campaign against ‘CPM
intolerance, Muslim extremism’ in Kerala
“CPI(M)’s intolerance” and “Muslim extremism”
will be the dominant themes of BJP’s 2-week Kerala ‘janaraksha yatra’, which
will see a battery of the party’s national leaders joining the state-wide
campaign on foot.BJP national president Amit Shah will inaugurate the yatra at
Payyannur in Kannur on Oct. 3. He will be part of the yatra for 2 days when it
will pass through CPI(M)-dominated areas in Kannur district, which has been
witnessing political violence.The group will tour Kannur for 4 days and other
districts for a day each. Leaders will walk 10km every day. BJP leader V
Muraleedharan said Islamic terrorism and CPI(M)’s intolerance are the topics
that would be debated during the yatra. indianexpress
Teen elopes with Muslim boy, electrocuted by
father,uncle
Chandigarh: A 17-year-old girl, who had
allegedly eloped with a Muslim boy a fortnight ago from Joshi village of
Panipat, was brought back and electrocuted by her father and her uncle in the
name of family 'honour'.They tied her up and killed her by putting live power cables
in her hand in the wee hours of Friday and then quietly cremated her. The
incident came out on Friday afternoon when a police party headed by Matlauda
SHO Narender Singh reached the village. Girl's father Suresh Kumar and uncle
Shyam Pundit have been arrested. Matlauda DSP Bali Singh,who is the supervising
officer in the case, said the girl was the second of 7 children of Suresh. He
said she was a school dropout and used to help her mother in household chores.
Police said a group of masons had come to Joshi last month and the girl got
involved with one of the masons and eloped with him to Kandhla town in Shamli
district of UP. TOI
Not a single Rohingya entered Mizoram:Home
Minister
Aizawl: Mizoram Home Minister R Lalzirliana
today said that the state Govt has not received
any report of even a single Rohingya Muslim entering its soil till date.Centre
had alerted the state Govt to beef up security in view of Rohingyas entering
North Eastern states adjoining Myanmar in the wake of recent clashes between
the Myanmar army and the Rohingyas. Lalzirliana said that security forces
guarding the borders were instructed to step up vigil along the Mizoram-Myanmar
border and Mizoram-Bangladesh border.PTI
India asks Myanmar to take action over killings
of Hindus
Myanmar troops have accused the Rohingya
Muslims of killing over 45 Hindu villagers, following which the Indian Govt has sought action against those responsible
for the murder of hundreds of Hindus in Myanmar's Rakhine.This comes after mass
graves of Hindus were discovered from the eastern province which is in the grip
of an ethnic conflict.Raveesh Kumar, External affairs ministry spokesperson,
said that as per the statement of the office of Myanmar's state counsellor, all
the bodies found in these graves are of Hindus."We emphasise that there is
no justification for any act of terrorism which targets civilians in this
conflict. We hope authorities will be able to bring to justice perpetrators of
the crime," he said. Indiatimes
Over 300 Dalits convert to Buddhism in Gujarat
Ahmedabad:Over 300 Dalits have embraced
Buddhism in Ahmedabad and Vadodara on the occasion of Ashoka Vijaya Dashami --
the day the ruler is said to have pledged non-violence and converted to the
religion -- coordinators of the programmes said.Around 200 Dalits, 50 of them
women, converted to Buddhism at a programme organised by the Gujarat Buddhist
Academy here, said the organisation’s secretary Ramesh Banker.“Deeksha
(initiation) was given by a Buddhist religious head from Kushinagar, the place
where Lord Buddha gave up his body to attain Parinirvana,” Banker said.At a
function in Vadodara, over 100 Dalits converted to Buddhism. Pragna Ratna, a
monk from Porbandar, gave them the Deeksha, said Madhusudan Rohit, coordinator
of the event. “There wasn’t any particular organisation behind this
program...over 100 persons converted voluntarily,” said Rohit, who is the zonal
coordinator of the Bahujan Samaj Party.PTI
7 members of Babbar Khalsa held, five aged
below 23
Ludhiana: Punjab police arrested seven youths
on Saturday for allegedly being members of terrorist organisation Babbar Khalsa
International (BKI). The arrest was facilitated by the counter intelligence
wing of Punjab Police.Sources said four of the ac cused are aged between 18 and
23 years. One is a minor. Commissioner of police R N Dhoke said, "BKI was
planning to carry out subversive activities in Punjab, especially against
anti-Khalistan and anti-Sikh groups. These seven were handpicked by
England-based Surinder Singh Babbar, who approached them through social
networking sites."timesofindia
In Kasab hanging, secrecy was priority. In
Memon case, entire country was watching: Meeran Chadha Borwankar
Mumbai:“The biggest challenge in (Ajmal)
Kasab’s case was the secrecy. Former Deputy CM and then Home Minister RR Patil Sir was very
emphatic about this. Given that right from the signing of the black warrant by
the court, to transporting him from Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai to Yerawada
Central Prison in Pune, where the hanging was to take place, to the actual
execution, there were so many agencies involved, this was a huge task. And
Yakub Memon’s hanging was just the opposite — we had to work with the spotlight
on us,” said Meeran Chadha Borwankar, ex-IG (Prisons), Maharashtra, who oversaw
both the hangings. Borwankar retired as DG, Bureau of Police Research and
Development,on Saturday. Borwankar, only woman IPS officer in India to have
witnessed hangings, spoke about 2 most challenging and controversial
assignments of her career spanning 36 years —hangings of Ajmal Kasab in 2012
and Yakub Memon in 2015.indian express
WORLD
Spain: Catalonia's controversial referendum
kicks off, several injured in security forces’ crackdown
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/10/catalonia-braces-controversial-referendum-171001063108492.html
Spanish riot police clashed with Catalan
voters in Barcelona on Sunday as the controversial referendum on breaking away
from Spain began. Spanish national police began to seize ballot boxes and
voting papers from Catalan polling stations, Interior Ministry said.Our
correspondent at one confrontation saw several people with bleeding faces after
they were beaten by security forces. Some people who attempted to vote and
fought with riot police were taken away in ambulances after being injured. At
another polling station, would-be voters chanted "we are people of peace"
and "we are not afraid". Half a dozen armoured police vans and an
ambulance stood ready nearby, the witness said.Catalans were defying rain and
police orders to leave designated polling booths as the referendum got under
way on the region's secession that has challenged Spain's political and
institutional order.Organisers have asked people to block entrances and use
passive resistance during voting, which started 9am. Spanish riot police
smashed their way into a polling station in Sant Julia de Ramis,near Catalan
city of Girona, where Catalan President Carles Puigdemont was expected to vote.
Civil Guard officers with shields used a hammer to smash the glass of the front
door and lock cutters to force their way in. Scuffles erupted outside between
police and people waiting to vote. aljazeera
Police fire rubber bullets at voters, smash
into polling stations with AXES as Catalonia's independence vote
Kurds' vote a step towards Mideast partition:
Hezbollah
Hezbollah says the Iraqi Kurdish independence
vote marked a first step towards the partition of the Middle East, warning it
would lead to "internal wars" and must be opposed.Hassan Nasrallah,
head of the Iran-backed group, said at a Saturday night rally events in
northern Iraq - where Kurds overwhelmingly voted last week - were a threat to
the whole region and not just Iraq and neighbouring states with Kurdish
populations."It will open the door to partition, partition,
partition," Nasrallah said. "Partition means taking the region to
internal wars whose end and timeframe is known only to God."
Kurdish authorities ‘will pay price’ for vote:
Erdogan
Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan said Iraqi
Kurdish authorities would pay the price for an independence referendum which
was widely opposed by foreign powers. Iraq’s Kurds overwhelmingly backed
independence in Monday’s referendum, defying neighbouring countries which fear
the vote could fuel Kurdish separatism within their own borders and lead to
fresh conflict.Erdogan has built strong commercial ties with Kurdish authorities
in northern Iraq, which pump hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil daily
through Turkey for export to world markets. middleeastmonitor
Turkey opens military base in Somali to train soldiers
Turkey opened its biggest overseas military
base on Saturday in Somalia’s capital, cementing its ties with the volatile but
strategic Muslim nation and building a presence in East Africa. Over 10,000
Somali soldiers will be trained by Turkish officers at the base, a senior Turkish
official said ahead of a ceremony in Mogadishu attended by Turkish military
chief of staff Hulusi Akar.The opening of the $50 million base signals
ever-closer ties between Turkey and Somalia.Turkey’s relations with the Horn of
Africa date back to the Ottoman Empire, but Turkish Govt has become a close
ally of the Somali Govt in recent years.At the opening ceremony on Saturday,
Somali PM Hassan Ali Khaire thanked the
Turkish Govt for opening the training
school and said it would help the Govt “reconstruct” its national force, that is: middleeastmonitor
Saudi authorizes women to issue Fatwas
Riyadh: Saudi Arabia women can now issue
fatwas after the historic recommendation was approved by 107 votes in the
Shoura Council.With this, 45 years old tradition of only specialist men being
able to issue fatwas in the Kingdom ended, a report claimed.The recommendation,
made by one of the members of the Shoura Council was approved during the 49th
meeting. Till now, the only govt body authorised to issue fatwas in the Kingdom
was the General Presidency of Scholarly Research and Ifta.Recently, Saudi
Arabia allowed its women to drive in the country. The reform will be effective
from June next year. The move is being seen as a stern blow to several Islamic
clerics who justified banning women from driving by saying that it would lead
to promiscuity and the collapse of the Saudi family.india.com
First time in Saudi, women authorized to issue
fatwas
2000 Rohingya wait at Myanmar coast to cross
over
Yangon: Over 2,000 Rohingya have massed along
Myanmar's coast this week after trekking from inland villages in Rakhine state
to join the refugee exodus to Bangladesh, state media reported Saturday.The
refugees follow more than half a million fellow Rohingya who have emptied out
of northern Rakhine in a single month, fleeing an army crackdown and communal
violence the UN says amounts to "ethnic cleansing". AFP
UAE collects 'sin' taxes on tobacco, energy drinks
UAE begins collecting new "sin"
taxes on tobacco products, energy drinks and soft drinks.Beginning on Sunday,
tobacco and energy drinks will be taxed at 100% and soft drinks at 50%. Shoppers
could be seen stocking up the day before. The new tax push comes as UAE and
other oil-rich Gulf nations have struggled with low global energy prices. UAE
will start collecting a 5-% value-added tax on certain goods in Jan.AP
Pak overhauling communications system with
help from China: Report
Pakistan is working on a massive project with
China as part of the $55-billion CPEC project to develop a communications
system which is not routed through India and US, a media report said on
Sunday.The roadmap of the Long Term Plan (LTP) for the China Pakistan Economic
Corridor (CPEC) was developed from Nov.2013 to Dec. 2015 by officials and
experts from both countries, the Dawn reported. PTI
US: Are 'anti-Sharia' bills legalising
Islamophobia?
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/09/anti-sharia-bills-legalising-islamophobia-170928150835240.html
At least 13 states across the US have
introduced bills that seek to ban Islamic law this year, with Texas and
Arkansas enacting "anti-Sharia" legislation, according to a report. Researchers
and critics fear that right-wing legislators are increasing anti-Muslim
sentiment as Islamic law, known as "Sharia", was targeted by some 194
bills between 2010 and 2016, according to the report by the University of
California, Berkeley's Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society.Of that
total, 18 bills were signed into law in 12 different states."Anti-Sharia
law movement, by way introducing and enacting anti-Sharia law bills across the
US, seeks to legalise the othering of Muslims, as well as to perpetuate a fear
of Sharia, Islam and ultimately Muslims," said Basima Sisemore, a
researcher and an author of Legalising Othering: The US of Islamophobia. aljazeera
Syrian Observatory: Daesh captures town from Govt
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported
on Sunday that Daesh fighters had seized control of the town of al-Qaryatayn in
Homs province, part of a wider counterattack by the militants as they resist a
fierce offensive in eastern Syria.There was no comment from the Syrian army on
the report that Qaryatayn, 120 km northeast of Damascus, had fallen.Syrian Govt
forces recovered Qaryatayn from Daesh
some 6 months ago. Observatory said Daesh fighters had seized control of
Qaryatayn in a surprise attack launched after its fighters had infiltrated the
town. middleeastmonitor
Russian raids killed thousands in Syria since
2015: NGO
A total of 5,233 civilians have been killed in
Syria since Russia began airstrikes against opponents of the Syrian regime in
2015, according to a Syrian NGO. The fatalities included 1,417 children and 886
women, the London-based Syrian Network for Human Rights said in a statement on
Sunday. Syria fell into a civil war in 2011 after the regime of Bashar al-Assad
put down pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity. Anadolu
Iran recruits Afghan children to fight in
Syria: HRW
Kabul:An international rights watchdog on
Sunday accused Iran of recruiting Afghan immigrant children to fight in Syria
for the regime forces. In a latest report, the HRW said Afghan children in Iran
as young as 14 had fought in the Fatemiyoun division, an exclusively Afghan
armed group supported by Iran that fights alongside Syrian regime forces.
According to HRW, the international law considers recruiting children under the
age of 15 to participate actively in hostilities a war crime.The watchdog said
that its researchers had reviewed photographs of tombstones in Iranian
cemeteries, where the authorities buried combatants killed in Syria, and
identified eight Afghan children who apparently fought and died in Syria. Anadolu
Civilians armed to protect mosques during
Ashoura
Authorities in Afghanistan have tightened security
in Kabul in advance of Ashoura on Sunday, the holiest day in the Shia Muslim
calendar, fearing attacks on worshippers.Afghan capital witnessed increased
security, with extra police checkpoints set up in parts of the city where
Ashoura processions traditionally take place.But Kabul residents have raised
concerns at the Govt 's security plan, which includes arming hundreds of
civilians to help protect mosques and religious processions that have come
under attack recently. Many residents Al Jazeera spoke to say the policy could
be misused in the future.Last week, Govt provided basic defence and weapons training to
at least 500 volunteer guards to protect nearly 400 Shia mosques in
Kabul."I think at the moment it is better to have extra security, but in
the long run I don't feel comfortable with the idea of civilians in possessing
weapons," Mohammad Sabir, a 50-year-old Shia worshipper, said. aljazeera
Austrian police force women to uncover their
faces as country's 'burka ban' comes into force
A Muslim woman was forced to remove her veil
today as the ban on full-face veils came into force in Austria.Items concealing
the face in public places, such as the full Islamic veil, medical masks and
scarves to cover faces have been outlawed. Only under certain conditions, such
as 'at cultural events', will people be able to wear them in public. The laws
are aimed at 'ensuring the cohesion of society in an open society' and anyone
violating the rules could be hit with a €150 fine. On Sunday, a Muslim woman
defying the rule was spotted being told to remove her veil in the town of Zell
am See. In a ruling announcing the ban, officials in Vienna said: 'Acceptance
and respect of Austrian values are basic conditions for successful cohabitation
between the majority Austrian population and people from third countries living
in Austria.'The measures, similar to those in other EU countries, also apply to
visitors even though large numbers of Arab tourists holiday in Alpine
country.The legislation was brought in by the outgoing centrist Govt of Chancellor Christian Kern.DailyMail
New report shows Human rights violations in
Bangladesh
Almost a hundred people were killed by law
enforcement agencies in the last nine months of this year, according to a
report by Bangladeshi rights body Ain o Salish Kendra. It published information
based on the national dailies of Bangladesh.It documented victims’ family and
eyewitnesses as saying that law enforcement agencies in civil dress arrested
more than 50 people which was also published in the national dailies. However,
only a few of them returned. The bullet ridden bodies of others were found. But
the law enforcement agencies denied these allegations, says the rights body. According
to the report, 588 women have been raped. The majority of them killed after
rape; some commited suicide.World Bulletin
FLASH: VIEWS & NEWS
Attack at HEART of India: Study reveals
'world's most' heart failure deaths at 23%, while China just 7%: dailymail
Sinha's critique of Modi govt: Echo of
discontent among RSS foot soldiers:Ajoy Ashirwad Mahaprashasta, The Wire
New US policy can boost Indo-Afghan security
ties: Afghan leader Abdullah Abdullah
Uddhav Thackeray raising communal angle to
gain people’s attention: Muslim cleric
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Anwarulhaq (Released at: 7:17 PM)
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