Evening NEWS
DIGEST
07 Jan.2018: 18 Rabial Aakhir 1439:Vol:9, No:92
india:TALAQ BILL
Triple Talaq Bill: It will be like
dictatorship if govt brings ordinance says AIMPLB
New Delhi: All India Muslim Personal Law Board
(AIMPLB) has expressed deep concern over media reports that the central Govt of PM Narendra Modi may promulgate an ordinance to
implement the Triple Talaq Bill which could not be passed in the Rajya Sabha on
the last day of the Winter Session on Friday.“We have come to know that the
Modi Govt wants to implement the Triple
Talaq Bill through an ordinance as it was not passed in the Rajya Sabha. If it
happens, it will show the dictatorship of the Modi Govt ,” Maulana Khaleelur
Rahman Sajjad Nomani, said spokesperson of AIMPLB.The bill is pending in the
Rajya Sabha and the Govt should wait for
its passage from the House. Forcefully imposing the bill on Muslims through an
ordinance will be against the principles of democracy, Muslim Law Board
official said. Meanwhile, media reports said the Govt may be mulling ordinance
option.“Since the Lok Sabha has already passed the Bill and it is under
consideration in the Rajya Sabha, PM will take Ordinance route and make the
legislation effective,” Deccan Chronicle has quoted an unnamed high level
source as saying.Caravan News
Triple talaq: Open to Congress suggestions if
‘reasonable’, says Ravi Shankar Prasad
New Delhi : A day after the Winter session of
Parliament ended in a stalemate over the triple talaq Bill in the Rajya Sabha,
the Govt on Saturday said it was willing to “consider any reasonable and
constructive suggestions from the Congress party or any other party”. However,
the suggestion cannot be one that is “designed to kill the soul of the Bill”,
Union Minister of Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad said.Prasad also appealed
to Congress Parliamentary Party leader Sonia Gandhi to become the “facilitator”
for the “historic and transformative change” without playing “vote bank
politics”. He said: “It’s a golden opportunity for her (Sonia Gandhi) to undo
the sins of her husband.” “The govt is willing to consider any reasonable and
constructive suggestions from anyone or Congress party with an open mind. But
if the suggestion means that we should de-criminalise the instant divorce, it
will not be acceptable,” Prasad said.“Congress needs to understand that from
Shah Bano to Shayara Bano, much water has flown and it was a historic
opportunity for them to atone for the sin they committed in 1986, when even the
meagre maintenance amount of Rs 125 given to Shah Bano by the SC was overturned
by the Congress Govt with (ex-PM ) Rajiv
Gandhi commanding full majority in the Lok Sabha,” Prasad said.The minister
added that Congress’s suggestion to form a corpus for victims of triple talaq
would not be acceptable because it would be discriminatory. “It amounts to
incentivising the deviant husband to commit triple talaq with impunity and then
telling the wife to go and beg before the govt. In a secular country like
India, how can you give a corpus only for women victims of one community? That
will be discriminatory. Congress party should understand what kind of an
argument it makes,”he said, adding that Asaduddin Owaisi of the MIM had also
made the same demand in the Lok Sabha. “Let me ask a question to the Congress.
Is it under the grip of deeply fundamental and conservative elements of the
Muslim society for vote bank? Gender justice has no importance at all for
them?” he asked. Winter session of Parliament concluded on Friday with the fate
of the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, which seeks to
criminalise instant triple talaq, remaining in limbo. The matter of
ring-fencing penal provisions in Bill has become the bone of contention between
the ruling BJP and the Opposition. The proposed law, passed by the Lok Sabha,
makes talaq-e-biddat or instant triple talaq a “cognizable and non-bailable
offence” and has provisions of “imprisonment for a term which may extend to
three years and fine” for any Muslim man who divorces his wife by uttering
talaq three times in quick succession. It also provides for subsistence
allowance to Muslim women and custody of minor children as “may be determined
by the magistrate”.Prasad added that Govt, however, would not accept any
suggestion that would change the Bill drastically. indianexpress
Mumbai: Women’s group criticises triple talaq
Bill
A group of women belonging to Ahle Sunnat Wal
Jamaat sect of the Muslim community has criticised the Bill on triple talaq
that was discussed in Parliament. The meeting was held on Saturday at Cutchi
Memon Hall near Nagpada.Called ‘Shariyat Bachao Andolan’, meeting was chaired
by women speakers. Another meeting will be held in the suburbs to garner
support from the women in the community to oppose the Bill. “Bill is an
interference and against Shariah practices. Some women in the community were
saying that they wanted to speak on the issue and hence this meeting was
organised,” said Imran Dadani, member of Ahle Sunnat. “Bill is wrong and it
will only create more problems. The Shariah is very clear that these practices
have been there and are part of the religion. Those who are opposing it have
not understood the religion and need to go to someone who understands the
religion properly,” said Alima Salma Razvi, scholar. She added, “In this
meeting, we told our women members that triple talaq is something that is not
liked by our Prophet. He did not like it and people should desist from it.
Similarly, it is something that is part of the religion. Criminalising it is
wrong. In fact we will tell people from our community to stay away from
it.”When asked about women members of the community approaching the court
against it and that it not being in the Quran, Razvi said,“They do not
understand the teaching. It is present in the Quran also. There are specific
verses. Also, a woman may not be able to marry if a male gives her talaq once
but not for the remaining time. If she is given at once, she can marry someone
else.”DNA
OTHERS
Palestine denies reports of reinstating its
ambassador to Pakistan recalled for sharing dais with Hafiz Saeed
Palestine has denied reports that its
ambassador to Pakistan was reinstated after being recalled for his presence at
a rally by Hafiz Saeed. Categorically denying the reports by Pakistani media,
the Palestine Embassy in New Delhi told ANI that former Palestinian Ambassador
to Pakistan Walid Abu Ali was 'very much in Palestine'. "We don't know
from where you got this information about Palestine Ambassador to Pakistan
being reinstated. As per our knowledge he is very much in Palestine as of
now," an embassy official said. "We deny this information. Our ambassador
in Pakistan is in Palestine and our position was declared by our official
statement which we have published last week," Palestinian Foreign Ministry
added. However, earlier today, Pakistani media reported that Ali was reinstated
to his position, a news now stand denied.PM Narendra Modi is expected to visit Palestine
in Feb.indiatvnews
Pak media says Palestine ambassador who shared
stage with Hafiz Saeed reinstated, New Delhi embassy denies
Trade, start-ups, agro-tech, focus of Israeli
PM Netanyahu’s India visit
New Delhi;Increasing bilateral trade to $10
billion from current $4 billion, providing more play for Israeli start-ups in
India, technologies aimed at increasing agricultural productivity, and portable
desalination plants for use in parched areas — these are likely to be the focus
areas of talks during Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s 5-day visit to India. Meanwhile,
the two countries are working out the way forward on a cancelled $500 million
order for Spike anti-tank missiles. The missiles were to be made by a joint
venture between Israeli Rafael Systems, Bharat Dynamics Limited and Kalyani
Systems, but India’s defence ministry cancelled the order. According to Israeli
and Indian diplomats familiar with the matter, PM Narendra Modi will receive Netanyahu on Jan.
14 at New Delhi, and possibly host a private dinner hosted at 7, Lok Kalyan
Marg for the visiting dignitary. The official meetings and the India-Israeli
CEOs forum, which will be attended by top defence equipment manufacturers from
Israel, including Rafael, Elbit and IAI systems is scheduled for Jan.15. The
Israeli PM and his wife Sara are to visit the Taj Mahal on Jan. 16 and also
tour some historical monuments in Delhi. Netanyahu is to visit Gujarat on Jan.17
along with PM Modi and pay a visit to
Gandhi Ashram, Icreate Technologies (built on the Israeli innovation concept)
and the Agriculture Centre for Excellence. Netanyahu will fly out of Mumbai on Jan.18
after a trade-oriented business meeting in Mumbai. hindustantimes
UP govt orders police to remove unauthorised
loudspeakers from religious places
UP Govt on Sunday asked the district administration
and the police to remove all unauthorised loudspeakers installed at religious
places, ANI reported.According to the pollution control board’s rules,
loudspeakers cannot be played from 10 pm to 6 am. There are limits on the sound
levels as well.Adityanath-led Govt has
asked 75 district administrations to identify religious places and public areas
where unauthorised loudspeakers are being used. The owner/manager/trustee of
such places will have to obtain permission for using the loudspeakers under the
permissible limit. If they fail to do so, the police and local administration
will remove the loudspeakers by Jan. 20, reported The Times of India.“The
loudspeakers installed at public places cannot have sound level more than 10 dB
[decibel] above the periphery of a public place and 5 dB above at the periphery
of private place,” Principal Secretary (Home) Arvind Kumar told TOI. “All the
district magistrates have to categorise the districts into areas of industrial,
commercial, residential and silence zones. Each area has separate maximum
limits for permissible sound levels.”The order came after the Allahabad High
Court said that loudspeakers should be removed to curb noise pollution. In Dec.,
the Lucknow bench of the High Court had sought replies from the state Govt and UP Pollution Control Board on the alleged
misuse of loudspeakers in religious places. scroll
UP govt curbs unauthorised loudspeaker use at
religious places
‘Do your parents make bombs?’: Muslim students
become targets of prejudice, hate in Delhi schools
New Delhi: A day after a bomb blast in Europe,
a teacher at a popular Noida school read out headlines to her Class 6 students.
A student loudly called out the name of the only Muslim boy in class. “Saad*!
Yeh kya kar diya tumne?,” he asked. The teacher heard the alleged exchange, but
did not say a single word.Schools have not remained untouched by this rhetoric,
despite textbooks stressing on India’s unity in diversity.But even as adults
find it tough to wrestle with Islamophobia, how do you raise a Muslim child in
this environment? Writer Nazia Erum’s new book, Mothering a Muslim, explores
this dilemma of growing up as a religious minority in India, where children as
young as 5 find themselves targeted for their identity. Nazia set out to write
the book after her daughter Myra was born in 2014, when India was in the middle
of what she says was a high-decibel, polarised election campaign. She was
looking for some reassurance from other mothers like her.But when she started
collecting testimonies, a pattern started emerging.“Baghdadi, Pakistani, Bangladeshi,
Osama, ISIS. Being asked, do your parents make bombs…will your father kill me
with a gun?” were just some of the taunts Muslim children faced at school,
according to the book.“This is not about kids – the children only mirror what
we have done to ourselves. This is not even about Muslim kids – it’s about all
kids. This behaviour is not harmful only for the tormented, but also for the
tormentor,” says Nazia.Being bullied for one’s religion is not a phenomenon
limited to Delhi schools. American schools have been grappling with the problem
on an aggravated scale.A March 2017 poll by US-based Institute for Social Policy
and Understanding cites 42% of Muslim respondents saying their kids were
bullied because of religion, either through insults or physical assault. One in
four parents said the bullying involved teachers or school administration.
Ayesha*(17), shifted to one of central Delhi’s renowned schools in Class 9 in
2015. She was in-charge of decorating a school board on 1965 Indo-Pak war and
was cutting a Pakistani flag, when a classmate strolled up to her and said,
“Oh, cutting the flag of your country?”“I didn’t understand at first... So I
asked him why he said it. He told me, you know why,” says the teenager, now in
Class 11.The upset teenager talked to her mother,50-year-old business
consultant Nazreen*, who despite being distraught, tried to reassure Ayesha
that while what was said to her was unacceptable, such things would soon pass.
“Of course, I was concerned. I grew up in the 70s and 80s in eastern India,
before attending college in Delhi. I was never made to feel that this is not my
country, or that I don’t belong here,” she said.Janaki Rajan, a professor at
Jamia Millia Islamia, who has been working with school children for over 30
years now, said an anti-Muslim sentiment had been “simmering” since Partition.
“Generation that saw the brutality of the communal violence at the time is
still alive. They may have passed it on to next generation,” she says.Nazreen
said such incidents rise when communal tensions flare up. In the aftermath of
1992 Mumbai riots, her niece, who was four at the time, was burned with
sparklers by a neighbour’s child of the same age.At Sahil’s* convent school in
South Delhi, ‘mulla’ or ‘terrorist’ is casually hurled during lunch breaks or
on the playground.But most children never complain.“Snitching is looked down
upon,”explains Class 12 student.“Besides, it’s just words. Sometimes we sort it
out among ourselves with a fight.”
Divide and school policy ghettoising Muslim kids
Centre sanctions construction of 14,000
bunkers along LoC, International Border
Jammu: Over 14,000 community and individual
bunkers would be constructed along the LoC and the International Border (IB)
for border residents facing Pakistani shelling in Jammu division, officials
said on Sunday.While 7298 bunkers would be constructed along LoC in the twin
districts of Poonch and Rajouri, 7162 underground bunkers would be constructed
along IB in Jammu, Kathua and Samba districts, the officials said here.Centre
recently sanctioned the construction of 14,460 individual and community bunkers
at a cost of Rs 415.73 crore for people living along the LoC and IB.A total of
13,029 individual bunkers and 1431 community bunkers were being constructed,
the officials said, adding that the capacity of the 160 square feet individual
bunker was eight people, and that of 800 square feet community bunker was 40
people. The officials said 4918 individual and 372 community bunkers would be
constructed in Rajouri, and 3076 individual and 243 community bunkers would
come up in Kathua district.A total of 688 community and 1320 individual bunkers
would be constructed in Poonch, Jammu would get 1200 individual and 120
community bunkers, and 2515 individual and eight community bunkers would be
constructed in Samba district, they said.PTI
Sort out your differences, talk, be friends:
J&K CM Mehbooba urges India and Pakistan
New Delhi: Making a plea for peace, J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti today asked the Govt s of India
and Pakistan to sort out their differences and talk.Till now, the two archenemies
had fought four major wars, apart from the several armed skirmishes between its
soldiers on their over the 3,000-km-long border, which has resulted in several
casualties. timesofindia
Chidambaram, Sibal attack Modi govt over
Kashmir
New Delhi:Congress leader P. Chidambaram has
attacked the Modi govt’s Kashmir policy, saying its “hard, muscular,
militaristic” approach had failed to end militancy in the troubled state. “It
was claimed that the hard, muscular, militaristic approach will put an end to
infiltration and militancy. Has it?” the ex-Home Minister tweeted.Chidambaram
quoted statistics to say that the number of civilians and terrorists killed in J&K
had almost doubled from 28 to 57 and
from 110 to 218 from 2014 to 2017, respectively.The number of security forces
killed had also shot up from 47 to 83 in this period.“If you are one of those
who had thought that the hard, muscular, militaristic approach of Govt should
be given a chance...you may change your view,”Chidambaram said. Congress leader
said that wisdom lay in actively working towards a political solution to the
issues of J&K , where a separatist campaign raging since 1989 has claimed
thousands of lives. “Both A.B. Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh will be remembered
for the diligent efforts to find a solution to the issue.” Separately, another
Congress leader and ex-Central minister, Kapil Sibal, said PM Narendra Modi’s
rhetoric over J&K had come apart.“Soldiers and policemen martyred almost
daily. Will Govt explain? When will be
stop losing lives?”he asked in a tweet.IANS
Abdul Basheer dies in Mangaluru; police says
he was chosen as random target in revenge of Bajrang Dal activist's killing
Abdul Basheer, who was attacked as
"retaliation" for the murder of Bajarang Dal activist and BJP worker
Deepak Rao, succumbed to injuries at a private hospital in Mangaluru, Basheer's
cousin Hakeem confirmed.According to the New Indian Express, Hakeem said that
the 47-year-old died at 8.10 am on Sunday. The report adds that the accused in
the attack, who were later arrested, claimed to be associated with a right-wing
Hindu outfit. TOI reports that four persons attacked Basheer, a hotelier, to
"avenge" the death of Deepak Rao. Hours after Rao was attacked on 3
Jan, miscreants attacked Basheer on his way home after closing his eatery at
Kottara Chowki.Basheer's family members decided not to take out a funeral
procession and opted to bury him in the premises of a local mosque. Close
relatives were allowed to visit Basheer's home to view the body and the public
to pay last respects during the funeral at the mosque, police said. Additional
DGP (Law and Order) Kamal Pant visited the hospital where Basheer died.ANI
reports that Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah has announced a compensation of Rs 10
lakh for the family of Basheer.Mangaluru City police chief TR Suresh announced
the arrests on Saturday named the accused as Shrijith PK (25) and Sandesh
Kotyan (21) of Uppala, Manjeshwar in Kasaragod district and two brothers —
Dhanush Poojary (22) and Kishan Poojary (21) of Padil, Mangaluru. 4 friends had
allegedly congregated for a religious event at Kankanady Garodi and decided to
avenge Rao's death by "targeting a person from the other community"
and they chose Basheer as a random target, Suresh said. firstpost
Mangaluru: Basheer attacked by right-wingers
after Rao's murder, succumbs to injuries
In UP , Bajrang Dal activists force Muslim
leaders to stand for Vande Mataram
Lucknow: Vande Mataram controversy never seems
to go away.The controversy is back again in the news after some Muslims in Muzaffarnagar
refused to stand up for national song Vande Mataram. The incident took place on
Saturday when Nagar Panchayat Muslim leaders refused to stand during national
song Vande Mataram citing religious compulsion. However, the refusal of Muslims
leaders to show respect to the national song angered Bajrang Dal activists. A
report claimed that activists of right-wing outfit, Bajrang Dal, forced Muslims
leaders to stand for Vande Mataram and asked them to sing the song.Muslims
though agreed to stand for the song but refused to sing it. Recently, a proposal to terminate the
membership of a group of Muslim councillors was passed in Meerut Municipal
Corporation House after the leaders staged a walkout during the singing of the
national song. Zee news
Madarsas should install portrait of PM Modi:
Uttarakhand CM Rawat
Dehradun:Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat has
criticised the madrasas in the State for refusing to put up a portrait of PM Narendra Modi on their premises, asking them
to give up their “conservatism” on the issue.“Installing the PM ’s portrait in
all Govt institutions and those being
run on Govt grants has been an
established practice. The madarsas should give up their conservatism on the
issue,” he said.“Madrasas are educational institutions.They should not have any
objection to installing the portrait. They should view it from an Indian point
of view,” he told presspersons.The madarsas in BJP-ruled State have refused to
comply with a State Govt order, asking the State-run educational institutions
to install a portrait of PM Modi on their premises, on religious grounds.PTI
Mughals, Brits ruined India: Vice President
Naidu
Jaipur: Vice-president Venkaiah Naidu on
Saturday accused Mughals and Britishers of "looting, ruining and cheating
India". He said the 'loot' was not just limited to materialistic things
but extended to 'some of the minds'.Addressing the convocation ceremony of
Malaviya National Institute of Technology, he said, "Macaulay's education
system has ruined the minds of some of us who believe that we are weak and they
(foreigners) are progressive."He claimed that before invaders attacked
India, the country's share in the world economy was 27%. He said that India's position
in the world economy is improving after the reforms brought in by PM Narendra
Modi.He added that it was because of these reforms that organisations like
Asian Development Bank, World Bank, IMF, and Moody's had improved India's
ratings. He also said that GST is the world's biggest reform in taxation. timesofindia
‘Who
Killed Gandhi’: PIL in Bombay HC seeks revocation of ban on book
Mumbai: A PIL has been filed in the Bombay
High Court seeking revocation of a ban on the import of a book published over
five decades ago in Portugal that alleged larger conspiracy behind the
assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. PIL has been filed by city-based researcher
and trustee of right wing group Abhinav Bharat, Pankaj Phadnis, seeking the court
to quash and set aside a notification dated Dec.29, 1979 issued by then Union Govt
banning import of the book ‘Who Killed
Gandhi’, authored by Portugal-based writer Lourenco De Sadvandor.The Govt ,
while banning the import of the book, published in 1963, had claimed it was
“poorly researched” and “inflammatory”, the PIL said. The petition, however,
claims that the ban was arbitrary, untenable and impeaches upon the fundamental
right of speech and thought. Phadnis had last year approached the Supreme Court
seeking a direction to the Govt to
re-investigate the assassination of Gandhi.The apex court, while appointing a
amicus curie (lawyer to assist the court in the matter), had queried if the
case can be re-investigated after such a long lapse of time. The SC posted the
petition for hearing on Jan. 12 this year. indianexpress
Police tried to rehabilitate those who fled
Kairana: UP CM Adityanath
Meerut: CM Yogi Adityanath on Saturday said that under
the BJP Govt , the police have tried to rehabilitate those who had fled from
Kairana, which was once a “symbol of fear”.In September 2016, a National Human
Rights Commission report had stated that 250 Hindu families had migrated from
Kairana out of fear from members of the minority community, validating the
claim of local BJP MP Hukum Singh that a mass exodus of Hindus had been
reported from the area over the years. Addressing a large gathering on the
premises of the Govt -run Moiddinpur Sugar Mill on the Dehli-Hardwar Highway,
Adityanath said, “Jo Kairana kabhi bhay ka prateek hua karta tha, in jawano
(police) ne us Kairana ko punah aabad karne ka prayas kiya hain.”He further
said that before the BJP came to power in the state, western UP districts were known
as “safe havens” for criminal and communal elements, but the situation has
changed now. “During the nine-month rule of my Govt so far, I have given the police a free hand to
deal sternly with criminal elements and those posing a threat to national
security.The police under the BJP Govt are operating without caste or communal bias.
Earlier, their hands were tied. My Govt has given a guarantee for the security of
nearly 22 crore residents of the state,” he added. indianexpress
SC notice over cut in subsidised Haj quota
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has issued a
notice to the Centre on petitions from Kerala challenging the new Haj policy
that raised the tour operators’ quota from 25 to 30%, cutting subsidised Haj
Committee quota to 70% and linking it to the Muslim population in a state.A
3-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Mishra sought the Centre’s response
within a week by Jan. 13 and ruled that results of the draw of lots to select
this year’s Haj pilgrims.India has been allocated the quota of 1.75 lakh pilgrims
for the Haj in August.Haj Committee of India has to select those going through
its subsidised scheme by May 15. Muslims prefer the scheme as the private tour
operators charge very hefty amount.Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the
Kerala Haj Committee, pointed out that the smaller states like Kerala get fewer
berths in the new Haj policy on the strength of the proportion of the Muslim
population unlike the states like UP and
Bihar.He cited how only about 6,000 applications were received in Bihar as
against is quota of 12,000 whereas more than 95,000 applied in Kerala but only
one out of every 15 applicants will be entertained, thus smaller states losing
out on subsidised seats.freepressjournal
UP Haj office boundary wall gets back cream
coat after controversy over saffron shade
Lucknow:Boundary wall of the UP Haj Committee’s office got back its original
cream colour on Friday, within 24 hours of the structure being painted in
saffron which evoked criticism.The committee blamed the contractor for the
blooper and said action is being taken against him.Chief executive officer and
secretary of the committee RP Singh told HT on Saturday: “We had asked the
contractor to paint the building matching the colour of the nearby
structures.”While the two main buildings near the Haj office -- the Vidhan
Bhawan and Lok Bhawan (CM ’s secretariat) are stone structured, the other
important building in the vicinity-- the BJP state headquarters—wears the same
dark and light shades of saffron that the contractor applied on the Haj
office’s boundary wall.Singh said the wall is now repainted in cream.He also
issued a press note on Saturday, which says that the contractor was negligent
in “painting the wall in a bit darker shade than what was approved.”Immediate
cognisance of the negligence done by the contractor in colouring and the
building was taken and corrective measure as well as action against him (the
contractor) was initiated, the press note said.The office facilitates annual
Haj pilgrimage to Mecca. The committee also manages the UP Haj House that is
located near the Lucknow airport on Kanpur road. HT
UP Haj
office colured saffron, committee says ‘unintentional’
Beef shortage in Goa as Karnataka abattoirs
refuse meat supply
Panaji:Goa is likely to face a shortage of
beef for the next couple of days as slaughterhouses in neighbouring Karnataka
have refused to supply meat till the Govt takes steps to stop harassment by cow
vigilante groups, an official said on Sunday. The coastal state is facing a
beef shortage with traders suspending import of meat from Karnataka alleging
harassment by cow vigilantes.An association of traders earlier said its members
have stopped procuring beef from Belagavi in Karnataka.All Goa Qureshi Meat
Traders Association president Manna Bepari told PTI that CM Manohar Parrikar on Saturday assured them to
discuss the issue with the police. However, he said the CM is currently out of the station and is
expected to return only after two days.“The suppliers from Karnataka have
categorically said they will not resume supplies till action is taken against
the so-called cow vigilantes,” he said. Bepari said they can expect some action
only after the CM returns to the state, “so until then the supplies will not
resume.” He said around 25 tonnes of beef is brought from Belagavi every day. Cow
protection groups, including the Gau Raksha Abhiyaan, have alleged beef in Goa
is brought from illegal slaughterhouses in Karnataka, a charge denied by
Bepari. PTI
Beef traders in Goa to continue indefinite
strike, demand BJP-led govt to crack down on cow vigilantes
From 7.1% in 2016, India’s GDP Growth
Estimated to Drop to 6.5% in 2017-18
New Delhi: India’s GDP will grow by 6.5% in
the current fiscal, sharply down from 7.1% growth clocked by it in 2016-17,
Central Statistical Office (CSO) said on Jan. 5, confirming that the hasty
implementation of GST has had a toll on economic growth.The CSO’s estimate on
GDP growth for 2017-18 is even lower than the Reserve Bank’s lowered projection
of 6.7%. The central bank had initially forecast GDP growth at 7.3% for this
fiscal.GST-induced slowdown has robbed India of its coveted tag of the “world’s
fastest-growing economy”. China, which is projected to grow by 6.8% in 2017,
has regained the status which it had lost to India in 2015. Govt rolled out GST
on July 1, which disrupted economic activity, especially in the informal
sector, as small businesses found it too complicated to comply with. Exporters
too were hit hard as the new tax regime increased their working capital
requirement. Reduction in duty drawback rates further dented the
competitiveness of Indian exporters.The consequence was that India’s export
growth turned negative in October. Though it bounced back in Nov, questions
remain about its sustainability in coming months.The gross value added (GVA) is
projected to grow by 6.1% in 2017-18, down from 6.6% in 2016-17. The manufacturing
sector is expected to grow by 4.6% vs 7.9% the previous year, agriculture by
2.1% vs 4.9%, electricity and utility services by 7.5% vs 7.2% in the last
fiscal. The construction sector, which has been in the doldrums so far, is seen
picking up to 3.6% from 1.7% in 2016-17.The Wire
Uttarakhand's businessman Pandey consumes
poison, goes to BJP minister with complaint on noteban, GST
Dehradun:A businessman from Haldwani, in
Uttarakhand, created panic among ruling party workers here on Saturday after he
went to a “janata darbar” state minister Subodh Uniyal was holding at the BJP
office in Dehradun to complain about losses he suffered, ostensibly a result of
demonetisation and GST.Prakash Pandey, in his early-40s, has been admitted in a
local private hospital and is stated to be critical.The minister said Pandey’s
action “looks politically motivated”.Uniyal was hearing people’s problems at
BJP office here when Pandey went there on Saturday afternoon and, crying, told
the minister, “Govt has put me in trouble. I am under a lot of debt due to
demonetisation and GST.”Stating that he has been in the transport business for
the past over a decade, Pandey said that he has been trying to approach the
state Govt for the last 5 months with
his problems but the BJP Govt has been
“of no help”. He told Uniyal, “CM …does not listen to anyone. There are many
people like me(debt-ridden)..I have consumed poison.” Indianexpress
72 girls found staying in Rajasthan ashram run
by self-styled godman Dixit
JAIPUR : More than 70 girls were found staying
in a Rajasthan ashram run by self-styled godman Virendra Dev Dixit, the accused
in the Rohini-ashram case, the police said on Sunday.On December 24, 47 women
and six minor girls were rescued from different centres of Adhyatmik Vishwa
Vidyalaya in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh run by Dixit, with the CBI probing charges
of rape and illegal confinement of girls and women at the centres against
him.The search at Abu Road in Sirohi district of Rajasthan was conducted on
Saturday following directions from senior officers.The 72 girls claimed that
they were staying in the ashram for spiritual activities and living there
willingly. They asserted that they are allowed to meet their guardians, said
Mithu Lal, Station House Officer (SHO) of Abu Road police station.The caretaker
of the ashram has been told to provide documents of the girls. However, no
suspicious activity was noticed in the ashram as of now, the SHO said.PTI
Aadhaar data breach report: Editors Guild
condemns FIR against journalist
The Editors Guild of India has slammed the
Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) for filing a police complaint
against a journalist who reported on the alleged Aadhaar data breach.The guild
in a statement dubbed the move “unfair, unjustified and a direct attack on the
freedom of the press.”Rachna Khaira of the Tribune newspaper in her report
claimed she using a false identity could get easy access to details that
individuals had listed in their Aadhaar cards by paying a small sum of money to
an agent.The UIDAI, which runs the biometric identity card scheme, had denied
that any data breach was possible and filed an FIR against the reporter under
IPC sections 419 (punishment for cheating under impersonation), 420 (cheating),
468 (forgery), 471 (using a forged document) and also under sections of the IT
Act and the Aadhaar Act.The database includes fingerprints and iris scans,
besides basic information details of individuals.Condemning the UIDAI’s stand,
the journalists’ body said the authority should have ordered a thorough
internal investigation into the alleged breach and made its findings
public.“The Guild demands that the concerned Union ministry intervene and have
the cases against the reporter withdrawn apart from conducting an impartial
investigation into the matter,” the statement said. hindustantimes
FIR against Tribune reporter over Aadhaar data
breach story
WORLD
Tapes reveal Egypt accepts Trump's Jerusalem
move, protests publicly: Report
An Egyptian intelligence officer urged a
number of prominent talk show hosts in the country to persuade their viewers to
accept the US position that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, the New York
Times reported.In four audio recordings obtained by the Times, Captain Ashraf
al-Kholi reportedly told the hosts that conflict with Israel is not in Egypt's
national interest. Palestinians, he suggested, should content themselves with
the West Bank town that houses the Palestinian Authority, Ramallah. "How
is Jerusalem different from Ramallah, really?" he asked each time.Still,
Captain Kholi was quoted as saying: "We, like all our Arab brothers, are
denouncing this matter." For decades, powerful Arab states including Egypt
and Saudi Arabia have publicly criticized Israel's treatment of the
Palestinians while privately acquiescing to Israel's continued occupation of
territory Palestinians claim as their homeland, the Times noted.Now, a de facto
alliance against shared foes such as Iran, the Muslim Brotherhood, IS militants
and the Arab Spring uprisings is drawing the Arab leaders into an ever-closer
collaboration with their one-time nemesis, Israel, producing especially stark
juxtapositions between their posturing in public and private, according to the
Times.Kholi was quoted as adding: "After that, this thing will become a
reality. Palestinians can't resist, and we don't want to go to war. We have
enough on our plate as you know."While Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah
al-Sissi said that his country regretted Trump's decision, which will
"complicate the peace process," Egypt's relations with Israel are
based on military and intelligence interests unrelated to Palestinian issue or
Jerusalem's status, Haaretz paper said.middleeasteye
Egypt hosts 'told to convince viewers' over
Jerusalem
Arab League aims to nullify Trump's Jerusalem
move
Arab foreign ministers are calling for
international recognition of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its
capital, aiming to nullify a controversial US decision on the holy city's
status. Ayman Safadi, the Jordanian foreign minister, hosted a committee of
officials from Egypt, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Palestine in Amman on
Saturday to discuss the Arab League's response to US President Donald Trump's
decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel last month.The
committee - created at an emergency meeting of the Arab League in Cairo on Dec.9,
just days after Trump's declaration - is hoping to reverse the decision and
"to assert that it has no legal effect", Safadi told reporters at the
summit. "We [Arab League] will confront the decision by seeking a [UN]
resolution, an international one, to recognise a Palestinian state on 1967
borders with Jerusalem as its capital," he said."We have specific
requests,the most important of which is the recognition of a Palestinian state
with Jerusalem as its capital according to the June 4th 1967
borders."Based on the discussions, ministers will make further
recommendations to a full meeting of the Arab League, due to be held at the end
of this month, Safadi added.The summit was held as a report published by New
York Times on Saturday asserted that while Egypt's Govt was publicly condemning
Trump's Jerusalem move, a state intelligence officer was asking influential TV
hosts in the country to persuade their viewers to accept it. aljazeera
Arab League to lobby UN to recognise
Palestinian state
Saudi cleric Salman al-Odah held after
refusing to support Qatar blockade: Reports
A Saudi cleric has been imprisoned without charge
for the past four months after refusing to publicly support the blockade on
Qatar, Human Rights Watch said.The rights group on Sunday said that local
authorities had also imposed travel bans on 17 members of Salman al-Odah's
family after he was detained in September 2017.A family member told HRW that
Odah was being held in solitary confinement because he refused to comply with
an order to tweet out support for the Saudi-led blockade of Qatar.He instead
opted for a tweet calling on reconciliation between the different countries:
"May God harmonise between their hearts for the good of their
people."Family members said that two men who arrested Odah, identified
themselves as state security, searched his house, and ignored repeated requests
to show a warrant.Odah is among dozens of dissidents, writers, and scholars
detained in mid-September as part of a crackdown against those acting "for
the benefit of foreign parties against the security of the Kingdom and its
interests." middleeasteye
Cleric Salman al-Awda 'held over Qatar tweet'
Russian, Syrian air strikes kill 17 civilians
in east Ghouta: NGO
Russian and Syrian warplanes killed at least
17 civilians in eastern Ghouta on Saturday, the Syrian Observatory for Human
Rights. The deadliest airstrikes hit the Hammuriyeh district, leaving 12
civilians including two children, the UK-based war monitor said. "Syrian
and Russian planes continued on Saturday their intense strikes against eastern
Ghouta, targeting more residential areas," the observatory's director Rami
Abdel Rahman told AFP. 2 civilians were killed in the city of Madira, and 3
others in Erbine, according to the Observatory. 35 others were also wounded in
eastern Ghouta. East Ghouta is one of a few remaining rebel-held areas in Syria
and has taken the brunt of daily air strikes from the Syrian Govt . Located in
the east of Damascus, the suburb has been besieged since 2013 by forces loyal
to President Bashar al-Assad.The 400,000 inhabitants of eastern Ghouta,
suffering from acute shortages of food and medicine, live in very difficult
conditions. middleeasteye
Deadly air raids in Syria's Eastern Ghouta
kill 17 civilians
Israel backs US plan for UNRWA fund cuts
Jerusalem:Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu
reiterated support for U.S. plans to cut funds for UN refugees agency
UNRWA. "I fully agree with
President Trump's strong criticism of UNRWA,” Netanyahu said at his weekly
cabinet meeting on Sunday. “UNRWA is an
organization that perpetuates the problem of the Palestinian refugees,” he
said. “It also perpetuates the narrative of the so-called right of return with
the aim of eliminating the State of Israel, and therefore UNRWA must pass
away.” Last week, US President Donald
Trump threatened to cut aid to the Palestinians, including to UNRWA, in
response to Palestinian fury over his decision last month to recognize
Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Israeli media said Saturday that Netanyahu
"supports a gradual reduction of funding to UNRWA." According to
UNRWA website, the U.S. is the largest donor to the agency as it annually
provides about $370 million out of a total of around $874 million of funds the
agency receives.
Trump backs proposal to divert US aid to Pak
for infra projects
Washington: President Donald Trump on Saturday
supported a top American Senator's proposal for a bill to stop the US aid to
Pakistan for failing to clamp down on terror groups and divert the money for
building roads and bridges in the US. "Good idea Rand!" Trump
tweeted, sharing a video of Republican Senator Rand Paul promoting his bill to
stop US aid to Pakistan and use the money towards domestic infrastructure
projects."I'm introducing a bill to end aid to Pakistan in the coming
days. My bill will take the money that would have gone to Pakistan and put it
in an infrastructure fund to build roads and bridges here at home," Paul
said. " US should not give one penny to countries that burn our flag and
chant Death to America. Countries like Pakistan that stonewall access to key
information in fighting terrorism don't deserve our money," Paul said. The
Trump administration on Friday suspended about USD 2 billion in security aid to
Pakistan for failing to clamp down on the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani
Network terror groups and dismantle their safe havens.PTI
Trump 'absolutely' willing to talk to Kim
Jong-un
US President Donald Trump said he would be
willing to talk to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on the phone, but not
without conditions."I always believe in talking," Trump briefly told
reporters on Saturday. "Absolutely, I would do that," he said when
asked if he would be willing to talk to the North Korean leader. Trump also said he hoped the upcoming talks
between North and South Korea on Pyongyang's participation in the 2018 Winter
Olympics would ease tensions over the North Korea's missiles and nuclear
programme.The high-level talks, to be held on January 9, will be the first such
communications in more than two years.Trump said he "very much" wants
to see "it work out between the two countries," and took credit for
the rapprochement. Aljazeera
Paracetamol in pregnancy may damage your
daughter’s fertility
London:Women who consume paracetamol during
pregnancy, widely used to reduce a high fever or relieve pain, may increase the
risk of damaging the fertility of their daughters, warns a new study.Scientists
from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland found that human ovaries exposed
to paracetamol for a week in laboratories lost up to 40 % of their egg cells. If this effect occurs in
the womb, it could mean baby girls exposed to the common drug end up being born
with fewer eggs. This would give them fewer years in which they could become
pregnant and lead to an early menopause, the Daily Mail quoted the researchers
as saying.It may be because both paracetamol and ibuprofen interferes with a
hormone called prostaglandin E2, which appears to play a vital part in the
development of the foetal reproductive system.IANS
FLASH: VIEWS & NEWS
Can Mohammed bin Salman break the
Saudi-Wahhabi pact?Yury Barmin, expert at Russian International Affairs Council
Fault is that Modi govt is not seeking a
solution to Kashmir:P Chidambaram
All is not well with Aadhaar, UIDAI’s denials
are increasingly unconvincing:Usha Ramanathan
In villages, urban areas, people sit on one
side, Dalits in another corner. No one discusses this:Congress general
secretary Ashok Gehlot
Compiled and edited by
Anwarulhaq (Released at: 7:37 PM)
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