Evening NEWS
DIGEST
7
Nov.2017: 17 Safar 1439:Vol:9, No:41
Emboldened by Modi's ascent, India's cow
vigilantes deny Muslims their livelihood:Reuters
Behror: The beating that ended Pehlu Khan’s
life was televised nationwide.Cell phone video captured a group of men punching
and slinging Khan around the middle of a road in north India, stomping on him
and then slamming 55-year-old farmer down on concrete as he begged for mercy.
Khan had been stopped by the lynch mob of right-wing Hindus as he rode home
from a market in April with 2 cows and 2 calves in the back of a truck. Crowd was
furious at the sight of a Muslim transporting animals held sacred by Hindus,
according to the accounts of his sons and two fellow villagers who were also
attacked. Before the men beat Khan so badly that he later died, breaking his
ribs in multiple places, they screamed that he was planning to slaughter the
cattle for beef. Outside the frame of the video, something else was happening:
Pehlu Khan’s cows were seized. They were hauled off to a nearby Hindu-run
shelter that takes in cattle snatched from Muslims and sells them.Assaults
meted out in broad daylight against India’s Muslim population, some 14%of
country’s 1.3 billion people, have sparked concern about the direction the
country is taking under Hindu nationalist PM Narendra Modi. There has been
another, less noted dimension to the violence:The theft from Muslims and
redistribution to Hindus of cows that provide crucial income in the Indian
countryside.Such scenes clash with India’s image as an investor darling in Asia
and the pro-business message Modi broadcasts to foreign investors. But three
and a half years after his electoral victory, the cow seizures illustrate how
the nation’s right-wing Hindu factions that propelled Modi to power are now
shaping India and stirring religious upheaval.Having stoked Hindu nationalist
passions in his bid for the highest office, it’s unclear to what extent Modi
can now control them. The bands of right-wing Hindus who seize the cows are
operating essentially as private militias. They are undeterred by the PM ’s
public calls on them to end the violence. States governed by Modi’s party have
seen a marked increase in cow theft from Muslims as well as funding for cow
shelters that in many cases take in the stolen cattle.Interviews with
nationalist Hindu leaders and militia members across the country reveal an impatience
for Muslims to demonstrate obeisance to the Hindu majority.There are no
official statistics for how many cows have been stolen from Muslims in
incidents involving such groups since Modi’s BJP came to national power in
2014. Reuters’ reporting across India, though, puts actual numbers on the
extent of the cow theft. It also provides the first in-depth look at how the
actions of cow vigilantes are leading to further economic marginalization of
the country’s Muslim minority.In northern India, leadership of just 2 of the
main organizations of “gau rakshaks” – right-wing Hindu cow vigilantes, or
literally “cow protectors” – said they have taken about 190,000 cows since the
year of Modi’s election, some in the presence of police and almost every single
one of them from Muslims, the reporting shows.Separately, Reuters surveyed 110
cow shelters or farms, known as “gaushalas,” across 6 Indian states that were
led by BJP CMs from before or just after Modi’s 2014 election win. The survey
found an increase of 50 % in their cattle holdings - from about 84,000 head
before Modi came to power in 2014 to more than 126,000 today. The survey
covered a fraction of the thousands of cow sheds nationwide.It was not possible
to determine how much of the 50 % increase was due to cow vigilantes, because
record-keeping in many cases is non-existent. But of the 110 cattle facilities
surveyed, all but 14 said they receive cows from the Hindu vigilante groups.
About a third said they sell or give cows away, nearly all to Hindu farmers and
households.
7 booked for selling alleged ‘beef biryani’ in
Mewat
Gurgaon:More than 14 months after Haryana
authorities collected samples of biryani from Mewat, 7 persons were booked at
Ferozepur Jhirka police station on Saturday under the state’s cow protection
Act and several sections of the IPC. The case was registered on the order of
the court of sub-divisional judicial magistrate. On Oct.13, SDM had ordered the
police to probe and take action in the matter. Naresh Kadyan, chairman, People
for Animals, Haryana, had moved the court the same day seeking action in the
matter.FIR has named Vakil, Sajid, Hakim, Jamshed, Irshad, Mohd Mohaui and
Israil, all residents of Ferozepur Jhirka area. hindustantimes
Paradise Papers leaks: Promoter firms pledge
Zee shares to raise funds via offshore route
New Delhi:Through a complex web of
transactions, offshore companies of Essel Group, promoted by Subhash Chandra,
raised funds to repay debt and finance Veria Lifestyles,a venture he owns outside
Zee umbrella, by pledging promoter shares of Zee Entertainment Enterprises
Limited (ZEEL), Appleby records show.Appleby records show that a $62-million
loan was taken from Credit Suisse “to finance existing offshore promoter debt”
in 2013. This loan was given to SMTP Ltd (Mauritius) which, in turn, provided a
convertible loan to Essel Holdings Limited (Mauritius), a company “indirectly
wholly owned and controlled by” Chandra.The loan, Appleby records state, was
“indirectly backed by 46 million fully paid up equity shares” of Zee held by
Essel Holdings Limited (EHL), making prepayment necessary “upon fall in stock
price of Zee by more than 40% since inception”. This refers to the shares that
Essel Holdings Limited, as one of the promoters, continues to hold in ZEEL
since 2011.BSE records of disclosures made by ZEEL regarding pledging of
promoter shares since February 2012 do not include this pledging of 46 million
shares in 2013. This $62-million loan, records show, was ostensibly meant to
refinance a $55-million loan availed of by EHL three years ago.In March 2010,
EHL had acquired 21 million shares(then 4.85% of the paid up capital) in ZEEL
from Delgrada Ltd, a promoter company registered in Mauritius in 2000, for “nil
consideration.” Delgrada is now Essel Media Ventures Limited. The same month,
Deutsche Bank AG, Hong Kong Branch, gave a $55-million loan to EHL “secured by
the company’s investment in ZEEL” and “repayable on 26 March 2013”. Indianexpress
Karnataka HC refuses to grant stay on Tipu Jayanti
celebrations
Karnataka High Court refused to stay Tipu
Sultan Jayanti celebrations to be held across the state on Nov.10, reported
ANI.Earlier on Friday, the High Court had sought to know whether the
expenditure to be incurred on the celebrations had the “authority” of the state
budget. The query by a bench comprising Acting Chief Justice H G Ramesh and
Justice P S Dinesh Kumar had come during the hearing on a PIL seeking to restrain
the Govt from going ahead with the “Tipu
Jayanti” celebrations.Petitioner Manjunath KP had sought directions to restrain
the celebrations in his home district of Kodagu, saying it would foment
communal disharmony. Indianexpress
Court allows Rajasthan’s ‘Hadiya’ to return to
her husband
Jodhpur: Rajasthan high court has ordered release of 22-year-old Aarifa, earlier
known as Payal Singhvi, from a Govt home
and allowed her to go to her husband but said that probe into her conversion
and marriage documents would continue. The bench of justices Gopal Krishna Vyas
and Manoj Kumar Garg said they would hear the merit of the conversion on the
basis of the reply from the state Govt on Wednesday.Last week, the high court had
raised questions about the woman’s conversion to Islam and her interfaith
marriage. The high court had asked the state Govt if there was any law or procedure in Rajasthan
that governed religious conversions, and observed that people couldn’t change
their religions based on an affidavit. Rajasthan HC is hearing a petition filed
by Chirag Singhvi, who alleges that his sister – Payal Singhvi– was converted
to Islam under coercion and that her marriage papers are forged.HT
Hadiya: Kerala Women's Commission rejects NCW
chief's charge on forced conversions
Kerala Women's Commission (KWC) refuted
National Commission for Women chairperson in-charge Rekha Sharma's remarks on
forced conversion, saying it was part of an effort to show the state "in
poor light". "There are no forced conversions in Kerala," KWC
chairperson MC Josephine said, rejecting Sharma's statement that women were
being forcibly converted in Kerala under threat of blackmail and "many
types of lures".Josephine said the NCW chief had made the remarks without
understanding the real situation in Kerala. "NCW chief made such a statement as part of an effort to
show Kerala in poor light at a national level," she alleged.PTI
Nanded arms case : 5 accused to plead guilty after
5 yrs in jail, lamenting over trial delay
Mumbai:In probably the first time in
Maharashtra, 5 men arrested in 2012 terror case on Monday expressed their
intention to plead guilty in case.NIA court asked investigating agency to file
a reply in the matter.The accused—Mohammed Akram, Mohammed Ilyas, Mohammed
Sadiq, Mohammed Muzzamil and Mohammed Irfan—have been in jail since their
arrest 5 years ago. Booked under UAPA and the Arms Act, they had pleaded 'not
guilty' to charges framed against them last year.In Sept.2012, ATS sleuths had
arrested the accused in connection with an arms haul in Nanded and recovered
two revolvers and 14 rounds from them. Those arrested included a college
student and a worker in a battery shop in Nanded. ATS claimed the five men, who
had links with terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba, were planning to target
right-wing Hindutva leaders to incite communal tension and clashes as bomb
blasts in different parts of the country had failed to do so. Sources said the
accused had kept their passports ready to flee the country after executing
their plan.After NIA took over the investigation, it filed a second chargesheet
against the accused. The trial was later expedited by the Bombay HC.In
handwritten letters, that the accused brought to NIA court on Monday, one of
the accused has said he hoped the court would take a lenient view considering
his age and immaturity. Another accused has written that after being in jail,
he has been constantly feeling the destruction of his home and future. He has
further written that he has 'lost a lot in life' in the last five years and
none of his family members have visited him in jail.One of the accused has
lamented how the trial had been delayed over the last five years, which has
caused great stress to him and his family. One of the accused, a fruit seller,
has said since he was in jail, his family has struggled financially.TOI
Nanded: All 5 terror accused want to plead
guilty
Draft pact on Ayodhya dispute to be ready by
Nov-end: Shia Waqf Board chief
Lucknow:UP Shia Central Waqf Board (UPSCWB)
said on Monday it was drafting an agreement to negotiate a peaceful settlement
over the disputed site of Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Mosque in Ayodhya and the pact
would be ready by Nov-end.“I have discussed the terms and conditions for an
out-of-court settlement with the mahants of Ayodhya and all other petitioners.
Another meeting with them is due next week to give final touches to the
accord,” Waqf Board chairman Waseem Rizvi told HT.Rizvi said he would be going
to the temple town soon to give shape to the draft agreement.“I would then call
a meeting of the Waqf Board to obtain consent of the members to the proposal
before making it public,” he said.“Wait till Dec.6, by when something concrete
would materialise,” was his cryptic reply when pressed further on the details
of the draft pact.“Partitioning the disputed land equally among three parties,
as decided by the Allahabad high court, would not be a peaceful and lasting
solution to the problem,” he said.The board said that rather than partitioning
the site in Ayodhya between the various claimants, the proposed mosque could be
located at a reasonable distance from the disputed site to avoid any clashes in
the future.On whether he would also involve Sunni Cental Waqf Board, the main
party in the title suit, Rizvi said he would not invite them and he alone was
entitled to negotiate with other stakeholders.HT
“We Will Bring Down BJP Govt”: Gujarat
Villagers Take Jignesh Mevani’s Pledge
Ahmedabad:
“In the name of Balasahab Ambedkar we take the oath that we will not at any
cost give a single vote to this anti-Dalit, anti-OBC, anti-Patidar,
anti-Adivasi, anti-Muslim, anti-Kisan, anti-Mazdoor, anti-Yuva BJP and its BJP Govt
. In the 2017 elections, in 2019 elections we will put our entire strength to
bring them down”.Charismatic Jignesh Mevani has the villagers taking the pledge
unquestioningly as he moves from village to village, holding countless meetings
until late evening. Mevani is clear that he will campaign across his area of
influence ensuring that the marginalised voters of Gujarat do not vote for BJP.
He is clear that he will not be asking for votes for the Congress, leaving it
for the people to decide who to press the EVM button for so long as it is not
the BJP. thecitizen
Jamaat denies predicting BJP win in Gujarat
polls
New Delhi:Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) has
issued a clarification regarding its position over the Gujarat elections. It
has denied that its chief Maulana Umari had predicted a BJP win in Gujarat and
defeat for the Congress. In a press release issued by their media department
yesterday, JIH communique states that: '' on asked about Gujarat polls, Maulana
Syed Jalaluddin Umari said: (quote) the
impression coming through various surveys is that despite the efforts of the
opposition, BJP will emerge victorious; however its seats tally will decrease
(unquote) - some sections of media have reported this as if it is Jamaat's
opinion and this is absolutely baseless.The President of JIH had merely stated
the above with reference to survey reports and did not present the opinion of
Jamaat".Reporting on JIH monthly press meet yesterday, a prominent Hindi
news website posted a story saying Jamaat is hopeful of a BJP victory in
Gujarat and feels that all efforts of Rahul Gandhi and his team will not
succeed. Another prominent Gujarati TV news channel picked this story and the
news surprised many and created a buzz in the media. The opinion of JIH carries
importance as it is an influential Muslim organization having a pan India cadre
network.IndiaTomorrow
'Twin blow' GST, notes ban broke back of small
businesses: Manmohan
https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/to-notes-ban-gst-attack-manmohan-singh-adds-the-bullet-train-1772245
Ahmedabad:Congress got out its top gun on the
economy on Tuesday, fielding former PM Dr Manmohan Singh in Gujarat to amplify party
vice president Rahul Gandhi's attack on the Narendra Modi Govt 's mega reforms,
the notes ban and new national sales tax GST. Dr Singh said the "twin blow
is a complete disaster for our economy, it has broken the back of our small
businesses." He also slammed the bullet train plan as an "exercise in
vanity."PM Narendra Modi's ban on
high value notes exactly a year ago was a "disastrous policy" thrust
on the people," Dr Singh said, calling demonetisation "a reckless
step", with none of its objectives achieved. "I repeat what I said in
parliament, this was organised loot and legalised plunder," ex-PM and famous economist said.NDTV
Dalits 3 Times Over-Represented In Gujarat
Prisons
Ahmedabad:Alittle over one year, Dalits had
come out on the streets of Gujarat after youths from their community had been
flogged for allegedly skinning a dead cow in Una. The flogging perhaps
triggered a reaction from the Dalits, who had been feeling excluded for various
reasons. The community, has the least representation in Govt and maximum in
prisons.Between 1998-2014, Gujarat was leading the country, with an
over-representation of Dalits in its prisons, as per the national prison data.
Incidentally, PM Narendra Modi was CM of
Gujarat for 13 out of 16 years, which has been considered for the research
work.The research article “Democracy In Jail” published in the latest issue of
Economic & Political Weekly, indicates that the average population of the
Scheduled Castes between 1998-2014 in Gujarat was 6.90% while their presence in
prison was 20.27% during the same period.“The SCs are most over-represented in
prisons of Gujarat (3 times as much), Maharashtra (2 times), Assam (two times)
and Tamil Nadu (2 times),” states the article. The revelation has come at a
time when Gujarat is going to elect its new state Govt . Media reports indicate
that the Dalit community is not much happy with the present ruling party of the
state – BJP, which has been in power for two decades, without break.Caravan
Daily
Pulwama encounter: JeM confirms Masood Azhar's
nephew, Talha Rashid, among 3 militants killed
Indian security forces killed 3 militants,
including the nephew of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar, during an
encounter in J&K's Pulwama district on Monday, reports said.News18 reported
that Azhar's nephew Talha Rashid was gunned down in Pulwama's Aglar Kandi.Times
Now also confirmed the news. Indian Army official said, that the three
militants belonged to JeM and that 2 of them were from Pakistan.Initial reports
published in local news websites named 3 militants as Talha Rashid (nephew of
Azhar), Mehmood Bhai and Wasim Ahmad, a resident of Drabgom in Pulwama. Kashmir
Dispatch, a local news website, also quoted a press release issued by JeM as
verifying that one of the slain militants was Rashid. According to army
officials, one jawan, identified as Sham Sunder of 44 Rashtriya Rifles, was
killed during encounter.A civilian also suffered injuries in the crossfire,
they said. Identified as Tariq Ahmad, civilian sustained a bullet injury during
simultaneous clashes between protesting civilians and the security forces near
the encounter site. The protesters were trying to disrupt the operation against
the holed up militants. firstpost
J-K govt rejects state rights panel’s demand
for compensation to ‘human shield’
J&K Govt has rejected the state human rights
commission’s (SHRC) recommendation for paying monetary compensation to Farooq
Dar, a weaver who was used as a “human shield” by the army to allegedly escape
a stone-pelting mob during the parliamentary bypoll in April.SHRC chairman
Justice Bilal Nazki had in July directed the state Govt to pay Rs 10 lakh in compensation to Dar, who
was tied to the front of an army jeep by Major Leetul Gogoi and allegedly
driven around for five hours through 17 villages on April 9 – the day
parliamentary by-elections in Srinagar constituency saw protests and
stone-pelting at several polling booths. Govt had rejected the SHRC recommendation through a
note on October 27, but details of its reply emerged in the local media only on
Monday.HT
Another Assam resident, Shamsul Haque,
declared ‘illegal’ after serving 35 years in indian air force
Guwahati: Leave aside the poor and illiterate
ordinary people of Assam, even the cream of the northeastern states Muslim
society has not been spared the humiliation of BJP Govt’s aggressive so-called
citizenship check. From senior Muslim cops to Army veterans to Indian Air Force
officials, many of them have been declared “illegal immigrant” over the past
few weeks and days and been asked to “prove” their Indian citizenship. IAF
veteran Shamsul Haque Ahmed is one such victim. At the end of the day though, Foreigners
Tribunal found their documents valid and was forced to declare them bona fide
Indian citizens.Ahmed served in IAF for 35 years and retired as a sergeant in
2014. But soon after that, Assam Police declared him an “illegal immigrant” and
asked him to face scrutiny by Foreigners Tribunal. According to the
Guwahati-based lawyer Aman Wadud, Ahmed was declared ‘D-voter’ or “doubtful
voter” way back in 1997 by the Election Commission even when he had been
working for the Indian Air Force!For 19 years, Ahmed remained disfranchised and
humiliated for being a ‘doubtful citizen’ even when he had been serving in the
Indian Air Force, said Wadud.On 27th May 2016, the Foreigners Tribunal, after carefully
perusing all his documents, declared him an Indian citizen.Caravan Daily
Kejriwal calls Delhi a ‘gas chamber’ as air
pollution hits severe levels, no respite in sight
Pollution levels spiked to severe levels in
Delhi with thick haze blanketing the city on Tuesday, reducing visibility
drastically and affecting flights and trains, prompting CM Arvind Kejriwal to describe national capital
as a “gas chamber”. The air quality index (AQI) – a measure of the level of
pollutants in the air – shot past 400 in many places in Delhi by 9.30 am, the
second time since Diwali and potentially signalled the start of Delhi’s
notoriously toxic winter.Indian Medical Association also issued a stern warning
on potential health hazards, describing Delhi as a “public health emergency
state” and asking authorities to shut schools as a precautionary measure.HT
Delhi air pollution LIVE: Anti-pollution panel
suggests 4-fold increase in parking fee, return of odd-even
Many parts in northern India woke up to a hazy
morning, with air quality in the national capital dipping to ‘severe’. Indian
Meteorological Dept said the haze was fog and not smog, but air quality levels
were the worst for the second time in New Delhi since Diwali.According to the
Central Pollution Control Board, individual stations in Delhi-NCR recorded AQIs
as high as 446 at 9.30am. Out of 19 monitoring stations in NCR, 12 recorded
severe air quality. The lowest AQI was in Gurgaon at 357 at 9.30am, which is
classified as very poor.hindustantimes
Killer smog: All primary schools in Delhi to
remain closed tomorrow, says Manish Sisodia
Delhi's Deputy CM Manish Sisodia announced
that all primary schools in Delhi will remain closed on Wednesday in view of
the continuing high level of pollution
in the national capital. Sisodia also added that if needed, he will extend the
closure order for one more day i.e. Thursday as well. indiatvnews
Jamaat denies allegations of business dealings
with gas authority, calls it move to'divert attention from main issue: The news
minute report on Kerala GAIL row
The pitched protests over GAIL pipeline
project in Kerala’s Mukkom seems to be stirring up fresh controversies with
each passing day.Jamaat-e-Islami Hind that has been spearheading the protests,
is being accused of having business dealings with GAIL even as it opposes the
pipeline project.Allegations have been raised that the Insaaf Charitable Trust
under Jamaat has been renting out 50 acres of land at Kolappa in Kannur to GAIL
for storing pipes since 2013. These allegations have gone viral on social
media.Jamaat, however,has denied all the allegations against it, and has
accused its detractors of trying to divert attention from people’s grievances
and confusing supporters of the protests. Officials of the Jamaat argue that
the land belongs to an independent trust, and that only a small portion of land
is being used for storing pipes, while the rest of the land is used for various
social purposes.T Shakir, State Public Relations Officer for the Jamaat said,“Land
in question doesn’t belong to us. It belongs to the Insaaf Charitable Trust. In
about 50 acres of land, there is a school functioning, there are agricultural
fields and the pipes are kept in about 5 acres. This land belonged to PC Mammu
Haji, and he had given it to the trustee long ago for community services.”Shakir
also added that Jamaat is not anti-development, but is against way GAIL pipeline
project is being implemented.“As an organisation, we are not against
development. In fact, we welcome it. That’s the reason we didn’t object to the
trustee renting out the land to GAIL in 2013. We are protesting against GAIL
project as we stand in solidarity with the victims. We are standing tough on
the way the project is implemented.”“It was CPI(M)’s Kozhikode District
Secretary who called the protestors of Mukkom Muslim separatists. There are
Hindus, Christians and Muslims protesting. It is not victims of any religious
extremism, but victims of GAIL who are protesting. Giving this people’s protest
a communal colour is using the Sangh Parivar’s language. It is disheartening to
see CPI (M) using the same language for their political interests,” Shakir
said.“When the Gadgil Commission report came out it was a Christian sabha which
led the protest, which was never tainted with a communal colour.We had even
joined the protest in solidarity then.Why is it that when a Muslim organization
is involved it is easily bottled up as a communal agitation?” he added.Maqbool,
Kannur District Secretary of Jamaat, also alleged that there was a political
agenda behind the targeting of Jamaat.“There is a political agenda behind
targeting Muslim organizations in GAIL protest. This is done to divert
attention from the real causes. We are protesting against Govt violating laid
down acts and being unwilling to listen to the victims.” He also cautioned that
giving a communal colour to secular issues would play into the game plan of
right wing outfits.
Telangana: Muslims skip Sharia courts
Hyderabad:Despite existence of Sharia Adalat,
Islamic courts meant to resolve civil disputes in accordance with the
provisions of Muslim Personal Law, many Muslims prefer to approach regular
courts for justice. The reason for this is that court orders are legally
binding as opposed to the verdict, or advice, dispensed by Shariat Adalat,
which cannot be enforced. Abid Rasool Khan, former chairman of the Telangana
state minorities commission, says that people do not have confidence in the
system despite Sharia courts having proven to be effective and time-saving in
the resolution of minor disputes such as matrimonial discords and family
matters.“When it comes to property issues or other money matters, people prefer
to approach regular courts as their verdicts can be enforced,” he says.Khan
says that there is not much awareness about the work done by Sharia courts;
their verdicts are not recognised by administrative and legal authorities, as a
result of which there is no guarantee of their being adhered to. Mustaq Malik,
convener of the Sharia Faisla Board, says that there has been an increase in
the number of people approaching them for the resolution of issues because the
filing of a case in a regular court is usually a time-consuming process.Malik
clarified that Sharia Adalat’s verdicts are not binding. “As arbitrators, we
tell people what is right and what is wrong as per Islamic law. It is up to
them to follow our advice, we cannot force it on anybody,” he says. Mufti
Mastan Ali of the Jamiatul-Mominath seminary conducts a Sharia Adalat at his
academy.“The numbers are encouraging. At least 5 to 6 persons approach us every
week seeking our help for resolution of their disputes. People feel that our
advice is more effective owing to religious endorsement,” he says. 2 women
muftis are also part of the panel that hears grievances and issues advice.“The
verdict is issued by our panel. It is up to the person who approaches us
whether to follow it or not,” says mufti.Deccan Chronicle
WORLD
'Detained' outspoken Saudi Prince Abdulaziz
bin Fahd, once criticised King, saying if you do not like law of God, you may
leave', is dead? reports
New Delhi:Another Saudi Prince — Prince
Abdulaziz bin Fahd, aged 44 — has been reported dead. Arabic news sources, such
as AlIthad News, have reported a news release from the Saudi Royal Court
stating that the Saudi royal family was mourning the death of the prince. The
release has kept mum on the cause of death, which allegedly took place in a
gunfight while he was resisting arrest, sources within the royal family have
reportedly intimated to the media.Abdulaziz’s death reports follow less than a
day after the death of Prince Mansour bin Moqren, the deputy governor of Asir
province and son of a former Crown Prince in a helicopter crash near the Saudi
border with Yemen. It also follows the news of the arrest of 11 princes
including prominent billionaire investor Prince Alwaleed bin Talal and dozens
of current and former ministers after the formation of an anti-corruption
committee by King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Abdulaziz, a favourite son of Saudi’s late King Fahd bin Abdulaziz who ruled
from 1995-2005, was known for his extravagance and playboy image. He himself
had been no stranger to stirring controversies. Earlier this year, Abdulaziz
lashed out on Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed, describing him as
“villainous” and “cowardly” in a Twitter outburst. He also voiced opposition to
the authority of Saudi’s ruling family in Aug., tweeting that Saudi
Constitution has no value and King Salman has no authority.“Principles of the
constitution are valueless…We have the Quran and Sunnah as the only references,
and if you do not like the law of God, you may leave,” outspoken figure had
tweeted, according to a Middle East Monitor report.Various media reports also
suggest that Abdul Aziz faced some form of arrest and house arrest in Sept.
According to MeMo,he also tweeted strong
criticism of UAE and Saudi while calling on the authorities to allow Muslims to
go and fight for Al-Aqsa Mosque during Israel’s latest aggression against the
holy site. indianexpress
Second Saudi prince dead in 24 hours?
Saudi Prince Abdulaziz bin Fahd detained in
Sept:MEMO
Crown Prince bin Salman 'bribed Trump': Saudi
Twitter whistleblower
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin
Salman personally bribed Donald Trump with $1bn during the US president’s visit
to Riyadh in May, according to a well informed but anonymous Saudi commentator,
who uses the Twitter handle Mujtahidd.Bin Salman, then-deputy crown prince, was
able to win the US administration's favour in his power struggle with his
cousin Mohammed bin Nayef, who was heir to the throne until he was deposed in
June.Middle East Eye has not been able to verify Mujtahidd's allegations at the
time of publication. Mujtahidd claimed on Monday that Trump’s visit to Saudi
changed Washington’s stance on the competition between bin Salman and bin Nayef,
forcing the US to take the 32-year-old’s side.Previous US administrations, he
said, had been cautious to maintain harmony within the GCC, a vital region for
US interests.Besides courting Trump to take his side in internal Saudi affairs,
bin Salman also secured a direct line of communication to the US president.
Trump has bashed Doha and encouraged the Saudi-led blockade against Qatar in
statements that contradicted his own defence and state departments, which had
called for ending Gulf dispute.During Trump’s visit to Saudi in May, a
mysterious boat linked to the Trump organisation arrived at the port of Jeddah,
and it was filled with $1bn in cash, a personal gift from bin Salman, Mujtahidd
claimed without clarifying his sources.On Monday, Trump endorsed bin Salman’s
purge of members the royal family in the name of fighting corruption. Security
forces arrested 11 princes along with 38 top businessmen and ex-ministers on
Saturday, including global investor Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, who has
significant assets in NewsCorp, Citigroup, 21st Century Fox and Twitter.Bin
Salman’s critics have condemned the arrests as a push by the crown prince to
consolidate power. middleeasteye
Detained Saudi elite face trial as purge
widens
Saudi purge takes kingdom into unpredictable
new era
Saudi Arabia purge widens with 'arrest, no-fly
list'
Trump praises Saudi purge, voices confidence
in King, Crown Prince
US President Donald Trump on Monday endorsed a
move by Saudi Arabia’s future king that tightened his grip on power through the
arrests of royals, ministers and investors in an anti-corruption purge.The
endorsement cemented a US-Saudi relationship that has improved dramatically
under Trump’s presidency, partly because of both leaders’ vision of confronting
Riyadh’s arch-rival Iran more aggressively in the region.Trump tweeted on
Monday that he had “great confidence in King Salman and Crown Prince of Saudi
Arabia” following the mass arrests – the biggest such purge of the kingdom’s
affluent elite in its modern history. middleeastmonitor
Saudi imposes travel bans, arrests prominent
businessman Nasser: middleeastmonitor
A top entrepreneur was reportedly held today
in the biggest anti-corruption purge of the Kingdom’s affluent elite in its
modern history.Nasser Bin Aqeel Al-Tayyar, a board member at one of the
country’s largest travel agencies, was detained as part of a campaign of mass
arrests of Saudi Arabian royals, ministers and businessmen.The arrests are the
latest in a series of dramatic steps by Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman to
assert Saudi influence internationally and centralise his own power within a
hereditary ruling system at home.
Riyadh says Lebanon 'declaring war' on Saudi
A Saudi minister took Riyadh’s threatening
rhetoric against Hezbollah and Lebanon to a new height on Monday, accusing the
group of engaging in terrorist activities on Saudi soil. Thamer al-Sabhan, the
state minister for Gulf affairs, said that the Lebanese Govt will be treated as “declaring war” on Saudi
Arabia because of Hezbollah’s “aggression” against the kingdom and its
participation in Lebanese parliament and cabinet.“The situation is very very
sensitive; the situation is very alarming,” al-Sabhan told Saudi-owned
Al-Arabiya TV.“[Hezbollah] has become a tool for murder and destruction in the
kingdom of Saudi Arabia. [Hezbollah] participates in all the terrorist attacks
in the kingdom.”Throughout the interview, al-Sabhan referred to Hezbollah,
whose name literally means the party of god in Arabic, as the “party of the
devil.” middleeasteye
Official: Iran suspends participation in Umrah
Head of Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage
Organisation, Hamid Mohammadi said that citizens of his country will not
participate in the performance of Umrah this year, citing political reasons and
the lack of the necessary arrangements.“Iranians cannot be sent to perform the
Umrah ritual this year because of the lack of political communication between
Tehran and Riyadh,” Mohammadi was quoted as saying.“The resumption of Iranians’
participation in the performance of Umrah needs special mechanisms,”he
added.Discussions will take place between Iran and Saudi Arabia regarding the
resumption of performing the Islamic rite. middleeastmonitor
Pak military chief visits Tehran amidst
Saudi-Iran tension
Pakistan’s army chief, General Qamar Javed
Bajwa, arrived in Tehran on a 3-day tour in which influential military chief
will meet with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and discuss defence
and security issues.The trip is the first time in more than two decades that an
army chief from the Sunni majority state and a close ally of Saudi Arabia has
made an official visit to Iran.His arrival was announced by military spokesman
Major General Asif Ghafoor through a tweet. No formal statement was, however,
issued revealing the sensitivity with which the two sides are dealing with the
visit amidst escalation tensions in the region. middleeastmonitor
Yemeni President Hadi 'under house arrest' in
Riyadh
Saudi Arabia has barred Yemen's president,
along with his sons, ministers and military officials, from returning home for
months, Yemeni officials told AP.The officials said the ban was prompted by
enmity between President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and UAE, which is part of the
Saudi-led coalition against Houthi rebels and has come to dominate southern
Yemen, the portion of the country not under rebel control.Hadi and much of his Govt
have been in Riyadh for most of the war.
Aljazeera
Egypt's Sisi: I will not seek a third term
Egypt's president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, will
not seek a third term in office, he said in an interview with CNBC, adding that
he does not intend to change the constitution and its provision of a two-term
presidential limit."It doesn't suit me as a president to stay one more day
against the will of the Egyptians," he told CNBC over weekend."We
will not interfere with (constitution)... I am with preserving two four-year
terms," Sisi added. However, he did not confirm if he intended to run for
a second term when his current term expires next year. Presidential elections
are scheduled for spring 2018.Sisi came to power in 2014, a year after he led
the military in ousting the country's first elected president, Mohamed Morsi.
Rights groups say Sisi has since led an unprecedented crackdown on political
opponents, activists and critical media.Egyptian human rights lawyer and
opposition leader Khaled Ali on Monday became the first person to announce he
is running against Sisi, vowing to challenge him in 2018 presidential polls,
provided he was not barred from the contest.If it appeared elections were being
rigged, Ali said, he would call for a boycott by opposition candidates, forcing
Sisi to be the sole contender. middleeasteye
Egyptian security forces block ex-prez
candidate’s PC
Egyptian security forces have blocked a press
conference by former presidential candidate Khalid Ali, Masralarabia.com has
reported.Security officers raided the printer who had prepared the documents
for the lawyer’s press conference scheduled to be held on Monday, in which he
was expected to discuss the election.“A few minutes ago, the security forces
confiscated some of my papers and destroyed the remainder in a pre-emptive
measure to undermine my proposed press conference,” Ali wrote on Facebook.
“This confirms that the country does not accept any new vision which is
alternative to the current poverty and authoritarian regime.” He insisted that
the pre-emptive raid would not stop him from holding the press conference on
time. “I stress that confiscating and damaging the papers which include a
different vision to solve the ruling crisis of Egypt… will not stop us from
posing our visions to the Egyptian people.” middleeastmonitor
Fatah faced US pressure to undermine
reconciliation
A senior member of Fatah’s Central Committee
has revealed that the Palestinian Authority and Fatah itself faced pressure
from the US to undermine the reconciliation deal with Hamas last month, Quds
News reported on Monday.Azzam Al-Ahmad told a conference in Amman that first
phase of implementing the reconciliation would end by 1 Dec. He noted that this
phase included the “successful” handover of control at the border crossings.
There were a few problems in the handover of the education ministry and the
Palestinian Environment Authority, he added, but these were sorted out
immediately. Fatah official stressed the importance of Hamas being part of the
Palestinian national movement regardless of its own principles. Furthermore,
said Al-Ahmad, govt in Amman had agreed for the Arab commission to Cairo to
broker the reconciliation portfolio and announced its readiness to rehabilitate
the PA security forces. middleeastmonitor
‘Hamas no longer responsible for Gaza
residents’
Senior Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzook said
on Monday that his movement is no longer responsible for the residents of the
Gaza Strip, Quds Net News has reported. He called for the Palestinian factions
to put pressure on the Govt of National
Accord to carry out its duty and fulfil its responsibilities in the besieged
enclave.Abu Marzook said that Hamas had smoothly and unconditionally handed
over the territory in the hope that the leader of the rival Fatah movement,
President Mahmoud Abbas, can afford to provide what Gaza’s Palestinian
population need. “Only then,” he stressed, “will we be able to say with
credibility that we have put the internal division behind us forever.”Insisting
that “the enemy does not know anything except resistance,” the Hamas official
added that Israeli aggression must be deterred. “Whenever they give a promise,
a group of them violate it,” he explained. middleeastmonitor
Minister Priti Patel called for UK to give aid
to Israeli army after undisclosed meeting with Netanyahu
A UK minister embroiled in a row over
undisclosed meetings with Israeli officials proposed giving aid money to the
Israeli army in the occupied Golan Heights.International Development Secretary
Priti Patel suggested that money be given to support ongoing humanitarian
operations by the Israeli army in the occupied Golan Heights. Patel had asked
officials to see whether Britain could support humanitarian operations
conducted in the occupied Golan Heights area.The revelations come after Patel
apologised for holding a series of undisclosed meetings with Israeli
politicians, including PM Benjamin Netanyahu, while being accompanied by a
senior pro-Israeli lobbyist during a "family holiday". UK does not
recognise Israeli sovereignty over the Golan, which was seized from Syria in
the 1967 war, and so providing aid to the Israeli army in this or other
occupied territories would likely controvene UK policy.On Monday, Patel
clarified previous remarks to the Guardian newspaper on Friday in which she had
appeared to suggest that British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson knew of her
schedule beforehand.A statement issued by Patel and Dept.for International
Development said:"This quote may have given the impression that the
secretary of state had informed the foreign secretary about the visit in
advance. The secretary of state would like to take this opportunity to clarify
that this was not the case. The foreign secretary did become aware of the
visit, but not in advance of it."Patel also said: "This summer I
travelled to Israel, on a family holiday paid for by myself. While away I had
the opportunity to meet a number of people and organisations. I am publishing a
list of who I met.Foreign and Commonwealth Office was
aware of my visit while it was underway.“In hindsight,
I can see how my enthusiasm to engage in this way could be misread, and how
meetings were set up and reported in a way which did not accord with the usual
procedures. I am sorry for this and I apologise for it."Patel did not tell
British diplomats that she was holding these meetings, which is the convention.
Labour Party called for an immediate investigation into whether Patel broke the
ministerial code of conduct. Last week, Andy Slaughter MP, a vice-chair of the
Labour Friends of Palestina and the MIddle East, said, "She is the cabinet
minister in charge of Britain's aid budget but sees fit to go rogue in a
foreign country with the assistance of lobbyists and that country's officials,
but without the knowledge of the foreign office".MIddle East Eye
Jewish authors say anti-Zionism ‘no longer
acceptable’ in society
http://jewishnews.timesofisrael.com/jewish-authors-say-anti-zionism-no-longer-acceptable-in-society/
3 of Britain’s best-known Jewish authors have
said they are concerned that anti-Zionism in the Labour Party is becoming “indistinguishable”
from antisemitism.Howard Jacobson, Simon Sebag Montefiore and Simon Schama
posted an open letter in The Times in which they said they were “troubled by
the tone and direction of debate about Israel and Zionism within the Labour
Party”.In the centenary year of the Balfour Declaration, in which the British Govt
committed its support to establish a
Jewish homeland in Palestine, the trio say: “Zionism is the right of the Jewish
people to self-determination. We believe that anti-Zionism, with its
antisemitic characteristics, has no place in a civil society.” jewishnews
UNSC condemns Myanmar and calls on it to allow
Rohingya Muslims to return
New York:UN Security Council called on Myanmar
to rein in its military campaign in Rakhine state and allow hundreds of
thousands of Muslim Rohingya driven from their homes to return.In a unanimous
statement backed by China, the council strongly condemned the violence that has
forced more than 600,000 Rohingya to flee across the border to Bangladesh. The
council expressed "grave concern" over human rights violations,
"including by Myanmar security forces" against the Rohingya, such as
killing, sexual violence and burning of homes and property.It called on the Govt
"to ensure no further excessive use
of military force in Rakhine state, to restore civilian administration and
apply the rule of law". The statement included most of the demands
contained in a draft resolution presented last month by Britain and France, but
that measure ran into strong opposition from China, a supporter of Myanmar’s ex-ruling
junta.AFP
FLASH: VIEWS & NEWS
Sangh Parivar’s attitude towards Articles 35 A
and 370 has heightened scepticism in Kashmir:Christophe Jaffrelot
How Indian media targets the victims:Aijaz
Zaka Syed
Modi Govt Has Wiped out Any Space for Dialogue With
Kashmir:PREM SHANKAR JHA
The forgotten massacre that ignited the
Kashmir dispute:Rifat Fareed, Aljazeera
After Modi’s Speech on Media, Senior
Journalists Question Govt ’s ‘Doublespeak’:THE WIRE
Saudi Arabia's 'Game of Thobes':Jamal
Elshayyal
Compiled and edited by
Anwarulhaq (Released at: 8:10 PM)
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