NEWS
DIGEST, Afternoon
13 Nov. 2018: 4 Rabiul-I 1440:
Vol: 11, No:53
INDIA
SC to hear Zakia Jafri’s plea challenging
Modi’s clean chit in 2002 Gujarat riots on Nov 19
New Delhi :The Supreme Court will hear on
November 19 a plea filed by Zakia Jafri challenging the clean chit given to
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Godhra riots case.Wife of former Congress
MP Ehsan Jafri, who was killed in the Gulbarg society massacre in 2002, Zakia,
has challenged the clean chit given to then Gujarat chief minister Narendra
Modi and other politicians and senior bureaucrats by the SIT in its closure
report, citing lack of “prosecutable evidence” against them. In 2012, a
metropolitan court acquitted all 58 accused in the post-Godhra riots in which
69 people were killed. “According to the SIT, no offence has been established
against any of the 58 persons listed in Zakia’s complaint,” metropolitan
magistrate MS Bhatt had then said. The petitioners had then moved the High
Court against the acquittal in 2013.The Gujarat High Court, last year, upheld
the judgment of the metropolitan court and rejected Zakia’s allegations that
cases such as Naroda Patiya, Naroda Gam and Gulberg were part of a “larger
conspiracy”.indianexpress
Modi clean chit in 2002 Gujarat riots: SC to
hear plea challenging all-clear to PM
Sabarimala hearing LIVE: Supreme Court to hear
49 review petitions in open court on Jan.22
The Supreme Court today agreed to hear the
review petitions against its Sabarimala verdict in open court on Jan.22.
However, the five-judge bench, comprising of CJI Ranjan Gogoi and Justices
Rohinton Nariman, AM Khanwilkar,DY Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra, clarified
that there would be no stay on its Sept.28 verdict that allowed entry of women of
all age groups in Sabarimala Temple. This means women of all ages are still
allowed to enter the Sabarimala temple till such time the SC hears the matter.
The writ petitions are also likely to be listed along with the review
petitions. Earlier in the day, a bench of CJI Gogoi and Justices Sanjay Kishan
Kaul and KM Joseph deferred hearing on fresh petitions, saying the writ pleas
would be heard subject to the decision of the review petitions. The writ and
review petitions were filed after the Sept.28 judgment of the SC, which held
that women, irrespective of their age, have the right to enter the Sabarimala
Ayyappa temple. The temple has opened twice since the SC’s judgment but has
been marred by protests. The SC decision holds importance ahead of the temple
opening for a 2-month-long annual festival on Nov.17. indianexpress
SC to hear National Herald case, IT
proceedings to be in abeyance till then
The Supreme Court on Tuesday fixed December 4
to hear the Special Leave Petition filed by Mrs Sonia Gandhi, Mr Rahul Gandhi
and Mr Oscar Fernandes to challenge the dismissal by the Delhi High Court of
their plea challenging the re-opening of their Income Tax assessment for the
year 2010-11.The Supreme Court Bench comprising Justice AK Sikri and Justice
Abdul Nazeer also accepted the oral assurance of the Solicitor General (SG)
Tushar Mehta that the re-assessment would not proceed till the Supreme Court
finally hears the arguments.nationalheraldindia
Dassault Aviation CEO on Rafale deal: ‘We
chose Ambani by ourselves… I don’t lie’
New Delhi ;Dassault Aviation CEO Eric Trappier
Tuesday, in an interview to ANI, reiterated that his company had chosen
Reliance as an offset partner, and denied allegations of corruption in the
Rafale jet deal with India saying it was a “clean deal”. He added that the
price in the contract for 36 aircraft was brought down by 9 per cent after
government-to-government negotiations.“We chose (Anil) Ambani by ourselves. We
are also looking at other partners. We already have 30 partners other than
Reliance,”Trappier said.On allegations of corruption in the Rafale deal,
Trappier said, “I don’t lie. The truth I declared before and the statements I
made are true. I don’t have a reputation of lying. In my position as CEO,you
don’t lie.”indianexpress
Rafale deal: PM Modi snatched contract from
HAL, gave it to Anil Ambani, says Rahul Gandhi
New Delhi :Hours after Dassault Aviation CEO
Eric Trappier, in an interview to ANI, denied allegations of corruption in the
Rafale jet deal with India, Congress president Rahul Gandhi Tuesday reiterated
that Prime Minister Narendra Modi snatched contract from HAL and gave it to
Reliance’s Anil Ambani. “PM Modi went to France with Anil Ambani, snatched
Rafale contract from HAL, gave it to him,” PTI quoted Gandhi as saying while
addressing a rally in poll-bound Chhattisgarh.Trappier Tuesday said that his
company had chosen Reliance as an offset partner adding that it was a “clean
deal”. He also said that the price in the contract for 36 aircraft was brought down
by 9 per cent after government-to-government negotiations. “We chose (Anil)
Ambani by ourselves. We are also looking at other partners. We already have 30
partners other than Reliance,” Trappier said.The political row over the Rafale
jet deal escalated Tuesday with the Congress dismissing as ‘manufactured lies’
the claims by the Dassault CEO there was no wrong-doing and its chief Rahul
Gandhi firing a fresh salvo at PM Modi. Responding to Trappier’s defence of the
contract in a media interview, Congress chief Randeep Surjewala, “The nation
needs a “fair investigation” and not “doctored explanations” on the fighter jet
deal.”” ‘Dictated Interviews’ and ‘manufactured lies’ cannot suppress the
Rafale Scam. First rule of Law – Mutual Beneficiaries and Co-accused’s
statements hold no value. Second Rule:-Beneficiaries and accused can’t be Judge
in their own case. Truth has a way of coming out,” Surjewala said on
Twitter.indianexpress
Congress refutes Dassault CEO’s claim, says
‘dictated interviews’ can’t suppress Rafale scam
Asthana case: Delhi HC dismisses bail plea of
middleman Manoj Prasad
Delhi High Court today dismissed the bail plea
of middleman Manoj Prasad in a bribery case allegedly involving CBI Special
Director Rakesh Asthana.Justice Najmi Waziri denied the relief to Prasad,
saying the allegations against him were serious in nature and noted the CBI
submission that the investigation is at a crucial stage.Additional Solicitor
General Vikramjit Banerjee and Advocate Rajdipa Behura, appearing for the CBI
opposed the bail plea on the grounds that investigation was at a crucial stage
and Prasad’s case was different from that of other accused. Advocate Siddharth
Luthra, appearing for Prasad, said he has been in custody for nearly a month
and he has not been interrogated even once by the CBI during this period.Prasad
had approached the Delhi High Court on Monday seeking bail in the case,
following dismissal of his similar application by a trial court here on
November 3. The trial court had denied bail to Prasad, saying it was not a fit
stage to grant him the relief.Prasad, who was arrested by the CBI on Oct.17, is
currently in judicial custody. Prasad, Asthana and CBI’s DSP Devender Kumar
have also filed separate petitions in the high court seeking quashing of the
FIR against them which are listed for hearing on Wednesday.indianexpress
Rising Tide of Nationalism Driving Force
behind Fake News in India, Says BBC Research
New Delhi:A research conducted by BBC has
found that the rising tide of nationalism being witnessed in India since BJP
came to power at the centre in May 2014, is “driving ordinary citizens to
spread fake news.” “The research found that facts were less important to some
than the emotional desire to bolster national identity,” says a report in
BBC.Social media analysis suggested that right-wing networks are much more
organised than on the left, pushing nationalistic fake stories further.“There
was also an overlap of fake news sources on Twitter and support networks of Prime
Minister Narendra Modi,” says the report.The findings come from extensive
research in India, Kenya, and Nigeria into the way ordinary citizens engage
with and spread fake news. The findings on India have been captured in a
105-page report.Participants gave the BBC extensive access to their phones over
a seven-day period, allowing the researchers to examine the kinds of material
they shared, whom they shared it with and how often.The research, commissioned
by the BBC World Service and published on Monday, is part of “Beyond Fake News”
– a series across TV, radio and digital that aims to investigate how
disinformation and fake news are affecting people around the world.The research
says that “distrust of mainstream news outlets pushed people to spread information
from alternative sources, without attempting to verify it, in the belief that
they were helping to spread the real story.”caravandaily/BBC
No perfect solution to deal with “fake news”,
says Twitter CEO
New Delhi:CEO and co-founder of Twitter Jack
Dorsey on Monday said there was no perfect solution to deal with “fake news”
and “misinformation” on social media in the context of the upcoming 2019
general election. Calling it a multi-variable problem, Dorsey said: “We need to
be 10 steps ahead of those trying to spread misinformation and need to ensure
that people reading misinformation do not take action based on the information.
Twitter can step in to ensure that a reported tweet that is spreading
misinformation is contained and does not spread more than the impressions it
has already reached.”He likened the problem to that of security and said that
even the best lock can be broken and the challenge was to keep building better
locks. Mr. Dorsey was speaking at a town hall in IIT Delhi, organised to launch
an initiative of Twitter, #PowerOf18, aimed at getting the youth to vote in the
next general election.thehindu
Ayodhya dispute: 2 petitioners support out of
court settlement:indiatoday
In a major development in the Ayodhya dispute,
two Muslim petitioners have signed a letter supporting the Art of Living
founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's initiative for an out of court settlement. The
representative of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Gautam Vij met Haji Mehboob and
Mohommad Omar, the two Sunni petitioners in Ayodhya dispute case on Monday, who
have signed a letter supporting the out of court settlement.The Imam of Kevda
Masjid and Tedhi Bazaar Masjid in Ayodhya also signed the letter in support of
resolution of the dispute through talks.Speaking to media, Haji Mehboob said,
"The Art of Living founder is an educated person and is pitching for peace
between both the communities. The matter is pending in Supreme Court but an
amicable solution through talks will also send a good message.
Not farmers, Ram temple is Centre's
priority:Sharad Pawar
Mumbai: NCP president Sharad Pawar on Monday
hit out at BJP-led central government saying that it failed to formulate right
policies for farmers. Addressing a gathering here, Pawar said that in spite of
discussing the issues being faced by the farmers, Ram temple has become the
priority of the ruling dispensation.He even accused the central government of
diverting people's attention. "Be it loan waiver or other policies, this
government failed in formulating right policies for farmers. Today farmers'
problems are not being discussed, Ram temple is being discussed. This
government has worked towards diverting people's attention. We have to be aware
of this," he said. Pawar had earlier targetted PM Modi government over the
Rafale deal signed between India and France.ANI
BJP MLA Anil Gote announces resignation from
Maharashtra Assembly, party
Mumbai:BJP MLA Anil Gote has announced his
resignation as member of the Maharashtra Assembly as well as from the BJP,
alleging that “criminals” were being inducted into the party.Gote, who
represents the Dhule Assembly seat in Maharashtra, said on Monday that he will
tender his resignation next week. Last month, another BJP MLA had resigned as
member of the state Assembly and from the party. Gote has been opposing
induction of some leaders from the NCP into the BJP.“I am going to tender my
resignation to the Assembly Speaker on Nov. 19, first day of the state
legislature’s winter session, and also quit the party,” he said.“Despite my
opposition, senior party leaders have been inducting people with criminal
background into the BJP ahead of Dhule Municipal Corporation election,” Gote
said.PTI
Must be BJP’s policy to not give ticket to
Muslims, says Rajasthan MLA after quitting party
Jaipur :Following the resignation of Rajasthan
cabinet minister Surendra Goyal on Monday, BJP MLA from Nagaur district Habibur
Rahaman has also quit the party. Both Goyal and Rahaman’s names didn’t feature
in the list of 131 candidates released on Sunday for the upcoming Assembly
elections in the state.Rahaman, who is one of the two sitting Muslim MLAs of
the incumbent BJP government in Rajasthan, was replaced by Mohan Ram Choudhary
in his Assembly constituency of Nagaur.The name of Yoonus Khan, a close aide of
Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, has also been held back as the candidate for
his current Assembly constituency of Didwana in Nagaur district. His name
wasn’t part of the first list.“I resigned from the BJP yesterday. Now, this must
be the policy of the party to not give tickets to Muslim candidates…What can we
say about it? I didn’t do anything wrong to not get a ticket… I will decide my
further course of action after a meeting with workers today,” Rahaman
said.indianexpress
Chhattisgarh elections: First phase sees 70%
voter turnout amid sporadic Maoist violence
New Delhi :Defying threats by Maoists, 70 per
cent of the electorate turned out to vote on Monday in 18 constituencies in the
first phase of Assembly polls in Chhattisgarh amid violence and allegations of
EVM rigging. The turnout was just a shade lower than the first phase in 2013
when 75.53% of voters turned out to exercise their franchise. Appreciating the
enthusiasm of the voters, Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat said attempst
were amde to instill a sense of fear among people.“Polling was peaceful. In
comparison to earlier elections, this elections have been singular achievement
of the people working in the fields. Attempts were made to create fear among
people but enthusiasm in voters was appreciable,” ANI quoted Rawat as
saying.The highest voter turnout was recorded in Khujji at 65.5 per cent till
4.30 pm. Maoist hotbed of Bastar, which saw just 40 per cent voter turnout in
2013, witnessed a healthy participation this time, with 58 per cent of the
electorate coming out to vote. Dantewada recorded 58 per cent turnout, while
other regions in Naxal belt like Kondagaon, Keshkal, Kanker, Khairagarh and
Dongargarh saw 61.47, 63.51, 62, 60.5, 64 per cent voter participation
respectively.Minutes before polling began, an IED was detonated in Dantewada
district by Naxals, who had called for a boycott of the polls. Security
personnel also recovered IEDs near a polling station in Bijapur and in Sukma
district.indianexpress
Allahabad renaming: High Court asks Centre,
Uttar Pradesh to file affidavits
lucknow:Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High
Court on Monday asked the Centre and Uttar Pradesh government to file counter
affidavits within a week on a petition challenging the decision to rename
Allahabad as Prayagraj.A bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Rajesh Singh
Chauhan passed the order on a PIL moved by HS Pandey.The petitioner argued that
it was necessary to invite objections from the public under Section 6 (2) of
the Revenue Manual before changing the name of a district, but said provision
was not followed in the present case. The state counsel opposed the plea by
submitting that the provision was applicable in case the revenue area had to be
changed. But, he added, only the name was changed in the present case and,
therefore, the petition was not maintainable. After hearing both sides, the
court asked the state and the central government counsel to place their
arguments on record by filing counter affidavits.HT
Don’t sell land or house to Muslims, don’t let
shops to them: provocative statements by IkkJutt Jammu
Jammu: A seminar was conducted under the
banner of IkkJutt Jammu. Advocate Ankur Sharma is the chairman of the
organisation. Provocative appeals were made during the seminar. Hindus were
advised not to sell their lands and residential houses to Muslims. And not to
lease out shops to them.The speakers of the seminar claimed that purchase of
land and houses by Muslims is part of a deep conspiracy. They also claimed that
8-year-old girl in Kathua was killed by Muslims themselves.Former BJP leader
and history Professor Hari Om urged Hindus not to sell land and houses to
Muslims; even if the need arises he advised them to sell them to their ‘own’
people. He further said that Muslim population is fast growing in Jammu. This
is to create Kashmir like situation in Jammu, he said. He claimed there were 3
Muslim localities and 3 Masajid in Jammu in 1994; today there are 42 Muslim
localities. You can’t go there.Writer and academician Madhu Kishwar said it is
being planned to make Jammu Muslim majority province which needs to be stopped.
She said people of a particular community are being legally invited to the
province and are permitted to occupy the land as much as they wish. She said
that people from Burma and Bangladesh are brought and inhabited here.siasat
Kashmir youths who joined militancy should
surrender: Army Chief Rawat
Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Monday said
there was no threat of insurgency in Punjab but there was need to remain alert
and both Centre and Punjab government were seized of the matter, latter
especially dealing it with an iron hand.“There is no threat for Punjab but it
is better to remain alert than allow things to go out of control. People of
Punjab themselves will not allow the violence to spread. They are the ones who
actually quelled the insurgency and they will not allow this to spread,” said
the Army Chief while interacting with newsmen at Mamun Military Station after inaugurating
a two-day “Samman Samaroh: Year of Disabled Soldiers in Line of
Duty”.indianexpress
Karnataka Journalist Arrested for Hate Speech
Against Prophet Mohammed, Tipu Sultan
New Delhi: After allegedly making several
inflammatory comments Prophet Mohammed and Tipu Sultan last week, in the run up
to the Karnataka state government’s celebrations of Tipu Jayanti, journalist
Santosh Thammaiah has been arrested and booked under Section 295A (deliberate
and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings or any class by
insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of the Indian Penal Code.The
editor of right-leaning magazine Aseema, Thammaiah, according to the complaint
filed against him, had said: “It was because of the Prophet’s ideologies that
Tipu Sultan carried out terrorist acts.”Thammaiah made the comments at an event
organised by Hindutva group Pragnya Kaveri titled ‘Tipu Karaala Mukha
Anaavarana’ (the exposure of Tipu’s dark side).The complaint was filed by a
resident of Siddapura, Askar KV on November 6. “Such speech can lead to unrest
and disrupt the peace in Kodagu as Santosh Thammaiah has insulted the Prophet
in his speech,” Askar’s complaint states. According to The News Minute, “Such
speech can lead to unrest and disrupt the peace in Kodagu as Santosh Thammaiah
has insulted the Prophet in his speech,” Askar’s complaint states.thewire
Dabholkar murder: CBI invokes UAPA to slap
terror charges
Pune:CBI has invoked sections relating to
terror charges under the stringent UAPA, against the accused in the killing of
rationalist and anti-superstition activist Dr Narendra Dabholkar in 2013. In a
report submitted to a Pune court Monday, the CBI invoked the UAPA’s Section 15,
which defines a “terrorist act”, and Section 16, which states that if the “act”
results in death, the punishment is either the death sentence or life
imprisonment. The report was submitted by the case’s investigating officer, ASP
S R Singh, in the court of Judicial Magistrate (First Class), SMA Sayyed.The
stipulated time period for filing a chargesheet in UAPA cases is 90 days after
the date of arrest, after which the investigating agency can seek a
90-dayextension. The CBI, which was earlier slated to file a chargesheet on
November 18, has moved an application in court for the extension, sources said.
So far, the agency has arrested six persons in the case, five of them in August
and September this year. In June 2016, the CBI had arrested ENT surgeon and
Sanatan Sanstha member Dr Virendra Tawde, the alleged mastermind of the
conspiracy to kill Dabholkar.CBI told the court that the five arrested this
year have links to either the Sanatan Sanstha or its affiliate Hindu
Janajagruti Samiti. Among those arrested are Sachin Andure and Sharad Kalaskar
who, the CBI claimed, opened fire at Dabholkar on August 20, 2013, when he was
on a morning walk in Pune.indianexpress
Staged photo that led to arrest of RSS man
features at Tajinder Bagga’s Sabarimala event
An event organised by Delhi BJP spokesperson
Tajinder Bagga, meant to press for restrictions on entry of women inside
Sabarimala temple, has put the party in a spot for using staged photos of an
RSS worker who has been arrested.Sunday’s event was held in front of a large
poster that had an image of a man dressed in black, with an Ayyappa statue in
one hand and a stick in the other. The foot of a man, purportedly a police
officer, is placed on the former’s chest. Stickers with the same image were
distributed.The poster reads: “100 crore Hinduon ki aastha par prahaar band
karo (stop the assault on the belief of 100 crore Hindus)”, along with the
words #SaveSabarimala. Those on the stage, including Bagga, also held up
smaller posters showing the image. Except, the man in the poster, 39-year-old
RSS worker Rajesh R Kurup, was arrested on November 5 from Kerala’s Alappuzha
district for staging photographs of the “attack”.On Monday, Bagga, who
organised the event, clarified that the photo on the poster was
“representative” in nature. A BJP spokesperson said Bagga had organised the
event, also attended by rebel AAP MLA Kapil Mishra, in his personal
capacity.indianexpress
RBI Governor Patel meets PM Modi ahead of RBI
meet
Mumbai:RBI Governor Urjit Patel met Prime
Minister Narendra Modi on November 9.According to sources familiar with the
development, Dr. Patel apprised the central bank’s rationale for its discomfort
over a series of demands made by the Finance Ministry, including higher
dividend and lower capital requirement for banks.The meeting assumes
significance ahead of the central bank’s board meeting scheduled on November
19.The meetings, which some said also included with the Prime Minister, came
amid a face-off between the central bank and the Finance Ministry over issues
ranging from appropriate size of reserves that RBI must maintain to ease of
lending norms to step up growth in an election year.Sources said there are
indications that RBI may create a special dispensation for lending to small and
medium enterprises, but it was not immediately clear if an agreement has been
worked out to ease liquidity situation for non-banking finance companies
(NBFCs) and the RBI parting with its substantial part of its surplus.thehindu
Changing Muslim, Islamic names of cities by
Yogi belies liberal democracy theory : Soz
Srinagar:Senior Congress leader and former
union minister Prof Saifuddin Soz said changing Muslim and Islamic names of
cities and institutions was against the spirit of "liberal
democracy"."The general run of political observers have started
worrying for the Liberal Democracy that India has to be as per the Constitution
of India," Prof Soz said in a statement here on Tuesday afternoon.He
said," it was extremely objectionable and condemnable.“Political observers
at the national level feel that it is not people like Amit Shah, Yogi Aditya
Nath, and Giri Raj Singh, who fan communal and sectarian narrative on almost
all issues relevant for their reference, but, it is a direct inspiration from
PM Narendra Modi, who has shown culture for this narrative continuously and now
is doubly promoting it with Election 2019 in view.UNI
WORLD
Gaza wakes up to rubble and funerals after
Israeli strikes
GAZA CITY – Israeli air strikes killed six
Palestinians and destroyed seven buildings on Monday night in what some
Palestinians have called “the bloodiest night” since Israel’s offensive on the
long-besieged enclave in 2014.The overnight attacks came after what is widely
believed to have been a botched Israeli special forces operation deep into Gaza
on Sunday night, which led to the deaths of seven Palestinians, including a Hamas
commander, and one Israeli soldier.Hamas responded to the incursion late on
Monday, launching around 400 rockets into different locations in southern
Israel. Israeli media reported that a Palestinian man originally from Hebron
was killed in Ashkelon after a rocket landed on a house, while Palestinian
media said two people had been killed in the same attack. Dina Asaad, 27, who
lives in the northern Gaza city, said she has not heard "such massive
explosions for the past four years"."Last night was the bloodiest
since Israel’s last offensive in 2014. We could not sleep all night as
explosions rocked almost every neighbourhood in the Strip," she said.
"This looks pretty much like the beginning of the last three attacks [the
2009, 2012 and 2014 wars], one of them even started with assassinating a Hamas
leader and continued for several days."middleeasteye
Hamas warns Israel it will extend range of
rocket fire over raids
The armed wing of Hamas says it will step up
attacks and fire rockets at the Israeli towns of Ashdod and Beersheba if Israel
continues to carry out air raids on civilian buildings in Gaza.At least six
Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks on the besieged enclave since late
Monday in the worst violence between the two sides since the 2014 war.The
escalation came after at least seven Palestinians were killed on Sunday in a
covert Israeli operation, to which Hamas responded with rocket fire from
Gaza.Hamas' warning that it would extend the range of its rocket fire was
issued on Tuesday, hours after a rocket from Gaza killed an Israeli man in a
direct hit on a residential building in the coastal town of Ashkelon.The rocket
was fired after an Israeli air raid destroyed Hamas' Al-Aqsa TV building in
Gaza on Monday evening.The spokesperson for the Hamas military wing said in a
statement that Ashkelon "has entered the range of fire as a response to
the bombing of civilian buildings in Gaza"."Occupied al-Majdal
(Ashkelon) is now in our cross hairs in response to the shelling that targeted
civilian buildings in Gaza … Ashdod and Beersheba are the next targets if the
enemy continues to bombard civilian buildings," Abu Ubaidah said on
Twitter.Meanwhile, Al-Aqsa TV broadcast a video showing the moment when
Palestinian fighters targeted an Israeli army bus near the Gaza Strip border,
east of Jabalia. The vehicle exploded moments after Israeli soldiers
disembarked.In Gaza, schools and public institutions were closed on Tuesday as
people ventured outside to inspect the damage after a long night of aerial
raids.aljazeera
Political source: Israel suspends Gaza truce
talk
A senior Israeli political source said the
government had suspended contacts with Egypt and the United Nations regarding a
truce with the Gaza Strip.Israeli media, including Channel 10, quoted a senior
political source, who it did not identify, as saying that Tel Aviv “has no
contacts with Egypt and the United Nations on the ceasefire in Gaza”.The announcement
came at the height of the Israeli cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning, chaired
by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.Yesterday, UN Middle East envoy Nikolay
Mladenov said in a tweet that the United Nations “is working closely with Egypt
and the concerned parties to ensure that Gaza is pulled from the
brink.”middleeastmonitor
Israel stops Jerusalem students reaching
school
Israeli occupation
forces yesterday obstructed Palestinian students as they travelled to their
school in the Jerusalem neighbourhood of Silwan, Jordan’s Assabeel newspaper
reported.The Palestinian students in Silwan attend a school located to the
south of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Israeli occupation forces set up several flying
checkpoints along their route.Wadi Al-Hilwa Information Centre said that the
Israeli occupation forces forced the Palestinian students to disembark from
their school bus to be inspected.This, according to the information centre,
caused a traffic jam and massive delays to students and workers using the
road.middleeastmonitor
Israeli High Court discusses evictions of
Palestinians in Jerusalem
Israel’s High Court held a hearing on Monday
to discuss the eviction orders imposed on Palestinian homes in Sheikh Jarrah, a
neighbourhood in occupied Jerusalem, Arab48.com has reported.An Israeli settler
NGO, backed by the occupation government, has claimed the ownership of the land
on which the homes are built. The group has been working on having the
residents evicted from their homes and has already taken over several
Palestinian homes and set up settlement outposts.According to media reports,
the NGO and others like it have applied to build apartment blocks for illegal
Jewish in the Palestinian neighbourhood. At least one member of the Israeli-run
Jerusalem Municipality, Arie King, has supported most of the Jewish settlement
projects in the holy city and stands beside this NGO on the latest
project.Previously, settler NGOs have stolen Palestinian homes in Karm Al-Mufti
in Jerusalem and built 25 settlement units and a synagogue by the name of
Friend Shimon. This neighbourhood, which has long been a Palestinian area, is
now protected by Israeli law.middleeastmonitor
Did Israel's PM Netanyahu Secretly Visit
Pakistan? Eyewitnesses Say Plane Did Land
After two weeks of vehement denials by
Pakistani government that a private business jet flew to Islamabad from Tel
Aviv (Israel) via Amman (Jordan) and went back, eyewitnesses have confirmed
that such an airplane did visit the country.A pilot, who spoke to Middle East
Eye on the condition of anonymity, said that the flight was in the air next to him
on October 24 just before it landed at a military airbase in Rawalpindi. One
member of staff at the airbase said he saw a car pick up a delegation at the
steps of the plane minutes after it landed.The controversy began on October 25
when Avi Scharf, editor of the English edition of the Israeli newspaper
Haaretz, claimed in a tweet that a jet travelled to Islamabad from Tel Aviv and
remained on ground in Pakistani capital for nearly 10 hours.The alleged trip
happened a day before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made his first
visit to Oman in over 20 years. That visit was also kept secret till Netanyahu
tweeted a video of a meeting. news18
‘Tell your boss’: Tape hints at Saudi Crown
Prince’s link to Jamal Khashoggi murder:NYT
Shortly after journalist Jamal Khashoggi was
assassinated last month, a member of the kill team instructed a superior over
the phone to “tell your boss”, believed to be Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
of Saudi Arabia, that the operatives had carried out their mission, according
to three people familiar with a recording of Khashoggi’s killing collected by
Turkish intelligence.The recording, shared last month with CIA Director Gina Haspel,
is seen by intelligence officials as some of the strongest evidence linking
Crown Prince Mohammed to the killing of Khashoggi, a Virginia resident and
Washington Post columnist whose death prompted an international outcry.While he
was not mentioned by name, US intelligence officials believe “your boss” was a
reference to Crown Prince Mohammed. Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb, one of 15 Saudis
dispatched to Istanbul to confront Khashoggi at the Saudi Consolate there, made
the phone call and spoke in Arabic, the people said. Turkish intelligence
officers have told US officials they believe that Mutreb, a security officer
who frequently traveled with Crown Prince Mohammed, was speaking to one of the
crown prince’s aides. While translations of the Arabic may differ, the people
briefed on the call said Mutreb also said to the aide words to the effect of
“the deed was done”.“A phone call like that is about as close to a smoking gun
as you are going to get,” said Bruce O Riedel, a former CIA officer now at the
Brookings Institution. “It is pretty incriminating evidence.”Turkish officials
have said that the audio does not conclusively implicate Crown Prince Mohammed,
and US intelligence and other government officials have cautioned that however
compelling the recording may be, it is still not irrefutable evidence of his
involvement in the death of Khashoggi.
Khashoggi killing: 'Tell your boss deed is
done'
Erdogan says Khashoggi recordings shocked
Saudi intelligence
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said
recordings related to the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, which Ankara has shared
with Western allies, are "appalling", and shocked a Saudi
intelligence officer who listened to them, local media reported.Khashoggi, a
critic of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed on
October 2 in Saudi consulate in Istanbul, in a hit that Erdogan says was
ordered at the "highest levels" of the Saudi government.The Turkish
leader, while returning from a weekend visit to France, told reporters on
Tuesday that he discussed the Saudi journalist's killing with the US, French
and German leaders in Paris."We played the recordings regarding this
murder to everyone who wanted them from us. Our intelligence organisation did
not hide anything. We played them to all who wanted them including the Saudis,
the USA, France, Canada, Germany, Britain," he said."The recordings
are really appalling. Indeed when the Saudi intelligence officer listened to
the recordings he was so shocked he said: 'This one must have taken heroin,
only someone who takes heroin would do this'," he added.aljazeera
Prospect of Yemen talks rises as Saudi agrees
to evacuate Houthis
British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt on
Tuesday said prospects for talks to end Yemen's devastating war were "more
real" after Saudi Arabia confirmed to him its willingness to evacuate 50
wounded Houthi fighters as a confidence-building measure.The evacuation of
Houthi fighters, which Hunt said would involve conditions about who travels
with them, was a Houthi condition for peace talks that collapsed in September
after the armed group's delegation failed to show up."If this unblocks
that, then that makes the prospect of those peace talks happening more real and
that will be very important," Hunt said."It's about
confidence-building measures on both sides, but certainly [from] the people
I've spoken to today, there is a real willingness to engage in those."The
Western-backed Saudi-Emirati coalition in Yemen resumed air attacks on the main
port city of Hodeidah after a lull on Monday as Western allies pressed Riyadh
to end a war that has pushed the impoverished country to the verge of
starvation."Even though there's been a temporary lull in the fighting ...
it is a desperate humanitarian situation and so I impressed on everyone the
urgency of the situation we're facing," Hunt said.aljazeera
Bangladesh poll date pushed to Dec.30
DHAKA:Authorities in Bangladesh agreed on
Monday to delay national elections by a week because of Opposition demands for
more time to prepare.Chief Election Commissioner K.M. Nurul Huda said officials
decided to shift the date to Dec.30 in response to the proposals by the
Opposition parties.The new deadline for filing nominations is Nov.28.The ruling
Awami League party, its allies and some Opposition parties welcomed the
decision, but a new major Opposition alliance was unhappy because it wants the
elections deferred by a month.The alliance, called National Oikya Front,
consists of the Khaleda Zia-led BNP, among other parties and is headed by
prominent lawyer Kamal Hossain. It could pose a major challenge to Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina’s desire to win a third consecutive term. Hossain was a
close aide of independence leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Ms. Hasina’s father,
and now heads a small party, the Gono Forum.PTI
Egypt Adds ‘al-Gamaa al-Islamiya’ to Terror
List
The Cairo Criminal Court has added Islamist group
al-Gamaa al-Islamiya as well as 164 of its leaders and members to a list of
terrorist entities, in a decision that could expedite the dissolution of
“Building and Development” party, the group’s political arm.Gamaa is the most
prominent ally of the Muslim Brotherhood, which authorities classify as
"terrorist" since the overthrow of former president Mohamed Morsi.The
court ruling also includes putting Tarek al-Zumar, Mohammed Shawki
al-Islambouli, both fugitives in Turkey, Assem Abdelmajid, who is in Qatar, and
others on the terrorist list for five years.The Official gazette “Waqae
Masriyya” reported in its Sunday issue that that the decision was announced by
the Criminal Court, based on the investigations and reports of State Security
Prosecutor's Office. It identified al-Gamaa al-Islamiya as a “terrorist entity”
established contrary to the provisions of the law with the goal of forcibly
changing the regime.aawsat
China top diplomat: Ignore 'gossip' over
Uighur detention camps
The world should ignore "gossip" about
China's Xinjiang region and trust authorities there, the government's top
diplomat said on Tuesday, when asked if Beijing would allow international
observers to inspect camps holding Muslims there.Western countries, including
Canada, France, Germany and the US, have urged China to shut down camps in
Xinjiang, where activists say as many as one million members of the Uighur
minority and other Muslims are being detained. It rejects all accusations of
mistreatment and denies mass internment. It says far western Xinjiang faces a
threat from Islamist separatists.After initial denials, however, Chinese
officials have said some people guilty of minor offences were being sent to
"vocational" training centres, where they are taught work skills and
legal knowledge aimed at curbing militancy.aljazeera
Rohingya shocked, terrified as deadline for
Myanmar return nears
Yangon: Abdul fled his burning home last
August amid a frenzy of screams, smoke and gunfire. As soldiers from Myanmar's
army shot people down at his village in northern Rakhine state, he saw his
nephew and son-in-law struck and killed by bullets.Abdul made it across the
border with his wife and four children to Bangladesh where, like hundreds of
thousands of other Muslim-majority Rohingya, they have lived for more than a
year in cramped, desperate conditions.Life there has been bleak, but they have
at least been out of reach of the army accused by UN investigators of waging a
genocidal campaign of mass murder, arson and systematic rape against the
minority group.But now Abdul - whose name has been changed to protect his
identity - says he has been told he and his family will be sent back across the
border to a region where Rohingya continue to face what one investigator
recently called an "ongoing genocide".Earlier this month, an official
came to their hut at the Jamtoli camp in Cox's Bazar and told them they would
be repatriated this week."We were in shock, I couldn't say anything, my
mouth just stopped working," he told Al Jazeera.aljazeera
'Profoundly dismayed': Amnesty strips Suu Kyi
of top honour
Amnesty International has stripped Myanmar
leader Aung San Suu Kyi of its highest honour over her "indifference"
to the atrocities committed by the country's military against the
Muslim-majority Rohingya.UK-based human rights group on Monday said it was revoking
the Ambassador of Conscience Award it gave Aung San Suu Kyi in 2009 during her
15-year house arrest."Today, we are profoundly dismayed that you no longer
represent a symbol of hope, courage, and the undying defence of human
rights," Amnesty chief Kumi Naidoo said in a letter to Aung San Suu Kyi
released by the group."Amnesty International cannot justify your continued
status as a recipient of the Ambassador of Conscience award and so, with great
sadness, we are hereby withdrawing it from you."The group said it informed
Myanmar's leader of the decision on Sunday. She has so far issued no public
response.Once hailed as a champion in the fight for democracy, Aung San Suu Kyi
has been stripped of a series of international honours over a Rohingya exodus that
began in August 2017.aljazeera
Entire village of 250 people converts to Islam
in Philippines
Cebu (Philippines): A team of Muslim
volunteers cooperating with the UK-based Islamic Education & Research
Academy (iERA) on Sunday November 11, 2018 witnessed an entire village in the
Philippines converting to Islam.In a Facebook post, which is also tagged with a
video, iERA said its volunteers were invited by a Muslim revert, Abu Bakr, to
Madina Mosque in Bantayan Island of the central Philippines province of Cebu."iERA
team then boarded the ferry to Bantayan Island and proceeded to hire motorbikes
for the outreach team and travelled as a convoy to the remote part of the
island to visit local villagers."Upon arrival at the village, a local
symposium was organised to convey the Message of Islam. The audience with
around 250 attendees from a predominantly Christian Background were mesmerised
by a passionate talk by both Abu Bakr and Esa Khan. They spoke about the
similarities between Islam and Christianity and the true message of Prophet
Jesus AS which was to worship Almighty God Alone", iERA said in the
Facebook post.ummid.com
FLASH: VIEWS &
NEWS
CAG ‘deliberately delaying’ report on Rafale
deal, demonetisation: Former bureaucrats
Rafale deal: Modi govt informs SC about reason
for buying 36 jets; keeps mum on Reliance, price: UMAKANT LAKHERA
SC panel wants non-CNG vehicles banned on
Delhi’s smog days: Practical or knee-jerk idea?
India Faces Challenge of Another Afghan
Transition as the Taliban Heads Towards Kabul:M.K.BHADRAKUMAR
“I Have Never Seen This Level Of Distress in
My Entire Political Life”: Kamal Nath
Compiled and edited by
Anwarulhaq (Released at: 5:44 PM)
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