Evening NEWS
DIGEST
15 March 2018:26
Jamadiul-2 1439:Vol:9, No:143
INDIA
Mecca Masjid blast: Aseemanand’s confession
document traced in NIA court ‘after missing’
Hyderabad: A day after a key document in 2007
Mecca Masjid blast case could not be found, court officials on Wednesday traced
“disclosure memo” and “discovery memo” of key accused Swami Aseemanand. The
document was produced before the 4th additional metropolitan sessions judge cum
special court for NIA cases. On Tuesday, the document — marked as “Memo of
Disclosure” No 88 in NIA chargesheet contains names of senior political leaders
as disclosed by Naba Kumar Sarkar aka Swami Aseemanand before CBI, explaining
the alleged conspiracy — was untraceable. Court proceedings had to be stalled
before staff found some of them. On Wednesday, the court staff traced the
document and produced it before the judge.On the second day of evidence, the
chief investigating officer and CBI SP T Rajah Balaji were cross-examined by
defence counsel. Top NIA officials said they had all the documents pertaining
to the Mecca Masjid blast case. Aseemanand was arrested on November 19, 2010
from Haridwar for his alleged role in the Mecca Masjid blast. On May 18, 2007,
a bomb blast inside the Mecca Masjid during Friday prayers killed nine people
and injured 58. Later, 5 others were killed in police firing.
Makkah Masjid Blast Case: Document pertaining
to Aseemanand’s confession traced out
Lt Colonel Purohit moves court Seeking
discharge
Mumbai: Lt. Colonel Prasad Purohit has
approached the Bombay high court, challenging the order passed by the special
NIA court rejecting the discharge application filed by him in the 2008 Malegaon
blasts’ case. The grounds are that Col Purohit was informing his seniors about
details of meetings and was gathering intelligence for the army and for the
same reason, he had to act like he was with the accused persons.The other
grounds are that there was no conversation about bomb blasts in any of the
meetings, and telephonic conversation between him and Retired Major Ramesh
Upadhyay could not be considered as that was after blast and the conspiracy
ended. Col Purohit’s lawyer Amit Ghagh confirmed it and said that appeal would
be heard in due course.AsianAge
Jay Shah case: SC asks Gujarat trial court to
suspend proceedings against The Wire till April 12
New Delhi:The Supreme Court on Thursday asked
the Gujarat trial court not to proceed with criminal defamation proceedings
against news portal The Wire in a case filed by Jay Shah till it hears the
matter related to the quashing of the case next on April 12. The top court also
asked Jay Shah, who is the son of BJP president Amit Shah, and others involved,
to file responses within two weeks to the plea filed by the scribe.The apex
court also criticised the media in general over irresponsible reporting.CJI
Dipak Misra said he was against gagging media but also said, “we expect the
media should be responsible, electronic media should be more responsible.”
Senior Advocate NK Kaul, appearing for Jay Shah, contended that The Wire story
was a “manufactured story, scurrilous reporting” and was meant to damage Shah’s
reputation. “The reporting was part of a design”, he saidKapil Sibal who
appeared for the news portal said it was only asking questions to Shah. “If
journalism is going to be throttled like this, no journalist can ask
questions,” he said.indianexpress
TDP set to exit NDA alliance, will back YSR
Congress’ ‘no-confidence’ motion in Parliament
Hyderabad: TDP is all set to break its
alliance with the BJP and could exit NDA as early as Friday. The party has also
decided to support the YSR Congress Party’s no-confidence motion in Parliament
tomorrow.TDP president and AP CM N Chandrababu Naidu has called a politburo
meeting Friday to take a final call on the issue of exiting from NDA. Sources
said that a majority of the members including MPs, MLAs and senior leaders have
already told Naidu to quit NDA. “This is the final option. CM is livid that
instead of resolving issues faced by the state, the BJP is indulging in dirty
politics that it played in Tamil Nadu,’’ TDP leader Kambhampati Rammohan Rao
said.On Thursday, in a teleconference with his MPs, Naidu accused the BJP and
PM Narendra Modi of using YSR Congress
Party and actor K Pavan Kalyan’s Jena Sena Party to target him and TDP. Naidu
told the MPs that Modi was applying the same strategy that was used in Tamil
Nadu where BJP supported OPS faction against EPS in the AIADMK. Naidu said that
instead of addressing the issues raised by the state such as allocating special
funds, bridging revenue gap or special category status as promised in the
Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, PM Modi was using the Tamil Nadu
template to pit YSRCP and Jena Sena against TDP.indianexpress
Kerala: Bharat Dharma Jana Sena withdraws
support from BJP in by-election
Alappuzha: BDJS, BJP’s strongest ally in
Kerala, announced that it won’t back the BJP in the soon to be announced
Assembly by-poll at Chengannur constituency. Bharat Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS) is
the political arm of the SNDP, which works predominantly for the backward
Ezhava community. It was formed in 2015 and secured 4.47 % votes in 2016 in Assembly elections in the
state.BDJS chief Tushar Vellapally said after a meeting of his party that they
had decided not to cooperate with the BJP in the Chengannur by-election as and
when it is announced.“We have also decided to call a meeting of all the allies
of the NDA barring the BJP. We are pained that a section of the state BJP has
spread baseless rumours that I am going to be chosen by the BJP national
leadership to contest the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls,” he said.IANS
Expect a faster ED, CBI action in UP and Bihar
now: Tejashwi after BJP’s dismal show in bypolls
New Delhi:RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav took
potshots at the BJP after the saffron party was handed a crushing defeat by the
Samajwadi Party in UP and just managed to retain Bhabua assembly seat in
Bihar.A jubilant Tejashwi dealt a sarcastic blow to the BJP after his party won
Jehanabad seat in Bihar bye-elections saying he expects more ED and CBI actions
now. “Bihar CM Sushil Modi is accused in corruption cases. But no investigation
are being conducted. However, after the bypolls results, we expect Modi and
Amit Shah to speed up ED and CBI probe in Bihar and UP,” said Yadav.
indianexpress
Govt, not RBI, controls public sector banks:
RBI Governor
Breaking his silence on PNB fraud, RBI
Governor Urjit Patel said that RBI has better regulatory control over private
sector banks while PSBs look up to the finance ministry Two weeks after Finance
Minister Arun Jaitley blamed RBI for PNB fraud, Reserve Bank of India Governor
Urjit Patel blamed the finance ministry for not giving RBI sufficient power
over public sector banks. RBI Governor broke his silence in an address at the
Gujarat National Law University at Gandhinagar.Finance Minister Jaitley was
quoted last month as saying, "We must always remember that regulators have
a very important function. They ultimately decide the rules of the game and
they have to have a third eye kept perpetually open and turned towards the
sector. But unfortunately, in (the) Indian system, we politicians are
accountable, the regulators are not."nationalheraldindia
Nirav, Choksi, Mallya Among 36 Businesspersons
Absconding Abroad: Govt.
New Delhi: Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi, Vijay
Mallya and Mehul Choksi are among 36 businesspersons who have absconded abroad
after being named in scams or massive loan defaults, the Govt of PM Narendra Modi told the Parliament here. Against
some of them, MJ Akbar, Minister of State, MEA, said the Govt has sent
extradition requests to concerned foreign countries.In a written reply to the
question of some Members of Lok Sabha regarding the absconding businesspersons,
Akbar provided two lists of absconding businesspersons – one prepared by
Directorate of Enforcement, New Delhi and another provided by CBI.caravandaily
India supports developing Chabahar port as alternate
access route to Afghan, Central Asia: MEA
New Delhi:India has said while it’s Iran’s
prerogative to choose partner for developing infrastructure facilities at
Chabahar port, it supports developing the project as a robust and alternate
access route to and from Afghanistan and Central Asia. Ministry of External
Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said significant progress has been made in
operationalising Chabahar port.2 days ago, Foreign Minister of Iran Javad Zarif
had invited Pakistan to participate in the Chabahar port project, Pakistan
daily Dawn had reported. Zarif, who was on a three-day visit to Pakistan, was
quoted by Dawn while delivering a lecture at the Institute of Strategic Studies
Islamabad as saying, “We offered to participate in the CPEC. We have also
offered Pakistan and China to participate in Chahbahar.” indianexpress
Pakistan raises Kashmir issue at UN, India
says don’t need lessons from a ‘failed state’
Using a 2-pronged tactic in the Human Rights
Council, Pakistan has raised the Kashmir issue while speaking on behalf of the
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and then for itself.In its reply
during the debate on Wednesday at the UN in Geneva, India rejected the OIC
statement saying the group had no standing in India’s internal affairs and
accused Pakistan of using “terrorism as a state policy under the guise of
concern for human rights.”Islamabad also brought up Kulbhushan Jadhav, who is
on death row in Pakistan accused of being an Indian intelligence agent, while replying
to India’s counter statement.IANS
Terror funding: NIA detains Hizb chief’s kin
Srinagar: NIA has detained four family members
of Hizbul Mujhadeen chief Syed Salahuddin in connection with a terror funding
case, sources said.NIA picked up Salahuddin’s 3 sons, Shakil Ahmed, Javaid
Ahmed and Muhammad Moieed and his son-in-law Muhammad Umar. Sources said that
all the four were detained and questioned by an NIA team at their Srinagar
office. While Javaid Ahmed was released after questioning, the rest of the
family members were still in the custody of the NIA till late evening. Hizb
chief’s another son Shahid Yousuf is already languishing in Tihar Jail.
Meanwhile, photo journalist Kamran Yousuf, who was arrested on stone-pelting
charges last year, has been released from Delhi jail Wednesday
morning.timesofindia
JNU removes 7 Chairpersons, Deans over
attendance row
New Delhi:JNU VC removed at least 7
Deans/Chairpersons for not complying with or refusing to implement the
mandatory attendance system in their respective Schools/Centres. University would
set up an inquiry committee against erring heads.The daily accessed office
orders issued to the chairpersons of the Centre for French and Francophone
Studies; Centre for Linguistics; Centre for Historical Studies; Centre for
Economic Studies & Planning; Centre for Comparative Politics and Political
Thought; and the Centre for English Studies.A similar order was also issued to
the Dean of the School of Arts & Aesthetic, Kavita Singh, on Wednesday.
Signed by AD Bahuguna, Section Officer (Academic), it said, “Executive Council
in its 272nd meeting held on March 13 confirmed the decision taken in 271st
(emergency) meeting of the EC on resolution number 08 of 144th (A) meeting of
the Academic Council, held on Dec 1,2017 regarding compulsory attendance in all
regular courses, and authorised V-C to replace the existing Deans of
Schools/Chairpersons of Centres who have not complied with, or refused to,
implement the attendance system in the university, with the Acting
Deans/Chairpersons.” indianexpress
Ayodhya dispute: Will see if 1994 ruling on
mosques in Islam needs re-look, says Supreme Court
New Delhi: A Supreme Court bench hearing the
Ayodhya title suit said it will first examine whether the apex court’s 1994
judgment in the M Ismail Faruqui case — that a mosque was not an essential part
of the practice of Islam, and hence could be acquired by the state — needs to
be sent to a larger bench for reconsideration.The court ruled out sending the
entire title suit to a larger bench, and underlined that it cannot compel the
parties involved in the Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute to arrive at a
settlement.A three-judge bench of Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra and
Justices Ahok Bhushan and S Abdul Nazeer said: “After due deliberation, we have
thought it appropriate that we should hear Dr (Rajeev) Dhavan, learned senior
counsel appearing in one of the appeals on behalf of the appellants, whether
the judgment in Dr M Ismail Faruqui requires reconsideration…. We must immediately
make it clear that our addressing the said issue shall singularly relate to
whether this bench should think the dictum in Dr M Ismail Faruqui…requires
reconsideration.”In that event, the bench said, it “may pass appropriate orders
for placing the matter before a five-judge bench for consideration”.A 5-judge
Constitution Bench, headed by then CJI MN Venkatchalliah, had in 1994 held,
“under the Mohammedan Law applicable in India, title to a mosque can be lost by
adverse possession…. If that is the position in law, there can be no reason to
hold that a mosque has a unique or special status, higher than that of the
places of worship of other religions in secular India to make it immune from
acquisition by exercise of the sovereign or prerogative power of the State. A
mosque is not an essential part of the practice of the religion of Islam and
namaz (prayer) by Muslims can be offered anywhere, even in open.”Accordingly,
the court had then held, “its acquisition is not prohibited by provisions in
the Constitution of India.”Senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan, who raised the
question of the Ismail Faruqui case, submitted that the court will “have to
decide what is the concept of mosque to Muslims”. indianexpress
Ayodhya Dispute: SC to reconsider 1994 verdict
which said “offering Namaz in Mosque is not integral part of Islam”
Muslim women stage rally in Bhagalpur, Saharsa
against talaq bill
Bhagalpur/Saharsa: Muslim men and women took
to the streets in Bhagalpur and Saharsa to protest against the ‘triple talaq’
bill.In Bhagalpur, the rally passed through the busy thoroughfares of the town.
Later, some of the leaders submitted a memorandum to the DM. Maulana of Khankah
Shahbazia Mufti Farooq Aalam Asharfi said, “The Bill is against the Shariat and
against the Muslim personal law.” Lauding the rally taken out by Muslim women
and men, Asharfi said they would intensify their stir at the state and national
level in order to pressurize the Central Govt to withdraw the bill that is
likely to trigger more problems in Muslim families.Meanwhile, thousands of
women wearing burqa in Saharsa took out a silent protest march near
collectorate on Wednesday to protest against the triple talaq bill.It was for
the first time in Kosi region that such a large number of Muslim women, mostly
from the rural areas, had come out of their houses and participated in a stir.
The protest march was surprisingly an all-woman affair as no male members were
allowed to interfere. "talaq bill wapas lo”, “shariyat me hastakshep band
karo”, “triple talaq bill will ruin family and society,” etc.Some prominent
women leaders associated with ‘Islah-e-Muashra’ and ‘Tahaffuj-e-Shariyat’,
including Hina Farooqui, Kokab Sultana, Mahjabi Naaj, Sophia Parween addressed
the rally before submitting a memorandum to the Saharsa DM which was addressed
to the President of India.TOI
Over 3 lakh people attended protest march
against Triple Talaq bill in Bhagalpur
After Bombay HC's intervention, Thane college
allows student to wear hijab
After the intervention of Bombay High Court, a
Thane-based homeopathy college, has allowed a Muslim student to pursue her
medical studies, wearing a ‘head scarf’ and full length gown, while attending
classes.The student had filed a petition in the high court alleging that the
college objected to her wearing the traditional dress, which is commonly worn
by Muslim women.The college, in its affidavit, said the student insisted on
wearing a full burqa or a veil whilst coming to the college. The student in her
plea had sought directions to the college to grant her a NOC, and that
University transfer her to another homeopathy college for her to pursue her
education. A division bench of Justice RM Sawant and Justice Sarang Kotwal were
informed by the college chairman that the student can continue her education
wearing the dress without covering her face, and putting the apron, as and when
required during classes, over the burqa.The student is allowed to be admitted
in the repeaters batch of the academic year 2016-2017, which has already
commenced. Advocate Deepak Salvi, appearing for the college, said “There was no
restriction on the wearing a hijab and the student had to repeat because of low
attendance, which did not qualify her for appearing for the exams.”The court
disposed off the petition considering the issue as resolved.dnaindia
Kerala HC says govt can't question citizens'
right to religious conversion by insisting on certification
Kerala High Court has held that people don't
need certificates from Govt -approved institutions in order to change their
religions, holding that Govts cannot question citizens' rights to convert to
another religion.As reported by TOI, the court made the observations while
hearing a petition filed by Aysha, a 67-year-old woman from Perinthalmanna, who
was born as Devaki, before converting to Islam with her son. The report said
that when Aysha tried to fill out an application with the directorate of
printing to notify her change of name and religion, she was asked to produce a
certificate from a Govt recognised institution.The court of Justice A Muhamed
Mustaque said, "The right to profess and practice a religion is a
Fundamental Right. One has the liberty to choose his own faith. The Govt , therefore,
will have to act upon one's declaration as to the change of his faith or
conscience. Maturity of such decision cannot be subject to any
examination," it said.firstpost
Govt can’t insist on certificate for religious
conversion: Kerala HC
Agra: Admin asks Pollution Control Board to
inspect mosque creating ‘noise pollution’
AGRA: City magistrate has written to officials
of UP Pollution Control Board’s (UPPCB) Agra unit, asking them to send a team
to check the volume of the four loudspeakers installed at the mosque in front
of Mantola police station near Sadar Bhatti roundabout. This comes a week after
officials from Mantola station filed a written complaint with the
administration regarding the inconvenience caused to them and local residents
due to the high volume of loudspeakers.Mantola police station in-charge
Santrunjay Singh told TOI, “This is a communally sensitive area. We have often
received complaints from locals about the loud noise created by the four loudspeakers
installed at mosque, especially during azaan. By using a sound measurement app,
we have found that the decibel level of these loudspeakers is higher than the
maximum permissible limit of 75 dB. The mosque has permission to use
loudspeakers, but it needs to lower their volume.”In Mantola, 21 out of 22
shrines (including mosques and temples) have permission to use loudspeakers.
TOI
Jaipur: Tension over mosque wall demolition
Jaipur: Tension prevailed in the district HQRS
town on Wednesday after members of a minority community took to streets
opposing demolition of the boundary wall of their religious shrine by the
district administration for widening of a road. As per reports, the
administration has launched a demolition drive to widen Municipality roads,
parts of which are under encroachment. On Tuesday night, officials of Revenue
and Roads and Building departments started razing illegal structures along
Medical Chowk and the Ring Road stretch by excavators and earth movers.However,
while demolishing the boundary wall of the mosque at Gandhi Chowk, JCB machine
accidentally hit the roof of the shrine. As a result, a small portion of the
roof collapsed. When the news spread, local Muslim residents rushed to the spot
and stopped the demolition drive in protest. The agitators allegedly broke some
machines used in the demolition work. Sensing trouble, police personnel were
deployed in large numbers near Gandhi Chowk to avert any untoward
incident.newindianexpress
Will visit mosque if I get an invitation:CM
Adityanath
UP
CM Yogi Adityanath today took a
jibe at SP chief Akhilesh Yadav for calling himself a Hindu. Speaking at India
TV Samvaad Conclave in Lucknow, organised to assess the performance of his
1-year old Govt , CM said that Akhilesh and Congress president Rahul Gandhi
have understood the power of Hindus.Replying to Akhilesh’s remark that he is a
‘backward Hindu’, he said, “Hindus are neither backward, nor forward. People
who used to worship Lord Hanuman within their home, today are coming outside of
their home and speaking.”To a question will he ever visit a Mosque, he said, “I
had visited a Gurdwara and that I will surely visit a Mosque of I get an
invitation.”indiatvnews
Bhima-Koregaon: Maha withdraws cases against
all rioters, sets up committee to probe serious offences
Mumbai: Maharashtra Govt on Tuesday announced its decision to withdraw
cases against all accused booked for violence during a statewide shutdown in
January that took places after clashes broke out in Bhima-Koregaon in Pune. One
person was killed while 100 others were injured during the caste riots that gripped
the state after New Year's Day. Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis announced the
decision in the state assembly today. CM Fadnavis added that the state
Govt would set up a committe to take a
decision on the cases of serious offences filed in the matter, which would be
required to submit its report within 3 months. CM also informed the house that the state
Govt will give compensation to the
people who suffered during the rioting, IANS reported. He also said that state
will take over the management and maintenance of the samadhi of Chhatrapati
Sambhaji Maharaj in Vadhu-Budruk village, around five kms from Bhima-Koregaon.
A total of 58 cases were filed in connection with the riots by the Pune police
and 162 accused were arrested, the CM said. timesnownews
Bhopal Jail-break, encounter report to be tabled before MP
Assembly
Bhopal: Shivraj Singh Chouhan Govt in MP
cleared the decks for tabling before the State Assembly the much-awaited report
of the single member judicial commission that probed the killing of 8 alleged
SIMI men.The state cabinet chaired by CM decided to table the report of the
single member commission which has already been submitted to the Govt in August
2017. “The report has been submitted to the state Govt and the cabinet has
decided to table the report,” said state Govt’s official spokesperson and
minister of public relations Narottam Mishra. Importantly, single member
commission headed by retired judge of HC Justice SK Pandey had submitted its
voluminous report to the state Govt in
August 2017. Report, however, wasn’t tabled by the state Govt in the winter
session of the State Assembly. With the state Govt now deciding to table the report, the report
is now likely to be tabled in Vidhan Sabha’s ongoing budget session, which ends
on March 28.newindianexpress
Muslim Leaders Condemn Ban on PFI in Jharkhand
New Delhi: Eminent leaders of the Muslim
community have strongly condemned the ban imposed by the BJP Govt of Jharkhand on the Popular Front of India
(PFI). In a joint statement, they termed the ban as “unjust” and demanded its
withdrawal.Leaders of important Muslim organisations and leading figures of Muslim
community considered the ban tantamount to murdering democracy.Muslim leaders
demanded that the ban on PFI in Jharkhand should be withdrawn forthwith.The
joint statement was issued by Maulana Wali Rahmani, General Secretary, All
India Muslim Personal Law Board and Head of Imarat-eShariah Bihar, Jharkhand
& Orissa; Maulana Mahmood Madani, General Secretary, Jamiat Ulama-I-Hind;
Maulana Muhammad Sajjad Nomani, spokesperson of All India Muslim Personal Law
Board; Maulana Mufti Mukarram, Shahi Imam & Khateeb, Fatehpuri Masjid,
Delhi; Maulana Asrarul Haq Qasmi, MP; Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan, President,
Ittehad-e Millat Council; Prof. Akhtarul Wasey, President, Maulana Azad
University, Jodhpur; Dr Syed Zafar Mahmood, Chairman, ZFI; Dr Zafarul-Islam
Khan, Chairman, Delhi Minorities Commission, and Dr Tasleem Rehmani.In a
separate statement, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind has also opposed and expressed deep
concern on the ban on PFI.Muhammad Salim Engineer, Secretary General of Jamaat,
said: “Jamaat disturbed by reports of Jharkhand Govt banning the activities of
PFI under section 16 of CLA Act, 1908. We are highly concerned and condemn this
culture of banning organizations. It is a clear violation of the fundamental
rights protected by the Constitution and goes against the democratic ethos and
basic civil liberties’’. In another statement, Jamiat Ulama has also opposed
the ban. caravandaily
Media blamed Rohingyas for attack on
Journalists in Jammu for which 2 locals were held?
Jammu:Rohingya refugees in Jammu have once
again become the target of vicious media reporting after a group of journalists
were beaten while covering a story in the Rohingya slums in Keriyan Talab area
of Bathindi in Jammu district.According to reports, on Tuesday, March 13 a
group of reporters from national news channels along with a local RTI activist
had gone to cover a story on ‘illegal’ sim cards obtained by the Rohingya
refugees, where they were harassed and beaten by a group of youths which the
reporters alleged were from the Rohingya community. The video of the incident
which has gone viral on the social networking websites is being circulated as
the alleged handiwork of the Rohingya, but a close look at the attackers make
it clear that the assailants are locals and not Rohingyas.“The media persons
came here at 2 pm. While they were taking the video, a car belonging to a local
hit the car of media persons leaving scratches. The argument among both the
groups led to the physical assault.
Those involved are local persons,” said Mohammad Ali, a Rohingya refugee
labourer.Another Rohingya, Mustafa Farooq, said that the latest incident is
part of the already running campaign to defame and demonise the community, “The
attackers were not Rohingya. Media persons are lying and defaming us. They are
even saying that our women beat them despite the fact that there wasn’t even a
single Rohingya woman on the road that time.”SSP Jammu, Vivek Gupta in an
interaction with media has clearly said that they have made 2 arrests who were
locals and not Rohingya.“We have arrested 2 local youths, Mohammad Ashraf and
Sher Mohammad. They (media persons) have not been attacked by Rohingya, I
should be very clear on it,” he said. TCN
Indians are an unhappy lot, but Pakistanis get
more joyful: UN report
Indians, it appears, are getting unhappier by
the year, while their not-so-well-off neighbours in Pakistan are becoming more
joyful, shows the latest UN ranking of the world's happiest countries.India,
which dropped four places in the 2017 World Happiness Report, fell a further 11
places in the 2018 report. It now ranks a low 133 on the list of 156 countries
monitored by UN' Sustainable Development Solutions Network for its annual 'joy'
report.By comparison, terror-ravaged Pakistan, which was already 'happier' than
India in the 2017 rankings, is shown as being even happier in the 2018
rankings. It's on number 75, up five spots from last year.TOI
WTO dispute on export schemes: India to engage
with US
New Delhi;India on Thursday said it will
engage with the US to explain its position on export schemes following
America’s decision to drag India into the WTO against programmes to incentivise
shipments, a top official said today.America challenged India’s export subsidy
programmes such as Merchandise Exports from India Scheme in the WTO, saying
these initiatives harm the US companies by creating an uneven playing field.
They have sought consultations with India under the aegis of global trade
body’s dispute settlement mechanism.PTI
WORLD
Limited food allowed to enter Syria's besieged
Eastern Ghouta
Some 25 trucks of food aid have entered the
town of Douma in Syria's besieged Eastern Ghouta, according to the
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The convoy, facilitated by the
ICRC as well as the UN and the Syrian Red Crescent crossed into Douma on
Thursday through the al-Wafideen crossing.The ICRC said they were delivering
food including 5,220 food parcels and 5,220 flour bags, enough for 26,100
people, with each parcel of food meant to last a family of five for a month.At
least 125,000 people live in Douma.aljazeera
Water cut in Afrin as Turkey completes
encirclement
Water to Syria's Afrin has now been cut for a
week, the UN said on Wednesday, as Turkey's military finished encircling Kurdish
city in preparation for a major ground assault.
Access to clean drinking water ended after Turkish troops and allied
Syrian fighters seized the main dam and water plant from People's Protection
Units (YPG) militia in Kurd-dominated region in northwest Syria."Local
workers were unable to access the dam controls to pump water. The water supply
has been cut off," UN office for humanitarian affairs said in a
statement.Residents have relied on untreated water from boreholes and risk
contracting diseases, it added.aljazeera
Israeli paper
Haaretz: Hamas has no interest in targeting Hamdallah
Israeli newspaper Haaretz said yesterday that
Hamas does not have any interest in targeting the convoy of Palestinian
Authority (PA) PM Rami Hamdallah.Israeli
writer Amira Hass said that it is easy to accuse Hamas of carrying out the
attack “but there are much more likely suspects”.She added:“Hamas does not and
could not have any interest in attacking senior Palestinian Authority officials
on their way to inaugurate a sewage treatment plant that residents of the Gaza
Strip have long awaited.”According to the Israeli paper, Hass expected that
Hamas would not allow or turn a blind eye to anyone planting an explosive
device to target Hamdallah’s convoy because it wants to appear to be a strong
player on the ground.She also said that Hamas is ready to give up part of its
power for the sake of its people, not due to its failures.middleeastmonitor
Morsi is not an ordinary prisoner, British MP
warns Egypt
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180315-morsi-is-not-an-ordinary-prisoner-british-mp-warns-egypt/
A British Member of Parliament has pointed out
that former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, who was ousted in a military coup
in 2013, is “not an ordinary prisoner.”Crispin Blunt MP warned the authorities
in Egypt that if Morsi dies in prison, the consequences will be greater than if
the victim was anyone else, Anadolu has reported.Blunt, who heads Westminster’s
Foreign Affairs Committee, said that a request by a group of British
parliamentarians to be allowed to visit Morsi in prison has not received any
response from Egyptian Embassy in London.Morsi’s family have repeatedly voiced
concerns about his health and the lack of medical treatment available in
prison. His son Abdullah said earlier this month that Morsi’s request for
urgent medical treatment during a trial session was refused.“We believe that he
has not received any adequate treatment for his diabetes or blood pressure,”
explained Abdullah Morsi. “Because he has not received any proper treatment for
his diabetes, he has now lost most of sight in his left eye and needs urgent
surgery.”MEMO
Saudi Crown Prince says will develop nuclear
bomb if Iran does
Riyadh: Saudi Arabia will develop a nuclear
bomb if Iran does so, the kingdom's 32-year-old Crown Prince has said in a
preview of a television interview released on Thursday.“Saudi Arabia does not
want to acquire any nuclear bomb, but without a doubt if Iran developed a nuclear
bomb, we will follow suit as soon as possible,” Prince Mohammed bin Salman told
CBS in an interview that will air on Sunday.REUTERS
Democrats demand Jared Kushner's dismissal
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/03/democrats-demand-jared-kushner-dismissal-180314200343750.html
A group of House Democrats called on White
House Chief of Staff John Kelly to dismiss President Donald Trump's senior
adviser Jared Kushner.25 legislators, led by Representative Don Beyer, sent a
letter to Kelly expressing their disillusionment with the president's
son-in-law, citing media reports alleging a number of countries have discussed
ways to manipulate the 37-year old. "It is impossible for the American
people or their elected representatives to have faith that Jared Kushner will
put their interests above his own personal and financial interests," the
letter said."The only path forward is clear: Jared Kushner must resign
immediately. If he will not, we believe it is your duty as White House chief of
staff to fire him." aljazeera
Attacks against Muslims on rise in Germany; 3
assailants involved in attack on masjid
Berlin: A masjid in Berlin has been set on
fire by masked assailants in the early hours of Sunday morning. According to
police, the masjid was damaged but no one injured in the incident. Though the
police have not disclosed to which group does the assailants belong, but they
have declared the move as deliberate. According to the eyewitnesses, three
assailants with covered faces threw burning material and immediately ran
away.As part of the anti-Islamic activities the Aksemsettin Mosque – belonging
to the Muslim-Turkish association Islamic Community National View (IGMG) – in
the town of Lauffen am Neckar was also attacked on Friday.Islamophobia and anti-Islami
activities have increased following ISIS attacks in European countries during
2017.According to German home ministry, 950 attacks on Muslims and Islamic
institutions have been recorded during 2017. The report stated that 33 people
have injured in the attacks and while in 60 incidents masajid have been
directly targeted.siasat
In joint statement, US, UK, France and Germany
agree Russia behind nerve agent attack on ex spy
Moscow:The leaders of the US, France, Germany
and Britain say they are united in blaming Russia for a nerve agent attack on
former spy Sergei Skripal. In a rare joint statement, President Donald Trump,
President Emmanuel Macron, Chancellor Angela Merkel and PM Theresa May say “there is no plausible
alternative explanation” to Russian responsibility in the March 4 attack in
England.They say Russia’s failure to respond to Britain’s “legitimate request” for
an explanation “further underlines its responsibility.” The leaders say the use
of a chemical weapon is “an assault on UK sovereignty” and “a breach of
international law.” Britain has expelled 23 Russian diplomats and suspended
high-level contacts with Moscow over the incident.Russia is expected to take
retaliatory measures soon.AP
FLASH: VIEWS & NEWS
'People in UP Are Rejecting BJP's Anti-Dalit,
Anti-Minority Politics':thewire
Lack of evidence put Stephen Hawking’s Nobel
Prize hopes in black hole:AP
Pakistanis Happier than Indians: World
Happiness Report's Findings Unlikely to Bring Cheer
In 30 Minutes, Without Debate, Lok Sabha
Clears 2 Bills, 218 Amendments: indiaspend
“Fear” Of “Mini Pakistan” In India:Abhay Kumar
Journalists are not free from political bias:
Kumar Ketkar
After Tillerson, is Gulf crisis heading for a
long 'cold peace'?William Roberts
Houthis: Snipers kill at least six Saudi
soldiers daily
Supreme Court raps media for 'irresponsible
reportage', says TV channels, websites aren't pope sitting in pulpit
Syria's War: Seven years, seven documentaries:
aljazeera
In Granting Bail to Kashmiri Photojournalist,
Court Picks Holes in NIA's Claims:thewire
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Anwarulhaq (Released at: 8:56 PM)
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