NEWS
DIGEST, MID-DAY
06 Aug 2018:23 Ziqada 1439:
Vol:10, No:81
INDIA
Special status of J&K: SC says Will
examine if Article 35A affects ‘Basic Structure’ of Constitution
New Delhi: CJI Dipak Misra, heading a Bench,
on Monday orally observed that the Supreme Court will consider whether Article
35A, which gives special status to the State and people of Jammu and Kashmir,
is violative of the ‘Basic Structure’ of the Constitution. ‘Basic Structure’ is
a collective term coined by a 13-judge Bench in the historic Keshavananda
Bharati case to include a catena of fundamental rights, including the right to
equality, non-discrimination, liberty, life and dignity, enshrined and
preserved in Constitution.Centre, represented by Attorney General KK Venugopal,
persisted that the case should be adjourned, as an interlocutor was carrying on
dialogues with the State’s stakeholders.The State of J&K, represented by
Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, also sought an adjournment.However,
the Bench comprising Justice AM Khanwilkar was missing its third member,
Justice DY Chandrachud. He is on leave. CJI Misra explained that since the
issue was being heard by a 3-judge Bench and one of them is absent, the case
should be adjourned.“The challenge to Article 35A is being heard by a
three-judge Bench. The Bench will determine whether the case should be referred
to a Constitution Bench. Today, as you see, the other judge is absent and so we
have to hear the case another day,” he addressed the petitioner lawyers who
objected to an adjournment.One of them even complained that J&K was
virtually shut down before every Supreme Court hearing. To this, CJI Misra said
the challenge is to a provision, Article 35A, which has been implemented for
over 60 years and the petitions were filed only in 2014. The case had
progressed to the extent of the question of reference by a three-judge Bench to
a Constitution Bench.The Bench posted the case for hearing to the week
commencing Aug.26.thehindu
SC adjourns hearing on Article 35-A, CJI says
3-judge bench to decide on refering case to Constitution bench
Article 35A row: Mehbooba Mufti says there is
anxiety and panic
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister
Mehbooba Mufti on Monday took to Twitter to express her thoughts on Article 35A
controversy. Mehbooba Mufti, in her tweet, made it clear that there is anger
among the people of Jammu and Kashmir over Article 35A hearing in the Supreme
Court. On Twitter, she said, “Even though the deferment of hearing on Article 35
A is not a solution, it has brought interim relief to the people of JK. But
with uncertainty looming over its status, it has unleashed a wave of anxiety
and panic amongst the people of J & K.”NewsX
Repealing Article 35A would end India's
relationship with Jammu and Kashmir: IAS officer Shah Faesal
IAS Officer Shah Faesal on Sunday said that
repealing Article 35A of the Constitution will end Jammu and Kashmir’s
relationship with India, comparing it to a nikahnama, or marriage deed. Article
35A grants special rights to permanent residents of J&K.“I would compare
Article 35A to a marriage-deed/ nikahnama. You repeal it and the relationship
is over. Nothing will remain to be discussed afterwards,” he tweeted on Sunday.
Faesal is currently in the US on a Fulbright scholarship.scroll.in
Supreme Court: CJI Misra likely to take up
matter of Justice KM Joseph’s seniority with Centre
Chief Justice Dipak Misra is likely to take up
Justice KM Joseph’s seniority question with the Union government after a few
judges raised the matter with him today, sources in the Supreme Court with
knowledge of the matter told Scroll.in. The chief justice is also likely to
consult Attorney General KK Venugopal on the matter.The appointment
notification of 3 judges – Indira Banerjee, Vineet Saran and KM Joseph – has
placed Joseph in third position, despite the fact that he was recommended for
elevation way before the other 2. The SC judges discussed the matter with
Justice Misra just before the Supreme Court sat for its routine proceedings on Monday
morning. Persons in the know said the judges wanted Joseph to get his due
position in the seniority list.The Supreme Court collegium had recommended
Joseph for elevation in Jan. But the Centre returned his file, arguing that he
was junior to several other High Court chief justices who were waiting for a
call to the SC. It also said Joseph’s parent HC of Kerala is already adequately
represented.scroll
A few SC judges upset at change in Justice
Joseph’s seniority
UP govt wants to bring madrassas in mainstream
education: Minister
Uttar Pradesh government wants to bring
madrassas into the mainstream education system, Minister of State for Minority
Affairs Mohsin Raza said. The minister also favoured introducing a "new
dress code" for students at madrassas (Islamic schools) across the country
and added that he will take up the issue with the Centre. However, Raza did not
elaborate on what should be the new dress code in these institutes, where
students currently wear white kurta-pyjama.He rued that no leader from his
community has till date thought about standardising the madrassa system.
"Our government in Uttar Pradesh wants to bring madrassas in the
mainstream education system. And why only in UP, I think all these religious
institutions across the country should be brought into mainstream," he
told PTI.Raza said he intends to discuss the issue with Prime Minister Narendra
Modi."I would meet Modiji in this regard and seek his advise on how we can
have a formal education system in madrassas in the country. Regrettably, so
far, no Muslim leader has ever thought about standardisation and formalisation
of madrassa education system," he said."We plan to modernise
madrassas and have introduced NCERT curriculum for them. We want to see a
computer in one hand and the Koran in the other hand of madrassa students as
envisioned by our prime minister,"he said.Raza, ex Ranji cricketer, termed
incidents of violence by cow vigilantes as a "conspiracy" against BJP
by its opponents. "These are the outcomes of a conspiracy hatched by our
opponents. But the good thing is that governments (at the Centre and states)
and courts have taken a tough stand against(such incidents) and no one will be
spared," he said.PTI
ABP proprietor told me not to name Modi,
I&B official said ‘anything can happen’, says PP Bajpai
Journalist Punya Prasun Bajpai has claimed
that his former employer, ABP News, had asked him to avoid references to Prime
Minister Narendra Modi in his criticism of government policies during his
prime-time show Masterstroke. His team was also asked to avoid using pictures
and video footage featuring Modi, he wrote in an article for The Wire on
Monday.Bajpai’s allegations come on the heels of his and ABP News Managing
Editor Milind Khandekar’s resignations, following criticism from senior
ministers for airing a report that claimed that a woman in Chhattisgarh had
been tutored to make false claims that her income had doubled during a video
interaction with the PM. After the report appeared in July, Bajpai said he
received a call from a government official who warned him of consequences. Soon
after, ABP News began to experience disturbances with its satellite signals and
its advertisers were threatened, he claimed.After he resigned, the satellite
signals of ABP News got restored and advertisements were back, he said.Bajpai
quoted a conversation he claimed he had with the editor-in-chief, who is also
the proprietor, of ABP News on July 14:“Is it possible that you do not use
Narendra Modi’s name? Use his ministers’ names if you want. You can report on
the wrongs in govt policies – name even the ministers, but please do not mention
Narendra Modi.” scroll.in
Exclusive: Punya Prasun Bajpai Reveals the
Story Behind His Exit From ABP News
AMU yet to decide on removal of Jinnah
portrait, Parliament told
New Delhi:Months after violence erupted over a
portrait of Pakistan founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah hanging at AMU’s students’
union office, Parliament was told Monday that AMU was yet to take a decision on
the portrait’s removal. HRD Minister of State Satya Pal Singh said this in a
written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, PTI reported.“The students’ union
has been dissolved and any decision on the issue can only be taken by the
newly-elected union when formed,” Singh said. The controversy was stoked in
early May after Aligarh BJP MP Satish Gautam wrote to AMU V-C seeking removal
of Jinnah’s portrait from the campus. Some Hindu Yuva Vahini members later
barged into the campus demanding that the portrait be pulled down. A function
to grant life membership of the students’ union to former vice-president Hamid
Ansari, scheduled on the same day, was called off and Ansari had to return to
Delhi.indianexpress
Agnivesh tells people not to fall for Sangh
propaganda; compares Modi to Hitler
Social activist Swami Agnivesh on Sunday
accused the Sangh Parivar of propagating communal hatred and urged the people
to come together and fight the ‘menace’.Addressing a seminar with the theme
“Standing up to hatred;Violence and intolerance in contemporary India” in
Thiruvananthapuram, he said people should be told not to fall victim to the
“narrow Hindutva propagated by the Sangh Parivar.”Agnivesh, who was attacked
allegedly by a group of BJP affiliated youth wing workers in Jarkhand last
month, said this was the time to take up the challenge to fight communal
forces. “Today we need to come together, close our ranks, fight the menace of
communalism in the great spirit of saving democracy, Indian constitution and
saving the greatest Hindu civilisation,”he said.Attacking PM Narendra Modi, the
social activist claimed that he along with BJP chief Amit Shah had captured the
party and RSS. “In a way everything, he (Modi) is like a dictator like Adolf
Hitler... Hitler also came to power through democracy and not by a army coup,”Agnivesh
said.thehindu
CPM worker stabbed to death allegedly by
BJP-RSS men in Kerala
A CPI (M) worker was stabbed to death
allegedly by BJP-RSS men at Manjeswaram in Kasaragod district late on Sunday
night. Police said Aboobacker Sidique, 21, a native of Songal village under
Manjeswaram police limits, was stabbed by a bike-born gang when he was
returning home at 11 pm. Although local people rushed Sidique to a hospital in
Mangalore, he succumbed to his injuries.A strong contingent of police was
deployed in the region, bordering Karnataka, in the wake of the killing, said
police. CPI (M) alleged RSS-BJP men were behind the killing. The party called
for a hartal in Manjeswaram taluk in the afternoon.indianexpress
Why does PM Modi refuse to wear Muslim skull
caps, asks Shashi Tharoor
Congress Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor has asked
Prime Minister Narendra Modi why he categorically refuses to wear Muslim skull
caps and the colour green.Speaking at an event in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday,
Tharoor said, "Why does the PM, who wears all sorts of headgears from
across the world, refuse to wear a Muslim skull cap? Why does he refuse to wear
the colour green, which in his view is a colour of Muslims and wearing the
colour amounts to Muslim appeasement? "Tharoor was speaking during a
seminar titled 'Standing up to hatred: Intolerance and violence in contemporary
India'.In his speech, Tharoor blamed BJP and right-wing organisations for the
rising cases of cow vigilantism and attacks on minorities.Blaming the PM for
his silence after such incidents, he said not once has the PM spoken about the
acts of cow vigilante groups."Not once has the PM spoken immediately after
these incidents (attacks on minorities in the name of protecting cows) to
assure people that he disapproves of this violence. The perception that then
goes out is that if the PM does not speak, he does not mind these things. This
emboldens the perpetrators," Tharoor said.indiatoday
Maharashtra ATS takes leaf out of experts'
books in anti-terror fight
Mumbai: Maharashtra Police are preparing a set
of Marathi books to help its personnel tackle radicalisation, extremism and
terrorism, in a first such initiative, an official has said. The exercise
involves compiling in Marathi the gist of experts' writings on terrorism in
various languages, including English, to train policemen in handling such
cases, a senior official of ATS said.The initiative, that envisages compilation
of 3 books in Marathi on terrorism-related subjects, has also come in praise
from Union Ministry of Home Affairs, he said.A 350-page book, first in the
series, was published last week, the official said, adding that it draws on as
many as 30 books on contemporary terrorism in English and other languages,
widely read all over the world.These books cover issues such as psychology of a
terrorist, training methods of militant outfits, accounts of some major
attacks, and how the youth should be deradicalised. One of these books is
"The Islamist- Why I Joined Radical Islam in Britain, What I Saw Inside
and Why I Left", written by UK-born Ed Husain.The memoir, published in
2007, is about Husain's five years as an Islamist activist."The other two
books in the series will be published soon. These series will contain a gist
from at least 100 books on terrorism," state ATS chief Atulchandra
Kulkarni said.The books ATS is publishing are meant for circulation only within
the police department. They will be provided to the anti-terror cell personnel
in all districts, he said.Apart from English, the ATS also pored over books on
terrorism in Urdu, Hindi and Marathi to prepare the series.PTI
24 girls allegedly sexually abused in U.P.
shelter home rescued, 18 missing
Deoria:24 girls were rescued from a shelter
home in Deoria, Uttar Pradesh, and 3 people arrested following allegation of
sexual exploitation of the inmates. 18 inmates, however, were missing, , police
said.“24 girls were rescued on Sunday from the shelter home on station road in
the name of Ma Vindhyawasini Mahila Prakishan Evam Samaj Sewa Sansthan and 18
inmates are missing. We have sealed it,” SP Rohan P. Kanay said.The matter comes
in the backdrop of the alleged sexual abuse of girls at a State-funded shelter
home in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur which led to a public outcry. Sexual abuse of 34
inmates out of 42 was confirmed in medical examination.PTI
NIA arrests suspect Habibur Rahman at Delhi
airport
New Delhi: NIA arrested Habibur Rahman, LeT
suspect, at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on Sunday. He
was returning from Riyadh. The agency produced Rahman in the Patiala House
Court on Monday and appealed to take him into custody, officials said. Rahman,
a former resident of Odisha, is believed to be the handler of Lashkar-e-Taiba
militant Shaikh Abdul Naeem, who was arrested in 2007 for trying to send
militants to India via Bangladesh. He escaped in 2014 but was again arrested in
November 2017. Naeem is believed to have used the assistance of his handlers to
identify several vulnerable locations to target across India. He assumed
several fake identities to conduct his reconnaissance, the agency
said.scroll.in
Kashmiri youth held from Delhi-bound bus,
Independence Day ‘terror attack foiled’
Jammu :Security agencies claimed to have
foiled a major terror attack in the national capital ahead of Independence Day
celebrations, with arrest of a Kashmiri youth late Sunday night from a
Delhi-bound bus in Jammu. The youth, they claimed, was carrying
explosives.Though he had no past record as a militant, sources said he was on
the radar of security agencies when he reached Jammu from the Valley.He boarded
the Delhi-bound bus from General Bus Stand area in Jammu around 11 pm and when
the vehicle reached Gandhi Nagar, security agencies stopped it and arrested
him.indianexpress
If only Hindus are natural citizens, it is a
blow to India’s idea of citizenship: political theorist Niraja Gopal Jayal
Who belongs in India, and who does India
belong to? Political theorist Niraja Gopal Jayal, author of ‘Citizenship and
its Discontents: An Indian History’, speaks to Amulya Gopalakrishnan about how
our foundational principles of citizenship are being undermined. On Assam's
NRC, Niraja said, it seems to me that we are moving towards a situation in
which those who are second-class citizens today — whether by virtue of their
religion, their language or just poverty — are robbed of the dubious dignity of
even being second-class. They are being deprived of citizenship altogether. Sudden
chorus of demand, by BJP leaders in Delhi, Mumbai and elsewhere, for an
Assam-like National Register of Citizens illustrates perfectly the purpose of,
and the problem with, the NRC: it fuels xenophobia and could potentially
contribute 4.5 million people to the world’s population of 10 million stateless
persons. This is not an achievement to be proud of, whatever the transient
political benefits might be." She continued, "charge of illegal
foreigners cannot be reliably validated because it is so heavily dependent upon
documentation. We are not historically a highly documented society; even birth
certificates are a relatively recent phenomenon. So genuine citizens may have
no documents to prove their ancestry, while illegal migrants could have them,
as documentary citizenship has been notoriously easy to purchase or obtain
through kinship networks. Mere possession of documents is not, therefore,
foolproof evidence of citizenship. In the present exercise, the ‘family tree’
has proved to be a disaster, with some members of a family being recognised as
citizens and others not. Women have been especially discriminated against. When
even affluent applicants for Overseas Citizenship of India engage companies to
prove their ancestry, what chance do these poor labouring people have?The
language of detention, deportation, infiltration makes one cringe, for these
are not criminals, and many of them are not even migrants."She further
said, "Our founders chose the inclusive principle of citizenship by birth,
rather than by blood or descent. The Constitution strengthened this progressive
impulse with universal and equal citizenship, the most appropriate conception
for a plural society. From the mid-1980s, after Assam Accord, the idea of
citizenship by descent started creeping into the law on citizenship, diluting
its religion-neutral character. Until now, the shift away from the birth-based
principle was covert; now it is overt. This is why it is imperative to read the
NRC alongside the pending Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2016, which offers
fast-track citizenship to people belonging to six religions — excluding only
Muslims — from three countries, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, on the
grounds that they are minorities in those countries. If the law on citizenship
does not remain religion-neutral, and if only Hindus are natural citizens, the
constitutional idea of citizenship will be dealt a body blow."TOI
Watch! Delhi BJP MLA calls Muslim AAP MLA
‘terrorist’ inside assembly, Kejriwal questions BJP’s links with Pak
Delhi BJP MLA OP Sharma on Monday addressed a
Muslim MLA from Aam Aadmi Party as ‘terrorist’ during a debate inside the
assembly.In an incredibly disparagingly tone, Sharma told AAP MLA Amanatullah
Khan, “If you indulge in bad deeds, then you will go to jail. Why are you
talking like a terrorist?” He didn’t stop here. Continuing his rant, Sharma
said, “Oye, why are you talking like a terrorist. Talk like a human being…Don’t
act smart. Don’t behave like Fanney Khan. Don’t try and pick a fight. Sit
quietly like a human being. Sit down. Shut up. I’ve seen many people like you.”
Sharma’s intimidation continued even as Speaker Ram Niwas Goel helplessly tried
to pacify him. Moments later, an angry Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia expressed
his disgust on Sharma’s religiously divisive comments adding that the ‘assembly
will not tolerate statements calling Muslims terrorists.’“He should apologise
to the nation. How can he say such things?”asked Sisodia. Sisodia’s boss and
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal later tweeted saying that BJP was pushing the agenda
of Pakistan. He wrote, “Just look at this BJP MLA. Shameful BJP wants to divide
India into Hundu and Muslim. This is precisely what Pakistan wants.The is
working on the agenda of Pakistan. Why did Modi go to Pakistan? Why was ISI
called to Pathankot for probe? What is secret links of BJP with Pakistan.”jantakareporter
WORLD
Speculation abounds over possible Hamas-Israel
truce
Gaza City:A truce between Hamas and Israel
could be imminent, raising hopes that Israel’s ongoing blockade of the Gaza
Strip may soon be eased, according to Palestinian political analysts. The deal
is reportedly being brokered by UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East
Nickolay Mladenov, along with Egyptian and Qatari officials.Last Thursday,
members of Hamas’s political bureau -- including several who are based abroad
-- met in Gaza for the first time to discuss prospects for a ceasefire.Speaking
to Anadolu Agency, Palestinian political analyst Tayseer Hasan Mahasen pointed
out that Thursday’s meeting coincides with stepped-up political and diplomatic
activity pertaining to the Palestine-Israel file.According to Mahasen, Cairo is
keen to play a lead role in the mediation process in hopes of retaining its
historical status as chief arbitrator in Palestine-Israel negotiations.He went
on to note that the Ramallah-based Fatah movement of Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas had not responded positively to recent Egyptian proposals for
Hamas-Fatah reconciliation. Mahasen believes that Egypt presented Hamas with a
proposed truce agreement with Israel in order to bypass foot-dragging by Fatah
and the thorny issue of Hamas-Fatah relations. “Egypt proposed the gradual
dismantlement of the [Israeli] blockade [on Gaza]," he said, adding that
Hamas was expected to provide Egypt with a response to the truce proposal later
Monday.Fatah, however, Mahasen said, “may seek to obstruct the truce deal’s
implementation”. On Sunday, Fatah criticized what it described as Hamas’s
“shameful negotiations” with Israel.The truce proposal, Fatah said in a
statement, was aimed at “separating Gaza from the homeland [i.e., the West
Bank] and establishing a statelet [in Gaza], which would represent the nail in
the coffin of our national project”.Hamas responded by accusing Fatah of
attempting to undermine efforts to achieve Palestinian national unity and end
Israel’s 11-year blockade of Gaza.Mustafa al-Sawaf, a Palestinian writer and
political analyst, said that, in return for any easing of the blockade, Hamas
would be expected to halt all resistance activity along the Gaza-Israel buffer
zone.“All Israel wants from Hamas is a state of calm [along the Gaza-Israel
buffer zone],” al-Sawaf said.In recent weeks, Palestinian activists have been
flying flaming kites and balloons over Israeli territory as part of ongoing
rallies along the Gaza-Israel buffer zone.According to Israeli officials, the
improvised aerial weapons have caused a number of fires inside Israel, causing
significant material damage but not resulting in any deaths or injuries.Anadolu
Agency
UN investigation into Israel’s ‘nation-state’
law
UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues,
Fernand de Varennes, has started official proceedings to investigate a
complaint against Israel, submitted by the High Follow-Up Committee for Arab
Citizens of Israel regarding the recent ‘Nation-State’ law.In May, de Varennes
participated in the Second Human Capabilities Conference, organised by the
Follow-Up Committee in the city of Tayibe.The conference discussed the threats
posed by the of the ‘Nation-State’ bill to the Arab citizens of Israel, as an
indigenous community. After the bill became law, the Committee submitted an
official complaint against Israel which focused on the ‘Nation-State’ law’s
discriminatory and exclusionary articles against the Palestinian people in
general and especially against the Arab citizens of Israel.Knesset Member Dr
Yousef Jabareen, head of the International Relations Committee in the “Joint
List” bloc, said that Nationality Law threatens the right of the Palestinian
people to self-determination in their homeland, as well as the situation and
rights of Arab citizens of Israel. He mentioned that the Arab citizens of
Israel are a national and ethnic minority. International treaties guarantee
their collective, national, cultural, linguistic and religious rights, which
the ‘Nation-State’ law has violated, flagrantly.middleeastmonitor
Israel launches military exercises in Golan
Heights
Israeli occupation army said on Sunday that it
had launched a one-week-military-exercise in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights,
Anadolu Agency reported.In a statement, the Israeli army said: “Today, a
military exercise started in the Golan Heights and Galilee and it will last for
one week. It is part of the annual training plan for 2018 that aims to maintain
readiness of our forces.”The exercise is slated to continue throughout the
week, with the sound of explosions and some movement of security forces
throughout the region expected during this period.Last Thursday, the Israeli
occupation army announced that it had ended a military exercise that simulates
a war in the northern front, which includes Syria and Lebanon.MEMO
Freedom Flotilla activist: Israel soldiers
beat us, stripped us, then robbed us
Founding trustee of Medical Aid for
Palestinians (MAP) Dr Swee Ang was on board the Al-Awda boat sailing to break
the illegal Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip when occupation forces
commandeered the vessel.In a personal testimony Ang outlines the violent
treatment the unarmed activists received at the hands of heavily armed Israeli
soldiers in international waters.After boarding Al-Awda, occupation forces were
“twisting the arms of the participants”, “lifting” and “throwing” others out of
their way and tasering those they could not manhandle, Ang explained.Al-Awda
was taken over by Israeli forces on 29 July, after it was surrounded by them
and had its crew detained. The captain was severely beaten, Ang describes how
soldiers were:"…throwing Herman against the wall of the wheel house and
punching his chest."“If we were Palestinians,” however she argues, “it
would be much worse with physical assaults and probably loss of lives. The
situation is therefore dire for the Palestinians.”middleeastmonitor
A Palestinian Father Wonders Why the Israeli
Army Had to Kill His 14-year-old Son:Israeli daily
For Arkan Muzhir’s 15th birthday on August 20,
his father Thaer planned to buy him a phone. The elder Muzhir uses the Hebrew
word for cellphone, pelefon.But 4 weeks before his son’s birthday, during a
raid on the Deheisheh refugee camp before dawn on Monday July 23, an Israeli
soldier shot Arkan. He hit him “exactly in the right corner of his heart,”
Muzhir said, pointing to a photograph of his dead son, his T-shirt folded and
showing a child’s chest.“We have 180 photographs of Arkan; show me one where
he’s not smiling,” Muzhir said at the beginning of the week, sitting in the
diwan – the neighborhood guest room – in a narrow alley where the family’s
house is also located.The three official mourning days had passed, but the men
in the camp continued to come to the diwan to express their condolences, sit on
a chair in the room, listen to Muzhir talking about his boy who is gone, and
add memories of their own. And of course move on to political conversation.“The
boy enrolled at a vocational school for the next school year,” Muzhir said. “He
wanted to study electrical engineering for cars or car mechanics. Everyone –
his friends, his teachers, his sisters – say how pleasant he was, well-liked,
ready to help.”haaretz
HRW: Rohingya must be moved to safer areas in
Cox's Bazar
Cox's Bazar:Rohingya refugees living in a
severely overcrowded mega camp should be relocated by the Bangladeshi
government to safer areas, HRW said .A 68-page report by the New York-based
group highlighted the dangers the Rohingya face from flooding and landslides
during the monsoon season as they wait to return to their homeland in Myanmar,
as well as the heightened risks of communicable diseases, fires, community
tensions, and domestic and sexual violence to which the densely packed refugees
are subjected.These refugees "should have sturdier shelters and adequate
education for their extended stay", said the report titled, Bangladesh Is
Not My Country: The Plight of Rohingya Refugees from Myanmar.It called on
Bangladeshi authorities to transfer the Rohingya to smaller, less-congested camps
on flatter, proximate land in the same Ukhiya sub-district where the mega camp
is located.aljazeera
Protesters injured as Bangladesh police fire
tear gas on students
Violent clashes have continued in Bangladesh's
capital as authorities fired tear gas at students and shut down mobile internet
connections after a week of youth protests over road safety following the death
of 2 teenagers who were mowed down by a speeding bus.Thousands of students from
various schools and colleges on Sunday started controlling traffic in Dhaka,
for the eighth consecutive day.Bangladeshi police fired tear gas at students
occupying an intersection in central Dhaka."It was a peaceful rally but
suddenly police fired tear gas shells aimed at us [that] left several injured,"
Mohammad Atikur Rahman, one of protesters,told DPA news agency.aljazeera
Report: Saudi-UAE coalition 'cut deals' with
al-Qaeda in Yemen
A military coalition battling Houthi rebels
secured secret deals with al-Qaeda in Yemen and recruited hundreds of the
group's fighters, a news report said on Monday.For more than two years, a
Saudi-led alliance - backed by US logistical and weapons support - claimed it
crushed al-Qaeda's ability to carry out attacks from Yemen.However, an
investigation by The Associated Press found the coalition has been paying some
al-Qaeda commanders to leave key cities and towns while letting others retreat
with weapons, equipment, and wads of looted cash. Hundreds of al-Qaeda members
were recruited to join the coalition as soldiers, the report said.aljazeera
Saudi freezes new trade with Canada, expels
envoy over criticism of arrests
Saudi Arabia suspended new trade and
investment with Canada after that country's foreign ministry urged Riyadh to
release arrested civil rights activists, it said in a statement released by the
official Saudi Press Agency on Sunday.It also gave the Canadian ambassador 24
hours to leave the country and recalled its own ambassador to Canada, the
statement by the Saudi foreign ministry said, according to Reuters.The move
followed vigorous calls by Canada for the immediate release of human rights
activists swept up in a new wave of detentions, AFP said.The Canadian embassy
in Riyadh had said it was "gravely concerned" over the wave of
arrests of rights campaigners in the kingdom, including award-winning women's
rights activist Samar Badawi, the sister of jailed dissident blogger Raif
Badawi.Raif Badawi's wife Ensaf Haidar lives in Canada and recently became a
Canadian citizen."We urge the Saudi authorities to immediately release
them and all other peaceful #humanrights activists," the Canadian embassy
tweeted on Friday.The Saudi foreign ministry later tweeted: "The kingdom
of Saudi Arabia... will not accept interference in its internal affairs or
imposed diktats from any country."It added that "the kingdom views
the Canadian position as an affront to the kingdom's laws and judicial process,
as well as a violation of the Kingdom's sovereignty." Canadian foreign
ministry officials were not available for an immediate comment on Sunday.Saudi
authorities last week arrested two prominent women rights activists, Samar
Badawi and Nassima al-Saadah, and held them incommunicado, Saudi human rights
groups said. The arrests followed a spate of detentions of women's rights
activists in the run-up to the end of the ban on women driving in the kingdom
in late June.middleeasteye
Saudi expels Canadian ambassador over
criticism of arrests
7.0 quake rocks eastern Indonesia; 98 dead
Jakarta;At least 98 people died while at least 200 were
injured when a magnitude 7.0 earthquake shook eastern Indonesia on Sunday, said
an official.Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman for Indonesian National Agency for
Disaster Management (BNPB), in a statement confirmed the death toll in the
earthquake and aftershocks on the island of Lombok. Nugroho said most of the
casualties occurred on the northern part of the island.He also stressed that
both domestic and foreign tourists were evacuated to safe zones on the Gili
Islands, northeast of Lombok.The earthquake damaged over 1,000 houses, and
search and rescue teams backed by helicopters are continuing their efforts in
the area. Out of the 98 people who lost their lives, at least two were on the
Bali Islands, west of Lombok.So far, 47 aftershocks with a smaller magnitude
have been detected, said Nugroho in an earlier statement.Anadolu agency
Afghan leader confirms US official met Taliban
in Qatar
KABUL:In its first official reaction to
contacts for peace between the U.S. and the Taliban, the Afghan government on
Monday acknowledged the contacts, but rejected the idea of ceding any land to
the Taliban."The Afghan government is aware of this matter, the main
purpose of this [meeting] was to pave way for formal peace talks between the
Taliban and the government,” said Abdullah Abdullah, the government’s CEO,
adding that Kabul is aware of the meeting that took place last month in Doha,
Qatar.Chairing a Cabinet meeting aired in part by state broadcaster RTA,
Abdullah rejected the notion of handing over any territory in the country to
the Taliban, an idea floated by former Mujahedeen leader, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar,
as a confidence-building move.Tolo News previously reported that Alice Wells, the
U.S. principal deputy assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia,
met with Taliban representatives last month to discuss ways to lay groundwork
for peace talks. Their aim was to build on the momentum from June's three-day
ceasefire for the Eid al-Fitr. Anadolu agency
Pakistan: Imran Khan’s party nominates him as
next PM
Pakistan’s former cricket hero Imran Khan’s
party has officially nominated him as its candidate for the country’s next
prime minister, a party official said on Monday.“All the parliamentary party
members unanimously approved the resolution to nominate Imran Khan as the
parliamentary leader and nominee for the next country's premiership,” said Shah
Mehmood Qureshi , vice chairman of the PTI.In the July 25 elections, the PTI
emerged as the single largest party but fell short of simple majority in the
National Assembly. The party will have to seek formal support from smaller
parties or independents to get elected the prime minister of its
choice."Finally we have achieved the required numbers for simple majority
in the parliament and now Imran Khan will easily be elected as prime minister
of Pakistan" Qureshi said. Anadolu agency
FLASH VIEWS & NEWS
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Cost of being a 'Muslim' rights activist,
Ovais Khan coerced into resigning from ANHAD
Between strategic-energy interests with Iran
and a flip-flopping US president, India must find its own balance: Vikram S
Mehta
NRC in Assam: Exercise to identify illegal
migrants must not morph into anti-Muslim madness and affect other states:
Srinivasa Prasad
Compiled and edited by
Anwarulhaq (Released at: 7:08 PM)
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