NEWS
DIGEST, MID-DAY
09 May 2018:22 Shaban 1439: Vol:10,
No:17
INDIA
Assam citizens act: Names of rejected NRC
applicants will be kept confidential, says SC
Guwahati: Supreme Court has ruled that names
of the rejected applicants of final National Register of Citizens (NRC) list
will be kept confidential. Applicants will be informed about their application
status personally so as to ensure their right to privacy. As per schedule, the
second list of the NRC will be published on June 30.On Tuesday, a Division
Bench of Justices Ranjan Gogoi and Rohinton Fali Nariman took an update on the
progress of NRC exercise by State Coordinator Prateek Hajela.Apart from
proposal to maintain confidentiality, Hajela also suggested that applicants should
be called to designated NRC seva kendras for verification of documents instead
of individual household visits, which has been the usual practice up till
now.Court has accepted both proposals. NRC, which was first prepared in 1951,
is getting an update to detect illegal immigrants in Assam. On Dec.31, 2017,
1.9 crore names out of 3.29 crore applicants were published as part of the
first draft of NRC.indianexpress
10,000 fake voter IDs in Karnataka: Cong
demands resignation of HRD Minister Javdekar for ‘lying’
Congress has demanded the resignation of Union
HRD Minister Prakash Javdekar after it emerged that house, where 10,000 fake
voter IDs were recovered from in Bengaluru, belonged to an ex BJP councilor.
BJP on Tuesday urged Election Commission to countermand the assembly election
in Rajarajeshwari Nagar constituency of Bengaluru suburb after about 10,000
allegedly fake voter IDs were found in the locality. Taking to Twitter Javdekar
has written, “BJP demands countermanding of elections in Rajarajeshwari Nagar
in light of latest revelations of tens of thousands of fake voter IDs and empty
packets of hard currency.This is Congress conspiracy to rig election in the
face of their imminent defeat.”However, on Wednesday, the son of ex BJP
councilor, Shridhar, told Times Now that Javdekar was wrong to accuse that her
mother was ever a Congress member.He said that his mother Manjula was still an
active BJP member and had never joined the Congress. He dared Javdekar to
furnish evidence in support of his allegation that Manjula had joined Congress
in the past.“She’s not campaigning for BJP candidate because of the health
issue,” Shridhar added. Shridhar’s cousin, Rakesh, had alleged that Manjula had
left BJP and was campaigning for the Congress candidate in this year’s assembly
polls. Shridhar said,“Do get me the evidence and then I will talk.”The latest
revelation prompted Congress leaders to demand Javdekar’s resignation for
‘lying.” Sanjay Jha, Congress spokesperson, tweeted, “Dear Mr@PrakashJavdekar,You
think you should formally tender your resignation for this disgusting farce?' Election
Commission on Tuesday had said that it will register an FIR on the matter and
take action after investigation. Assembly polls will be held on 12 May, while counting
will take place on 15 May.jantakareporter
BJP Members Detained in Assam After Recovery
of Flag Asking People to Join ISIS
New Delhi:Assam police has detained 6 alleged
BJP members for questioning over recovery of a purported ISIS flag in Lower
Assam.As per local media reports, on May 7 night, acting on a tip-off, police
in Nalbari district’s Belsor area picked up the BJP members for their alleged
role in sticking the flag to a tree in the area. On May 3, villagers found the
flag with the message “Join the ISIS” written in Arabic stuck to a tree in a
paddy field in Koihata area of the district, following which they informed the
nearby Belsore police station. Police took off the flag and told local
reporters that it would conduct an inquiry as to who might be responsible for
it. The incident created a flutter in the area as 6 similar flags with “ISIS
NE” inscribed on them were found in the state’s Goalpara district on May 2.Flags
were found just days ahead of the visit of 16-member joint parliamentary
committee headed by BJP MP Rajendra Agarwal set up to hear representations
regarding Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016. thewire
India
could face impact of US decision to pull out of Iran nuclear deal
India could face the impact of US decision to
withdraw from Iran nuclear deal as well as instituting the “highest
level of economic sanctions” in several ways:The impact on world oil prices
will be the immediately visible impact of US decision. Iran is presently
India’s third biggest supplier and any increase in prices will hit both
inflation levels as well as the Indian Rupee, which breached ₹67 to US Dollar
this week. In the past week alone, crude prices have crossed $70/bbl (barrel)
level, touching a 4-year high. India’s moves over the last few years to develop
berths at Shahid Beheshti port in Chabahar was a key part of its plans to
circumvent Pakistan’s blocks on trade with Afghanistan, and the new US
sanctions could slow or even bring those plans to a halt depending on how
strictly they are implemented. India has already committed about $85 million to
Chabahar development with plans for a total of $500 million on the port, while
a railway line to Afghanistan could cost as much as $1.6 billion. Beyond Chabahar, India has been a founder of
INSTC since it was ratified in 2002, that starts from Iran and aims to cut
right across Central Asia to Russia over a 7,200-km multi-mode network, cutting
down transportation and time taken by trade by about 30%. Plans for INSTC sped
up after JCPOA was signed in 2015 and sanctions on Iran were lifted. New US
sanctions will affect these plans immediately.India joined Shanghai Cooperation
Organisation (SCO) along with Pakistan last year, and both will be formally
admitted in June 2018, when PM Narendra Modi travels to the Chinese city of
Qingdao for the SCO summit. This year, Chinese officials say they will consider
inducting Iran into 8-member Eurasian security organisation. If the proposal is
accepted by SCO which is led by China and Russia, India will become a member of
a bloc that will be seen as anti-American, and will run counter to some of the
govt’s other initiatives. India has long been a proponent of a “rules-based
order” that depends on multilateral consensus and an adherence to commitments
made by countries on the international stage. By walking out of JCPOA that was
signed by Obama administration, US Govt has overturned the precept that such
international agreements are made by “States” not just with prevailing Govt s
or regimes. The hindu
Tension at Jamia Millia after anti-Jinnah rally
Tension prevailed at Delhi’s Jamia Millia
Islamia after a group of students and alleged right-wing activists yesterday
held a rally and shouted slogans against Mohammad Ali Jinnah. Group marched
from Okhla’s Sarai Jullena area to the university’s main gate around 5.30pm,
reported TOI.They shouted slogans like “Jinnah premi Bharat chhodo”, “Vande
Mataram” and “Hinduon ko darana band karo”.“It’s an attempt to repeat what had
happened in AMU,” said Mohammad Salim,PhD scholar. AMU campus has been tense
ever since members of ABVP and Hindu Yuva Vahini entered the premises demanding
that the portrait of Jinnah be removed from the students’ union hall. The
protestors at Jamia, on the other hand, said they held the rally against the
discrimination that Hindu students face.“We were receiving complaints of Hindu
students being harassed and threatened by fellow students at the campus,” Jatin
Jain, a BSc student at the university and one of the protestors, told DNA.
“Many students were bullied on social media on the basis of their identity for
posting something on AMU-Jinnahcontroversy.” Students alleged that most of the
protestors were outsiders and demanded that the administration file a police
complaint in the matter. “How can outsiders enter our campus and create tension
like this,” said Imran Choudhary, head of Jamia’s Students’ Union. “Administration
should immediately look into this.” scroll.in
Right-wing activists protest outside Jamia in
Delhi over Jinnah row, raise provocative slogans: Report
After AMU, ruckus in Jamia over Jinnah
Why no protests over Jinnah’s portraits in
Sabarmati Ashram, Bombay HC, asks AMU VC; meets Rajnath, says students’ stir
not linked to Jinnah portrait row
Professor Tariq Mansoor, V-C of AMU slammed
the media reports which claimed that protests in AMU campus carried out by
university students were in defence of Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s portrait. Mansoor met
Home Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi over the Jinnah portrait row. V-C,
while calling it a “non-issue”, is quoted by ANI as saying:“Jinnah’s portrait
has been here (in the campus) since 1938. Jinnah’s portrait is at many places
including Bombay HC and Sabarmati Ashram. No one was worried about the
portraits until now, I think it is a non-issue.” “Students agitation had no
relation to Jinnah portrait row, they were protesting against people who came
to AMU to disturb peace on May 2. Spoken to chief secretary for a judicial
inquiry into the incident,” the V-C added.On Tuesday, AMU V-C had urged
students to not let their studies suffer due to the unrest in the varsity. In
an open letter to the students, he urged them “not to fall into the trap of
certain forces that are bent upon destroying the image of our alma mater and
are playing with your bright future”.In his letter, Mansoor said he was pained
that a negative image of the university is being propagated through some
channels of the media, using “half-truths”.indianexpress, newsx
Muslims Don't Believe In Photos, They Should
Not Worry About Jinnah's Portrait': Ramdev
Yoga guru and entrepreneur Baba Ramdev today
said Muslims, who do not "attach importance" To pictures or idols,
should not worry about portraits of Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Ramdev was responding
to a query on the controversy over the demand for removal of a portrait of
Jinnah from the premises of AMU."The ghost of Jinnah is hogging a lot of
limelight. Muslims ought not worry about the Pakistan founder's pictures as
they do not attach importance to photographs or idols in keeping with the
tenets of their faith," he told reporters here."Jinnah can never be
an ideal figure to those who believe in country's unity and integrity,"
said Ramdev, who was in Nalanda of Bihar to hold yoga classes. "Those
having a problem with 'Gayatri Mantra' can practice yoga by reciting the name
of Allah. Also, no 'tantra-mantra'(sorcery)is involved in yoga,"he said.Outlook
Fatwa against Jinnah portrai
Amid row over the presence of a portrait of
Muhammad Ali Jinnah at AMU, a Bareilly Dargah in UP has issued a fatwa asking
Muslims to not stand by Pakistan’s founder.“Dargah Aala Hazrat issued fatwa
that any Muslim should not stand by Md. Ali Jinnah, if they do so that’ll be
wrong. It also states that putting up his portrait is wrong. Jinnah is not an
idol for Muslims, he is founder of an enemy nation,” ANI quoted Aitul from
Dargah Aala Hazrat of Bareilly as saying.financialexpress
CJI impeachment: Prashant Bhushan files RTI,
asks how Constitution bench was formed
Advocate Prashant Bhushan has filed a Right to
Information application seeking details of how a five-judge Constitution bench
was formed to hear the petition challenging the rejection of the impeachment
motion against CJI Dipak Misra, reported Live Law. After the court refused to
provide a copy of the order on Tuesday, two Congress MPs had withdrawn their
petition challenging the rejection.In his RTI query, Bhushan asked two
questions. First, if an administrative order listed the petition before the
Constitution bench. Second, who passed the administrative order. He has also
sought a copy of the order.It is not clear who formed the bench – Misra, being
the chief justice and Master of the Roster, decides which cases judges hear,
but the petition directly involves him. None of the five senior-most judges of
the Supreme Court are on the Constitution bench. Four of them had made
allegations against Misra in a press conference in January.scroll.in
Victims of UP extra-judicial killings approach
NHRC, activists question police theory
New Delhi: Noted lawyer and human rights
activist Prashant Bhushan has said that the so called encounters in UP are not
encounters but they are cold-blooded murders under UP govt.After releasing
‘Countering Silence’ report on extra judicial killings in UP in a press
conference in New Delhi, Bhushan said that the issue of encounters is very
serious.“It is a very serious issue and if it goes on like that then the rule
of law can't be maintained here in this country,” he pointed out. Activists
believe that over thousand such killings took place in UP since new Govt was
formed in March 2017. Over 50 people were killed and many, including some
police officials, were injured.Under the guidance of hushan, few victims on
Monday approached NHRC pleading for an independent probe these killings. The
report was prepared by the human rights forum Citizen Against Hate in which
they have documented 16 incidents of extrajudicial killing in UP and 12 cases
of Mewat(Haryana)between 2017-18.Report,which is based on family narratives of
victim and legal analysis, questions whole narrative of these killings and
termed them as ‘pre-meditated extra-judicial executions’.IndiaTomrrow
‘Fake encounters’: 16 in UP, 12 in Mewat, says
rights group
40,000 citizens across world urge UN to probe
rising attacks on minorities, Dalits in India
London: Urging the UN to pay heed to more than
40,000 signatories, rights group, South Asia Solidarity Group, has demanded the
world body to investigate the rising attacks on religious minorities like
Muslims and Christians and underprivileged Dalits in India. Keval Bharadia, campaigner for South Asia
Solidarity Group, said:“UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues, Dr Fernand de
Varennes must investigate the human rights violations which target religious
minorities, specifically Muslims and Christians, and Dalits are occurring on a
vast and horrific scale in India today”.“There is a horrifying rise in the
rapes, mutilation, acid attacks and other forms of violence, often followed by
murder, of women and girls of all communities, but Dalit women and girls and
those from religious minorities are being specifically targeted. Lynchings of
Muslims and Dalits, and stripping, flogging and public humiliations have become
widespread. Muslim or Dalit and so-called ‘lower-caste’ men in relationships
with, or married to, Hindu or upper-caste women have been brutally attacked or
murdered – in the name of protecting the purity of the women involved,” he
said.Caravan News
Another warning from Gurgaon outfits against
namaz in public spaces
Gurgaon:Even as members of the Sanyukt Hindu
Sangharsh Samiti held a press conference on Tuesday, threatening to take to the
streets next week if the district administration does not ban reading of namaz
on vacant plots and parks, the deputy commissioner of Gurgaon met with
representatives of the Muslim community in the city to hear their concerns and
reach a solution. “I met some members of the community today to hear their
apprehensions. I have asked both parties to create small committees that can
recommend solutions, and am scheduled to meet them at different times
tomorrow,” said Chander Shekhar Khare, who has stepped in as deputy
commissioner since Vinay Pratap Singh is on leave. “We are hopeful that, at
some point, we will be able to get both groups in a room together to reach a
peaceful solution, but that call has to be taken later.” Members of the Samiti,
meanwhile, reiterated their demands and issued a one-week deadline to the
administration to designate places for Friday prayers. “Our main demand is that
a ban be invoked on reading namaz in the open, and we have given the district
administration a week to do this.Else, we will take to the streets and prevent
namaz from being read on vacant plots and in parks,” said Sube Singh, former
sarpanch of Wazirabad village. indianexpress
Encroachment from land near 19 mosques
removed: Gurgaon admin
Gurgaon: A day after Haryana Waqf board's
complain to the Gurgaon administration, Deputy Commissioner Chandra Shekhar
Khare today said encroachments from land near around 19 mosques have been
removed.The administration has asked Waqf board officials to take legal action
against encroachers who do not vacate its land."We have made free 19
places which were found encroached by dust, fodders, sand or trash in Gurgaon.
We have suggested the Waqf board to take action against people who are not
ready to vacate its land."We will provide whatever help the Waqf board
needs. Board can use its power immediately, take its possession and make its
land free. We will provide police protection also," said Chandra
Shekhar.Waqf Board has earmarked 22 lands in Gurgaon belonging to mosques which
have allegedly been encroached up on.PTI
Gurgaon DC on namaz in open: Hindu, Muslim
groups must work together and recommend solution
‘Telangana, AP must conduct probe on waqf as
per SC orders’
Well before a team from Central Waqf Council
(CWC) recommended CBI probe into alleged waqf irregularities last month, the
Supreme Court had directed the state Govt to order an inquiry into “all
affairs” and “transactions” of the state Waqf board, prior to bifurcation of
Andhra Pradesh, in June 2014. Now waqf rights activists have decided to knock
on the doors of the judiciary seeking contempt of court proceedings against the
state Govt .“Now that board is bifurcated between AP and Telangana, the orders
of the apex court apply to both Telugu states. Neither state has ordered
inquiry in pursuant of SC’s orders. We will now approach Telangana and AP Govt
s seeking implementation of the judgment, failing which we would move a
contempt of court petition,” said waqf protection activist and Supreme Court
advocate Khaja Aijazuddin.TOI
SC pulls up Archeology body for failing to
take steps to protect Taj Mahal
New Delhi: The Supreme Court today came down
heavily on the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) for its failure to take
appropriate steps to protect and preserve of the iconic Taj Mahal.The apex
court also expressed concern over Taj Mahal being infected by insects and asked
the authorities, including the ASI, what steps they have taken to prevent
this."This situation would not have arisen if ASI would have done its
job.We are surprised with the way ASI is defending itself.You (Centre) please
consider if the ASI is needed there or not," a bench of Justices MB Lokur
and Deepak Gupta told Additional Solicitor General ANS Nadkarni, who was
appearing for Centre.Meanwhile, Nadkarni told the bench that the Ministry of
Environment and Forests (MoEF) was considering the apex court's suggestion to
appoint international experts to look into the issue of protection and
preservation of Taj Mahal.The counsel for ASI told the court that the problem
of insects was due to stagnation of water of river Yamuna.PTI
Hindu Munnani functionary's murder: NIA raids
houses of Muslim youths in Coimbatore
Coimbatore: NIA team investigating sensational
murder case of Hindu Munnani functionary C Sasikumar raided the houses of 5
Muslim youths in Coimbatore on the early hours of Wednesday. According to sources privy to the
investigation, NIA raided houses of Aneesh in Bilal estate, Hyder Ali in
Sugunapuram and Febin Rahmanin Selvapuram in the city.Similarly, houses of
Saddam in Thudiyalur and one Mohammed Ali in Vellakinar on the city outskirts
were also raided."The raid is believed to be in connection with the
Sasikumar murder case. NIA's findings have revealed the role of a political
outfits in connection with the murder.As these youths were believed to be in
the network of the four accused arrested in this murder case, NIA has raided
their houses to collect evidence for their involvement and connection with political
outfit,"sources said.newindianexpress
Kerala: Dalit girl gets a helping hand from
mosque committee
Malappuram: A mosque committee has come
forward to help a dalit girl from a remote village in Puzhakkattiri near
Perinthalmanna continue her studies in a nursing college after she was
threatened with expulsion over unpaid fees.Sathyavani, a third year BSc nursing
student at a Mangaluru college, had to pay up more than Rs 60,000 pending fees
and had no other option but to discontinue her studies when help came
unexpectedly from the mosque committee.While Sathyavani was returning home last
week of March, the college authorities had warned her that if she did not remit
the fees immediately, she would be dismissed.Girl, living along with her
mother, a daily wage worker, had lost all her hopes after her efforts to raise
funds with the support of local organisations, including political parties, did
not yield any result. TOI
RSS and BJP work just like Egypt's Muslim
Brotherhood: Rahul Gandhi
Bengaluru: Congress President Rahul Gandhi on
Tuesday drew parallels between the functioning of RSS-BJP and the Muslim
Brotherhood (Sunni Islamist forum founded in Egypt). Criticising the BJP
Govt at the centre of attempting to take
over institutions, Rahul said that the Muslim Brotherhood followed the exact
phenomena in Egypt, Pakistan, Tunisia to destroy democracy. "They (BJP-RSS
and Muslim Brotherhood) do this because they know they can come to power once
but not return. When they come to power, they want to capture institutions.
Another circle of this and there won't be a need for democracy," Gandhi
said. newindianexpress
Blackout of parliamentary reports will lead to
totalitarianism, says SC
New Delhi:A 5-judge Constitution Bench of the
Supreme Court led by CJI Dipak Misra on Wednesday held that the admission of
published parliamentary standing committee reports as evidence does not amount
to breach of parliamentary privilege.In three separate but concurrent
judgments, the Bench unanimously held that the “delicate balance” between the
legislature and the judiciary under Doctrine of Separation of Powers will not
be upset if the court takes on record a published parliamentary report and
examines its contents to better understand and resolve a social evil. Judgments
came on a petition about cervical cancer vaccines.thehindu
Delhi’s Akbar Road ‘renamed’ Maharana Pratap
road overnight, NDMC to probe
New Delhi:Even though Centre’s proposal in
this regard is pending, New Delhi’s famous Akbar Road, which houses several
Union ministers, including BJP chief Amit Shah as well as Congress office, was
‘labelled’ Maharana Pratap Road on Tuesday night. A poster — with “Maharana
Pratap Road” printed on it — was pasted over Akbar Road signboard leading off
to India Gate circle. However, no one has yet taken responsibility for the act.
The defacement came, incidentally, ahead of the birth anniversary of the great
Mewar warrior on May 9. Poster was removed later in the day.indianexpress
Khattar seeks Israeli investments in Haryana
Herzliya:CM Manohar Lal Khattar has invited
Israeli investors to be a part of Haryana's growth story as he sought to deepen
the state's collaboration with Israel in agriculture, water management besides
exploring the use of Israeli technology in policing and rescue operations. Khattar
is leading a strong delegation from Haryana at the global agricultural
technology exhibition, Agritech Israel 2018.Delegations from Haryana,
Maharashtra, Uttarakhand and Punjab are participating in 3-day Agritech 2018 meet
alongside representatives of over 100 Indian companies, making Indian
contingent largest one at 20th version of annual event. outlookindia
Tremors felt in Delhi, northern India after
earthquake near Afghan border
New Delhi:Tremors were felt in several parts
of northern India, including Delhi-NCR, on Wednesday afternoon after an earthquake
struck Tajikistan near Afghan border, officials said.The earthquake of
magnitude 6.2 shook buildings in Afghanistan’s Kabul and was felt in Pakistani
cities as well.The tremor hit at a depth of 96km, about 67km south of the
provincial capital of Khorugh, US Geological Survey said.There were no
immediate reports of any casualties.Tremors were also felt in Punjab, Haryana
and J&K, where people rushed out of buildings,around 4:15pm,MeT dept
official said.HT
WORLD
Trump declares US withdrawal from Iran nuke
deal
US President Donald Trump has announced that
the United States is effectively withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal,
defying last-ditch diplomatic efforts by his European allies to convince him
otherwise."I made clear that if the deal could not be fixed, the United
States would no longer be a party to the agreement," Trump said in a
highly-anticipated address on Tuesday."The Iran deal is defective at its
core. If we do nothing, we will know what exactly will happen."Therefore,
I am announcing today, that the US will withdraw from the Iran nuclear
deal," he said.Under deal signed in Vienna with 6 world powers - US, UK,
France, Germany, Russia, China and EU - Iran scaled back its uranium enrichment
programme and promised not to pursue nuclear weapons. In exchange,
international sanctions were lifted, allowing it to sell its oil and gas
worldwide. However, secondary US sanctions remain.IAEA has repeatedly confirmed
that Tehran has been meeting its nuclear commitments fully.A White House
statement issued after Trump's speech said the US president directed his
"administration to immediately begin the process of re-imposing
sanctions" related to the deal, formally known as the JCPOA.aljazeera
World leaders react to US withdrawal from
Iranian deal
"France, Germany and the UK regret the US
decision to leave the Iran’s nuclear deal," French President Emmanuel
Macron, a champion of the deal, wrote on Twitter." Nuclear
non-proliferation regime is at stake," he added.Germany also reiterated it
also wants to uphold the deal. Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said "the deal
makes world safer", adding that Germany could find no legitimate reason
for pulling out of the deal.On Twitter, UK Foreign Minister Boris Johnson said
he regretted the US no longer taking part in the nuclear deal. Top EU diplomat,
Federica Mogherini, called on the international community to preserve the Iran
nuclear deal.China, one of the countries that signed JCPOA, joined the Europe
its response, saying the country is committed to protecting the deal as it
stands.Russia, one of the signatories of the deal, said it will try to keep the
deal functioning despite Tuesday's decision by the US. Speaking at a press
conference in West Jerusalem, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu applauded Trump's
decision. Saudi Arabia, a regional rival of Iran and longtime US ally, said
that it supports Trump's decision. Riyadh's allies in the Gulf - UAE and
Bahrain - also welcomed Trump's decision.UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
said in a statement that he was "deeply concerned", urging the
remaining parties of the deal to abide by their commitments. Both Australia and
Japan have also said they regret the US decision. Australia's PM Malcolm
Turnbull called on all sides to use restraint in their response.Turkey called
Trump's decision "an unfortunate step", adding that the deal was an
important step to prevent nuclear proliferation.aljazeera
Iran will quit nuclear deal if European
signatories do not offer solid guarantees: Khamenei
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
on Wednesday that Tehran would quit the landmark 2015 nuclear deal unless
European signatories offered solid guarantees that trade relations would
continue even after US' withdrawal from the pact. In a televised speech, Khamenei
said: “We hear that you want to continue the nuclear deal with 3 European
countries. I don’t have confidence in these three countries. If you don’t
succeed in obtaining a definitive guarantee -- and I really doubt that you can
-- at that moment, we cannot continue like this. If you want to conclude an
agreement, obtain real guarantees, otherwise tomorrow they will do the same as
the US..”AFP
Iran to negotiate with world powers to keep deal
in place
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has said
Tehran will bypass Washington and negotiate with the other signatories of a
multinational nuclear deal, calling US withdrawal from landmark pact
"unacceptable". aljazeera
Malaysia polls: Vote-counting starts after
'tight' poll
Polls have closed in Malaysia in what is being
billed as the country's tightest-ever election, clouded by a corruption scandal
linked to one of its leading candidates. With nearly 15 million registered
voters, polls opened at 00:00 GMT on Wednesday across the country and closed at
09:00 GMT.Malaysia's 14th general election pits incumbent PM Najib Razak, who is seeking a third term,
against his one-time mentor and former PM
Mahathir Mohamad.Najib, who has been in power since 2009, cast his
ballot in the city of Pekan."It's been a calm election in terms of the
physical aspect of the election," he told reporters.Najib's ruling
right-wing party, Barisan Nasional, has been in power since the country gained
independence in 1957.Meanwhile, his main challenger, Mahathir quit his old
party and gave the opposition a boost when he forged an alliance with
them.92-year-old's return to politics, as chairman of Pakatan Harapan, or
Alliance of Hope, gave a new lease of life to the opposition alliance, which
had been floundering since its leader Anwar Ibrahim was jailed for sodomy on
what his supporters said were politically motivated charges.aljazeera
Syria: Rebels evacuate last opposition-held
enclave
A massive convoy of buses carrying thousands
of opposition fighters and their families from the besieged city of Homs
arrived in Syria's northern rebel-held district of al-Bad.Sixty-six buses
carrying 3,194 people arrived on Tuesday a day after leaving the town of
Rastan, located roughly halfway between Homs and Hama, media reports said.The
evacuation was a part of an agreement reached between several major Free Syrian
Army factions and Russia, under which the opposition agreed to surrender medium
to heavy military hardware in exchange for safe passage to Idlib province and
Jarablus city in northern Syria.Syria's official SANA news agency announced
earlier on Tuesday that rebels handed over most of their heavy weapons,
including 6 tanks and three armoured personnel carriers.aljazeera
Scholar Tariq Ramadan loses bid for release
ahead of rape trial:AFP
Paris: The Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan, who
is being held in France over rape allegations by three women, has lost his bid
for early release ahead of trial, his lawyer told AFP. Judges had already
refused bail for the 55-year-old Ramadan, who is being treated behind bars for
multiple sclerosis, as well as a request for release on health grounds.Oxford
University professor, whose grandfather founded Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood
movement, has been held since February on charges that he raped 2 Muslim women
in France. In early March, a third woman came forward claiming Ramadan had
raped her in Brussels in 2013 and 2014, accusing him of subjecting her to
violent and sexually degrading acts during a dozen meetings. Meanwhile, a
fourth woman has filed rape charges in Geneva against Ramadan, who is a Swiss
citizen.His supporters — including 2 million Facebook followers — have lashed
out angrily at his arrest, with many complaining that he has been unfairly
targeted because he is Muslim.
FLASH:
VIEWS & NEWS
Shia leaders are drawing closer to the
Hindutva agenda in UP under Yogi Adityanath’s CM ship:Christophe Jaffrelot
A naked Jain monk spoke in Haryana assembly,
but a Muslim can’t offer namaz in public?HARNIDH KAUR
1 Tourist + 36 Civilians + 24 Soldiers + 40
Militants Killed Since Jan 1 = War Zone:SEEMA MUSTAFA
Compiled and edited by
Anwarulhaq (Released at: 6:15 PM)
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