NEWS
DIGEST, MID-DAY
25 Sept. 2018: 14 Muhram 1440:
Vol: 11, No:11
INDIA
Rs 5,000 crore bank fraud: CBI approaches
Nigeria seeking info on absconding businessman Sandesara
New Delhi: CBI has asked the Interpol wing of
Nigeria to confirm if absconding businessman Nitin Sandesara has moved in that
country, PTI reported. Latest development comes a day after reports emerged
that Sandesara, the owner of Gujarat-based Sterling Biotech group and a key
accused in a Rs 5,300-crore bank loan fraud, has fled from the UAE.On Aug. 15,
Indian agencies had learnt that Sandesara had been detained by UAE authorities.
Both CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED) had immediately written to the UAE
apprising it of the cases against him and requesting his provisional arrest.
However, the information now received by the agencies is that he is no more in
the Gulf country. “What we have learnt is that he had been detained by
authorities in the UAE for an offence related to local issues. The detention
was not related to our case. He is not in UAE anymore. We do not exactly know
where he is. He has investments and companies from the United Kingdom to
Nigeria. He could be anywhere,” an official involved with the investigation
said.It is in the Sterling Biotech case that CBI has told the Central Vigilance
Commission that it is probing its Special Director,Rakesh Asthana. Sandesara
and his brother Chetan Jayantilal Sandesara, both directors in the
Vadodara-based Sterling Biotech pharmaceutical firm, are key accused in the
case. It is alleged that the company took loans of Rs 5,383 crore from a
consortium led by Andhra Bank, which later turned into non-performing assets.The
case is also believed to involve politicians and bureaucrats. Sandesara
brothers have been absconding since the case was registered by the CBI in Oct.
2017.ED is probing a case of money laundering against the company and the
Sandesaras.indianexpress
Rafale: Dassault CEO chose Reliance at the
last minute, despite team opposition; report
More skeletons are tumbling out from the
technical rooms of Rafale jet-mkaer Dassault Aviation, creating more headaches
for PM Narendra Modi and BJP. Completely
contradicting the official statement from Dassault Aviation, two top technical
heads have stated in an interview to India Scoops, that the entire technical
staff team at Dassault Aviation were unhappy with the move to drop the Indian
public sector undertaking Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) from the deal and
instead partner with Anil Ambani’s Reliance Defence Ltd.According to the
report, the experts, who did not want to be identified, said there were heated
discussions between Dassault officials and several mails were sent over a week.
Entire technical team wanted to work with HAL, but the decision was overruled
by the top Dassault management headed by CEO Eric Trappier at the last minute.
The experts said that Trappier and two others were adamant that they could only
go with Reliance Defence and refused to listen to the advice of the
departmental HODs.“We were sure we would be working with HAL and not any other
Indian company... At the last minute, we were informed that HAL was dropped and
a new Indian company with whom we had never worked before and which had no
expertise in manufacturing fighter aircraft was selected for the job,” the
article quoted the officials as saying.“The entire technical team and our team
heads and HODs were shocked. It was a bolt from the blue. But we had to follow
instructions. At the end of the day... if the top management decided to work
with Reliance Defence, we had to toe the line... But it was CEO Eric Trappier
and a couple of other officials’ at DA who took the decision to go with
Reliance Defence,” the officials were further quoted as
saying.nationalheraldindia
Bangladesh leaders, across party-line slam
Amit Shah’s illegal immigration remarks, say ‘such statements create new
dispute in friendly relations’
A day after BJP president Amit Shah raised the
issue of illegal immigration from Bangladesh and said that “infiltrators” are
eating the country “like termites”, at least three top functionaries in
Bangladesh – across the political divide – slammed the remarks, calling it
“inappropriate”, “unwanted”, and one that “vitiates the atmosphere”.While the
Bangladesh High Commission or the Foreign Ministry did not raise the issue
officially with the Indian Govt or the
Indian High Commission in Dhaka, two top Govt functionaries in Dhaka and one functionary
from main opposition BNP expressed their concern. Bangladesh’s Information
Minister Hassanul Haq Inu said,“We think Amit Shah’s statement is
inappropriate, it is not based on information, and it is unwanted. We regard
this statement as a private statement, and not of Govt.”“Indian Govt has categorically
told us that what is happening in Assam (NRC) is an internal issue, and will
have no impact on India-Bangladesh relations. In the [last] 47 years, there
have been no report of illegal migration from Bangladesh to (India’s)
north-eastern states. Indian Govt has
never ever raised the issue of illegal immigration in bilateral talks,” he
said.He said Bangla-speaking people in India are “legal citizens of India and
have no relationship with Bangladesh as a country”.He also said that PM
Narendra Modi is handling the relationship “superbly”, and “we have full
confidence in the Govt in Delhi and the PM
, that this issue will not have any influence on bilateral ties with
Bangladesh”. Bangladesh PM Sheikh
Hasina’s media adviser Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury said, “It is India’s internal
affairs but if (there are) any consequences, we have reason to be concerned. We
are already overburdened with Rohingya refugees. If any environment leads to
more people coming to India, there are consequences for India, and will be
again putting burden on Bangladesh.”He said, “Such statements create a new
dispute in the otherwise friendly relations between India and Bangladesh.” Chowdhury
said that the two countries have resolved the land boundary issue, and signed
the land boundary agreement, there is cooperation in the energy sector, and
also opening up of transit to the north-eastern states of India. He said there
is a growing bilateral relationship and the Bangladesh PM ’s zero tolerance
policy for insurgent and terrorist activities is appreciated both in the civil
society and by Govt in India, as it has
already added to peace and stability in the region.“Any new issue that dvelops
will have repercussion, will have some souring effects on our friendly
relationship. We hope the BJP leadership and Govt is (enough) mature to
understand this,” he said.On the use of word termites, he said, “It is up to
leaders on how they use political rhetoric.”“I hope this spirit will
continue…if any new issue vitiates atmosphere, that will be unfortunate,” he
said. BNP chairman Khaleda Zia’s foreign affairs adviser Sabihuddin Ahmed said,
“When BNP was in power, we always maintained that people who are Indian
citizens and Indian voters are not migrants from Bangladesh.” indianexpress
SC to deliver verdict on constitutional
validity of Aadhaar tomorrow
The Supreme Court will on Wednesday deliver
its verdict on the constitutional validity of Aadhaar. After a marathon hearing
that lasted 38 working days spread over four months, a 5-judge Constitution
bench headed by CJI Dipak Misra had in May reserved its judgment on a clutch of
petitions challenging the Constitutional validity of the 2016 Aadhaar Act.The
linking of 12-digit biometric number with various Govt services has been
criticised by many for allegedly trying to violate the right to privacy. In an
interim order in March this year, the apex court had said that the mandatory
linking of bank accounts and mobile phones will stand extended ‘indefinitely’
till judgement on the petitions pending before it is pronounced.The top court
will essentially decide on whether Aadhaar meets constitutional provisions and
whether the Govt can continue seeking it
as a mandatory identification in the name of furthering its welfare goals.The Govt
had made Aadhaar compulsory for a host
of services and welfare measures, including PAN cards, bank account, passport,
mobile service and even driving licenses.indianexpress
Babri Masjid case: Is Mosque Essential Part of
Islam- verdict likely on Sept.28
New Delhi:The Supreme Court is likely to
pronounce its judgment on Sept.28 on whether to refer the question if a “mosque
as a place of prayer is an essential part of Islam” in the Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri
Masjid case, appeals to a Constitution Bench. The petitions are seen listed in
the advance causelist for Sept.28. A 3-judge Bench of CJI Dipak Misra and
Justices Ashok Bhushan and S. Abdul Nazeer had taken up the long-pending
Ayodhya land title appeals against the Allahabad High Court judgment of 2010,
which had ordered a three-way partition of the disputed land. CJI Misra had in
the beginning observed that the appeals would be decided like any other civil
suit, shorn of any “religious sentiments” displayed by the parties.However, as
the hearings progressed in the appeals, the Muslim appellants pressed that the
place of a mosque in Islam and the importance of the practice of offering
prayers inside a mosque should be first decided by a five-judge Bench. They
said this question should be answered before the court goes into the main title
dispute.The bone of contention here is an observation made in a 1994 judgment
of the Supreme Court in the Ismail Farooqui case that “a mosque is not an
essential part of the practice of the religion of Islam and namaz (prayer) by
Muslims can be offered anywhere, even in open”.Senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan,
for the Muslims appellants, argued that the observation has affected the status
of mosques in Islam. the hindu
SC verdicts this week: From Aadhaar to
Ayodhya, big judgments expected
Assam govt to move SC for sharing NRC updating
process
Guwahati:Assam Govt today said that it will approach the Supreme
Court to make it mandatory for the state Govt to be taken into confidence in
all decisions pertaining to the ongoing process of updating the National
Register of Citizens (NRC) for the state.This was stated by Parliamentary
Affairs Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary during the Question Hour in the state
Legislative Assembly here.Replying to a question from Aminul Islam (AIUDF),
Patowary said the State Govt wants the
Supreme Court to share NRC-related matters with it.Patowary said both the State
Govt and the Centre, as well as the
Congress party, wanted NRC-related matters to be shared by the SC which has
been closely monitoring NRC updating process in Assam. “NRC state coordinator
Prateek Hajela has submitted a report to the Supreme Court in a sealed
cover.UNI
Kerala-based Sunni Muslim group moves SC
against triple talaq ordinance, calls it 'arbitrary'
Samastha Kerala Jam’eyyath ul-Ulama, a
religious organisation of Sunni Muslim scholars and clerics, filed a petition
in Supreme Court on Tuesday against the triple talaq ordinance, ANI reported.In
its plea, the Kerala-based outfit challenged the constitutionality of the
ordinance and said that the ordinance is arbitrary.Plea said the Ordinance
promulgated by the Centre was "arbitrary and discriminatory" and
violative of Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution and should be struck
down. "The Ordinance has introduced penal legislation, specific to a class
of persons based on religious identity. It is causative of grave public
mischief, which, if unchecked, may lead to polarization and disharmony in
society. Further, adjudication of the legality of the Ordinance by a plurality
of High Courts under Article 226 would mean multiplicity of litigation over the
same cause of action," the plea, filed through advocate Zulfiker Ali P S,
said.The petition said that Article 123 enables the promulgation of ordinances
only in instances requiring "immediate action" and the "absence
of emergent reasons" negates any invocation of the provision in the given
circumstances."Despite the Central Govt having had ample opportunity to abolish the
practice before the judgment in Shayara Bano, if not for 1400 years, at least
the 67 years of the existence of Constitution preceding Shayara Bano, the Govt chose to await the adjudication in Shayara
Bano case."Once there was declaration made by this Court under Article 141
in Shayara Bano, there was no surviving action, let alone "immediate
action" warranted to reiteratively abolish the practice and penalise
Triple Talaq by way of an Ordinance under Article 123. Hence the promulgation
of impugned Ordinance is against the spirit of Article 123 and a fraud on the
Constitution," the plea added.The petition claimed that the Ordinance
would lead to "polarization and disharmony in society", as it applies
to a specific class of people based on religious identity. "The Ordinance
has introduced penal legislation, specific to a class of persons based on
religious identity. It is causative of grave public mischief, which, if
unchecked, may lead to polarisation and disharmony in society," the plea
said. Cabinet approved the ordinance to ban the practice of instant triple
talaq. President Ram Nath Kovind later signed the ordinance. firstpost/ANI/PTI
Plea in Supreme Court challenging ordinance to
make instant triple talaq penal offence
SC says it can’t ban criminals in politics,
asks parliament to frame laws to bar them from polls
The Supreme Court has declined to ban
politicians with criminal cases from contesting elections but underlined that
it is time Parliament enacts laws to ensure that people with criminal cases do
not enter politics.Society has a right to be governed by better people, the
judges said while observing that politicians with criminal cases must be “kept
at bay”.Such a law should be enacted as soon as possible, it said.“The sooner
the better, before it becomes fatal to democracy,” a five-judge bench of the SC
led by CJI Dipak Misra said.Nearly 1,700 MPs and MLAs, a little over a third of
all elected representatives in India, face criminal charges.Under the existing
law, politicians are banned from contesting elections for 6 years only if they
are convicted for the crime. Also, there is nothing to stop convicted
politicians from heading political parties.A bunch of petitions filed before
the Supreme Court had argued that this should change.The judges ruled that the
court was not in a position to add a disqualification to bar people with
criminal cases from entering politics or contesting elections. So it cannot
declare that legislators who have been charged of serious offences should be
disqualified.But the court lamented the state of affairs.HT
SC dismisses BJP leader’s plea, says MPs, MLAs
can practice as advocates
A Supreme Court bench comprising of Chief
Justice Dipak Misra, Justices DY Chandrachud and AM Khanwilkar has dismissed a
plea by BJP leader and lawyer Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay contending that MPs and
MLAs practising as advocates pose a conflict of interest.Upadhyay had sought a
ban, under provisions of the Advocates Act, 1961, and the Bar Council of India
Rules (BCI), on members of Parliament and legislative assemblies from
practising as advocates. The bench, however, said there is no bar on lawyers,
who are MPs or MLAs, from practising in court during their tenure as lawmakers.
There is no rule of BCI or law that bars them from practicing in court, the
bench said.IANS
Election Commission orders probe after viral
video shows Muslims pledging vote to TRS
New Delhi: State Election Commission of
Telangana Tuesday ordered a probe after a video purportedly showed a group of
Muslim men pledging their support to TRS party in upcoming state assembly
elections in the presence of a state minister, PTI reported.“There were some
newspaper reports and complaints have also been made. Now, since the model code
of conduct is not on, if a voter takes the oath, I don’t think it falls within
the purview of the electoral code violation. But we have asked the district
electoral officer concerned to give a report on that,” state’s CEO Rajat Kumar said.The
development comes as the state gears for legislative elections after chief
minister k Chandrashekhar Rao dissolved the state assembly. KCR is currently
serving as caretaker CM in the state. The video shows some people promising
their votes to Transport Minister in the caretaker Govt Patnam Mahender Reddy.
The minister is contesting from Thandur. After the video went viral, opposition
parties criticised the caretaker Govt and alleged that KCR is indulging in
‘cheap tricks’ and ‘communalising’ the elections. Congress then lodged a
complaint with the Election Commission and raised questions as to why the body
was not stepping in to check such practices.PTI
Assam: 4,130 rapes, over 15,000 dowry cases
since BJP came to power in 2016
Guwahati:Assam has witnessed 4,130 cases of
rape and over 15,000 dowry-related cases ever since the BJP-led Govt came to power in the state two years ago,
according to an official data.The figures could prove to be an embarrassment to
BJP-led state Govt since it came to
power in 2016 on a slogan of change and had assured to protect the lives and
property of the people.Assam Industry Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary on Monday
said that while 4,130 cases of rape have been reported from across the state in
the last two years, a total of 15,470 cases related to dowry have been reported
during the period.Patowary was replying to a question by AGP legislator,
Ramendra Narayan Kalita. He was replying on behalf of state Home Minister
Sarbananda Sonowal, also CM of Assam.“Besides, 15,741 cases of abduction,
32,248 cases of burglary and 2,438 cases of killing were reported (between 2014
and 2016),” he said, adding that 21 deaths related to superstition and
witch-hunting have also taken place during the period.IANS
V-C didn’t make Parsi prof HOD because of his
religion: Syndicate members of Gujarat’s University to minority panel
Surat:Syndicate members of Veer Narmad South
Gujarat University (VNSGU) here on Monday sent a letter to National Minority
Commission, alleging that the V-C has not appointed a senior professor as the
Head of mathematics Department because of his “caste or religion”.In the
letter, the Syndicate members alleged that V-C Dr Shivendra Gupta has done
“injustice” to professor Dr Munir Timol, a Parsi, by not appointing him as the
HOD of mathematics despite the latter being the seniormost. The Syndicate
members who have signed the letter are Sanjay Desai, Dr Mahendra Chauhan, Dr
Ghansyam Rawal and Kirit Patel.“We believe that Dr Timol has been denied of his
statutory right because of his caste/religion, which the vice-chancellor may be
prejudiced against. Hence, we request you to give justice immediately in the
interest of the harmonious atmosphere, which prevails in our university among
all caste, creed and religion since its inception.”The letter was sent by
Sanjay Desai to chairman of National Minority Commission, New Delhi.
indianexpress
Delhi HC bans slaughter in Ghazipur Murga
Mandi
New Delhi: In an interim direction, the Delhi
High Court on Monday banned the slaughter of poultry at the Ghazipur Murga
Mandi here till further orders. A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and
Justice V. Kameswar Rao, however, allowed sale of live chicken at the market
and listed the matter for further hearing on Oct. 29. The court asked the
authorities to file an affidavit indicating a plan to set up a designated
slaughter house in the area. The order came on a report filed by the Delhi
Pollution Control Board which has raised violation of animal welfare laws at
the Mandi and sought its closure. The court turned down the plea. "We are
concerned with the larger issue of pollution in the area," the judges
said. The court was hearing a plea filed by animal rights activist Gauri
Maulekhi, who alleged that there was indiscriminate violation of animal rights
and blatant abuse of animal welfare laws at the Mandi.IANS
Koregaon Bhima violence: Prakash Ambedkar
seeks to examine one of two probe panel members
Mumbai: President of Bharipa Bahujan
Mahasangh, Prakash Ambedkar, who on Monday appeared before the two-member
inquiry commission constituted to probe the clashes at Koregaon Bhima on Jan.
1, said that he wanted to examine Sumit Mullick, the former state chief
secretary and a member of the commission. Following this, Mullick agreed to be
examined before the panel. Ambedkar said that he would submit an application
seeking to examine Mullick before the commission next week. Mullick is a member
of Govt-appointed judicial commission inquiring into the Koregaon Bhima
violence headed by retired Calcutta High Court Chief Justice J N Patel.“It was Govt’s
failure. His examination is required to establish as when he got know about the
violence. While the violence started around 9.30 am, the chief minister’s
office was not aware of it till afternoon pm when I called. Subsequently, I
called the office of MoS for Home (Urban) but it was also not aware about it.
So, we want the then chief secretary’s examination to know when he got to know
about the incident,” said Ambedkar.indianexpress
3 yrs after Akhlaq was lynched in Dadri, case
is stuck in ‘fast-track’ court
Bisara, Uttar Pradesh: 3 years after Mohammad
Akhlaq was lynched over rumours of cow slaughter and possession of beef, the
case is stuck at the local ‘fast-track’ court.Despite 45 dates set by the court
for the hearing since 2015, charges are yet to be framed against the
accused.“The case was to be heard on 13 September, but due to a strike called
by lawyers of Surajpur court, the matter could not be heard that day. The next
date of hearing is going to take place on 5 October, and charges are to be
framed against the accused,”said Ram Saran Nagar, legal counsel for some of 18
accused.Advocate Yusuf Saifi, who represents Akhlaq’s family, said the battery
of lawyers representing the young men accused of Akhlaq’s murder has each
sought additional documents and filed applications. This, apart from strikes
and holidays, has led to “slow movement” and delayed justice in the case, he
said. “Nearly 3 years have passed since the charge sheet in this case was
admitted in court. The defence lawyers are delaying it in some way or another,
probably because they know they are guilty,” Saifi said.“It is only after
framing of charges that evidence is produced in court. If they (accused) were innocent,
they would not have delayed the court case. They would have wanted the charges
to be framed soon, so that evidence is produced and their innocence
proved.”theprint
UP uses stringent NSA against 3 men from minority community following cricket
fight turns communal
Meerut:A month after a cricket match between
teenagers snowballed into communal clashes in restive Purbaliyan village of
Muzaffarnagar, sections of the stringent NSA have been invoked against 3 men of
the minority community, one of who is a 65-year-old. Members of the community
have termed police action as one-sided.
On Aug.21, a fight between 2 boys from different communities had led to
clashes over several days between the communities. Former village pradhan
Shakar Ali said, “It was just a small fight between kids with little communal
overtones, but was made to look like a big communal clash in order to settle
scores with minority families. No action was taken against the majority community.”On
Aug.22, Sumit Pal, father of the other boy, filed an FIR against a dozen named
minority men and 20 unidentified ones.On Aug.24, Abid Ahmad, servant of one
Shamsher Ahmad, was allegedly beaten in the farm by two masked men.Local
activist Nilofer Chaudhary said, “Soon, senior police officers and a large
police force began pouring into the village and later a PAC contingent was also
called in.”Waseem Chaudhary, a relatives of Shamsher Ahmad said, “Police and
PAC jawans entered homes and broke furniture and terrorised family
members.”Later, another FIR was filed against 26 minority men under sections
153A (promoting enmity between different groups) of the IPC apart from the
previous FIR’s sections.TPS Pahel, SHO of Mansoorpur police station said, “Another
section was later included, for attempt to murder, in the second FIR filed on
August 24 against 26 persons.” While Shamsher’s brother Waseem Chaudhary blamed
right-wing groups for attacking the servant Abid, the groups alleged it was a
ploy to counter the earlier FIR.On the basis of the FIRs, in all 38 men were
booked by name and 20 were unidentified, out of which 28 are in jail including
Shamsher, Mehboob Ahmad and Aftab, who have been slapped with NSA. Families of
those jailed rubbish police claims.Mohsin, brother of Shamsher said, “Police
arrested Shamsher who had no role in what is being termed as a conspiracy. When
his nephew Mehboob who was not even in the village at the time of the flare-up
went to the police station to look for Shamsher, he was also detained. Abid was
forced to change his statement and when he did not relent his name was also
included in FIR.”
U’khand madrassas to be inspected over
Juvenile Justice Act, general awareness
Dehradun: The state child rights panel has
directed the social welfare and education department to conduct inspection of
all the madrassas of Uttarakhand to find out their adherence to Juvenile
Justice Act and submit the report within a month. The move comes after class
VII students of a madrassa had during an inspection by a team of the commission
failed to answer basic questions.One of the students had named Uttar Pradesh as
the country where we are living in, and described Tipu Sultan as a freedom
fighter who helped India gain independence in 1947.Following which, the
director general of education and principal secretary of social welfare
department had on Sept. 22 directed to conduct separate inspection across all
madrassas of the state. The notice by the child rights panel reads, “We
inspected one of the madrassas on Sept. 19 in Sahaspur area and found that the
living standards and food facilities for the students are below average.”
Inspections should be carried out to find if the madrassas are adhering to
Juvenile Justice Act, the notice adds. TOI
Taj Mahal preservation: Submit vision document
by Nov.15, SC tells UP govt
New Delhi: The Supreme Court, which had
earlier slammed the UP Govt for its failure to maintain and preserve Taj Mahal,extended
the deadline for submission of the state govt’s Vision Document on the
protection of the world heritage site. The court is hearing a plea filed by
petitioner MC Mehta, an environmentalist, who told the bench that the green
cover in the area has reduced and there were encroachments in and outside the
Yamuna floodplains.Uttar Pradesh Govt on Tuesday told the apex court that it
would be difficult to declare Agra a ‘heritage city’, as proposed by the Centre
last month. The apex court asked the state Govt to contemplate declaring certain portions of
the area surrounding Taj Mahal as heritage, responding to which the state Govt informed the court that an Ahmedabad-based
Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology was assisting it on the
same.In last month’s hearing, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Tushar Mehta
and advocate Aishwarya Bhati, representing the Uttar Pradesh Govt , had said
the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA) team, which was drawing up the
document, was also looking at a comprehensive plan to deal with all
issues.indianexpress
World Bank is finalising a new initiative to
resolve Indus Waters Treaty, says Pakistan
World
Bank is in the process of finalising a fresh initiative to resolve the Indus
Waters Treaty and will soon approach India and Pakistan with it, according to a
statement from Pakistan’s Mission to the United Nations. World Bank President
Jim Yong Kim met Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi at the
sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Monday, where
they discussed the treaty. “The focus of the meeting was the World Bank’s role
in implementation of the Indus Waters Treaty as its administrator,” said the
statement. India’s construction of hydroelectric power projects on the
Kishanganga and Ratle were in violation of the treaty as Pakistan had exclusive
rights to the western rivers, Qureshi told Jim. He added that the new Govt ,
led by PM Imran Khan, saw this as a
humanitarian issue and was not interested in politicising it.scroll.in
UP: ‘Girl rescued from VHP activists’ thrashed
by cops for choosing Muslim partner
Meerut: In a viral clip, a battery of cops
on-board a UP Police van can be seen thrashing a girl, who is a nursing student
at a Meerut-based college, and calling her out for choosing a Muslim partner.
She was detained by local police after VHP activists had allegedly harassed and
assaulted the couple on Sunday."All 4 cops, including a lady constable and
homeguard, have been placed under suspension and a departmental inquiry has
been initiated against them," ADG (Meerut Zone) Prashant Kumar said.The
incident happened on Sunday when a mob of VHP activists, led by their Meerut
region chief Manish Kumar, raided a rented location in Meerut's Shashtri Nagar
area. The right-wing group was tipped off about an interfaith couple in the
area. The mob harassed and assaulted the couple in public before the local
police station was alerted. The couple, both in their twenties, claimed to be
friends from the city based nursing college.They were completely caught unaware
after a mob raided the rented location. They were later brought to the police
station where VHP activists created ruckus after police denied to take action
against the couple for no fault of theirs. However, the couple was detained in
the police station before their parents arrived to finally rescue them. In the
viral video, a homeguard, driving the police van is seen filming the shocking
incident. Girl is initially interrogated on her whereabouts and is later
assaulted by the lady cop sitting next to her in the van. Other cops can be
heard hurling abuses and calling her out for choosing a Muslim partner. TOI
Why date a Muslim when there are so many
Hindus: UP cops ask woman
Israeli police get uniform from Kerala
dressmaker
Why are officers of the Israeli police force
travelling all the way to a non-descript town in north Kerala in frequent
intervals?Because, their elegant light-blue, long sleeve uniform shirts are
being stitched at an apparel unit in Kannur, which has the glorious tradition
of handloom making and textile export.Hundreds of tailors at Maryan Apparel Pvt
Limited, operating at the industrial park at Valiyavelicham in the district,
are toiling hard to get the spic and span uniforms ready for the Israel
police.They not only stitch the double-pocket shirts but also design and attach
the trademark emblems on its sleeves.The local dressmakers have been supplying
nearly one lakh shirts annually to the Israeli police for the last three
years.Owned by Thodupuzha-based businessman Thomas Olickal, the company also
bagged the orders for supplying uniforms for Kuwait’s fire service and national
guard.PTI
WORLD
World Bank warns Gaza economy is 'collapsing'
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/09/world-bank-warns-gaza-economy-collapsing-180925085246106.html
The economy in the Gaza Strip is
"collapsing" mainly due to the 11-year blockade on the coastal
enclave in addition to cuts in donor aid, according to a new report from the
World Bank.The report described the economy as being in "free fall",
shrinking by six percent in the first quarter of 2018, and warned of
"further deterioration since then".It said unemployment in Gaza had
reached more than 50 percent, while 70 percent of young people are jobless.A
combination of war, isolation, and internal rivalries has left Gaza in a
crippling economic state and exacerbated the human distress," said Marina
Wes, the World Bank's director for the region."Increased frustration is
feeding into the increased tensions which have already started spilling over
into unrest and setting back the human development of the region's large youth
population," she added.The report cited a number of factors affecting the
strip other than the blockade, such as the Palestinian Authority's decision to
reduce the monthly payments by $30m to the area, the winding down of the
$50-60m a year of the UN' Govt aid
programme, and the cuts to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for
Palestinian refugees. World Bank called on Israel to lift restrictions on trade
and movement of goods and people, to help improve Gaza's economy. It also urged
the PA to work on economic development policies and emphasised the need for the
development of "legitimate institutions to govern Gaza in a transparent
and efficient manner."aljazeera
‘You cannot airbrush Palestinians out of
history’: UNRWA spokesperson warns US
Liverpool, UK:spokesperson for United Nations'
refugee agency for Palestinian refugees has warned against US attempts to
“airbrush” the refugees out of history, ahead of a new push for funds at the UN
in New York this week to replace $305m axed by the Trump administration. US cut
all funds to UNRWA’s programmes at the end of August in a move that jeopardises
services to millions of refugees in the occupied Palestinian territories,
Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.Chris Gunness, who spoke at a meeting of the Friends
of Palestine and Middle East group at the UK Labour conference on Monday, said
that the funding cuts were a “political attack” on the Palestinian people and
the agency, but that only the UN could change the status of refugees and
UNWRA’s mandate.“You cannot airbrush out of history 5.4 million people who
belong to a UN-protected community, you cannot wish away their rights, their
right to education, their rights to health and their rights to self
determination," Gunness said.
Palestinian talks: Egypt seeks to regain
regional power
Egypt has been mediating talks between rival
Palestinian factions, but analysts say Cairo is trying to capitalise on the
situation to re-establish itself as a regional powerhouse.Fatah and Hamas
reconciliation talks have been stalled for months over a deadlock that has
shown no sign of progress for the 11-year political division. Fatah-led
Palestinian Authority (PA) wants complete control over the Gaza Strip, including
its security, which means the disarmament of Hamas' armed wing the al-Qassam
Brigades - a point that the Hamas movement has made clear it will not concede
on.Last month, Egyptian intelligence acted as a broker between the Gaza-based
Hamas movement and Israel in indirect talks, in order to reach a gradual
long-term ceasefire and prevent Palestinian discontent from boiling
over.Israeli security establishment is against another war, hoping that a
ceasefire will lead to negotiations that will bring back the bodies of two
Israeli soldiers that have been missing since the 2014 Gaza offensive.Gaza
Strip governed by Hamas is home to about two million people and has seen mass
protests in the past several months against a decade-old Israeli sea and air
blockade. More than 170 Palestinians have been killed since March 30 trying to
cross the Israeli fence to commemorate the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in
1948.aljazeera
American Jews ‘horrified’ at Israel under
Netanyahu
The schism between Israel and American Jews is
at a “crisis point” with a growing number of Jews coming to realise that the
dream of a Jewish and democratic state respecting liberal values has been
shattered. In remarks that reveal extreme disillusion at the direction that the
country is taking, Jewish-Americans have described their “horror” at watching
Israel under the right-wing Govt of
Benjamin Netanyahu. They fear that Israel in its current manifestation has
turned its back on Jewish values and Jewish communities outside the country.At
the heart of the schism is the tension between Israel’s move towards the
far-right and its open display of “fascistic” tendencies, as one Jewish
professor put it while exploring the reasons why the two communities are
growing apart.“History of Jews as promoters of enlightenment and universalist
values… is drawing to a close,” wrote Professor Eva Illouz in Haaretz. Her
article pits “the state of Israel” against “the Jewish people”. Illouz, from
the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, said that she was “stunned” by the new
alliances between Israel and populist politicians characterised by
ethno-nationalism and racism.middleeastmonitor
Khomeini’s grandson leaves Iran for Iraq
Ali Khomeini,grandson of the late leader of
the Iranian revolution Ruhollah Khomeini, has immigrated to the city of Najaf
in central Iraq.“Khomeini’s grandson has left Iran to stay in the Iraqi city of
Najaf to continue his religious activities and teach at Najaf’s seminary
(Hawza) instead of Qom seminary,” Iranian Khabar Online news agency
reported.Najaf is the stronghold of Shia Muslims in Iraq and the place of
residence of renowned Shia cleric, Ali Al-Sistani.Mohammad Reza Naini, a close
associate of Khomeini’s grandson, said the decision was natural as Ali aims to
benefit from the vast teaching in Najaf.He added that Ali may stay in Najaf for
several years.He is also son-in-law of
Jawad Al-Shahristani, Al-Sistani’s deputy.middleeastmonitor
UN: 1,700 Libyan families displaced by
fighting in last 48 hours
More than 1,700 families have been displaced
by fighting in Libya's war-ravaged capital over the last 48 hours, the UN has
said, as clashes between rival groups intensify. UNO for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs said on Monday that at least 1,700 families had sought
"safer areas" since Sunday, bringing the total number of families
driven from their homes since Aug. 26 to 5,000."Many are afraid to leave
their homes because of looting by armed groups or criminal elements,"
UNOCHA said in a statement."As the fighting escalates, the number of
civilians affected by violence is bound to increase."aljazeera
EU, Iran agree on new payment system to skirt
US sanctions
In a major snub to the US, the European Union
has decided to set up a new mechanism to enable legal trade with Iran without
encountering US sanctions. The EU will create new payment channels to preserve
oil and other business deals with Iran, Federica Mogherini, the bloc's foreign
policy chief said late on Monday, in a bid to evade US punitive measures.US
President Donald Trump withdrew from a 2015 nuclear deal in May and re-imposed
sanctions on the country.Mogherini's announcement came after a meeting with
foreign ministers from Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China, and Iran on the
sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Aljazeera
HRW accuses Yemeni Houthis of torturing
prisoners
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused Yemen's
Houthi rebels of torture, hostage-taking, and other serious abuses against
people in their custody.The New York-based watchdog said in a report released
on Tuesday that it had documented 16 cases of illegal imprisonment by the
rebels, "in large part to extort money from relatives or to exchange them
for people held by opposing forces"."Houthi officials have treated
detainees brutally, often amounting to torture," HRW said, adding that
former detainees described being beaten with iron rods, wooden sticks, and assault
rifles.It said prisoners were shackled to walls, caned, and threatened with
rape, noting that hostage-taking "is a serious violation of the laws of
war and a war crime".aljazeera
US releases report documenting systematic
violence against Rohingya Muslims by Myanmar's military, including widespread
killings, rape
UN:US has said it had found evidence of
systematic violence by Myanmar's military against the Rohingya minority,
including widespread killings and rape. The State Department released the
report just as the US announced $185 million in new funding for Rohingya
refugees during a meeting at the UN on Myanmar.The State Department study,
based on interviews in April with 1,024 Rohingya adults who have taken refuge
in neighbouring Bangladesh, provided accounts consistent with reports from
human rights groups but kept largely to dispassionate descriptions of events.
The report notably did not use the terms genocide or ethnic cleansing to
describe the mass killings of the Rohingya, a mostly Muslim group concentrated
in Rakhine state that is despised by many in Buddhist-majority Myanmar and who
are not considered citizens."The survey reveals that the recent violence
in the northern Rakhine state was extreme, large-scale, widespread and
seemingly geared toward both terrorising the population and driving out the
Rohingya residents," said the report by the State Dept's Bureau of
Intelligence and Research. "Scope and scale of the military's operations
indicate they were well-planned and coordinated," it said.AFP
Maldives destroys British statues deemed
offensive to Islam
Colombo: Police armed with pickaxes and power
tools have destroyed a modern artwork by a celebrated British sculptor in the
Maldives, after the outgoing president in the tourist haven declared the
installation offensive to Islam.Abdulla Yameen in July ordered the sculptures
demolished but his ruling was not acted upon until Friday, on the eve of a
presidential election which he lost to a liberal candidate.A series of statues
by Jason deCaires Taylor were placed inside a semi-submerged metal cube in July
at a resort in the Maldives, an archipelago of 340,000 Sunni Muslims popular
with tourists.Islam, the official religion in the Maldives, bans the depiction
of idols, and the work provoked some criticism from clerics even though the
statues have no religious symbols or meaning.Yameen said in July that
"significant public sentiment" against the artwork known as
'Coralarium' had guided his decision to destroy it.AFP
Indian-American diplomat Uzra quits state dept,
calling out racist and gender bias in Trump administration
Washington: A senior Indian-American diplomat
has quit the US state department alleging racial and sexist bias in a Trump
administration trend that she says involves "the exclusion of minorities
from top leadership positions in the state department and embassies
abroad".Uzra Zeya, a US-born diplomat daughter of Indian immigrants, resigned
from the state department in spring after serving more than 25 years, but she
has only now begun giving insights into the turmoil in Foggy Bottom, where she
says there is purge of minorities, and suggests it is back to the time of a
"pale male club" before America diversified rapidly."In the
first five months of the Trump administration, the department's three most
senior African-American career officials and the top-ranking Latino career
officer were removed or resigned abruptly from their positions, with white
successors named in their places. In the months that followed, I observed
top-performing minority diplomats be disinvited from the secretary's senior
staff meeting, relegated to FOIA duty (well below their abilities), and passed
over for bureau leadership roles and key ambassadorships," Zeya wrote in
Politico last week, chronicling the eclipse of minorities after Trump became
the president.TOI
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