Evening NEWS
DIGEST
24 Jan.2018:06 Jamadiul-1 1439:Vol:9, No:106
INDIA
Office of Profit: No bypoll till AAP MLAs’
disqualification case is heard, Delhi HC tells EC
In a breather to AAP, the Delhi High Court
Wednesday directed the Election Commission to not issue any further order until
the next hearing is held in the petitions filed by AAP MLAs challenging their
disqualification over holding ‘Office of Profit’. The court, however, refused
to stay the Centre’s notification disqualifying the 20 AAP MLAs even as it
restrained the poll panel from taking any “precipitate step” — like announcing bypoll dates on seats held
by the 20 disqualified AAP MLAs. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for
January 29, Monday.The court also asked the poll panel to produce the records
of its proceedings leading to the recommendation of disqualification of the
MLAs. The recommendation was granted the President’s assent on Jan2. On
Wednesday, 3 petitions of eight disqualified AAP MLAs challenging the EC’s
order came up for hearing at the High Court. The petitioners were: Alka Lamba;
Rajesh Rishi and Somdutt, Kailash Gehlot, Madanlal, Sharad Kumar, Nitin Tyagi
and Sarita Singh.Justice Vibhu Bakhru, while hearing one of the petitions,
said, “We will conduct the hearing on Monday and till then you (EC) will not
issue any further orders regarding this issue and don’t precipitate the
situation.”The counsel for AAP MLAs, while asserting they were wrongly
disqualified, said the “EC did not follow the principle of natural justice…This
is not an office for profit as traditionally understood”.After the submissions
made by the AAP counsel, Justice Bakhru sought to clarify if the plea also
contested Presidential assent. The counsel responded that the plea was not
against the Presidential assent but against the fact that the poll panel did
not give the full picture to the President. After the hearing, AAP spokesperson
Saurabh Bhardwaj said, “We have maintained from the very beginning that we have
full faith in the judiciary. The biased manner in which the EC has flouted all
principles of natural justice in giving this hurried order will be scrutinised
and we believe that it will not stand up in the court of law.”indianexpress
Delhi HC refuses to stay AAP MLAs’
disqualification, restrains EC from announcing by-polls
Lalu , Jagannath Mishra get 5-year jail term
in third fodder scam case
A special CBI court in Ranchi on Wednesday
awarded five-year jail term to and imposed a fine of Rs. 5 lakh each on
Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad and former Bihar Chief Minister
Jagannath Mishra in the third fodder scam case. He faces three more fodder scam
cases.48 other accused persons in the case were awarded jail terms and fines of
varied amounts.Earlier in the day, the special CBI court of judge S.S. Prasad
convicted the 50 accused in the case (RC 68 (A) / 96), which pertained to the
fraudulent withdrawal of Rs. 33.67 crore from Chaibasa (now in Jharkhand)
district treasury during 1992-93, and convicted six persons.thehindu
Tejashwi blames BJP, Nitish for Lalu’s conviction
Patn:RJD chief Lalu Prasad was a “people’s
hero and icon of social justice” but was now in jail after being framed by BJP
and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, former deputy chief minister Tejashwi
Yadav said. Tejashwi, who is also leader of opposition in the Bihar assembly,
said the Rashtriya Janata Dal will approach the high court, and if needed the
Supreme Court to get justice, after his father was sentenced to five years in
prison by the special CBI court in Ranchi in connection with fraudulent
withdrawal of Rs 33.67 crore from the Chaibasa treasury in 1992-1993.“CBI
court’s conviction is not final… we will challenge the verdict in the high
court,” he said.HT
Bombay HC quashes order gagging media in
Sohrabuddin fake encounter case trial
Mumbai: Bombay High Court on Wednesday quashed
and set aside the trial court’s order prohibiting journalists from reporting on
or publishing the proceedings of the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case
trial.Justice Revati Mohite-Dere minced no words in holding that the special
CBI court overreached its powers in issuing the order.She agreed with the
petitioners — a group of court reporters and city-based Union of Journalists —
that the Criminal Procedure Code provided only for the high courts and the apex
court to issue such ban orders.Such an order could be issued only in rare
cases, and for a limited period of time, the court said.“The rights of the
press are intrinsic with the constitutional right that guarantees freedom of
expression. In reporting from an open trial, the press not only makes use of
its own right, but serves the larger purpose of making such information
available to the general public,” she said. Justice Mohite-Dere said mere
apprehension of sensationalism by the accused was not a sufficient ground for
issuing such gag orders.PTI
Media boycott NIA function alleging
humiliation by terror probe agency
Media on Wednesday boycotted the function
organised by NIA alleging humiliation by the terror probe agency.A reporter
with The Hindu, Vijaita Singh, took to Twitter to post a photo of media
personnel walking out of the function venue with the caption, “Media boycotts
NIA function. An enclosure separated media from the room where @HMOIndia and
Vice President were present. We don’t come here to have chai-pakauda @NIA_India
stop humiliating the press.”NIA function was to commemorate its 9th foundation
day, when Vice President Venkaiah was expected to deliver 4th RV Raju memorial
lecture on “National Security Challenges in 21st Century.” Among other guests
were Union Home Rajnath Singhvi, MoS (Home), Hansraj Gangaram Ahir and Chief of
Army Staff General Bipin Rawat.Media personnel’s decision to not tolerate what
they termed was a humiliation drew instant support from their colleagues.
Abantika Ghosh from The Indian Express wrote, “More power to you guys. Would
love to see more of this.”Ashutosh Mishra from Aaj Tak wrote, “Kudos….finally
we r showing spine. (sic)”Other journalists too found the act praiseworthy and
applauded their colleagues’ courage on choosing to boycott NIA
function.Journalist Umashankar Singh sarcastically asked if media personnel,
who boycotted the function, should now face an investigation by the
NIA.jantakareporter
Court asks ED to provide documents to Qureshi
in PMLA case
New Delhi:A special court on Wednesday asked
the Enforcement Directorate to hand over certain documents to controversial
meat exporter Moin Qureshi, accused in a money laundering case.Special judge
Arun Bharadwaj directed the agency to hand over various papers it has filed
along with the charge sheet to Qureshi, who was granted bail in the case on
December 12 last year.Special public prosecutor NK Matta, appearing for the ED,
informed the court that all documents will be handed over as per law.PTI
JNU violence: SC rejects plea for SIT probe,
contempt action
New Delhi;The Supreme Court Wednesday
dismissed a plea seeking an SIT probe into the Feb. 2016 violence inside a
trial court here during which former JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar and others
were assaulted, saying it would not “flog a dead horse back to life”. A bench
comprising Justices Ranjan Gogoi and R Banumathi did not accept the contentions
advocating contempt action against the police officials and others for the
incident which was described as “ghastly action” by the petitioner.“What
ghastly action,” the bench asked advocate Prashant Bhushan, who appeared for
petitioner and advocate Kamini Jaiswal. Bhushan referred to the February 15 and
17, 2016 incidents of attacks on Kanhaiya, scribes, students, JNU teachers and
defence lawyers inside the Patiala House district court premises here.“We do
not think of proceeding further. There is no need for an SIT ,” the bench said.
To this, the lawyer said if no action is taken, then it might encourage people
to do such acts.“We will not proceed. We do not think we will flog a dead horse
back to life. If you have grievances, you can take appropriate steps. You can
lodge an FIR,” the bench said. “We find no reason to continue to entertain the
present writ petition any further. The writ petition is accordingly dismissed,”
the top court said.PTI
Lingering effects of demonetisation slowed
down India’s growth, Raghuram Rajan tells NDTV
A substantial part of India’s growth slowdown
was because of the “lingering effects” of demonetisation, as well as the Goods
and Services Tax, said former Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan.
Speaking to NDTV at Davos in Switzerland, where economists and world leaders
have congregated for the World Economic Forum, Rajan said the informal sector
was feeling the effects of demonetisation now, and that “businesses have shut
down because they could not survive that episode”.He made the statement when
asked why India could not take advantage of the global economic rebound. “Most
other countries have had their growth figures updated, but we’ve had them
downgraded, and that’s partly because of these two big headwinds,” Rajan
said.He clarified that the government had asked the RBI its view before
demonetising Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 noted. “I didn’t think it would have the
desired effect,” Rajan told NDTV. “Any economist would say better print the
money before taking it away.”Rajan also warned about the rising fuel prices and
how it will have an impact on India’s Gross Domestic Product growth. “I think
there’s an emerging issue with the oil prices,” he said. “The question is how
much does this subtract from growth because we obviously benefited when it went
the other way, and now this will affect us negatively.”
‘I wonder who they voted for’: Indians facing
identity crisis in US under Trump
Mumbai:A college student has shaved off his
beard. A techie with a work visa is afraid he’ll never get another job. A young
woman says she will never see Republicans the same way.It’s a confusing time
for Indians in America. And while there is support within their neighbourhoods,
and often outrage against the ‘tell them to go home’ attitudes surfacing in
pockets of the country, the sense of being different, of standing out from the
crowd, has become heightened since the start of the Trump administration.Take
Sushovan Sircar, a student at Georgetown University in Washington DC. He used
to sport a luxuriant beard that completed his hipster look. Last month, the
28-year-old student of cybersecurity policy decided to shave.“I have become
acutely aware of my skin colour in the last few months, after the rise of alleged
hate crimes against Indians and Indians mistaken for ‘Arabs’,” he says. “The
last two months have seen three violent attacks against people of Indian origin
in Kansas city, Kent and South Carolina, which resulted in two deaths. I didn’t
want to stand out any more than I already do, and my family back home has been
worried too. So I shaved off my beard, and the absurdity of this fear is
saddening,” he adds.Development professional Apala Guhathakurta, 24, describes
New York as a “safe bubble”.hindustantimes
Rajasthan At No. 2 in Cruelty by Husband;
Doesn’t It Hurt Karni Sena’s Sentiments?
Jaipur — The main objection of a fringe group
behind the widespread violent protests against the film Padmavati is that a
Rajput queen by this name has been shown dancing in it. Critics pointed out
that she is dancing only in front of her husband. The Karni Sena responded: But
public will see her dancing in cinema halls and this will hurt its sentiments
and that of the Rajput community.Padmavati is a fictitious character, not a
historical one, historians say. She is not a goddess figure either. Yet, the
sentiments of Karni Sena, which seems to have become an uncontrollable deadly
outfit overnight with tacit support from the ruling party BJP and its
government in several states, are very high. Though it has spread its tentacles
in half a dozen BJP-ruled states in no time, the Karni Sena is headquartered in
Rajasthan. And Rajasthan is the state which is at No. 2 in the country in
cruelty by husband. But the Karni Sena has never been seen protesting over
crime against women in the state or elsewhere.According to the latest national
report on crime, majority of cases under crimes against women were reported
under ‘Cruelty by Husband or His Relatives’. Under this head, 1,10,378 cases
were reported in the country in year 2016. With 13,811 cases, Rajasthan was at
No. 2. While West Bengal (19,302 cases) topped the list, Uttar Pradesh was at
No. 3 with 11,156 cases, says Crime in India 2016 Report released by the
National Crime Records Bureau, the federal agency that works under the Union
Ministry of Home Affairs.Caravan News
Padmaavat row: It seems violent protests were
a PR exercise, I feel protesters were paid, says Irfan Habib
Renowned historian Irfan Habib has said that
the protests against Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat appeared to have been
designed to help the movie as part of a clever PR strategy.Speaking to Janta Ka
Reporter after the special special screening of the film in Delhi on Tuesday,
Habib said, “There’s absolutely nothing in the movie as was being alleged for
last few months.” When asked if the protests were aimed at helping the movie as
part of a PR exercise, the historian said, “It was all a PR exercise. I feel
the protesters ( from Karni Sena) were paid to carry out the
protests.”jantakareporter
Haryana minister asks people to hoist
tricolour on religious places
Chandigarh:A cabinet minister in the Haryana
government on Wednesday urged people to unfurl national flag on religious
places on the occasion of Republic Day on January 26.“I request people to
unfurl national flag on religious places, including temples, mosques, churches,
on the occasion of Republic Day,” Vipul Goel, who holds portfolios of
industries and commerce, told reporters here. This will help in creating a ‘new
India’ as it will imbibe spirit of patriotism among the people, he said.“We
will unfurl national flag on all religious places,” he said adding that he would
initiate the process from his home constituency Faridabad.“I along with people
will visit religious places and request the concerned to put a national flag
atop the shrines,” he said.“This will further strengthen the spirit of
nationalism among the people,” he said, .PTI
Make daily singing of national anthem
mandatory in madrassas, Shia waqf chief writes to PM Modi
LUCKNOW: After asking madrassas to be shut
down for radicalising Indian Muslims, UP Shia Central Waqf Board chairperson
Waseem Rizvi has now asked for mandatory singing of national anthem at
madrassas. He also demanded mandatory flying of the national tricolour on all
national festivals.In his 9-point letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and
chief minister Yogi Adityanath, the board's chairperson also asked for
revamping of madrassa education and syllabus on the pattern of the
ICSE/CBSC/state boards. These, he said, are his suggestions to authorities for
the modernisation of madrassa.Rizvi has also asked for mandatory verification
of foreign students studying in Muslim madrassas, schools, colleges and all
educational institutions by local intelligence authorities to ensure national
interest and security.
Rural mosques to get toilets, borewells under
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan
Hubballi: Masjids in Dharwad district are now
joining hands with the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan by planning to build toilets and
borewells within their premises.H M Koppad, president, Dharwad District
Anjuman-E-Islam (DDAEI), told TOI that the organization had approached the
Prime Minister's Office in June 2017, when the state was facing drought,
seeking support to drill borewells and build toilets in masjids located in
villages. "As Muslims pray five times a day in mosques, water is very
essential for ablution and other purposes. As rural masjids are deprived of
toilets and water, we took this initiative to be part of the Swachh Bharat
Abhiyan," he said.DDAEI vice presidents I I Mokhashi and A R Bagewadi said
the PMO told the chief secretary of Karnataka and the Dharwad ZP CEO to respond
to their request."Meanwhile we had also requested then AICC president
Sonia Gandhi to instruct the authorities in the state about the initiative. She
instructed district in-charge minister Vinay Kulkarni, who in turn also directed
the Dharwad ZP CEO to do the needful," they said.DDAEI secretary J S
Hadagali said that a survey to collect details on facilities and demands of
rural masjids is on. "We have sent a form to masjids of all 371 villages
in the seven taluks. We have asked masjids to give an application before their
respective gram panchayats seeking toilet and water," he said.DDAEI joint
secretaries A M Ainapur and A M Jakati urged elected representatives to provide
financial support from MLR or MP LAD funds. timesofindia
Malaysian PM wants to offer prayers at Jama
Masjid
New Delhi: Grappling with security
arrangements for the Republic Day function, the Delhi Police were put in a spot
when they received a request from Malaysian PM Najib Razak that he be allowed
to offer prayers at the historic Jama Masjid on January 26, which is a Friday —
the day of congregational prayers for Muslims.The status of the request is
pending and a final call will be taken after reviewing all security aspects,
said a senior police officer.The Malaysian delegation is part of the ASEAN
group of countries, which are the chief guests for the Republic Day Parade.A
Delhi Police officer said the request has put them in a spot as they wouldn’t
be able to spare forces to provide security to the VIP delegation.
Representatives from the 10 countries are visiting New Delhi this week.“There
will be 10 heads of states in town on that day. We cannot allow certain moves
that may jeopardise the well being of the guests. If we are asked, then we will
say no on logistical grounds,” said an official with the Ministry of External
Affairs.
2 Dalits Dead, Households Destroyed to Acquire
Land for Airport in Jharkhand, No Rehabilitation
At least 133 Dalit households have been
destroyed in two villages in Deoghar district in Jharkhand to make way for the
Deoghar International Airport.Since October 2017, the Dalit residents of
Bapugarh and Kathiya villages have been living in makeshift huts. The villagers
of Bapugarh, who are all Dalits, have been living at the site in tents made of
tarpaulin sheets. Speaking to Newsclick, the victims said around 22 villages
were acquired for building the international airport spread over 650 acres.The
village has recently seen the death of the two people. M Devaki Devi and Pocha
Manjhi died in a span of two days due to cold weather. All the 105 households
of Bapugarh have been living in the makeshift tents that hardly provide any
respite from the chilling winters of North India.newsclick
Suspected Hizbul gets ‘brilliant student’
certificate from AMU: timesofindia
AGRA: AMU has given a "good conduct"
certificate to research scholar Mannan Wani who is suspected to have joined the
Hizbul Mujahideen after photos of him holding an AK-47 surfaced on social media
and the terrorist group even "confirmed and welcomed" the student
into its ranks. Though the university had promptly expelled Wani then, an
inquiry report submitted by AMU to the police department has described him as a
"brilliant student" who had "nothing objectionable" against
him as far as the university was concerned.Two separate inquiries were
conducted by AMU authorities and findings of both the reports were similar, a
senior university official told TOI on Tuesday.In the 109-page report, which
was submitted by the two-member committee comprising Prof SH Arif from the
department of pathology and Prof Kamlesh Chandra from ENT department of JN
Medical College, it has been stated that during his five years in the
university, Wani had "nothing suspicious on his record".
Jamiat Ulama to provide legal aid to 22
Muslims facing terror charges
https://www.siasat.com/news/jamiat-ulama-provide-legal-aid-22-muslims-facing-terror-charges-1305140/
Mumbai: Jamiat Ulama will provide legal aid to
22 Muslims, including 2 women, facing terror charges and are staying in Kolkata
Jail. Legal aid committee Chief Jamiat Ulama Gulzar Azmi told this to the
presspersons. He told that according to the petitioner, on October 2 a blast in
a house in the Khagragarh area of Burdwan in West Bengal killed two people. It
was alleged that the explosion occurred while making bombs in a house at
Khagragardh, following which several arrests were made including the arrest of
two women. Although the accused and the women have to say that the explosion
was not due to bomb blast but was due to cylinder explosion, however, they were
arrested on terror charges.During a meeting with prisoners, Jamiat Ulama found
that the two women Gulshan Bibi and Aleema Bibi are languishing in jail along
with dozens of accused in the case. Both the women are staying in jail with one
child each. Besides one woman also gave birth to a child during the custody.siasat
Don't Talk About Beef and Hindutva Terror:
Rahul Gandhi Cautions Karnataka Congress Leaders
Bengaluru: "Beef" and "Hindutva
terrorism" may be the hot topics in poll-bound Karnataka these days.
Congress led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the BJP led by B S Yeddyurappa
are at each other's throat over these issues. But Congress president Rahul
Gandhi seems to be worried over "beef" and "Hindutva
terror" hijacking the polls. When top leaders of the state Congress –
Siddaramaiah, KPCC president Dr. G Parameshwara, working president Dinesh
Gundurao, Power minister D K Shivakumar and others met him to discuss election
strategy at his house in New Delhi, Rahul Gandhi cautioned them against raising
"Hindutva terror" and "beef" related issues during the
campaign.CNN-News18
Decide if you want to vote for Allah or Rama:
BJP MLA’s controversial statement in Karnataka
A BJP MLA in Karnataka has asked the voters to
decide if they wanted to vote for Allah or Rama in the upcoming assembly
elections. Speaking at a rally in Kalladka village in Bantwal, BJP MLA Sunil
Kumar responded to comments made by a minister reportedly crediting his
successive wins in elections to Allah and Muslims, reported News18.Kumar, who
represents the Karkala in the assembly, also termed the election to Bantwal, in
the communally-sensitive Dakshina Kannada district, as a “question of Hindu
self-esteem,” reported PTI.Kumar said, “This election is a question of Hindu
self-esteem. I read in the paper and I was surprised, a legislator who got
elected from this constituency for six times has said that he has won because
of the grace of Allah.”jantakareporter
Financial system fundamentally wrong: Muhammad
Yunus
Kolkata: Nobel laureate and micro-finance
founder Muhammad Yunus on Tuesday said the existing financial and banking
systems in the world have fundamental flaws as they direct people to work only
for their own benefit, not caring about society."I think the existing
banking structure is fundamentally wrong. The policy of the banking system is
such that the people who have more money will get higher loans. This is the
base of any banking system."Ideally it should have been just the reverse.
One who has less should get the loans first," Yunus said on 'Ethics and
Economics' at the Tata Steel Kolkata Literary Meet here. "That's why I
feel that even today the very basis of the financial system is wrong. When I
tried to trace the reason of this fundamental error, I found it is wrong as the
whole economy is based on people's selfishness."IANS
thawale demands arrest of Bhide, Ekbote for
inciting riot
Pune: Leader of RPI and minister for social
justice, Ramdas Athawale, has demanded that cops should arrest Milind Ekbote
and Sambhaji Bhide as soon as possible for masterminding the Koregaon Bhima
unrest. He has also stated that cops and government should look at the victims
and relocate them as soon as possible.Speaking to the media he gave a clean
chit to Gujarat MLA and Dalit leader Jignesh Mewani and claimed that the
violence was instigated by the villagers who marched from Vadhu. He further
alleged that cops failed to stop the protest march thus leading to the riots.He
alleged that the riots in Koregaon Bhima were a conspiracy and demanded that
people responsible should be arrested as soon as possible. Mirror
Deoband clerics slam Nawaz’s film on Halala ,
say misleading facts
Meerut: Deoband ulemas have slammed Nawazuddin
Siddiqui’s film ‘Miyan Kal Aana’ which was screened at the Cannes International
Film Festival and touches upon the controversial Halala Law. According to the
clerics, the actor who has produced the short film has “no knowledge" of
Islamic Sharia. “As such, watching films itself is un-Islamic and on the top of
it the facts you are showing in the film are misleading. Halala is there to
provide support to a woman who has been divorced. But it is always projected in
a wrong way. We condemn the film,” they said.Maulana Nadeem-Ul-Wajidi said,
“Halala Nikah’s meaning has been completely twisted and today it is seen as
some kind of tool to force woman to sleep with someone else other than her
husband. On the contrary, the purpose of Halala is actually to give support to
a woman who has been divorced. It actually gives her a right to marry again to
anyone except her husband. What is so wrong in that? But some sections and
these ill-informed filmmakers just showcase everything in a different light.” timesofindia
US designates Indian-origin UK citizen
Siddhartha Dhar as a global terrorist
The US State Department on Tuesday designated
Indian-born British citizen Siddhartha Dhar as a Specially Designated Global
Terrorist. The department said that Dhar, who was once a member of the defunct
extremist organisation Al-Muhajiroun, left the UK in 2014 and travelled to
Syria with his wife and children to join the Islamic State.Dhar replaced the
Islamic State executioner Mohammad Emwazi, better known as “Jihadi John”, the
US State Department said. scroll
4 jawans killed, 7 injured in encounter with
Naxals
Narayanpur : Four security personnel lost
their lives, while seven others were injured in an encounter with Naxals in
Irpanar village of Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district, on Wednesday.The bodies
of the deceased personnel - two Sub-Inspectors and two DRG Constables - have
been brought to Narayanpur district HQRS.ANI
1,687 people changed religion in Maharashtra
in nearly 4 yrs; of them 664 converted to Islam: RTI
Mumbai: As many as 1,687 people opted for
religious conversion in Maharashtra in the last 43 months, with 1,166 Hindus
embracing other faiths, including Islam, Christianity and Buddhism, reply to an
RTI query has revealed.As many as 44 per cent people (749 out of 1,687) chose
to embrace Islam between during this period, it added.The information was
provided by the Directorate of Govnt Printing and Stationery (DGPS), Mumbai in
response to a query filed by activist Anil Galgali."As per the information
recorded between June 10, 2014 and January 16, 2018, around 44 per cent (749
out of the total 1,687) embraced Islam, while only 21 per cent people converted
to Hinduism," it said.Of the 1,166 Hindu people, 664 converted to Islam,
followed by Buddhism (258), Christianity (138), Jainism (88), Sikhism (11) and
other religions (7).Total 263 Muslims converted their religion, of which 228
people (87 per cent) chose to become Hindu, while 12 embraced Buddhism, 21
Christianity and two converted to Jainism.PTI
India ranks 177 out of 180 in Environ.
Performance Index
New Delhi: India is among the bottom five
countries on the Environmental Performance Index 2018, plummeting 36 points
from 141 in 2016, according to a biennial report by Yale and Columbia
Universities along with the World Economic Forum. While India is at the bottom
of the list in the environmental health category, it ranks 178 out of 180 as
far as air quality is concerned.Its overall low ranking -- 177 among 180
countries -- was linked to poor performance in the environment health policy
and deaths due to air pollution categories.PTI
Shoe hurled at Owaisi during Mumbai rally,
accused identified
Mumbai: A man hurled a shoe at AIMIM chief
Asaduddin Owaisi while he was addressing a rally at Nagpada in south Mumbai,
police said.The MP was not hurt in the incident and the accused has been
identified but was yet to be taken under arrest, they said.Owaisi was voicing
his opposition on the triple talaq issue at the rally around 9.45 pm when the
incident took place, a senior police officer said."I am willing to lay
down my life for my democratic rights. These are all frustrated people, who
cannot see that the government decision on triple talaq has not been accepted by
the masses in general and Muslims in particular," Owaisi told PTI.PTI
WORLD
Germany far-right politician Wagner converts
to Islam, quits AfD party
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/01/politician-converts-islam-quits-afd-party-180124124119851.html
A leading politician from the Alternative for
Germany (AfD) has converted to Islam and resigned from his position as the
anti-Muslim party's national executive committee, the party has
confirmed.Arthur Wagner, a leading member of the far-right party in Germany's
eastern German state of Brandenburg, stepped down from the committee for
"personal reasons", a party spokesperson confirmed, according to
state broadcaster Deutsche Welle.Wagner, who has been a member of the party
since 2015, refused to comment to Tagesspiegel, the daily newspaper that first
broke the news of his conversion."That's my private business," he
told the daily.On the party's Brandenburg state committee, Wagner's work
focused on churches and faith communities, according to Deutsche Welle. AfD has
campaigned against refugees and migrants and made history when it won 12.6
percent of the vote in federal elections in September 2017, entering the
Bundestag for the first time. Party became the third largest party in Bundestag.The
news sparked derision on social media, with many Twitter users pointing to the
irony of Wagner converting to Islam after being a high-ranking member of a
party that has railed against the presence of Muslims in Germany.Emily
Dische-Becker said: "Creeping Sharia picks up speed as politician from
Germany's islamophobic AfD converts to Islam."Originally founded in 2013
as a Eurosceptic party, the AfD took the lead as the most aggressive
anti-refugee voice in the country while nearly a million asylum seekers arrived
in Germany in 2015.Earlier this month, Beatrix von Storch, the deputy leader of
the AfD's parliamentary group, was blocked from Facebook and Twitter after publishing
Islamophobic posts criticising police for posting Arabic-language updates on
New Year's Eve. aljazeera
Israel gets flak over human rights record in
Geneva
Geneva, Switzerland - UN member states have
criticised Israel for failing to abide by human rights laws and UN resolutions
during a heated Human Rights Council (HRC) session; some labelled it an
"apartheid state".The scolding in the Swiss city on Tuesday came as
Israel was undergoing its third Universal Periodic Review (UPR), a UN-led
process meant to assess the human rights record of each state and make
recommendations for improvement."Israel is the only state in the world
that can be called an apartheid state," the South African delegate told
the Israeli delegation and UN members convened at the Palais des Nations. Aljazeera
Israel prevents former Al-Aqsa Mosque official
from travel
Israeli Interior Minister Ariyeh Deri
prevented former director of Al-Aqsa Mosque Sheikh Bkeerat from travel for six
months, Anadolu reported.Deri signed the ban, which was handed over to the
Sheikh. The ban accused the Sheikh, who is currently the head of Al-Aqsa
Academy for Science and Heritage, of “taking part in Hamas activity abroad.”In
the ban notice, Deri said that he had received information that “caused real
worries” to him regarding the travel of Sheikh Bkeerat from the country because
“this will reinforce Hamas’ activities inside the country and this poses danger
on state’s security.”middleeastmonitor
Amnesty launches urgent appeal to release Ahed
Tamimi
Amnesty International has launched an urgent
appeal demanding Israel immediately release Palestinian teen activist Ahed Tamimi,
16, who faces 10 years in prison.The organisation appealed to its friends
around the world to help put pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu to release Tamimi without delay.“There is nothing Ahed Tamimi has
done that can justify the continuing detention of a 16-year-old child. She is
one of approximately 350 Palestinian children held in Israeli prisons and
detention centres” it said.The rights group said Tamimi – who is now referred
to as the “Rosa Parks of Palestine” – has been bravely fighting the Israeli
occupation yet may face up to 10 years in jail because of an argument with
Israeli soldiers.middleeastmonitor
Erdogan threatens to extend Afrin operation to
Manbij
The Turkish military has shelled and bombarded
Syrian Kurdish positions in northern Syria for a fifth day, as President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan threatened to extend the offensive east of the city of
Manbij.Turkey on Saturday launched the operation in the Afrin region to clear
it of US-backed Kurdish fighters, seen by Ankara as a threat to its
security.Manbij, which is also under control of US-backed Kurds, is located
east of the city of Aleppo. Erdogan said he plans to "foil games along our
borders starting from Manbij", adding that Turkey would, "clean our
region from this trouble completely".aljazeera
Turkey says killed at least 260 YPG, IS
militants in Afrin
ANKARA:Turkish military said in a statement
that at least 260 Syrian Kurdish YPG and Islamic State militants had been
killed in its operation in Syria’s Afrin.The statement said the Turkish military
intervention in the Syrian enclave of Afrin was continuing as planned on its
fourth day.Reuters
Egypt presidential hopeful halts campaign
after arrest
The former head of Egypt's armed forces, Sami
Anan, has suspended his run for the country's presidency, a campaign
spokesperson has confirmed.The decision comes only hours after the Supreme
Committee of the Armed Forces (SCAF) in Egypt arrested Anan on accusations he
had committed violations that "warrant official investigation".Anan's
candidacy for the March presidential elections will be suspended "until
further notice", his campaign said in a statement on Tuesday.In a
statement released earlier in the day, SCAF said that the 69-year-old, who
announced his candidacy on Sunday, had forged official documents to end his
military service and had not obtained the army's approval to run.aljazeera
How Egypt presidential election is rendered
irrelevant
U.N. urges rethink of Rohingya repatriations
to ensure safeguards
U.N. refugee agency and other groups have
urged a rethink of the plan to send Rohingya refugees back to Myanmar amid
fears of forced repatriations and the inability of aid agencies to ensure the
safety of hundreds of thousands who fled bloodshed at home.The calls come as
Bangladesh delayed the repatriation of the largely stateless Rohingya to
Myanmar as the process of compiling and verifying the list of people to be sent
back was incomplete.“In order for the repatriation to be (done) right, to be
sustainable, actually viable ... you need to really address a number of issues
that for the time being we have heard nothing about,” UNHCR head Filippo Grandi
said.
Libya: Double car bombing kills 33 in Benghazi
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/01/libya-double-car-bombing-kill-33-benghazi-180124062921229.html
At least 33 people have been killed in a
double car bombing in Libya's eastern city of Benghazi, according to officials.
Tuesday's first bomb went off outside Salmani neighbourhood's Bait Radwan
mosque, frequented by the fighters of Brigade 210 from eastern Libyan security
forces, the Libya Observer reported.The second explosion occurred minutes later
close to the first blast site after security and health officials arrived.
Pak condemns ‘unilateral’ US drone strike on
its territory
Islamabad: Pakistan on Wednesday condemned a
“unilateral” US military drone strike inside its territory that security
officials said killed two members of the Afghan Taliban-allied Haqqani network,
adding to already tense relations between the uneasy allies.The unmanned
aircraft’s missiles “targeted an Afghan refugee” camp in Pakistan’s
northwestern Kurram region, a statement from the Pakistani foreign office
said.“Such unilateral actions, as that of today, are detrimental to the spirit
of cooperation between the two countries in the fight against terrorism,” the
Pakistani statement said.Two missiles hit a house and killed Haqqani network
militants Ahsan Khorai and Nasir Mehmood in the village of Dapa Mamozai in
Kurram, according to a police officer and an intelligence official.“Two
militants from Haqqani network were killed in the drone attack,” the
intelligence official based in the area said. Reuters
Saudi-led coalition air strike kills eight
civilians
An air strike in north-west Yemen has killed
eight civilians, including four children and two women, SABA News reported
yesterday.The air strike targeted a vehicle travelling in the Razih district,
north-western Saada governorate, which is a Houthi stronghold. The incident
comes off the back of a new offensive led by the Yemen national army in a bid
to neutralise territorial threats posed by the Houthi group.middleeastmonitor
FLASH: VIEWS & NEWS
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Act Against Chief Secy Rajbala Verma?Tarique Anwar , newsclick
How Does One Please Golwalkar?JAWED NAQVI
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