NEWS
DIGEST, MID-DAY
11 Aug 2018:28 Ziqada 1439:
Vol:10, No:85
INDIA
Terror attacks foiled, 3 with links to
hardline Hindu groups including Gov Rakshak, held with 20 crude bombs
Mumbai:Following multiple raids, Maharashtra
ATS has announced the arrest of 3 men affiliated to radical Hindu outfits from
Nallasopara and Satara. ATS also said that with recovery of a huge cache of
explosives, including live crude bombs and gelatin sticks, they had averted
major terror attacks at multiple places. Among arrested is Vaibhav Raut (40),
allegedly a member of Hindu Govansh Raksha Samiti who is also said to be a
sympathiser of the right wing Sanatan Sanstha. Suspects allegedly linked to the
Sanatan Sanstha were involved in the murders of 3 rationalists–Narendra
Dabholkar, Govind Pansare and MM Kalburgi – and killing of journalist Gauri
Lankesh. Another accused, Sudhanwa Gondhalekar (39) from Satara, is a member of
Shri Shivapratishthan Hindustan, whose chief is Sambhaji Bhide. Bhide has been
booked in two criminal cases in connection with violence near Bhima Koregaon on
Jan.1 by Pune Police. The third accused, Sharad Kasalkar (25) was arrested
along with Raut from Raut’s Nallasopara residence. Sources said that ATS
recovered a note on making bombs from Kasalkar and that Gondhalekar had
knowledge of explosives and trained the other two men on assembling them. 3
have been arrested under the stringent UAPA and sections of IPC and Explosives
Act. According to ATS, they have recovered 22 items including 20 crude bombs, 2
gelatin sheets, a note on how to prepare bombs, one 6-volt battery, a few loose
wires, transistors and glue from the arrested. Sources said that the bombs
recovered from Raut’s house were “ready” for use.“They were up to something
sinister and the bombs were active and ready to be used. Such a huge cache
recovered before Independence day and Bakrid is reason enough to worry. Our
probe is now focusing on the purpose behind assembling so many bombs, were they
planning a coordinated attack or otherwise, who trained them and related
questions,” said an official.ATS is also probing links between the 3 men
arrested and the murders of 3 rationalists and Gauri Lankesh. “While there is
no doubt that they were closely affiliated to Sanatan Sanstha, we think these
are 2 different modules that co-existed but worked differently. While the four
murders were executed using weapons, in this case, crude bombs have been
recovered, we suspect that this is a different module,” said an official. “During
the course of the investigation into the murder of Lankesh, a diary was
recovered, this dairy was shared with the Maharashtra Police. However, the
names of the arrested are not mentioned in the diary,” said another senior
official. Raut was also under watch, police said. “He was a self-proclaimed cow
vigilante and was under our watch. Prohibitory orders were issued against
him,”SP, Palghar Manjunath Singe said.According to a neighbour, Raut was a “gau
rakshak” and was active in carrying out raids against beef traders for
allegedly ferrying banned meat in the locality.While ATS sources said that the
accused frequently visited Sanatan Sanstha offices and are considered to be
close affiliates, Sanatan Sanstha has denied the three men are members. “Raut
is not a seeker of Sanatan;however,he had been actively involved in numerous
rallies and processions organised by devout Hindu organisations. Although Raut
is not a seeker of Sanatan, we believe that any Hindu working for the cause of
Hindutva and for Dharma, is Sanatan’s own,” stated a press release by Sanatan
Sanstha. Its advocate Sanjeev Punalekar said they would give Raut legal aid.“If
ATS officers can place RDX in the houses of devout Hindus, as has been seen in
the Malegaon bomb blast case, what’s to say that the same has not been repeated
in the case of Vaibhav Raut? There has been absolutely no evidence yet. Therefore,
accusing Raut of being guilty would be hazardous,” release said.Special public
prosecutor, Sunil Gonsalves, representing ATS, sought 15 days custody of the 3
men. He submitted that they had received secret information on Aug. 7 about the
3 men and that they were conspiring to carry out “terror activities” in Mumbai,
Pune, Satara, Solapur and Nallasopara.The mobile numbers of suspects were also
provided based on which they were tracked. He also said that ATS had found a
chit with Kalaskar on how to make an explosive.Special Judge Adkar said that
prima facie there was evidence to show that the accused were involved in a
conspiracy. He further said the allegations were “very serious” and that
“incriminating articles were found”. He, however, said that he was not inclined
to grant custody for 15 days and sent 3 men to police custody till Aug.18.indianexpress
Maharashtra ATS nabs 3 members of Hindutva
groups with 20 bombs, bomb literature
Behind arrests in Mumbai, information shared
by team probing Gauri Lankesh case
16 questioned for links to men arrested with
explosives
Maharashtra ATS has questioned at least 16
people for their possible links to 3 men arrested for allegedly planning to
carry out blasts in the state, a police official said today. ATS on Friday
arrested Vaibhav Raut, Sharad Kalaskar from Nallasopara and Sudhanva
Gondhalekar from Pune. ATS chief Atulchandra Kulkarni said they would probe if
the arrested men had any connection with the killings of rationalists Narendra
Dabholkar and Govind Pansare and Gauri Lankesh.ATS also questioned at least 16
others from Nallasopara, Pune, Satara, Solapur and elsewhere in the state for
suspected links to 3 men, police official said. Police are also probing if the
arrested men were part of social media groups of like-minded people by
examining their mobile phones, he said. PTI
SC to lay norms, terms rioting, vandalism by
Marathas, Kawariyas as 'grave' incidents
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has termed as
"grave" the rising incidents of rioting and vandalism of properties
during protests across the country and said that it will not wait for the Govt to amend the law. The observation came when
Attorney General KK Venugopal told the bench headed by CJI Dipak Misra that
riots and protests are happening almost every week in one or other part of the
country and referred to recent violent incidents involving
kanwariyas."Kanwariyas are overturning vehicles in Delhi. When the film
'Padmavat' was to be released, one group gave an open threat that it will cut
the nose of the lead actress. Nothing has happened.No FIR," the law
officer told the bench which also comprised justices AM Khanwilkar and DY
Chandrachud. Venugopal referred to protests on Maratha quota in Maharashtra,
nationwide violence following the SC verdict in the SC/ST matter."Then
what is your suggestion," the bench asked the top law officer. "Fix
the responsibility on officers concerned like SP," Venugopal said and
referred to an illustration and said that unauthorised constructions in Delhi
have stopped after it was decided that DDA officer concerned would be held
accountable for such construction in his or her area.He then said that the Govt
has been contemplating an amendment in
the existing law to deal with such kind of protests and asked the courts to
allow the legislature to change the law suitably. However, the bench denied got
furious and said it will not wait for the legislation. The SC, in 2007, had
taken a serious note of various incidents of large scale destruction of public
and private properties in the name of "agitations, bandhs, and
hartals" and had initiated suo motu (on its own) proceedings and had come
out with guidelines on the issue in 2009.PTI
Kanwariya Violence: AG laments police failure
to control mob violence; CJI agrees to issue directions
Triple talaq bill not taken up in RS as
opposition objects, may to be taken up in next session of Parliament
New Delhi: The triple talaq bill could not be
taken up in Rajya Sabha on Friday following resistance from the opposition,
leading BJP to target the Congress leadership for thwarting passage of the
legislation which seeks to punish those practising instant oral divorce which
was struck down by the Supreme Court. The bill was listed for consideration and
passage after the cabinet approved amendments to the proposed law on Thursday.
However, Govt’s plan was strongly opposed by Trinamool Congress’s Derek O’Brien
who cited the convention of the upper House reserving Friday afternoons for
private members’ bills. Junior minister for parliamentary affairs Vijay Goel
argued that at the meeting of the business advisory committee, the opposition
parties had agreed to take up important legislations on Friday afternoon to
compensate for suspension of business as a mark of respect for DMK patriarch M
Karunanidhi. But he was contradicted by SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav, Congress’s
deputy leader Anand Sharma and O’Brien. With the stalemate unresolved, Rajya
Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said the triple talaq bill was not being taken
up because of lack of agreement among parties. Govt responded to the failure by
launching a strident attack on the Congress leadership.TOI
Nida Khan, Farhat Naqvi are using Muslim women
for political gains:Rafia Shabnam
Bareilly: President Sab Ka Haq Foundation
Rafia Shabnam organised a press conference and said that Nida Khan and Farhat
Naqvi are filing fake cases of talaq and halala for political gains. They are
moving to the officers with false cases.Rafia told that there are not more than
10 pc talaq cases in Muslim society. In other words, 90 pc of Muslim women are
not divorced and those 90 pc are happy in their houses with shariah. Referring
to Nida and Farhat, Shabnam said, such women can go to any extent for cheap
publicity. Shabnam appealed to Muslim women to keep a distance from such women.
If they are victimized they can take help of police or court instead of getting
prey to such people who use them for political gain, suggested Shabnam.The
press conference was also attended by Ravindra Sahara, Sartaj Alvi, Jagpal
Singh Yadav, Rina Khan, Asia, Patel etc. Siasat
Don’t bring madrasas under RTE ambit: Muslim
Personal Law Board
Hyderabad: A day after National Advisory
Committee (NAC) on Right to Education (RTE) Act had recommended to the Central Govt
that religious minority institutions such as madrasas be brought under the
ambit of the law, heads of religious institutions from the city opposed the
move, saying that it would infringe on their independence. All India Muslim
Personal Law Board secretary Khalid Saifullah Rahmani said, “It is an attack on
the sovereignty of madrasas. If it is brought under RTE, the Govt will
interfere in their working. Madrasas are protected under Articles 29 and 30 of
the Constitution. We had protested against such a move in the past and will do
so again if warranted.”On Thursday, the advisory committee cited lack of
diversity in subjects taught at madrasas and advocated applicability of the Act
to those religious schools. “The irony is that while missionary schools follow
fundamental syllabi like normal schools and have become elitist, madrasas are
just imparting religious education,” a member said.It is not just minority
organisations but madrasa managements also fear that right of children to free
and compulsory education under Act will end their autonomy.Mufti Mohammed
Hassan Uddin, director of Jamiat ul Mominat madrasa in the city, said, “We
follow the state Govt ’s syllabus and also teach subjects like science and
mathematics.” ”newindianexpress
After yogi’s up, BJP-ruled mp asks Madrasas to
go through ‘patriotism’ test on I-day
Bhopal: BJP-ruled MP Govt has asked all
madrasas in the state to hoist Tiranga and hold Tiranga rallies on the coming
Independence Day and send videos of these activities to the state Madrasa Board
as proof.The best event will be awarded by CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan.A circular
titled ‘Tiranga Rally’, issued from the state-run MP Madrasa Board earlier this
week, has asked madrasas to hold the Tiranga rally competition under theme
‘Paigham-e-Mohabbat (Message of Love).“On the (board’s) Foundation Day (22 Sept.),
the best of the rallies will be felicitated by CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan,” board
chairman Syed Imad Uddin told HT.On video-recording of the Independence Day
activities at madrasas, he said that the order to shoot videos “has nothing to
do with any evidence to prove our patriotism…It is (being asked) so that the
best rally could be judged.”Madrasa board chairman holds state cabinet
minister’s rank.However, media reports say that the Govt has also directed
schools to conduct morning processions. However, it does not make it mandatory
for them to send any video or photographic evidence.caravandaily
Despite boom, govt bans all livestock exports
from ports indefinitely
Rajkot: Union Ministry of Shipping has decided
to ban the export of livestock from all sea ports in the country for an
indefinite period following representations from animal rights activists, Union
Minister of State for Shipping, Mansukh Mandaviya, said.“We received
information that sheep and goats were being exported from the Tuna port of DPT
(Deendayal Port Trust in Kutch). We have banned livestock export from all
ports. The livestock consignment in question was to be shipped to Dubai. Since
the consignment was headed to Dubai, it meant they were being exported for
slaughter. There were demands from the public to stop export of livestock for
the purpose of slaughter,” Mandaviya said.Shipments to UAE take place mainly
ahead of Eid Al-Adha and Bakr-Id, which is marked by the sacrifice of animals
such as goats and sheep, apart from bovines and camels.Bakr-Id is expected to
fall this year on Aug.22.“There were many complaints and representations from
jivdaya premis (those advocating compassion towards all living beings) and
animal rights activists. A few days ago, people had agitated against the export
of livestock from Nagpur airport also. Therefore, we have decided to impose a
blanket ban on export of livestock from all sea ports. Gujarat Govt had also
submitted a representation in this regard,” Mandaviya said, adding that the ban
would be for an indefinite period.Ironically, the decision comes at a time when
the export of livestock from India has boomed during NDA Govt . From Rs 69.30
crore in 2013-14, the value of shipments rose continuously to Rs 527.40 crore
in 2016-17, before falling to Rs 411.02 crore in 2017-18, according to Commerce
Ministry data.When contacted, Shipping Secretary Gopal Krishna said, “There
have been public protests in various places, including Maharashtra and Gujarat,
against the export of livestock.“Big merchant vessels accept only large
consignments of cargo while livestock is exported in small consignments of
1,500-2,000 heads. We are completely dependent on county craft,”said Adil Noor,
president of Livestock Exporters Association, Gujarat (LEAG). Noor said Union
Shipping Ministry’s decision will spell doom for the industry. Last month,
animal rights activists stalled the export of around 6 lakh livestock heads
from Nagpur airport in Maharashtra.Jamnagar-based Federation of All India
Sailing Vessels Industry Association (FAISVIA) said they will approach the
Union Shipping Minister over the ban.indianexpress
In charts: India’s ban on export of livestock
comes as trade jumped over the past three years
State legislature has exclusive powers on
preservation of cattle: Centre
New Delhi:Preservation of cattle is a matter
on which state legislatures have exclusive powers, the Govt said on Friday, asserting that it was up to
them to enact laws on cow slaughter.In a written reply, Minister of State for
Environment Mahesh Sharma told the Lok Sabha that all states and union
territories, except Arunachal Pradesh, Kerala, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and
Lakshadweep, have legislations on banning or restricting slaughter of cow and
its progeny.The reply comes in the backdrop of rising incidents of lynchings in
the country over transportation of cattle. “Under the distribution of
legislatives powers between the Union of India and states under Article 246(3)
of the Constitution, the preservation of cattle is a matter on which the
legislature of the states have exclusive powers to legislate. “Therefore, it is
up to the states to enact laws on slaughter of cows,” he said.PTI
Gujarat:Cong, BJP spar over goat shed ahead of
Bakr-Id
Surat:A temporary structure built to house
goats for sale ahead of Bakr-Id has become a flashpoint between the Congress
and BJP with the latter demanding removal of the structure. Local Congress
corporators have opposed BJP’s demand, saying it would be removed after Eid.For
the last 6 years, goat traders from Maharashtra and Rajasthan have been coming
to Surat to sell goats on the eve of Bakr-Id. The traders halt at Omnagar
society, where over 400Muslim families live.Society’s residents allow the
traders to tie their goats and sell it to people in the common open plot of
society However, near the common open plot there is another plot owned by Surat
Municipal Corporation which has also
been covered to accommodate the goats. To protect the goats from the rain, the
traders with permission of society head Kamruddin Qureshi had built the
structure with bamboos and covered with a tin shed. indianexpress
Jawaharlal Nehru was not pandit as he ate
beef, pork: BJP MLA Gyan Dev Ahuja
BJP MLA Gyan Dev Ahuja said that Pandit
Jawaharlal Nehru was not a Pandit as he used to eat beef and pork. In an ANI
video, he was heard saying, “Nehru was not a Pandit. One who ate beef and pork,
cannot be a Pandit. We know that pig is unholy for Muslims, and the cow is pure
for us.”Ahuja has sparked many controversies earlier as well with his
statements on several issues, including defending Alwar’s cow vigilantes and claiming
condoms were found in JNU campus daily, during a controversy over anti-national
slogans being allegedly shouted inside the campus.indianexpress
Kashmiri Pandits must join the fight against
tinkering with Article 35 (A): Prakash, Kashmir trade union leader
Sampat Prakash, well-known trade unionist
caught everyone’s attention last week when he was protesting along with many
other Senior Citizens against any “tinkering” of Article 35(A). Born in
Raniwara area of Srinagar City, he was first arrested in 1967 for launching a
mass agitation against the Govt for low wages. He along with the 17 of his
colleagues were dismissed from service and he was booked under Preventive and
Detention act-a law passed by the Indian parliament, which was not applicable
to the citizens of J&K because of
Article 35(A), which gives special status to J&K State. Sampat in an
Interview with TCN talks about his petition regarding Article (35A) in the
Indian Supreme Court, the impact of Article 35(A) if abrogated on the economy,
and the heritage and culture of J&K . Explaining about the J&K's
special status law, Prakash said, "I must tell you this is not a new law;
this law is an old law as old as the formation of J&K state itself. History tells us that this law
was initiated by Walter Lawrence in 1884 when Kashmir became a part of British
Empire and was sold to Dogras for 75 lakh Nanak Shahi. As a Kashmiri Pandit,
for me this law is actually an outcome of the struggle of my ancestors like Jia
Lal Kalim, Professor Jia Lal Koul, Shanker Lal Koul, Jia Lal Jalali and others
who in 1880, when Partab Singh was ruling this land, started agitation for
securing the rights of state subjects of J&K . Even renowned
representatives of Dogra Samaj like Om Prakash Saraf supported the said
struggle and persuaded Maharaja to implement the law. For me 35A is not new and
I am not fighting for its safeguard because it is in the Indian constitution,
but for me it is a protection to my state subject law promulgated by Dogra
Ruler Hari Singh in 1927 following a strong campaign by Kashmiri Pandit
Community who was opposing the hiring of civil servants from Punjab.For me,
like my fellow Muslim Kashmiris and Dogra brothers, state subject law is a
matter of life and death and fighting for it as sacred as anything. It is a
matter of utmost shock and surprise that Indian Supreme Court has accepted to
admit this new plea on 35 A. I am shocked because in past not once but twice,
not any ordinary bench but a full constitution bench of 5 respected judges of
the SC have already rejected or held these pleas invalid in the Past.
Therefore, in my view, this matter in the first place should not have been
admitted for a hearing and should have been rejected." He continued,
"I have a humble appeal to every citizen of whole J&K including
Kashmiri Pandits to stand up and rise above the considerations of your cast,
colour, religion, language and even political beliefs. Unite and fight together
to safeguard your special Status.Your uniqueness and your land state subject
law is not important only to majority Community i.e. Muslims of J&K … it
safeguards us all. So let us all join hands to secure this law for our coming
generations. As a Kashmiri patriot, it is my responsibility to raise my voice
against this growing threat to our national life."TCN
JK:Court extends custody Asiya Andrabi, 2 aids
till Sept.7
A special NIA court in Delhi has extended the
judicial custody of Kashmiri separatist leader Asiya Andrabi and two of her
associates till Sept.7, ANI reported. Andrabi, who is the chief of
Dukhtaran-e-Milat or Daughters of the Nation, Sofi Fehmeeda and Nahida Nasreen
are accused of delivering hate speeches and endangering the sovereignty and
security of India. NIA was granted 10-day custody of the three women on July 6.
On July 16, the special court sent the three women to one-month judicial
custody.scroll.in
Terror funding case: Delhi HC seeks NIA
response on Kashmiri businessman’s plea
New Delhi: Delhi High Court on Friday asked
NIA to respond to Kashmiri businessman Zahoor Ahmad Shah Watali’s plea
challenging the rejection of his bail plea by a trial court in a terror funding
case.A bench of Justice S. Muralidhar and Justice Vinod Goel listed the matter
for August 21.Watali has challenged the trial court’s June 8 order to reject
Watali’s bail plea. Watali, arrested on August 17 last year, was charge-sheeted
by NIA on Jan.18 along with Hafiz Saeed, Syed Salahuddin, 7 Kashmiri separatist
leaders and others in a case of alleged terror funding in the Kashmir Valley. IANS
Possible Chinese still in north Doklam:
Foreign Secretary, predecessor told panel after faceoff ended
New Delhi: Less than 2 months after New Delhi
and Beijing announced troop disengagement at Doklam, the Parliamentary Standing
Committee on External Affairs was told by S Jaishankar, the then Foreign
Secretary, that it was possible Chinese troops were in northern Doklam but, on
real time basis, he would hesitate to comment.His successor, Vijay Gokhale,
also told the committee that the Chinese troop build-up in the area, though in
a territory disputed between Bhutan and China, was taking place across a large
part of the India-China boundary, and on both sides.Indian Express has learnt
that the testimonies of Gokhale, Jaishankar, Defence Secretary Sanjay Mitra and
ex Army chief General (retd) Deepak Kapoor are part of the draft report of the
committee on ‘Sino-India Relations including Doklam, Border Situation and
Cooperation in International Organisations’.The draft report, circulated among
members for comments, was discussed by committee Thursday. The military faceoff
at Doklam between India and China started on June 16, 2017, when a Chinese road
construction party tried to build a road in the Doklam region and was stopped
by Indian troops from Doka La. The issue was eventually resolved with
disengagement of border personnel at the faceoff site in Doklam on Aug.28. But
as reported by the Indian Express, Chinese troops remained present near the
faceoff site, particularly in north Doklam, despite the issue being amicably
settled.indianexpress
Imran Khan calls to resume dialogue with India
on all issues
Imran Khan, expected to be sworn in as
Pakistan’s new premier next week, on Friday called for the resumption of
dialogue with India on all outstanding issues, including Kashmir. Khan made the
remarks during a meeting in Islamabad with Indian envoy Ajay Bisaria, who
congratulated PTI chairman on his electoral success. Bisaria briefed the “PTI
leadership on India’s concerns about terrorism and cross-border infiltration”,
said a statement from the Indian mission. PTI spokesman Fawad Chaudhry said
Khan had called for the resumption of bilateral talks. “He (Khan) said if we
won’t talk, how will we resolve issues. One incident of terrorism should not
hamper talks,” Chaudhry said.A PTI statement said Khan “discussed the need to
restart dialogue between Pakistan and India on all outstanding issues,
including Kashmir”. He expressed concern over “human rights violations” in
Kashmir during the 30-minute meeting.Khan also expressed the hope that the
Saarc Summit will be “held soon in Islamabad”. PTI statement quoted Bisaria as saying that PM
Narendra Modi’s phone call to Khan had
given rise to “new optimism in India that relations would move forward
positively”. Khan welcomed the positive message from the Indian Govt and “reiterated his hope for both countries to
move forward for the betterment of the people of the subcontinent”. Indian high
commission’s statement said Bisaria discussed “a range of issues focusing on
prospects of India-Pakistan relationship”.HT
People have the right to protest, says US on
pro-Khalistan rally in London
UK has defended its decision to allow a
pro-Khalistan rally to go ahead in London on Sunday, saying people in the
country have the right to protest as long as they act within the law. India has
called the planned rally a “separatist activity”.The controversial
pro-Khalistan rally is being held by a group called Sikhs for Justice in
support of a referendum in 2020 for an independent Sikh homeland.“Should a
protest contravene the law, the police have powers to deal with activities that
spread hate or deliberately raise tensions through violence or public
disorder,” the British High Commission in New Delhi tweeted on Friday.“This
does not negate the right to peaceful protest,” a spokesperson of the British
High Commission told PTI. “The use of these powers and the management of
demonstrations are an operational matter for the police.”scroll.in
Among key organisers of pro-Khalistan event is
man on ‘wanted’ list in Punjab
Chandigarh:An alleged ISI-backed Khalistan
Commando Force (KCF) activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar (41), currently a resident
of Vancouver in Canada, who is wanted in 3 terror cases in Punjab and whose
extradition India has already sought, is among the organisers of Sikhs for
Justice’s pro-Khalistani secessionist “Referendum 2020”.Nijjar’s name also
figured in the list of 9 alleged Khalistani operatives that Punjab CM Amarinder
Singh handed over to Canadian PM Justin
Trudeau during his Feb.visit here.With Punjab Govt watching the August 12 scheduled
London Declaration of “Referendum 2020”, Nijjar’s activities vis-a-vis
referendum and his links with ISI are once again under scanner.Photos of him
putting up banners and video clips of his speeches are being circulated on the
social media. In May 2016, India had shared a report on Nijjar’s anti-India
activities with Canadian Govt.After Pathankot airbase terror attack on Jan.2,
2016, the state’s intelligence agencies had claimed Nijjar was planning to
arrange weapons from Pakistan but was unable to do so.Look-Out Notice and Red
Corner notices at different airports have already been issued against Nijjar by
Punjab Police.indianexpress
Withdraw your military choppers and personnel,
Maldives snubs India
New Delhi:Maldives wants India to withdraw
military helicopters and personnel posted there following the expiry of an
agreement in June, its envoy said, the latest snub to New Delhi by President
Abdulla Yameen’s China-backed Govt India and China are going head to head in
the Maldives, the Indian Ocean island chain where Beijing is building roads,
bridges and a bigger airport, upstaging India which has been the country’s
prime provider of military and civilian aid for decades. India has opposed
Yameen’s crackdown on political rivals and the imposition of an emergency this
year and some of the president’s rivals have called on New Delhi for military
intervention, creating worries in Maldivian Govt.The tensions are impacting aid
programmes such as security assistance that New Delhi has given to smaller
countries in the region to help them protect exclusive economic zones, carry
out surveys and combat piracy. Maldives’ ambassador in India, Ahmed Mohamed,
told Reuters that two military helicopters provided by India were mainly used
for medical evacuations but were no longer required as the islands had built up
enough resources of its own. “They were very useful in the past but with the
development of adequate infrastructure, facilities and resources we are now in
a position to handle medical evacuations on our own,” he said.Reuters
Kathua rape:HC refuses to entertain plea
seeking CBI probe
Punjab and Haryana High Court Friday refused
to entertain a plea seeking transfer of investigation in Kathua gangrape and
murder case to the CBI and asked the petitioners to approach the Supreme Court
for relief.A bench of the HC observed that the since the case was being
monitored by the SC, a clarification was required on whether the HC could
exercise its power to transfer the probe to a different agency. The latest plea
for a CBI probe into the gangrape and murder of an 8-year-old Bakharwal girl in
Jan.this year was filed by 2 accused Sanjhi Ram and his son Vishal Jangotra,
apparently after J&K Crime Branch’s SIT submitted some fresh evidence
before the trial court last month.Ram is one of main accused and is charged
with conspiracy among other offences. A total of 8 people, including a
juvenile, have been charged.In its second chargesheet, the Crime Branch told
the trial court that Ram had given money to two policemen, who are also accused,
for destroying evidence. It submitted documents, allegedly showing withdrawal
of the sum, as evidence.indianexpress
Anger, disappointment at NRC review centres in
Assam on Day 1
Guwahati:Anger, confusion and disappointment
prevailed in over 2,500 National Register of Citizens Nagrik Seva Kendras
(NSKs) in Assam on Friday as people who have been excluded from the list made a
beeline to collect the forms on the first day for filing the claims and seeking
corrections to the details in the final NRC draft, but were asked to come back
on another day. “They advertised that the forms will be given out today,” said
Ashish Das, an executive with a pharma company, pointing to a poster on NRC
office’s wall providing the schedule for getting the forms for filing claims,
objections, corrections and queries.Das’s name was included but misspelt in the
NRC draft released in Assam on July 30 as part of a Supreme Court-monitored
exercise to weed out illegal immigrants. He took leave on Friday to get the
spelling corrected at a NRC office in Guwahati. But the office did not have the
required forms much to his disappointment. Das was not alone. There were
complaints galore on Friday, the first day for filing the claims and seeking
corrections to the details in the final NRC draft that has excluded over 40
lakh people. Most of the requisite forms were reportedly unavailable. The only
form available related to the reasons for exclusions from NRC.HT
Rajasthan Govt Changing Names Of All
'Muslim-Sounding' Villages, They Will Have New 'Hindi' Names
With elections around the corner, the
Vasundhara Raje Govt has approved a
long-pending demand: Renaming villages with Muslim-sounding names with names
rooted in Hindi. The renaming of four villages in communally sensitive
Chittorgarh — Mohammadpur as Medikh Kheda, Nawabpur as Nai Sarthal,
Rampura-Ajampur as Sitaramji Kheda and Mandfiya as Sanwaliyaji —has been
approved.Sources in the revenue department said more names will be changed in
the coming weeks. The renaming of villages four months before the state polls
in November-December is seen as a move by BJP to appease its vote bank. 3 other
villages have already been renamed — Miyon-Ka-Bara is now Mahesh Nagar
(Barmer), Narpada is Narpura (Jalore) and Islampur Khurd is Pichanwa Khurd
(Jhunjhunu).Sources said a proposal to rename Salemabad, in Ajmer, as Shri
Nimbark Tirth is in the final stages. The move has invited sharp reactions from
political parties and civil rights groups which have unanimously called it a
bid to polarise society.Terming the exercise an attempt to hide the failures of
the Govt , former CM Ashok Gehlot said the move just before polls was
unnecessary.Yasmeen Farooqui, member of the All India Muslim Law Board, said,
“Muslims have never felt as insecure in Rajasthan as under the Raje regime. Mob
lynchings, hate crimes, dropping Muslim writers from textbooks, systematic
closure of Urdu schools, now renaming of villages… What next?” indiatimes
Meerut clash: Dalits, Thakurs trade charges on
who started fight; 3 arrested
Meerut:A day after a Dalit youth was killed in
a clash in Meerut’s Uldepur village, three people from the village’s Thakur
community have been arrested, while six other accused are on the run. The
accused have been charged under SC/ST Act and sections of IPC relating to
rioting, murder and criminal intimidation.An uneasy silence hangs over the
village where members of the Dalit Jatav community have gathered outside the
residence of the deceased Rohit. RRF and policemen have been deployed in the
village.According to members of Jatav community, 17-year-old youths Rohit,
Vinod and Anuj, had gone to the nearby town Modipuram on Wednesday night to
watch the last leg of the Kanwar Yatra. Rohit’s father Devendra Kumar said a
fight broke out between the youths and some men from the Thakur community at
Modipuram. “The boys didn’t return to the village that night. My son called up
around 1 am and said they didn’t want to travel back because they had been
threatened and they feared for their safety,” he said. According to him, when
the boys tried to return to the village the next morning, they were beaten up
by some people from the Thakur community on the way. Indianexpress
‘She
was not Hindu after marrying Muslim’: Delhi temple refuses last rites to woman
New Delhi:A Muslim husband wants to perform a
ritual for his dead Hindu wife and a temple society in a New Delhi
Bengali-dominated neighbourhood has not allowed because they believe the woman
was no longer a Hindu after her marriage even as she had not given up her
faith.Imtiazur Rahman, who is based in Kolkata, lost her wife Nivedita Ghatak
in the capital after she suffered from multiple organ failure last week -- 20
years after the couple married in accordance with the Special Marriages Act
that allows inter-faith wedding of couples irrespective of their individual
faith.Ghatak was cremated as per Hindu rites at Delhi’s Nigam Bodh Ghat but the
family could not perform shradh -- a set of Hindu rituals performed for the
deceased. Rahman, who works as assistant commissioner, commercial taxes in West
Bengal Govt, said he had booked an Aug.12 slot at Kali Mandir Society in Bengali-dominated
Chittaranjan Park after paying Rs 1,300 for the ceremony on Aug 6. But he was
later told by the temple society that his booking has been cancelled “for
obvious reasons”.IANS
SC to hear Congress leader’s plea on VVPATs
next week
Amid a debate over alleged vulnerability of
EVMs to tampering, senior Congress leader Kamal Nath approached the Supreme
court on Friday, demanding random verification of Voter verifiable Paper Trail
(VVPAT) with EVM votes in the upcoming assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh.In a petition
filed in the top court, Nath has pleaded that the Election commission of India
(ECI) be directed to randomly verify VVPAT slips with EVM votes at 10% of
polling stations in every constituency.He has also asked that ECI should
provide voter list in text format.HT
Row over EVMs: Congress says use paper ballots
in 30% booths in each constituency
New Delhi:Months after it asked the Election
Commission to revert to the old practice of paper ballots in elections instead
of using EVMs, the Congress is thinking about scaling down its demand. Sources
said the party could ask the EC to use paper ballots in 30% of the polling
booths in each constituency. Party leaders said that introducing a 70:30 mix of
EVMs and paper ballots in elections was practical.At AICC plenary in March, the
Congress had passed a resolution urging the poll panel to revert to the old practice
of paper ballots instead of EVMs in future elections. It had argued that there
were misgivings on misuse of EVMs to manipulate the outcome. In April last
year, a month after the BJP stormed to power in UP , Congress and 15 Opposition
parties, including SP and BSP and rivals Left and Trinamool Congress, had
approached the poll panel with a demand that elections be held using ballot
paper till concerns over EVMs are addressed.indianexpress
Yashwant: Modi’s ministers have no work, all
running from PMO
Mumbai:Mounting yet another offensive against PM
Narendra Modi, former Union finance
minister Yashwant Sinha on Friday raised questions over the functioning of the
Modi Cabinet. “All ministries are running from PMO. Other ministers have no
work. If someone (other ministers) is saying he is busy, he is lying,” Sinha
said. “While PM is only the first among equals in his minister’s council, this
isn’t the case with the Modi Govt. This is the famous Gujarat model of
governance.” Echoing Sinha, Arun Shourie, another BJP veteran and former Union
minister, said that Modi Govt was a Govt of 2 men — BJP president Amit Shah and
Modi himself. Shourie alleged that the CBI was directly reporting to Shah.The
duo was addressing the gathering of the Rashtra Manch — an outfit founded by
Sinha earlier this year to bring together politicians and voices across party
lines to take on Centre — in Mumbai.indianexpress
Assam Police Registers Rape Case Against BJP
Union Minister Rajen Gohain
Guwahati: Assam police have registered a case
against Union minister of state for railways Rajen Gohain for allegedly raping
and threatening a 24-year old woman in Nagaon district, a senior officer
said.Nagaon DSP (HQ) Sabita Das said the case was registered against Gohain on
Aug.2 after receiving a complaint at Nagaon police station.“We have registered
the case. The probe has already begun and we will proceed as per law,” she told
PTI.“FIR was registered under IPC sections 417 (cheating), 376 (rape) and 506
(criminal intimidation). We are investigating and have already noted the lady’s
statement,” senior official of Nagaon police station said adding the woman has
refused medical examination.Gohain had committed the crime at the woman’s home
when her husband and other family members were not present, he said.PTI
Amit Shah’s son’s ₹6 crore company got credit
facility worth ₹97 crore, says Congress
Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh at a
press conference in Delhi on Saturday, Aug.11 accused BJP chief Amit Shah of
omitting certain financial liabilities from his Rajya Sabha election affidavit,
and said the Congress party would ask the Election Commission to cancel Shah’s
Rajya Sabha membership. Shah was elected to Rajya Sabha from Gujarat in August,
2017.Showing documents to the media, Ramesh said that Amit Shah’s son Jay Amit
Shah’s company Kusum Finserve LLP, whose net worth is less than ₹6 crore, had
been given credit facilities amounting to ₹97.35 crore in five tranches from 2
cooperative banks and one Govt undertaking. Thus, the credit extended to
Kusum Finserve has gone up by nearly 300% in one year, claimed Ramesh.To secure
this credit from the cooperative banks, Jay Amit Shah had mortgaged properties
registered in his father Amit Shah’s name, alleged Ramesh. Yet, said Ramesh,
when the BJP President filed his election affidavit for Rajya Sabha poll in
2017, he omitted stating these liabilities.nationalheraldindia
Patanjali accused of creating shell companies
with zero operations, demand grows for probe ‘shady transactions’
A report by CNBCTV18.com said that whilst
there is nothing unusual for big corporates to invest in subsidiaries,
Patanjali’s “investments in businesses with zero operations and at a premium”
raised serious questions.Highlighting a case in example of one Delhi-based
Verve Corporation, owned by Patanjali, report
by CNBCTV18.com said, “Verve is part of a byzantine collection of subsidiaries
that PAL (Patanjali Aurved Limited) has invested nearly Rs 325 crore in recent
years. PAL has as many as 21 Pvt Ltd companies and 26 partnership firms listed
under ‘disclosures of transactions between related parties’ in which it has a
controlling stake.”The website added, “Many of these entities have three things
in common. One, they have no commercial operations. The only income they earn
is through interest on funds parked in banks or any other financial instrument.
2, they have been incorporated through a maze of transactions. 3, they
underwent at least one name change.”It said that after reviewing hundreds of
documents, it had found that not only did Verve Corporations share its
addresses several other business entities, the company did not even have a
signboard outside its office.jantakareporter
Patanjali mystery: Investments in a string of
businesses with zero operations
'Never thought CM who compared Muslims with
puppy can be PM,' Mani Shankar Aiyar attacks Modi
Suspended Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar
on Saturday came up with a fresh comment that may soon evoke strong reactions
from the BJP. Aiyar said he could never imagine that any person who called
Muslims as puppy can become PM of
India."Before 2014, I would have never thought, that a CM thinks of Muslims as puppy. The individual,
who was when asked about whether you have any regrets that so many Muslims lost
their lives in 2002, had said that even if a puppy comes under a car, I will
feel the pain. I have thought over this statement. He never visited any Muslim
refugee camp for 24 days (after Gujarat riots) and reached Shah Alam mosque in
Ahmadabad only when (then) PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee came, as it was the
necessity of the protocol. I had never thought that any such individual can
become PM ," Aiyar said.ANI
RTI reply clears Dr Kafeel; Yogi govt admits
to oxygen shortage
New Delhi:An RTI reply clears Doctor Kafeel
Khan as Yogi Govt of UP accepted that BRD hospital had a shortage of
oxygen and six oxygen cylinders were managed by Dr Kafeel Khan on Aug.11,
2017.This is the same Yogi Govt who had
arrested Dr Kafeel and sent to jail along with Principal of the BRD College and
seven others ignoring his submissions. It is the same Dr Kafeel who had been
claiming that there was shortage of oxygen in BRD Medical college on the night
of August 11 and he had himself brought cylinders.BRD Medical College
administration that time had not accepted his version of story because Dr
Kafeel was vocal in blaming administration for not releasing funds to the
oxygen suppliers.“The same administration now admits through RTI query that Dr
Kafeel had brought four oxygen cylinders to help the children who were in
distress,” said Sharma, the RTI activist based in Lucknow.In a reply to an RTI
query filed by Sanjay Sharma, the BRD Medical College accepted that on August
11, Dr Kafeel Khan, the former nodal officer of the hospital, managed to get 6
oxygen cylinders from Anandlok Nursing Home, Gorakhpur, and four others,
reports The National Herald.caravandaily
SC acquits 2 Muslim youth in 2003 Ahmedabad
riots case
New Delhi: Supreme Court of India has
acquitted 2 Muslim youth who were sentenced to 10-years rigorous imprisonment in
2003 Ahmedabad riot case by the high court. Youth were pronounced life-term by
the lower court on the charges of killing a non-Muslim man during the riots. However,
after successful follow-up by Jamiat Maharashtra legal aid committee, 3-member
bench of Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Naveen Sinha and Justice K M Joseph of
the Supreme Court acquitted the 2 youth.Riots occurred in Ahmedabad on Nov.7,
2003, between two communities, after which the police had arrested Osman Ghani
alias Bhoora, Abdul Ghaffar, Younus Mohammed, Chand Mohammed Shaikh and other 7
Muslim youth for assaulting Baldar Parmar, Gitaben, Pratab Singh, Ajay Visant
Lal and Mukesh.The HC had replaced lower court’s life imprisonment with 10-year
sentence against which an appeal was filed in SC at the behest of Jamiat.siasat
2 Central varsities - AMU, Jamia not providing reservation to SC, ST: Govt
New Delhi: 2 Central Universities in the
country were not giving reservation facility to the students belonging to the
Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribe categories, the Lok Sabha was informed on
Friday.Replying to a query by Shimla MP Virender Kashyap, Union Minister of
State for HRD Satya Pal Singh said that AMU and Jamia Millia Islamia(JMI),
considering themselves to be 'minority institutions,' were not following the
reservation policy of Govt. He said the
matter was pending before the Supreme Court and the High Court of Delhi,
respectively and these institutions do not offer reservations
for admissions or jobs, as per the norms fixed by the Govt .The Union Govt was waiting for the findings of the sub-judice
matter, before it decided upon the issue as the two varsities have minority
status, Singh added.UNI
Quota in AMU: NCSC likely to move Supreme
Court
New Delhi: National Commission for Scheduled
Castes (NCSC) is likely to file a petition in the Supreme Court in the matter
of providing quota to SC and ST students in the AMU. Sources said that
following a meeting of the commission on Thursday, it is considering the step
on behalf of SC students. The meeting was chaired by NCSC chairperson Ram
Shankar Katheria and attended by AMU V-C, officials from the HRD Ministry,
Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Department of Personnel Affairs and
the UGC.“We had asked for documents from all parties which was submitted during
the meeting. The commission will review all of those now and then decide on
going ahead with our decision of approaching the Supreme Court since the matter
is pending before it since 2005. We need to represent the views of SC and ST
students before the court,” said a NCSC member.indianexpress
SIO announces nationwide campaign against
colonisation of education
Ne Delhi: Alleging colonisation of education
and curtailing of rights of students from the marginalised community, a
students body today announced the launch of a nationwide campaign to raise
their demands.Students Islamic Organisation (SIO) of India said the campaign
"Resist Internal Colonization of Education; Demand the Rights of the
Marginalized" would run from Aug.25 to Sept 10."There is a conspired
effort taking place to negate the opportunity for the marginalized students in
the field of education. New educational policies, as well as the systematized
invisible violence, are extensively contributing to making it happen."This
is actually similar to old-fashioned casteist colonialist monopoly of education
and knowledge is coming back to the practice," SIO General Secretary
Khaleeq Ahmed Khan told reporters here.The demands raised by the students'
outfit include execution of a special package for SCs, STs and minorities to
ensure adequate representation in higher education; reinstating the UGC and all
its powers; repealing the UGC regulation which resulted in PhD and M Phil seat
cuts and protecting minority status of the JMI and the AMU.PTI
Mangaluru:University begins course on Applied Islamics
Mangaluru: Yenepoya Deemed to be University
has begun a novel post-graduate diploma in Applied Islamics, which besides
focusing on an Islamic analysis of the scientific and social developments in
the modern world, will work towards a “common religious morality.” “The
principles of Islam can be applied in the health and social sciences for the benefit of the world. This course
is unique,” said the head of the chair
in Islamic Studies and Research Centre, Dr Javed Jamil.“We will also have
comparative religion as part of the course. We want to invite scholars from
other religions and communities to address the students. The effort will be to
bring together all religions and communities on the basis of a common religious
morality rather than fighting each other on the ground of religious identity,”
he added. The course, which will start from the present academic year, was
inaugurated by noted Islamic scholar, Maulana Mohamood Madani at university on Thursday. Chapters on India’s Constitution and the
importance of its secular and democratic values and international institutions
will also be covered. “Applied Islam refers to the application of Islamic
principles in the study of law, natural , health and social sciences, including
Economics and Philosophy,” Dr Jamil explained, adding, “Modern theories in
different fields will be analysed in the light of Islamic principles and alternative
terminologies, policies, definitions, methodologies, policies and paradigms
consistent with Islamic teachings will be developed with the aim of helping to
create a cleaner, healthier and more peaceful world.” Twelve students have joined the course, with
some from UP and Jharkhand too joining
it besides those from Karnataka.deccan chronicle
We have allocated Rs 1100 cr in the budget for
Muslim welfare: CM Naidu
Amravati:AP CM N Chandrababu Naidu addressed
Haj pilgrims in Andhra Pradesh’s Amravati. Around 200 Haj pilgrims and their
family members reached his residence. While addressing them, he said, “We are
building Haj house in Vijayawada with the budget of Rs 80 crore and in Kadapa
with the budget of Rs 12 crore. We will increase the funds if needed. 225 shadi
khanas are being built with Rs 20 crores of budget and masjids are being
repaired with 20 crore. We also started Shadi Mubarak programme for poor Muslim
women. Under Dulhan scheme, we are giving Rs 50,000 to each Muslim bride. We
have allocated Rs 1100 crore in the budget for Muslim welfare”. CM Naidu also
said that TDP will always support Muslims. “Pray at Mecca for our Govt so that
it can help the state to develop”, he added.deccanchronicle
GST on Haj pilgrimage unjustified: AP CM
UP : Man lynched over suspicion of being thief
Muzaffarnagar:A man was lynched in Bijopur
Friday by a group villagers on the suspicion of being a thief, the police said.
So far 2 were arrested and a case of murder has been registered against several
people, said SHO, Chapar, Subhash Rathore Saturday.The deceased was identified
as Kapil Tyagi.His family along with others staged a protest and gheraoed Chapar
police station demanding more arrests in the case, the officer said. They
claimed that Tyagi was innocent and was beaten to death when he went to work at
Bijopur, Rathore said.PTI
A battle between Hindutva, Hinduism is coming:Andersen
In a wide-ranging conversation, Walter
Andersen speaks of the changing nature of RSS, how it was influenced by its
different sarsangchalaks and the challenges that lie ahead of the organisation.
Andersen is, perhaps, the only scholar to have observed, or studied, RSS for
nearly 5 decades. The RSS: A View to the Inside, a new book Andersen has
co-written with Sridhar Damle. Andersen said,"what came out was a clearer
understanding of Hindutva. Golwalkar was spiritual, not religious. He did not
follow religious rituals. He said, as he also did in A Bunch of Thoughts, that
for him, India as a nation was a living god. This view was very similar to the
one adopted by the romantic nationalists of 19th century Europe – that nation
is that unit to which we owe our ultimate devotion, not to a religious God. RSS
is not a religious organisation. That is why, as the idea evolved further, MD
Deoras,next sarvsanghachalak (chief), opened the RSS to Muslims in 1979. His
argument was that an overwhelming proportion of Indian Muslims were converts
from the Hindu community. They were not foreigners. His idea of Hindutva moved
towards a territorial idea. To some extent, the idea came from Savarakar."
He continued, "Savarkar, as you know, was an atheist. He was not
religious. For Savarkar, the nation had a cultural context – or icons,
traditions, stories with which one could identify, much like England. Anyway,
the movement was one towards territoriality. It is not that the cultural
definition entirely disappeared. But, for Deoras, everybody, or almost
everybody, in India was a Hindu. He was the first one to use the term Hindu to
cover everyone. (And Mohan Bhagwat, present sarsanghchalak, also refers to
everyone as a Hindu: Muslims, Christians, everybody.) Deoras was also against
the caste system and untouchability. Golwalkar never spoke openly against the
caste system. Deoras also started proposing the idea that non-Brahmins could be
prachaaraks, the highest position that one can reach after 3 years of training
and the pledge that goes with it." Talking about Ambedkar, Hinduism and
caste system, Andersen said, "I believe, there will eventually be a battle
between Hindutva and Hinduism. Hindutva emphasises the oneness of Hindus,
whereas ground realities are very different. Let me give an example. Following
the egalitarian ideology, Tarun Vijay, an RSS ideologue and ex-editor of
Panchjanya and Organiser, once led some Dalits into a temple in central India,
where they had not been before. He was beaten up, but few in the RSS family
vocally supported him. They kept mostly quiet. As one important RSS functionary
put it to me, the key question is: how do we keep our organisation intact if we
do move towards an egalitarian Hindu society?"Indian Express.
Half of Kerala reels under floods as 29 die;
54,000 rendered homeless
Dam reservoirs and rivers overflowed, sections
of highways collapsed and homes were swept away in severe flooding in more than
half of Kerala, after days of incessant rains left nearly 54,000 people
homeless and killed at least 29, officials said today.5 columns of Army were
deployed in the state's seven severely hit northern districts, out of Kerala's
14, to help evacuate people and to build makeshift bridges even as the Indian
Navy's southern command was put on alert after water level in Periyar river
rose amid concern that parts of Wellingdon Island in Kochi could be
inundated.Almost all 40 odd rivers in the state are in spate, officials
said.Northern and central Kerala have been battered by heavy rains of the
Southwest monsoon since Aug.8, which has left 29 people dead, including 3
today. Of them, 25 died in landslides and four in drowning. State officials
said a total of 53,501 people are now housed in 439 relief camps across the
state.PTI
WORLD
1 million Muslim Uighurs held in secret China
camps: UN
More than one million Uighur Muslims are
estimated to be in detention in "counter-extremism centres" in
China's far west, the vice chairperson of a US anti-discrimination committee
has said, citing credible reports.Gay McDougall made the comments on Friday as
the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination started reviewing
China's record over recent years in Swiss city of Geneva.Members were
"deeply concerned" about reported detentions of ethnic Uighurs and
other Muslim minorities, which have "turned the [Xinjiang] Uighur
Autonomous Region into something that resembles a massive internment camp that
is shrouded in secrecy - a sort of 'no rights zone'," McDougall said at
the start of the two-day hearing."Another two million have been forced
into so-called re-education camps for political and cultural
indoctrination," she added. A Chinese delegation of some 50 officials made
no comment.China says Xinjiang faces a serious threat from rebels and
separatists who plot attacks and stir up tensions between the mostly Muslim
Uighur minority who call the region home and the ethnic Han Chinese
majority.Earlier on Friday, Yu Jianhua, China's ambassador to the UN in Geneva,
said it was working towards equality and solidarity among all ethnic groups.The
Chinese delegation leader also highlighted economic progress and rising living
standards among other things.The session continues on Monday, with conclusions
expected later.In her remarks, McDougall said that most of these people have
never been properly charged with a crime or tried in court.While McDougall did
not cite her sources, the numbers of people forced into detention and into
re-education matched a report that the Network of Chinese Human Rights
Defenders submitted to the committee.aljazeera
China forcing Uyghur Muslims into
‘re-education camps’, violation of rights:UN
Hundreds of Chinese Hui Muslims force
authorities to halt Weizhou Grand Mosque demolition in China: Report
Beijing: Chinese authorities had to halt their
plan to demolish a mosque in the country's North West, all due to sit-in
protests held by a crowd of ethnic Hui Muslims. Notably, ethnic Hui Muslims
constitute the 2nd largest Muslim group after the Uygurs of
Xinjiang. In a bid to stop the authorities from demolishing Weizhou Grand
Mosque, hundreds of Hui Muslims held a sit-in protest outside the mosque from
noon to late last night.South China Morning Post quoted local sources as saying
that the head of the local county visited the protesters around midnight and
urged them to vacate the place. He promised them that the Govt would not
demolish the newly-built white structure until people at Weizhou town in
Tongxin county give their consent to a reconstruction plan.As per the media
report, the latest deadlock in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region is probably
the largest conflict in China’s recent campaign to free the area of
Islamisation and Arabisation trend. On August 03, an official notice issued by Weizhou
Govt had told the mosque's management committee to demolish the structure by
Aug.10. The notice had mentioned that the mosque had not been granted the
obligatory permits regarding planning as well as construction.The mosque’s
construction was concluded in 2017 after two years. The structure it replaced
was Weizhou's 600-year-old Chinese-style mosque.The administration’s decision
had led to a huge uproar among Hui Muslims, who questioned why the construction
was not stopped if the necessary paperwork was missing.TOI /PTI
Religion must obey Chinese law, paper says of
mosque protest
China tracking Muslims embarking on annual
Hajj pilgrimage in what experts say is likely part of widespread Govt surveillance:business insider
Israeli forces kill 3 Palestinians, including
medic
A 40-year-old Palestinian hit by Israeli fire
during protests on the Gaza border died of his wounds on Saturday, taking the
previous day's death toll to three, the territory's health ministry said. He
was among at least 131 Palestinians wounded by Israeli bullets during Friday's
protests, even as an informal truce agreed after a deadly flare-up between
Gaza's rulers Hamas and the Israeli army largely held. Earlier, Israeli forces
shot dead 2 Palestinians, including one volunteer paramedic, according to
health officials in the Gaza Strip, as protesters gathered along the Israeli
border fence for 20th week.aljazeera
Syria repels 'Israeli enemy' attack near
Damascus
Syrian air defences confronted a "hostile
target" breaching the country's airspace west of the capital Damascus,
state media reported. The area is close to the country's border with Lebanon. Saturday's
report suggested Israel was to blame for the incursion.State news agency SANA
said there were reports of "air defences confronting a hostile target
breaching the skies above the area of Deir al-Asha'ir in Damascus
countryside". "Our air defences confronted an enemy target that
penetrated airspace," SANA reported. "In the past few weeks, the
Israeli enemy has attacked military positions."A spokeswoman for Israeli
military said it would not comment on foreign media reports. Syrian Observatory
for Human Rights confirmed air defences launched missiles.Britain-based war
monitor said Lebanon's Hezbollah militia, which has backed the Damascus Govt in
Syria's seven-year civil war, was present in the area. Syrian air defences were
activated in a similar way over western Damascus on Thursday night. aljazeera
Air strikes on Idlib kill dozens as Syria
prepares ground assault
Heavy bombardments killed almost 30 civilians
across northern Syria on Friday, a monitor said, in some of the fiercest
shelling of rebel-held areas there in months.Air strikes and barrel bombs
targeted the key opposition-held province of Idlib in Syria's northwest and a
rebel town in the adjacent province of Aleppo. Idlib is the largest chunk of
territory still in rebel hands, and President Bashar al-Assad has warned it
would be the Govt's next target.Govt shelled the northwest province on Thursday,
and bombing the next day "moved farther east," leaving 11 civilians
dead, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. "Air strikes
by Russian warplanes and barrel bombs from Syrian helicopters hit southern
parts of Idlib province today in very heavy shelling," the group's head,
Rami Abdel Rahman, said on Friday.middleeasteye
Turkish lira in free-fall as Trump doubles
metals tariffs
President Tayyip Erdogan told Turks to
exchange gold and dollars into lira on Friday, with the country’s currency in
free-fall after US President Donald Trump turned the screws on Ankara by
doubling tariffs on metals imports.On Friday, Trump announced that the US will
impose a 20% duty on aluminum and 50% one on steels as tensions mount between
the two NATO allies over Ankara's imprisonment of US pastor Andrew Brunson.The
announcement came as Erdogan had already been forced to dismiss concerns over
Turkey's plunging lira after the currency hit record lows overnight on the back
of the widening rift with the US."I have just authorized a doubling of
Tariffs on Steel and Aluminum with respect to Turkey as their currency, the
Turkish Lira, slides rapidly downward against our very strong Dollar!"
Trump said in an early Friday morning post on Twitter.Ankara and Washington
have been at loggerheads over the detention of Brunson on terrorism charges,
earlier prompting US sanctions against 2 of Erdogan's ministers and threats of
trade restrictions.middleeasteye
Turkey warns partnership with US in 'jeopardy': aljazeera
Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey's partnership with
US is in jeopardy, warning Ankara could start looking for new allies. Relations
between NATO allies have sunk to their lowest point in decades over a number of
issues, including the detention of US pastor Andrew Brunson on
terrorism-related charges, prompting the Turkish lira to hit record lows
against the dollar. Erdogan warned Washington not to risk relations with Ankara
otherwise his country would look for "new friends and allies".
Indonesia earthquake: Death toll jumps to 387
The death toll from the major earthquake that
hammered the Indonesian island of Lombok rose to 387 on Saturday.The
6.9-magnitude quake last Sunday injured more than 13,000 people, left more than
387,000 people displaced, and damaged thousands of buildings.aljazeera
FLASH VIEWS & NEWS
A 200-Member Govt Team Is Watching How the Media Covers Modi,
Amit Shah:Punya Prasun Bajpai, The Wire
Backstory: 'Masterstroke' Is Master Key to
Understanding Media Capture in India Today:Pamela Philipose, The Wire
Modi's Gas for the Poor Scheme Marred by Data
Inflation, Poor Implementation:Ravi Nair, The Wire
Modi govt’s triple talaq bill places burden on
Muslim women to prove the offence:Apurva Vishwanath, The Print
A year after Gorakhpur tragedy, TCN probe into
BRD College shows all is well as long as you don’t dig too deep
Peace process in Northern Ireland could offer
a roadmap for Kashmir:Juggi Bhasin, Indian Express
Scrapping of Article 35A would close the last
opening for reconciliation in Kashmir:Naeem Akhtar, Indian Express
The Persisting Mystery of Student Leader Lafikul Islam
Ahmed's Murder: Mahtab Alam, The Wire
Raje renames ‘Muslim sounding’ villages: Communal
politics or standing up for majority?the print talk
Make it impossible for people to ignore
disability, says new NCPEDP head Arman Ali: Indian express
UP Govt uses NSA to charge 3 men for communal
violence in Kasganj, raising serious questions:Abhishek Dey, scroll.in
How JNU VC lost his own institution's trust:Monobina
Gupta, The Wire
Finally, Bollywood has courage to look at
Muslims as regular Indians & not terrorists:Shekhar Gupta, the print
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Anwarulhaq (Released at: 5:42 PM)
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