Evening NEWS
DIGEST
13 March 2018:24
Jamadiul-2 1439:Vol:9, No:141
INDIA
No deadline for linking Aadhaar card to
services - bank accounts, mobile numbers till final verdict: SC
Supreme Court has extended indefinitely the
deadline for linking Aadhaar with services like mobile phones, tatkal passports
and bank accounts from March 31, 2018 till the 5-judge Constitution Bench led
by CJI Dipak Misra pronounces its final verdict on the validity of the Aadhaar
scheme.Remarking that it had enough of such “piecemeal” notifications and
legislations issued by the Govt to link
one service or the other, Justice Misra said it is time the court stepped in
and stopped passing interim orders extending the deadline. There should be a
sense of certainty that citizens would not be harmed or their services would
not be curtailed even as the very Aadhaar scheme is under the SC’s
microscope.On Dec.15, 2017, Bench extended Aadhaar linkage deadline from
Dec.31, 2017 to March 31, 2018. March 13 order is more or less identical to the
interim order passed on Dec.15, 2017 except for the fact that March 31, 2018
continues to be the deadline for linking Aadhaar to subsidies, benefits and
services prescribed under Section 7 of the Aadhaar Act of 2016.Despite
submissions made by senior advocate Shyam Divan and advocate Vipin Nair that
the indefinite extension of the deadline should include all services, including
those under Section7, the court restricted its relaxation of the deadline to
services outside Section 7.Section 7 of the Aadhaar Act says that the Centre
and State Govt s can insist on Aadhaar “for the purpose of establishing
identity of an individual as a condition for receipt of a subsidy, benefit or
service for which the expenditure is incurred from the Consolidated Fund of
India”.To undergo authentication to access services under Section 7, an
individual has to either produce his Aadhaar card or Aadhaar enrolment
application.Lawyers for the petitioners hint that the court may have excluded
Section 7 benefits from the extension because it is statutorily protected by Aadhaar
Act itself, whereas the other linkings like PAN, mobile phones, etc., are based
on other statutes or even executive notifications.The fact that time is running
out for linking Aadhaar and citizens should not be left in a state of
uncertainty was highlighted by one of judges, Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, on the
Aadhaar Constitution Bench itself.“We are dealing with the entire financial
system… We cannot let this state of uncertainty prevail… We cannot tell them,
like on March 27, whether the deadline is extended or not… A banker cannot be
expected to seek compliance from customers within seven days,”Justice
Chandrachud addressed Attorney-General K.K. Venugopal during a hearing on March
7. thehindu
SC extends March 31 deadline of Aadhaar
linking till it gives its order
Gujarat Govt Will Not Have to Pay to Rebuild
Shrines Destroyed in 2002 Gujarat Riots
New Delhi: Supreme Court has refused to
reconsider its decision, which had set aside the Gujarat High Court order for
paying from tax payers' money to rebuild destroyed shrines during the communal riots.A
bench headed by CJI Dipak Misra has dismissed the review petition filed by the
Islamic Relief Committee, Gujarat (IRCG), noting there was no merit in the
plea.The bench upheld the previous judgment and found no error apparent on the
face of the record, requiring the top court to reconsider its view.With the
dismissal, the apex court had stood firm on its view that tax payers' money
cannot be used to build or rebuild any religious structure in the wake of the constitutional
bar against it under Article 27. Article 27 in Constitution prohibits spending
of public money for religious purposes or promotion of any religion.The object
of Article 27 is to maintain secularism, the SC had noted in its Aug. 2017
judgment when it had set aside the HC order.The Court had then allowed the
appeal filed by the BJP-led Gujarat Govt against the HC order directing it to
pay compensation to over 500 shrines damaged during the 2002 riots.News18
Earmark separate quota for Haj aspirants aged
70 and above: SC
New Delhi; Supreme Court has directed the
earmarking of an "exclusive quota" for Haj pilgrims aged 70 and above
and preference being given to pilgrims in the age group of 65 to 69 years who
have already applied for the pilgrimage five times or more.The bench of CJI
Dipak Misra, Justice A. M. Khanwilkar and Justice D. Y. Chandrachud said that
people who have crossed 70 years would get the benefit of a separate exclusive
quota and those between the age group of 65 to 69 who have applied 5 times or
more would also get the benefit of preferential consideration for the
pilgrimage.The court order came in the course of the hearing of a plea by the
Kerala Haj committee seeking more quota for the Haj pilgrimage as it has far
more applicants and not many of them can be accommodated.It has contended that
Bihar, which gets more quota for Haj pilgrims, is not able to utilise it as
there are not many applicants there.-IANS
Iran says it has offered Pakistan and China
participation in India's Chabahar project
New Delhi: In what may come as a shock to
India, Iran said it offered Pakistan and China participation in the Chabahar
project, a port that is being built by India for the express purpose of
bypassing Pakistan.Pakistan's Dawn paper reported today that Iranian Foreign
Minister Javad Zarif yesterday invited Pakistan to participate in Chabahar
seaport project and in the development of its link with the Gwadar Port
"as he sought to allay concerns here (in Pakistan) over Indian involvement
in the Iranian port."“We offered to participate in CPEC. We have also
offered Pakistan and China to participate in Chabahar,” said Zarif, who is on a
3-day visit to Pakistan, while delivering a lecture at the Institute of
Strategic Studies Islamabad, said Dawn.Chabahar is said to be becoming a
success story in the India-Iran relationship. First phase of the Chabahar port
in south-east Iran, which India is developing, was inaugurated in December last
year. The port opened a new strategic transit route between India, Iran and
Afghanistan that bypassed Pakistan. It is expected to cut transport costs/time
for Indian goods by a third and likely to ramp up trade among India,
Afghanistan and Iran in the wake of Pakistan denying transit access to New
Delhi for trade with the 2 countries.Given this context, India's not likely to
be pleased with the Iranian foreign minister's comments. It's possible though
that Zarif was merely making conciliatory remarks.That's because he went out of
his way to assure Pakistan that its ties with India are not in conflict with
Islamabad.Zarif drew a comparison with Pakistan’s ties with Saudi Arabia and
said that just like that relationship does not tarnish Islamabad's ties with
Tehran, India's and Iran's relationship isn't going to affect Pakistan
negatively, reported Mehr New. TOI
Gujarat: Muslim youth dies, 5 of 7 ‘Bajrang
Dal members’ arrested
Ahmedabad:A 32-year-old Muslim man, Farnaz
Saiyed, who was attacked by alleged Bajrang Dal members at Chhatral town of
Gandhinagar district a week ago, died on Monday at a hospital here. His mother,
Roshanbiwi Syed, who was also injured in the attack, is recuperating at the
hospital.Meanwhile, police arrested 5 of the 7 accused . “Other 2 will be
arrested soon. We are looking into the matter and probe is on,”said SP of
Gandhinagar Virendra Yadav.According to family members, Farnaz and his mother
were attacked by Bajrang Dal members for disobeying their diktat of remaining
indoors. “The tension started on Dec.6 when Bajrang Dal led a procession
through the Muslim-dominated Kasbavaas in Chhatral to mark the demolition of
the Babri mosque. Both had gone to graze their cattle on March 5, when they
were attacked by Bajrang Dal members. They cut my sister’s fingers and hit my
nephew on his head. This is not the fist time that such an attack has taken
place in our village,” said Farnaz’s uncle Ahmed Hussain Sabbir. Police
admitted that incidents of communal violence have been recurring at the town.
“In other cases that have happened in the recent past, we have made arrests and
some matters are also in the court. We are aware of the recurring incidents and
we are ensuring that there is no tension,” said the SP.Meanwhile, family
members allowed postmortem of Farnaz after a daylong agitation by members of
the Muslim community. They were demanding arrest of accused and compensation to
the family. Vadgam MLA Jignesh Mevani, who visited the hospital, said, “Time
and again memorandums have been given to the Collector and the SP about
violence in the area, but no action has been taken.”indian express
Ishrat encounter case: DG Vanzara seeks discharge,
says chargesheet ‘concocted’
Ahmedabad:Ex-IPS officer DG Vanzara, a key
accused in 2004 Ishrat Jahan encounter case, has filed an application before
the special CBI court seeking discharge from the case, calling the CBI’s
chargesheet in the case as “politically motivated”. The special court on Monday
issued notice to the CBI, directing the agency to reply by March 28.In his
discharge application, Vanzara has claimed that CBI’s chargesheet is
“politically motivated…with a view to topple the democratically-elected
(Gujarat) Govt, (and the) entire plot appears to have been deployed by the then
central Govt (led by UPA)…” He has also claimed that PM Narendra Modi,
who was then Gujarat chief minister, was “interrogated” by the police in
connection with the alleged fake encounter case.indianexpress
2009 Mangaluru Pub Attack Case: All 31 Sri Ram
Sene Activists Acquitted
A local court on Monday right-wing fringe
outfit Sri Ram Sene chief Pramod Muthalik and 31 others in the 2009 Mangaluru
pub attack case for lack of evidence.Third Judicial Magistrate of First Class
Court R Manjunath stated in his order, "The accused are
acquitted."Sri Ram Sene activists had allegedly barged into the pub on
January 24, 2009, and assaulted some women and men, claiming they were
violating traditional Indian values.The incident had generated national outrage
after the video clip of the attack went viral.It depicted several men allegedly
dragging women at the pub by their hair, slapping and roughing them up and
accusing them of "loose morals".He had also submitted that the police
had falsely filed complaints against them.PTI
After 35 years, AMUSU gives life membership to
a woman, felicitates Teesta Setalvad
Agra:After 35 years, AMU Students’ Union
(AMUSU) bestowed “life membership” of the body upon a woman and honoured social
activist Teesta Setalvad, who has been pursuing Gujarat riots cases.According
to AMUSU president Mashkoor Ahmad Usmani, Mother Teresa was last woman honoured
with the union's life membership in 1983. He said a total of 5 women, including
Sarojini Naidu and Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, had been honoured so far.“Teesta has
been given the life membership of the union for her contribution in fighting
against fascism and for the rights of the weak,” he said.Usmani said that over
130 people, including Dalai Lama, Jawaharlal Nehru, CV Raman, had been given
life membership of AMUSU. After the ceremony, Setalvad said that she was elated
to get this recognition and it’s a matter of pride for her as the earlier
recipients of this award included great personalities like Mahatma Gandhi,
Maulana Azad and others. She said, “I will have to continue my fight and work
and this honour will further boost my morale.” She said the AMUSU will have to
fight against the prevailing “odd situations” and they will need to involve
Dalits and farmers with them.TOI
‘They Could Not Kill Me As I Had Security, So
They Killed Gauri Instead’: Bhagawan
New Delhi:The next bullet after journalist
Gauri Lankesh was for Professor K.S.Bhagawan as the Karnataka police probe of
Hindutva gunrunner KT Naveen Kumar has now revealed. A fact confirmed by
Bhagawan, with the startling revelation that he was on their target, according
to all reports, “and am still alive only because Karnataka Govt provided me
with security cover. Otherwise I would have been gone 6 months ago, it would
have been all over.”“I have survived because of the love and affection and
support I have got from all over,” he said.Professor, well known for his works
questioning blind religiosity and superstition, said that Gauri Lankesh was
killed as the conspirators could not get to him. He said that he had been at
the receiving end of threats and abuse ever since he wrote a book on first
Shankarcharya. “I have some knowledge of Sanskrit and when I examined his works
I found he was a hater of mankind,” Bhagawan said, clearly undeterred by the
threats that make life uncertain and vulnerable for him and his 70 year old
wife. Clearly book has many readers, and as he pointed out it is running in its
19th edition and has been translated in a number of languages.Asked if he was
worried or afraid, he dismissed the idea. “Not at all, a while ago my wife told
reporters asking her if she was fearful that life is uncertain for everyone,
one can die today or tomorrow, and it is better to have died for a cause,” he
said. And then laughed with, “when I heard her say that since then I have been
very courageous and have lost all fear.”thecitizen
‘Impressed’ by role in Lankesh killing,
accused was given second target: Bengaluru Police
9 CRPF men killed in Maoists' ambush in
Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district
9 CRPF personnel were killed and two were
injured in an ambush by Maoists in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district on
Tuesday.“Maoists targeted an MPV [Mine Protected Vehicle] carrying 10 CRPF men
in Sukma today. There is a possibility of many of them being killed in that
blast," D. M.Awasthi, Special DGP, Anti-Naxal Operations unit of the
Chhattisgarh police, said. "Firing has stopped now."Extra forces have
been sent to the spot and the Sukma DSP has also reached the spot. A statement
issued by the CRPF said that the encounter took place between CRPF’s 208
CoBRA battalion and Maoists at 8 a.m.
today.“Seeing the response of 208 CoBRA, the Maoists fled away. Again, at 12.30
p.m., the Maoists targeted another team of 212 battalion of CRPF on
Kistaram–Palodi road in Sukma District in which a mine protection vehicle was
blown off by triggering an IED. Injured personnel are being evacuated by
helicopter to Raipur,” a CRPF official said.thehindu
Chhattisgarh Maoist attack: 9 CRPF personnel
killed in IED blast
Haseeb Drabu’s removal puts question mark on
BJP-PDP ties ahead of 2019 polls
Srinagar: On Jan.1, 2015, late Mufti Sayeed
during a family outing in Gulmarg assigned Haseeb Drabu the task to cobble up a
political alliance with BJP. 3 years later on Monday he was sacked from J&K
cabinet for referring to Kashmir as ‘social issue’.Drabu, a banker and
economist was the main interlocutor between BJP and PDP. He managed to weave
the alliance twice in the last three years and rose to become the finance
minister of the state within a year of his formal entry into the party in 2014.
J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti took the decision of sacking Drabu on Monday, after
she returned from her 3-day visit to New Delhi.The mounting pressure from
within the party and massive criticism from opposition and Hurriyat leaders in
wake of his speech at a business function in Delhi forced Mehbooba to take the
decision. During his speech at a function in Delhi titled Kashmir: The Way
Forward, Drabu said, “Kashmir is not just a political issue but a social
problem…I think we have been barking up the wrong tree.” Drabu refused to comment
on the developments.“The decision of the party is basically asserting the core
ideology of PDP. Agenda of Alliance (AoA) is a political document and if he
says there is no political issue he hits at the basic idea of the party.
Whatever are the contours of the issue, it has to be solved politically,” a
senior PDP minister told ET. The finance and labour ministries will remain
under Mehbooba.PDP will take a call on Drabu’s party membership in the next few
days. He has won assembly polls from Pulwama's Rajpora constituency.TOI
Kathua rape, murder case: CM Mehbooba rejects
demand for CBI probe as protests boil over
Jammu;Even as locals continued taking out
rallies seeking a CBI enquiry into the alleged rape and murder of an 8-year-old
Bakerwal girl in J&K’s Kathua district, CM Mehbooba Mufti has ruled out
transfer of the investigation to any agency other than the crime branch. “Some
people are creating misgivings about the progress in the Kathua case. There is
no scope for any misunderstanding about the nature of the investigation or the
process followed,’’Mufti tweeted.indianexpress
Families of missing persons stage silent
protest in Srinagar against enforced disappearances
Srinagar:The association of Parents of
Disappeared Persons(APDP) staged a silent sit-in at Pratap Park here on Saturday,
March 10,against what it termed as state and union Govt s’ negligent approach
towards tracing out their family members, subjected to enforced disappearance
since 1989 across the state.The family members of the disappeared youth, mostly
females, during their silent-sit in castigated the successive govts for being
indifferent towards their pain and agony.Family members alleged that their dear
ones have been subjected to enforced disappearances by the Indian forces and
their related agencies from their homes, streets and even roads.Members
carrying placards and banners reading, ‘Where are our loved ones, ‘stop crime
against humanity, what lies beneath?’ And pictures of the victims sought
answers from the Govt over the enforced
disappearances.TCN
RSS’ remark on Ram mandir contempt of court;
court must take action: Maulana Arshad Madani
New Delhi: Expressing concern over the
provocative statement made by the RSS that ‘only Ram Mandir and nothing else
will be built in Ayodhya’, President Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind, Maulana Syed Arshad
Madani said this is contempt of court hence court itself should take notice of
it and take action.Meanwhile, President Jamiat Ulama has expressed satisfaction
over the preparation of Jamiat Maharashtra legal cell for the daily hearing
regarding Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi dispute which will begin from March
14.Taking stock of the situation Maulana Arshad Madani said our preparation is
complete, our advocates are ready to argue in the court and we are hopeful that
the court will give judgment on the basis of historical facts and available
documents.He lamented that while the case is in the court some people are
giving statements.siasat
60% of Modi Followers on Twitter Are Fake:
Report
With 41 million followers on Twitter, PM
Narendra Modi is among the most followed politicians on the micro blogging
site. However, a recent analysis has revealed that Modi is on top among world
leaders with fake followers.An infographic prepared by Twiplomacy and made
public last month reveals the percentage of fake followers of some top world
personalities.This shows that Modi has 60% fake followers on Twitter, followed
by Pope Francis with 59% fake followers. US President Donald Trump has 37% fake
followers. Data about fake followers has
been determined by Twitter Audit.“World Leaders and their Fake followers. Some
of the most followed world leaders and their share of bot followers as
determined by http://twitteraudit.com. Graphics prepared by
@Saosasha @gzeromedia #DigitalDiplomacy,” tweeted Twiplomacy on 21 Feb.The
revelation about fake followers of Modi has pushed his critics to come up with
comments.“24.3million followers of @NarendraModi are fake, according to this
study. He has the highest number of fake followers in the world, mainly
manufactured in that hate-bot factory called the BJP IT Cell, and its various
offshoots. So what does this tell you of his Govt?” asked Angshukanta, a
Twitter user.Caravan
Hadiya denies meeting Salafi hardliner who
claimed to have converted her to Islam
Kozhikode:Hadiya has denied meeting Fasal
Musthafa, a hardline Salafi practitioner,and his wife Shirin Shahana, who had
claimed to have converted her to Islam.“I haven’t met Fasal Musthafa in person.
I haven’t even talked to him over the phone. I don’t know him. I think he is
the husband of Shirin Shahana, to whom I have talked over the phone. But I
severed all my ties with them when I realised that the Islam they preached to
me wasn’t right. It was then I went to Sathya Sarani,” she said.But as per the statement
of Musthafa, recorded in the judgment of the Kerala High Court in a writ
petition filed by Hadiya’s father Asokan KN, it shows that “they were
introduced to Ms. Akhila by his wife’s cousin, Sri. Shanib, that Ms. Akhila was
in constant contact with his wife clearing her doubts about Islam. In 2015,
Sept, his wife had called Ms. Akhila when they were at Ernakulam. Thereupon,
she had come to Kaloor bus stand. It was on the said date that his wife recited
the necessary verses and made her accept Islam religion. According to him, she
had assumed the name ‘Aasiya’. She had travelled with him and his wife in their
car and was dropped off close to her house.”In its status report submitted to
the Supreme Court,NIA had claimed “Akhila aka Hadiya was converted to Islam by
puritan Salafi practitioners Shirin Shahana and Fasal Musthafa, who are
understood to be in Yemen now.”newindianexpress
Muslim women hold protest in Rajasthan's Sikar
against triple talaq bill
Sikar:Scores of burkha-clad women held a
protest march against Triple Talaq Bill in Rajasthan's Sikar, which
criminalises the practice of instant divorce. The women demanded that no
changes should be made to Muslim Personal Law.They covered the city raising
slogans against the move.After the protest march, a delegation of Muslim women
handed over a representation to additional district collector Jaiprakash
Chaudhary, addressed to the President and Prime Minister.ANI /PTI
Catholic church claims attack on hospital,
land owner claims removed encroachment
Bhopal:A missionary hospital in Ujjain was
allegedly attack by a group of locals led by BJP activists on Monday following
a dispute over a piece of land, which both sides claim belong to them.Carrying
a JCB group damaged the hospital gate, a generator and disrupted electric and
water supply striking fear among patients and staff, alleged PRO of Catholic
Church in MP Fr Maria Stephen. He said nurses who tried to stop the attackers
were harmed and beaten up. He said nearly 100 people pulled down the compound
wall and put up an iron fencing inside the hospital premises.Though several
police personnel passed by no one intervened and the attack continued unabated.
The hospital came up in 1974 when there were no health care facilities in
villages. Sisters and doctors went to nearby villages and conducted many camps
and supplied free medicines.
PNB discloses $145 million additional exposure
in fraud probe
PNB has told the police that it has uncovered
additional exposure of about Rs.9.42 billion ($145.2 million) in connection
with a massive alleged fraud, according to a court filing seen by Reuters.In
what has been dubbed as the biggest fraud in India's banking history, PNB, the
country's second-biggest state-run lender, said last month that it had been
defrauded of about $2 billion by two jewellery groups who raised credit from
overseas banks based on fraudulent guarantees issued in collusion with rogue
PNB staff.In a court filing on Tuesday, police said Gitanjali group of
companies controlled by jeweller Mehul Choksi allegedly defrauded PNB of
Rs.70.8 billion ($1.09 billion). PNB had previously pegged its exposure to the
Gitanjali companies at Rs.61.38 billion.The new disclosure takes PNB's overall
exposure in the still unravelling fraud case to well over the $2 billion mark.Reuters
India still largest arms importer, spent more
than $100 b in last 10 years: SIPRI
New Delhi:India continued to be the largest
weapons importer in the world over the last five years and arms exports from
the US to the country jumped 557% in 2013-17 as compared to 2008-12, a
Stockholm-based think tank said in a report released on Monday.India’s overall
imports climbed 24% in the 5-year period, accounting for nearly 12% of all
global imports, reported the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
(SIPRI), according to whose findings India has been the largest weapons
importer for over a decade despite the thrust since 2014 under the Make in
India mission to build indigenously.India spent more than $100 billion on
buying new weapons and systems during 2008-17, with imports accounting for
around 60-65% of the country’s military requirements. India has inked a raft of
contracts during the last decade for fighter jets, special operations aircraft,
submarine hunter planes, lightweight howitzers, artillery guns and other
weapons and systems.HT
WORLD
Blast hits Palestinian PM's Rami Hamdallah
convoy in Gaza
An explosion has struck the convoy of
Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah upon his entrance into the Gaza
Strip, lightly injuring several people. The explosive device detonated shortly
after Hamdallah and his convoy passed through the Israeli-controlled Erez
checkpoint, known Palestinians as Beit Hanoun, in northern Gaza on Tuesday. Hamdallah
was unharmed and appeared on live television shortly after the incident at inauguration
of a wastewater treatment facility. However, 5 others were lightly injured in
the blast.Palestinian Authority intelligence chief Majed Faraj was part of the
convoy."This attack is an attempt to kill all reconciliation efforts. It
is a dangerous step aimed at spreading disorder and fighting among our
people," said Munir al-Jaghoub, heads Fatah's information department at
Office of Mobilisation and Organisation."We demand that Hamas expedites
its investigation. Developments have proven that Hamas has completely failed in
providing security in Gaza, just as it has failed in providing a decent life
for our people in the strip," added Jaghoub. Iyad al-Buzom, Gaza's
interior ministry spokesperson, said the act of placing blame "has a
political dimension". "Here in Gaza, we take all the security
precautions to welcome all the convoys and delegations and particularly the
prime minister as he entered Gaza," he said.He added that "several
suspects were arrested a short while ago," and that an investigation
"to find out who was behind the explosion" is under way. Mustafa
Ibrahim, a Gaza-based political analyst said, "We will hear Fatah saying
that some membersof Hamas do not want reconciliation, and likewise, we will
hear Hamas saying this could have been a fabricated attack by Fatah's security
services."Al Jazeera
Hamas condemns attempted assassination of PM
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180313-hamas-condemns-attempted-assassination-of-prime-minister/
An explosive device has targeted convoy of
Palestinian Authority (PA) Prime Minister Rami Hamadallah after it entered the
Gaza Strip.Spokesman of the Palestinian Interior Ministry in Gaza Iyad Al-Bozom
confirmed that the explosion targeted Hamadallah’s convoy and stressed there
were no casualties.He also reiterated that Hamdallah continued his way to the
planned inauguration of a wastewater treatment facility in the north of the
Gaza Strip.PA President Mahmoud Abbas blamed Hamas for this “sinful attack”
against the prime minister and said he would hold an urgent meeting with his
aide to study how to respond to it.On Twitter Hamas condemned “the crime of
targeting Palestinian PM Rami Hamadallah, considering it part of attempt to
destabilise security in Gaza and to foil efforts to achieve national unity”.At
the same time Hamas condemned the “ready accusations” of PA chief.Following attack
Hamadallah said:“I will return to Gaza despite what happened today and I call
on Hamas to allow the Govt to
effectively control Gaza Strip. What happened today will not stop us from
continuing reconciliation efforts.”MEMO
Egypt likely to oust Abbas in favour of his
rival Mohamed Dahlan
Egyptian intelligence is likely seeking to
oust the PA President Mahmoud Abbas in order to pave the way for his rival
Mohammed Dahlan to replace him, Arab48.com reported yesterday.In an
intelligence report prepared by the Chief of the PA’s Intelligence, Majed Faraj,
and raised to Abbas, Faraj warned Abbas against falling into the “trap of
reconciliation” brokered by Egypt.The report doubted the intentions of Egyptian
intelligence officials, who are visiting the Gaza Strip and holding meetings
with officials from Hamas and other Palestinian factions. The report claimed
that the goal of ongoing reconciliation efforts is to pave the way for the
dismissed Fatah leader Mohamed Dahlan, who is supported by UAE-Egyptian camp,
to take up the PA presidency.MEMO
Paraguay, Honduras to open embassies in
Jerusalem
Paraguay and Honduras have said that they are
ready to open their embassies in Jerusalem, a senior Israeli diplomatic source
told the Israeli army radio on Sunday.According to Quds Press the senior source
said that the two countries are ready “in principle” to open embassies in
Jerusalem if the Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu first makes an official visit to
their countries. Honduras voted against the UN resolution which condemned the
US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s
capital, but Paraguay abstained. US envoy to the US Niki Haley visited Honduras
and commended its vote against the US decision. US threatened to cut aid to the
countries which voted against its decision at the UN.middleeastmonitor
Indonesia university revokes niqab ban after
criticism
Indonesia: An Indonesian university whose ban
on niqab face veils made global headlines has reversed the policy following
criticism that it trampled on personal choice. Sunan Kalijaga State Islamic
University in Indonesia's cultural capital Yogyakarta issued the edict last
week to more than 3 dozen niqab-wearing students - and warned they could be
expelled for non-compliance.The school, which has about 10,000 students, had
said the now-cancelled rule was aimed at countering religious extremism in world's
biggest Muslim majority country."The guidance concerning students using a
face veil will be revoked in order to maintain an academic climate that is
conducive to fairness," said a statement issued by the university at the
weekend.Backers of the new rules said wearing the full veil with a small slit
for the eyes was not a religious obligation, but critics saw anti-niqab appeal
as impinging on individual rights.AFP
Afghanistan stares at health crisis with 1
million female drug addicts, 100,000 children hooked
New Delhi: Afghanistan is staring at a massive
public health crisis with more than three million drug addicts, a million of
whom are women and 100,000 of whom are children below 10 years of age, reported
the country's Tolo News.In fact, the total number of those addicted in the
war-ravaged country could be a lot higher than three million, because when that
number was calculated last year, public health officials had no idea that so
many women were also hooked.As it is, Afghanistan is the world's largest
producer of poppy opium, which is used to make heroin. And far from its
production declining, the UN says that opium production in the country actually
rose 87% in 2017 from 2016. The increase is attributed to a rapid expansion of
territory used to cultivate poppy, no thanks to the Taliban which profits from
the crop and encourages its cultivation.The women in the country more often
than not pick up the habit from the men in their families. Several women told
Tolo News they turned to drugs as their husbands were addicts.TOI
US picking up Taliban interest in Afghan peace
talks: US Defense Secretary Mattis
Kabul:US is picking up signs of interest from
Taliban elements in exploring the possibility of talks with Kabul to end the
more than 16-year-old war, US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Tuesday as
he made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan.“There is interest that we’ve
picked up from the Taliban side,” Mattis told reporters before landing in
Kabul, saying the signs dated back several months.Afghan President Ashraf Ghani
offered talks without preconditions with the Taliban insurgents last month, in
what was seen by US officials as a major overture from Kabul.Mattis said some
of his indications, which he did not detail, dated back before Ghani’s
remarks.“We’ve had some groups of Taliban – small groups – who have either
started to come over or expressed an interest in talking,” Mattis said.“In
other words, it may not be that the whole Taliban comes over in one fell swoop.
That may be a bridge too far to expect. But there are elements of the Taliban clearly
interested in talking to the Afghan Govt ,” he said.US has in the past also
expressed hope of “peeling off” elements of the Taliban and it was unclear how
this new effort might be different.Western diplomats and officials in Kabul say
contacts involving intermediaries have been underway with the aim of agreeing
on ground rules and potential areas of discussion for possible talks with at
least some elements in Taliban.However, insurgents, who seized a district
centre in western Afghanistan earlier this week, have given no public sign of
accepting Ghani’s offer, instead issuing several statements suggesting they
intended to keep fighting.US has stepped up assistance to the Afghan military
and greatly increased air strikes against Taliban as part of its new regional
strategy announced last year, in a bid to break the stalemate and force the
insurgents to the negotiating table.Mattis said the goal was to convince
Taliban insurgents that they could not win, which would hopefully push them
towards reconciliation. Reuters
US defence secy Jim Mattis says signs indicate
Taliban open to Afghan peace talks
Trump sacks Tillerson, replaces him with Pompeo
US President Donald Trump has sacked Rex Tillerson
as secretary of state and replaced him with CIA Director Mike Pompeo."Mike
Pompeo, director of CIA, will become our new secretary of state. He will do a
fantastic job," Trump tweeted on Tuesday. "Thank you to Rex Tillerson
for his service!" the president added.According to the Washington Post,
Trump asked Tillerson to leave the post last Friday. Tillerson cut short his
trip to Africa on Monday and returned to Washington, DC prompting questions
about his future at the State Dept.Trump said on Twitter that Deputy CIA
Director Gina Hapsel will replace Pompeo as the head of the agency. He added
that she is "the first woman so chosen". aljazeera
UN chief calls for an end to Syrian people's suffering
UN secretary-general urged Security Council
members to "end the suffering" of residents in besieged Eastern
Ghouta, as US threatened to "act if we must" as a ceasefire continues
to be ignored by Syrian and Russian forces. Antonio Guterres' remarks on Monday
came as Govt forces continued for a third week to launch air strikes and
advance a ground offensive into the Damascus suburb that has been under rebel
control since mid-2013."I am deeply disappointed by all those ... who
allowed this to happen," Guterres said in his address at the UN
headquarters in New York. aljazeera
Wounded in Syria's Eastern Ghouta await
evacuations
UN is expecting civilian evacuations out of
rebel-held Eastern Ghouta on Tuesday, as Syrian Govt military continues its fierce offensive on the
enclave."This day, we are expecting evacuation of civilians, including
people with medical conditions," Ali al-Zatari, UN's top aid official in
Syria, told Reuters at al-Wafideen crossing, without elaborating.UN has
previously called for the evacuation of nearly 1,000 sick and wounded residents
who need urgent medical treatment.Jaish al-Islam, one of the main rebel groups
in Eastern Ghouta, said on Monday it had reached an agreement with the Govt 's
key ally, Russia, to evacuate wounded people. No other details about the
evacuation were given. Hamza Birqdar, the group's military spokesman, vowed on
Tuesday that the fighters would defend the Damascus suburb till the end.Syrian
state TV showed a group of civilians leaving the enclave on Tuesday morning.
The evacuations have not been independently confirmed. The Syrian army's
campaign of air and artillery attacks has killed more than 1,100 civilians in
nearly a month, according to the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs.aljazeera
Sick and injured start leaving Syria's
Ghouta:reuters
FLASH: VIEWS & NEWS
Hindus, Muslims and RSS Chief Bhagwat — Prof
Ram Puniyani
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