Evening NEWS
DIGEST
12 Dec.2017: 22 Rabial Awwal 1439:Vol:9, No:70
INDIA
Foreign ministerial meet: India, China and
Russia refrain from seeking East Jerusalem as Palestine capital
New Delhi:India, Russia and China refrained
from seeking East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine after foreign ministers
of the 3 countries met in New Delhi on Monday.External Affairs Minister Sushma
Swaraj hosted her Russian and Chinese counterparts Sergey Lavrov and Wang Yi
for the 15th annual meeting of the Russia-India-China (RIC) in New Delhi. The
joint statement issued after the meeting called for "negotiations aimed at
creating an independent,viable, territorially contiguous Palestinian State
living side by side in peace and security with Israel within mutually agreed
and internationally recognised borders". It, however, did not have any
reference to East Jerusalem.The last RIC joint statement issued after 14th
meeting of the foreign ministers of the three nations in Moscow in 2016 had
categorically called for East Jerusalem to be the capital of the future state
of Palestine.The move by Russia, India and China to drop the reference to East
Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine came just days after US recognised the
ancient holy city as the capital of Israel.New Delhi declined to toe US line on
recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and stated that its position on
Palestine was "independent and consistent" and shaped by its
"views and interests, and not determined by any third country".
India, however, refrained from reiterating its long-held view that eastern part
of the holy city should be the capital of Palestine. India in fact stopped
calling for East Jerusalem to be the capital of Palestine this year. Hosting
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in New Delhi in May, PM Narendra Modi did
call for "a sovereign, independent, united and viable Palestine,co-existing
peacefully with Israel", but avoided supporting the demand for East
Jerusalem to be the capital of Palestine. The leaders of BRICS too refrained
from calling for East Jerusalem the capital of Palestine when they issued a
joint statement after the summit of the 5-nation bloc at Xiamen in China in
Sept. deccanherald
Russia, India, China Talk of Combatting
Terror, but Moscow and Beijing More in Sync on Connectivity, ‘Quad’
India's deafening silence after US Jerusalem
shift:AlJazeera
India's 2-sentence response to the US
recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital last week elicited mixed reactions
after New Delhi for decades strongly backed the Palestinian cause. The static
statement to a dynamic situation was described by some as muted, others as pragmatic,
and still others alleging it imbibes the anti-Muslim right-wing consensus of
the ruling BJP. "India's position on Palestine is independent and
consistent. It is shaped by our views and interests, and not determined by any
third country," Raveesh Kumar, spokesman of India's Ministry of External
Affairs, said last Thursday.But critics say this was deliberately vague and
India should have posited a more vigorous reaction, considering the serious and
retrograde effect of US President Donald Trump's Jerusalem announcement.
"A more robust response would be to state India's position upfront. In any
case, it would call for a two-state solution with East Jerusalem as the capital
of a Palestinian state," Manoj Joshi, senior analyst at the Observer
Research Foundation, told Al Jazeera.Nivedita Menon, a professor at JNU, said
the Govt 's lone comment has clearly reversed India's stance on Palestine.
"It is not surprising that India will now not say anything against Israel
as there is a very close bond being built between the two. The current Indian Govt
's closeness to Israel is also owing to the very clear Islamophobia of both the
regimes. That's very obvious. It's a coming together of Islamophobic
regimes," Menon told Al Jazeera."India has always expressed
solidarity with Palestine. India has always opposed Israel's occupation of
Palestine. There has been a long history of that. The democratic people of
India still support Palestine, but the Indian state has clearly marked a
shift," she added.Sreeram Chaulia, dean at the Jindal School of
International Affairs, said India's evolving ties with Israel are based on
pragmatism. "I don't think the fact that we are increasing our strategic
cooperation with Israel should in any way come at the expense of the Palestinians.
Our cooperation is based on pragmatic mutual benefit," Chaulia told Al
Jazeera."We are independent, not influenced by outsiders. Similarly on
this issue, we have an embassy of Palestine in Delhi. India is a major
contributor to the Palestinian Authority and its institutions…If India was a
major political player in the Middle East, we would have been forced to take a
stand, but we are not."India and Israel have deep military ties. In 2017,
India signed two arms deals, spending $2.6bn on Israeli missile defence
systems.Economist Prabhat Patnaik said the decolonisation of Palestine is a
precondition for world peace and in India's interest."Since an
overwhelming number of countries in the world support Palestine's
decolonisation, by distancing itself from this goal, India is also distancing
itself from these countries," he told said.However, "Hindu right,
which currently rules the country", wants to get closer to US-Israel axis
because of its "ideological affinity ... of a shared anti-Muslim attitude",
Patnaik said.India's relative silence after Trump's radical decision on
Jerusalem could well mark a point of departure in the country's moral support
for the Palestinian cause. Menon said India's solidarity with the Palestinians
will for now have to be borne by ordinary citizens."It will have to be
non-state, people-to-people contacts for India-Palestine solidarity now. I
don't see how any ethical stance can condone Israel's occupation of
Palestine.There is no ethical argument that can justify the occupation,"
Menon said.Al Jazeera
Doklam trespass by Indian troops put severe
stress on ties: China
Beijing: The face-off between Indian and
Chinese troops at Doklam put ties between the two countries under “severe
stress” and efforts to foster mutual trust over the last year were “not very
satisfactory”, the foreign ministry in Beijing said on Tuesday.The remark comes
a day after Indian foreign minister Sushma Swaraj met her Chinese counterpart
in New Delhi during what was the first visit of a senior officer since the
military face-off on an icy Himalayan plateau.The standoff lasted for two
months, ending as abruptly as it had began in June this year. Indian officials
have insisted that the presence of their troops in the region was to oppose the
construction of a road by Chinese troops, while Beijing has repeatedly called
it a trespassing.“…In 2017, the relations between China and India have
maintained their momentum of development as a whole. Both sides have made
efforts in this regard. But they (the efforts) were not very satisfactory,”
said the statement released by the Chinese MFA.MFA statement quoted Wang’s
interaction with Swaraj and was unusually blunt. hindustantimes
CPEC halted funds: China's veiled support to
Pak Army
Beijing: China's decision to redraft criteria
for the funding of three roads which form part of the China-Pakistan Economic
Corridor (CPEC) project, is likely to benefit the Pakistan military's
engineering and construction company, Frontier Works Organisation, a Huffington
Post report has said.Chinese support for Pakistan and its military brass has
long been evident with its repeated veto in the UN Security Council of US,
European and Indian efforts to get Masood Azhar, a prominent Pakistani militant
designated as a global terrorist. Azhar is believed to have close ties to
Pakistani intelligence and the military, writes Senior fellow S. Rajaratnam
School of International Studies, James M. Dorsey.China's decision to
temporarily halt the supply of funds with respect to the construction of three
roads is more that what meets the eye.Beijing has cited its concern over
corruption in the CPEC projects as the reason for the move, but apparently it
is "an effort to enhance the Pakistani military's stake in the country's
economy at a time when the armed forces are flexing their political
muscle.""The suspension of funding has coincided with apparent
efforts by the military to increase its political sway by supporting militant
and hard-line Sunni Muslim groups opposed to the ruling Pakistan Muslim League
(N) headed by disgraced former PMNawaz Sharif," writes Dorsey.ANI
Rajasthan murder: Fearing for their lives,
over 100 Muslim migrants from Bengal flee Rajsamand
In less than a week after Mohammad Afrazul, a
labourer from Malda, West Bengal, was murdered in Rajasthan’s Rajsamand, over a
hundred Muslim migrants have fled the town, fearing similar attacks. More plan
to leave as soon as their pending work is done or their wages are paid.“A sense
of fear pervades the colonies where the Bengali-speaking Muslim migrants live,”
said Mosharraf Khan, Afrazul’s son-in-law, who is set to leave Rajsamand for
Malda on Tuesday.Afrazul, 48, was killed by Shambhulal Regar,36, a resident of
Rajsamand, on Dec.6. Regar called the labourer to a desolated place on the
pretext of doing some construction work and hacked him to death with a pickaxe
and burnt his body. Regar had his 14-year-old nephew film murder and record
videos of him ranting against Muslims, calling them jihadis and accusing them
of running drug and fake currency rackets and making movies that insult Hindu
deities.In one video, Regar says he killed Afrazul to save a woman from “love
jihad”, a term used by Hindutva groups to accuse Muslim men of wooing Hindu
women with the express purpose of converting them to Islam.The Rajasthan police
have refuted Regar’s claim that Afrazu forced a Hindu woman from his
neighbourhood to convert to Islam several years ago. They have also not found
any evidence linking Regar to Hindutva groups so far. “More than a hundred
Muslims from Malda living in our neighbourhood have left for home and they are
not sure they will ever come back,” said Mosharraf Khan. “They fear if this
time it was Afrazul, tomorrow it could be them.”Mosharraf Khan was employed by
a contractor for road construction and his work did not finish until this
Sunday, or he would already have left.Afrazul had lived in Rajsamand for almost
two decades and his son-in-law joined him 7 years ago. Both their families are
in Malda. Afrazul was “well settled” in the town, Mosharraf Khan said, and
often helped people from his village find work there.Some social activists in
Rajsamand have been trying to persuade migrant labourers against leaving, but
with little success. “In the past four days, we have held several meetings and
tried to convince the Muslim migrants that they have nothing to fear,” said
Firoz Khan, a resident of Rajsamand who heads Anjuman Peace Committee. “But we
cannot stop them forcibly. They are scared beyond imagination after what they
have seen. Senior police officials also joined our meetings but their words
about stable law and order situation were not enough to stop the migrants from
leaving. Most of them have left, a few are stuck because of work and
payments.”Aliul Afrazul is stuck with “some paperwork” at Rajnagar police
station, which is investigating the murder. Afrazul claimed between 100 and 150
of his fellow Muslim migrants have left Rajsamand. “I am done with my work here
and I do not care about my pending wages,”he said. “I leave for Malda on
Wednesday with 25 other labourers.” scroll.in
Rajasthan: Meo Muslim community wants cow
smugglers to face social boycott
Meo community leaders have asked for the
social boycott of cow smugglers after several incidents of cow smuggling in
Mewat area of Rajasthan were reported.Community leaders have demanded that
girls should not be married in those families where members are cow smugglers
and neither should they be invited to social gatherings.The recent incidents of
cow smuggling has also led to a growing suspicion amongst people living in
Mewat area spread across parts of Haryana and Rajasthan's Alwar and
Bharatpur.There are 40 lakh people from Meo community who live in this area.Because
of cow smugglers within the community, Muslims in the area who breed and rear
cows are getting a bad name. District Meo panchayat of Alwar district has
decided to boycott cow smugglers."Incidents of cow smuggling are coming to
the fore one after another in Mewat", said Sher Mohammad of district Meo
panchayat, Alwar. Panchayat has appealed to the people to stop cow
smuggling.But despite that,several incidents of cow smuggling are still being
reported. Meo panchayat has also asked the people in Palla village in Haryana's
Nuh area to boycott the cow smuggler who was caught on Monday. If they don't
boycott the smuggler, the entire Palala village may face boycott."Subedar
Khan and Deendar Khan, responsible for the slaughter of 36 cows in Rewara
village have to face social boycott,"said Sher Mohammad. indiatoday
Love jihaad or violence: Mob thrashes Muslim
man for 'living with girl of different community'
New Delhi:In yet another shocker from UP , a
Muslim Man was thrashed by a mob for bringing a woman of different community to
his house in Sambhal on Monday. The couple was later brought to police station,
where a case of registered against the man. The victim claimed that the mob
threatened to kill him because he was a Muslim. "8 to 10 men thrashed me
saying I have brought a girl to my room and we're involved in indecent
activities, when I denied that they said I am a Muslim and I will be killed.
The girl and her parents know me very well," he told media. The Police
have, however, booked the man under SC Act & molestation. "We received
info that a man and a woman of different communities are staying in a house on
rent. They were caught by people and brought to police station and a case of
molestation was registered against him," Ranjan Sharma, Inspector
Chandausi said. The victim was also subject to medical tests, the police
officials said. indiatvnews
Muslim society demands trial of love jihad
case out of Rajasthan
Mumbai: A section of the Muslim community in a
press conference in Mumbai said that they would file an intervention petition
to seek the trial of the recent alleged love Jihad case in Rajasthan outside
the state. Senior members of the community said that the current atmosphere is
radicalising members of the Hindu community."Over a period of time, there
have been successive attacks on the members of the Muslim community either in
the name of cow vigilantism of love jihad," said M Khalid, member of the
community.Sarafaz Arzoo, editor of an Urdu paper said, "In Rajasthan,
there have been more than one instances. We are looking to file an intervention
petition in the case and may also look to have the hearing moved out of the
state for a fair trial." dnaindia
Cow protection movement not against Muslims,
Christians: RSS
Meerut:RSS general secretary Suresh Bhaiyyaji
Joshi said the cow protection movement is not directed against Muslims and
Christians and that it is being given a communal colour “unnecessarily”.He said
demands related to “caste, region and language cannot bring about a change in
society but Hindutva can”.“Confusion is being created with regard to the cow
protection movement. It is not directed against Muslims and Christians. It is
linked to the pride of the nation.A communal colour is being given to it
unnecessarily,” Joshi said here.“We need to make the people aware about those
who spread canards about cow protection and fan tension by giving a communal
colour to such issues,” he said. hindustantimes
Gujarat elections: Officials forget to wipe
existing data on EVMs, EC orders repolling in six booths on Dec.14
Gandhinagar:Election Commission has ordered
repolling in 6 booths, where first phase polling was held on Dec9. The repolls
will be held on Dec.14.Chief Electoral Officer of Gujarat BB Swain said the
poll panel has cancelled the results stored in the EVMs in six booths in four
constituencies of the first phase of elections.The presiding officers of these
booths had forgotten to wipe out the mock drill poll results necessitating the
re-election. These are Dhunda and Manpar
booths in Jam Jodhpur assembly constituency, Bandharda and Gangda in Una
constituency, Chorwad in Nizar constituency and Chanod colony, Chanod in
Umargaon constituency, both the latter are Scheduled Tribe constituencies.
" Reasons for cancelling these booth results is that the Presiding
Officers (PO) had forgotten to wipe and delete the existing mock poll drill in
their EVMs. We have initiated necessary actions against these lax
officials," Swain said.All voters of these booths, the concerned officials
and political parties have ben informed bout this change.IANS
Gujarat: For many Muslims, ‘devil’ EVM the
real enemy
Chhota Udaipur: For many Muslim voters in
Gujarat, if there is an issue of concern in the coming assembly election, it is
the EVM.EVM -- described as the “devil” by one worried voter -- was the hot
topic of discussion among the people, who, however, said they would vote in the
Dec. 14 election in the state, despite their concerns.With the circulation of
messages on social media sites about EVMs being tampered with, many in the
border district of Chhota Udaipur feared their votes might be transferred to
other candidates.“Our vote is the only power we have and if somebody changes
it, what are we left with in a democracy,” asked 57- year-old Sayed Mala, a
small-time construction contractor.Mala said he did not trust the electronic
machines, adding that ballot papers were the more credible option -- a
sentiment shared by many others across the district with three assembly
constituencies. Educated sections of the people, with access to social media
platforms such as WhatsApp and Facebook, were more worried about EVMs than the
others.“I know who I will vote for. But I am not assured if it will be counted
in his favour. But with a ballot paper, my vote can’t be changed,” said Kalol
college student Sultan Hussain. Another constituent said he was not convinced
about the VVPAT, a process to verify that the vote cast had gone to the
candidate concerned.Farooq Sayeed from Timla village in Chhota Udaipur compared
EVMs with the “devi”.“There are so many videos of EVMs being tampered with on
social media. My vote can be changed,” he said.The worries about the machines
were not largely shared by Hindu voters.PTI
Jay Shah seeks to delay hearing on gag order against
The Wire
New Delhi: BJP president Amit Shah’s son, Jay
Shah, on Tuesday sought to delay the hearing a civil court in Ahmedabad is set
to hold on Dec.15 to decide on the ex-parte injunction it had granted at his
request in Oct.against The Wire.Shah’s lawyers gave no specific reason for
requiring more time to respond to The Wire’s written reply, which was filed on
Dec.4.The Wire opposed the delay, citing the law, the high court deadline of 30
days, and the fact that it was only on Shah’s own request that the date of Dec.
12 had been set by the court.The civil court then directed Jay Shah’s lawyers
to be present on Wednesday, Dec.13.On Oct.8, 2017, The Wire published a story
about the financial growth of a company owned by Jay Shah, in the year
following the BJP coming to power in the Centre.The Wire
Yashwant Sinha defends Aiyar, calls Pak conspiracy
allegation ‘absurd’
Senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha has defended
the private dinner meeting in former UPA minister Mani Shankar Aiyar’s house in
honour of ex foreign minister of Pakistan Khurshid Ahmed Kasuri which was
attended by former PMManmohan Singh and former vice president Hamid Ansari. The
dinner meeting was also attended by former army chief Deepak Kapoor and several
former Indian envoys to Pakistan.Speaking to The Wire Yashwant Sinha said:“I
see nothing wrong in Mani Shankar organising a dinner meeting to discuss
Indo-Pak peace prospects. I was also invited to the same dinner but could not
attend it because of my political engagement in Akola in Maharashtra.” Sinha
was in Akola to participate in a dharna to support farmers’ demands and was
arrested by the local police. He was subsequently released after the state Govt
accepted in principle the demands of the
farmers. The former finance minister in the Vajpayee Govt said Aiyar and Kasuri are good friends from
their days at Cambridge University, and Aiyar had once earlier had another
dinner to mark the release of Kasuri’s book on India-Pakistan relations.THE
WIRE
Former Army General Deepak Kapoor Calls Out
Modi, Says 'Gujarat Election Not Discussed At Aiyar's Dinner'
Invited Taliban Leader In 2013, Claims Times
Now: A Fact Check by boomlive.in
Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram meet a
Taliban leader in Goa in 2013? A photograph of Chidambaram and Taliban leader
Mullah Abdul Zaeef went viral today. The picture taken during ThinkFest 2013
organised by Tehelka shows Chidambaram and Zaeef in the same frame but not
facing each other.News channels revived this image first tweeted by Defence
Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in 2013. Times Now’s Exclusive story claimed that
“UPA invited Taliban leader to speak at Think Fest 2013”. They also had a
hashtag #CongTalibanTango as part of their tweets.During election season, any
old image is good enough to create a fresh controversy. BJP leaders could be
seen tweeting the image.Zaeef was invited as one of the 80 speakers that year
and he participated in two different sessions on the 2nd and 3rd day of the
event.We spoke to Tehelka’s then managing editor Shoma Chaudhury who moderated
the sessions and she confirmed that Zaeef was invited by her as the event was
known to bring diverse voices from all sections of society including politics
and international diplomacy on a common platform.On Think’s website, we found
the sessions list where Zaeef was listed on a panel with Choudhary and
America’s former counterterrorism head with CIA Robert Grenier. Chaudhury said
the man seen speaking to Zaeef in the picture is none other than Grenier. BOOM
is not able to verify independently whether Chidambaram and Zaeef had any
interactions with each other. It is highly unlikely for the media to miss such
an interaction if it happened in public view. Interestingly, Think2013 was also
sponsored by several companies with Essar as the principal sponsor and Adani
being one of the associate sponsors.While it is clear the photograph is
circulating once again 4 years after the event took place due to the pitched
political battle between the Congress and BJP ahead of the second phase Gujarat
polls, Zaeef’s invitation to Tehelka’s event had generated quite a bit of
controversy in 2013 itself. Boomlive/ thequint
Impact of FRDI: Banks flooded with customers
for withdrawing cash
Hyderabad: After the publication of the news
that Govt of India is contemplating to enact a legislation which gives powers
to the bankers to transfer saving bank amounts into fixed deposits for using
them for other purposes, customers rushed to the banks to withdraw their money.Although
bank authorities put up notices assuring the customers not to worry about their
money, they did not pay heed to them.The banks made an attempt to highlight the
criticism made by Finance Minister, Mr. Arun Jaitley on opposition parties that
Govt. has no such intention to use public money without taking consent by the
customers but the people were not convinced.All the political parties are
saying that if the entire amounts are invested in fixed deposits, the customers
will have no option to approach the court for making an appeal.These parties
created a panic by exposing the intention of the Govt. to pass Financial
Resolution and Deposit Insurance Bill. They are saying that Govt. intends to
take this step to save banks and financial institutions from going bankrupt. siasat
Retail inflation touches 15-month high of
4.88%, industrial growth slows to 2.2%
India’s annual retail inflation accelerated in
November to a 15-month high of 4.88% even as industrial output growth slowed to
2.2% in Oct.from 4.2% a year earlier, Govt data showed on Tuesday.The high inflation was
mainly driven by faster rise in prices of food and fuel products. Separate data
released by the Govt showed that India’s
factory output measured by the index of industrial production slowed to 2.2% in
Oct. from an upwardly revised 4.14% in September. hindustantimes
5 cases, no action: Despite hate speech, cops
give wide berth to VIPs
New Delhi: In Nov.just 4 days before Suraj Pal
Amu, BJP's chief media coordinator at that time, offered a bounty for beheading
actor Deepika Padukone,Haryana police had driven 360 km to arrest a
19-year-old, Shaqib, for posting an offensive image of PM Narendra Modi.An NDTV
investigation found that in 2017, there were at least seven cases, where the
police acted with alacrity to arrest ordinary people for social media posts
that are seen as offensive to political or authority figures. When it comes to VIP's however --
politicians, ministers, parliamentarians and legislators -- NDTV found the
response is the opposite.Two days after SP Amu made the incendiary statement,
Pawan Kumar, a resident of Gurugram, filed a complaint at the nearby Sector 29
police station, alleging criminal intimidation by the leader. A First
Information Report was filed, but 20 days on, there has been no follow-up
action by the police.Mamta Singh, spokesperson of Haryana police, told NDTV
that in the "Fattehabad case (regarding Shaqib) investigation was done,
evidence was on record, arrest has been made...As far as the other (SP Amu's)
case is concerned, it is under investigation," she said.A video of SP
Amu's statement had gone viral on media -- social and mainstream. Subsequently,
the leader had repeatedly defended his comment in front of television cameras.
The police inaction has allowed SP Amu, who has since resigned from the BJP, to
make more violent threats. "Now my dream is to slap Farooq Abdullah on Lal
Chowk in Srinagar. I challenge him to meet me there," he allegedly said at
a recent public rally in Panchkula, a suburb of Chandigarh. NDTV
Jisha rape, murder case: Kerala court finds
migrant worker Ameerul Islam guilty; counsel
makes shocking statement saying ‘he is innocent, real murderer is out’
New Delhi:Following the Ernakulam Sessions
court’s verdict convicting Ameer-ul-Islam, a migrant worker from Assam, who was
pronounced guilty of rape and murder, his counsel Advocate B.A. Aloor stated, ”This
is the biggest punishment that can be given to an innocent individual.” He also
stated that the real murderer is out there as it was clear that there was more
than one person involved in Jisha’s murder but the police have not probed this.
Reacting to the court’s verdict, Jisha’s mother welcomed it and stated that she
expects death sentence for the accused Ameerul Islam. The prosecution has also
described it as a ‘rarest of the rare’ case.These statements are quoted as per
Manorama and Mathrubhumi news reports.The brutal rape and murder of the
30-year-old law student had taken the state by storm. She was found dead with
over 30 stab marks on her body. The initial police reports stated that the
reason was revenge as she had resisted the accused strongly. From the pool of
blood in which her body was found, the police sent it for forensic examination,
which established and traced the blood stains to that of the accused Ameer. financialexpress
BJP accuses J&K govt of ‘cheating the
nation’ for its stand on minorities
Jammu : BJP Jammu, on Tuesday, criticized its
own Govt for its stand on minorities in
the state, saying that the policy being followed by it “amounts to cheating the
nation” and looting the money from Govt of India exchequer meant for religious and
linguistic minorities in the state.Reacting, to the affidavit filed by the
state Govt in the Supreme Court, ruling
out the formation of a state-level commission, BJP state spokesperson Prof.
Virender Gupta said, “The Kashmiri leadership, that considers itself as a most
secular lot in the country cannot afford to ignore the plight of minorities in
the state who are criminally victimized and discriminated.” The state which
constitutes about 68% of Muslim
population cannot provide benefits to the majority community which otherwise
are meant for minorities in the state.Significantly, BJP is a major ally in the
coalition Govt of the state. The state Govt
’s affidavit had come as a response to a public interest litigation filed by a
local lawyer Ankur Sharma, seeking directions to the state Govt legislated minority commission for time-bound
identification of religious and linguistic minorities in the state. indianexpress
Hyderabad: Hindu girl wins award for speech on
Prophet
Hyderabad: An eighth standard girl, Akhila
from Telangana Minorities Residential Educational Institutions Society - Girls
Charminar 2 strengthened feel of secularism with her speech on Prophet Muhammed
(PBUH). She bagged the first prize at the elocution contest ‘The Students
Seerat Fest 2017’ recently that was conducted by Students Islamic Organisation
of India, Babanagar Unit as part of the campaign “Muhammad (PBUH) for All”.An
emotional Akhila, who spoke for four minutes in Telugu about the Prophet and
his teachings about women’s rights, said, “I always wanted to learn about him.
When I got to know about the competition I referred books and prepared the
speech in 30 minutes. This was my first time on stage and it was overwhelming
for me to win it for such an important topic.”Up to 14 schools, both Govt and private, participated in the quiz and
elocution following an essay writing competition on the topic “Inspired by
Muhammed”. Anwar Khan, President of AITA,
said, “It is important for children to know about all religions and respect
them with sincerity.”The Hans India
UP: Civil suit filed against 2 religious
structures
Bareilly:A civil suit under section 91 (1) of
code of civil procedure (CPC) pleading to shift religious structures erected
mid of the road at the 2 busiest crossings in city, Chowki Choraha and Qila
crossing was filed on Monday. The district court will hear the case on Dec.14.
Advocates Virendra Pal Gupta and Gaurav Sharma in their writ stated that they
had approached DM and city magistrate in this regard but no action was
taken.Gupta said that Supreme Court had already said in its order passed in
2016 that unauthorised religious structures on roads were an insult to
God.“These structures obstruct our right to walk. Our administrative officials
don’t even bother to abide by SC’s orders,” said Gupta.SC in Sept.2009 had
ruled that no unauthorised construction would be permitted in the name of
temple, mosque, gurdwara or church on roads, parks and other public
spaces.Gupta said,“For unauthorised religious constructions that had already
taken place, SC had said in 2009, state administration would review to take
appropriate action.Again in 2011, SC had restrained state Govt from granting
permission to erect any religious structure on roads, pavements, sideways and
other public spaces.”TOI
Communal clash in Bulandshahr village over
‘insult’ to flag
Meerut: Members from two communities pelted
stones at each other at Meerpur village of Khurja town in Bulandshahr district
on Monday. While people from one community were returning from a religious
function, other group was taking out a rally in the area. Communal sloganeering
from both sides led to a volatile situation and several people sustained
injuries in the ensuing clashes.Police said that the three-day Aalmi Tablighi
Ijtima (annual Islamic congregation) concluded in Meerpur on Monday after which
a large number of devotees were returning home. At the same time, members from
the other community were celebrating Shaurya Diwas and had assembled in large
numbers at the ground of Polytechnic College. According to Khurja circle
officer Jagdish Chand Singh, "Communities came face to face near Pahasu
crossing. After some anti-social elements threw the flag being carried by one
of the communities, the other mob turned violent and began pelting
stones." Singh and Khurja police station in-charge Sanjay Panchal, who
arrived at the spot with a handful of cops, tried to pacify the crowds. Later,
elders from both sides calmed down the mob. Considering the sensitivity of the
situation, additional force was sent to the area.Meanwhile, police have filed
an FIR in the incident. Panchal told TOI, "An FIR has been filed against 5
persons under IPC sections 147 (rioting) and 336 (endangering life or personal
safety of others). No one has been detained so far."TOI
Youth’s mysterious death sparks violence in
Karnataka, BJP demands NIA probe
Bengaluru:Violence over the mysterious death
of a teenager in Honnavar last week spread to another town in Karnataka’s
coastal Uttara Kannada district on Tuesday as BJP stepped up its protest and
sought an NIA probe in the case.Police said they resorted to “mild” lathicharge
and used tear gas to disperse the agitators as a section of them pelted stones
at the forces, damaged vehicles and burnt tyres during a protest called by the
BJP and others in Sirsi.The saffron party has maintained that 18-year old
Paresh Kamalakar Mesta was a “Hindu activist” killed by “Jehadi elements”, and
demanded a probe by NIA.Kumta in the same district also witnessed violence when
the car of IGP (Western Range) Hemanth Nimbalkar was set ablaze yesterday amid
protests seeking justice for Mesta, whose body was found on Friday. He was
reported missing on Dec.6.Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah has accused the BJP of
using the incident for “political gains”. Senior police and district
administration officials said the situation at Sirsi was now under control and
peace had been restored by dispersing
the crowd.PTI
Child rights panel welcomes order directing TV
channels not to show condom ads between 6am to 10pm
New Delhi: National Commission for Protection
of Child Rights (NCPCR) has welcomed the Govt’s order asking TV channels not to
air condom advertisement between 6am and 10pm. In an advisory to all television
channels on Monday, I&B Ministry had asked channels to restrict condom
advertisements to late night.“We have received complaints regarding condom ads
showing inappropriate content. We welcome the decision of Govt,” NCPCR
chairperson Stuti Kacker said. Ministry said that it was brought to its notice
that some channels carry advertisements of condoms repeatedly which are alleged
to be indecent, especially for children.It referred to Rule 7 (7) of the Cable TV
Networks Rules 1994, which says,“No ad which endangers the safety of children
or create in them any interest in unhealthy practices or shows them begging or
in an undignified or indecent manner shall not be carried in the cable
service”.It also cited Rule 7(8) which states that “indecent, vulgar,
suggestive, repulsive or offensive themes or treatment shall be avoided in all
advertisements”. TV channels are hereby advised not to telecast the
advertisements of condoms, which are for a particular age group, and could be
indecent/ inappropriate for viewing by children, the advisory read.PTI
In Jaipur Class X, English passage on PM Modi
fails spelling test
Jaipur: “Modi served as the CM of Gujrat for
the four terms… As a spoker he is known as a craod-puller. He is the most sovy
political leader of India.” How many spelling mistakes are there in these two
sentences?Unfortunately, that was not the question asked of Class X students
appearing for their half-yearly English exam in Govt schools in Jaipur under RBSE. The mistakes —
there were many more — were in the question itself. And they have left
education officials in Rajasthan red-faced. Covering Modi’s life in brief, the
passage says, “He used to help his father in selling tea”, and that his
swearing-in was a “first of its kind” as he “invited all SAARC leaders”. It
also refers to Modi joining the RSS at the age of eight and leaving home at 17.
“He became RSS Pracharak,” states the next line. It describes Modi as a
“vegetarian”, a “workaholic” and an “introvert” who “writes poems but in
Gujrati”.Some of the questions that followed this passage were no different in
style and substance: “How can you say that he is a poet?” “Why was his swearing
in ceremony first of his kind?”The next passage — on a “little boy” — was
followed by this question: “What kind of the boy was?”The Opposition Congress,
meanwhile, highlighted the passage on the PMand accused the education
department of having become a “medium” for BJP propaganda. Congress state
president Sachin Pilot alleged that the “revision” of school curriculum was an
attempt by BJP Govt to influence youth
through “blatant promotion” of its ideology.HT
Rajasthan to Feature Deendayal Upadhyaya’s
Photo Alongside National Emblem on Letterhead
Jaipur: Rajasthan Govt is all set to feature the Jan Sangh founder’s
picture on all Govt letterheads
alongside the national emblem – probably the first state Govt to effect such a change.The plan, prepared by CM
Vasundhara Raje’s office, is likely to be announced formally on Dec.13, the BJP
govt’s fourth anniversary.Earlier this year, in July, Rajasthan Govt issued orders mandating the use of a Deendayal
Upadhyaya logo on all Govt advertisements. The ‘logo’ features a picture
of Upadhyaya along with a mention of his centenary year, 1916-2016. In August,
BJP asked its elected representatives to use the logo on their official
letterheads for all correspondence. While that change was effected at the party
level, the latest move will imply official endorsement by the state Govt .“Yes,
it’s a cosmetic change to the letterheads. There is no large scale re-printing
of official letterheads required for this since such letterheads are not used
more than five-six times a month. We will simply paste stickers of Pt Deendayal
Upadhyaya on the letterheads,” a senior Govt official privy to the decision told The
Wire.“All Central Gov communication
already features his image along with the national emblem,” the official added.The
Wire
Mashkoor Usmani wins AMUSU presidential polls
defeating grandson of BJP MLA
Aligarh: Mashkoor Ahmad Usmani, a BDS college
student, defeated Ajay Singh to win the AMU Students' Union presdential election
results of which were announced late in the night on Monday.He secured 2352
votes and was second with winner. Maskoor Ahmad Usmani bagged 9,071 votes and
won by a thumping margin of 6719 votes by defeating Ajay SIngh who got 2352
votes and came second.Ajay Singh is grandson of BJP MLA Thakur Dalveer Singh
from Barauli seat in Aligarh.Usmani hails from Darbhanga district and is a BDS
student. The other candidate in the fray was Abu Baqr who got only 2192
votes.In Vice President elections, Sajad Subhan Rathor, got 5,711 votes,
defeating by a margin of 3,106 votes, his nearest rival Aijaz Ahmed who got
2,605 votes. There were total six candidates for the post of Vice President
including Vikrant Johri.This is the first time in the history of AMUSU
Elections when a non-Muslim had contested for the top post. In another first, a
Kashmiri student Sajad Subhan Rather has been elected for the post of chair in
AMUSU. ummid
In a first, Kashmiri scholar elected
vice-president of AMU Students Union
‘If a Muslim kills a Hindu, he is dubbed as
terrorist, if a Hindu kills a Muslim he is dubbed as nationalist’
Bangalore: These days, communal elements are
spreading false rumours against Hazrat Tipu Sultan Shaheed in Karnataka. Tipu
Sultan was the first Indian to sacrifice his life to save the country from the
slavery of Britishers. He was the first martyr of freedom struggle. Those who
are spewing venom against the minorities should remember that the flag of
Independent India was designed by none other than a Hyderabad woman Surayya
Tayyabji. These views were expressed by secretary-general JD(S) Kunwar Danish
Ali while addressing JD (S) Minority Convention at Tumakuru. Today law and
order situation in the country has become worse. Secularism is murdered and
communalism is fast spreading, he added. Danish said, minorities are exploited
in the name of religion in the states like UP , Madhya Pradesh where BJP is in
power. Muslims are killed in the name of love jihad. If any Muslim kills a
Hindu he is called jihadi and terrorist where as when a Hindu kills a Muslim he
is called nationalist. BJP is actually leading the country towards civil war.
If the situation continues the security of its citizens would be at
stake.siasat
WORLD
More than 8 million 'a step away' from famine
in Yemen
A senior UN official has called for parties
involved in the war in Yemen to allow "sustained and unimpeded
humanitarian access" for the millions of Yemenis facing famine and
battling disease."The lives of millions of people, including 8.4 million
Yemenis who are a step away from famine, hinge on our ability to continue our
operations and to provide health, safe water, shelter and nutrition
support,"Jamie McGoldrick,UN's humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, said. The
call comes as the Saudi-led coalition continues a blockade of Yemen, which
began in October after it shut down the country's borders in response to a
rebel missile that was shot down near the capital, Riyadh.Amid mounting
international pressure, Saudi Arabia began to allow some humanitarian aid to
enter the country in the last week of Nov.Despite this easing, the situation in
Yemen remains severe, according to McGoldrick. "The continuing blockade of
ports is limiting supplies of fuel, food and medicines, dramatically increasing
the number of vulnerable people who need help," he said.The blockade was
designed to cut off the alleged supply of weapons to Houthi rebels from Iran
but has exacerbated what the UN has called the world's worst humanitarian
crisis. aljazeera
One-third of Israelis live in poverty, reveals
new report
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20171212-one-third-of-israelis-live-in-poverty-reveals-new-report/
About one-third of Israeli citizens live below
the official poverty line, Latet organisation’s Alternative Poverty Report
revealed on Monday, Arabs48.com said yesterday. Those caught in the poverty
trap include around one million children. According to the report, 2.5m
Israelis are classed as poor; that’s 29.1 % of the population.The figure is made up of
1.46m adults and 1.06m children; one in every three children is poor.Latet,
which runs the largest food distribution network for the poor in Israel, said
that it asks people to answer five questions covering education, residence,
food, health and living expenses. If respondents answer “yes” to at least three
questions they are regarded as “poor”.Poverty is one of the biggest issues
facing the Israeli Govt , with an 18 % increase in poor people since last year.The
report also found that 38 % of Israelis
suffer from a lack of education opportunities below graduate level. One quarter
of Israelis apparently have trouble meeting their living expenses.Moreover, of
those requiring food aid to exist, some 65% have large debts. More than half of
the children in such circumstances cannot afford to buy school books and
equipment. middleeastmonitor
'Beaten' Palestinian boy in viral photo to
face charges
A 16-year-old Palestinian boy, shown in a
photo that has been roundly condemned as symbolising the Israeli army's use of
excessive force, has been accused of throwing stones at a group of armed
Israeli soldiers.An image of Fawzi al-Junaidi, blindfolded and surrounded by
more than 20 Israeli occupation forces, was widely denounced as it was shared
on social media earlier this week.The scene pictures al-Junaidi looking
disoriented, wearing a grey shirt and ripped jeans as dozens of soldiers crowd
around him carrying guns and wearing protective gear, including helmets and
knee pads.The teenager, who denies throwing stones, was arrested on Thursday
amid ongoing protests across the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip
over a US decision on Dec. 6 to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. aljazeera
OIC meets tomorrow in Istanbul to discuss Jerusalem
Istanbul: The Organization of Islamic
Cooperation (OIC) will meet here tomorrow to discuss U.S. President Donald
Trump's controversial decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and
the steps that will be taken by leaders from the Muslim world.Turkey, as the
term president, last week convened the emergency meeting, which President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan said would draw a road map for Muslim countries which oppose the
decision, reports the Turkish newspaper Daily Sabah.UNI
Trump’s Egyptian advisor leaves office 2 days
after Jerusalem decision
Dina Powell, the senior presidential advisor
who has been active in the revival of the peace process and was deputy national
security adviser, resigned from the White House two days after US President
Donald Trump announced that his administration would recognise Jerusalem as
Israel’s capital. Official channels have said Powell’s departure has been
expected because she had only ever planned to remain in office one year,
however sources have stressed that her decision was based on Trump’s move in
support of Israel. Powell played a key role in Trump’s Middle East diplomacy
initiative with lead diplomats describing her as a “secret weapon”, according
to The Times newspaper. middleeastmonitor
Writers, actors and musicians condemn Trump
Jerusalem move
Tilda Swinton, Mark Ruffalo, Roger Waters,
Peter Gabriel and Brian Eno are among dozens of writers, musicians and actors
who have condemned Donald Trump’s move to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of
Israel.In a letter to the Guardian, figures from across the arts world says the
move by the US president will help to further an Israeli agenda to “erase
Palestinians as a political and cultural presence from the life of their own
city.”The letter accuses the Israeli Govt of subjecting the Palestinian people to
“municipal discrimination at every level” and instigating a “creeping process
of ethnic cleansing”, which it says will be made worse by Trump’s move to
change the status of Jerusalem.theguardian
Turkey: Opposition head calls for cutting
Israeli ties
Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s
Party (CHP) leader called on the Govt to
cut diplomatic ties with Israel. Speaking to lawmakers at a meeting for the
2018 budget, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, said: “If there is a tyrant somewhere, and if
he tyrannizes, then we must resist him.”Kilicdaroglu criticized Arab countries
for their halfhearted response to the US move on Jerusalem.“Unfortunately, so
many Arab countries do not exhibit the response which we have shown [for
Palestine],” he said.Recalling President Tayyip Erdogan’s remarks on cutting
diplomatic ties with Israel, Kilicdaroglu said: “If you want to sever ties,
then go ahead. We are backing you.”middleeastmonitor
Iran: Some Arab states agreed on Trump’s
decision on Jerusalem
Some Arabic countries were aware of Donald
Trump’s decision on Jerusalem and even coordinated it with him, the Iranian
Foreign ministry said yesterday.“We consider this a betrayal to Palestinian
issue and the Islamic world,” ministry stressed.It noted that Tehran would
attend the extraordinary OIC Summit on Jerusalem in Turkey, adding that it had
prepared a programme to support the Palestinian cause. On the Saudi-Iranian
relationship, the ministry pointed out: “There has been no change or
development in our relations with Saudi Arabia,” adding “Saudi Arabia is still
pursuing a wrong approach with its neighbouring countries in the region.” middleeastmonitor
Ex-Saudi intelligence chief Turki al-Faisal
criticizes Trump
Ex-Saudi intelligence chief Prince Turki
al-Faisal criticized US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as
the capital of Israel in one of the most vehement reactions from the Kingdom.In
a letter to Trump published by Al-Jazirah, Monday, Turki – who was the
kingdom’s ambassador to Washington and remains influential – described the move
as a domestic political ploy to fuel violence.“The bloodshed and unrest will
follow your opportunistic decision to achieve an electoral gain,” Prince Turki
said. Turki wrote:”Your decision has encouraged the most extremist powers in
Israeli society to justify their arrogant claims to all of Palestine because
they take your decision as a permission to expel all Palestinians from their
land and impose a regime of a state of slavery on them.”
Makkah, Madinah imams silent on Jerusalem in
Friday sermons
Saudi imams of the Grand Mosques in Makkah and
Madinah did not mention the situation in Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque during
their Friday sermons, Shehab.ps has reported. Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem is
regarded as the holiest place in Islam after the two Grand Mosques.Although he
did point out that the Kingdom “reiterated the legal rights of the blessed
Palestinian people” and hailed King Salman and other Muslim leaders for seeking
the best for Islam and Muslims, well-known Shaikh Maher Mu’eqili did not
mention the issue of Jerusalem in his Makkah sermon. Shaikh Abdullah
Al-Bu’ejan, who delivered the Friday speech in The Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah,
did not mention the issue at all. Instead, he discussed God’s miracles in the
change of the seasons throughout the year.In the wake of Trump’s decision about
Jerusalem, the Saudi Royal Court ordered the local media not to give the issue
wide coverage, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported.Saudi and Bahraini Embassies in
Amman also called on their citizens living in Jordan not to take part in the
demonstrations organised to protest against the US move. middleeastmonitor
Saudi Crown Prince slammed for purchase of
‘un-Islamic’ painting
Activists and scholars have criticised Saudi
Crown Prince, Mohammed Bin Salman, for purchasing Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator
Mundi at a record $450 million last month.The critics argued that the sale
process and price, which is believed to be three times higher than the
anticipated value, come at an awkward time as the Kingdom, led by the prince
himself, launched a mass anti-corruption campaign against hundreds of princes,
former lawmarkers and businessmen.Algerian human rights activist and former
diplomat, Mohamed Larbi Zitout, wrote on Twitter: “How much money does one have
to have to pay this much for a painting and where did he get it from?”“What is
the Islamic ruling on such a deal according to the clerics of the two Holy
Mosques?” he added in reference to Saudi clerics.Some reports accused the Saudi
Crown Prince of using the auction to launder money, while others criticised the
purchase of a painting which depicts a prophet, in contravention of the teachings
of Islam.On Friday, Saudi embassy in Washington denied media report that the Crown Prince was the
painting’s ultimate buyer. Middleeastmonitor
Global company Caterpillar hired surveillance
firms to target pro-Palestine activists
Multinational manufacturing giant Caterpillar
engaged surveillance firms to monitor political groups, including the family of
pro-Palestinian activist Rachel Corrie, the Guardian reported today.Leaked
documents from 2 corporate intelligence firms have revealed that several
international companies gathered information on numerous activist groups they
viewed as potential threats to their businesses.One of the firms, C2i
International, used 2 infiltrators who pretended to be sympathetic to the cause
in order to acquire advance warning of demonstrations that were being mounted
against firms.MEMO
Egypt: 161 placed on terror list over Brotherhood
membership
Egyptian authorities listed 161 citizens,
including 21 women, as terrorists on charges of membership in an outlawed outfit,
in reference to Muslim Brotherhood, and spreading chaos in the country, the
Egyptian official gazette reported yesterday.The decision to list the 161
persons was issued in November, the paper said, adding that they will remain on
the country’s terror list for three years.Egypt banned the Muslim Brotherhood,
designated it a terrorist organisation and launched an unprecedented crackdown
on its leaders, members and sympathisers in the wake of the 2013 military coup
that ousted the first democratically elected President Morsi. middleeastmonitor
FLASH: VIEWS & NEWS
A meeting, a conspiracy: BJP’s fear, foreboding
about Gujarat outcome leads to a bizarre theory: Karan Thapar
By accusing Manmohan Singh of anti-national
act, Modi has redefined the Opposition as the enemy: Anjali Mody
Gujarat polls: Where is vikas? Are Modi’s
speeches only about Rahul, Muslims?
As Patidar Anger Grows, BJP Struggles in
Modi-Shah’s Home Mehsana:Damayantee Dhar
No country for Afrazul:Syeda Hameed
Bombed into famine: how Saudi air campaign
targets Yemen’s food supplies:Iona Craig
Analysis:Erdogan, champion of Palestine and
'Arab street' opportunist:Suraj Sharma, journalist based in Istanbul
The growing tide of fake news in India:Ruchi
Kumar
Modi Era is Over.. ?Amaresh Mishra
Dec.Ought to Be a Month of Remorse and
Introspection for Hindus:Apoorvanand
Gujarat’s Rs 20,000 crore gas scam and
malfunctioning EVMs: Are they connected?jantakareporter
EU already recognises Israeli sovereignty over
Jerusalem, just more quietly than Trump:Asa Winstanley
By Linking Ahmed Patel and Pakistan, Modi Is
Deflecting From the Real Issues in Gujarat:Ajoy Ashirwad
Muslim Tomb Found During Jerusalem Roadwork
Deemed 'Not Ancient,' Will Be Paved Over: haaretz
BBC: Viewpoint: India court disregards woman's
right to choose husband
In Online Hate Groups, Torrent Of Support For
Rajasthan Man Who Hacked Labourer:NDTV
Babri Masjid Case: Here’s What Kapil Sibal
Said in Court: Nizam Pasha, advocate in SC
Compiled and edited by
Anwarulhaq (Released at: 7:57 PM)
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment