NEWS
DIGEST, MID-DAY
17 OCT. 2018: 07 Safar 1440:
Vol: 11, No:34
INDIA
MJ Akbar resigns as Minister of State for
External Affairs amid 20 female journalists come out to testify sexual harassment
charges against him in court
Journalist turned politician MJ Akbar has
resigned as Minister of State for External Affairs.Then resignation comes days
after multiple accused Akbar of sexually harassing them while he was the Editor
of a newspaper. “Since I have decided to
seek justice in a court of law in my personal capacity, I deem it appropriate
to step down from office and challenge the false accusations levied against me,
also in personal capacity. I have, therefore, tendered my resignation from the
office of Minister of State For External Affairs,”Akbar said in a written
statement shared by ANI.“I am deeply grateful to the Prime Minister Narendra
Modi and to the External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj for the opportunity
they gave me to serve my country,” read the letter. It all began when
journalist Priya Ramani and a number of senior woman journalists came out and
narrated detailed accounts of alleged sexual harassment they faced from Akbar.
In the meantime, 19 other female journalists have come out in support of the
women who have levelled serious charges against Akbar when he was an Editor. 19
journalists issued a joint statement urging the court to consider their
testimonies also.Akbar sued Ramani for criminal defamation over the charges.The
matter is listed for hearing on tomorrow at the Patiala House court in Delhi. The
govt maintained silence on the issue despite the charges. Akbar was in Nigeria
for an event on Mahatma Gandhi and had returned on Sunday.Born in 1951 in West
Bengal, Akbar began his career with Times of India in 1971.In his journalistic
career, Akbar edited several English daily and magazines. Akbar launched two
daily newspapers: The Telegraph and The Asian Age. Akbar was the Editor at The
Telegraph from 1982 to 1989.financialexpress/ Others
Akbar’s defamation suit against Ramani backfires
as 19 journalists want to testify against him in court
Kashmiri students defer decision to leave AMU en
masse after it revokes suspension of students
Aligarh: Kashmiri students at AMU have
deferred their decision to surrender their degrees and leave the campus en
masse on Wednesday following revocation of the suspension order of the two
students by varsity. The suspension order was revoked on Tuesday night after a 3-member
enquiry panel set up by the varsity exonerated Waseem Ayyub Malik and Abdul
Haseeb Mir, saying "no credible evidence" of their participation in
any "unlawful assembly" in the varsity campus was found,AMU
spokesperson Shafey Kidwai said.They were suspended Friday for allegedly
participating in an aborted Namaaz-e-Janaza in the university campus for a
slain Hizbul Mujahideen militant, Manan Bashir Wani. Malik and Meer, besides
one unknown person, were also booked by police on sedition charges for
allegedly raising "anti-India" slogans.Ex-head of AMU Students' Union
Mashkoor Ahmad Usmani told reporters that the decision to revoke the suspension
order of the two Kashmiri students was a "welcome step" and will have
salutary effect not only in AMU, but also in the Kashmir Valley."We are
strongly opposed to any anti-national act and we will never allow any such
incident to take place at the campus. However, we are strongly opposed to any
attempt to harass any student, be it from Kashmir or from any other part of the
country."We feel that slapping of a sedition case against the two Kashmiri
students by police was hasty, ill conceived and based on flimsy evidence,"
Usmani said.He said if the police fails to withdraw the cases, the Kashmiri
students have decided to re-launch their protest and go ahead with their peaceful
resistance by leaving the campus en masse. Ex-vice-president of AMU Students'
Union Sajjad Subhan Rather, who hails from Kashmir and led a silent protest
Tuesday at the venue of All India AMU Alumni Meet, demanded justice for Kashmiri
students."We have come to the AMU to build our careers. Please do not
snatch away the 'pens' from our hands,he said. Meanwhile, ex Supreme Court
judge, Justice Markandey Katju, who is currently abroad, has made an emotional
appeal to the Kashmiri students studying at AMU, urging them not to be
"carried away by emotions and abandon their promising
futures"."I wish to send my greetings to Kashmiri students since my
DNA is same as theirs. They must not get disheartened by the recent unfortunate
turn of events," Katju told PTI.He assured the Kashmiri students that if
they ever needed his help, he will always be available for them in a just
cause.According to AMU officials, J&K Governor Satya Pal Malik is playing a
key role in resolving the ongoing crisis at the AMU.PTI
Kashmiri Students Defer Decision To Leave AMU
En Masse
7 men from Bihar attacked for wearing ‘lungi’
in Gujarat
Vadodara: Even as state government and police
are claiming that hate crime against migrant workers have stopped, a civil
engineer and 6 plumbers from Madhubani district in Bihar were attacked by
locals in Sama late on Monday night.Police, however, claimed that the attack
had nothing to do with the victims’ origin. One of the 3 accused identified as
Keyur Parmar was nabbed by cops on Tuesday.Civil engineer Shatrughan Yadav and 6
plumbers are working at a construction site of a primary school of Vadodara
Municipal Corporation. On Monday evening when Yadav and others were sitting
outside under-construction building, 3 Sama residents including Parmar came
there and questioned him about his attire. Yadav and others were wearing a
‘lungi’. The trio got into argument with Yadav followed by a scuffle in which 7
victims received minor injuries. Meanwhile, Yadav called police control room
for help.As a PCR van came, 3 assailants fled from there but threatened the
migrants to leave the city. Later Yadav and the 6 plumbers went to Sama police
station to lodge a case. When they returned, Yadav’s bike, which was given to
him by the contractor, and two plastic chairs were set ablaze. Sensing the
seriousness of the situation, the contractor living in Surat also rushed to
city. “It is difficult to say what could be the reason for attack. They told
the engineer and the workers that they have problem because they were ‘lungi’,
which is very strange,” said the contractor Mayur Patel. He also alleged that
after the bike and plastic chair were set on fire, accused also threatened some
30 to 40 workers who were sleeping on first floor of the under-construction
building. TOI
6 Minor Muslim Students Sent to Jail over
Student Clashes in UP
6 minor Muslim students of Gandhi Mohammad Ali
Inter College in Belthara Road, UP, have been sent to jail for getting involved
in clashes. The clashes between the students erupted when a video by a priest
of Manas Mandir recording the school not allowing students to chant ‘Vande
Mataram’ went viral on social media. In doing so, the priest was digging up a 5
year-old issue of a student allegedly getting beaten up for chanting ‘Bharat
Mata ki Jai’ within the school premises.Video by the priest was recorded on Oct.
5 and the incident happened three days later on October 8, when few students
from the school started chanting 'Vande Mataram' and 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai'. They
alleged that some Muslim students started chanting 'Pakistan Zindabad' and
attacked them in response but there has been no evidence or video which has
come up, Ballia police claimed on Twitter.6 students who have been put behind
bars are Muhammad Kaif, Tanzil Siddiqui, Muhammad Faizan, Muhammad Chand,
Akhlaque, Firoz and Bucchi.Speaking with Newsclick, Kausar Usman, who covered
the story for Ballia Khabar, said, "Gandhi Mohammad Ali Memorial Inter
College which is situated in Belthara Road is hundred years old and since then
no communal clash has been reported till now. There are more Hindu students
enrolled in the school compared to Muslim students.The reason to target this
school is because it is a minority school, carrying a Muslim name. It is also a
trick to defame Muslims of Belthara. The priest named Shiv Kumar, who recorded
the video to encourage communal enmity, is an accused of a communal clash which
had happened in 2013 which had been reported by local media."newsclick
Allahabad to Prayagraj: Renaming
'Islamic-sounding' places not new for Yogi Adityanath
New Delhi:Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi
Adityanath's move to have Allahabad renamed Prayagraj is not the first time the
BJP leader has tried to saffronise Uttar Pradesh and drop Islamic sounding
names.Adityanath justified his decision to rename Allahabad saying that the
city's original name was Prayagraj and it was named Allahabad by Akbar during
Mughal rule.Barely two months ago, the Adityanath government had sent a
proposal to Indian Railways seeking to rename Mughalsarai station after RSS
thinker Deendayal Upadhyay."Today is a very big day for BJP as Mughalsarai
station, where Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay was killed, has today been named after
him. I am happy that under Prime Minister Modi's leadership a memorial is being
made for Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay," party president Amit Shah had said
when the change came into effect.Adityanath's penchant for replacing Islamic
names with Hindu ones dates back to the time when he represented Gorakhpur in
the Lok Sabha. In 1998, he went on a renaming spree in his constituency, where
he changed the names of localities. While Urdu Bazar became Hindi Bazar, Ali
Nagar became Arya Nagar. Similarly, the former head of the Gorakhnath Temple
had Islampur renamed Ishwarpur, Lahaladpur became Alahaladpur and Humayun Nagar
is now Hanuman Nagar.newindianexpress
Investors panic as Heera Gold chairperson arrested
Dubai/Sharjah/Ras Al Khaimah: Nearly 6,000
investors in UAE are believed to have been affected by the Heera Gold ponzi
scam which has left a trail of devastated lives across India and the Middle
East.On Wednesday, several investors trooped down to Heera Gold's office in
Jumeirah Lakes Towers in Dubai looking for answers.The office, however,
remained locked and phones of all their representatives in UAE had been
switched off.Visits to their offices in Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah also drew a
blank.On Oct.16, the arrest of an entrepreneur-cum-politician in India has
sparked panic.Dr Aalima Nowhera Shaik, chairperson of Heera Gold, was taken
into custody in Hyderabad on Tuesday afternoon after investors took to the
street in the city demanding that they get their money back.Meanwhile, scores
of investors contacted Gulf News recounting how they've lost their entire
lifetime savings in the ponzi schemes peddled by Heera Gold as
"halal" investment programmes.An Indian who lives in Abu Dhabi said
he is worried about the Dh500,000 he invested with Heera Gold’s Jumeirah Lake
Towers office.Another investor who works in Dubai said he fears he had become
an unwitting victim of an elaborate Ponzi scheme. “I lost Dh200,000. It was all
I had. I am ruined,” he told Gulf News.Some investors said they are weighing
legal action against the company. “We have no other choice,” said a Dubai-based
businessman.Investors said the company promised them up to 35 per cent annual
returns.“They told us they will invest our money in gold and textile and give
us monthly profits. I joined them sometime back by investing Dh100,000.
Initially they paid me around Dh3,000 monthly but soon the payments dried out,”
he said.Nowhera, 45, is also the founder of All India Mahila Empowerment Party,
an Indian political party she launched in Nov.2017.Earlier on Tuesday,
Hyderabad police held a press conference announcing Dr Nowhera Shaikh’s
arrest.Attracted by unusually high returns, thousands across India had invested
in the various schemes run by Heera Group over the last few years, said
Hyderabad police Commissioner Anjani Kumar.gulfnews
Sri Lanka govt rejects media reports of
President Sirisena accusing RAW of plotting to kill him
COLOMBO:The Sri Lankan government on Wednesday
rejected as “completely untrue” media reports stating that President
Maithripala Sirisena, at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, accused India’s Research
and Analysis Wing (RAW) of plotting his assassination and opposed awarding a
key port project to India.The media reports came ahead of Sri Lankan Prime
Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s visit to New Delhi for talks with Prime
Minister Narendra Modi to speed up India-backed projects, including the East
Terminal project, in the island nation.At a press conference on Wednesday,
Cabinet spokesman Rajitha Senaratne dismissed the reports. Mr. Senaratne, also
the Minister for Health, read out a statement by Cabinet Secretary S. Abeysinghe
that said the President had not said anything about RAW plotting to assassinate
him.“The President, as the Head of the Cabinet of Ministers, has paid attention
to the printed and electronic media reports on the matters discussed during the
Cabinet meeting at the Presidential Secretariat on 16th October 2018. It is
stressed that those news are completely untrue.“Any Cabinet paper relating to
the infrastructure development projects planned to be implemented in Sri Lanka
by the Indian government or Indian companies were not included in the agenda of
that Cabinet meeting,” he said. According to the media reports, Mr. Sirisena
said he was unhappy with the police Criminal Investigation Department (CID)
inquiry into the plot and faulted the Law and Order Minister for what he called
the very slow progress of the inquiry.Mr. Senaratne said, ''I think it was
uncalled for [to accuse India] because he did not provide any evidence to
support his claim, the ministerial source was quoted as saying.“So far, what we
have is the figment of someone’s imagination of an assassination plot, the
source said. What can now be done is to look at the genesis of this story and
how it came about.”PTI
Sri Lankan President Sirisena alleges that RAW
is plotting his assassination: the hindu
Kerala: HC acquits prime accused in Islamic
cleric disappearance case
Kochi:Kerala High Court has acquitted the
prime accused undergoing double life imprisonment in the case relating to the
mysterious disappearance of progressive Islamic cleric Chekannur Maulavi over 2
decades ago.According to the case investigated by CBI, Maulavi was abducted on
July 29, 1993, from his home at Edapal in Malappuram district and later killed.
CBI special court here had found that after Maulavi was killed, his body was
disposed of in some mysterious manner so that it can never be recovered.CBI
court in 2010 had sentenced VV Hamsa, the first accused in the case, to undergo
double life imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1 lakh, while the remaining eight
accused were acquitted.devdiscourse
Kanhaiya Kumar’s convoy attacked in Bihar
Patna: Former JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar’s
convoy was attacked on Tuesday night in a scuffle with members of a Dussehra
puja organisation in Begusarai district of Bihar.At least three persons were
injured in the scuffle and FIRs were lodged in local police stations by both
parties. The incident took place when Mr. Kumar was returning to Begusarai from
addressing a public meeting Pethiagachhi in Mansoorpur block of the
district.When his convoy reached Bhagwanpur block he stopped to meet someone
there near a 2-wheeler agency.Locals said his convoy of several vehicles caused
inconvenience to the puja organisers on the road and when they protested, a
scuffle broke out between them.The local puja organisers pelted stones at
vehicles at the convoy in which three people — Nishant, Sumit and Golu —
received minor injuries. Windscreens of some vehicles too were broken.thehindu
Sabarimala: Mob attacks journalists on job,
media body condemns assault
Police lathicharged protesters, who were
opposed to the entry of women in the 10-50 age group to Sabarimala temple,
after they turned violent and attacked journalists covering the stand-off on
Wednesday.At least 4 women reporters working for The NewsMinute, Republic TV,
CNN-News 18 and India Today, were injured when the protesters turned their ire
on the media contingent. Even male reporters were injured in the melee.Saritha
S Balan from The News Minute was kicked on the spine, Republic TV's Pooja
Prasanna was beaten with sticks, NDTV reporter Sneha Mary Koshy and
cameraperson SP Babu were heckled and asked to leave, their camera was
snatched. Journalists from CNN-News 18 and Aaj Tak were also
targeted.nationalheraldindia
Soldier Arrested in UP's Meerut In Connection
With BrahMos Spying Case
Meerut: An Indian Army personnel has been
arrested in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut today in connection with the BrahMos spying
case. The soldier, part of the Signal Regiment, was picked up by the military
intelligence (MI) days after an engineer at the BrahMos Aerospace Private
Limited in Maharashtra was arrested by the UP police.Kanchan Singh, who is from
Uttarakhand, has spent 10 years in the Army, but he had been under the
intelligence unit's radar for the last three months. Sources say he was sharing
"confidential and vital information" related to the Western Command
with the Pakistan intelligence agency ISI.The UP police say the military
intelligence officers informed them about the soldier's arrest in the morning.
MI officers are said to be questioning him.Nishant Agrawal, the arrested
BrahMos Aerospace engineer, had reportedly been interacting with two
Islamabad-based Facebook accounts, the UP police's ATS had said. UP police said
that Agrawal was in touch with Pakistan's intelligence operatives through these
accounts.ndtv
UIDAI asks several payments companies to stop
offering Aadhaar-based services: Report
Unique Identification Authority of India has
asked several payments companies to stop offering any Aadhaar-based services on
their platform, The Economic Times reported. A Supreme Court verdict last month
upheld the validity of Aadhaar, but prohibited private companies from using the
biometric authentication service.“Since your organisation can no longer use
Aadhaar-based authentication services...you may cease all operations with
respect to Aadhaar-based authentication immediately, if not already done,” the
authority said in a letter sent on October 12, according to the newspaper. It
asked the companies for a confirmation of closure and a plan to exit the
Aadhaar system.
WORLD
Available evidence indicates Khashoggi killed
at Saudi consulate - reports
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu have met with US Secretary of State Mike
Pompeo in Ankara who briefed them on his talks in Riyadh on Tuesday with Saudi
leaders who deny any knowledge of the fate of prominent Saudi journalist and
government critic, Jamal Khashoggi. Khashoggi, a US resident, has not been seen
in public since he entered the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul on
Oct.2.After his meeting with Pompeo, the Turkish Foreign Minister said the
investigation at the Saudi Consul's residence in Istanbul will continue along
with all consular vehicles. Cavusoglu said Pompeo communicated US President
Donald Trump’s messages and concerns regarding Khashoggi’s disappearance to
President Erdogan.Unnamed Turkish officials told CNN on Tuesday that
Khashoggi’s body was "cut into pieces" after he was killed at the
consular building. Separately, a high-level Turkish official speaking to The
Associated Press on condition of anonymity said police have found "certain
evidence" during their search of the Saudi Consulate showing that
Khashoggi was killed there.The official did not provide details on the evidence
that was recovered during the hours-long search at the diplomatic mission that
ended early on Tuesday.There is as yet no official word from Turkey or Saudi
Arabia, who are jointly investigating the Riyadh critic’s disappearance,
whether Khashoggi was actually murdered or killed by accident and whether Saudi
Arabia was involved if his death is confirmed.US media, citing anonymous
sources familiar with the case reported on Monday that Saudi Arabia was
preparing to admit Khashoggi had died during an uncommissioned interrogation at
the consulate on Oct.2.However, with the arrival of US President Donald's
Trump's top diplomat in Riyadh, the official US narrative has become one of
wait and see.trtworld
Khashoggi case: Saudi suspects who went to
Istanbul are close to MBS, says report
Some members of the 15 Saudi suspects that
travelled to the country's Istanbul consulate are close to Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman, the New York Times reported on Tuesday.Turkey earlier
released the names and identities of 15 Saudis who are allegedly involved in journalist
Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance and likely death.One of the suspects, Maher
Abdulaziz Mutreb, is a diplomat who has travelled with the crown prince,
commonly known as MBS, several times.He was part of MBS' entourage when the
crown prince made an extensive US tour earlier this year. The Times showed
pictures of Mutreb with MBS on tours of Boston, Houston and the United Nations
in New York.Another suspect is Abdulaziz Mohammed al-Hawsawi, who works as one
of MBS's personal bodyguards, according to the Times report. Two other
suspects, Thaar Ghaleb al-Harbi and Muhammed Saad Alzahrani, also operate as
royal guards.Yet another suspect, Salah al-Tubaigy, works as head of Saudi
Arabia's Scientific Council of Forensics and specialises in mobile autopsies.A
Turkish source told Middle East Eye that Tubaigy cut Khashoggi’s body up on a
table in a study in Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul while he was still
alive. middleeasteye
Jamal Khashoggi's killing took 7 minutes:
Turkish source
Khashoggi muder: UN calls on Saudi to lift
immunity of its diplomats
United Nations High Commissioner for Human
Rights (UNHCR) Michelle Bachelet called on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the lift
diplomatic immunity of its officials in Istanbul following the disappearance of
journalist Jamal Khashoggi.“In view of the seriousness of the situation
surrounding the disappearance of [Jamal] Khashoggi, I believe the inviolability
or immunity of the relevant premises and officials bestowed by treaties such as
the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations should be waived immediately,”
Bachelet said in a statement.The rights chief also called on Saudi Arabia and
Turkey to disclose everything they know about “the disappearance and possible
extra-judicial killing” of Khashoggi who went missing two weeks ago after
entering his country’s consulate in Istanbul.MEMO
Saudi finance conference: Now IMF chief
Lagarde says she's not going to attend
International Monetary Fund Managing Director
Christine Lagarde has deferred a planned trip to the Middle East, which
included a stop in Riyadh to attend the “Davos in the desert” investment
conference, IMF said in a statement on Tuesday.On Saturday, Lagarde told a news
conference in Indonesia that she did not intend to change her travel plans, but
was "horrified" by media reports about the disappearance of Saudi
journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was missing after visiting the Saudi consulate in
Istanbul.middleeasteye
Dissident prince Khaled bin Farhan accuses
Saudi of trying to kidnap him
Saudi Prince Khalid bin Farhan Al-Saud has
accused his country of trying to kidnap him. These accusations coincided with
the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who has gone missing
since he entered the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul two weeks ago. The
dissident prince stated that Saudi officials tried to lure him a few weeks ago
to kidnap him and take him to Saudi Arabia. “They spoke to one of my relatives
a few days before Khashoggi’s disappearance and told him about a cheque. They
told him they wanted to help the prince because of his financial problems,” the
prince said. Prince Farhan stated that “They told him that all I had to do was
to bring the cheque from the Saudi embassy in Egypt.”He confirmed that he would
have disappeared like Khashoggi, in case he responded to this
call.middleeastmonitor
Israeli jets pound Gaza after rocket hits home
Israel says its fighter jets have struck 20
targets in the Gaza Strip, killing one Palestinian and injuring eight others. According
to Gaza's Health Ministry, Naji Ahmad al-Zaneen, 25, was killed in the attack
in northern Gaza early on Wednesday.Among the wounded are six children who were
on their way to school in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.Palestinian sources
said several rockets fired by Israeli warplanes targeted sites south of Gaza
City, while another blast rocked the central region of the Gaza Strip. A
powerful explosion also rocked Khan Younis in southern Gaza.The Israeli army
stated that it carried out air raids in response to a rocket that hit a home in
Beersheba in southern Israel, causing damage but no injuries.The Israeli army
said Hamas, which governs the besieged enclave, bears "full
responsibility" for the rocket fire but the Palestinian movement denied
their role.aljazeera
Australia undecided on Israel embassy move to
Jerusalem
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has
told Parliament that no firm decision has yet been made on moving his country’s
embassy from Tel Aviv to the city of Jerusalem.The prime minister made his
remarks only hours after saying that Australia might consider recognising
Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and moving its embassy from Tel Aviv, following
in the footsteps of the US.However, following domestic backlash, Morrison told
Parliament that he wants to consult with regional leaders and allies before
“the government forms a particular view on this issue”.middleeastmonitor
OIC warns Australia over Jerusalem embassy
move
The Organization of
Islamic Cooperation (OIC) warned Australia of “grave consequences” of
relocating the country’s embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. In a statement,
the Jeddah-based body called on Canberra “not to take such an illegal step,
which constitutes a violation of international law and UN Security Council
resolutions”. OIC Secretary-General Yousef bin Ahmed Al-Othaimeen said
Jerusalem is part of Palestinian land occupied by Israel in 1967. “[OIC]
rejects any action or attempt that would prejudice the legal status of the
occupied city of Jerusalem,” he said in the statement. He went on to call on
Australia to support the two-state solution with a view to achieving peace and
promoting regional and world security. worldbulletin
Indonesia may cancel trade deal with Australia
if embassy moves to Jerusalem
Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi has
expressed his country’s concern over Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s
remarks that the country may move its embassy from Tel Aviv to occupied
Jerusalem. Marsudi called on the Australian government to respect the peace
process and UN Security Council resolutions issued in this regard.“Indonesia
reiterates that [the political status of] Jerusalem is one of 6 issues that
have to be negotiated and decided as a sustainable solution,” she
said.“Indonesia asks Australia and other countries to continue supporting the
Palestine-Israel peace process in accordance with the principles that have been
agreed and to not take steps that may threaten the peace process and world
stability.”middleeastmonitor
206 Palestinians secretly held in Syria regime
prisons
As many as 206 Palestinian refugees including
20 women from the Yarmouk refugee camp are secretly being held in Syrian regime
prisons, a rights group said. The Action Group for Palestinians of Syria said
that it has documented the death of 556 Palestinian refugees under torture in
the Syrian regime prisons.The group has urged the Syrian regime to disclose the
fate of detained Palestinians.In April, the UN warned that the largest
Palestinian refugee camp in Syria had been “transformed into a death camp” as
Assad regime forces launched a major offensive against Daesh fighters who
controlled the area. middleeastmonitor
Amnesty: France violates international law by
selling arms to Egypt
France is flouting international law by
continuing to sell arms to Egypt, despite evidence that they have been used in
brutal crackdowns on civilians, Amnesty International has revealed in a new
report.Published yesterday, the report, “Egypt: How French Arms Were Used to
Crush Dissent”, provides evidence that Egyptian security forces used French
supplied military equipment to violently crush protests between 2012 and
2015.middleeastmonitor
Egypt extends state of emergency for another 3
months
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi has
ordered the extension of a nation-wide state of emergency for another three
months.According to the presidential decree, the state of emergency went into
effect yesterday and will last until 15 Jan.2019.“Under the extension, the
armed and the security forces shall take the necessary measures to confront all
threats and funding of terrorism to maintain security across the country, and
protect public and private property and lives of citizens,” the decree
read.middleeastmonitor
UN says Rohingya refugee girls are being sold
into forced labour in Bangladesh
Rohingya refugee girls are being sold into
forced labour to raise money for desperate families in overcrowded camps in
Bangladesh, according to the United Nations’ migration agency.The International
Organization for Migration (IOM) said it had identified 99 cases of human
trafficking during the year starting September 2017, although it cautioned that
the true number was likely far greater.A group of Rohingya refugees in
Bangladesh have compiled the first record of Rohingya Muslims killed by
Myanmar's military.Of the victims, 35 were girls and 31 were women, the IOM
said in a report this week. 31 of the girls ended up in forced labour as did 26
of the women.“The stories we commonly hear are of vulnerable people being
approached by traffickers with false promises of work and a better life,” said
IOM spokeswoman Dina Parmer, adding some refugees were unaware of the
risks.“Others may be aware it is dangerous, but feel their situation is so
desperate that they are willing to take extreme measures, perhaps sacrificing
one family member for the sake of the rest of the family,” she said in a
statement.Reuters
China claimed its re-education camps for
Muslim minorities are 'free vocational training' that make life 'colorful'
China has claimed that its controversial
re-education camps - where persecuted Muslim ethnic minorities have described
being beaten up and forced to chant patriotic songs or starve - were "free
vocational training" centers that make life more
"colorful."Xinjiang government chairman Shohrat Zakir made the claim
to the state-run Xinhua news agency on Tuesday, referring to camps in the
western Chinese region of Xinjiang, where 11 million members of the Uighur
minority live.Zakir said the camps exist "to get rid of the environment
and soil that breeds terrorism and religious extremism and stop violent
terrorist activities from happening."His remarks are the first detailed
description of re-education camps from a Chinese official. His account could
not be further from how former detainees and witnesses have described those
camps.businessinsider
Blast kills prominent Afghan politician in
Helmand
Kabul;A leading Afghan politician and former
presidential adviser on military affairs was killed in a Taliban-claimed
explosion in Helmand province on Wednesday, an official said.uthorities in
Helmand confirmed Abdul Jabbar Qaharmaan, a prominent candidate for the
forthcoming Wolesi Jirga (lower house), got killed in a blast caused by
explosives hidden under a chair in his electoral office in provincial capital Lashkargah
city.Umar Zwak, spokesman for the governor of Helmand, told Anadolu Agency the
blast took place at around 09.00 a.m. local time (0400GMT). Qaharmaan along
with three other people succumbed to their wounds while eight more people got
injured in this incident, he added. Taliban have claimed responsibility for the
attack.AA
Pakistan executes Kasur child rapist and
murderer
Islamabad:Pakistan has executed a man
convicted of raping and murdering a six-year-old girl in the eastern district
of Kasur, jail authorities and the girl's family have said.Imran Ali was hanged
at the Kot Lakhpat jail in the eastern city of Lahore early on Wednesday, jail
officials told Al Jazeera. They spoke on condition of anonymity, as they were
not authorised to speak to the media.Ali, 24, was executed in the presence of
Muhammad Amin Ansari, the father of six-year-old Zainab Ansari, whose brutal
rape and murder in January sparked a widescale manhunt."He walked by
himself to the gallows and stood there comfortably," Muzammil Ansari,
Zainab's cousin, told Al Jazeera by telephone."They put the noose around
his head, he did not resist. He did not ask for any forgiveness from
us."ainab's body was found in a rubbish heap in Kasur on Jan.9, sparking
nationwide outrage and protests. In Kasur, riots broke out, police clashing
with angry protesters demanding justice be done in the case.Police arrested Ali
two weeks later, after closed-circuit television footage showed Zainab being
led down a narrow lane in her neighbourhood. Police said that DNA tests also
linked Ali to at least six other cases of rape and murder.aljazeera
US announces sanctions against Iranian
paramilitary force
US has imposed fresh sanctions on a network of
businesses it says provide financial support to an Iranian paramilitary
force.Announced on Tuesday, the US Treasury said the sanctions would affect a
network of businesses tied to the Basij Resistance Force, a group that the US
department said works with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
(IRGC)."The international community must understand that business
entanglements with the Bonyad Taavon Basij network and IRGC front companies
have real world humanitarian consequences," US Treasury Secretary Steven
Mnuchin said in a statement.middleeasteye
Preparing to Step Down, No Regrets About
Decisions Made: Maldives President Yameen
Male: The president of the Maldives, Abdulla
Yameen, said on Wednesday he had no complaints or reservations about any of his
decisions while in office, and that he was preparing to step down, despite
having challenged his election defeat in court.In a surprise result, Yameen
lost his re-election bid last month and initially conceded defeat. Last week,
however, his lawyers went to the Supreme Court, saying his supporters had
complained about rigging of votes and fraudulent ballot papers.In a televised
speech on Wednesday, Yameen said all his decisions when in power were made in
the interest of the people.“Even today, as I prepare to take leave from
official duties, I would like to say that I have no complaints or reservations
about my decisions,” he said.Reuters
US airstrike kills 60 al-Shabaab militants in
Somalia
U.S. military carried out an airstrike last
week against the al-Shabaab terrorist group in Somalia, killing at least 60
militants, the U.S. Africa Command announced. The airstrike was launched in
coordination with the Somalian government Friday near the Harardere community
in Mudug province in central Somalia. "We also currently assess this
airstrike did not injure or kill any civilians," said the command in a
statement. worldbulletin
FLASH
VIEWS & NEWS
Bludgeoning a Butterfly Only Indicates the
Desperation of the Attacker:SEEMA MUSTAFA
AMU sedition row: Why Kashmiri students
calling for azadi is no crime;Markandey Katju
Why Educated Kashmiri Youth Continue to Join
Militancy:Mudasir Ahmad
No concept of self-acquired, ancestral
property in Muslim personal law:Aradhana Bhansali
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Anwarulhaq (Released at: 7:02 PM)
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