Evening NEWS
DIGEST
19 Dec.2017: 29 Rabial Awwal 1439:Vol:9, No:76
INDIA
After Gujarat high, Congress wins big in
Rajasthan local bodies: Bags 26 of 45 seats
Congress in Rajasthan Tuesday got a reason to
rejoice winning all the 4 zila parishad, 16 of the 27 panchayat samiti seats
and six urban local body seats, for which bypolls were held recently.This comes
a day after the party registered a significant improvement in its tally in
Gujarat, where assembly election results were declared Monday.The ruling BJP in
Rajasthan could win only 10 panchayat samiti seats, but performed a little
better in urban local body where it won seven wards — one more than
Congress.The ruling party also could not retain even a single of the four zila
parishad seats —Banswara, Bhilwara, Jalore and Karauli.The bypolls to 27
panchayat samitis of 19 districts, 14 nagar palikas of 13 districts and four
zila parishads were held on December 17. One seat each of the panchayat samiti
and the nagar palika (municipality) went to independent candidates.State
Congress president Sachin Pilot said the results show that the days of BJP
government in the state are numbered. “The countdown to their fall has begun,”
he said.Pilot said Congress won three out of four assembly by-elections (Weir,
Nasirabad, Surajgarh and Kota) after the 2013 state polls. The party’s tally in
the Assembly is 24. BJP has 160 MLAs.He said the state govt was working against
the sentiments of people. “The govt has ignored people for last four years,” he
added.HT
Congress wins majority of seats in local body
by-polls in Rajasthan
Smriti Irani to be BJP's CM candidate in
Gujarat?
New Delhi: BJP is reportedly considering
UnionTextiles and I&B Minister Smriti Irani's name for the post of Gujarat
Chief Minister.According to a report in India Today, the central leadership is
keen on appointing a CM who has a strong public appeal and can fulfill the
promises made to the electorate.
According to the report, what makes Irani a close contender for the post
are her strong leadership qualities, a command over Gujarati and English and
the proximity to the central leadership. Times Now
Hardik has a post-poll plan: Campaign against
‘communal distrust’ in Gujarat and EVMs
Hardik Patel, the Patidar leader who helped
make this Gujarat Assembly election difficult for the Bharatiya Janata Party,
has said he would launch a campaign for “removing communal distrust” and
getting “freedom from electronic voting machines”.Patel had, in the last two
years, come to embody opposition to the BJP’s 22-year rule, leading a mass agitation
for reservation for his community in 2015, then aligning with the Congress and
running a high-pitched campaign against the BJP in this election.In the end,
though, ruling party prevailed. “Before the election we kept the focus so much
on issues related to governance and democratic rights that the BJP found it
difficult to build its usual Hindu versus Muslim narrative in the state,” Patel
told Scroll.in after the BJP secured victory. “Now I will spend time in cities
and villages and hold meetings to tell people they must unite against attempts
to divide the society on communal lines.”Patel accused BJP leaders, especially
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, of “dividing the state” by employing ecommunal
rhetoric during the election campaign. “It is now the responsibility of the
people of Gujarat, especially the majority Hindus, to reach out to Muslims,” he
added. “Modi and his men divide us and we will unite our people.”Alleging that
the BJP won the election “by tampering EVMs and using money power”, he vowed to
“expose these dirty tricks” and prevent them from being repeated in future
elections. “Ensuring freedom from EVMs is as important as removing communal
distrust,” he said. “Both are necessary to prevent the subversion of our
democracy. There are doubts about the reliability of EVMs, and this is not good
for any country. If something is not done quickly to remove these doubts, our
protest will move to the streets.”Patel has shown he is not averse to changing
goals, and allies, if it serves his politics, so it is no surprise he is
turning his attention to the issues of communal harmony and EVM tampering.
Raising these issues now that the election is done could help cement the
support base he has built – largely out of the BJP’s traditional social base –
in the course of this election campaign, and set him up as the main political
challenger to the BJP in Gujarat. scroll
3 Muslim candidates fielded by Congress make
it to Gujarat assembly
The campaign for Gujarat Assembly Elections
2017 has seen many communally driven controversies. From remarks ranging from
Allauddin Khilji to Aurangzeb, almost everyone and everything became a part of
the campaign. Surprisingly 2002 riots
which always remained the nerve center of Gujarat politics, was hardly
mentioned by the opposition. The 9% Muslim population in Gujarat has always
been sidelined. The saffron party has never fielded a Muslim candidate in the
assembly elections. Contrary to this the Congress which calls itself a party
for people of every religion and caste fielded five Muslim candidates in the
2017 Gujarat assembly elections, out of which three emerged victorious.Of the
three Muslim candidates fielded by the Congress, Imran Yusufbhai Khedawal, a
first time MLA defeated BJP MLA Bhushan Bhatt in the Jamalpur-Khadia seat by a
margin of 29,339 votes. Congress MLA from Dariapur, Shaikh Gyasuddin
Habibuddeen also succeeded in maintaining his seat in Ahmedabad by defeating
BJP’s Bharat Barot by 6187 votes. Javed Peerzada Mahamadjavid from Rajkot’s
Wankaner defeated BJP’s Jitendra Somania by 1361 votes. Both Javed Peerzada and
Shaikh Gyasuddin Habibuddeen had also won in 2007 and 2012 assembly
elections.NewsX
Gujarat election results have dealt a blow to
BJP, show PM Modi has credibility problem: Rahul Gandhi
New Delhi Congress president Rahul Gandhi on
Tuesday claimed moral victory in the Gujarat Assembly election 2017 and said
that poll results have dealt a massive
blow to the ruling BJP. Speaking to media a day after the election results were
announced, Rahul said, “3-4months back, when we went to Gujarat, it was said
that Congress cannot fight BJP. We did hark work for 3-4months and you have
seen the results. BJP has suffered a massive jolt.”He also said the people of
Gujarat have given a message to the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi that
the “anger that you have within yourself will not work and it will be defeated
by love”.“A question has been raised at PM Modi’s credibility. Modi ji has a
credibility problem,” he further said. indianexpress
Triple talaq not a religious issue, it is
about women’s rights, PM Modi tells a delegation
Pune:A delegation of the Muslim Satyashodhak
Mandal (MSM) held a discussion with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the draft
law on instant triple talaq, in New Delhi on Monday. MSM chief Shamsudin
Tamboli said, during the meeting, they submitted a memorandum of their demands
to the PM. The panel has suggested that the government should consider not only
triple talaq, but also focus on polygamy and the practice of halala; with a
compulsory condition of judicial intervention in every talaq, he added. In
response to their suggestions, Modi said, “The issue of triple talaq is not
religious. It is about the rights of Muslim women. We are genuinely trying to
make this draft effective. I assure you that we will consider your
recommendation and the opinions of other stakeholders and political parties. We
will come up with a comprehensive and an all-inclusive draft.” Tamboli said
they had a “fruitful” discussion with the PM, who has assured to consider all
of their recommendations before finalising the draft.“The meeting was
successful. Tomorrow, our delegation will meet the heads of political parties
to appeal to them to not to politicise the matter. We will also ask them not to
bring the matter of religion and hold fruitful discussions on the draft in the Parliament,”
he added.Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, national vice-president of BJP, was also present
during the meeting. MSM delegation included its president Tamboli, secretary
Jameer Shaikh, treasurer Dilawar Shaikh, member Sameer Shaikh and former chief
Sayyadbhai, alias Sayyad Mehboob Qadri. indianexpress
Meerut: Residents led by BJP youth wing
allegedly prevent Muslim from buying home in Hindu area
The residents of a Hindu-dominated
neighbourhood in the city of Meerut in UP have allegedly stopped a Muslim man
from moving into a house he had bought in the area, Hindustan Times reported. Bharatiya
Janata Yuva Morcha, the youth wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party, led the
protests, which occurred on Sunday night. “Many Hindu-dominated localities like
Shyam Nagar, Baniyapara, Tiwari quarters and Bank Colony have become Muslim
areas in the last few years,” said Deepak Sharma, an office-bearer at the city
unit of the organisation. “We cannot allow this to go on.”This was part of a
“sinister strategy by members of the minority community to buy a house in a
Hindu-dominated locality,” The Times of India quoted Balraj Dungar, the Bajrang
Dal’s convener for Meerut province as saying. “Over time, due to their
activities, their Hindu neighbours are compelled to sell their houses to other
minority families and move away. In this way, the entire neighbourhood becomes
dominated by that community and there is exodus of Hindus.”According to police,
jeweller Sanjay Rastogi had sold his house to Noman, a resident of Ismail
Nagar, for Rs 28 lakh. The residents staged a protest when Rastogi was about to
hand it over to Noman. After the police intervened, the two sides reach a
compromise, Inspector Yashveer Singh said. scroll
Hindus in Meerut locality protest against sale
of house to Muslim
Fringe Hindu group asks Aligarh schools not to
celebrate Christmas, UP police alerts all SPs
Lucknow:In view of the threat to Aligarh
schools by a fringe Hindu group against the celebration of Christmas, the Uttar
Pradesh Police on Tuesday directed all district police chiefs to ensure that
festivities go smoothly without any untoward incident.ADG (Law and Order) Anand
Kumar also directed all district police chiefs of the state to ensure the
freedom of practising one’s religion is protected and appropriate action should
be taken in this regard.“Aligarh SSP and all district police chiefs have been
directed to take strict legal action against those indulging in intimidation of
any sort,” he said.This directive comes after RSS-affiliate Hindu Jagran Manch
issued a circular on Sunday, threatening the management of all Aligarh schools
against celebrating Christmas saying, if they did so, it would be “at their own
risk”. HJM has asked its district units in the state to visit private schools
with a warning — don’t collect contributions for Christmas celebrations from
Hindu students and don’t make it compulsory for them to attend the event.
Alleging that schools promoted Christianity this way, the HJM has asked its
district units to protest outside schools if their warnings were not heeded. indianexpress
Fresh communal tension erupts in Rajsamand
JAIPUR :Fresh communal tension erupted in
Rajsamand district on Tuesday after people from two communities came face to
face over the possession of a piece of land at Tarsingra village in Kankroli,
around 67 km north of Udaipur.Policemen from four nearby police stations were
rushed to the village to control the situation. Senior police officials have
reached the place and monitoring the situation.According to reports, some time
ago people of a community had installed an idol on a platform built on a piece
of land in the village, on which another community also claimed rights and gave
a memorandum to the district administration on Monday. A district
administration team arrived in the morning on Tuesday and removed the idol and
dismantled the platform.When the other group members came to know about the
district administration’s action, they felt offended. Calling that the action
was taken at the behest of the rival community, they restored the chabutara,
reinstalled the idol of Lord Hanuman and also a put a saffron flag in the
afternoon, following with people of both the communities came face to face,
resulting in tension in the area. hindustantimes
BJP MP tries to give communal colour to girl’s
suicide attempt in Uttar Kannada
Bengaluru:Uttar Kannada police have claimed to
solve the alleged kidnapping attempt of a class 9th girl student of Honnavar.
The girl, say the police, confessed that she had fabricated the kidnapping
story and had, in fact, attempted suicide.The girl had complained that on
December 14 around 7.30 am two persons attacked her from behind while she was
on her way to the school and tried to kidnap her. She said she sustained injuries from the
knives the two men carried and due to her strong resistance the duo dumped her
and ran away.At a time when Uttar Kannada district is already witnessing
communal unrest and violent protests by the BJP against the mysterious death of
18-year-old Paresh Mesta, BJP MP Shobha Karandalaje immediately tweeted about
the incident and blamed the members of the minority community for this
incident.However, police say the investigation has revealed that the girl has
been stalked and harassed by a youth Ganesh Ishwar Nayak, a resident of
Bajjikeri of Honnavar taluk, for about 6 months. Newsnation
Shambhu Lal killed Afrazul by mistake, his
target was another Muslim: Police
New Delhi:Shambhu Lal Regar target was another
Muslim man but ended up hacking and burning alive Mohammed Afrazul in Rajsamand
on Dec. 6, police said on Monday. According to HT reports, during
interrogation, Regar admitted that 48-year-old migrant labourer Afrazul was not
his target but he killed him by mistake. His intended target was one Ajju
Sheikh, a migrant worker like Afrazul from Bengal.“He [Regar] wanted to kill
one Ajju Sheikh because he was in contact with a girl whom Shambhu regarded as
his sister,” Rajendra Singh Rao, police circle officer of Rajsamand, told the
newspaper. “But we suspect Shambhu had an affair with her.”According to the
police, Shambhu had reportedly spoken to Ajju on phone and did not recognise
him in person.In his pursuit for Ajju, Shambu went to Jhalchakki market but
when he couldn’t find him, he asked for his mobile number from another
labourer.“Either the labourer misheard Shambhu, or he thought that since
Shambhu needs to get some work done, why not help Afrazul, probably his
acquaintance, get some work. He then gave Afrazul’s number to Shambhu,” Rao
said. Siasat
Woman killed, 8 protesters injured in clashes
with security forces in Kashmir
Srinagar:One woman was killed and eight people
suffered injuries on Tuesday in clashes with security forces in Shopian’s
Batmurran area, sparked by the killing of two militants in a night-long
gunfight with security forces.According to hospital sources in Shopian, the
woman, identified as Rubi Jan, was declared dead in the hospital. “She had
bullet injuries in the abdomen and died on her arrival in the hospital,” said a
hospital official.According to locals, the injured were “mainly hit by pellets
fired from shotguns”.“Two bodies have been recovered from the encounter site so
far,” said Director General of Police S.P. Vaid.Two weapons have also been
recovered from the encounter site. Security forces used explosives to blast the
house in which the militants were holed up.The gunfight erupted om Monday
evening during a cordon and search operation by security forces.The identity of
the militants is being ascertained, said the police. thehindu
Jammu and Kashmir: Militant and civilian
fatalities in 2017 highest in four years, says Centre
The Centre told the Lok Sabha on Tuesday that
in 2017, security forces killed 203 militants in Jammu and Kashmir till
December 10. Minister of State for Home Affairs Hansraj Ahir said 37 civilians
had died because of militancy in the state, PTI reported.This is the highest
toll of militant and civilian fatalities in Jammu and Kashmir in the past four
years. Security personnel had gunned down 150 militants in 2016, 108 militants
in 2016 and 110 in 2014. The government said 15 civilians died in the state in
2016, 17 in 2015 and 28 in 2014.The Centre told the Lok Sabha that 335
militancy-related incidents took place in the state till December 10. There
were 322 such incidents in 2016, 208 in 2015 and 222 in 2014.As many as 75
security personnel were killed in Jammu and Kashmir in 2017, 82 in 2016, 39 in
2015 and 47 in 2014. Scroll
2 Kashmiris assaulted in Bengaluru: Mehbooba
Mufti demands strict action
Srinagar/Bengaluru: Jammu and Kashmir Chief
Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday said she was disturbed to learn that two
brothers from Kashmir Valley were assaulted in Bengaluru for not speaking in
Kannada. She demanded strict action against those involved in the
incident.“Very disturbed by the news of 2 brothers from Kashmir being assaulted
in Bengaluru. I would urge the authorities to take strict action against the
accused,” she wrote on Twitter.A group of at least 10 men allegedly beat up a
24-year-old hotel management student and his brother from Kashmir, and damaged
their car as they could not speak Kannada.Based on the footage from a CCTV
installed near the site of the incident, Bengaluru police have arrested two men
and have launched a manhunt for others. The brothers were allegedly targeted
while they were returning home in their car after having dinner at Bhoopasandra
around midnight on Monday. They had stopped their car near a bus stand at NTI
Layout in Sanjay Nagar to attend a phone call.DECCAN CHRONICLE
UIDAI tightens norms for Aadhaar-bank account
linking
Following the Airtel India-Aadhaar subsidy
fiasco, the UIDAI on Tuesday has tightened the norms for mapping Aadhaar number
to a different bank account.According to the latest rules, ‘explicitly informed
consent’ from customers has been made compulsory.National Payments Corporation
of India (NPCI) will disable the override feature that UIDAI said was being
misused by many banks while seeding Aadhaar to accounts without informed
consent of residents.As a result subsidy from the government was being credited
to new accounts without their knowledgeThe UIDAI further said that there have
been complaints pertaining to customer verification. “When an Aadhaar holder
visits the telecom service provider for verifying his mobile number, as per
Supreme Court's Feb 6, 2017 order, the telecom firm is opening the customer’s
payment bank account and puts that bank account on NPCI's Aadhaar Payment
Bridge, overriding the existing bank account. The mapping was done without the
informed consent of the Aadhaar holder, UIDAI said. Thehindu
India tops list of migrants living abroad at
17 million, 5 million residing in Gulf, says UN
UN:India has topped the list of people living
abroad at 17 million with about 5 million Indians residing in the Gulf region
alone, according to a new UN report.Mexico, Russia, China, Bangladesh, Syria,
Pakistan and Ukraine also have large migrant populations living abroad, ranging
from 6 to 11 million each, according to the 2017 International Migration Report
released here. In 2017, India was the largest country of origin of
international migrants at 17 million, followed by Mexico at 13 million.Other
countries of origin with large migrant populations include Russia at 11
million, China at 10 million, Bangladesh at 7 million, Syria at 7 million and
Pakistan and Ukraine at 6 million each. The number of migrants from India now
reside in multiple destination countries, including UAE at 3 million, the US
and Saudi Arabia at 2 million each, report said. Indianexpress
90 Indians facing modern slavery in Britain
London:As many as 90 Indian citizens were
referred to Britain’s authorities dealing with modern slavery during 2016, a
major audit report criticising the Theresa May government’s much-publicised
campaign on the issue revealed on Tuesday.Indian citizens accompany their
employers using the ‘domestic workers’ visa, but often end up in abusive
situations and are paid poor wages.Being unable to change employer after
arriving here, some are caught up in other categories of modern slavery.The
report by the National Audit Office (NAO) lists India among the top eight
countries whose citizens are in such situation in the United Kingdom. Hindustantimes
WORLD
US vetoes resolution rejecting Trump's
Jerusalem decision after UNSC votes 14-1
The US has vetoed, as expected, a UNSC draft
resolution rejecting President Donald Trump's recent recognition of Jerusalem
as Israel's capital, and his plans to move the American embassy in Israel to
the city. However, the proposed measure was backed on Monday by the 14 other
Security Council members, including many US allies, highlighting Washington's
increasing isolation over an issue that has triggered mass rallies in support
of the Palestinians in major international cities."What is troublesome to
some people […] is that the US had the courage and honesty to recognise a
fundamental reality," Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the UN, said.Egyptian-drafted
text reiterated the UN position on Jerusalem, affirming "that any
decisions and actions which purport to have altered, the character, status or
demographic composition of the Holy City of Jerusalem have no legal effect, are
null and void and must be rescinded in compliance with relevant resolutions of
the Security Council".Francois Delattre, France's ambassador to the UN,
said his country regretted the US decision over Jerusalem. "This draft
resolution confirms an international consensus on Jerusalem that has been built
over decades," said Delattre. aljazeera
UN votes 14-1 to condemn Trump's Jerusalem
decision, as US vetoes resolution
Palestinians turn to UN General Assembly over
Jerusalem
UN General Assembly will hold an emergency
meeting after the US vetoed a UNSC resolution rejecting the US decision to
recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The request for the General Assembly
meeting was put forth by a bloc of Arab nations, Turkey and Organization of
Islamic Cooperation, which bills itself as "collective voice of the Muslim
world".The President of the General Assembly, Miroslav Lajcak, said that
the emergency session will be conducted as soon as possible, while the
Palestinian ambassador to the UN, Riyad Mansour, expected it to be held on
Wednesday or Thursday.Mansour said the request stipulated that the session be
held in accordance with the principle of "Uniting for Peace", in
reference to General Assembly 1950 Resolution 377A. ccording to the resolution,
the General Assembly will take it upon itself to consider matters further if
the Security Council fails to exercise its primary responsibility for the
maintenance of international peace and security.Turkey, which has been highly
vocal in criticising the US administration over its Jerusalem decision, is
leading the push in General Assembly. "The resolution can be passed by
getting at least two-thirds of the votes of the members of the UN General
Assembly," a Turkish foreign ministry source, who wished to remain
anonymous, told Al Jazeera."We already have this number, but Turkey, as
well as the other OIC members, are working hard to increase it," one of
the sources said. Speaking after the US' Security Council veto, Mansour, Palestinian
ambassador to the UN, said: "It is paradoxical that while we were waiting
for a peace plan from the US, the administration instead decided to further
obstruct peace and delay its realisation." Aljazeera
After US Jerusalem Move, Palestinians to Seek
Full UN Membership, Join Dozens of International Groups
Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud
Abbas said Monday that the Palestinians will seek full membership in the United
Nations and join dozens of additional international organizations in response
to the recent US policy changes on Jerusalem. The Israeli government opposes
unilateral Palestinian attempts to join international bodies outside of the
context of a final status agreement between the parties.Abbas’s comments, which
came during a meeting of senior Palestinian officials in Ramallah, echoed
threats the PA leader issued last week during an Organisation of Islamic
Cooperation conference in Istanbul. Algemeiner
Erdogan repeats call for defending Jerusalem's
status
Ankara :President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on
Tuesday renewed his call on UN member nations to back the status of the
contested city Jerusalem.“I invite once again all UN member nations to defend
the historical status of Jerusalem,” Erdogan said during a joint news
conference with his Djiboutian counterpart Ismail Omar Guelleh in the capital
Ankara.“We, as Turkey, will continue to follow this issue till the end,”
Erdogan added. Anadolu Agency
Israeli troops injure 15 Palestinians in West
Bank
JERICHO:15 Palestinians were injured Monday in
the West Bank when Israeli soldiers fired rubber bullets, according to the
Palestinian Red Crescent.In a written statement, the humanitarian aid
organization said the incident occurred in Ain al-Sultan refugee camp in the
city of Jericho. It said three others were affected by tear gas.According to
eye witnesses, the clashes erupted when a group of Jews entered the city under
the protection of Israeli troops to pray at an historic synagogue.Anadolu
Agency
Israel unveils new synagogue in Jerusalem’s
Al-Aqsa
Israeli authorities today unveiled a new
Jewish synagogue under the Al-Buraq Wall – known to Jews as the Western Wall –in
occupied East Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. “Following 12 years of
construction, the new synagogue was opened on Monday evening,” the Heritage
Foundation of the Western Wall, an Israeli governmental body, said in a
statement.“The unique design of the prayer hall combines rare art and unique
lighting, creating a wonderful contrast between ancient and modern,” the
statement read.In recent years, Islamic institutions in East Jerusalem have
lodged repeated protests over excavations being carried out by the Israeli
authorities under the flashpoint mosque compound.In a statement, Sheikh Ekrema
Sabri, head of Jerusalem’s Supreme Islamic Council and a former Al-Aqsa imam,
stressed that the Al-Buraq Wall was a component of the Al-Aqsa’s western
wall.“The wall is part of our Islamic heritage and will remain so until
Judgment Day,” Sabri said. middleeastmonitor
Egypt releases more than 200 football fans
accused of rioting during Cairo derby
Egypt’s military prosecutors have released
more than 200 football fans who had spent over 5 months in detention accused of
vandalising a stadium and attacking police, a lawyer said Monday.Police had
detained hundreds of supporters of Cairo’s Zamalek club following a July 9 game
against Libya’s Al Alhi SC, keeping 236 of them in detention ever since, said
defence lawyer Mohamed Hafez, who represented more than 100 of them.Following
months of investigations, the military prosecution released them Saturday
“because there was not enough evidence to allow for a criminal trial,” Hafez
said. Their release was also reported by state media. The supporters were
accused of destroying seats at Alexandria’s Borg El Arab Stadium and attacking
police, the lawyer said.They were also accused of belonging to the Ultras White
Knights, a club of hard core Zamalek supporters, said Hafez, who is also a
lawyer at the Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression. “There was
rioting inside the Borg El Arab Stadium, and some of the seats were destroyed,
and then about 600 of Zamalek’s supporters were randomly arrested,” Hafez
said.Eight of the 236 had remained in detention Saturday, apparently for
investigation on other charges, although a further three were released Sunday,
he added. Egyptian authorities in 2015 banned the ultras groups, hardcore
supporters of local teams who were at the forefront of 2011 protests that
toppled former president Hosni Mubarak and are openly hostile to the police.
China, Islamists top Trump’s enemy list; India
is a partner in fight against both
WASHINGTON: United States President Donald
Trump’s new national security strategy, announced on Monday, promises support
for India’s emergence as a “leading global power,” while identifying China,
Russia and Islamism as main threats.“We welcome India’s emergence as a leading
global power and stronger strategic and defence partner,” the strategy document
said. Enhancing India’s global standing from being a ‘balancing power’ to be a
‘leading power’ has been a stated strategic objective of the Narendra Modi
government.“We will seek to increase quadrilateral cooperation with Japan,
Australia, and India. …We will expand our defence and security cooperation with
India, a Major Defence Partner of the United States, and support India’s
growing relationships throughout the region,” says the strategy, finalised
after months of internal deliberations in the government.India finds mention as
a partner in Mr. Trump’s plans for South and Central Asia and Indo-Pacific,
while China is named as a threat in both sections. The document saiys America
“will help South Asian nations maintain their sovereignty as China increases its
influence in the region,” and notes that many countries in the Indo-Pacific are
looking to the U.S. for leadership even as “Chinese dominance risks diminishing
the sovereignty of many states in the region.” thehindu
Catalonia election: Muslim woman on a
political mission
"It's sad to turn on the TV and never see
a black face or an Arab personality," says Najat Driouech, who is likely
to become Catalonia's first female Muslim MP.She says she is used to being a
pioneer, as the first girl from her community to have won a literary prize and
gone to university."I don't want my children to suffer half of what their
grandparents suffered, or a quarter of what I had. I want them to find a
society that is inclusive, equal and recognises diversity."She arrived in
Catalonia from Morocco with her parents as a nine-year-old, in 1990. She has
been a community worker for her local council in Masnou, a town outside Barcelona,
for 17 years.There are 515,000 Muslims in Catalonia, comprising 6.8% of the
population.BBC
36,000 children vulnerable in Libya
TRIPOLI:Some 36,000 child migrants in Libya
are in need of assistance, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya said
Monday.Out of an estimated 400,000 migrants, nine percent are children, and
shockingly, more than 14,000 children are also unaccompanied, it said in a
statement on its website. The figures were revealed by UNICEF and the
International Organization for Migration (IOM), it said.“This year, nearly
15,000 unaccompanied children have reached Italy by sea, travelling across the
perilous Central Mediterranean route from Libya. Their journey is typically
facilitated by smugglers and traffickers,” it said.“UNICEF estimates that more
than 400 children have died trying to make this trip since the start of the year,
while many more have suffered abuse, exploitation, enslavement and detention,”
it added.Anadolu Agency
Syria: Infant in E. Ghouta becomes symbol of
resistance
EAST GHOUTA/ANKARA :An infant, who lost his
left eye and his mother last month in an attack by Bashar al-Asad’s regime in
the besieged Eastern Ghouta region of Syria, has become a symbol of
resistance.Twitter users in East Ghouta are expressing solidarity with
two-month-old Karim by posting their pictures with their hand clasping their
left eye shut.Members of White Helmets, activists, and two sisters named Nour and
Ela, who tells the catastrophe in the region through children eyes, posted
solidarity messages via Twitter.Turkish social media users also expressed
solidarity with Karim and Eastern Ghouta using hashtags such as
#SolidarityWithKarim and #EasternGhouta.Messages in English Turkish and Arabic,
“#BabyKarim I see you” and “#EasternGhouta siege must end” were widely shared.
An Anadolu Agency video on the tragedy of the family has been widely shared on
Twitter to promote solidarity with Karim in Turkey.Speaking to Anadolu Agency,
Karim’s father Abu Muhammed said: “Life under siege is a nightmare. It is very
difficult to find a proper job under these circumstances.”The bereaved father
told that his children were starving for the last 24 hours and the only thing they
could eat was bread.Anadolu Agency
Yemen's Houthis fire missile at Riyadh:
Reports
SANAA:Yemen's Shia Houthi rebel group on
Tuesday announced it had fired a "ballistic missile" at Saudi capital
Riyadh, according to the Houthi-run Al-Masira television channel.The missile
reportedly targeted Riyadh's Yamama Royal Palace, which houses the office of
Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz."The missile targeted a large meeting of
Saudi regime officials that was held at the palace," the broadcaster reported,
adding that the missile had "found its target".According to the
Houthi-run television channel, group leader Abdul-Malik Badreddin al-Houthi
will deliver and important address to supporters later Tuesday.Saudi Arabia’s
official Al-Ekhbariya television channel, meanwhile, reported that the missile
had been intercepted south of Riyadh before hitting its target.It did not,
however, provide any more details regarding the missile's intended target or
the damaged inflicted.Anadolu Agency
UN: Airstrikes in Yemen kill 136 civilians in
10 days
The United Nations on Tuesday warned of recent
intensified airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition, which killed at least 115
civilians in Yemen in 10 days."We are deeply concerned at the recent surge
in civilian casualties in Yemen," Rupert Colville, a spokesman for the UN
High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in a news conference in Geneva on
Tuesday.The recent surge in the country began following the killing of former
President Ali Abdullah Saleh in Sanaa on Dec. 4."136 civilians and
non-combatants were killed and some 87 injured as a result of airstrikes in
Sanaa, Saada, Al Hudaydah and Taizz governorates in the period from December 6
to 16," Colville said.World Bulletin
Bangladesh, Myanmar form joint panel to return
Rohingya
DHAKA, Bangladesh:Bangladesh and Myanmar on
Tuesday formed a joint working group for repatriation of Rohingya refugees.This
came in a meeting between a Bangladeshi delegation led by M Shahidul Haque and
Myanmar’s delegation headed by Permanent secretary at Myanmar’s Foreign
Ministry Myint Thu in Dhaka.Since Aug. 25, 2017, around 655,000 Rohingya have
crossed from Rakhine state into Bangladesh, raising the total Rohingya
population in Cox’s Bazar to 867,000, according to UN. Anadolu Agency
FLASH: VIEWS & NEWS
Musta'ribeen, Israel's agents who pose as
Palestinians:by Linah Alsaafin
Muslims in Karnataka lack strong leadership
with mass appeal:TOI
The Politics of Jerusalem & the Arab
World:Abdus Sattar Ghazali,
How ‘forced conversions’ lies are being spread
to attack Christians in India:dailyo
Is the Modi Government Hiding More Than What
It Is Revealing With the RTI Act?M.M. ANSARI
Compiled and edited by
Anwarulhaq (Released at: 8:50 PM)
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment