Evening NEWS
DIGEST
12
Nov.2017: 22 Safar 1439:Vol:9, No:45
Not pursuing proposal to introduce Islamic
banking in India:RBI
New Delhi: RBI has decided not to pursue a
proposal for introduction of Islamic banking in the country. Replying to an RTI
query, the central bank said the decision was taken after considering “the
wider and equal opportunities” available to all citizens to access banking and
financial services. Islamic or Sharia banking is a finance system based on the
principles of not charging interest, which is prohibited under Islam. The issue
of introduction of Islamic banking in India was examined by RBI and the Govt of
India, it said. “Taking into account, the wider and equal opportunities
available to all citizens to access banking and financial services, it has been
decided not to pursue the proposal further,” the central bank said in its reply
to RTI application filed by this PTI correspondent. RBI was asked to provide
details of steps being taken for the introduction of Islamic or ‘interest-free’
banking in India. PM Narendra Modi had
on Aug. 28, 2014 launched Jan Dhan Yojana, a national mission to bring about
comprehensive financial inclusion of all the households in the country.In late
2008, a committee on Financial Sector Reforms, headed by ex-RBI governor
Raghuram Rajan, had stressed on the need for a closer look at the issue of
interest-free banking in the country.“Certain faiths prohibit the use of
financial instruments that pay interest. The non-availability of interest-free
banking products results in some Indians, including those in economically
disadvantaged strata of society, not being able to access banking products and
services due to reasons of faith,” the committee had said. Later, on the
instruction of central Govt,an inter-departmental group (IDG) set up in RBI
examined the legal, technical and regulatory issues for introducing interest
free banking in India and has submitted its report to Govt .RBI had in Feb.
last year sent a copy of IDG report to finance ministry and recommended an
“Islamic window” in conventional banks for gradual introduction of
Sharia-compliant banking.PTI
Not to pursue Islamic banking in India, says
RBI
RTI reply exposes Modi govt’s claims on black
money, zero FIR against culprits till date
An RTI reply has exposed the claims made by
the Centre’s Narendra Modi Govt on
dealing with the black money.When asked to provide information on a number of
FIRs filed against the black money hoarders by the newly formed Multi Agency
Group, Union Finance Ministry headed by Arun Jaitley said that not a single FIR
had been filed till date.Justifying the zero FIR against the black money
hoarders, the finance ministry said that there was no provision to register an
FIR under law.RTI reply said,, “The mandate of Multi Agency Group is to
facilitate co-ordinated and speedy investigations into Panama Paper Leaks. The
investigations are conducted by the specific agencies. As per the Income Tax
Act, 1961 and Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and
Imposition of Tax Act, 2015 there is no provision of registering FIR.”Multi
Agency Group was formed in April last year to investigate the legality of money
stashed in offshore entities by Indians named in the Panama Papers leak. On 6 Nov.,
the Central Board of Direct Taxes said that the MAG will monitor the probe and
take “swift action” on the ‘Paradise Papers’ on financial holdings abroad that
list a number of Indian entities. jantakareporter
Cow vigilantism strikes again: Muslim man
gunned down in Alwar, 2 aides injured; No FIR yet
Alwar: Another gruesome incident of cow
vigilantism has emerged from Alwar, where a Muslim man was gunned down by a mob
and two of his aides were assaulted.News reports that emerged after the
incident indicate that the victim, Ummar Muhammad, was shot dead on the pretest
that he was transporting cows near Rajasthan-Haryana border on Nov.10. The
ghastly incident, which has once again ripened the memories of the past
incidents of mob violence, took place in Fahari village near Govindh Gadh in
Rajasthan’s Alwar district. Several media agencies reported that Muhammad along
with his two accomplices were transporting cows from Mewat in Haryana to
Bharatpur in the state, but were intercepted by the rowdy mob.Police have
maintained silence on the episode, but the fact that Muhammad was shot has been
confirmed. Muhammad, who is survived by a wife and eight children, was
allegedly assaulted by members of a certain right-wing group in the region,
indicates several reports. One of Muhammad’s aides, Tahir, managed to flee the
spot and quickly got admitted to a hospital. Reports indicate that Tahir, too,
has been severely injured by a mob of 7-8 people. Victim’s uncle Iliyas
Muhammad has requested the Alwar police to quickly register a complaint, adding
that the cows were not being transported for the purpose of slaughter.A News 18
report indicates that one of the prime suspects in the case could be Rakesh,
who many testified was present at the spot, adding that he was a member of a
“Gau Raksha group”. The shocking incident has left the Mewat community in a
state of shock, and has triggered several protests in the region. A demand has
been made for the immediate arrest of the offenders.Police are yet to register
an FIR in the case, even as 2 days have passed.timesnownews
Yet Another Cow Lynching in Alwar: Umar Shot
Dead by Mob 2 Days Ago, No FIR Yet
Alwar: Cow vigilantes kill man, puts body on
railway tracks to look like accident
Pune varsity suspends medal after row over
‘vegetarian’ criterion
New Delhi: Savitribai Phule Pune University
(SPPU) on Saturday suspended the award of the Shelar Mama gold medal following
a row over the eligibility criteria for the applicants. A circular recently
reissued by the university listed being vegetarian and a proponent of Indian
culture as criteria for bagging the medals, which were instituted in 2006 by a
trust in the names of Yogmurthi Rashtirya Keertankar Ramchandra Gopal Shelar
and Tyagmurthi Shrimati Saraswati Ramachandra Shelar.V-C Dr Nitin Karmalkar on
Saturday reiterated that the university had no role in formulating the criteria
— set by the Shelar family and agreed upon by the university management council
way back in 2006.“The medal was approved by the management council in 2006.
Since the matter has come to the fore only now, we will take this opportunity
to rectify the same,” he said at a press meet.While officials maintained that
the university did not judge students based on dietary habits, efforts were on
to contact the Shelar family and bring alterations in the criteria.“If they
disapprove, we will scrap this medal completely,” added Karmalkar. The
university has decided to form a committee to review the conditions and criteria
all of its 40 existing medals and awards, presented at the annual convocation. Indianexpress
MP's Chitrakoot Assembly bypoll:Congress
defeats BJP by huge margin, taunts with tweet ‘won in Ram Ki Nagri’
In a big electoral victory in the state of MP,
Congress on Sunday won Chitrakoot Assembly bypoll in the state. The grand old
party clinched the seat as its candidate Nilanshu Chaturvedi defeated his
nearest BJP rival Shankar Dayal Tripathi by a huge margin of 14,133 votes.
While Nilanshu Chaturvedi polled 66,810 votes, Shankar Dayal Tripathi got
52,677 votes, as per returning officer AP Dwivedi. Elated over the victory, MP
Congress tweeted a congratulatory message for its partymen. Also, the state
Congress unit thanked the people of Chitrakoot for choosing Congress. “Congress
won in Ram Ki Nagri,”the party tweeted. The counting of votes polled in the Nov.
9 by-election began at around 8 am amid tight security in Satna district,
around 400km from Bhopal. Though 12 candidates contested the by-election, the
fight was on between Congress leader Nilanshu Chaturvedi and BJP’s Shankar
Dayal Tripathi. Financialexpress
Ram Mandir : Sri Sri to meet Muslim clerics,
other stakeholders tomorrow
Bengaluru:Sri Sri Ravishankar is set to meet
Muslim clerics and other stakeholders in the Ram Mandir issue in Delhi tomorrow.
The meeting is crucial, as it takes the Art of Living founder's offer to
mediate for an out-of-court settlement to the next level.Several rounds of
talks have already taken place between Sri Sri and the stakeholders in the Ram
Mandir issue. He held fresh talks with
members of the Hindu Mahasabha, Nirmohi Akhada and the Sunni Waqf Board at the
Art of Living center in Bengaluru on Saturday."We cannot reveal the
specifics of our meeting but we had a good discussion. We want peace in the
country and we will continue talks until the 'Bhoomipoojan' of Ram temple is
done," said Chandraprakash Kaushik of the Hindu Mahasabha. "We are
very hopeful that Sri Ram temple will be built in Ayodhya."Interestingly,
Amarnath Mishra, who is an interlocutor for the Ram temple issue, also met with
Sri Sri at the ashram."My role is that I have been an interlocutor. We
also need Sri Sri to intervene, as it involves the religious sentiments of thousands
of people, and Sri Sri holds the confidence of both Hindus and Muslims. I will
be going to Delhi with Guruji and hold a meeting with Muslim clerics in Delhi
on Nov.13," he said.After the meeting, Ram Prabhat Singh of the Nirmohi
Akhada said "We hope that the Ram temple will be built. We don't have much
to say whether it should be a court verdict or an out-of-court settlement. It
is being unnecessarily politicized and this is causing the biggest hurdles in
taking a decision on the issue."The final hearings on Ayodhya will begin
in the Supreme Court on Dec.5 on whether a Ram temple can be built on the site
or whether a masjid will be allowed. indiatoday
Hopeful of Ram Mandir obstacles withering away:
Mahasabha
Ram temple dispute: Shia Waqf Board to
approach SC before Dec. 5
Ayodhya: UP Shia Central Waqf Board along with
some Mahantas from Ayodhya will approach the Supreme Court before December 5
with a solution to the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute.The decision comes
after Shia Central Waqf Board chairman Syed Waseem Rizvi on Sunday met several
Mahantas in Ayodhya for mutual agreement in the dispute.Rizvi said, "We
are working on a solution and before December 5 we will approach the court with
it." outlookindia
There will be Ram Rajya by 2022: UP CM
Adityanath
Lucknow:CM Yogi Adityanath on Saturday said there would
be ‘Ram Rajya’ in the country very soon, indirectly indicating that the Ram
temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya will be completed by 2022.“Dreams are
always seen to be realized,” he said when asked if he would fulfill the dream
of his mentor Mahant Avaidyanath, who was so closely associated with the temple
movement.Adityanath was interacting with daily Hindustan’s editor-in-chief
Shashi Shekhar after inaugurating the ‘Hindustan Shikhar Samagam, an annual
conclave, at a five-star hotel here.On the deadline for the temple
construction, the CM said that PM Narendra Modi had put up a 2022 vision seeking
to free the country from filth, poverty and anarchy and thereby establishing ‘Ram
Raj’ in the country. hindustantimes
Indian Muslims less radical, so no IS
threat:Rajnath
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said in Lucknow on Saturday that India
has no threat from the militant organisation Islamic State because Muslims in
India are less radical when compared to those across the world.According to a
press communique released from PIB, minister, in an event in Lucknow, said: “Muslims
in India, when compared to Muslims elsewhere, are less radical…. We do not face
the threat of the ISIS because of this.” He added that Pakistan promotes
terrorism but there was noticeable decline in terror incidents in Kashmir and
the Centre was concerned about the rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits.
Regarding Maoism, he said there was decline in “naxalwad”. He said their
activities were limited to five to seven districts. indianexpress
There has been decline in incidents of
extremism, credit should go to followers of Islam: Rajnath
About 100 Keralites suspected to have joined
ISIS: Police
Kannur: About 100 Keralites are suspected to
have joined the Islamic State over the years, police said here on Saturday. Kerala
Police has collected evidence in this regard, including over 300 voice clips
and messages from WhatsApp, telegram messaging applications and other social
media platforms, sources here told PTI.The latest proof was an audio clip from
a woman, wherein she can be heard informing her kin here about the death of her
husband, who had joined ISIS.The woman can be heard saying her husband Shajil
was killed recently in the ‘jihadi war’. According to the audio clip, she and
her two children are still in Syria, the sources said.The woman can be heard
telling her kin that many Keralite women, who have lost their husbands, and
their children are in Syria, they said.The voice clip was received by Shajil’s
brother.Police have another audio clip from one Qayoom, whose photos in the
ISIS uniform are available on the Internet, the source said. hindustantimes
Terror accused coordinated on social media: UP
police
Lucknow: 5 persos arrested on charges of
plotting terror attacks got in touch and organised themselves using a range of
social media applications, an UP police officer has said.Abu Zaid, alleged
ideologue of the radicalised group that was nabbed from Mumbai airport on
Nov.3,has told investigators that members coordinated through Facebook, Threema
and Telegram applications among other means of communication. Giving details of
timeline of alleged terror plot, Aseem Arun, IG, ATS, said Zaid, 32, started
leaning towards “jihad” after he befriended some “jihadi-minded” people on
Facebook and began reading books recommended by them. “He would follow jihad
related videos and posts on Facebook, and would enjoy them a lot, said Arun.Nazim
was among 4 persons arrested from UP, Bihar, Punjab and Maharashtra in April in
a pre-emptive operation by the police of various States. the hindu
Myanmar national staying in Ajmer Dargah area,
teaching children in mosques arrested by police
Rajasthan Police on Saturday arrested a
Myanmar national in Ajmer city for faking his identity and showing himself as
an Indian citizen. The man has been identified as Amaanullah who is a Myanmar
national and has a refugee card. As per the report, he has been faking his
identity for the last seven years. Manvendra Singh, SHO of Dargah police
station said, “He came via Kolkata in 2009-10. He even acquired an Aadhaar card
by submitting forged documents.” The migrant, holder of UN refugee card, was
arrested from area around Ajmer Sharief Dargah and had been living in the city
for past seven years. He even acquired an Aadhar by submitting forged
documents. SHO informed that the migrant had got a refugee card made in New
Delhi.He later shifted to J&K and took to teaching children there, reported
ANI. After staying in Jammu for 5 months, he shifted to Ajmer in 2010. He had
been teaching children in mosques in Ajmer. The police said that by the time he
acquired other identification proofs and documents that allowed him to pass off
as an Indian national. financialexpress
Fringe groups meet Dineshwar Sharma in Kashmir
but prominent players absent
When the Govt named former IB chief Dineshwar Sharma last
month to lead peace talks in J&K , it was hailed as a watershed moment to
end a bloody insurgency that’s claimed more than 40,000 lives.But Sharma’s
five-day visit to the troubled state this week yielded a mixed bag of results,
with several prominent parties and trade bodies staying away and sources saying
that several of the 80-odd delegations he met were fringe groups with little
pull in the state. Sharma who returned from the Valley on Friday, met outfits
such as the Rahul Gandhi Fan club and Bhartiya Modi Army, and attended to
deputations over issues such as the transfer of a tehsildar.Both Rahul Gandhi
Fan club and Bhartiya Modi Army told HT that they were national-level
organisations. Rahul Gandhi Fan club chief organiser Mohd Ashraf said the group
was formed in 2008. “We have around 2,000 members. We are driven by Rahul
Gandhi’s clean youth leader image and membership is voluntary,’’ he
said.Bhartiya Modi Army claimed a membership of at least 20,000. “There is no
leader like Mr Modi. He is the strongest PM India has seen till date...he is a one man
army and we want to be his soldiers,’’ said Haroon Nabi Lone, national
president of the group. He said he joined the group in 2015.Among groups that
called on the Centre’s special representative were the little-known J&K Youth
Alliance, a one-man delegation from the Shiv Sena, local NGOs such as Red
Winter Youth Organisation, and the J&K Political Migrant Front. Some other
organisations listed as political parties were J&K Watan Parast Party,
Rashtriya Manch and Tehreek-e-Insaf.HT
Madrasa is for religious teaching: Cleric on
UP govt’s move to make NCERT books must
Lucknow: In a large room at Islamic Centre of
India on the premises of Aishbagh Eidgah in Lucknow, dozens of young men are
sitting on the marble floor, bent over books learning the ayats of the Holy
Quran and Hadith. Founded Islamic Scholar Allama Nizamuddin Farangi Mahli, who
was the author of Dars-e-Nizamia, syllabus followed by nearly all madrasas in
the Indian subcontinent, this madrasa has over 500 students – 300 boys and 250
girls-- enrolled at a time. There is a hostel for outstation students as well.A
few kms away, there is a govt-aided madrasa with decrepit infrastructure. Govt
aid on which it runs reaches once in 6 months. Despite the stark difference in
their status, there is a common undercurrent of tension running in 2
seminaries. Ever since the Yogi Govt has
announced that NCERT books would be introduced in the madrasa curriculum and
subjects like mathematics, science and social science would be made compulsory,
authorities running the madrasas in UP have been worried and confused.Maulana Khalid
Rasheed Farangi Mahli, who is the Chairman of the Centre, said it would put too
much pressure on the students to study modern subjects like mathematics, physics,
chemistry, geography etc. alongside the Holy Quran, Hadees, Islamic law and
history, Arabic and Persian. Maulana Abdul Lateef, a teacher at the Islamic
Centre, said after graduating from there, the students joined higher centres of
Islamic studies such as Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama in Lucknow or Darul Uloom
Deoband.“Many others also take admission in institutions like AMU, JNU and
Jamia Milia Islamia where avenues for Islamic studies are available,” he
said.Sunday Standard
Women must cover their faces: Islamic scholar
Mumbai:A Mufti who was answering questions on
covering said that women who were not slaves, and hence free, were asked to
wear a hijab to be differentiated from women who were slaves. Mufti Nizamuddin
Razavi was answering questions on "covering" at the second day of
27th annual Sunni Ijtema at Azad Maidan on Saturday. While the first day of the
Ijtema is reserved for women, the second and third day of 3-day event can be
attended only by men. Thousands had gathered to listen to Islamic scholars
speak on various Islamic teachings."The Quran says that the head must be
covered. The covering of face is optional. But in Hadees it is said that even
the face has to be covered. Back then, women who were free (not slaves) were
asked to cover their faces to distinguish them from women who were slaves.
Hence, covering was for those women whose rank was higher because they were
free (not slaves) in the society,"said Mufti Nizamuddin Razavi while
giving religious answers to the queries raised by men.On the first day, an
Islamic scholar while talking about talaq said, "instant talaq is not
liked by God." However, Mohammed Shahid, spokesperson for Ijtema, told DNA
that instant talaq is still valid. "If women cover themselves up, they
will not have to suffer from criminal acts," added Razavi.DNA India
AMU prof's wife threatens suicide with kids, claims
victim of triple talaq
Agra: Yasmeen, the wife of AMU professor
Khalid Bin Yusuf Khan, has alleged that she has become a victim of triple talaq
and threatened to commit suicide in front of the VC's house along with her kids
if "justice is not done" to her.Yasmeen told TOI on Saturday that
Khan, who is professor and chairman at the department of Sanskrit in AMU and
has been with the university for 27 years, "wrongly" gave her talaq
first on WhatsApp and then as a text message. She said she will have no choice
but to kill herself along with her three children in front of VC Tariq
Mansoor's house if she doesn't get justice by Dec.11."He (Khan) turned me
out of the house and I have been running from pillar to post to get justice.
But no one has helped me so far. However, with the help of police I did manage
to get access to my house on Friday evening."Khan denied the allegations.
He said, "I had not only given her talaq on WhatsApp and SMS but had also
verbally told her in front of two other people and adhered to the time duration
as per Sharia."Claiming to be the real victim in this case, Khan said, "To
the contrary, she has been harassing me for the last 2 decades. She had hidden
various facts from me before our marriage. I later got to know that she was not
even a graduate, unlike what she had claimed. I will give her the third talaq
too, on a proper date, and no one can stop me. I don't care what she
does."Yasmeen said she is not just a graduate, but has done her MA and BEd
from AMU.SSP (Aligarh) Rajesh Pandey said that police managed to get her entry
into her house. He added that Yasmeen has not yet lodged a complaint against
her husband and has been insisting on counselling. "In such a scenario,
there isn't much the police department can do. We have called both of them
here."TOI
Muslim man converts to Hinduism for marriage, SC
gives no relief:CNN-News18
New Delhi: At a time when a ‘Love Jihad’ case
from Kerala has been making headlines, another intriguing instance of
inter-faith marriage has come up before the Supreme Court, but with a twist.
This time, a Muslim man has converted to Hinduism and married a Hindu girl at
an Arya Samaj temple. He recited shlokas and took the seven vows walking around
the fire as they got married at Bhopal in April 2016.But the girl’s family in
MP lodged an FIR, claiming the girl is a minor and that the man kidnapped her.
The police then took away the girl and placed her in the custody of her
father.The man then moved the Supreme Court and filed a habeas corpus petition.
He submitted that he had validly converted to Hinduism and wanted his wife
back. The 24-year-old, who is a sepoy in Army, also produced letters to show
that he did inform his superior in the Army about his religious conversion. The
girl’s statement to a magistrate, supporting his version that she was a major,
was also shown to the court.However, his year-long quest reached a dead end,
with the Supreme Court dismissing his case without issuing any directive to
reunite him with his ‘wife’.
Children born to Muslim couple before marriage
not legal heirs:Madras High Court
Chennai: Madras High Court has held that a
child born to a Muslim couple before their marriage cannot be considered as a
legal heir and consequently not entitled to a share in the biological father’s
property.However, the court permitted one such descendant to walk away with a
lion’s share of his father’s property on the ground that the latter was
entitled to bequeath one-third of his property to strangers as per Muslim
law.Justices R. Subbiah and P. Velmurugan passed the ruling while disposing of
an appeal suit preferred by the second wife of Mohammed Ansar, a former
employee of Southern Railways.The appellant was aggrieved against an order
passed by a lower court in favour of two daughters born to her husband through
his first wife though he had left behind a will bequeathing his properties only
to the second wife and her three children.Resolving the dispute between the
parties, the judges noted that Ansar had married his first wife in 1946 and
gave birth to two girls who were married in 1962 and 1967 respectively.
Subsequently, his first wife died and he married another woman in July
1969.Pointing out that Muslim law states that an “illegitimate child is
considered to be the child of its mother alone and as such it inherits from the
mother alone,” the judges held that the first son born through the second wife
of the deceased was not entitled to inherit his father’s property.However,
writing the judgement for the Bench, Justice Velmurugan pointed out that the
same Muslim law permits a Muslim to bequeath one-third of his property to
strangers. Observing that a Muslim could execute a will only with respect to
one-third of his property and bequeathing more than that would require the
legal heirs’ prior consent, which had not been obtained in the present case,
the judges held that each of the two daughters born to Ansar through his first
wife would be entitled to 6.5 out of the 60 portions of their father’s
property. thehindu
Access to YouTube channels of news portals
blocked on varsity WiFi, say JNU students
Delhi:A section of students at JNU, including
the students union, have alleged that they are unable to access any news
portal’s YouTube channel, other than that of Zee News, over the university
WiFi, a claim denied by university officials. “Access has been blocked to news
sites of NDTV, The Wire, etc. We are redirected to a page that says we are
trying to access “adult content.” We cannot even access YouTube videos of
previous presidential debates at JNU. This has been going on since Friday,”
said Geeta Kumari, head of JNU Students’ Union.Rector-III, RP Singh, however,
said that “there is no change in the URL filtering policy of JNU.”The students
alleged that they cannot access any videos relating to JNU student leaders
Kanhaiya Kumar,Shehla Rashid and politicians Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal,
Mamta Bannerjee. Other members of opposition parties “are showing no
results”.“Along with several other news portals, AISA YouTube Channel has also
been blocked by JNU administration through JNU’s WiFi,” said Sucheta De, president
of AISA. Videos allegedly recorded on campus, showing how access to various
YouTube channels have been blocked on WiFi, show that students get a message
saying, “some results have been removed because Restricted Mode is enabled by
your network administrator,” when they search for things such as “Una
incident”.Searches for “The Wire Hindi” and certain other news portals do not
show their YouTube Channels in the results, according to the video.HT
UP Govt cancels Lucknow literary festival after
‘protest’ of Hindutva groups
The very first season of Lucknow literary
festival has faced a huge setback after Hindutva radical outfits protested on
the venue. Following the protest, Lucknow administration has put a ban on the
event, leaving organisers worried.Ex-JNU Students Union president Kanhaiya
Kumar landed in Lucknow yesterday to take part in the festival as one of the
speakers. To be held at the city’s famous Sheroes cafe – built and run by acid
attack survivors –festival could not inaugurate the festivals as goons from
ABVP, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha and VHP started raising slogans against the
presence of Kanhaiya Kumar.The protesters did not let Kanhaiya speak or clear
his stance for more than 30 minutes.Protesters broke the gates and raised
slogans labelling Kumar as “anti-national” who was at the fest to talk on his
bestseller ‘From Bihar to Tihar’.Kumar, who was allegedly manhandled during the
protest, later said that he could not be labelled as anti-national as he
himself hails from family of freedom fighters.The administration saw the event
as a “disruption” that is why an order was issued on Friday late night
cancelling the permit of the event, which has been scheduled to have speakers
such as Kumar, Shatrughan Sinha, Asaduddin Owaisi and many renowned journalists.TCN
‘Pollution
kills’: As hospitals fill up, doctors say Delhi smog shortening lives
In the emergency ward of a Delhi hospital, men
and women gasp for breath as they wait to be treated for symptoms triggered by
the choking blanket of smog that descended on the city this week.Doctors at the
government-run Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute say patient numbers have more
than tripled since pollution levels spiked amid a change in weather conditions
and the annual post-harvest burning of crop stubble in surrounding
areas.Shopkeeper Manoj Khati said he initially dismissed his heaving cough but
it grew gradually worse and he has now been diagnosed with chronic bronchitis.
“For three days I haven’t stopped coughing, I felt as though I would die,” the
46-year-old said as he waited to undergo further tests.Levels of PM2.5--the
fine pollution particles linked to higher rates of chronic bronchitis, lung
cancer and heart disease--regularly topped 500 this week, at one point going
over 1,000.They are treated with steam inhalation or using nebuliser machines,
which provide immediate relief by administering drugs directly to the airways.
“Beginning this week, we are seeing between 250-300 patients, more than three
times the usual,” Verma said.AFP
Delhi air pollution spikes again, no respite
in sight; United Airlines suspends flights
Will a Muslim be Among AAP’s First Ever
Representation in Rajya Sabha?Caravan Daily
New Delhi: 2 months from now, AAP will be
adding a new chapter to its history as the 5-year-old party will have its
first-ever representation in Rajya Sabha, Upper House of Indian Parliament –a
historic movement since it swept Delhi Assembly polls under Arvind Kejriwal’s
leadership 2 years back. Speculation is rife that to maintain the Congress
tradition of the last two terms, AAP could also choose a Muslim face.AAP's
unprecedented strong position in the Delhi Assembly makes it eligible to
capture all three seats when the sitting MPs will retire on 27th
Jan.2018.Though the party has not taken a final decision about its candidates
for Rajya Sabha, speculations about the probables have been making rounds.
Media reports said the former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan, who has gone back to
the US to continue his university teaching assignment, would be one of its
candidates. However, he is believed to have declined the offer. Two strong
contenders from inside the party are said to be senior leaders, Sanjay Singh
and journalist-turned-politician Ashutosh. There is a talk of one of the AAP
founders and Hindi poet, Kumar Vishwas, being keen on it.With 45 Rajya Sabha
seats falling vacant in BJP states over the next 16 months, NDA is likely to
get significantly close to a majority in the upper house of Parliament.
Chidambaram attacks Modi govt again, says
corruption thrives despite demonetisation
New Delhi:Senior Congress leader and former
Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Sunday once again teared into the Centre over
its demonetisation drive, citing it was a "colossal mistake,"and that
corruption thrived despite its implementation. He took to Twitter and posted a
series of tweets that said:“A year after demonetisation, every justification
trotted out for that decision has been rebutted and ridiculed. Let me begin
with the justification that was disarmingly simple and had gained considerable
traction:ending the counterfeiting of currency."ANI
RSS Worker Stabbed to Death in Kerala, Police
Suspect Political Killing
Thiruvananthpuram: V Anandan, a political
worker of RSS was murdered in Nenmini near the town of Guruvayur on Sunday.
Police officers said he was stabbed several times before he succumbed to
injuries in a hospital. They suspect the ruling CPM workers could be behind the
murder. Anandan was out on bail in a murder case of CPM worker. india
Rani Padmavati is an imaginary character:
Historian Habib
Reacting to the recent series of protests and
demands seeking ban on Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmavati, eminent historian and
professor emeritus in AMU Prof Irfan Habib has said Rani Padmavati is not
historical but an imaginary character and her existence has always been
debatable.“Though Alauddin Khilji had won Chittor, during that period there is
no mention of any character as Padmavati in history,” he said. The film is
being opposed for alleged distortion of historical facts and an alleged
romantic scene between Deepika and Ranveer who play Padmavati and Alauddin Khilji
respectively.Elaborating further, historian said that after 250 years of the
Chittor incident, Malik Mohammad Jayasi for the first time mentioned Padmavati
in his creation ‘Padmavat’. “But Jayasi has mentioned that the princess of
Singhaldeep (presently Sri Lanka) Padmavati was married to Raja Ratan Singh of
Mewar. Padmavat is a long poetry collection and is an integral part of our
literature. Official historian of Mewar darbar Shayamal Das has described
Padmavati but in some other context,” he said.Commenting over allegations of
distorting facts in the movie, Prof Habib said, “If any film producer makes
movie on historical facts, he will fail in entertaining the audience.” Hindustantimes
WORLD
Hariri 'held for refusing to confront
Hezbollah':Reuters
From the moment his plane touched down in
Saudi Arabia on Friday, Nov.3, Saad Hariri was in for a surprise.There was no
line-up of Saudi princes or ministry officials, as would typically greet a PM on an official visit to King Salman, senior sources
close to Hariri and top Lebanese political and security officials said. His
phone was confiscated, and the next day he was forced to resign as PM in a statement broadcast by a Saudi-owned TV
channel.The move thrust Lebanon back to the forefront of a struggle that is
reshaping the Middle East, between the Sunni monarchy of Saudi Arabia and Shia
Iran.Their rivalry has fuelled conflicts in Iraq, Syria and Yemen, where they
back opposing sides, and now risks destabilising Lebanon, where Saudi has long
tried to weaken the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, Lebanon's main political power
and part of the ruling coalition.Sources close to Hariri say Saudi Arabia has
concluded that the PM - a long-time
Saudi ally and son of late PM Rafik
Hariri, who was assassinated in 2005 - had to go because he was unwilling to
confront Hezbollah.Multiple Lebanese sources say Riyadh hopes to replace Saad
Hariri with his older brother Bahaa as Lebanon's top Sunni politician. Bahaa is
believed to be in Saudi Arabia, and members of the Hariri family have been
asked to travel there to pledge allegiance to him, but have refused, the
sources say."When Hariri's plane landed in Riyadh, he got the message
immediately that something was wrong," a Hariri source told Reuters.
"There was no one waiting for him."Saad has given no public remarks
since he resigned and no indication of when he might return to Lebanon.Hariri's
resignation speech shocked his team.Lebanese President Michel Aoun told ambassadors
to Lebanon that Saudi Arabia had kidnapped Hariri, a senior Lebanese official
said. Reuters
Case of missing Lebanese PM stirs Middle East tensions
Lebanon asks Saudi for explanation on PM
Hariri's absence
Beirut: Lebanon's president urged Saudi Arabia
to explain why Saad Hariri had not returned to Beirut since his surprise
resignation as PM a week ago.Hariri
announced on Nov. 4 in a televised statement from Riyadh that he would be
stepping down from the post, sending shock waves through Lebanese politics. The
premier has yet to return to Lebanon and rumours have swirled that he is being
held in Saudi Arabia against his will.President Michel Aoun on Saturday called
on the kingdom to "clarify the reasons that have prevented the return of
PM Hariri to Lebanon to be among his people and supporters".AFP
Hadi could be killed if he leaves Saudi: Yemen
official
Yemen's president could be assassinated if he
leaves Saudi Arabia and returns to the war-ravaged country, a Yemeni official
has warned. Govt official said that the
kingdom feared for President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi's life, and
"urged" the 72-year-old to avoid returning to Yemen's coastal city of
Aden.The official also rubbished media reports from earlier this week that
claimed Hadi was being held under house arrest in Riyadh."Claims that Hadi
is under house arrest are complete rubbish," the official said on
condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to talk to the media.Al
Jazeera
US signals caution to Saudis despite shared
concern about Iran:Reuters
Washington:Despite President Donald Trump’s
full-throated support for Saudi Arabia, the United States appears to be
signalling a desire for Riyadh to take a more cautious approach in its regional
power struggle with Iran, experts say.Trump administration, which shares Saudi
Arabia’s view of Iran as a regional menace, has strongly backed the Kingdom in
the wake of a failed missile attack from Iran-aligned forces in Yemeni
territory that demonstrated an ability to strike the Saudi capital. Trump has
cultivated much warmer ties with the Saudis after a fraught relationship with
the Obama administration - the president made Riyadh his first stop on his
maiden international trip - and has vowed to take strong action to confront
Iran. Nevertheless, Washington, which has US forces in Syria and Iraq, is
telegraphing a more tempered stance toward the confrontation in a region beset
with turmoil.
Saudi King will not relinquish throne, says
senior official
Dubai: King Salman isn’t planning to abdicate
in favour of his son, a senior Saudi official said, dismissing mounting
speculation that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will soon ascend to the
throne.“There is no possibility whatsoever that the king will abdicate,’’ the
official said in response to written questions. Saudi kings usually stay in
power even when bad health prevent them from carrying out their job, the
official said on condition of anonymity. He noted the example of King Fahd, who
stayed on as monarch until his death in 2005 despite being gravely ill in the
last few years of his reign. Abdication is unthinkable especially since King
Salman, 81, enjoys “perfect’’ physical and mental powers, the official said.
Those who suggest otherwise “do not understand royal customs and traditions in
Saudi Arabia,” official said. livemint
Cambridge slammed for 'censoring' Palestine
BDS event
University of Cambridge is facing accusations
of censorship after it allegedly threatened to ban a meeting about the Boycott,
Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement unless the Palestinian academic chairing
it was removed and replaced with its own choice.Ruba Salih from the School of
African and Oriental Studies (SOAS) was set to oversee Wednesday's event
featuring Palestinian BDS activist, Omar Barghouti, but organisers say they
were forced to cancel her participation hours before it was due to start after
the university intervened citing concerns over her neutrality.Palestinian
activists say the incident highlights the increasingly restrictive atmosphere
for critics of Israel on campuses across UK. Ed McNally, the Cambridge student
who organised the event, told Al Jazeera that the university was
"undoubtedly" violating its commitment to free
expression."Removing a respected Palestinian academic as chair of a panel
event based on an unsubstantiated assumption about her lack of 'neutrality',
and in doing so bowing to external pressure from a pro-Israel lobby group,
cannot be construed as anything other than a naked attack on free speech and,
more particularly academic freedom," McNally said.Hundreds of students and
academics have signed an open letter condemning Salih's removal as chair of the
event.Palestinian activists at Cambridge are not alone in thinking they are
subject to unfair restrictions and even censorship by universities.Cambridge
academic Anne Alexander said the requirements for neutral event chairs did not
seem to apply when the Israeli ambassador spoke at Cambridge."The
stipulation that there must be a 'neutral' or 'independent' chair seems to be
only applied to certain types of event, and this smacks of double
standards," she said.aljazeera
BBC journalist deletes tweet about UK’s
‘corrupt’ relationship with Israel
A prominent BBC journalist has deleted a tweet
in which a senior Conservative MP can be seen complaining about the British
media turning a blind eye to the corrupt relationship that has allowed Israel
to “buy access” in Westminster.The tweet was posted by the BBC’s Political
Editor Laura Kuenssberg on Wednesday while the Scottish journalist was covering
the build up to the resignation of Priti Patel. Secretary of State for
International Development had taken part in undisclosed meetings in Israel
organised by the powerful Conservative Friends of Israel lobby (CFI) last
summer.Kuenssberg’s Twitter posts on the day was full of posts on the Patel
story including comments about Number 10 denying the allegation made by Jewish
Chronicle that Prime Minster Theresa May had been made aware of the 12 meetings
Patel had had during her “family holiday” in Israel. middleeastmonitor
Turkey denies working with former US security
aide to kidnap Gulen
ANKARA:Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has
denied Turkey's involvement in an alleged plan with former U.S security adviser
Michael Flynn to kidnap U.S.-based Fetullah Gulen, the leader of Fetullah
Terrorist Organization behind last year's coup attempt.In a televised interview
with popular television host Fareed Zakaria on CNN international on Saturday
evening, Yildirim said Turkey was expecting the White House to extradite
Gulen.However, "we see that there is no any signal [through] which
extradition will be in place," said Yildirim, speaking in English.When
asked if Flynn had given any assurances to Turkey, Yildirim said: "No, we
are not dealing with Michael Flynn, we are dealing with the government of
United States."Flynn had publicly supported Gulen's extradition in an
op-ed published on The Hill -- a U.S. political website -- on Nov. 8, US
presidential election day, according to Zakaria. Yildirim said the Turkish
justice minister was in contact with his U.S. counterpart regarding Turkey's
extradition request. "They were in communication. They are still in communication
to provide some progress on that matter."Anadolu Agency
Putin, Trump agree to fighting IS in Syria:
Kremlin
Russian President Vladimir Putin and US
President Donald Trump agreed on a joint statement on Syria on Saturday that
said they would continue joint efforts in fighting Islamic State until it is
defeated, Kremlin said.White House did not immediately respond to questions
about the Kremlin announcement or the conversation the Kremlin said took place
on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Vietnamese
resort of Danang.Kremlin said the statement on Syria was coordinated by Russian
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson
especially for the meeting in Danang.Putin and Trump confirmed their commitment
to Syria's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity and called on
all parties to Syrian conflict to take an active part in the Geneva political
process, it said.moneycontrol
JuD chief assassination bid: ‘Foreign
intelligence agency’ offers Rs 80 million to kill Hafiz Saeed, claims report
At the behest of the Pakistani authorities,
Punjab Home Department has been asked to take strict measures to ensure the
safety and security of Hafiz Saeed. The initiative was taken after reports
surfaced that a “foreign intelligence agency” planned to kill Saeed. According
to reports, National Counter Terrorism Authority (NCTA), which is Pakistan’s
counter-terrorism authority submitted its report to Govt that Rs 80 million has
been given to a militant group to kill Saeed.NewsX
FLASH: VIEWS & NEWS
A Sad Moment in India’s Judicial History:shanti
bhushan
Modi’s ‘Good and Simple Tax’ Was Neither Good
nor Simple:M.K. VENU
With No Jobs in Sight, How Vibrant Is Gujarat
Really?Kingshuk Nag
We need to distinguish between what
politicians say about our history and what history is: Historian & Manmohan
Singh's daughter Upinder Singh talks about her new book
The forgotten Muslim heroes who fought for
Britain in the trenches:theguardian
Compiled and edited by
Anwarulhaq (Released at: 8:06 PM)
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